The Samsung Galaxy Ring has surged in popularity, prompting the company to increase production from 400,000 to 1 million units due to positive pre-order feedback and its competitive price of $399 without a subscription fee. Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be developing a foldable iPhone by 2026, and advancements in open-source AI are being highlighted by Meta and Mistral, showcasing the evolving tech landscape.
The video covers several major tech stories of the week, starting with Samsung’s unexpected success with the Galaxy Ring. Originally, Samsung planned to produce 400,000 units, but due to high demand during the pre-order phase, they have increased production to one million units. Early reviews of the Galaxy Ring have been mixed, but the excitement around the product is evident. One significant advantage is that it currently does not require a subscription, unlike its competitor, the Oura Ring, which has a monthly fee. The Oura Ring 4 is also on the horizon, indicating growing competition in the smart ring market.
The second story delves into rumors about Apple working on a foldable iPhone, potentially launching by 2026. Credible reports suggest that Apple is collaborating with Samsung Display and is developing a clamshell foldable similar to Samsung’s Flip series. This move is seen as a strategy to regain market share in China, where foldable phones are popular. The video suggests that a foldable iPhone could also benefit Western markets by pushing Samsung to innovate further. If Apple does release a foldable iPhone, it might replace the underperforming iPhone 15 Plus.
The third story highlights significant developments in open-source AI, with Meta and Mistral making notable announcements. Meta released LLaMA 3.1, an open-source large language model (LLM) that rivals GPT-4 class models. This model is based on 15 trillion tokens and 405 billion parameters, making it accessible for developers to fine-tune for specific needs. Meta’s commitment to open-source AI is seen as a move to foster collaboration and avoid ecosystem lock-in. Meanwhile, Mistral has released its own high-end model, Mistral Large 2, but with a caveat: it’s only open for non-commercial research, with businesses needing to pay for a license.
The video also includes a “release monitor” segment, noting a lack of significant new products this week. It transitions to a brief news roundup, starting with OpenAI’s launch of its search engine prototype, which aims to provide full answers with small links rather than traditional search results. Apple Maps has finally become available on the web, and Google has canceled its plans to block third-party cookies in Chrome. Additionally, Elon Musk’s team has activated a massive cluster of GPUs for training the Grok 3 LLM, while Intel promises to fix issues with their 13th and 14th gen CPUs.
Lastly, the video covers several miscellaneous stories. Lego has released Fortnite-themed sets, and the Swiss government has announced a new law to make government-funded code open-source. CrowdStrike, after causing significant disruptions, sent out $10 Uber Eats vouchers as an apology, but their CEO is also set to testify before Congress. The video concludes with a sponsorship message from Ground News, an app that aggregates and contextualizes news from various sources, providing insights into the political bias and factuality of the news outlets. The service is recommended for those seeking a balanced perspective on current events.