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As someone who's covered Apple for almost a quarter of a century, this Apple Intelligence Siri chapter is by far its most confounding one. We're now just two months away from the next Apple developer's conference, and it will likely mark an ignominious anniversary for Apple's artificial intelligence efforts.

Apple's uncharacteristic failure to deliver on a product promise has shocked many fans. Ever since the company announced it would not deliver some of the promised Siri enhancements this year, I, for one, have been wondering how we got here.

Now, a new report paints a surprising picture of rival AI factions or rather two teams with divergent strategies that somehow led to flashy demos and some unfulfilled promises.

Not everything in The Information's report on the Apple Siri debacle is surprising. I've been writing for some time about how Apple's usually laudable adherence to privacy principles hamstrung its Siri efforts.

However, The Information's claim that Apple's AI lead John Giannandrea and Craig Federighi (Apple's software engineering head) were in some fashion acting at cross purposes is unexpected.

Giannandrea's slow and steady approach and Apple's insistence on using its own models as opposed to, say, OpenAI's GPT LLMs was in stark contrast to the obvious excitement Federighi's Intelligent Systems team had for experimenting with and possibly using third-party models.

Two visions, no clarity

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Internal battles are not unheard of in companies of all sizes, but they usually don't play out on a public stage at Apple. As The Information tells it, the Apple Intelligence demos I saw last June at WWDC may have broken what I thought was a cardinal rule for Apple: never announce technology that you can't demo live, at least in some fashion.

When Apple stunned WWDC 2023 with the new Apple Vision Pro, it followed later that afternoon by inviting a handful of journalists (including me) for hands-on demos. The pricey mixed reality headset wasn't done, but it was still functional enough to blow our collective minds.

In the case of Apple's Intelligence, though, our post-event demos were limited (Siri was no smarter). It seems that not only were many of the best bits not finished, but Apple may have shown them off in the pre-tapped keynote without giving the main Apple AI team in charge of Siri a full heads-up.

Doing so obviously put Apple in a tough spot. The pre-tapped WWDC video showed us a responsive and aware Siri capable of looking into your iPhone, its apps, and your information to take action on your behalf. Apple then promised we'd see it sometime that year.

Even after Apple delivered the iPhone 16 with iOS 18 and the first blush of Apple Intelligence (a new look, writing tools, Image Playground, Genmojis), most assumed it was just a matter of time before Siri got its major intelligence glow-up.

Half baked

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

By possibly demonstrating technology that was not ready or even fully programmed to run on any Apple Intelligence-ready iPhone, Apple may have set itself or, at least the Siri team, up for failure.

Apple hasn't spoken on the record about this beyond the initial announcement of the delay. News that Apple Intelligence is now reportedly under Craig Federighi's leadership is further proof that perhaps Apple realizes it chose the wrong path.

Federighi's team, according to The Information, is much more open to integrating third-party LLMs. It's a good strategy not only because it will help Apple's AI efforts get back on track but also because it's the same strategy employed by most of its AI competitors, at least those who are not at heart AI companies.

Late in the game, Amazon relied on Perplexity's Claude AI models to build its own Nova system. Samsung has leaned heavily on Google Gemini to develop its own models. As we well know, Microsoft made a big bet on OpenAI's GPT models to power Bing AI and then Copilot to build its own Microsoft AI models.

Siri will rise

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

This, folks, is the way in. Sure, it's maybe less predictable and, possibly, rock-solid secure than Apple's initial strategy, but most of these companies are racing ahead while iPhone fans wait for Apple to get its act together.

Federighi (and Vision Pro lead Mike Walker) taking over is good news, but much of Apple's future success in the AI space will depend on Apple CEO Tim Cook's leadership.

This failure happened under his watch, possibly because he trusted the team to get the job done and has been adamant about sticking to Apple's secure and private approach. Now Cook has to find a new plan and, with Federighi, identify a clear path that gets you the smarter Siri you want in 2026, if not sooner.

I've seen Apple do amazing things in the past, and honestly, I'm confident it'll do it again here.

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Khalil's attorneys say the government's case against their client largely rests on a single letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleging that Khalil participated in "antisemitic" and "disruptive activities."

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The United States has long been a center for academic and scientific research. But two phenomena may be changing that and sending talent to Europe instead. The Trump administration has hit many colleges and universities with cuts to federal funding. And at the same time many academics feel like their freedom is under attack. Our correspondent in Rome tells us that European Universities are offering refuge to researchers in the U.S.

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• Immutable backup storage is the best ransomware protection
• Research shows backups are almost always targeted in ransomware attacks
• Ransomware is on the rise already in 2025

Ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2025 set new records, up by 84% in the same period of 2024, new research has claimed.

