While Nintendo offered an official spec sheet for the Switch 2 last month, neither it nor an accompanying blog post from chip-making partner Nvidia provided many specific numbers for the upcoming console’s raw CPU and GPU horsepower. Today, though, Digital Foundry is offering what it calls “rock-solid confirmation” of the system’s final tech specs, adding detail and clarity to years-old leaks and educated speculation on the system’s internals (which turned out to be largely reliable in the end).

Unlike the Switch—which basically used an off-the-shelf Nvidia Tegra T1 chip—Digital Foundry says the Switch 2 is using “very much custom silicon designed specifically for Nintendo and for mobile gaming.” You can see what that means in terms of raw hardware performance in the tables below.

Glancing at those numbers, it’s easy to pick out a large difference between the system’s performance in docked and undocked modes; its GPU clock and memory bandwidth both increase substantially when plugged into a TV. Those differences could help explain why the Switch 2 dock uses an active cooling fan, unlike the much simpler TV-connection dock on the original Switch.

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Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) streaming service Max will be called HBO Max starting this summer, bringing back a name that WBD curiously ditched a couple of years ago.

In May 2020, the company then known as WarnerMedia Group launched its flagship streaming service, HBO Max. The successor to the HBO Now subscription-based streaming service that launched in 2014, and not to be confused with the now-defunct HBO Go (which was a video-on-demand streaming service accessible to those with subscriptions to the HBO cable channel), HBO Max offered “the entire HBO service,” per WarnerMedia’s announcement. HBO Max also combined content from other titles WarnerMedia owned, including titles from DC Comics and Cartoon Network. But the main draw continued to be the ability to stream HBO’s prestigious library via a Netflix-like streaming subscription.

When WarnerMedia acquired Discovery in 2022 and became WBD, it sought to combine the libraries of HBO Max and the Discovery+ streaming service. WBD landed on Max as the name for the combined app. The name seemed to suggest access to a maximum amount of streaming content with maximum appeal. However, it questionably distanced itself from the legacy of high-budget, award-winning TV shows and recent popular movies that the HBO brand had been building since 1972.

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On Tuesday, the federal government’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced that it had terminated research grants to Harvard totalling $450 million, spread out across eight federal agencies. The move comes on the heels of $2.2 billion in earlier cuts and an announcement that the university will be prevented from receiving any future grants. The ongoing campaign appears to be heading toward a point where no researchers at Harvard will receive federal funding.

The announcement reiterates accusations that are familiar from earlier federal funding terminations. It references antisemitic incidents during earlier protests about Israel’s actions in Gaza and the fact that the Harvard Law Review has taken steps to diversify the authors it publishes, which the government considers illegal discrimination. Notably, the letter does not mention any more recent events, nor Harvard’s efforts to address antisemitism on campus, saying:

Harvard’s campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination. This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it’s not academic freedom; it’s institutional disenfranchisement. There is a dark problem on Harvard’s campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support.

It’s generally difficult to understand the big picture of these cuts and the reasons for them from this announcement. Instead, it has to be pieced together from the multitude of letters that individual agencies have sent Harvard.

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Microsoft has released its latest monthly Patch Tuesday update, this time offering fixes for 72 security vulnerabilities across its systems. Five of the malicious bugs addressed are zero-days that have been actively exploited, and two have been publicly disclosed.

As Bleeping Computer reports, the May update addresses 17 elevation of privilege flaws, two security feature bypass flaws, 28 remote code execution flaws, 15 information disclosure flaws, seven denial of service flaws, and two spoofing flaws. In addition to the zero-day exploits, six of the remote code execution vulnerabilities are labeled “critical” along with one information disclosure flaw.

If you’re a Windows or Microsoft user, you should ensure your systems are up to date.

Patch Tuesday updates for May 2025

While all of Microsoft’s security updates are important to maintain the integrity of your devices and data, this Patch Tuesday is particularly heavy on zero-days—flaws that are actively exploited or publicly disclosed before the developer issues an official fix.

