Media Democratic lawmakers pen letter accusing Meta, OpenAI, Google and more of trying to 'buy favor' with Trump 'Funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to Democrats,' OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted in response to the letter By Nikolas Lanum Fox News Published January 17, 2025 2:30pm EST close Big Tech CEOs Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg to attend Trump's inauguration Fox News congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie has more on who will be in attendance and policies President-elect Donald Trump will enact during his first day in office on 'Special Report.' Democratic lawmakers have penned a letter accusing Big Tech companies and leaders of engaging in an "effort to influence and sway" the incoming administration following substantial donations to President-elect Donald Trumps inaugural fund.The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, was distributed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Michael Bennet to Amazon, Apple, Google, OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft and Uber."Big Tech companies have come under increased scrutiny from federal regulators for antitrust violations, violations of privacy, and harms to workers, consumers, and competition. At the same time, lawmakers in both parties have voiced support for regulating tech platforms, in recognition that there is currently no comprehensive set of rules for the tech sector," the letter states.BIDEN WARNS OF 'ULTRA-WEALTHY' 'OLIGARCHY' DESPITE ACCEPTING DONATIONS FROM DEM MEGA-DONORS Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet are asking tech companies for answers following their contributions to President-elect Trump's inaugural fund. (Photo by Win McNamee/Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)"We are concerned that your company and other Big Tech donors are using your massive contributions to the inaugural fund to cozy up to the incoming Trump administration in an effort to avoid scrutiny, limit regulation, and buy favor," the document continues.Warren and Bennet claim these donations "raise questions about corruption and the influence of corporate money on the Trump administration, and Congress and the public deserve answers."The letter asks the mentioned companies to answer questions by January 31 about these contributions, including the rationale behind them and what kinds of communications were made to the Trump team. Logos of major Big Tech companies. (smart city file image: istock)"Funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to Democrats," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted in response to the letter.Altman noted that his $1 million donation to the inaugural fund was a personal contribution, and he was confused about the document's details, considering his company had no part in the decision.In a statement to Fox News Digital, an OpenAI spokesperson said, "Sam believes that President Trump will lead our country during a pivotal moment for AI and American innovation and looks forward to working with him and his administration."TRUMP INAUGURATION GUEST LIST INCLUDES TECH TITANS MARK ZUCKERBERG, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, Shou Zi Chew, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are set to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday. (ETIENNE LAURENTBAY ISMOYOMARK RALSTONANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Uber donated $1 million to Trumps inaugural fund.Apple CEO Tim Cook personally donated $1 million to the fund.Many of these tech company leaders are expected to attend Trump's inauguration.Fox News Digital has reached out to Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Uber for comments.Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Related Topics

New booster packs are also being added.Late last year, The Pokmon Company announced it would finally be adding an anticipated feature to the mobile app Pokmon Trading Card Game Pocket in January 2025.It's now been reconfirmed the trading feature will arrive "this month" - with the team also detailing what exactly you can expect from this new feature, which will be gradually rolled out.