Apple posted quarterly revenue of $94 billion, up 10 percent year-over-year, the largest quarterly growth spurt for the tech giant since December 2021. Net profit of $23.4 billion was a new record for the June quarter and up nearly 9 percent from the prior year. Sales of Apple’s iPhones totaled $44.6 billion for the quarter, a 13 percent increase year-over-year, with growth posted across “every geographic segment” and a record number of upgrades as customers raced to beat the impact of anticipated tariffs, according to the company. The results for Apple’s fiscal Q3 exceeded Wall Street estimates. Continue reading iPhone Sales Jump 10 Percent, Driving Apple to Record Profit

The $88 billion Microsoft invested in building data centers for artificial intelligence and cloud computing over the past year seems to be paying off with the company reporting profit of $101 billion for fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30. Quarterly revenue for the April through June period was $76.4 billion, up 18 percent year-over-year, with profit of $27.2 billion, a 24 percent increase. “Cloud and AI is the driving force of business transformation across every industry and sector,” said Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, noting Azure passed $75 billion in revenue for the year, up 34 percent. Continue reading Driven by AI and Cloud, Microsoft Profit Exceeds $100 Billion

According to PwC’s latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, M&E revenues are expected to hit $3.5 trillion by 2029, led by advertising, live events and video games. The report also offers a positive outlook for streaming video, OTT, subscription VOD, theatrical box office, with numerous M&E areas impacted by the adoption of artificial intelligence. Streaming video is expected to jump 33 percent to more than $112 billion by 2029, while global revenue for video games is forecast to reach $300 billion in 2029, up 29 percent from $224 billion in 2024. Of three major categories analyzed — connectivity, advertising and consumer — advertising is expected to grow the fastest. Continue reading PwC Eyes Growth for Ads, Events, Gaming, Streaming Video

Amazon has agreed to purchase AI wearables firm Bee, it was announced via a LinkedIn post by the San Francisco-based startup. Bee’s principal product is a $50 wrist device called the Pioneer that records all audio within range unless manually muted. Combined with a $19 per month subscription the device records and transcribes “daily memories” to create to-do lists and reminders based on what it hears. It can also answer questions. Bee’s website says the product is backordered due to “high demand” with shipments resuming in September. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Continue reading Amazon Buying Startup Bee, Maker of the Pioneer AI Bracelet

New York-based satellite and online radio provider SiriusXM is adding an ad-supported music tier to subscription offering, with SiriusXM Play coming to market for in-car streaming at “less than $7” per month for more than 130 content channels. SiriusXM already offers talk channels with ads, and also has an existing car plan that costs $9.99 per month. A $24.98 monthly “all access” plan also includes car coverage. The Play package, which SiriusXM first began talking about in May, is now available “on a limited basis,” with additional details coming later in 2025, the streamer says. Continue reading SiriusXM Adds Car-Targeted Music Plan for Under $7 with Ads

Netflix revenue grew to $11.08 billion in Q2, a 16 percent year-over-year increase that helped drive net profit up 46 percent to $3.1 billion. The company’s operating margin rose to 34.1 percent in Q2, a nearly 7-point rise over Q2 2024 that along with 30 percent full-year guidance puts the streamer on par with tech giants such as Apple (31 percent) and Google (32 percent). Although Netflix no longer provides quarterly subscriber updates, the company did share results of its half-year Engagement Report, indicating members watched more than 95 billion hours of Netflix content during the first six months of the year. Continue reading Netflix Records Impressive Q2: Revenue Reaches $11 Billion

AI is now part of every paid Slack subscription, and the platform continues building out its agentic OS with new features including enterprise search connectors, writing assistance, and contextual definitions embedded in the app. The Enterprise+ plan, which scales AI company-wide, now includes AI for drafting documents and answering questions using information stored in Slack chats and connected apps. Business+ is adding recaps, translations, workflow generation and AI-powered search, while the entry-level Pro tier offers AI summarization for conversations in channels, threads and huddles, making it easier to stay current on communications. Continue reading Slack to Roll Out New AI Features for Enterprise Collaboration

AWS has released a new AI coding tool called Kiro in preview. This IDE for agent apps is described by some as a vibe coding platform. However, AWS says Kiro “goes way beyond,” getting prototypes into production systems with features such as specs and hooks. In fact, Kiro was designed specifically to reduce issues common to vibe coding, the process of creating software using AI agents reacting to natural language prompts. This makes it popular among non-coders, resulting in an often chaotic process that Kiro attempts to professionalize. Available for free during preview, Kiro supports most popular programming languages. Continue reading AWS Kiro Agentic AI Developer Tool Now Free During Preview

