As the generative AI boom drives steep demand for hardware components, Apple and other hardware makers are facing what outgoing CEO Tim Cook calls “a hundred-year flood [on] memory pricing,” which is severely impacting the cost of producing iPhones, MacBooks, and other devices.

Apple described its recent earnings report as its “strongest June quarter ever,” with iPhone and Mac sales performing better than expected, growing 22% and 29%, respectively, year-over-year. Yet the company is bracing for memory shortages, known as RAMageddon, to get even worse. Apple’s biggest challenge is securing the advanced memory nodes used in its Apple silicon chips, which power the A-Series and M-Series processors used in iPhones and Macs.

“We continue to expect high levels of demand. However, with less flexibility in supply chain, we expect the impact from the supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially,” Cook said on Apple’s quarterly earnings call. “We’re seeing some very significant constraints currently with limited flexibility in the supply chain to remedy it.”

Apple is evidently worried enough about supply shortages that it reported $11.1 billion in inventory, nearly double the $5.7 billion it reported last September. This marks a break from Cook’s long-held supply chain approach, which has emphasized minimizing how much inventory Apple has on hand.

These constraints led Apple to “reluctantly” raise the price of Macs and iPads last month, Cook added. Other companies that have raised hardware prices include Meta, Samsung, Microsoft, and Sony.

“We’re going to be scrambling on the supply side, essentially,” Cook said.

For the upcoming quarter, Apple is predicting revenue growth between 9% and 11% year-over-year. But in the last several quarters, Apple has maintained about 16% year-over-year growth. Of course, that worries investors — Apple stock dropped 6% in after-hours trading.

When Senior VP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus steps into the CEO role in September, the company could be facing a rough patch, but at least Apple isn’t alone in its supply struggles.

Anthropic said Thursday that an internal investigation uncovered three incidents in which its AI model Claude breached the systems of three organizations while conducting cybersecurity tests. The investigation, and disclosure, comes more than a week after OpenAI disclosed that one of its unreleased models breached Hugging Face’s systems during internal testing.

In all three cases, a Claude model reached the internet from within a testing environment while interacting with a third party and then gained unauthorized access to the live systems of these organizations, Anthropic said in a blog post, describing what it found and what the company plans to change to prevent this from happening again.

Anthropic said the OpenAI episode earlier this month prompted the company to conduct its own cybersecurity evaluation. It specifically looked for evidence that Claude had accessed the internet from within testing environments, which are designed to act as sandboxes and keep models isolated.

Among the 141,006 evaluation runs it reviewed, the AI lab found three incidents in which its model accessed the internet while interacting with Irregular, one of its third-party partners. Anthropic said the access traced back to a misconfiguration in the evaluation environment run with Irregular. It called this a “misunderstanding” between the two companies over whether the test setup had internet access, when in fact it did.

Anthropic said it isn’t placing blame and is “approaching the fixes as if the responsibility were ours alone,” while observing that Irregular is conducting its own separate investigation.

Because of that open connection, the model gained unauthorized access to the production infrastructure of three different organizations. Anthropic said the incidents involved three different Claude models: Opus 4.7, Mythos 5, and an internal research test model.

Notably, Anthropic said that in each of these cases “Claude was explicitly told by our prompt that it had no internet access.” It appears that the AI model assumed real-world systems to be part of the exercise it was asked to perform.

That assumption didn’t hold up uniformly, as it turns out. The three models didn’t behave the same way once evidence emerged that their targets were real, which Anthropic flagged as one of the more eye-opening findings Thursday.

Opus 4.7, the oldest of the three, recognized that it had reached a real production system in all four runs of that incident. In two of them, it rationalized that the real company must somehow be part of the exercise, but in all four, it kept attacking anyway, including pulling credentials and touching a database of production data. Mythos 5 also picked up on signs that it was on the real internet, but it talked itself back into believing it was still in a simulation, going on to publish a malicious software package to the public Python software registry PyPI, which was then downloaded and run by outside systems before being caught. Only the internal research test model, Anthropic’s newest, stopped on its own once it concluded the target was real.

