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iPhone Market Share Exceeds Samsung’s, Fueled by Influences Beyond iPhone 17 Launch

### Apple Overtakes Samsung in Smartphone Market Share by 2025

Following a competitive two-year span where Apple and Samsung were almost even in smartphone market share, recent statistics suggest that Apple has gained the upper hand. A market intelligence report reveals that by the conclusion of 2025, Apple attained a 20% share of the global smartphone market, outpacing Samsung, which retained an 18% share.

#### Year-on-Year Growth

Apple’s rise in smartphone shipments was particularly remarkable, exhibiting a year-on-year increase of 10%, double that of Samsung. This surge was attributed to Apple’s growing footprint in emerging and mid-tier markets, coupled with a more robust product lineup. Senior Analyst Varun Mishra noted that the demand for Apple devices was fueled by the successful rollout of the iPhone 17 series, alongside the sustained popularity of the iPhone 16, especially in markets such as Japan, India, and Southeast Asia.

#### Impact of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16

The iPhone 17 series was instrumental in Apple’s market triumph, gaining substantial momentum in the fourth quarter post-launch. At the same time, the iPhone 16 continued to perform well, contributing to Apple’s overall achievements. The synergy between these two product offerings, along with a shift in consumer patterns as numerous users aimed to upgrade post-COVID-19 pandemic, fostered a favorable climate for Apple.

#### Market Dynamics and Future Outlook

Despite Apple’s flourishing growth, the smartphone market is anticipated to encounter hurdles in the upcoming year due to an increase in memory costs, which could result in an overall market contraction. Nonetheless, both Apple and Samsung are strategically positioned to tackle these challenges. Samsung’s capability to manufacture its own memory components and Apple’s strong market influence to secure competitive pricing and supply ahead of time are considerable strengths.

To summarize, Apple’s targeted product launches and market expansion strategies have enabled it to regain its status at the leading edge of the smartphone sector, while Samsung remains a tough competitor. As the market progresses, both firms will need to adjust to shifting consumer preferences and economic realities to uphold their respective standings.

Apple Challenges Indian Government’s Demand for iOS Source Code Due to Fears of Overreach

Apple is presently encountering considerable obstacles due to a set of 83 suggested security requirements from the Indian authorities. Among these suggestions is a contentious request for smartphone makers to grant access to their source code, particularly for iOS. This stipulation has generated apprehension regarding corporate confidentiality and security threats, as revealing source code could potentially uncover vulnerabilities to malicious entities.

As reported by Reuters, the Indian government defends this requirement by claiming it needs to examine the source code of smartphones to spot and address possible security weaknesses. This initiative has encountered resistance from major tech firms, including Apple, Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi, represented by the industry association MAIT. They contend that such disclosure is impractical due to the ramifications for corporate secrecy and adherence to international privacy regulations.

Aside from the source code stipulation, the Indian government has suggested additional measures, such as requiring manufacturers to notify the government prior to launching significant updates or security fixes. This could impede the prompt deployment of essential updates, ultimately endangering user security.

The scenario has been further complicated by conflicting messages from the Indian government. While certain government documents allegedly endorse the source code disclosure, the IT department has publicly denied that it is actively pursuing source code from smartphone manufacturers, without providing additional details.

Apple has a precedent of resisting similar requests from other governments, including an unwillingness to share source code with the Chinese government and to create backdoors for law enforcement agencies such as the FBI. Given this history, analysts believe that Apple is unlikely to acquiesce to the Indian government’s demands.

As the situation unfolds, the Indian government has signaled that it remains in the consultation stage with tech companies, allowing for possible adjustments to the proposed requirements. Nonetheless, the outcome remains unpredictable as both parties navigate the intricate intersection of security, privacy, and corporate interests.

Porsche-Design Launches $400,000 Television: Investigating Target Audience

The firm C Seed, in partnership with Porsche Design — indeed, the very same Porsche known for crafting vehicles like the latest Taycan — has developed a lavish television priced at an astonishing $400,000. Considering the Taycan’s starting price of $103,900, this television exceeds the cost of a luxury vehicle. It’s safe to say that the average consumer is unlikely to be in the market for this TV, and probably not even the typical Porsche owner.

The C Seed N1 is distinctive as it has been engineered to unfold. A clip circulating on Reddit displays the television rising from the ground and elegantly unfolding from a case. The technology is genuinely impressive, and it’s entertaining to observe the process. However, most individuals prefer their televisions set up permanently in a designated area for watching shows and gaming. The standard consumer isn’t on the lookout for a TV that caters to both indoor and outdoor use and can unfold when necessary.

C Seed has been operational since 2013, focusing on high-end television technology. It has even received the Best of the Best award in product design from Red Dot, an organization that specifically honors excellence in business design, for a prior version of the N1. This Porsche-designed television certainly distinguishes itself as a remarkable product, though it’s not likely to be commonly utilized by the average individual.