Nvidia-backed startup Perplexity AI is challenging Google with a new AI-powered web browser called Comet that is built on the company’s proprietary AI search engine. The new browser is initially available to those paying $200 per month to subscribe to the Perplexity Max plan and by invitation to those who register online for the company’s waitlist. The browser also comes with Comet Assistant, an agent that automates routine tasks such as summarizing emails and navigating webpages. Comet Assistant can be opened as a sidebar on any webpage to answer questions about the content being presented. Continue reading Perplexity Launches Comet AI Web Browser for Premium Subs

Meta Platforms has joined forces with Zoom on a standalone app for Meta Quest headsets that lets you initiate or take video calls appearing as a virtual avatar. Unlike the Quest app launched by Zoom in 2023, the new app does not restrict use to Meta’s Horizon Workrooms nor require a paid Zoom subscription to facilitate meetings. Meta says that now “any free or paid Zoom license” can set up meetings or simply participate in them using Meta Quest 3, Quest 3S, Quest Pro, and Quest 2 headsets. Available now at the Meta Horizon Store, the Zoom app for Meta Quest lets you join a meeting with total VR immersion or see your surroundings in an augmented reality experience using Passthrough mode. Continue reading Zoom and Meta Unveil Standalone App for Quest VR Meetings

Moonvalley, the AI startup behind Marey, a high-quality video generator trained exclusively on licensed content, has just put the product in general release. The credits-based subscription pricing ranges from $15 to $150 per month. In addition to ethical training on 1080p native video, Marey also takes a non-traditional approach on its user interface, eschewing prompts for what it says is a more creatively intuitive process. “Directors need precise control over every creative decision, plus legal confidence for commercial use. Today we’re delivering both,” says Moonvalley CEO and co-founder Naeem Talukdar. Continue reading Moonvalley’s Production-Tailored AI Marey Publicly Released

Netflix is taking steps aimed at upgrading the viewer experience, rolling out AV1 Film Grain Synthesis (FGS) streams to the majority of its subscribers. While FGS has been part of the AV1 standard since the Alliance for Open Media introduced the format in 2018, Netflix began to apply it to a limited number of titles in 2021 and is is now enabling it at scale. The streamer says the open-source FGS compression system “revolutionizes video streaming” and will “preserve the artistic integrity of film grain” — a feature generally considered essential to achieving a cinematic look — while also optimizing data efficiency. Continue reading Netflix Is Implementing AV1 Film Grain Synthesis Tech at Scale

Google is making it easier to access its Gems customizable Gemini chatbots by bringing them to the side panel in Google Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail. The task-specific Gems AI assistants are meant to help with common tasks and eliminate what Google calls “repetitive prompting.” Now they’ll be usable without even prompting Gemini to open. While Google offers pre-made Gems, they can also be customized or individually created to meet specific needs. Both custom and templated Gems can be installed in side panels, leveraging capabilities like @-mentioning or accessing files and folders. Continue reading Google Makes Gems Chatbots Available via Workspace Apps

While Samsung retains its spot as the top U.S. smart TV brand — followed by LG, Vizio and Sony — it was Roku and Amazon Fire TV that saw the greatest growth, according to new data from Hub Entertainment Research. The study found that among the “most-used TV sets” in the U.S., Roku doubled its share to 8 percent since 2024, while Fire TV increased usage to 5 percent. Hub’s Evolution of the TV Set study also found that people are using TV differently as a result of connectivity to the Internet, phones and gaming devices. Meanwhile, Pew Research reports that 83 percent of Americans say they watch streaming services, compared to 36 percent who indicate they subscribe to cable or satellite TV. Continue reading Research Points to Compelling Shifts in TV Viewership Trends

U.S. streaming viewership exceeded cable and broadcast audiences combined in May, an industry first. Streaming amassed a record 44.8 percent of total U.S. television usage, inching past cable and broadcast’s combined 44.2 percent of audience according to Nielsen. In the four years since Nielsen launched The Gauge measurement report in May 2021, U.S. streaming viewership grew by 71 percent while cable and broadcast viewing declined by 39 percent and 21 percent, respectively, with traditional TV showing “surprising resilience,” the current report notes. During those four years, “Netflix has gone wire-to-wire as the leading SVOD provider,” according to The Gauge. Continue reading Streaming Viewership Tops Cable & Broadcast for First Time