Tech news digest for Thursday, June 25, 2026

Google Finance Launches Dedicated Android App

Google has officially launched a dedicated Google Finance app for Android users, following a beta testing phase that began last August. The app features advanced tools for real-time market data, portfolio creation, and AI-driven stock analysis, aiming to compete with platforms like Yahoo Finance and Robinhood.

• Users can receive custom market updates based on user-defined tasks and notifications through the Google app.

Apple Stock Falls 5% Amid Price Hikes on MacBooks and iPads

Apple has announced price increases on its MacBook and iPad product lines, leading to a 5% drop in its stock value. CEO Tim Cook attributed the hikes to unprecedented increases in memory and storage costs, with prices rising between $100 and $200 across various models. The company is also facing a significant memory crisis, as evidenced by Micron's revenue quadrupling in the last quarter.

• The iPhone 18 Pro is anticipated to see a $50 price increase as Apple transitions to its own modems.
• Amazon continues to sell affected Apple products at original prices with existing discounts.

Apple Raises Prices on Macs and iPads Amid Memory Shortages

Apple has announced price increases for its Mac and iPad product lines due to ongoing global memory shortages. The MacBook Air now starts at $1,299, while the base iPad model has risen from $349 to $449. CEO Tim Cook hinted that price hikes for iPhones may be forthcoming later this year as supply constraints persist.

• The Vision Pro headset price has increased to $3,699, up from $3,499.
• The M3 Ultra Mac Studio is now priced at $5,299, reflecting the impact of memory shortages.

Amazon's Total Investment in India Reaches $48 Billion

Amazon has announced a substantial $13 billion investment in India's AI and cloud infrastructure, raising its total commitment in the country to $48 billion by 2030. This move aligns with CEO Andy Jassy's vision of supporting India's growth in technology and job creation, particularly in the AI sector.

• Amazon's investment will focus on providing custom AI chips and managed AI services to support Indian startups.
• The company aims to expand its quick-commerce service, Amazon Now, to over 300 cities in India.

Keysight Technologies Reports Strong Earnings Growth

Keysight Technologies, Inc. experienced significant growth, with shares surging 112.99% over the past year and closing at $351.30 on June 24, 2026. The company's Q1 FY26 earnings exceeded expectations, driven by a 31% revenue increase to $1.72 billion, attributed to strong demand in the communications and aerospace sectors.

• Keysight was highlighted as a notable contributor in Janus Henderson's Q1 2026 investor letter.

Judge says lawsuit against Trump DOJ 'anti-weaponization' fund will proceed

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging the Department of Justice's $1.8 billion 'Anti-Weaponization' fund will proceed, primarily due to the DOJ's failure to provide written confirmation that the fund is no longer active. Judge Leonie Brinkema stated that a simple declaration under penalty of perjury would have sufficed to dismiss the case as moot. The ongoing interest from both Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and former President Donald Trump in compensating alleged victims of DOJ overreach further supports the lawsuit's validity. Blanche testified on June 2 that the fund is not advancing, but his refusal to formally rescind the May 18 memo establishing the fund raises questions about its status.

• Blanche has not committed to rescinding the May 18 memo that established the fund's structure.

Janus Henderson Global Sustainable Equity Fund Trimmed Microsoft (MSFT) in Q1

In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Janus Henderson Global Sustainable Equity Fund disclosed a reduction in its Microsoft Corporation holdings, citing concerns over the company's near-term returns from substantial cloud infrastructure investments and a slowdown in its legacy software growth. Despite a challenging market environment, where the Fund returned -3.07% compared to the MSCI World Index's -3.57%, it noted strong stock selection in technology, particularly in AI infrastructure. Microsoft shares closed at $365.46 on June 24, 2026, reflecting an 11.70% decline over the past month and a significant 25.05% drop over the last year.

Google Wallet app rolling out order tracking with Gmail

Google Wallet for Android is introducing an order tracking feature that pulls data directly from Gmail, allowing users to view detailed receipts, tracking numbers, and shipping statuses. This feature will display upcoming orders on the Wallet homepage and provide tracking details when an order is selected. Currently available in the US, it supports a wide range of top merchants, but orders from smaller or non-US merchants may not be displayed. Users must enable specific settings in Gmail to access this feature.

The Samsung S26 Ultra is already marked down to $920 for Prime Day

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is currently discounted to $919.99 for Prime Day, down from its regular price of $1,099.99. Launched in March 2026, this flagship device boasts a 6.9-inch display and a unique privacy screen that can be customized to limit visibility from onlookers. It features a robust camera system with a 200-megapixel main sensor and dual telephoto lenses, enhancing its photography capabilities. Additionally, the phone includes 256GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, and supports fast charging up to 60W.

Samsung Galaxy A27 launches in July for $349 with six years of Android OS updates

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy A27, a budget smartphone set to launch on July 14, 2026, priced at $349. The device boasts a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor. It includes a 5,000 mAh battery supporting 25W wired charging, and a versatile camera array featuring a 50MP main sensor, a 5MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro lens, alongside a 12MP front-facing camera. Notably, the Galaxy A27 will receive six years of Android OS updates and security patches, running Android 16 with One UI 8.5 out of the box.

Meta employees warn AI moderation rollout is too fast

Meta has replaced approximately 50% of human moderation requests with large language models and plans to increase that share to over 90% for specific content types by the end of 2026. This shift is projected to save the company billions annually, although Meta disputes this cost-saving argument, emphasizing that its language models make 13% fewer errors than human moderators while identifying 10% more violations. However, employees have raised concerns about the rapid rollout, citing instances of harmless content being removed and inadequate oversight, leading to layoffs among external contractors. Additionally, Meta is transitioning from using Google's Gemini model to its own Muse Spark for moderation tasks.

• Insiders report ongoing issues with the AI models incorrectly removing benign content.

TikTok and YouTube are reinventing sports viewership. Broadcasters are taking note

The NBA Finals recorded unprecedented viewership, with 15 billion views on social media, nearly tripling the previous record set in 2025. Game 5 alone garnered over 4 billion views, highlighting the shift in how younger audiences engage with sports through platforms like TikTok and YouTube. As traditional TV viewership declines, sports leagues face a dilemma: invest in social media to attract younger fans or focus on subscription revenue. The NBA's Finals averaged 20.6 million viewers per game on Disney's ABC and ESPN, indicating that while social platforms are gaining traction, traditional broadcasting remains significant.

• FIFA allows 10 minutes of match content on TikTok to engage younger audiences.
• Paramount's CBS aired kid-friendly broadcasts, including slime graphics during live sports.

The math behind the OpenAI Jalapeño chip

OpenAI has unveiled its custom Jalapeño chip, developed in partnership with Broadcom, to address the soaring infrastructure costs associated with running large language models. This application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is tailored for large language model (LLM) inference, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on third-party hardware. OpenAI's operational expenses for maintaining ChatGPT servers are projected to hit $14 billion this year, highlighting the urgency for cost-effective solutions. The Jalapeño chip's design process was accelerated, moving from concept to manufacturing in just nine months, with initial deployments expected by late 2026.

• The Jalapeño chip is designed specifically for LLM inference, enhancing performance over general-purpose chips.
• OpenAI committed $1.4 trillion to computing power over the next eight years.