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What’s up, Tech Squad? Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC, is just days away, but the drama’s already started. iOS is getting a translucent makeover, a court just took a wrecking ball to Apple’s 30% fee empire, and somewhere out there, the co-founder of Etsy is building a gadget that might turn you into an AR Sherlock Holmes.

So yeah, this week’s tech news has range.

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Stay ahead. Stay informed.

iOS 26: Apple’s Most Dramatic Glow-Up Since iOS 7

Get ready to glassify your iPhone. iOS 26 - Apple’s next major software refresh - will debut at WWDC 2025 on June 9, and based on leaks and whispers, it’s set to be the biggest visual overhaul in over a decade. Codenamed “Solarium,” the update brings a translucent, visionOS-inspired vibe to the entire Apple ecosystem, from pill-shaped menus to shadowed floating windows. Think less skeuomorphism, more sleek glass panels with buttery rounded corners.

Here’s what to expect:

• Design facelift: Floating UI, translucent backgrounds, pop-out menus, and a frosted-glass aesthetic.

• AI everything: Smart battery management, AI-powered Shortcuts, and possibly Google Gemini integration.

• New apps: A dedicated Games hub, Mac’s Preview app for iOS, and customizable Messages backgrounds.

• Hardware synergy: AirPods get live translation and gesture controls; CarPlay and Stage Manager get smarter.

• Accessibility buffs: Better haptics, voice personalization in under a minute, and crying-baby alerts in your car.

It’s not just about looking pretty - Apple’s baking in deep functionality across the board. But don’t expect all the features to launch right away - some, like the upgraded Siri and Gemini support, may trickle out over time.

VIDEO: How Google Search Just Changed Forever

The Best Car Charger from CES 2025 Just Hit the Road

Remember that slick car charger with retractable cables from CES? It’s finally here. Baseus’ PrimeTrip VR2 Max - dubbed the best car charger at the show - is now available for $49.99.

And no, this isn’t your average cupholder clutterer.

Here’s why it stands out:

• 240W total output—with up to 105W through a single port.

• Built-in retractable USB-C cables so you’re never digging for cords.

• Extra ports: 1 USB-C and 1 USB-A for your non-USB-C holdouts.

• Design: Sleek, compact, and ready to declutter your dashboard.

This thing is basically the Swiss Army knife of car chargers. Whether you’re juicing up a MacBook, a phone, or a Nintendo Switch mid-road trip, the VR2 Max is ready for it all.

Etsy’s Co-Founder Might Be Building a Mixed Reality Magnifying Glass

Robert Kalin, the elusive Etsy co-founder, is back - but not with handcrafted tea cozies. His stealth startup, Dopple Works, just dropped a big clue about its first product, Loop, thanks to an FCC filing and a juicy patent uncovered by Lowpass.

So what is Loop? Nobody fully knows yet…but here’s what we do know:

Loop’s early breadcrumbs:

• It’s a battery-powered spatial computing device with WiFi and Bluetooth.

• The patent sketches show a camera, speaker, screen, and tracking sensor.

• It’s handheld—and the term “dedicated spatial computing device” has us intrigued.

Speculation ranges from AR gaming wand to real-world object scanner, or maybe a literal magnifying glass for Sherlock-style sleuthing in mixed reality. Whatever it is, it sounds like Kalin’s next act could bring some much-needed weirdness (and whimsy) to the XR space.

Apple Loses Fight to Keep Charging for Off-App Payments

Apple’s long-standing App Store tollbooth just lost a few lanes. A U.S. court has officially denied Apple’s request to delay a ruling that forces it to stop charging developers a fee when users make purchases via external links in their apps. Translation: devs can finally send users to a website without Apple grabbing a 27% cut and flashing a “danger” warning on the screen.

What’s changing:

• No more link fees: External payment links in apps = no Apple commission.

• No more “scare screens” discouraging users from leaving the App Store.

• Spotify, Amazon, and others are already rolling out updates to take advantage.

Epic’s Tim Sweeney cheered the move as the end of the “Apple tax,” while Apple grumbled that the ruling was “disappointing” and vowed to keep fighting it on appeal.

This legal L drops just days before WWDC, where Apple’s walled garden vibe might feel…a little less fortified.

QUICK BITS

Meta AI Hits 1 Billion Users: Meta’s AI assistant has achieved a significant milestone, now boasting over 1 billion monthly active users across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, just a month after launching its stand-alone Meta AI app.

Reddit Sues Anthropic Over Data Use: Reddit has filed a lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic, backed by Amazon, alleging unauthorized use of Reddit’s user data to train its AI models, including the Claude chatbot. The lawsuit claims Anthropic accessed Reddit’s platform without permission and trained its AI on users’ personal conversations despite failed licensing negotiations.

YouTube Cracks Down on Ad Blockers: YouTube has intensified its efforts against ad blockers, closing loopholes that previously allowed users to bypass ads, particularly on Firefox. Users are now widely encountering messages stating that ad blockers violate YouTube’s terms of service, preventing video playback until disabled.