Moreover, ransomware is often talked about as an attack that businesses should expect to be hit by, with two-thirds of organizations experiencing an attack in the last two years.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as new findings from Object First shows 81% of IT decision makers agree that immutable backup storage is the best ransomware protection.

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Segmentation, zero trust, and immutable storage

While having a 3-2-1 backup strategy is a start when it comes to ransomware protection, the Object First research also reveals that 96% of organizations who have suffered a ransomware attack in the last two years saw their data backups targeted as part of at least one attack, with one in ten seeing their backup storage targeted in every attack.

While there is a general consensus that immutable backup storage is probably the best way to protect against ransomware, only 59% of organizations actually deploy this form of storage, and only 58% have multiple copies of their data in separate locations.

In addition to this, 61% of respondents believe that IT security hardening offers enough protection against ransomware attacks.

Object First recommends that businesses adopt a breach mentality, and couple this with Zero Trust principles and immutable backup storage.

To do this, businesses should segment their networks to minimize the potential blast radius of an attack, alongside using authentication mechanisms for log-ins such as multi-factor authentication and identity access management practices.

Moreover, each user should only have access to the files and applications they need for their specific workload.

Immutable backup storage helps protect against ransomware attacks by storing data in a way that it cannot be modified or deleted.

Traditionally, these have been hard drives or other storage mediums that are used to back up data and then stored in an ‘air-gapped’ environment that has no connection to the outside world. However, with cloud services booming, immutable cloud storage is now also an option.

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• Kaspersky observed a threat actor called ToddyCat abusing a bug in ESET's cybersecurity solution
• The group used a now-patched flaw to deploy a piece of malware called TCESB
• Users are advised to patch their systems and monitor for threats

A component of ESET’s endpoint protection solution was being abused to launch stealthy malware on Windows devices.

In an in-depth report, security researchers from Kaspersky said they saw a critical vulnerability in ESET’s command-line scanner being abused to deploy a tool named TCESB.

The vulnerability, now identified as CVE-2024-11859, allowed attackers to hijack the loading process of system libraries by abusing how the ESET scanner usually loads them. Instead of retrieving legitimate libraries from system directories, the scanner would first look in its current working directory, which enabled a classic “bring your own vulnerable driver” approach.

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ToddyCat

The group behind the attack is dubbed ToddyCat. It is an advanced persistent threat (APT) group, first observed in 2021.

It is known for targeting government and military organizations, diplomatic entities, and critical infrastructure. Its targets are mostly located in Asia and Europe, and there are some indications that it might either be Chinese, or China-aligned. This was not confirmed, though.

In this instance, the researchers did not discuss the victims, their industry, or location.

However, it was said that ToddyCat was able to place a malicious variant of version.dll alongside ESET’s scanner, which forced the endpoint protection tool to run the custom malware and thus bypass standard security detection mechanisms.

The TCESB malware is a modified version of an open-source tool named EDRSandBlast, Kaspersky further explained, saying that it includes features that change the OS kernel structures and can disable callbacks (notification routines).

ESET patched the flaw in January 2025 following responsible disclosure. Organizations using this popular endpoint protection solution are urged to update their systems as soon as possible, and closely monitor their endpoints:

"To detect the activity of such tools, it's recommended to monitor systems for installation events involving drivers with known vulnerabilities," Kaspersky said. "It's also worth monitoring events associated with loading Windows kernel debug symbols on devices where debugging of the operating system kernel is not expected."

Via The Hacker News

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Belkin BoostCharge 25W Wall Charger with PPS review

Right, strap in everyone, this one’s a real mouthful… the Belkin BoostCharge 25W Wall Charger with PPS is a single port, USB-C charger that will get the vast majority of modern handsets fighting fit in no time.

Of course, this isn’t going to be the best at juicing up one of the latest MacBooks or Chromebooks, for instance, due to its 25W output. But that’s OK. After all, this model is really for those that just want to charge their phone or wireless headphones on the go, say. And that, reader, is a purpose this model serves well.

I tried charging up my Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and it reached 100%, starting from 0% in just under 80 minutes – the kind of speed I’d hope to see from the best Android phone chargers and best iPhone chargers. Of course, this model won’t be able to unlock peak performance on a phone like the Honor Magic 7, which can manage 100W wired charging, but most iPhones and Samsung handsets will be able to fast charge with this Belkin plug.

It’s also worth noting that this charger never got too hot when bringing my phone back to life. That’s thanks to its use of PPS technology, which ensures dynamic power delivery. It's also worth noting that this model only supports 20W charging for iPhone, though you may find that’s plenty for a rapid rejuvenation of power.