Four of the five actively exploited zero-days fixed with this update are elevation of privilege flaws. CVE-2025-32701 and CVE-2025-32706 both affect Windows Common Log File System Driver, while CVE-2025-30400 affects Microsoft DWM Core Library, and CVE-2025-32709 Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock. All allow attackers SYSTEM privileges locally.

The fifth active exploit is a remote code execution vulnerability (labeled CVE-2025-30397) in Microsoft Scripting Engine. The flaw can be exploited if an authenticated user clicks a fraudulent link in Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer, allowing attackers to execute code over a network.

CVE-2025-30397, CVE-2025-32701, and CVE-2025-30400 were discovered by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center. CVE-2025-32706 was disclosed by the Google Threat Intelligence Group and the CrowdStrike Advanced Research Team, while CVE-2025-32709 came from an “anonymous” researcher. Microsoft has not disclosed how these flaws were exploited.

One of the publicly disclosed zero-days patched this month is a spoofing flaw in Microsoft Defender (CVE-2025-26685) that allows unauthenticated attackers with LAN access to spoof another account. This was discovered by Joshua Murrell with NetSPI. The final zero-day (CVE-2025-32702) is a remote code execution vulnerability in Visual Studio—Microsoft has not revealed any additional details.

How to protect your PC

You should always install security updates as soon as they become available to minimize the risk to your system. Windows and Microsoft patches are usually downloaded and installed automatically, but you can make sure your PC is good to go via Start > Settings > Windows Update and selecting Check for Windows updates.

A full year of Peacock Premium is on sale right now for $25 as part of a Memorial Day promotion. This is $55 off the typical price of $80. Just enter SPRINGSAVINGS at checkout. The promotion is live until May 30. This is the ad-supported version.

Peacock is a decent platform and made our list of the best streaming services. It doesn’t get the attention of Netflix or Disney+, but it’s home to several nifty original shows. There’s the AI-adjacent tomfoolery of Mrs. Davis and the Rian Johnson-made whodunnit Poker Face. It also airs several video game adaptations, like Knuckles and the surprisingly-decent Twisted Metal.

The big draw here, however, is likely the long-awaited spinoff of The Office, which is called The Paper. That one premieres in September and is a Peacock exclusive. The platform also signed an 11-year agreement with the NBA and that goes into effect this fall. The mobile app could be getting minigames and short-form vertical videos (like TikTok) in the near future.

There’s one caveat. This subscription will automatically renew for $80 after the year runs out. Stay on top of scheduling if you want to cancel before then.

Check out our coverage of the best streaming deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-year-of-peacock-premium-is-on-sale-for-only-25-163231474.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. Discovery said Wednesday it will revert its streaming service name from Max back to HBO Max this summer, just two years after dropping the HBO branding.

The decision, revealed at the company’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York, represents an admission that HBO’s premium brand equity remains valuable in the streaming landscape. “Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect,” WBD stated in a press release.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Uber is introducing a few new options for riders that it claims will save you money. These choices include Route Share, which can only be described as if Uber Pool and buses had a love child (though Uber has already tried to reinvent shuttle buses a few times). It offers pickups in certain spots “along busy corridors” every 20 minutes — though only during weekday rush hours. 

Basically, you can save “up to” 50 percent off UberX by treating Uber like a bus, walking to a pickup location and then getting dropped off at another designated spot near your destination. The Pool bit is that there might be up to two other riders with you. 

Route Share will let you book a seat between seven days and 10 minutes before you need it. The option is now available from 6AM to 10AM and 4PM to 8PM on weekdays in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, and Baltimore, with more cities coming. 

Uber

Uber is also rolling out two different ride passes, a price lock and a prepaid option. The price lock pass lets you pay $3 to reserve a set cost for a specific ride. It seems to be pretty low risk, as if the ride ends up being cheaper when you use it, Uber won’t charge you the difference. You can use a price lock pass on up to 10 different routes each month. This pass is now available in cities like Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami and San Francisco — but should roll out to the rest of the US soon. 

