Apple released new figures Friday, highlighting user adoption of iOS 18. Released in public form back in September 2024, the mobile operating system is now installed on 68% of compatible devices. That number jumps to 78% on iPhones released in the last four years.

As for the remaining iPhones out there, 19% are running iOS 17, and 13% are using an earlier version. Similarly, 19% of iPhones released in the last four years are  currently running iOS 17.

The figure drops to 5% with earlier iOS builds — understandable, given the overall percentage of those devices that shipped with either iOS 17 or 18, along with early adopters’ propensity to keep their devices running the latest OS updates. As 9 to 5 Mac points out, the figures presented are similar to those Apple issued in 2024 around iOS 17 adoption.

The company’s small model approach to generative AI, Apple Intelligence, was the marquee feature for iOS 18. That arrived with the operating system’s first major update, 18.1, with additional features arriving with 18.2. The current public version is 18.2.1. Of course, Apple Intelligence has had some stumbles out of the gate, including one that required the company to roll back News notification summaries.

iPadOS 18’s adoption figures, meanwhile, are markedly lower than its mobile counterpart. Currently, 53% of all iPads are running iPadOS 18. That figure jumps to 63% for those released in the last four years.

Solana (SOL) is showing no signs of slowing down in 2025.

Its native token, SOL, is up 9% in the past 24 hours – erasing most of the losses from yesterday.

Alongside SOL’s surge, a new Layer-2 solution called Solaxy (SOLX) has just blown past the $14 million mark in its presale.

Solana Price Rebounds as Spot Trading Volumes Surge

Solana is back on track after a brief dip.

After testing a minor support level yesterday, SOL has rebounded, climbing to $267 at the time of writing.

That puts SOL back where it was on Wednesday, and it’s now leading all the major altcoins in terms of gains.

But what’s really interesting are the factors behind this rebound.

Looking at spot trading volumes, it’s clear that interest in SOL is surging again.

Spot volumes soared past $10 billion in the past 24 hours, even passing XRP, marking a 10% increase from the previous day.

On top of that, open interest has climbed to $4.1 billion, which suggests that traders are betting on SOL going even higher.

The token’s technicals look good, too.

On the 4-hour chart, SOL rejected the 50-period EMA, and since then, it has followed an upward trendline that formed earlier this week.

This solid support and the uptick in trading volume hint that the bulls are back in control for Solana.

Beyond the Price – Why Solana’s Fundamentals Are Stronger Than Ever

Several factors are lining up that could send SOL even higher in the coming months.

The big one everyone’s watching is today’s Solana ETF decision.

This potential approval comes as big money is pouring into the ecosystem, with over $3.5 billion in stablecoins flowing in the past ten days.

Solana’s fundamentals are also getting stronger.

Over 7,600 new developers joined the network last year, and this influx of talent is fueling innovation across the board, from new DeFi protocols to AI projects and even platforms for real-world assets (RWAs).

DEXs like Raydium and Jupiter are also seeing huge traction.

And Solana’s not resting on its laurels when it comes to tech, either.

The upcoming “Firedancer” upgrade promises to boost transaction speeds, potentially to one million per second.

On top of that, Solana is getting even more political backing, with venture capitalist David Sacks being given a role as a crypto advisor in the Trump administration.

Sacks is famously a big supporter of Solana.

Could Solaxy be the Next Big Layer-2 Network? SOLX Token Presale Passes $14M Mark

Another factor playing into Solana’s bullishness is all the buzz around Solaxy and its presale.

This new Layer-2 project just hit a huge milestone – raising over $14 million from early investors.

Clearly, many people believe Solaxy could be the key to solving Solana’s scaling challenges.

The timing of its emergence couldn’t be better.

As Solana gets more popular, the need for effective scaling solutions is becoming urgent.

Solaxy’s approach, which involves processing transactions off-chain and then settling them in batches, could help things run much smoother during peak times.

However, there’s more to Solaxy than just scaling.

The platform also has a staking program for the native SOLX token, which currently offers annual yields of 274%.

Investors have already locked up more than 4.1 billion tokens in this program.

But the most exciting thing is all the hype that Solaxy is getting from popular crypto influencers.

For example, Austin Hilton released a video analysis of Solaxy last week – stating that it’s a “major” project.

He also believes the planned bridge between Solana and Ethereum could unlock access to the latter’s huge liquidity base.