In response, Anthropic said significant controls must be placed on these kinds of evaluations if powerful AI models are involved, echoing some sentiments within the cybersecurity community.

The company also noted that Claude was running without the additional safety monitoring and classifiers it deploys on generally available models — safeguards it said would have blocked the behavior, because the evaluations are designed to measure the underlying model’s raw capabilities.

Importantly, Anthropic said it found no evidence of any model “pursuing a goal of its own” and instead merely tried to complete the task it was asked to do.

Though comparisons between the mishaps of these fiercely competitive companies are inevitable, Anthropic in its blog post drew a clear distinction between its cybersecurity tests and those of OpenAI, noting where OpenAI’s model exploited an unknown software vulnerability to break out of its test environment, Anthropic’s models instead reached the internet through a path that had, by mistake, been left open.

Anthropic also drew a distinction between itself and OpenAI by noting that it discovered the incidents itself, through a proactive review, and that the two affected organizations it was able to reach hadn’t previously detected the activity or flagged it to Anthropic. (In contrast, Hugging Face detected the recent intrusion of its own systems first; it was only in the following days that OpenAI identified and disclosed that its own AI agent was the perpetrator.)

The company added that it’s now working with the independent evaluation group METR on a third-party review of the incidents.

OpenAI’s accidental breach of Hugging Face, which was the first verifiable case of an AI lab losing control of its model, has sparked a string of wildly differing reactions from the industry and politicians. This latest disclosure from Anthropic ensures the debate over AI models and security will continue.

As it has been almost all of 2026, Apple’s September-quarter growth is expected to be slowed by a lack of supply-side availability that won’t be able to meet “incredibly strong demand” for iPhone, iPad, and Mac products.

If you’re going to have a problem in this world, it isn’t so bad to have an Apple problem. In spite of its $109 billion record breaking June quarter, analysts are already sweating about the September quarter.

Apple didn’t warn of some catastrophic fall in demand or lack of RAM that might impact revenue streams. No, instead Apple CEO Tim Cook shared that demand was so incredibly high that the supply chain wouldn’t be able to keep up.

“Let me stress this again,” Cook said during the earnings call, “this isn’t a partner or supplier issue. This issue is an incredibly strong demand.”

Cook really wants to ensure that investors know that the supply chain is more than capable of providing orders at the usual scale. However, the issue is that demand is much higher and supply constraints have increased to the point that Apple can’t simply order more product.

Realistically, this means that September’s revenue will be lower than it potentially could have been simply because there wasn’t enough inventory available to buy during that quarter. It remains to be seen if supply-side inventory will catch up during the December quarter or not, or if these constraints will continue into 2027.

High demand and growth are good problems to have

Revenue growth is expected to be in the teens for the September quarter.

It is an incredible assertion considering September can be an awkward quarter for Apple. Savvy customers know an iPhone is on the way, so they’ll hold back on purchases.

However, the iPhone does launch with a couple of weeks’ worth of sales in September, which can provide a boost. From what it sounds like, Tim Cook is talking about the iPhone 17 lineup demand more than the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup.

Of course, the discussion also pertains to iPads and Macs. Those products won’t see a refresh until later in the fall, so what demand there is for current options will carry through the quarter.

Supply-side inventory will continue to be a constraint going forward, but expected iPhone price hikes could also create a problem for Apple. That won’t be known until guidance is provided in October or revenue is shared in December.

The counterbalance here is the new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. Beta testing shows these are well-executed products that could drive incredible demand, even with potential price increases.

Google is integrating Gemini Spark with Chrome so it can carry web-based tasks further without users having to take over at every step. The search giant is also expanding access to AI Pro subscribers in more than 160 additional countries, although the new browser capabilities are initially limited to the United States.

How Chrome auto browse works

Chrome auto browse allows Spark to navigate websites using the accounts you are already signed into and passwords saved in the browser. Access requires permission from the user rather than being enabled automatically.