Then there’s the prepaid pass, which lets you pay for multiple trips at a time. So, say you take an Uber to work or your partners place regularly, you can buy a set of trips along that route. The passes will work for 30 days or up to $50 in savings, whichever you hit first. You do have to buy either five, 10, 15 or 20 rides at a time, so Uber gets a guarantee you’ll use their service and you get a discount in return. Both types of passes will also be available on teen accounts this fall. 

Update, May 14 2025, 2:17PM ET: An earlier version of this article’s headline referred to Uber’s new offering as “Ride Shares” instead of “Route Share.” 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-introduces-route-share-a-rush-hour-version-of-pool-161059274.html?src=rss

This is a video of famed multi-language speaker (polyglot) Xiaomanyc discussing the important of learning different languages to a group of high school students, using their own Generation Alpha vernacular to connect with them (but mostly be laughed at). Thank goodness for the subtitles, because I did not understand what he was saying. I’m old. Like, undead warlock old. “Not the undead warlock thing again.” It’s true, the last language I learned was Old English in the 600’s. Now? I just let my black magic do the talking. You want someone to have a really bad day? $40.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced today that its streaming service is undergoing yet another branding change. This would mark its second name change in three years, and even more if you count the days of HBO’s subscriber-exclusive streamer. The streamer previously known as HBO Max (2018–2022), then as Max (2022–2025), will henceforth be known as… checks notes …HBO Max, again.

The rebrand will take place this summer and is part of a push by Warner Bros. Discovery to grow subscriber counts globally. The company’s statement shares its belief that returning the HBO branding to the Max streaming service will help signal to its customers the type of quality content they can expect from their subscription. The new (see: old) name makes more pointed use of the brand’s iconic name. It reads in part: “This evolution has also been influenced by changing consumer needs, and the fact that no consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content.”

Bullish on the brand power of HBO, Zaslav said, “The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming. Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”

Warner Bros. Discovery reported earnings last week and mentioned the Max platform nearly 30 times in its nine-page letter to shareholders, touting subscriber and profitability milestones. The company clearly sees HBO Max as a core component to future growth, and HBO as the most valuable branding asset in its expanded portfolio since AT&T’s merger with Discovery, Inc. in 2022. Look, as long as you keep making White Lotus, I don’t care what you call it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/max-which-was-once-hbo-reverts-to-hbo-max-154149241.html?src=rss

Marvel’s long-awaited Ironheart series premieres June 24 on Disney+. We also finally have a legitimate trailer, which looks gritty and fun. This should come as no surprise, as Black Panther and Sinners director Ryan Coogler is on board as an executive producer.

The show follows Riri Williams, who was first introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She’s a mechanical genius in the vein of Tony Stark who also builds her own armored suit. Iron Man. Ironheart. Get it? In the comics, it’s an AI version of Stark that suggests the name, but we doubt Robert Downey Jr’s new contract extends to vocal work on a Disney+ series.

The footage suggests a season-long battle against an underrated villain in the comics called The Hood, who is a magic user with loose connections to the Dr. Strange villain Dormammu. We can look forward to plenty of tech vs. magic tomfoolery.

Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, Lyric Ross and Anji White, among others. Chinaka Hodge is the head writer, who penned scripts for Snowpiercer and Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club.

We get three episodes on June 24, followed by installments each Tuesday. Ironheart runs for six episodes. The show’s followed by the premiere of the animated anthology series Eyes of Wakanda on August 6.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/marvels-ironheart-series-now-has-a-trailer-152824616.html?src=rss

Privacy watchdog Noyb sent a cease-and-desist letter to Meta Wednesday, threatening to pursue a potentially billion-dollar class action to block Meta’s AI training, which starts soon in the European Union.

In the letter, Noyb noted that Meta only recently notified EU users on its platforms that they had until May 27 to opt their public posts out of Meta’s AI training data sets. According to Noyb, Meta is also requiring users who already opted out of AI training in 2024 to opt out again or forever lose their opportunity to keep their data out of Meta’s models, as training data likely cannot be easily deleted. That’s a seeming violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Noyb alleged.

