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  • Xbox underperforms on US Black Friday as Switch 2 and NEX Playground beat it, PS5 dominates
    December 7, 2025, 1:26 PM EST. Circana data pin down a stark US Black Friday contrast: PlayStation 5 accounted for about 47% of total hardware unit sales, while Nintendo Switch 2 held 24% and the NEX Playground 14%. That left roughly 15% for Xbox Series X|S, effectively zero US Black Friday sales for Microsoft hardware. Per-SKU rankings crowned Switch 2 as the top seller, with the Nex Playground landing in the top three. In the UK, Xbox trailed with about 10% while PS5 led at 62% and Switch 2 at 23%. The piece casts Microsoft's hardware pivot as a bleak trend and points to missed opportunities (e.g., Kinect) amid ongoing stock issues and calls for a future Xbox hardware plan.
  • Thirty years after Microsoft's internet pivot, its AI strategy feels like a big-budget remake
    December 7, 2025, 1:22 PM EST. Thirty years after Bill Gates declared that Microsoft would go all-in on the internet, the company's current AI push reads like a high-stakes remake. The 1995 pivot bundled Internet Explorer 2.0, internet-enabled Office, a revamped MSN, and Java licensing into a broad commercial vision that wired every product to the network. Nadella's era repeats the pattern, but with an AI platform shift spanning Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, and Microsoft 365. The piece draws lessons from the mid-'90s pivot-how a tech behemoth navigated rapid change, missteps, and scale-and asks what history can teach today about execution, governance, and risk. In both eras, AI and the internet are not add-ons but the engine of a broader product strategy.
  • Apple Warns iPhone Users to Stop Using Google Chrome and Google App Over Privacy and Fingerprinting
    December 7, 2025, 1:12 PM EST. Apple warns iPhone users to stop using Google Chrome, arguing that Safari protects privacy and blocks fingerprinting. Apple claims Chrome fails on privacy, AI-based tracking prevention, and defenses against location harvesting, while Safari uses a simplified system profile to obscure device characteristics from trackers. The company also notes Mozilla's Firefox updates and warns that the Google App carries similar privacy risks as Chrome. Because Google is integrated into Safari for search and links, users can still unknowingly share data. The takeaway: if you care about privacy, be mindful of data harvesting by Google apps and consider safer browsing practices or alternative apps.
  • watchOS 26.2 RC: Final RC Adds Sleep Upgrade, Health Alerts, and Global Enhancements
    December 7, 2025, 1:00 PM EST. Apple has released watchOS 26.2 Release Candidate, the final step before public rollout. The update focuses on health tracking, safety alerts, and system performance. Key additions include an updated sleep score system, expanded hypertension notifications in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, and new sleep apnea alerts in Colombia. Hearing enhancements, such as automatic conversation boost, arrive in Bahrain, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and several European countries. Real-time emergency guidance for floods lands in the US, with potential regional expansion. Developers benefit from fixes to StoreKit and Apple Music track skipping, plus EU-compliant Wi-Fi sharing updates for regulatory compliance. Global rolls out more health features and enterprise security updates, delivering greater accessibility and stability.
  • Google Pixel adds Enhanced HDR brightness with Android 16 QPR2 to curb HDR glare
    December 7, 2025, 12:58 PM EST. Google Pixel now supports Enhanced HDR brightness as part of Android 16 QPR2, letting you dim or disable HDR glare. To use it, go to Settings → Display & touch → Enhanced HDR brightness. The toggle Use enhanced HDR brightness is on by default, so you'll see HDR content at full strength unless you disable it. You can also fine-tune with the Intensity slider to a comfortable level (around 50-60% works well for many). The feature provides a real-time visual comparison, and while some users prefer full HDR, having an option to turn it off or lower it improves eye comfort. Share whether you'll keep it enabled, adjust, or disable HDR brightness.