Conspiracy Theories

Technology News

  • One UI 8.5 leak reveals major Samsung Internet overhaul with new icon, grid layout, and AI search
    November 18, 2025, 5:34 AM EST. Samsung's One UI 8.5 reportedly revamps the Samsung Internet browser with a new icon and welcome screen, a blurred, floating address bar that hides on scroll, and a grid layout reminiscent of Gallery albums. The update supposedly brings floating controls, easier access to synced tabs and secret mode, and a compact tab view that stacks or lists semi-transparent tabs. A redesigned interface aims to reduce fixed-position pop-ups and may introduce in-app video liking. An AI Search option in the debug settings would query via Gemini or Perplexity. There's also chatter of a new pop-up menu for closing all tabs at once, and improved privacy features and pop-up blocking. If real, these changes could reshape Galaxy browser UX.
  • Apple loses iPhone Air designer to unnamed AI startup
    November 18, 2025, 5:30 AM EST. Bloomberg reports that Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who introduced the iPhone Air at Apple's September event, has left for an unnamed artificial intelligence startup. The move underscores a broader brain drain from Apple's AI divisions and follows departures from the design team linked to io/OpenAI circles. Chowdhury's exit comes despite his rising profile within Apple's design organization, and Bloomberg notes the move is unrelated to the phone's debut. As the tech industry watches where Chowdhury lands, the impact on product development momentum at Apple remains to be seen.
  • Amazon Resale Drops Like-New iPad Pro M4 Deals for Black Friday
    November 18, 2025, 5:28 AM EST. Amazon Resale is offering Black Friday deals on Like New Apple iPad Pro 11-inch and 13-inch tablets powered by the M4 chip and tandem OLED displays. Select models include upgraded 512GB storage and 5G cellular, all priced under a base iPad Pro thanks to an automatic 15% discount at checkout. Units are limited and likely to sell out before Amazon's official Black Friday sale launches later this week. Amazon Resale (formerly Amazon Warehouse) ships items with the same 30-day return policy, and most items retain remaining manufacturer warranties. The 2024 iPad Pro with the M4 processor delivers about 20% better performance than the M2, with tandem OLED offering brighter images and reduced burn-in.
  • Apple loses iPhone Air designer to AI startup
    November 18, 2025, 5:26 AM EST. Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who helped develop the iPhone Air and appeared in its introduction video, has left Apple to join an artificial intelligence startup. His exit marks ongoing upheaval within Apple's design group, which has undergone a near-complete overhaul since Jony Ive's departure. Chowdhury spent more than six years at Apple, arriving in 2019 around Ive's exit. The move follows other leadership changes, including Jeff Williams leaving and the design teams reporting directly to Tim Cook. A second-generation iPhone Air is planned for 2027, Bloomberg reports. Separately, the September iPhone 17 Pro video was narrated by Molly Anderson, the new head of design.
  • New Zealand's top book prize disqualifies authors over AI-designed covers
    November 18, 2025, 5:24 AM EST. Two New Zealand authors were disqualified from the Ockham Book Awards' NZ$65,000 fiction prize after it emerged that AI was used in the creation of their book covers. Stephanie Johnson's Obligate Carnivore and Elizabeth Smither's Angel Train were submitted in October but ruled out in November under new AI-use guidelines announced in August. Publisher Quentin Wilson argued the clause came too late for design briefs, noting the decision is about the covers, not the writing. Johnson and Smither lament the outcome, stressing the issue is about the design process and the designers' work. The controversy highlights ongoing debate over AI in creative fields and who bears responsibility for AI-generated imagery, with the awards governance led by chair Nicola Legat.