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☆ Apple announces new iMac with M4 chip, starts at $1,299
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple on Monday announced an updated iMac with the company's latest M4 chip. Unlike on the iPhone, where only phones released in the past two years will support Apple Intelligence, all of Apple's computers with the M1 chip and newer since 2020 can run the company's artificial intelligence. For example, you might highlight the text of an email and use Apple Intelligence to make it sound more professional or more concise. Apple plans to release another version of Apple Intelligence in December that adds OpenAI's ChatGPT support into writing tools and Siri. It comes with an updated Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard with USB-C charging, too, replacing the older Lightning port.

Persons: Apple's, Siri, It's Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence

☆ Apple releases new preview of its AI, including ChatGPT integration
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Apple on Wednesday released a beta version of a slew of Apple Intelligence features, including its long-awaited ChatGPT integration. The preview included with iOS 18.2 contains:New abilities to describe how the user wants Apple Intelligence to rewrite a chunk of text. At the company’s developer conference, Apple showed how the ChatGPT integration will work. Apple execs have also suggested that other AI models, such as those from Google, may also integrate with Apple Intelligence in the future. Some Apple Intelligence features are already in testing by the public, and will be released next week as part of iOS 18.1.

Persons: Apple, Siri, OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Apple execs Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, Visual Intelligence, Microsoft, Google, iOS

☆ Unity's new CEO pitches 'fundamentally different company' after rough year
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Five months into his tenure as CEO of Unity Software , Matt Bromberg is overseeing his first big product launch as he tries to push the company past an extended stretch of challenges. On Friday, the video game software company announced the sixth version of its flagship product, Unity Engine, a set of tools developers can use to produce games across a number of devices, including iPhones and Android phones. He previously spent almost six years as COO of mobile game company Zynga, which was acquired by Take-Two Interactive in 2022, and more than four years at Electronic Arts . James Whitehurst, former CEO of Red Hat, was serving as interim CEO until Bromberg joined. The new CEO's first big challenge was unwinding Riccitiello's decision to implement what became known as the "Unity Runtime Fee."

Persons: Matt Bromberg, Bromberg, we're, John Riccitiello, James Whitehurst Organizations: Unity Software, CNBC, Zynga, Electronic Arts, Bromberg's, Red

☆ Nvidia stock rises to new record, exceeding June high as AI trade is rekindled
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Todd Haselton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The new high bested a previous record of $140.76, which was set on June 20. Shares of Nvidia rose to a new record on Thursday as investors piled back in to the artificial intelligence trade that had stalled a bit since the summer. The stock rose more than 3% at one point to briefly tap a new intraday high of $140.89. Nvidia's intraday record comes after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company , the world's largest chip producer, beat third-quarter earnings estimates and posted a 54% increase in profit. Nvidia stock hit a closing high of $138.07 earlier in the week, topping its prior record of $135.58 set on June 18.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Nvidia's, —, Kif Leswing Organizations: Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Apple, AMD, ARM, Companies, Microsoft, Meta, Google Locations: Taipei, Taiwan

☆ Nvidia heads for record close as AI chipmaker's market cap tops $3.4 trillion
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., speaks during an event in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sunday, June 2, 2024. Nvidia shares headed for a record close on Monday as Wall Street gears up for earnings season and updates from all of the chipmaker's top customers on their planned spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure. Companies including Microsoft , Meta , Google , and Amazon are purchasing Nvidia GPUs in large quantities to build increasingly large clusters of computers for their advanced AI work. With a market cap of $3.4 trillion, Nvidia is the second most valuable publicly traded U.S. company, behind Apple at about $3.53 trillion. WATCH: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Squawk Box

Persons: Jensen Huang, ChatGPT Organizations: Nvidia Corp, Nvidia, Companies, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Mizuho, U.S, Apple Locations: Taipei, Taiwan

☆ AMD launches AI chip to rival Nvidia's Blackwell
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

AMD launched a new artificial-intelligence chip on Thursday that is taking direct aim at Nvidia’s data center graphics processors, known as GPUs. In the past few years, Nvidia has dominated the majority of the data center GPU market, but AMD is historically in second place. The new AI chip is the successor to the MI300X, which started shipping late last year. Most industry estimates say Nvidia has over 90% of the market for data center AI chips. The new CPUs are particularly good for feeding data into AI workloads, AMD said.

