Subscribers can now organize their conversations with the AI assistant into neat little folders.

Kristen DiMercurio went viral on TikTok when she revealed she was probably the voice of your Bluetooth speaker and your headphones and that gadget how-to video and your insurers call center.

The company, which uses artificial intelligence to develop new treatments, now counts the venture capital firm Thrive Capital as a backer.

MacworldLast week, probably because I was the least busy with actual work at the time, I happened to be the Macworld staffer who first spotted the WWDC 2025 announcement in my inbox. And for a moment I was quite excited: WWDC, after all, is the second biggest date in Apples calendar, an event whose raft of software reveals sets the tone for the year to come.But then I thought about it a bit more and realized that I didnt care. Im done with WWDC. And if I wasnt contractually obliged to cover it for work, I strongly doubt that Id even watch.Look, dont get me wrong: I understand that WWDC 2025 is important for Apple. The companys last 12 months have been pretty shockingly bad on the software side, punctuated by failures, delays, and broken promises, and it needs to show developers and customers that it can turn things around. As Jason Snell puts it, Apple must repent its mistakes, not repeat them.Im just struggling to feel anything other than apathy at the prospect of watching Apples top brass either admit their failings or, more likely, act like nothing went wrong. One outcome is depressing and boring; the other depressing and infuriating. Neither sounds like a fun way to spend an evening (as it will be here in the U.K.).Lets talk for a minute about what Apple should do on June 9. Tim Cook, Craig Federighi, and whoever else is on stage should be completely honest. A lot of reputational damage was done when last years claims about the next-gen contextually aware Siri, a feature that was used to sell iPhone 16 handsets, turned out to be nothing more than hot air. If that feature is still coming, Apple should say precisely when, and in precisely what form. If not, it should admit that and explain precisely what went wrong. The company needs to regain trust. Now is not the time for razzle-dazzle.Talking of razzle-dazzle, I took part in the Macworld podcast this week, and my colleague Karen Haslam made what I thought was a brilliant suggestion. This year, Apple shouldnt announce any new features at all. It should do what it did with the launch of Mac OS X Snow Leopard in 2009: a zero-frills stability update. (Or what Snell more sympathetically calls a clean-up and consolidation phase.) Fix whats there instead of cramming in more things to go wrong in turn. Have the courage to be boring but good, instead of zeitgeisty but useless. That would be the right thing to do. But it would be less interesting than soil science.Not that theres much chance of WWDC 2025 playing out that way. Heres a far more plausible itinerary:10.01: Welcome to WWDC! The iPhone, the iPad, and the Mac are about to change in a big way. Bigger than ever before! Bigger than a house!10:02: Look at this graph. Apple Intelligence is the most beloved AI platform in the world! [citation needed]10:04: Lets start with the iPhone. In iOS 19, Siri will be able to read minds, predict the future, and cook boiled eggs exactly the way you like themAnd while this is all going on, the assembled devs smile and nod and grind their teeth. They think about all the features announced last year that never arrived and scratch their heads trying to think of a single feature in iOS 18 that delivered any tangible benefit. And then Craig Federighi makes a joke about working for Lumon.I get it, of course. Shareholders demand growth and hype, and Apple feels it has to play ball. So instead of focusing on and actually delivering the features promised last year, it rushes ahead with the next set of features. Its juggling knives on a treadmill. But Ive lost my taste for blood.Either way, WWDC 2025 is going to be a distasteful spectacle. Either Apple admits it got everything wrong, and we have to watch John Giannandrea apologize for 90 minutes before being ceremoniously lowered into a volcano. Or we get plastered-on smiles, yet more promises, and endless boring Apple Intelligence hype. WWDC 2025 is going to be awful. Theres only one question: awful in what way?FoundryWelcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but its cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.Trending: Top storiesWill Apple repentor repeatits mistakes at WWDC 2025?Mahmoud Itani presents the top 6 products Apple never released.Roman Loyola offers 6 ways to avoid Apples insane Mac storage upgrade prices.These 4 visionOS 3 features will turn Vision Pro into an everyday device.The Macalope is mad about iPhone sizes in a big way.Apples new Lumon Terminal Pro is the Mac of our dreams.Apple News+ Food should