AP Technology

February 24, 2025

Apple announces $500 billion investment in US amid tariff threats that could affect the iPhone

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple announced Monday that it plans to invest more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years, including plans to hire 20,000 people and build a new server factory in Texas. The move comes just days after President Trump said Apple CEO Tim Cook promised him that the tech giant’s manufacturing would shift from Mexico to the U.S. Trump noted the company was doing so to avoid paying tariffs.

A swarm of underwater drones can help artificial reefs off Cyprus bring back sea life, officials say

AYIA NAPA, Cyprus (AP) — Officials say a first-of-its-kind project will use a swarm of small, independent submersibles to monitor, protect and provide data on offshore artificial reefs whose purpose is to attract new marine life in otherwise barren sections of sea. The small, autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, will be equipped with sensors and high-definition cameras. Scientists at the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute will use the AUVs to get a clear picture of the effectiveness of their intricate artificial reefs designed and build using 3D printing.

Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility

SUSONO, Japan (AP) — Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the $10 billion-project, says it’s not “a smart city” but rather a a test course for mobility. Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota auto plant, it’s meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas. No one is living there yet and the first residents will total just 100 people. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries.

Apple drops encryption feature for UK users after government reportedly demanded backdoor access

LONDON (AP) — Apple says it will stop offering an advanced data security option for British users after the government reportedly demanded that the company provide backdoor access for any data those users have stored in the cloud. The iPhone maker said its Advanced Data Protection encryption feature is no longer available for new users in the United Kingdom and will eventually be disabled for existing users. Advanced Data Protection is an opt-in feature that allows protects iCloud files, photos, notes and other data with end-to-end encryption when they’re stored in the cloud. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that British security officials demanded in a secret order that the U.S. tech giant create so-called backdoor access so that they could view fully encrypted material.

Apple unveils a souped-up and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone

Apple has released a sleeker and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone in an attempt to widen the audience for a bundle of artificial intelligence technology that the company has been hoping will revive demand for its most profitable product lineup. The iPhone 16e unveiled Wednesday is the fourth-generation of a model that’s sold at a dramatically lower price than the iPhone’s standard models. The previous bargain-bin models were called the iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e will boast the souped-up chip needed to run Apple’s AI features, one of several upgrades that will translate into a starting price of $600, a 40% increase from the last iPhone SE.

Sweden is investigating a damaged cable in the Baltic Sea

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish authorities say they are investigating a damaged cable that was discovered in the Baltic Sea, the latest in a string of recent incidents of ruptured undersea cables that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the region. The breakage was reportedly found on a cable that runs between Germany and Finland off the island of Gotland, south of Stockholm, in the Swedish economic zone. Swedish police said on Friday a preliminary investigation into sabotage is underway. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government takes all reports of damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea very seriously. The European Commission has named measures for better protection of undersea cables in its region.

Robot umpires are getting their first MLB test during spring training

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as 2026 could be used to aid MLB home plate umpires, but not replace them. Starting in 2024, MLB focused testing on a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each original call. Data from the spring training test could cause MLB to make alterations to the system for Triple-A games this season.

What to stream: The Oscars with Conan O’Brien, Kate Hudson in ‘Running Point’ and ‘Nickel Boys’

The Oscars telecast hosted by Conan O’Brien and Kate Hudson playing a pro basketball team president in a new Netflix series called “Running Point” are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases. Other options include the indie stunner “Ghostlight” and a recently unearthed, never-before-released concert album by Ella Fitzgerald. “Nickel Boys,” about two young men who have been sent to an abusive, mid-century Florida reform school, has been called the best American film of the year. And what’s new in Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest edition of Capcom’s long-running video game franchise? More monsters to hunt, of course.

Brazil Supreme Court justice orders Rumble suspension nationwide for alleged non-compliance

SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered the suspension of video-sharing platform Rumble in the South American nation for allegedly refusing to comply with court orders. On Thursday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes had given Rumble 48 hours to name a legal representative in Brazil, but he received no answer so far. Moraes said Rumble has “repeatedly, consciously and willingly not complied, and is trying not to submit to Brazil’s legal order and judiciary.” Rumble couldn’t be reached for comment.

Google agrees to pay Italy $340 million to settle a tax evasion investigation

MILAN (AP) — Italian prosecutors say they are seeking to drop a tax evasion investigation against Google after the tech giant agreed to pay a 326 million euro ($340 million) settlement. Prosecutors in Milan had opened an investigation into Google for failure to pay taxes on earnings in Italy from 2015-2019. The investigation focused on revenues from the sale of advertising, and cited the presence of servers and other infrastructure in Italy. Google acknowledged the settlement in statement, saying it resolves a tax audit without litigation.