With the SOL price rising and institutional interest in Solana growing, Solaxy could be in the right place at the right time.

And with SOLX tokens on presale for just $0.001612, this might be the last chance to grab them at such a low price.

Visit Solaxy Presale

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The consistent retail demand for Bitcoin at the $100,000 mark, which indicates high investor confidence, has recently drawn notice. However, because short-term holders are driving the present accumulating trend, market watchers are warning of a possible fall to $95,000.

Related Reading

Retail Investors Accumulate At Record Pace

Retail investors, which include smaller holders termed as “Shrimps” and “Crabs,” have been enthusiastically accumulating Bitcoin. In the last month, Glassnode reports that these groups collectively added 25,600 BTC to their portfolios. That’s nearly twice the amount of newly mined Bitcoin over the same period, a sign of significant demand for the “digital gold” at its price peaks.

Demand from retail investors for #Bitcoin at prices around $100K remains strong – The Shrimp-Crab cohort (up to 1 and 10 #BTC, respectively) absorbed 1.9x the newly mined Bitcoin supply last month, a total of +25.6k $BTC: https://t.co/l0sjVN2Toi pic.twitter.com/UdzcCWXAGo

— glassnode (@glassnode) January 23, 2025

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The purchasing activity of these smaller investors highlights an even more general retail enthusiasm trend. Nonetheless, experts must still exercise caution. Although this degree of accumulation is remarkable, the dominance of short-term holders (STHs) in this surge introduces an element of risk for market stability.

Short-Term Holders Pose A Risk

Often selling off during slight declines to guarantee gains, STHs are renowned for their fast responses to market changes. Particularly in cases of unexpected volatility for Bitcoin, this reflexive behavior could set off higher selling pressure. Teddy, a market analyst, underlined that the existence of STHs might have a major impact on temporary price swings.

While STHs (Short-Term Holders) have indeed absorbed a significant portion of the newly mined Bitcoin supply, it’s crucial to consider the behavioral tendencies of this group. STHs are historically more susceptible to panic during minor market fluctuations, often resulting in… pic.twitter.com/dasfRgjOFR

— Teddy (@TeddyVision) January 23, 2025

Historically, the markets are also more sensitive to the downtrends with STH. Analysts feel that along with this prevailing trend, at such levels, caution for investors would be prudent.

Glassnode: Narrow Bitcoin Range

Another anomaly which Glassnode picked out in the price action of Bitcoin is an unusually tight range over the past 60 days. Such events have been precedents for volatile times ahead.

This coincides with historical trends, which suggest that the market will experience either a breakout or a breakdown soon. While the sustained $100,000 price level reflects optimism, the market’s narrow range adds an air of unpredictability.

Related Reading

A Possible Pullback Soon?

Given all of these factors, some experts believe Bitcoin may be due for a slight price adjustment in the near future. Some experts, like market veteran Michaël van de Poppe, predict a retreat to $95,000, primarily due to STHs selling in the face of market uncertainty.

For the time being, retail demand remains a solid source of support at $100,000. Investors should, however, brace themselves for volatility and keep an eye out for market indicators. As Bitcoin trades near its peak, the interaction of retail euphoria and market risks will determine its next moves.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $105,141, up 3.2% and 3.2% in the daily and weekly timeframes.

Featured image from Vecteezy, chart from TradingView

David Balland, co-founder of cryptocurrency wallet developer Ledger, was rescued in a police operation after being kidnapped in a ransom attack in France, according to reports, putting an end to days of swirling rumors.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that Ballard and his wife were kidnapped on early Tuesday from their home in Central France and held captive at two separate addresses, Reuters reported on Friday. The prosecutor said that the kidnappers contacted another Ledger co-founder to demand ransom paid in cryptocurrencies.

A police operation involving French elite forces GIGN freed Ballard on Wednesday and his wife was found on Thursday, the prosecutor said. Ballard was taken to hospital to receive treatment to one of his hands, which was mutilated, Beccuau said, without revealing further details, according to Reuters. Local newspaper Le Parisien reported that the attackers severed Ballard’s finger and sent it to associates to extort a ransom.

“We are deeply relieved that David and his wife have been released, and are now safe,” Pascal Gauthier, chairman and CEO of Ledger, said in a statement shared with CoinDesk.