be the best way to cook. Heres why its not.Podcast of the weekApple Intelligence and Siri have been making a lot of noise lately, and all for the wrong reasons. In the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we talk about how Apple has made a mess of things, resulting in delays, management changes, and bad PR.You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify,Soundcloud, thePodcasts app, orour own site.Reviews corneriPad (A16, 11th gen) review: Who needs Apple Intelligence?Assassins Creed Shadows review: Ninja and Samurai go to war in feudal Japan.Newdery Battery Case for iPhone 16 review: Bulky but smartly designed.Mophie Juice Pack iPhone 16 Battery Case review: Slim case with built-in power bank.The rumor millYour dreams of a small iPhone just died (again).Apple may be working on a radically new all-glass Apple Watch.Exciting details emerge of Apples LiquidMetal folding iPhone hinge.The Apple Watch may get a new life as a camera-equipped AI devicewhile the Apple Watch SE might not have a future in plastics after all.2026 Porsche models seemingly abandon plans for next-gen CarPlay.Software updates, bugs, and problemsDont be fooled by unrepresentative iOS 19 screenshots, leaker warns.New Apple Watch feature means youll never sleep through an alarm again.iOS 18.4 AirPods Max update will add lossless and ultralow latency audio.And with that, were done for this weeks Apple Breakfast. If youd like to get regular roundups, sign up forour newsletters, including our new email from The Macalopean irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow usonFacebook,Threads,Bluesky, orXfor discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.

A new report says that Foxconn will produce double its previous annual total of iPhones in India during 2025, as Apple continues to expand in the country.Tim Cook in a previous visit to India image credit: AppleApple has previously been reported to be aiming to use Indian factories to make 25% of its total iPhone manufacturing, by 2028. The expansion follows Apple and its suppliers working to reduce over-reliance on China as a sole manufacturing source.According to The Times of India, Apple's major manufacturer Foxconn is continuing this expansion with plans to produce between 25 million and 30 million iPhones across 2025. Reportedly, Foxconn has been conducting what are described as restricted testing operations at the company's Bengaluru facility over the last three to four months. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple's ambitions for the expansion of satellite communications for the iPhone is facing an opponent in Elon Musk, with SpaceX reportedly trying to put a hold on the efforts.Satellite-based messaging on an iPhone - Image Credit: AppleThe iPhone has benefited from a number of satellite features in recent years, with Emergency SOS via Satellite and Roadside Assistance via Satellite assisting users in trouble. However, progression to make the features even more useful with expanded coverage has hit a large roadblock.Apple works primarily with Globalstar to power its satellite features, though it is working with SpaceX's Starlink service with T-Mobile to expand its coverage in the summer. The problem is that Elon Musk isn't happy about Apple's investments with Globalstar and in satellite communications, since it directly competes with Starlink. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The Extended Entry Deadline for Architizer's 2025 A+Product Awards is Friday, February 21st. Get your brand in front of the AEC industrys most renowned designers by submitting today.Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.Oscar Wilde clearly had some thoughts on shades. Most of us do. But what does todays distinctly monochrome palette say about where weve got to as a species?Last September, Finnish Architectural Review published its fourth issue of the year. On high-grade paper, it should not have been as daring as it was. Yet even the editorial acknowledged dedicating a magazine to color at a point in history when hues have all but vanished from an architects toolbox was pretty bold.The publication is not alone in perceiving a prevailing sense of greyness about the world. In the UK, the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) tracked the color of objects over time and found a substantial rise in the use of grey. The results, published in 2021, also revealed a significant decline in the prevalence of browns and yellows.Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Nakaaoki Branch by emmanuelle moureaux architecture + design, Kawaguchi, JapanThe work, led by Britains Science Museum Group, examined over 7,000 photographs, identifying the shade of every pixel to create a catalogue of colour. Or lack thereof. Dark charcoal grey was the most common, which staggeringly appeared in over 80% of all pictures. The contrast of a wooden telegraph machine from the mid-1800s, ornate communications cabinet rich in reds, yellows and browns, and a late-noughties silver, black and grey iPhone, casts the decline in sharp relief.Materials drive design. Or at least feasible design. And this counts for aesthetics as much as things like durability and ergonomics. In the 21st century, we make things from other things which are much less adaptable in terms of color, and, against the infinite rusty hues of trees, way less colorful to begin with. Nevertheless, the slide into greyscale is evident across the board, including products which could easily be toned to exacting specifications. Cars being one. Buildings another.1140 Formosa Ave. by Lorcan OHerlihy Architects [LOHA], Los Angeles, CaliforniaIn his piece, Coil Coatings: Architects Secret to Brighter Metal Building Faades, architecture and communications specialist Eric Baldwin offers some hope that contemporary resources and materials are not binding us to a grey future by presenting a number of examples of bright coatings applied to modern exterior walls. Apparently, its possible to recreate almost any color or effect. And in her collection, 10 Buildings Making Bold Statements with Color and Form, Architizers Nidhi Upadhyaya offered more eye-candy counterpoints celebrating the countless shades architects have at their disposal.Colorful backdrops and quirky aesthetics are accumulating millions of likes and saves on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, she wrote at the time. Given the power of digital networks to make or break governments, let alone inspire design, the apparently-subconscious move to a more monochrome side of life is even more jarring. Were making things people are not naturally conditioned to notice.Wolf Creek Library by Leo A Daly, Atlanta, Georgia, an example of bright coil coatings on metal building faadesWriting for PULP, the University of Sydneys student magazine, Simon Harris threw his hat into the greyness conversation with an op-ed, Greyness. A pervasive phenomenon in contemporary Sydney buildings, which is both vernacular and pedigreed. The view that architectural conversations consistently fail to talk about the majority of architecture humans interact with daily is omnipresent our tendency to focus on capital A projects by practitioners who defined the image of Architecture through each age rather than most buildings.Februarys cover story in The Atlantic,The Anti-Social Century, shed some light on modern architectural priorities for the majority of what we build (or what gets built in the publications US homeland). For every landmark, there are thousands of off-the-shelf houses finished to meet our needs. Discussing an age of solitude and isolation, where points of connection are rarer and narrower than ever, the feature explained how were spending more time at home than any other point in recent history. So homes have become bigger, and weve filled them with more to fill the hours we would have spent out in the world.ARCA Wynwood Design Center by Esrawe Studio, Miami, FloridaAccording to a US real estate broker quoted in the piece, contemporary house design now reflects this with a demand for television-mountable walls in every room. This necessity often comes before fundamentals like the amount of light allowed into a space. Its thoroughly depressing rooms are getting darker, save for the flicker of flatscreens showing films and series, which in 2022 led Vox to ask why do so many TV shows and movies look like they were filmed in a grey wasteland?The point being, by taking our eyes off the look of the everyday, by focusing so much on monochrome modern materials, architecture has become the basic design of assets. An idea legitimized by a global housing crisis of our own making and an economic obsession with breakneck growth rather than solution-focused development. The sad fact is, the market demands building are built fast. And that means, for the most part, putting limited effort into designing a scheme because we need to move on to the next. In this environment, uniformity will always be the easiest option. Which isnt a declaration of architectures death, but an admission that urbanscapes are increasingly lacking differentiation. And were now so bored of what we see, we want Netflix and Prime at every possible point in our washed out worlds.The Extended Entry Deadline for Architizer's 2025 A+Product Awards is Friday, February 21st. Get your brand in front of the AEC industrys most renowned designers by submitting today.The post Color Optional: How Grayscale Became the Default Design Setting appeared first on Journal.