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Seven-year-old electric vehicle startup Canoo has filed for bankruptcy and will cease operations immediately. The company is liquidating its assets in a Chapter 7 proceeding in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court.The company said in a press release published late Friday that it was in discussions with foreign sources of capital that proved unsuccessful, and also singled out an inability to secure funding from the U.S. Department of Energys Loan Program Office, which has been on a lending spree in the waning days of the Biden administration.Canoo said in its bankruptcy filing that it had owed money to fewer than 49 creditors, with outstanding liabilities totaling between $10 million and $50 million. It claimed to have fewer than $50,000 in assets.The bankruptcy filing comes just a few weeks after Canoo furloughed the remainder of its workers and idled its factory in Oklahoma. The company struggled throughout 2024 to get more than a few of its electric vans into the hands of prospective customers, and suffered numerous executive departures. It had just $700,000 in the bank in mid-November.Canoo is the latest EV startup to go bankrupt after merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) as a shortcut to going public. Electric Last Mile Solutions was the first in June 2022. But since then, Fisker, Lordstown Motors, Proterra, Lion Electric, and Arrival all filed for different levels of bankruptcy protection in their various home countries. (Canoo bought Arrivals assets out of insolvency in 2024, though its unclear if it ever put any of it to use.) Canoo announced plans to merge with a SPAC Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. in August 2020, and went public that following December, raising around $600 million. In the years since it went public, the company made a small number of its bubbly electric vans and handed them over to partners some paying willing to trial the vehicles. The United States Postal Service, Department of Defense, and NASA all have or had Canoo vehicles. At one point the company even courted Walmart, which agreed to purchase as many as 10,000 EVs from Canoo in 2022. But the deal was essentially non-binding and bore little risk for the retail giant.Canoo was founded in late 2017 by a splinter group of executives that were fed up with the drama surrounding the other EV startup where they worked at the time, Faraday Future. Originally called Evelozcity, those executives developed a modular electric vehicle platform that could power cabins in multiple shapes and sizes, and utilized advanced technology like a steer-by-wire system.The ideas inside Canoo were attractive enough that the startup at one point was in talks to with Apple, which was interested in a potential investment or even acquisition as a way to boost the tech giants own secretive electric car project. But Canoo underwent numerous pivots after it went public and gained a new chairman and CEO in Tony Aquila. A serial entrepreneur, Aquila immediately refocused Canoo away from selling to consumers and prioritized commercial fleets. On his watch, Canoo repeatedly changed plans on whether it would build its own electric vehicles or outsource the work. At one point Canoo announced it was moving its headquarters to Bentonville, Arkansas the home of Walmart but then never really followed through. Signs of a bankruptcy were bubbling up all week. Reddit users noticed that the companys billboard outside its office in Justin, Texas had been taken down. Multiple employees who were on furlough told TechCrunch that they received official termination notices. Some people who had placed $100 deposits when the company was still planning on selling to regular customers had started to get refunds. This story is developing

CONTEXT has published a new report highlighting poor performance from 3D printer vendors in Q3 2024. The Market intelligence firms decision to call the additive manufacturing market chaotic marks a shift from the more positive tone of its 2025 3D printing forecast published last month.During the third quarter, the global additive manufacturing industry was characterized by weak financials, headcount reductions, leadership changes, CEO turnover, operational streamlining, and uncertain mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity.According to CONTEXTs data, this turbulence has translated to falling 3D printer shipments. Sales of Industrial ($100,000+) and Midrange ($20,000$100,000) systems reportedly fell by 24% and 8% YoY, respectively. Professional-grade machines costing between $2,500$20,000 also witnessed a decline of 1%. While entry-level 3D printers continued to buck this trend, with a 28% YoY rise, CONTEXT noted that this segment is cooling as shipments begin to slow.While the recent report addresses Q3, historically, Q4 has been a time when many deals are completed. When earnings season commences, and listed companies provide there full-year numbers a clearer picture should emerge, potentially shedding insight as to whether a shift in quarterly trends has taken place. One convincing explanation seems to relate to uncertainties driven by the US election, with capex delayed until 2025. Several other nations also held elections last