“Meta informed data subjects that, despite that fact that an objection to AI training under Article 21(2) GDPR was accepted in 2024, their personal data will be processed unless they object again—against its former promises, which further undermines any legitimate trust in Meta’s organizational ability to properly execute the necessary steps when data subjects exercise their rights,” Noyb’s letter said.

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An anonymous reader shares a report: Sony just announced its financial forecast for the next year, and it’s expecting to be impacted by tariffs to the tune of 100 billion yen (about $680 million). To compensate, the company says it’s considering options including moving manufacturing to the US and increasing prices for consumers.

Speaking to investors during the company’s earnings call, Sony CFO Lin Tao confirmed that the company is considering “passing on” the price of tariffs to consumers in order to mitigate the impact on its bottom line. Tao didn’t mention the PS5 by name though, and it’s possible that Sony could try to protect pricing on its console through increases elsewhere in its electronics business. Sony has already increased the price of the PS5 this year, but only in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Whoop’s new 5.0 hardware launched this week, along with a premium version of the device that they’re calling the MG. Along with the launch came a new upgrade policy, requiring users to pay for what many thought would be a free upgrade. The company has walked back some of the new policy, but most users will still need to pay to get the new device. Here’s what you should know. 

WHOOP Peak – 12-Month Membership – 5.0 Health and Fitness Wearable – 24/7 Activity and Sleep Tracker with Heart Rate, HRV, Stress Monitor, Personalized Coaching, Healthspan – 14+ Days Battery Life

$239.00
at Amazon

$239.00
at Amazon

Whoop’s official, current upgrade policy

Hardware comes bundled with Whoop’s subscriptions, which are typically sold in 12-month or 24-month memberships. Whoop said upon launching the 5.0 and MG that you can get the new hardware in two ways: 

• You can pay to add 12 months to your subscription (a “membership extension”) and receive the new device.

• You can pay a $49 fee and receive the new device without changing the term of your membership. 

(There was also a mention of a $79 fee for upgrading to the MG hardware, but that hardware requires a more expensive subscription, so people who plan to upgrade to MG would be expected to pay more for their subscription anyway.) 

After some backlash, Whoop published an article “clarifying and updating our upgrade policy” in which they announced a policy to send upgraded hardware to some customers without any further payment: 

• Members who already have more than 12 months left on their membership (for example, someone who bought a 24-month membership and still has 13 months left) can get the new hardware for free. 

• Members who purchased a 12-month (or more) membership or renewal in the 30 days before the 5.0 was announced on May 8 can also get the new hardware for free. 

Why people are mad

This new upgrade policy is different from how Whoop handled upgrades in 2021, when the previous device—the 4.0—came out. And until the launch of the 5.0 earlier this month, at least two pages on Whoop’s website appeared to say that members would get to upgrade to the next generation of hardware for free. Whoop has addressed one of these as a mistake—a blog post referencing a six-month commitment—but hasn’t commented directly on the other, a FAQ that seems to say everyone gets free upgrades. I’ll start with the FAQ.

Until recently, that FAQ stated “WHOOP is a membership, which means you get the latest and greatest technology as soon as it’s available as long as you are an active member. No need to buy a new device each time it is released; you can upgrade for free.” Here is an archive of that page that I made on May 2, 2025, still showing that language less than a week before the 5.0 launched. The date on the page says that it was published in April of 2020.

The page still exists on Whoop’s website here, but now says something very different: “WHOOP is committed to a membership model where hardware is always included. When new devices launch, you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade by extending your membership and you’ll receive the new device at no additional cost. If you’re not ready to extend at that time, you can receive the latest hardware by paying a one-time upgrade fee.” There is no indication on that page that it has been changed, and it still bears the April 2020 date. (Here is an archive of how it looks today, for future reference.) 