Google says Spark can use the feature to schedule viewings for saved apartment listings, compare flight options, and begin the booking process. It can move between pages and complete several steps without requiring the user to guide every action.

Spark hands control back before sensitive actions such as payments. Google also says it has added protections against prompt injection, where instructions hidden on a webpage attempt to manipulate an AI agent into performing an unintended action. Chrome auto-browse is rolling out first in the US, with additional regions expected to follow later.

Spark is reaching considerably more users

Gemini Spark launched at Google I/O in May as a cloud-based agent that can continue working after a laptop is closed or a phone is locked. It initially focused on Google services such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Keep, and Tasks before adding several third-party integrations.

Spark also arrived on the Mac in June, gaining the ability to organize local files and work across supported desktop apps. Google recently expanded access beyond its expensive Ultra subscription, bringing Spark to the $20-per-month Google AI Pro plan in the US.

Pro subscribers in more than 160 additional countries are now gaining access. Chrome integration is one of Spark’s most important upgrades so far. It removes one of the agent’s biggest limitations by allowing tasks to continue beyond connected apps instead of stopping when the next step requires navigating a website.

Monetizing AI is a tricky business and it seems Apple’s only plans so far are tying daily usage limits to users’ iCloud+ subscription tier, but whether or not that’ll be enough isn’t yet known.

Apple may be prioritizing on-device AI, but the requests that need to go to Private Cloud Compute servers still cost money. Those costs will be offset by offering increased daily usage limits for higher iCloud+ tiers, but that may only be the start of Apple’s AI monetization plan.

Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to an analyst question during the Q3 earnings call regarding AI compute costs with information that was shared previously. However, one tidbit stood out that hints at Apple’s ambitions for drawing in more revenue from AI.

“And so, we couldn’t be happier with how things are going,” Cook said of iOS 27 AI beta testing. “In terms of what it means for compute cost, it’s obviously early going for us, and so I don’t want to say that we have a complete plan for that.”

He states here, and again later in the call, that AI daily usage limits will be tied to a user’s iCloud+ subscription tier. What that means and which tier gets what hasn’t been detailed yet, but this information was shared during the WWDC keynote as well.

In response to another question, Cook shared that operation expenditures will increase thanks to AI. He says that whether or not iCloud+ plans will balance the books is “uncertain.”

Apple has also confirmed that iCloud+ tiers will determine how much AI video recognition functionality users will get in their Apple Home. Users need the 2TB or Apple One Premier plan to get unlimited cameras and AI footage analysis.

iCloud+ and AI

Apple Intelligence and Siri AI are free to use as long as you have devices that support those features. However, server-side operations are limited.

iCloud+ will provide more usage tokens to users

Users will have to pay more to get more AI tokens. Though, unlike Apple’s competitors, its user base may already be subscribed to a service that will grant them additional tokens.

iCloud has a free 5GB tier that likely includes very few AI usage tokens overall. A user might blow through these tokens after a few prompts for an image, for example.

iCloud+ starts with a $1 per month tier for 50GB of storage and additional tokens. It’s also included in the Apple One Individual plan.

The $3 iCloud+ tier includes 200GB of storage, additional token usage, and is included in Apple One Family. The $10 tier is 2TB of storage, more tokens still, and unlimited HomeKit Secure Video cameras with AI video analysis, which is included with Apple One Premier.

Those that need even more storage after buying Apple One Premier can add on any additional iCloud+ subscription, including the $1, $3, and $10 plans. After that, there are two iCloud+ tiers that stand on their own: $30 for 6TB and $60 for 12TB.

Apple will likely tie even higher AI token usage limits to these very expensive tiers. Although, it seems very expensive considering the abilities of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI today, especially if you don’t need the storage space.

AI driving services growth

As Cook said, Apple will evaluate compute costs versus iCloud+ subscription rates to see how things balance. If more options are needed, Apple will bring them about.