Persons: Lisa Su, Nvidia’s, ”, Su, That’s, ” Su Organizations: AMD, Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, Blackwell, Intel, workloads

☆ Google ordered to open Android app store in Epic Games trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A U.S. judge issued a permanent injunction on Monday that will force Google to offer alternatives to its Google Play store for downloading apps on Android phones. Google will also be restricted from paying fees or sharing revenue with companies in exchange for them choosing not to compete with Google's app store. The Fortnite maker accused Google of anti-competitive practices, including paying hardware companies and Android phone makers to not develop competing app stores. Epic Games prevailed over Google late last year, and Monday's filing details the changes Google has to make. Epic Games mostly lost in a very similar suit against Apple and its control of the App Store.

Persons: Judge James Donato, Apple's, Tim Sweeney, Sweeney Organizations: Epic, Google, Games, Epic Games, Apple Locations: Los Angeles, U.S, California

☆ As Apple enters AI race, iPhone maker turns to its army of developers for an edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

As Apple prepares Apple Intelligence to jump into Silicon Valley’s AI race, it’s relying on one of its strongest advantages: Its army of 34 million app developers. IPhone users will get their first taste of Apple Intelligence, the company’s artificial intelligence system, later this month. The company is relying on Apple Intelligence to be the strongest selling point for the iPhone 16, its latest generation of smartphones. That’s something other company’s AI chatbots cannot currently do, and to accomplish this, Apple is beckoning its army of third-party developers to fine tune their apps to collaborate with Apple Intelligence. Another drawback is that Apple Intelligence features will only be available on the latest iPhones, a small subset of the total iPhone user base.

Persons: Google’s, Siri, Apple, “ Siri, ”, Apple’s Kelsey Peterson, Siri conversationally, Jordan Morgan, Apple’s, Morgan, Michael Tigas, ” Tigas, Siri aren’t, Hey Siri, James, they’ve, Igor Zhadanov Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence, Superhuman, CNBC Locations: Siri, Readdle

☆ Port strike ends as workers agree to tentative deal on wages and contract extension
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A major union for U.S. dockworkers and the United States Maritime Alliance have agreed to a tentative deal on wages and have extended their existing contract through Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The move ends a strike that had snarled East Coast and Gulf Coast ports since the beginning of the week and threatened U.S. supply of fruits, automobiles, and other goods. During the week, the strike had already started to stress the U.S. supply chain. The strike was the first by the ILA since 1977, and it impacted operations at 14 different ports. About 50,000 of the union's 85,000 members were on strike this week.

Persons: Harold Daggett Organizations: U.S, dockworkers, United States Maritime Alliance, Longshoremen's Association, Ltd, CNBC, Shipping, ILA Locations: East Coast, Gulf Coast, U.S

Andrew Feldman, co-founder and CEO of Cerebras Systems, speaks at the Collision conference in Toronto on June 20, 2024. Cerebras competes with Nvidia , whose graphics processing units are the industry's choice for training and running AI models. In addition to selling chips, Cerebras offers cloud-based services that rely on its own computing clusters. For the full year of 2023, Cerebras reported a net loss of $127.2 million on revenue of $78.7 million. Cloud providers Amazon , Google and Microsoft have developed their own AI chips.

Persons: Andrew Feldman, Cerebras Organizations: Cerebras Systems, Systems, Nasdaq, Cerebras, Nvidia, Google, Microsoft Locations: Toronto, UAE

Li-Chen Miller, the vice president of product in charge of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, told CNBC that when she travels, she uses the glasses to take photos of her hotel room door, and later, she asks Meta AI to recall the number. AI that speaksZuckerberg also introduced improvements to its Meta AI chatbot that will allow people to interact with it using their voice instead of written text. Users will now be able to have natural voice conversations with Meta AI, which is accessed through Meta apps like Messenger and Instagram. Users will be able to perform actions using their voice, such as telling Meta AI to take a photo by talking to their smartphone. The new Siri-like Meta AI voice feature will be available over the next month for U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand users of WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.