year, further driving this trend.Anecdotal evidence from one manufacturer reports that anticipated contracts to supply defense customers did not emerge as expected due to the election year. However, additive manufacturing still benefits from the US Department of Defenses deep pockets. Efforts to restock depleting missile inventories and secure its domestic submarine supply chain are driving extensive investments in metal 3D printing.CONTEXTs VP Chris Connery emphasized that some rays of hope shone through during Q3 2024. Specifically, CONTEXTs data confirms that market leaders EOS, Nikon SLM Solutions, Eplus3D, and Renishaw reported YoY revenue growth in the quarter.Additionally, the 3D printing laser wars trend has seen vendors prioritize higher-priced systems with more lasers, meaning fewer sales do not necessarily translate to a lower return. Indeed, CONTEXTs data confirms that market leaders EOS, Nikon SLM Solutions, Eplus3D, and Renishaw reported YoY revenue growth in the quarter.Global 3D printer shipments by price class (note different scales). Image via CONTEXT.Failing fortunes for industrial 3D printersThe global drop for industrial 3D printer shipments saw yearly figures fall by 19% on a trailing twelve-month (TTM) basis. According to CONTEXT, this decline impacted almost all technologies and material types in this segment. Sales for both metal and polymer systems declined by 24% and 25%, respectively. Globally, industrial shipments fell in China (-37%), North America (-25%), and Western Europe (-13%).The industrial polymer 3D printer market again witnessed challenges relating to Vat Photopolymerisation systems, which experienced a 30% YoY drop in Q3. On a TTM, sales of this technology fell by 42%, while the segment as a whole witnessed a 29% TTM decline.The Vat Photopolymerisation market continues to be dominated by Chinese firm UnionTech, which mainly ships domestically, and US firm 3D Systems, which sells primarily to Western-based customers. In Q3, both companies experienced a sharp decline in shipments, citing reduced demand in the dental market as a major factor. Away from the resin market, polymer powder bed fusion and material extrusion system sales were both down by 15%, while material jetting shipments witnessed a 43% decline.UnionTech showcasing the RSPro1400 3D printer at AMUG 2024. Photo by UnionTech.Metal 3D printer shipments declineMetal 3D printer sales had witnessed solid performance until Q2 2024, when global YoY declines were reported. This continued in the third quarter. While binder jet sales were flat, shipments of all other metal additive manufactring technologies were down compared to the same period in 2023.LPBF systems accounted for 74% of new industrial metal 3D printers during this period, despite a 24% decline in shipments. Directed Energy Deposition (DED) systems, the second-largest technology in this segment, also witnessed an 18% drop in sales.Hangzhou-based Eplus3D reportedly shipped the most units globally this quarter, as it experienced a 41% YoY increase in sales. TRUMPF and Renishaw also witnessed shipment increases in Q3 2024. Notably, regional distinctions seemingly diminished during this period, as both Chinese and Western vendors reported a fall in sales. Previously, Chinese companies had dominated this market amid strong domestic demand. However, Q3 saw Chinese 3D printer shipments fall 26% YoY, with most of these metal 3D printer manufacturers witnessing significant drop-offs.CONTEXT pointed to Eplus3Ds shipments of its meter-tall LPBF 3D printer, one of the largest in the world,as a highlight for the entire industry. Nikon SLMs multi-laser NXG systems also continued to perform well, as the company retained the top spot in terms of global market share for the metal 3D printing sector.Industrial metal PBF 3D printer shipments and growth by vendor region. Image via CONTEXT.Mixed results for Midrange and Professional vendorsIn Q3 2024, reduced spending continued to impact the market for midrange 3D printers, contributing to an 8% decline in 3D printer shipments. While Stratasys retained its market share lead, the Yoav Zeif-led firm saw weak sales for its material extrusion systems. 