Rumors circulated on social media earlier this week that one of the co-founders of Ledger had been kidnapped. Reports alleging that Eric Larchevêque, another co-founder of the company, was the victim turned out to be false. CoinDesk reached out to Ledger for confirmation at the time, but the company didn’t comment.

“Our top priority was always to allow law enforcement to do their jobs and protect the integrity of the investigation,” CEO Gauthier said. “We respected law enforcement requests around safeguarding critical details of the ongoing investigation and appreciated members of the press who did the same.”

The incident was another example of an alarming trend of robberies and crime targeting crypto traders and industry figures as the crypto bull market marches on creating riches to investors. For example, Dean Skurka, the CEO of WonderFi, a publicly listed crypto holding company that owns one of Canada’s largest crypto exchanges, was kidnapped for a ransom in Toronto last year.

“Have seen an uptick in irl [real life] robberies targeting crypto traders located in Western Europe over the past few months,” popular blockchain sleuth ZachXBT posted on Telegram. “The cases all involve known people in the crypto community where they were held at gunpoint. As the rest of the cycle continues, be extra mindful of who you share your wins with and meet up with [in real life].”

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Donald Trump insisted he was serious in his determination to take over Greenland in a fiery telephone call with Denmark’s prime minister, according to senior European officials.

The US president spoke to Mette Frederiksen, the Danish premier, for 45 minutes last week. The White House has not commented on the call but Frederiksen said she had emphasised that the vast Arctic island — an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark — was not for sale, while noting America’s “big interest” in it.

Five current and former senior European officials briefed on the call said the conversation had gone very badly.

They added that Trump had been aggressive and confrontational following the Danish prime minister’s comments that the island was not for sale, despite her offer of more co-operation on military bases and mineral exploitation.

“It was horrendous,” said one of the people. Another added: “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”

The details of the call are likely to deepen European concerns that Trump’s return to power will strain transatlantic ties more than ever, as the US president heaps pressure on allies to give up territory.

Trump has started his second term musing about potentially taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even Canada.

Many European officials had hoped his comments about seeking control of Greenland for “national security” reasons were a negotiating ploy to gain more influence over the Nato territory. Russia and China are both also jostling for position in the Arctic.

But the call with Frederiksen has crushed such hopes, deepening the foreign policy crisis between the Nato allies.

“The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode,” said one person briefed on the call. Another said: “The Danes are utterly freaked out by this.”

A former Danish official added: “It was a very tough conversation. He threatened specific measures against Denmark such as targeted tariffs.”

The Danish prime minister’s office said it did “not recognise the interpretation of the conversation given by anonymous sources”.

Greenland, home to just 57,000 people, is an entry point to new shipping routes gradually opening up through the Arctic; it also boasts abundant but hard to access minerals.

“President Trump has been clear that the safety and security of Greenland is important to the United States as China and Russia make significant investments throughout the Arctic region,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.

“The President is committed to not only protecting US interests in the Arctic but also working with Greenland to ensure mutual prosperity for both nations.”

Trump threatened in early January to impose duties on Denmark if it opposed him on Greenland. He also declined to rule out using military force to take control of the island.

“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it but, if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security,” Trump said at a press conference days before taking office.

“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he added. “You have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen.”

Múte Egede, Greenland’s prime minister, has repeatedly stressed that the island’s inhabitants want independence rather than US — or Danish — citizenship. But he has welcomed US business interest in mining and tourism.

Frederiksen held a meeting with chief executives of large Danish companies including Novo Nordisk and Carlsberg last week to discuss Trump’s threats, including potential tariffs against her country.

On the day of the Trump call, she told Denmark’s TV2: “There is no doubt that there is great interest in and around Greenland. Based on the conversation I had today, there is no reason to believe that it should be less than what we have heard in the public debate.”

• QNAP said it addressed six flaws in its Hybrid Backup Sync tool
• The flaws stemmed from rsync, an open-source file syncing tool
• Users are advised to update their HBS immediately

QNAP has addressed half a dozen vulnerabilities affecting its Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS) software.

In a security advisory, the company noted the vulnerabilities were discovered in rsync, an open source file synchronization tool used to transfer and sync files between systems. It supports local and remote operations via SSH, and minimizes data transfer with incremental updates. Many backup solutions use rsync, including Duplicity, Bacula, Rclone, and others.