Persons: Meta, “ I’ve, ” Zuckerberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Apple hasn’t, Zuckerberg, won’t, EssilorLuxottica, Ban, Ray, Chen Miller, Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan, Michael Key, Kristen Bell, Siri, OpenAI, ChatGPT Organizations: Labs, Meta, Apple, VR, Amazon Music, Amazon, Quest Pro, Orion, Facebook, CNBC, IDC Locations: Menlo Park , California, Oculus, New Zealand

In addition to the Quest 3S, Meta on Wednesday also showcased its latest prototype of augmented-reality smart glasses and announced a flurry of new features for its Meta AI chatbot. What it doesMetaA Meta representative said the "S" in Quest 3S stands for "start" — as in getting started with VR. Orion is Meta's first "fully-functioning" prototype AR glasses, Zuckerberg said, and the device is tethered wirelessly to a small "puck." The Orion glasses are an improvement on Project Nazare, prototype smart glasses that Zuckerberg announced in 2021, when the company changed its name from Facebook. As part of Wednesday's event, Meta announced new Meta AI features for its Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Meta, Apple hasn't, Zuckerberg, Meta's, Cristiano Amon, Nurphoto, EssilorLuxottica, Ban, Ray, Chen Miller, Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan, Michael Key, Kristen Bell, Siri, OpenAI, ChatGPT Organizations: Meta, Inc, Chase Center, Bloomberg, Getty, Labs, Apple, VR, Amazon Music, Amazon, Quest Pro, Orion, Facebook, Qualcomm, Samsung, Google, Nurphoto, CNBC, IDC, Wednesday Locations: San Francisco , California, Menlo Park , California, Oculus, New Zealand

☆ Intel's wild week leaves Wall Street more uncertain than ever about chipmaker's future
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The rally provides little relief to CEO Pat Gelsinger, who has had a tough run since taking the helm in 2021. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger speaks while showing silicon wafers during an event called AI Everywhere in New York, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. That prospect would be more palatable to Wall Street if Intel's core business was at the top of its game. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in February that it would use Intel to produce a chip, but didn't provide details. U.S. President Joe Biden listens to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger as he attends the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio, U.S., September 9, 2022.

Persons: Patrick Gelsinger, Brendan Smialowski, Pat Gelsinger, Seth Wenig, Gelsinger, CNBC's Jon Fortt, Intel hasn't, Fortt, Satya Nadella, Joe Biden, Joshua Roberts Organizations: Intel, AFP, Getty, CNBC, Qualcomm, Nvidia, AP, U.S, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, Intel Foundry Locations: Chandler , Arizona, New York, Silicon Valley, Poland, Germany, Malaysian, New Albany , Ohio, U.S

Qualcomm recently approached struggling chipmaker Intel about a takeover, CNBC has confirmed. Intel shares initially popped on the news before closing up about 3%, while Qualcomm shares fell about 3% at the close. Intel shares are down 53% this year as investors express doubts about the company's costly plans to manufacture and design chips. Intel has also missed out on the artificial intelligence boom that's captured the attention of Wall Street. Intel was unsuccessful with its attempted acquisition of Tower Semiconductor, as was Qualcomm in its bid to acquire NXP Semiconductor.

Persons: Patrick Gelsinger, Trump Organizations: Qualcomm, Intel, CNBC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung, Nvidia, Tower Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductor, Broadcom, Federal Trade Commission Locations: China, Singapore, Europe, Asia

☆ Looking for tech stocks? CIO names 3 to buy — and says Nvidia is still 'reasonably valued'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tech stocks may have had a volatile past few weeks , but one chief investment officer is still bullish. The chief investment officer believes Nvidia's stock is "reasonably valued," based on its two to three-year outlook. "We've been doing that, and we've been pretty happy with the price we've been getting," he added. Broadcom shares fell 7% in extended trading following its results announcement, but remain up close to 47.5% year-to-date. Nineteen of 33 analysts covering the stock give it a buy or overweight rating, according to FactSet data.