Apple’s quest for infinite services growth continues

I expect that there will be a hybrid system in place, eventually. Sure, having token usage tiers tied to iCloud+ is fine, but requiring users to pay for storage they don’t need is silly.

Instead, for those on the Apple One Premier plan for example, I expect Apple will also sell one-time purchase packs or a separate token-use subscription. Never count Apple out of offering more services.

This is not even the beginning of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, as they are still in a beta preview. Things could evolve quickly in the coming months and years, and while Apple AI usage is limited today, it won’t always be.

As Apple gives us more ways to use AI, its costs will increase, and so the users’ costs will too. Increased monetization efforts means more services revenue, which should calm down those investors and analysts still worrying for Apple’s survival after a $109 billion Q3.

Most Samsung Galaxy users download apps from the Google Play Store, but that’s not the only place to find useful apps. Samsung has its own store, called Galaxy Store, which provides apps created especially for the Galaxy smartphones. These apps can make your smartphone work faster, let you use additional camera options, and give you more customization options for your device. In this article, we look at five essential apps every Samsung user should know about and why they’re worth trying.

1. Good Lock

Good Lock is Samsung’s own customization app for Galaxy smartphones. With Good Lock, users get access to various settings that aren’t available in the default One UI interface. Rather than installing a third-party launcher to change your smartphone, Good Lock lets you personalize various aspects of your Galaxy device through official Samsung applications. Here are some of the most helpful modules from Good Lock:

• Home Up: The Home Up module provides additional settings for the home screen. In particular, it allows users to resize folders, choose new layouts, use stickers, and activate looping for home screens.
• Camera Assistant: With the Camera Assistant module, users can control extra features of the Samsung camera app. These include activating a 2x zoom shortcut, changing shutter button actions, and accessing such Samsung camera features as Single Take and Dual Recording.
• One Hand Operation+: This module makes large Galaxy phones easier to use with one hand. Users can create custom swipe gestures, open an app switcher, and access quick tools with simple movements.
• QuickStar: QuickStar lets users personalize the Quick Settings panel. It also allows them to hide selected status bar icons, change the panel’s appearance, and adjust the button layout.
• Routines+: This is an expanded version of Samsung’s Modes and Routines feature. Users can create more automations and touch macros for daily tasks.
• MultiStar: The MultiStar module provides more efficient usage of split-screen mode. Also, it enables additional cover screen features on Galaxy Z Flip models.

2. Good Guardians

Good Guardians is another helpful Samsung app that can be downloaded from the Galaxy Store. Similar to Good Lock, it comes with a number of downloadable modules. However, while Good Lock enhances customization options, Good Guardians helps enhance your phone’s performance and optimize its battery usage. These are some of the most helpful Good Guardians modules:

• Battery Tracker: This module shows which apps have used the most battery over the last 24 hours or seven days. It also displays battery usage percentages and screen time for each app.
• Battery Guardian: It provides users with a number of options to increase battery life, such as enabling power-saving mode at bedtime, optimizing display, and minimizing network usage for chosen apps.
• Galaxy App Booster: This feature boosts app performance at just one click. According to Samsung, it should be run once a week and after any software update.
• Thermal Guardian: The feature allows you to check your smartphone’s temperature and tells you why the phone heated up. Moreover, it monitors CPU utilization and lists apps that use maximum resources.
• Memory Guardian: This tool clears unused RAM with one tap, helping free memory and improve overall performance.
• Media File Guardian: It allows you to control media files stored on your phone, including files created by banking, shopping, and social media apps.

3. Expert RAW

For Galaxy smartphone users who want professional-grade control options for their camera, Samsung provides Expert RAW. Though it can be used with the Camera app, it is not automatically downloaded from the start. The user will need to install it either from the Galaxy Store or the More tab of the Camera app.

The app targets photography enthusiasts who want greater control over their camera settings. With this application, users can change settings such as ISO, shutter speed, focusing, exposure, and more before capturing images. Images can be captured using the app in two different file formats: JPEG and RAW. Certain Galaxy flagships offer functions such as astrophotography and multiple-exposure images. Expert RAW is available only on selected Galaxy flagship models, so it may not appear on every Samsung phone.