3D Systems, a long-term stalwart in the 3D printing industry, continued to struggle as it fell to sixth place for sales in this price class.Chinese companies reportedly fared better than their Western counterparts. UnionTech, ZRapid Tech, and Flashforge performed well, as aggregate shipments from Chinese vendors increased 46% YoY, Companies from all other nations saw midrange sales fall by 24%. In particular, Flashorge experienced strong demand from the jewelry market for its WaxJet material jetting printers.Professional 3D printers witnessed a bounce back in Q3 2024, largely driven by the positive reception of Formlabs Form 4 and Form 4B, which launched in April 2024. Total professional system shipments were still down 1% YoY, and 20% on a TTM basis. However, thanks to the demand for Formlabs technology, shipments of Vat Photopolymerisation systems increased 26% YoY.On the other hand, sales of material extrusion 3D printers priced between $2,500 and $20,000 continued to feel the pinch, as customers increasingly adopt more affordable entry-level offerings. As such, 28% fewer professional FDM 3D printers were shipped in Q3 2024 than the previous year.Despite CONTEXTs claims that the entry-level market has slowed from its previous super-accelerated pace, sub-$2500 systems continued to perform well. Shipments grew 28% YoY, with a substantial 43% increase reported on a TTM basis.Creality continued to lead this price-class, despite experiencing slowed growth. Meanwhile, Bambu Lab and Flashforge experienced market-share gains.Formlabs Form 4 3D printer. Photo via Formlabs.Context reaffirms positive outlook for the future of 3D printingCONTEXT emphasized that 3D printing companies witnessed a turbulent end to 2024. Uncertainty swirls around Nano Dimensions acquisition of Markeofrged and Desktop Metal, amid boardroom changes and the removal of ardent consolidation-advocate Yoav Stern as CEO. BigRep and Prodways also witnessed leadership changes, as voxeljet was acquired by Anzu Partners. Nexa3D has also scaled back its operations, and Velo3D restructured to avoid bankruptcy.The investment landscape of 2024 saw many keep their powder dry but some high-profile backers, such as ex-Google CEOs support for Relativity Space, indicate investors see opportunity in the sector.According to Chris Connery, this market Chaos was further impacted by high interest rates and subsequently muted CapEx spending. As such, he expects full-year figures for 2024 to be close to the lows seen during the height of pandemic lockdowns in 2020, with at least 12% fewer Industrial printers shipped in 2024 than 2023. Global midrange 3D printer shipments are set to be down by 8% over the full year, while the entry-level segment will finish the year with a 30% YoY increase.Looking ahead, many players expect interest rates to fall this year, which many hope will accelerate CapEx spending by the second half of 2025. CONTEXT noted that this could lead to 14% full-year growth for Industrial 3D printer shipments. Meanwhile, midrange sales are expected to rise by 12%, with a 6% increase mooted for professional systems.For 2026, the market intelligence firm is forecasting double-digit YoY growth in all sectors. Whats more, YoY growth rates upwards of 30%40% are expected over the following five years.To put this in context, note that the market bounced back strongly coming out of Covid as vendors delivered against pent-up demand: between 2020 and 2021, Industrial 3D printer shipments were up 30% and those of Midrange systems increased by 26%, added Connery.However, the impact of a change in US government is yet to be determined: while the new administration is generally focused on accelerating business potential, sticky inflation and unknown import restrictions are tempering optimism.Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?All the news from Formnext 2024.Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on X, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows global 3D printer shipments by price class (note different scales). Image via CONTEXT.

You never forget your first Lynch. Mine was Dune (1984), that gorgeous, confounding mess of a film that somehow managed to be both a critical failure and a masterclass in architectural fever dreams. Years later, while poring over the works of Hans Poelzigthat mad genius of German ExpressionismI discovered something that made perfect sense: Lynch had borrowed heavily from Poelzigs subterranean Groes Schauspielhaus for the Emperors throne room. Of course he had. Who else but Lynch would look at a 1919 Berlin theater renovation and think, Yes, this is exactly what space feudalism should look like? The thing about Lynchs spaces is that they were never just settingsthey were characters themselves, brooding and breathing entities that seemed to exist independently of the stories they contained. Take Blue Velvet (1986), which I first experienced through an appropriately Lynchian act of teenage rebellion. I hid in the exit stairwell in the front of a theater at Baybrook Mall in Houston, waiting in that dark, smelly space while one audience filed out and another filed in, the coming attractions reels spinning above. When I finally emerged to take my seat, it felt like I had stepped through one of Lynchs own portalswhich, considering what I was