November 18, 2025, 6:14 PM EST. Counterpoint Research says the iPhone 17 lineup is selling exceptionally well in China, delivering a record October performance. Apple captured 25% of all smartphones sold in China in October, with iPhone sales up 37% YoY and strong growth across the three iPhone 17 models. Despite geopolitical and regulatory headwinds, Apple's China dependence remains: the company is expanding manufacturing to India and other regions but still relies on China, even as it navigates data localization and app-store pressure. The report notes a banner December quarter start and a shift of Huawei buyers toward iPhone, leaving rivals like Mi and Vivo trailing. Overall, the iPhone 17 is driving premium segment momentum and solidifying Apple's leadership in China's premium market, even as manufacturing in China continues to be central to Apple's global strategy.
November 18, 2025, 6:12 PM EST. Bezos is back in the spotlight as he becomes co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a startup billed as building AI for the physical economy. The venture aims to advance AI that supports engineering and manufacturing across sectors such as computing, aerospace, and automotive. Reportedly, it has raised about $6.2 billion and hired 100+ staff from Meta, OpenAI, and DeepMind. Co-CEO Vik Bajaj-formerly with Google X, Verily, and Foresite Labs-helps steer the effort. While concrete products remain under wraps, the firm is described as enabling robots to observe and run experiments autonomously and scale their capabilities, potentially augmenting humanoids in workplaces. The move sits alongside broader robotics/AI trends in manufacturing, including Agility Robotics' Digit and Apptronik's Apollo initiatives, and parallels investments in AI-enabled material science.
November 18, 2025, 6:10 PM EST. Garmin unveiled free software updates for popular devices including Venu X1, vívoactive 6, fēnix 8, Forerunner 570/970 and Edge 540/840/1050 as well as MTB bikes. New smartwatch feature Health Status lets users monitor metrics like heart rate, HRV, respiration, skin temperature and Pulse Ox overnight, with trends visible in Garmin Connect. In-ride cycling enhancements include smart fueling alerts, real-time weather overlays, and power guide updates that adjust targets for altitude and wind. Gear ratio analysis shows time spent in each gear, and GroupRide data comparisons let riders compare speed, heart rate, power and cadence within a group. A premium 3D maps feature is added in Garmin Connect+ for topographic detail. Updates roll out via automatic updates or Garmin Express.
November 18, 2025, 6:06 PM EST. EU regulators are weighing whether Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure should be classified as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), potentially subjecting their cloud businesses to tougher rules. The European Commission says it will assess whether these cloud providers act as essential gateways between businesses and consumers, even if they miss the DMA thresholds. The inquiry follows existing designations like Amazon Marketplace and LinkedIn and comes as cloud infrastructure remains central to digital services. Officials cite strong market positions and the recent AWS outage to illustrate dependence on cloud platforms. Both companies say the sector is dynamic and competitive, and the Commission will consider facts before deciding on any designation.
November 18, 2025, 6:04 PM EST. Cloudflare faced a global outage that disrupted many services relying on its network, with a spike in unusual traffic around 6:20 a.m. EST. The problems affected popular sites including X, Spotify, OpenAI, and League of Legends, per Downdetector. Cloudflare acknowledged the issue, said it was investigating, and later reported changes to recover its Access and WARP systems to restore traffic. By mid-morning, Downdetector and other sites were also experiencing outages tied to Cloudflare. The company said it would provide updates on its status page as it works to restore full service and prevent future incidents.