Persons: Jason Ware, Jensen Huang's, Ware, CNBC's, We've, we've, Oracle Corporation Ware, it's, Leswing, Jordan Novet Organizations: Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Broadcom, Oracle Corporation, Apple, Tesla Locations: Albion

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger holds a sample of a wafer during his keynote speech at the Computex conference in Taipei on June 4, 2024. Intel shares jumped 8% in extended trading Monday after the company said it plans to turn its foundry business into an independent unit with its own board and the potential to raise outside capital. Gelsinger said the restructuring would allow the foundry business to "evaluate independent sources of funding," and comes days after Intel's board met to assess the direction and future of the company. The foundry business, which Intel plans to use to manufacture chips for other customers, has been a big drag on its bottom line, with the company spending roughly $25 billion on it in each of the last two years. With a standalone "operating board" and a cleaner corporate structure, the mechanics of a separation become far easier than trying to turn a fully integrated unit into a separate company.

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, Pat Gelsinger's, Gelsinger Organizations: Intel, Nvidia Locations: Taipei, Altera

☆ Apple releases iOS 18 for iPhones, but it doesn't include Apple Intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple on Monday released iOS 18, the latest version of its software for iPhones. This is Apple's biggest iPhone update of the year, but this rollout does not include the company's forthcoming artificial intelligence system, Apple Intelligence, which is the focus of Apple's new ads. Apple Intelligence will be released to the public in a beta version later this fall, and it will come as part of a separate software update, Apple said. The iOS 18 update will change the way the iPhone operating system looks and feels. You can download it in Settings > General > Software Update.

Persons: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, Apple Organizations: Apple, Steve, Apple Intelligence Locations: Cupertino , California

☆ Adobe shares fall 9% on weak fourth-quarter guidance
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen speaks during an interview with CNBC on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, Feb. 20, 2024. Shares of Adobe fell more than 9% on Friday, a day after the software company released third-quarter results that offered worse-than-expected guidance for the fourth quarter. Adobe reported $5.41 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 11% year over year and above the $5.37 billion expected by analysts according to LSEG. Analysts at Bank of America said Adobe reported results and outlook that were somewhat mixed but healthy overall. "No change to our positive view on Adobe," they wrote in a Friday note.

Persons: Shantanu Narayen, LSEG, Goldman Sachs, Adobe's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Kif Leswing Organizations: CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, Adobe, Bank of America, Microsoft, UBS Locations: New York City

☆ Adobe stock slips on soft fourth-quarter revenue guidance
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Adobe reported third-quarter results on Thursday that beat Wall Street expectations for sales and earnings, but the stock slid 10% in extended trading on fourth-quarter guidance that came up short. Here's how Adobe did for the quarter ending in August versus LSEG consensus estimates:Revenue : $5.41 billion, vs. $5.37 billion expected: $5.41 billion, vs. $5.37 billion expected Earnings per share: $4.65, adjusted, vs. $4.53 estimatedAdobe said it expected earnings per share between $4.63 and $4.68 on revenue in the fourth quarter of between $5.5 billion and $5.55 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG were expecting a forecast of $4.67 of earnings on $5.61 billion of sales. Adobe said it recorded $1.68 billion of net income during the quarter, or $3.76 per diluted share. In total, Adobe recorded $5.18 billion in subscription revenue during the quarter, up 11% year-over-year.

Persons: LSEG Organizations: Adobe, Digital Media

☆ Apple turning AirPods into hearing aids underscores effort to crack massive health market
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple announced on Monday that its AirPods Pro 2 headphones will become an FDA-cleared hearing aid in the coming weeks through a software update. Apple CEO Tim Cook has highlighted health features as the company's "most important contribution to mankind." The new feature is a free software update for some AirPods models and will be included with Apple's $249 AirPods Pro 2. Many over-the-counter hearing aids are much more expensive, according to buyers guides cited by the Hearing Loss Association of America, an advocacy group. Analysts say that adding health features like a hearing aid expands the market for the device, which could help sales.

