Hardware

Keyboard maker suspends U.S. shipments over Trump tariffs on Chinese goods

Hardware /

The mechanical keyboard maker Qwertykeys announced Wednesday that it has suspended all U.S. product shipments owing to new tariffs levied by the Trump administration. The Guangdong-based outfit cites a February 1 announcement of 10% tariffs on imported Chinese goods as the motivating factor. “This new policy replaces all previous tariff exemptions, including the exemption for […]

Keyboard maker suspends U.S. shipments over Trump tariffs on Chinese goods Read More »

Boston Dynamics joins forces with its former CEO to speed the learning of its Atlas humanoid robot

Hardware /

Boston Dynamics Wednesday announced a partnership designed to bring improved reinforcement learning to its electric Atlas humanoid robot. The tie-up is with the Robotics & AI Institute (RAI Institute), earlier known as The Boston Dynamics AI Institute. Both organizations were founded by Marc Raibert, a former MIT professor who served as Boston Dynamics’ CEO for

Boston Dynamics joins forces with its former CEO to speed the learning of its Atlas humanoid robot Read More »

SoftBank could soon buy Renee James’ Ampere chip company for about $6.5B

Hardware /

Ampere, the semiconductor business founded by former Intel exec Renee James, is reportedly on the cusp of selling itself to SoftBank — the latest in an ongoing saga over the company’s future ownership. The deal could value Ampere at about $6.5 billion, Bloomberg reports. That’s a price cut from the $8 billion valuation in 2021,

SoftBank could soon buy Renee James’ Ampere chip company for about $6.5B Read More »

Brightpick’s new warehouse robot can reach 20-foot-high shelves

Hardware /

Brightpick, a maker of autonomous mobile robots, on Tuesday announced a lofty addition to its current line. The appropriately named Giraffe system is notable for its large, retractable platform capable of reaching up to 20 feet (6 meters) in height to pick items from warehouse shelves. It’s a novel approach to warehouses with ceilings well

Brightpick’s new warehouse robot can reach 20-foot-high shelves Read More »

OpenAI’s new trademark application hints at humanoid robots, smart jewelry, and more

Hardware /

Last Friday, AI startup OpenAI filed a new application to trademark products associated with its brand — “OpenAI” — with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Normally, this wouldn’t be newsworthy. Companies file for trademarks all the time. But in the application, OpenAI hints at new product lines both nearer-term and of a more

OpenAI’s new trademark application hints at humanoid robots, smart jewelry, and more Read More »

Apple will pay $20M to settle Watch battery swelling suit, ‘denies wrongdoing’

Hardware /

Apple has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit over battery swelling on the Apple Watch. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2019, the suit alleges that the problem affected the first four Apple Watch models. Battery swelling is pretty much what it sounds like:

Apple will pay $20M to settle Watch battery swelling suit, ‘denies wrongdoing’ Read More »

Backed by Mayo Clinic, Nutrix’s hardware monitors worker stress

Hardware /

Stress isn’t just bad for you — it’s also bad for your employer. Factoring in absenteeism, diminished productivity, turnover, medical costs, and accidents, the non-profit American Institute of Stress estimates that workplace stress costs U.S. businesses over $300 billion annually. One way to measure stress is by monitoring cortisol levels. Even influencers know this, with

Backed by Mayo Clinic, Nutrix’s hardware monitors worker stress Read More »

Apple quarterly revenue increases, even as China sales decline 11%

Hardware /

Apple’s latest earnings were a mixed bag filled with slipping iPhone sales and countered by rising revenue. Reporting after the bell Thursday, the iPhone maker’s overall revenue in the first quarter of 2025 beat Wall Street expectations, with a 4% bump to $124.3 billion over the same time last year. Apple reported net income of

Apple quarterly revenue increases, even as China sales decline 11% Read More »

What DeepSeek, China, and Trump mean for Apple ahead of its Q1 earnings

Hardware /

These days, nothing is certain about the tech market or the world at large. Even NVIDIA’s seemingly bulletproof stock took a hammering on Monday, enduring a $589 billion market cap decline after China-based DeepSeek raised questions for investors about more efficient AI models. But Apple’s stock has remained steady ahead of its first quarter earnings

What DeepSeek, China, and Trump mean for Apple ahead of its Q1 earnings Read More »