Beyond performance, this charger is a bit of a mixed bag, though. Build quality is solid and there’s a nice textured finish to the outer casing, but I still didn’t love this charger’s design. In honesty, it’s a little bit bulky for a 25W charger, especially compared to models like the Anker Nano USB-C 30W or UGreen Nexode Mini 30W.

Also, its prongs slide down, but they’re not fully foldable – something I always like, as it enables me to simply slot the charger into my pocket when out and about, without the fear of being poked in the side.

Pair that with the lack of USB-C cable in the box – at least for the UK variant I tested – and the $19.99 / £17.99 / AU$29.95 feels reasonable rather than cheap. Especially when the models I mentioned above are priced very similarly, but are more compact, attractive and powerful. And, all in all, I can’t help but feel there are better value options available for the money. So, even though the Belkin BoostCharge 25W Wall Charger with PPS is a steady performer, it can’t quite top the best of the best single-port alternatives.

(Image credit: Future) Belkin BoostCharge 25W Wall Charger with PPS review: Price & specs

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Belkin BoostCharge 25W Wall Charger with PPS? Buy it if…

You just need a basic phone charger
This Belkin charger isn’t the most mighty or multi-talented. It offers 25W and a single USB-C port, which isn’t going to be enough for some. Having said that, you’re gonna get more than enough power to fast-charge some of the best Samsung phones and best iPhones, so if you don’t need anything fancy, this will still certainly do the trick.

You’ve got a slow USB-A plug and want an upgrade
If you’re fed up with slow charging from your old USB-A fitted phone charger, this alternative from Belkin is sure to take things up a notch. It will almost certainly deliver faster charging speeds – ideal for when you need some extra juice on the go. It’s worth noting, though, that this charger doesn’t come with a USB-C cable, so you’ll need to grab your own elsewhere.

Don't buy it if…

You have a more power-hungry handset
Some modern smartphones are capable of charging at a far higher wattage than 25W. For example, the OnePlus 13 can charge up to 80W, so you’ll be better off using single port charging on a model like the UGreen Uno 100W if you’re looking to access peak performance.

You want a splash of style
This isn’t the most stylish charger out there. Sure, it comes in two colorways, black and white, but still, it has a pretty plain looking aesthetic. Meanwhile, the Anker Nano USB-C 30W comes in more unique colors, has foldable prongs and also a textured exterior.

Belkin BoostCharge 25W Wall Charger with PPS: Also consider

UGreen Nexode Mini 30W
The UGreen Nexode Mini 30W is among my favorite single-port phone chargers thanks to its attractive, shiny appearance, compact build and foldable prongs. It has a bit more power than this Belkin charger but is no more expensive. There’s no USB-C cable in the box here either, but if we’re talking all-round value, this is a superior alternative. Read our full UGreen Nexode Mini 30W review.

With tariffs on cars, materials and parts threatening to send auto prices up, some shoppers are racing to lock in vehicles at pre-tariff prices. Others plan to drive their current rides into the ground.

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• RTX 5090 with 32GB GDDR7 memory is far cheaper than the equivalent AI accelerator from Nvidia
• Several of them can be teamed together to support very large language models
• Crypto mining in the early 2020s caused prices of GPUs to spike, the same is likely to happen with AI

During the early 2020s, cryptomining was a driving force behind a lot of GPU shortages and inflated prices, as high-end graphics cards were snapped up in bulk to mine cryptocurrencies, leading to record pricing across multiple generations of GeForce GPUs.

Nvidia attempted to address the issue by introducing mining limiters, but miners, naturally, found ways to bypass these, and retail prices remained well above the MSRP for long periods.

History could well be about to repeat itself, but this time based around artificial intelligence demand rather than cryptocurrency. Videocardz (via I_Leak_VN) reports that a Vietnamese retailer called Nguyencongpc has started selling barebone AI servers equipped with seven GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards.

Mounting supply pressures

The setup, cooled by air and powered by a 2000W PSU, is designed to handle large AI workloads, including support for large language models.

The RTX 5090, with its 32GB of GDDR7 memory, offers a blend of high performance and relatively low cost compared to Nvidia’s dedicated in-demand AI accelerators.

When several are used in tandem, as is the case with the server Nguyencongpc is selling, they can match or exceed the memory capacity needed for enterprise-level AI applications - without the high price tag of the RTX Pro or H-series products.

While you've got to admire the ingenuity on display here, the knock on will inevitably be mounting supply pressures.

The RTX 5090 is already facing stock issues, and its price has climbed past $3000 in many markets, with some listings close to $4000. This mirrors the RTX 4090's trajectory, which driven by cryptomining, rarely dropped below MSRP and remained in high demand for non-gaming uses.

With modders reportedly exploring ways to increase onboard memory even further, the RTX 5090 could follow the same path as its predecessors - designed for games, but monopolized by entirely different industries.

