Technology

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The Trump administration has spared iPhones, laptops and other electronics from its reciprocal tariffs, but it's unclear if that'll last.

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• Certain electronics gadgets are now exempt from certain tariffs
• Phones, laptops, and processors all get a reprieve – which includes China
• It's still not clear what will happen next with electronics pricing

There's a new twist in the US tariff trade war: Phones, computers, semiconductors and various other electronics are now exempt from punishing import tariffs, which have shot up to 145% for China and are typically now 10% as a baseline for other countries.

The news was reported by the Associated Press and others, and while it's still early to say what the full impact will be, it does ease the pressure on companies who mostly manufacture their gadgets outside of the US – including Apple, Dell, Nvidia, and Samsung.

US President Donald Trump introduced a raft of tariffs for goods imported to the US at the start of the month, and markets have been in chaos ever since. Earlier this week, a lot of those tariff hikes above the 10% baseline were paused – but not for China, which raised its own tariffs in turn.

This new exclusion policy does cover China, and mentions smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer processors, memory chips, and machines used to make semiconductors. Most companies that deal in electronics will be breathing a sigh of relief, though some device categories apparently aren't covered, including video games consoles.

What happens next?

The move might not be enough to open up Switch 2 pre-orders in the US (Image credit: Future/Nintendo)

It's been difficult to predict the moves the US government has made in respect to tariffs in recent days, and that hasn't changed. This latest move should mean gadget pricing settles down for consumers, but it's impossible to be certain.

Bloomberg reports that the new exclusion policy could be a precursor to a whole separate tariff focused specifically on electronics. For now, the world is waiting to see how the 90-day pause on many of Trump's tariffs plays out.

As a US company which assembles almost all of its goods overseas, including in China, Apple has been in the spotlight during all of this tariff uncertainty: there have even been suggestions of Apple factories in the US and reports of iPhone panic-buying ahead of potential price rises.

Apple is one of the companies that it seems will benefit the most, though the move may not be enough to open up Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the US, which have been delayed. Consoles like the Switch 2 aren't mentioned in the new exemptions, though the previous 90-day pause should mean more stock can be moved to the United States.

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• Broadband Optical SSDs may be key to development of town-sized mega data centers
• Opting for optical SSDs allow distance between compute and storage to grow far more
• The other advantage of going optical is the energy savings associated with moving petabytes of data around

A trio of Japanese tech giants, Kioxia, AIO Core, and Kyocera, have announced the development of a prototype broadband SSD with an optical interface that works with the PCIe 5.0 standard.

The optical SSD prototype has reportedly achieved "functional operation" using PCIe 5.0, which offers double the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0.

This was made possible through a combination of AIO Core’s IOCore optical transceiver and Kyocera’s OPTINITY optoelectronic integration module.

Going optical

This optical SSD was created to handle the demands of modern applications like generative AI, which rely on moving large amounts of data quickly.

The use of optical connections in SSDs could help reduce the physical limitations tied to traditional electrical interfaces, especially in large-scale data center environments.

The three firms say they plan to continue developing the technology and apply it to proof-of-concept testing aimed at future real-world use.

One of the major benefits of going optical is the ability to increase the physical distance between compute and storage without losing performance or energy efficiency. This is expected to be especially useful for data centers that span wider areas.

There's also the added advantage of reduced energy use when shifting petabytes of data, which could help meet growing environmental goals in the tech industry.

The project's aim is to ultimately create new digital infrastructure technologies that cut energy use in data centers by over 40% compared to current systems.

This work is part of Japan’s “Next Generation Green Data Center Technology Development” project, JPNP21029, which receives funding from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) through the Green Innovation Fund Project.

Each company brings specific expertise to support the shared goal of building more efficient and capable data infrastructure for the future. Kioxia is focusing on broadband optical SSD development, AIO Core is working on optoelectronic fusion devices, and Kyocera is creating optoelectronic packaging.

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• Netflix is testing new AI-powered recommendations
• It's live now for iOS users in Australia and New Zealand
• You'll be able to ask for recommendations based on mood

Netflix has long used AI algorithms to recommend new movies and shows to its users, but it's now testing an enhanced experience that can suggest titles to watch based on your mood or whatever criteria you choose.

As reported by Bloomberg, and confirmed by Netflix to The Verge, the test is live now for iPhone users in Australia and New Zealand. For now, it seems the focus is on iOS, but US subscribers are apparently getting this "in the coming weeks and months".

The feature is going to be opt-in for users, at least to begin with, and will be powered by technology from ChatGPT developer OpenAI. As yet we haven't had any official announcement from either Netflix or OpenAI.

It's perhaps understandable that Netflix is taking a low-key approach to the new recommendation feature: the use of AI in movies and shows is under an increasing amount of scrutiny, with serious questions being raised about the creative industry.

How will this work?

Expect a ChatGPT-like experience – though Android users will have to wait (Image credit: Shutterstock / trickyaamir)

We haven't been able to test this out for ourselves at TechRadar, and there's not much to go off in the reports as yet. Being able to get recommendations based on your mood is really the only detail that's emerged so far.

However, given the way movie and show recommendations already work in generative AI bots such as ChatGPT, it's not difficult to imagine the sort of functionality that's heading to Netflix: a more personal, more detailed recommendation experience.

You can already ask ChatGPT to recommend movies similar to classic 90s action thrillers, less than two hours in length, and without excessive violence in them and get some decent answers back. Netflix's own version is likely to work in a similar way.

In other words, you'll be able to make all kinds of requests in terms of recommendations, from genre to setting, and you'll get a bunch of AI-picked movies and shows back – all available in the Netflix catalog, of course.

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• Pouring water slowly from a height results in better coffee extraction
• Researchers found that pouring this way mixes and agitates particles better
• The technique can give you the same flavor with fewer coffee beans

Researchers have discovered the secret to brewing tastier, well-rounded coffee without using any extra beans – and it's the simple gooseneck kettle. This type of kettle has a long, fine pouring spout, which produces a higher-pressure, more precisely controlled stream of water that's the key to a better brew.

Coffee prices have soared in recent months due to factors including climate change (including severe droughts and frosts in Brazil) that leads to poor harvests, increasing costs of production, and increased demand for coffee worldwide. Getting the same flavor from a smaller portion of beans is, therefore, great news for those of us who love to start the day with a mug of pour-over.

As reported by The Guardian, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found that pouring water slowly from a height creates an 'avalanche-like' effect that results in better mixing of the coffee and water, increasing contact time, and extracting more flavor compounds from the grounds.

They suggest you try reducing the amount of coffee you use by 10% and experiment with pouring from different heights (up to 30cm) to see the changes in flavor profile.

Choose the right kettle

There are plenty of gooseneck kettles around, but I have a couple of particular recommendations. If you want a traditional kettle for the stove, the Stagg Pour-Over Coffee and Tea Kettle from Fellow is an excellent choice.

Fellow is well known for its premium coffee-brewing equipment, and the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker is the choice of many professional roasters, including my Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) instructor.

Its gooseneck kettle comes in two versions: stovetop and electric. The stovetop version includes a thermometer with a dial on top that shows you when the water has reached the optimal brewing temperature.

In contrast, the electric version has a temperature control that you can set in increments of 1°F.

The Dualit 92960 Pour-Over Kettle is another great option if you're in the UK. It also has variable temperature controls and a hold function that keeps the water at your preferred temperature for up to five minutes while you weigh out and grind your beans. It's a little cheaper than Fellow's electric gooseneck kettle.

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