Target Audience for This TV

Porsche Design is renowned for crafting exquisite products, such as the Honor Magic 6 phone. Upon viewing the product page for the $400,000 television, that same aesthetic of elegance and luxury is prominently featured. The lead image showcases a woman donning an enormous gown, standing by her pool while observing the TV unfold. Clearly, this is a scenario we all encounter daily.

The product page features phrases like “unfolding open-air sculpture,” “a choreographed transformation,” and “architectural freedom in the open air.” It asserts that this television is ideal for terraces, beside pools, and at exclusive resorts. Notably, it does not mention living rooms as a target space. Additionally, it boasts a high-quality picture regardless of whether it’s day or night, which is crucial for a screen designed for outdoor use.

From all this, it’s evident that the typical consumer is not the focus for C Seed or Porsche Design. It likely appeals more to affluent clients who enjoy hosting outdoor gatherings and desire a television that can be concealed and showcased as per the event’s requirements. When the TV is revealed for guests to enjoy, C Seed claims it is “engineered to inspire, offering a moment of anticipation that enhances the entire outdoor experience.”

Is This Porsche TV Worth the Price?

While it is amusing to see it fold and unfold, this price is simply beyond what an average person would be willing to spend just for a television. Ultimately, you watch programming on it in the same manner as you would on budget TVs, which can still deliver high customer satisfaction. Although its outdoor capabilities are appealing, the average individual would easily settle for a screen and projector for an enjoyable backyard movie evening.

The cost is indeed substantial. For that amount, you receive a television that measures up to 165 inches diagonally and can weigh nearly 2,000 pounds. It’s not something you’ll be able to rearrange by yourself. The television specifications promise exceptional sound, excellent imagery, and resistance to weather. Certainly, if you are in search of TVs that excel in those aspects, you would be leaning toward pricier options.

Is this C SEED Porsche television worth $400,000? Not for the majority. Those who consider the expense justifiable will likely be individuals for whom $400,000 is pocket change. It serves as a fascinating conversation starter over drinks by the pool during sunset.

Case Leak Possibly Validates Design of Galaxy S26 Ultra

A recent case listing from Thinborne seems to have confirmed the design of the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, just prior to its official introduction. The leaked design hints at an elegant appearance with rounded edges, consistent with earlier rumors regarding the device. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is projected to be revealed on February 25, 2026, during Samsung’s launch event for the Galaxy S26 series.

The leaked design reveals that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will showcase a slightly modified camera arrangement, featuring three lenses situated in a pill-shaped, slightly elevated island on the left side, alongside two additional sensors to the right. This design has been verified by various leaks, implying that it is likely close to the final aesthetic of the device.

In addition to the design modifications, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to support Qi2 magnetic wireless charging and will be equipped with a larger battery and enhanced charging capabilities. The device is also rumored to come in a striking orange color option, potentially rivaling the iPhone 17 Pro’s orange finish.

Although case manufacturers frequently base their designs on early CAD representations, the uniformity across multiple leaks suggests that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will closely mirror the leaked design. As the launch date draws nearer, more information is anticipated to surface, offering a clearer insight into what to anticipate from Samsung’s latest flagship.

Remove Unsightly Power Strips with This Chic Substitute

A tidy workspace is crucial for productivity, which entails clearing most of the clutter from the vicinity of your desk, including all the various power cords in use. If you have several monitors, chargers, gadgets, and other devices lying around, you likely have numerous wires. Concealing them can be challenging unless your desk is equipped with a built-in cable management system, but even then, surge protectors and power strips tend to create chaos. Everything must connect to those strips, often resulting in an unattractive jumble of cords. Enter the D-Line Cable Management Box, a remarkably simple, clever, and convenient method for hiding some of those wires from sight.

The box hides cables connected to a power strip and is available in two sizes, small and large. The larger box can fit power strips up to 14 inches long and two inches wide, or dual power strips measuring up to 10 inches long and five inches wide. This accommodates anything plugged into those strips, with clever openings in the box for the wires to pass through. The box also comes in three styles: all-black, all-white, and a variant with white and wood accents. Moreover, the large box is priced at $29.99, and the smaller one is $22.99, making it a reasonably affordable solution to conceal wiring around your desk, entertainment center, or other areas of your home. You can even complement the D-Line box with some Dollar Tree hooks for organizing cables to secure all your wires, allowing you to finally bid farewell to cable clutter altogether.

What makes the sleek D-Line Cable Management Box worth considering?

Unlike an under-desk cable management tray, the D-Line Cable Management Box can remain in plain sight. It can be placed on or beneath your desk, or at the most convenient spot. The design of the box includes a ventilation system that facilitates airflow, ensuring the power strip remains cool, even when heavily utilized. The box features three rear entry and exit points—one on each side and one centrally located—to enhance organization. Everything stays hidden, unlike the basket option, making it an excellent choice for those wanting to keep wires and cables as concealed as possible.