Nvidia has yet to take steps to prevent system integrators or retailers from redirecting gaming GPUs toward AI markets and if it doesn't, gamers could well once again find themselves unable to purchase the latest graphics hardware at fair prices.

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Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian has said the company looks poised to go from strength to strength as the global demand for more AI technology continues unabated.

Fresh from hosting the opening keynote at the company's Google Cloud Next 25 in Las Vegas, Kurian told a media Q&A session attended by TechRadar Pro about the latest challenges facing the business, as well as its myriad of successes.

"(AI) is simplifying technology itself," Kurian said in the session, "You have the same technology that runs Google, available to every small business...by simplifying the technology, you bring it to everybody."

"Extremely dynamic" tariff situation

"If you look at the highest level of what we're trying to do - it's relatively simple," Kurian noted, highlighting how Google Cloud has expanded its global footprint to cover 42 regions across the world, with more to come soon.

"Our success is reflected not by what we do, but what customers and partners do with our technology," he added.

"We are very well-positioned due to the breadth of our portfolio - but also because of the differentiation in what we're doing with AI."

(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)

Asked about the possible effects of US tariffs on business around the world, Kurian replied with a smile that the tariff discussion is "an extremely dynamic one", and that Google Cloud has been through many cycles like this (most recently in the Covid crisis) and that he was confident the company will be able to navigate this period too.

"There's many, many things we do as a technology provider - we are working as a global company, within a geopolitical context, and our solution to that is to work with governments to adapt our technology to government regulations, so that customers can use it in different markets."

Kurian was also asked about how Google Cloud plans to deal with the rising energy costs caused by the growth in demand for AI.

Stating the company has done "a lot of work" over the past two years to "hugely reduce" the cost of training and inferencing of models, he noted the company will continue to optimize the cost of serving models while improving quality.

Kurian added Google Cloud has more than seven times the water-cooled AI systems as the rest of the world combined, and was also working on implementing nuclear power and sustainable energy sources such as hydroelectric and solar.

"For us, it's really important that people see AI as being a technology that can also drive both efficiency in the consumption of energy, and also created new forms of energy because of the investments that we are making."

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So far there haven’t been many Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 colors leaks, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have an idea of what to expect, as Samsung tends to return to certain shades time and again.

Below then, you’ll find the colors we’ve so far heard rumored for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, along with some others that we think are likely to be offered.

Make sure to check back soon too, as we’ll be sure to update this article any time we hear anything new about Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 colors.

Black

A leaked image of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Image credit: @OnLeaks / Android Headlines)

The one Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 color leak we’ve seen so far takes the form of renders shared by Android Headlines, that show the phone in black.

It’s unclear whether this is actually a shade the publication has heard will be offered, or just one it chose to use for the renders, but either way, we’d say some form of black is very likely, as every single Z Fold model so far has been sold in a black shade.

The exact shade of black differs, but some version of black will almost certainly be offered for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

White

A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in White (Image credit: Samsung)

White is another shade we expect the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 to be sold in, as while no leaks yet point to a white option, the last few models have come in either white or a white-adjacent shade, be that beige or cream.

On top of which, white is simply a very popular and common smartphone shade, so while we’re less confident of this than black, we’d think there’s a good chance the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be sold in a white or off-white shade.

Silver / gray

A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Silver Shadow (Image credit: Samsung)

As with white, silver and gray are both popular smartphone shades – particularly silver, so while neither have been mentioned for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 yet there’s a good chance one of them will be offered.

We’re lumping them together here because they’re somewhat similar, and they’re both shades that Samsung has often sold Z Fold models in – including ‘Silver Shadow’ for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, a shade that’s basically a cross between silver and gray.

And because they’re so similar, it’s probably unlikely that Samsung will offer both a silver and a gray shade.

Blue

A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Navy (Image credit: Samsung)

Blue is a shade we’re less confident in than any of the colors above, simply because it’s a bit more unusual to see phones in blue. And as with everything except black, we also haven’t seen any rumors pointing to a blue Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 yet.

But Samsung does seem to have a thing for blue, particularly in its Z Fold series. Last year there was navy blue, and the year before that there were actually two different blue shades.

So, while we wouldn’t be at all surprised if there isn’t a blue option for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, we’d say there are reasonable odds that there will be.

A mystery shade

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Image credit: Future)

In recent years, Samsung’s numbered Galaxy Z Fold phones have been sold in five different shades, but as the numerically accomplished of you will no doubt have noticed, we’ve only mentioned four above. So even if all of those shades do make an appearance (and that’s a big ‘if'), we’d expect to see at least one more too.

What that will be though is anyone’s guess right now, but we’ll update this article once we have a clearer idea.

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