about to witness, seemed perfectly appropriate.The seedy underbelly of Lumberton unfolded before me like a nightmare dollhouse, each room more suffocating than the last. In the apartment of Dorothy Vallens, who was played by Isabella Rossellini, shadows seemed to move of their own accord. And then theres The Slow Club, where Dorothy sang Blue Velvet under lights that rendered everything in hyperreal, oversaturated tonesa world more vivid than reality itselfand where Lynch performed his first great act of pop cultural alchemy, transforming tender Roy Orbison love songs like In Dreams into something menacing and strange, a trick he would repeat years later in Mulholland Drive (2001) when Rebekah del Rio sings Crying on a dimly lit stage.My introduction to Lynchs earlier work came through an equally strange confluence of pop culture. I first learned about Eraserhead (1977) through, of all things, a Rush music video. There it was, the movies poster, hanging in the background of their Tom Sawyer promo clip, like some sort of secret handshake between different forms of weird. It was fitting: Lynch had a way of seeping into the margins of mainstream culture, leaving his fingerprints in the most unexpected places. Lynch understood something fundamental about architecture that can elude even the best filmmakers: Spaces arent neutral containers for actiontheyre active participants in our psychodrama. The Brutalist geometries of Dunes Giedi Prime werent just set dressing; they were manifestations of the Harkonnens industrial evil, all sharp angles and steamy hardtop that seemed to want to hurt you just by looking at them. And what about Twin Peakss Red Room? Those curtains and chevron floors created a space that existed somewhere between a theater and a nightmare, a waiting room for the subconscious.I remember my freshman year of college, huddled around a TV set with friends, watching Twin Peaks unfold week after week. Angelo Badalamentis theme music, with its dark, reverb-soaked country-western tones, didnt just accompany the imagesit created the space, sonic architecture that seemed to extend the physical dimensions of the screen into something vast and unknowable. Thats what Lynch did better than anyone: He understood that space isnt just visual; its auditory, its emotional, its our subconscious. Its almost funny now to think about how Lynch approached interior design like a deranged architect. Every space in his films felt both meticulously planned and somehow wrong, as if theyd been designed by someone whod only heard about human habitation through an elaborate game of telephone or read plans though glasses with wrong prescriptions. The Palmer house in Twin Peaks, with a seemingly normal suburban layout, somehow managed to feel more disquieting than any haunted mansion. The way Lynch lit those spaces, and the way he moved his camera through them, was like watching architecture have a slow, deliberate nervous breakdown.And then there were the transitional spacesthe hallways, the curtained passages, the roads that seemed to lead nowhere and everywhere at once. Lost Highways endless dark roads, Mulhollands sinuous curves, even Eraserheads industrial wasteland corridorsthese werent just connections between places, they were liminal spaces where reality itself seemed to break down. Lynch understood that the scariest thing about any building isnt the room youre in, but the hallway leading to the room you cant see yet. Whats particularly remarkable about Lynchs architectural sensibility was how he managed to make even the most mundane spaces feel charged with potential energy. A coffee shop in Twin Peaks became a stage for cosmic drama, and New York, in a 1991 anti-littering ad for the Citys Department of Sanitation, became a haunted, rat-infested trash heap. A suburban street (and close-up shot of technicolor flowers in front of an iconic white fence) in Blue Velvet held secrets that would make Freud clutch his own overanalyzed pearls. He had this uncanny ability to take the familiarwhether it was a space, a pop song, or a slice of cherry pieand twist it just enough to make it deeply, profoundly unsettling. It wasnt about making things scaryit was about making them wrong in a way you couldnt quite put your finger on.Lynchs Expressionist sensibilities go far beyond that Poelzig-inspired throne room in Dune. You can see echoes of it everywhere, like in the distorted perspectives, the dramatic use of light and shadow, and the way architecture seems to reflect psychological states rather than physical reality. Watch The Elephant Man (1980), a nod to Carol Reeds monochrome dramas from the 1940s, and at the same time infused with a hoary mise en scne straight out of Charles Dickenss Bleak House (1853). Whatever