Currently, the D-Line box boasts over 13,600 user reviews on Amazon, holding a rating of 4.5 stars. Some users describe it as “solidly constructed,” and highlight it as a “clean, safe, and intelligent cable organizer for any configuration.” Others note that the price seems a bit steep for essentially an empty plastic box. However, there is consensus that the minimalist design and user-friendliness align with what they were seeking.

While the D-Line box is ideal for concealing cables from essential tech accessories in your office, your desk isn’t the sole location where cables can accumulate. The D-Line box is suitable for use wherever you might need a solution like this, including areas by TVs, around holiday decorations, on countertops, and beyond.

Apple Set to Launch Revamped Health App This Year with Four Major Improvements

# Future Enhancements for Apple Health App: A Thorough Summary

In the past year, Apple has taken a leading role in health technology conversations, with CEO Tim Cook asserting that one of the company’s most crucial contributions to society will be in the realm of health. As part of this vision, a set of updates to the Apple Health app is imminent, scheduled to launch with the upcoming iOS 26.4. This article will delve into the expected features and improvements that aim to enhance user experience and health management.

## Streamlined App Layout

As reported by Macworld, the Health app is set to receive a major redesign in iOS 26.4. This redesign intends to simplify the user interface, presenting a new organization for categories and easier metric recording. With the Health app becoming increasingly central to Apple’s mission, these adjustments are projected to make navigation and data entry more user-friendly. The beta version of iOS 26.4 is expected to be released shortly, with a complete launch anticipated in the spring.

## Nutrition Tracking Functionality

One of the most thrilling new features for the Health app is the implementation of a meal tracking function. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this functionality will enable users to record their food consumption, monitor calorie intake, and assist with weight management. While the existing Health app allows users to enter data for specific nutrients, this new emphasis on holistic food tracking positions Apple to rival established platforms like MyFitnessPal and weight-loss applications such as Noom. Development of this feature is said to be advancing swiftly.

## Health+ Video Service

Alongside food tracking, Apple intends to introduce a fresh video service similar to Apple Fitness+. This service, provisionally named Health+, will offer users educational videos from health specialists, including physicians, dietitians, and mental health practitioners. These videos will act as resources for users to gain insights into health topics and receive advice based on their health data. For example, if the Health app identifies a troubling trend in a user’s information, it might suggest a video providing recommendations on how to tackle the concern.

## AI Health Advisor

Apple is also working on an AI health advisor that will scrutinize user data from the Health app and deliver tailored health recommendations. This capability aims to provide nutritional guidance and could potentially leverage the iPhone’s rear camera to offer real-time feedback on exercise performance, assisting users in refining their workout techniques. This integration could enhance the overall fitness journey and may link with other Apple services, such as Apple Fitness+.

## Summary

The forthcoming adjustments to the Apple Health app in iOS 26.4 signify a major transformation that could change how users engage with their health data. With a revamped interface, meal tracking features, educational health videos, and an AI health advisor, Apple is set to make a notable impact in the health technology sector. Although these features might face delays, the current trajectory indicates a bright future for the Health app. Users are invited to share their opinions on these updates and how they foresee employing the new capabilities.

Reasons Your Audio System Could Be Linked to the Wrong HDMI Port

uncertainty surrounding HDMI cables and format protocols can leave even the most dedicated tech enthusiast occasionally puzzled about the best connections to maximize their setup.

If you happen to connect your audio system to the incorrect port on your TV, you may not be fully utilizing its capabilities. Not every HDMI port on televisions functions identically. Multiple technologies, including ARC, eARC, and HDMI-CEC, collaborate to optimize the performance of a sound system. These features offer users an advantage that standard HDMI lacks — effective control.

HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) includes enhanced features that permit users to manage connected HDMI devices. Numerous TV manufacturers utilize their own terminology for HDMI-CEC. Mitsubishi refers to it as NetCommand, LG calls it SimpleLink, Samsung designates it Anynet+, among others. Regardless of the name, you’ll want to activate it to fully benefit from your television’s HDMI ports.

HDMI-CEC offers greater control over all compatible devices

“Matrix Star Keeps Contemplating Character’s Demise”

fans regard as one of the finest TV series of the last quarter-century), leading to his on-screen demise in various forms. Nevertheless, Pantoliano still harbors some resentment towards the Wachowskis for offing Cypher.

During an October 2025 “Matrix” reunion panel at New York Comic Con (as reported by Entertainment Weekly), Pantoliano disclosed that the writer-director pair “deceived” him (intentionally) while filming the 1999 action sci-fi masterpiece. He stated, “They deceived me! They f****** deceived! I asked, ‘Hey, you can’t kill me, right? You’re not going to kill me?’ And Lilly responded, ‘Hey, Lana, he doesn’t want us to off him.’ And I overheard Lana off camera, aware that I could listen in, as she said, ‘Well, just mislead him and we’ll off him regardless.'”