Persons: Sumbul Desai, Tim Cook, Barbara Kelley, Apple, Gene Munster Organizations: AirPods, Apple, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, RBC Capital Markets, of America, Analysts, Asset Management

☆ Nvidia may be the AI darling, but it's time to start looking at this chip stock, one CIO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tema ETFs' Yuri Khodjamirian is keeping a close watch on chip designer Qualcomm Inc . As AI shifts from data centers — an Nvidia "stronghold" — to the " edge ," investors should "start looking at companies like Qualcomm," Khodjamirian said. And "edge AI" is more than about chips — "it's really everything, the silicon content of our mobile phones and PCs, has to go up, because you need better memory; you need better connectivity between the different semiconductors. Qualcomm's shares are currently trading at around 15.3 times forward earnings, while Nvidia has a multiple of around 38, according to FactSet data. 'Emerging Edge AI play' Analysts at KeyBanc Capital Markets are bullish on Qualcomm and have a target price of $225 on the stock, or 55.8% upside.

Persons: Yuri Khodjamirian, CNBC's, It's, Khodjamirian, Cristiano Amon, Leswing, Arjun Kharpal, Michael Bloom Organizations: Nvidia, Qualcomm Inc, Qualcomm, Samsung, Nasdaq, CNBC, Google, KeyBanc Locations: Tema

Apple is hosting an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where it has unveiled new versions of the iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. AppleApple just unveiled the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which join the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus announced earlier. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, and the Apple 16 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch display, larger than those of previous models, which measured in at 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively. The iPhone 16. The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999, and the Pro Max starts at $1,199, Apple said.

Persons: Max, ” Apple, —, Apple, Pro Max Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch, Apple Apple, Apple Intelligence, Pro Locations: Cupertino , California

☆ Here's everything Apple just announced: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4 and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Hayden Field Ashley Capoot Kif Leswing Todd Haselton | Hayden Field | Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple just unveiled the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which join the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus the company announced earlier. Apple's iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, and the Apple 16 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch display, larger than those of previous models, which measured in at 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively. The new models also have the "thinnest borders on any Apple product," Apple said, calling them "by far our best iPhone displays ever." The company also said the new iPhone 16 Pro Max has "the best iPhone battery life ever" but did not offer additional details. The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999, and the Pro Max starts at $1,199, Apple said.

Persons: Max, Apple, Pro Max, — Hayden Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence, Pro, preorder

☆ Broadcom says it will sell $12 billion in AI parts and custom chips this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-05 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Broadcom reported a net loss of $1.88 billion, or a loss of 40 cents per share, versus net income in the year-ago quarter of $6.12 billion, or $1.24 per share. For example, Broadcom works on Google's TPU chip, which Apple used to train some of its AI features. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said in a statement that the company expects to record $12 billion in sales from AI parts and custom chips in fiscal 2024, up from a previous forecast of $11 billion. The company reported $7.27 billion in semiconductor sales during the quarter, up 5% annually. It is still larger than Broadcom's infrastructure software segment, which reported $5.8 billion in sales, much of which is from the company's VMware acquisition.

Persons: Apple, Hock Tan, Tan Organizations: Broadcom, VMware Locations: U.S

☆ Nvidia shares fall despite earnings beating estimates
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-29 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nvidia issued market-beating revenue guidance for its fiscal third quarter of $32.5 billion. Nvidia reported July quarter revenue on Wednesday of more than $30 billion, up 122% year on year. Nvidia shares fell on about 6% Thursday, as the company's fiscal second-quarter gross margin dipped slightly, and its revenue beat was eclipsed by a backdrop of increasingly lofty expectations. The pullback in the stock on Thursday also comes after a meteoric rally, with Nvidia's shares rising more than 150% this year to date. The company also announced a $50 billion stock buyback program.

Persons: Colette Kress, Kif Leswing Organizations: Nvidia, Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Blackwell Locations: Nvidia's, Blackwell

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