I wrote to Whoop asking if they had any comment on that change, along with a few other questions. In response, they sent me the new upgrade policy (also found here), addressed a different blog post that had changed—more about that below—and later sent along this statement:

“We’ve always tried to make it as easy and accessible as possible for our members to get on WHOOP. Since 2021, we’ve required members have a certain number of months remaining on their membership to receive a free upgrade. That remains true today. You can receive a free upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 with 12 months remaining on your membership. Alternatively, you can also pay a one-time upgrade fee if you’d prefer not to extend. You can also choose to renew your subscription when it is up, and you’ll be eligible to upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 at that time for free.  With this launch, we introduced two new devices — 5.0 and MG — both of which offer 14+ day battery life, a 7% smaller size, and the Wireless PowerPack. Given MG is our most premium offering with different medical-grade capabilities, it does come with more premium cost. We ensured members could still receive a free upgrade to WHOOP 5.0, but have a different option if they were looking for different features and functionality.”

Whoop has also been criticized for a blog post, found here by Whoop users on Reddit, that shows another discrepancy in stated policies. That blog post, which bears a date of September 30, 2024, said that the policy was to give upgraded hardware to anyone who had been a member for at least six months. The blog post was still live as of March 28 of this year, as shown on this Wayback Machine archive. Whoop says that “was never our policy and should never have been posted,” saying instead that they had offered free upgrades to anyone with six months or more remaining on their subscription at the time of the 4.0 launch. 

This appears to be correct—emails sent in 2021 mentioned that Whoop users with “6+ months left on their membership” were eligible to upgrade for free. Whoop showed me screenshots from such emails, and I dug into my own inbox (never delete anything, folks) and found the same. The screenshot below is from an email I received in 2021.

From an email dated Sep 17, 2021.
Credit: Whoop

So that historical fact about six-month memberships checks out, but I see why many Whoop users say they feel misled. Meanwhile, the FAQ’s statement about free upgrades for all active members certainly influenced my long-term review of the 4.0, published just last month, in which I reported (based on that FAQ on Whoop’s own website) that “you don’t have to pay for new hardware to get new hardware.”

Angry Whoop users are discussing on Reddit and other forums the question of whether the company’s actions may run afoul of truth-in-advertising laws in Australia, the UK, the EU, and/or the U.S. Some are suggesting that U.S.-based customers consider submitting a complaint to the FTC (here is the form) or to your state’s attorney general. 

Is it even worth upgrading from the 4.0 to the 5.0? 

After all that, it’s not even clear whether the move from 4.0 to 5.0 is worth paying anything. If you’re happy with your current membership (now known as Peak), all you’d gain with 5.0 is a longer battery life. 

But you’d lose the ability to use any straps or accessories you bought for your 4.0. The new device is 7% smaller, Whoop says, which smacks of “we wanted you to buy all new accessories.” It sure seems like they could have easily stuffed those seven-percent-smaller internals in the same size housing as the 4.0 and had everything still be compatible. Heck, fill the extra space with an even bigger battery! 

I would only pay to upgrade if you feel the longer battery life is more important than back-compatibility with your old straps and accessories. (And if you have a lot of Whoop Body clothing, you may want to wait for more 5.0 users to weigh in before you toss it all—I saw at least one Reddit comment saying that the old boxers fit the new device just fine.)

Should you “upcycle” your old 4.0? 

There’s another strange thing going on with Whoop’s upgrade plans. If you upgrade from the 4.0 to the 5.0, they’ll send you a gift box with a sanitizing wipe and a brand-new strap, so that you can pass your old 4.0 on to a friend. They call it “upcycling,” and the full details are here.

But why would your friend want your old 4.0? They would still have to sign up for a Whoop membership, and any new membership comes with a free 5.0 (or MG). 

Whoop attempts to sweeten the deal by giving you (the gifter) a $50 credit that can be used for accessories for yourself—but not put toward membership. You only get this once your giftee signs up for a paid membership. As for the person you gift your old device to, there are a few ways for them to get a discount on membership with the used 4.0: 

• You (the gifter) can prepay for a 12-month Peak membership for them, for $190 rather than the usual $239. 

• They can join for $199 for a 12-month Peak membership

• They can use the 4.0 for a two-month free trial, which automatically rolls over into a full-price $239 12-month Peak membership. 