4. Galaxy Enhance-X

Galaxy Enhance-X is Samsung’s AI-powered editing app designed for Galaxy devices. It makes image and video editing easy regardless of your level of expertise. Its one-click improvement capability ensures you don’t need advanced knowledge to edit your images.

Along with AI enhancement, the app includes tools to eliminate shadows and reflections, enhance facial features, crop photos, and adjust brightness. Users can also restore vintage photos and even create GIFs. Video editing functions encompass cutting videos, muting the sound, and applying various video effects.

Other options include plugins such as FilmStyle, Cinematic Glow, SkyGuide, and SpeedShuffle, which offer additional editing options. But please keep in mind that the available features may differ depending on the Galaxy model.

5. Edge Panel Apps

Samsung’s Edge Panel gives Galaxy users quick access to apps and useful tools from the side of the screen. The feature already includes shortcuts for apps, contacts, weather, reminders, clipboard, and other utilities. Galaxy phones include several built-in panel options, but users can expand them with additional downloads.

The Galaxy Store offers additional Edge Panels that add more functionality. The Galaxy Store offers additional Edge Panels that add more functionality. Samsung provides panels such as the Calculator Panel, Calendar Panel, Edge QuickNotes, and Direct Call Panel. The Calculator Panel lets users perform quick calculations without opening the Calculator app. The Calendar Panel displays a scrollable calendar, while Edge QuickNotes makes it easy to view or create notes. With the Direct Call Panel, you can make a call from your contact list with just one tap. Third-party Edge Panels are also available on Samsung through the Galaxy Store. These panels offer additional options that let users perform daily tasks without opening apps.

If your phone’s storage keeps mysteriously shrinking, WhatsApp channels might be part of the reason. Photos, videos, voice notes, and other media shared by channels can pile up in the background, and until now, cleaning them out hasn’t exactly been a pleasant experience. That’s finally changing.

WhatsApp is rolling out a new storage cleanup tool for channel media, giving Android beta users a much simpler way to free up space without digging through endless files one by one. The feature was first spotted in development a couple of months ago, and it’s now beginning to reach select beta testers through the latest WhatsApp beta for Android update.

No more digging through endless channel files

Previously, users could manage channel media from WhatsApp’s storage settings, but the process was fairly tedious. Every file had to be reviewed and selected manually, making cleanup feel more like a chore than a quick maintenance task. The new tool streamlines that experience with two dedicated ways to manage downloaded channel media.

The first appears directly inside a channel’s information page. From there, users can review everything that particular channel has stored on their device and filter files by category before deleting them. Instead of scrolling through a mixed collection of media, it’s now possible to target only photos, videos, stickers, or voice notes, depending on what’s taking up the most space. Better yet, WhatsApp won’t automatically remove starred updates during the cleanup process. Important posts you’ve intentionally saved can remain on your phone while everything else is cleared away, reducing the risk of accidentally deleting something worth keeping.

The junk drawer inside your phone

WhatsApp is also adding a second shortcut that could prove even more useful for people who follow dozens of channels. Inside the Updates tab, users can now long-press one or more channels and choose a new Clear media files option from the menu. Rather than opening each channel individually, this lets you remove stored media from multiple channels in one go. It’s a small change, but one that addresses a growing problem. Many channels post photos and videos every day, and those downloads can consume gigabytes of storage over time. Since the files are often forgotten after they’re viewed, many users don’t realize how much space they’ve lost until their phone starts warning them about low storage.

For now, the feature is only available to a limited number of Android beta testers running the latest WhatsApp beta from the Google Play Store. As with many WhatsApp features, the rollout is happening gradually, so it may take a few weeks before more users see it. The company also hasn’t confirmed when the storage cleanup tool will make its way to the stable version of the app. Still, if you subscribe to a lot of WhatsApp channels, this could end up being one of the app’s most practical quality-of-life upgrades in quite some time.