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.In January, Kendall Jenner of the Kardashian-Jenner clan shared a tour of her at-home tequila bar. As the founder of the award-winning tequila brand 818, it makes sense for the model slash TV star slash influencer to have one. The space itself is textbook contemporary luxury: exquisite marble surfaces, rich dark timber, stools sourced from Galerie Half, and a vintage Ralph Lauren cocktail shaker, all perfectly set up for both sipping aejo and taking selfies. Predictably, after posting the video, half the internet promptly searched for the custom home bar. Jenners carefully styled space highlights something that is becoming increasingly prominent in residential design. The home bar.Joining wellness rooms or outdoor kitchens as markers of sophisticated contemporary living, the personal bar is popping up everywhere, with the trend going deeper than celebrities promoting their various liquor companies. Economic uncertainty is nudging even the most affluent of households towards hosting intimate gatherings at home, architects and designers are responding with creativity and flair as home entertaining spaces now incorporate craftsmanship and functionality, whether its concealed cocktail stations or discreet wine rooms behind pivoting doors.The six designs that follow demonstrate how architects are cleverly and, yes, sometimes quite literally raising the bar for staying in.Upper HouseBy KOICHI TAKADA ARCHITECTS, South Brisbane, AustraliaPopular Choice Winner, Multi Unit Housing High Rise (16+ Floors), 13th Annual A+AwardsPhotos by Tom Ferguson and Mark NilonIn recent years, the word amenity has become property marketing shorthand for a windowless gym or a tokenistic co-working space. However, at Upper House in South Brisbane, communal living gets a lavish rethink. Koichi Takada Architects have included not just a rooftop lounge bar but a wine cellar and tasting room too. With fluted marble, warm timber, and thoughtful lighting design, the atmosphere feels simultaneously relaxed and refined. Designed to foster interaction and build a sense of community, they are spaces residents genuinely want to spend time in.Residence WBy fws_work, Taoyuan City, TaiwanPopular Choice Winner, Apartment, 12th Annual A+AwardsPhotos by fws_workResidence W belongs to an airline pilot whose daily commute involves more airport lounges than living rooms. Its only fitting then that the home feels like a first-class cabin. Designed by fws_work, this apartment renovation in Qinpu centers around both tranquility and craftsmanship by layering oak, woven cane, ribbed glass and earthy encaustic tiles into a sophisticated pallet.The centerpiece of the space is a moody yet inviting kitchen and bar area, darkened with black-stained millwork and ceramic tiling from 41 zero 42. Suspended shelves show off bottles as though they were artifacts in a museum by gently illuminating them. This approach highlights the subtle textures and hues of the premium whisky the owner enjoys. A considered home bar that invites slow evenings and the perfect pour.Galeria ApartmentBy ARCHITECTS OFFICE, So Paulo, BrazilPhotos by Andr KlotzGaleria Apartment isnt the sort of home youd describe as cozy, exactly. More like curated. The space, designed by French architect Gregory Bousqueta, who is known for carefully balancing Brazilian warmth with European restraint, has a relaxed elegance that encourages slowing down and staying awhile.The dedicated bar and lounge space neatly illustrates this thoughtful approach. A Wyllis sideboard by Arthur Casas gives the otherwise plain room a sense of structure, and paired with Cassinas mid-century Tre Pezzi armchairs, upholstered in burnt-orange velvet, there is a warmth that is needed for the otherwise neutral palette. Meanwhile, Adalfan Filhos playful Tapioca tea cart introduces a charm that keeps the mood from becoming overly serious. Look up, and the Skygarden lamp from Dimlux casts a soft, even glow. Its the kind of room where a cocktail could easily last an entire evening because the conversation and the furniture is just that good.Urban MetamorphosisBy Brengues Le Pavec architects, FrancePhotos by Zo ChaudeurgeTurning a warehouse into a home is always a tricky business. If you keep too much industrial grit, you risk living in perpetual gloom; smooth it out too much, and youre stuck in a sterile box. Brengues Le Pavecs solution in southern France strikes an ideal balance, embracing the buildings original metal structure while slicing open generous courtyards that flood every room with Mediterranean sunlight.Inside, two walnut-clad volumes cleverly hide away lifes more mundane necessities like laundry, storage, and services but free up space for a glass-fronted wine cellar integrated neatly into the kitchen. This tasting area, flanked by sleek black cabinetry and framed with warm wood, becomes the informal center of the home.Tyra HouseBy FIALA ARCHITECTS, Trinec, CzechiaPhotos by Luk LegierskiAt first glance, you could mistake Tyra House for a particularly bold Bond villains lair. But hidden beneath the Moravian-Silesian Beskids landscape is a thoughtfully designed, ecologically sensitive retreat. Architects