As soon as you pay for a membership, and have 12 months remaining, you can upgrade to the 5.0 or MG—so that gifted 4.0 may have a short lifespan indeed.

This doesn’t feel like upcycling at all to me, just a way to pretend you’re doing something useful with a device that will shortly get thrown away. For devices you actually buy, like a Garmin or an Apple Watch, going with an older model can often save you some cash. With the Whoop’s cost being baked into any new subscription, it seems strange to recommend that some users forgo the brand-new hardware that would otherwise be included.

If you have a friend getting rid of an old 4.0, you might as well use the upcycling program to get a small discount on the membership with 5.0 that you were planning to buy anyway (using one of the two options above). Or if you already have a 4.0, you might as well ask your friend to get the re-gifting kit just for the free spare band—those things still cost 49 dollars.

Google has warned that the hacker group known as “Scattered Spider,” which recently disrupted UK retailer Marks & Spencer, is now targeting U.S. retailers with aggressive and sophisticated cyberattacks. “U.S. retailers should take note. These actors are aggressive, creative, and particularly effective at circumventing mature security programs,” John Hultquist, an analyst at Google’s cybersecurity arm, said in an email sent on Wednesday. The Guardian reports: Scattered Spider is widely reported to have been behind the particularly disruptive hack at M&S, one of the best-known names in British business, whose online operations have been frozen since 25 April. It has a history of focusing on a single sector at a time and is likely to target retail for a while longer, Hultquist said. Just a day before Google’s warning, M&S announced that some customer data had been accessed, but this did not include usable payment or card details, or any account passwords. The Guardian understands the details taken are names, addresses and order histories. M&S said personal information had been accessed because of the “sophisticated nature of the incident.”

“Today, we are writing to customers informing them that due to the sophisticated nature of the incident, some of their personal customer data has been taken,” the company said. Hackers from the Scattered Spider ecosystem have been behind a slew of disruptive break-ins on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2023, hackers tied to the group made headlines for hacking the casino operators MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment. Law enforcement has struggled to get a handle on the Scattered Spider hacking groups, in part because of their amorphousness, the hackers’ youth, and a lack of cooperation from cybercrime victims.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Netflix said its cheaper, ad-supporter tier now has 94 million monthly active users — an increase of more than 20 million since its last public tally in November. CNBC reports: The company and its peers have been increasingly leaning on advertising to boost the profitability of their streaming products. Netflix first introduced the ad-supported plan in November 2022. Netflix’s ad-supported plan costs $7.99 per month, a steep discount from its least-expensive ad-free plan, at $17.99 per month. Netflix also said its cheapest tier reaches more 18- to 34-year-olds than any U.S. broadcast or cable network. “When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts higher and ends much higher,” Netflix president of advertising Amy Reinhard said in a statement. “Even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and movies themselves.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apple’s smartphone shipments in China plunged nearly 50% year-over-year in March 2025, as domestic brands like Huawei and Vivo surged ahead — now controlling 92% of the market. MacRumors reports: The steep decline saw shipments fall to just 1.89 million units, down from 3.75 million during the same period last year. That shrinks Apple’s share of the Chinese market to approximately 8%, while domestic brands now control 92% of smartphone shipments. For the entire first quarter, non-Chinese brand shipments declined over 25%, while total smartphone shipments in China actually increased by 3.3%.

Apple’s struggles come as domestic competitors have gained ground. Counterpoint Research reports Huawei now leads with a 19.4% share, followed by Vivo (17%), Xiaomi (16.6%), and Oppo (14.6%). Apple has slipped to fifth place with 14.1%. Several factors are driving Apple’s declining fortunes. The company faces competition from rejuvenated local brands like Huawei, which has rebounded with proprietary chips and its HarmonyOS Next software. Chinese government policies appear to be playing a role too. Under government subsidies, consumers of electronics get a 15% refund of products that are priced under 6,000 yuan ($820). Apple’s standard iPhone 16 starts at 5,999 yuan.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.