the inspiration, Lynch wasnt just copying a stylehe was metabolizing it, processing it through his uniquely American optic to create something entirely new.Looking back at Lynchs body of work now, its clear that he wasnt just making films: He was one our best world-builders, architect and dream-maker rolled into one. Those gilded, Brutalist interiors of Dune, the tawdry bars of Blue Velvet, the iconic draped spaces of Twin Peakstheyre all rooms in the same vast, interconnected haunted house of the American psyche. Lynch wasnt just showing us these spaces; he was showing us how spaces shape us, haunt us, define us. He became, perhaps inadvertently, the master chronicler of late-modern Los Angeles. Though born in Montana, Lynch is undeniably one of Los Angeless own, his artistic DNA intertwined with the citys from his earliest works. His 1967 student film Six Men Getting Sick showed a passing flirtation with another SoCal talentthe conceptual artist John Baldessaribefore he developed his singular vision. He captured the citys essence not just in the fever dream of Mulholland Drive or the digital nightmare of Inland Empire, but in something as mundane as his daily weather reportsthose oddly comforting dispatches where hed announce the temperature and forecast with the same gravitas hed use for his surreal dream sequences. His spatial visions were so compelling that reality began to imitate them: Club Silencio in Paris, designed by Raphael Navot, sought to give form to Lynchs architectural nightmares, proving that his dreamscapes could breach the membrane between imagination and reality.Theres a bitter irony in learning that Lynch died of complications from emphysema while Los Angeles still sifts through the smoky, charred remains of the Palisades and Eaton fires. Its the kind of dark synchronicity that might have appeared in one of his filmsthe master conjurer of hazy dreams finally succumbing while his beloved city struggles to breathe. Perhaps thats the only way it could have ended for him. Lynch built his career on finding poetry in darkness, beauty in decay, meaning in confusion. He taught us that every exit might be an entrance, every ending a beginning, every silence pregnant with possibility. Silencio.Enrique Ramirez is a historian of art and architecture. He lives in Brooklyn.

This will be the first time the Super Bowl will be streamed at no cost. Here's why it's happening.

Taking a look back at this weeks news and headlines from Apple, including the iPhone Air leaks, new iPhone SE details, iPhone 15 special offers, AI headlines paused, Apple Cards new home, iCloud in 2025, and Tim Cooks inauguration seat.Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers remarks before the start of an Apple event at Apple headquarters on ... [+] September 09, 2024 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Getty ImagesiPhone Air Design LeaksApples iPhone plans for 2025 include a new addition to the portfolio with an ultra-fashionable thin iPhone. Details on the presumptively named iPhone Air are coming out, with the biggest question addressed. How thin is thin?"But exactly how much thinner has just taken a new turn. A new report by Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities, a hugely respected analyst, suggests that whats called the 2H25 ultra-thin iPhone, could be a phone with the thinnest part around 5.5mm, according to Kuo.(Forbes).MORE FOR YOUiPhone SE DetailsBefore the iPhone Airs potential launch in September, Apple will release the fifth mid-range iPhone SE. Its going to have a few of the bells and whistles of the current iPhone 16 family, but it needs to keep on both the cost and how much it might cannibalize the more expensive iPhones."The controls and ports on the right-hand side of the iPhone SE are clearly visible. A physical SIM card tray is at the lowest extreme. Above that are two volume buttons, and the traditional mute switch is above. This switch has been dropped from the main line of iPhones in favour of a programmable Action Button."(Forbes).iPhone 15 Special OffersUntil then, theres a new choice in the Apple Store for their next iPhone. The iPhone 15 family is showing up the Apple Refurb store. These generally offer a fifteen percent discount on the list price (usually enough to buy Apple Care and a refurb iPhone for the price of the same iPhone when new. The twist this time around is the Pro and Pro Max phones are available:"While Apples regular iPhones stay in the range for several years, if you want the Pro, you need to buy it in the 12 months after its released, and then its gone. However, Apple just brought the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, in some countries, on its refurbished site, at lower prices. Apple made this move unexpectedly early."