FIALA has cleverly placed most of the structure underground, softening the buildings visual footprint with a lush, green roof that blends into the hillside.Beneath this serene surface, however, lies a subterranean hideaway. The dedicated wine cellar has illuminated shelving and geometric timber cabinetry that create an atmosphere similar to that of an upscale lounge. Materials such as Welsh quartzite and raw stone give the space a natural and textural backdrop, echoing the surrounding landscape. Lighting is integrated and dynamic to transform the cellar and adjoining club area into spaces built to host lively gatherings and intimate evenings.Lark HouseBy SHED Architecture & Design, Seattle, WashingtonPhotos by Rafael SoldiAs more people rethink their relationship with alcohol, the home bar doesnt necessarily need to be cocktails and wine fridges. At SHED Architecture & Designs Lark House, instead of shelves stocked with spirits, the Seattle-based project features a meticulously detailed coffee bar framed in warm white oak and accented with delicate tilework and Nero Marquina marble. Respectful of Al Bumgardners original 1958 vision yet confidently contemporary, this space in Seattle, where coffee is something of a sacred ritual, the bar becomes an intentional gathering space for slow mornings, good conversation, and perhaps the occasional philosophical debate.Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.The post Raising the Bar: 6 Home Bars Perfecting the Domestic Drink Station appeared first on Journal.

After selling over eight million copies in its first three days, Capcoms Monster Hunter Wilds crossed ten million sales in its first month. Monster Hunter World took nearly five years to reach the same milestone. Monster Hunter Rise reached it after over a year.While this marks a new sales record for the publisher, its only just getting started. The first Title Update launches on April 3rd with a new monster, Mizutsune, alongside the first Arch-tempered monster, Rey Dau. Players can also access the Grand Hub and interact with each other, partaking in mini-games or watching the Divas performance.The Festival of Accord: Blossomdance also arrives on April 22nd as the first seasonal event, bringing limited-time quests and equipment for free. Players can also look forward to a new Capcom collaboration by May end.Monster Hunter Wilds is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review here we gave it an eight out of ten.

While a Star Wars-based strategy game by Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor is slated to be officially revealed during Star Wars Celebration event in April, a new leak proports to showcase some screenshots from the upcoming title.Caught by Mp1st, the leaked screenshots are seemingly part of the portfolio from one of the artists working on the game at Bit Reactor. The screenshots are dated to 2023, which would indicate that they are from an earlier build of the game for internal testing.Fans of the turn-based strategy games developed by Firaxis, such as XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2, will be quite pleased with the kind of gameplay that the screenshots seemingly indicate. Along with an isometric viewpoint, one of the screenshot also shows us what combat will look like, with a Mandalorian character taking aim at a Stormtrooper.Much like the XCOM games, the upcoming Star Wars game will also involve an element of chance to it. In the screenshot where a Stormtrooper is being targeted, for example, the Mandalorian has a hit chance of 95 percent if they were to throw a thermal detonator at their target. Overwatch also seems to be returning from the XCOM games, with one of the screenshots showing two Mandalorian characters combining their Overwatch abilities to cover a larger area.Outside of combat, the screenshots indicate that players will get to use a home base similar to what weve seen in other games of the genre. This home base will allow players to take on various tasks, and includes interactive items like a Holotable where players can presumably pick their next mission, a Special Ops table that likely provides extra objectives, and an Armory table where players can kit out their Mandalorians with specific gear.So far, no official details about the game have been revealed from Respawn Entertainment or Bit Reactor. The studios have, however, gone as far as confirming that the Star Wars game is being developed through Unreal Engine 5. This was spotted through a job listing back in March 2024 for a Senior Lighting Artist that would be able to work with the engine to create lighting for various levels and cinematics using Lumen.Bit Reactors team up with Respawn Entertainment was announced all the way back in January 2022. The studio is made up of industry veterans like Greg Foerscth, who has previously worked on XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2.