After the panel’s moderator humorously tried to comfort him by suggesting that Cypher’s fate might not be “final,” the actor shot back, “Don’t even get me going, okay? They resurrected f****** Agent Smith. It’s ‘The Matrix’!” Still, Pantoliano maintains hope for his character’s potential comeback in another sequel (despite there being three sequels already).

Joe Pantoliano has faced multiple demises on the big and small screen

Complimentary Application Offers Facial Recognition Security for Your Pictures

If you are concerned that sophisticated AI-driven facial recognition technologies will enable third parties to easily pinpoint your identity through publicly available photos, you can make use of a free application called [Fawkes](https://sandlab.cs.uchicago.edu/fawkes/) to obscure your appearance. This free download was developed by researchers at the University of Chicago’s Sand Labs, with its initial version launched in August 2020. Fawkes remains accessible several years later, compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

The app was developed at a time when services such as Clearview AI posed a significant privacy threat. The facial recognition platform amassed over three billion images of individuals by extracting data from the internet and social media. As highlighted by Sand Labs, Clearview created facial recognition algorithms for millions of individuals without acquiring consent. Fawkes empowers users to blend into their surroundings by complicating the ability of facial recognition applications to match Fawkes-camouflaged images to those stored in their databases.

Fawkes debuted years prior to the advent of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, which are equipped with advanced image creation and analysis functions. The software received its last update in May 2022, just a few months ahead of ChatGPT’s surge in popularity that initiated the ongoing AI boom. By early 2026, AI image generation models are capable of producing lifelike visuals. Tools like [Google’s Nano Banana Pro](https://www.bgr.com/2032501/nano-banana-pro-viral-infographics/) can modify actual images of individuals and generate AI visuals based on uploaded photographs. [Chatbot applications such as Copilot and Gemini](https://www.bgr.com/2065020/google-gemini-vs-copilot-which-chatbot-best/) can also interpret image content. Some AI solutions are able to analyze video and real-time feeds. In this context, it might be perceived that Fawkes has become even more beneficial since its initial launch. However, it remains uncertain if the app retains its effectiveness against contemporary [AI systems that could potentially track you without visual recognition](https://www.bgr.com/tech/scary-new-ai-can-track-you-in-surveillance-videos-without-even-seeing-your-face/).

### How Fawkes operates

The video embedded above illustrates Fawkes in operation on a Windows 11 device, starting from the moment you download the application to its usage. On that note, ensure you obtain the correct app from the [Sand Labs website](https://sandlab.cs.uchicago.edu/fawkes/#code). Make sure to choose the appropriate version for your system, whether it’s Windows or macOS. The same source also provides installers for Windows, Mac, and Linux binaries, which include support for additional features.

The Windows application shown in the demonstration possesses a straightforward interface that allows you to choose a photo or selection of images you wish to obscure. Following this, you’ll initiate the protection process by clicking a button. The underlying mechanics are relatively uncomplicated. Fawkes introduces nearly invisible pixels to a photo to “poison” it, as the researchers described in their 2020 release. “Fawkes takes your personal images and implements subtle, pixel-level alterations that are undetectable to the human eye, in a method we refer to as image cloaking,” they conveyed. The aforementioned video demonstration illustrates that while these modifications are nearly unnoticeable, they can be discerned when contrasting the cloaked image with the original. The subsequent video, created by the Fawkes development team, elaborates further on the procedure of how the app cloaks images.

Once Fawkes generates the cloaked images, you can utilize them online. You can set them as profile pictures on social media platforms and share them with friends. In essence, you can handle these photos the same way you would typical images taken with your smartphone for online sharing. Nevertheless, when a facial recognition system attempts to identify you by comparing the cloaked images to any relevant images it might have been trained with, it will fail to recognize you.

### The drawbacks of using Fawkes for privacy protection

Upon the release of Fawkes by Emily Wenger and Shawn Shan, they noted that the app had been “extensively” tested, demonstrating “effectiveness in various settings and […] 100% efficacy against leading facial recognition systems (Microsoft Azure Face API, Amazon Rekognition, and Face++).” However, in early 2021, the researchers revealed instances of adversarial training targeting Fawkes in Microsoft Azure, which they swiftly remedied.

By April 2021, the application had been downloaded over 500,000 times, indicating a strong public interest in privacy preservation. A total of more than 840,000 downloads were recorded by early May 2022. The researchers have not updated this statistic since that time. Nonetheless, the app remains available for download as of early 2026.

Currently, there are two concerns regarding the use of Fawkes. Firstly, it is uncertain whether other AI companies have developed methods to bypass its cloaking techniques.