(Forbes).Apple Addresses AI News IssuesApple has been facing increasing pressure to take action on the generative AI news alert Apple Intelligence has been providing (notably from the BBC). Part of the feature has been disabled and will return in a later release, others now come with a warning:"For now, Notification Summaries for the News and Entertainment category have been temporarily disabled, and Apple is working on improvements. Notification Summaries for news will return in a future software update. In the Settings app, when a user activates Notification Summaries, Apple has added a warning that this is a beta feature and that there could be errors."(MacRumors).Apple Card Looking For A New HomeThe partnership between Goldman achs and Apple to manage the Apple Card is currently up for renegotiation and Apple is looking at other financial institutions to take over the credit card."Apple is in talks with Barclays to replace Goldman Sachs as the tech giant's credit card partner, said two sources familiar with the matter, as the Wall Street giant steps back from its consumer finance ambitions. Credit card issuer Synchrony Financial is also in discussions with Apple about the card partnership, the first source said. Both sources declined to be identified discussing private talks."(Reuters).iCloud For 2025Apples iCloud service has drawn much ire for the paltry 5GB free tier, but Michael Burkhardt argues that the rest of theirs need to be re-organised to be fit for purpose in 2025:"nstead of introducing a new fourth lower end tier, why not just adjust how much storage everyone gets? After nearly ten years of the lower end 50GB and 200GB plans remaining at the prices they are today, I think its about time to change things up. After all, file sizes are only getting larger. 50GB is probably barely enough for most peoples iPhone backup at this point."(9to5Mac).And Finally...As the media circus gathers around the US Presidential inauguration, much is being made of the presence of Elon Muskc, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. Theres less noise over the attendance of Apple CEO Tim Cook, but many are keeping a close eye on any interaction of the major tech firms with the White House.The appearance from the tech titans comes as the industry has sought to warm relations with Trump following his victory last November, and despite frequent clashes during his first term in office. Many, including Cook, have traveled to Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the president-elect and Musk have held a series of private meetings and dinners to discuss plans for the coming term."(Bloomberg).Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Dont forget to follow me so you dont miss any coverage in the future. Last weeks Apple Loop can be read here, or this weeks edition of Loops sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.

LG has basically been the undisputed champion of OLED TV technology over the last decade-plus or so. From one year to the next, LG TVs continue to earn high praise for color accuracy, deep contrast levels, and excellent HDR performance. And, as luck would have it, one of LGs best TVs of 2023 is on sale today!Right now, when you purchase the LG 55-inch B3 Series OLED at Walmart, youll only wind up paying $800. The full MSRP on this model is $1,200.Powered by LGs a7 AI Processor Gen 6, the LG B3 Series delivers rich colors, inky black levels, phenomenal 4K upscaling, and top-shelf HDR performance. The WOLED screen also does a fantastic job at standing up to glare and ambient lighting, though the TV does look its best when viewed in a dark room (which is typical for an OLED TV).RelatedThe LG B3 Series is a great choice for gamers and sports fans, too, as this OLED has low input lag fast response times, and supports numerous gaming optimizations for both console and PC players. Plus, two of the TVs four HDMI ports are 2.1 certified, making them go-to options for a PS5 or Xbox.Running LGs webOS 23, the B3 Series offers a diverse array of streaming apps that load quickly and reliably. The TV even comes with LGs Magic Remote for point-and-click controls (standard remote controls can be used, too). Were not sure how long this sale is going to last, so today might be the last day to score this good of a deal on a 2023 top seller!Save $400 when you buy the LG 55-inch B3 Series OLED at Walmart, and be sure to check out our lists of the best TV deals, best LG TV deals and best OLED TV deals for even more markdowns on top tech.Editors Recommendations

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He expanded the cinematic potential of television and inspired a generation of showrunners, including Sopranos creator David Chase.