Airpods are now sold out for the holidays at Apple Stores. Macworld Staff Writer Michael Simon explains why this tech accessory is now resonating with consumers.
Apple struggled at first to capture the attention of the market with its cordless Airpods. Simon says it is typical for Apple to create demand for products on surface that don't seem revolutionary at first. Then people use them, word spreads, and all of a sudden everyone wants them.
Rumors surfaced on Tuesday Apple will release a new, more expensive Airpod model in 2018. Simon says little detail has been reveal. Simon expects to see a slightly smaller "neck" on the accessory, and potentially some new colors. Simon also says he'd like to see a true Siri integration with the Airpod in the future.
Millennials are rethinking how they use traditional banks, which opens up a massive opportunity for fintech companies, says Anu Duggal, a founding partner of the fund that just received an additional $27 million in seed money.
The state became the first in the U.S. to require almost all new homes to have solar panels, part of an effort to get half the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The White House hosted a summit Thursday with Silicon Valley executives about the use of artificial intelligence and how it may affect American workers. Politico's technology reporter, Steven Overly, says some jobs will be lost to automation, but technology can create others.
Mark Kaufman, science reporter at Mashable, discusses California's history-making decision to mandate solar panels on all new homes and low-rise apartment buildings. [We talk what this means for the solar panel companies and the rest of the U.S.](https://mashable.com/2018/05/09/california-becomes-first-state-to-mandate-solar-panels-on-new-homes)
The White House will host dozens of Silicon Valley executives on Thursday to discuss artificial intelligence, with a focus on how it could impact jobs in the future.
By reshuffling its management, Facebook may be trying to bring all of its different apps under one coherent vision, says Josh Constine, TechCrunch's editor-at-large. And its blockchain initiative could be a way to develop its own payment system.
The Google cheif Sundar Pichai opened the company's annual developer conference by addressing the burger emoji's misplaced cheese and the beer emoji's floating foam. It shows how seriously users take pictorial communication that Pichai would kick off his keynote by talking about emojis, says Jeremy Burge, chief emoji officer at Emojipedia.
The tech company announced on Monday that it will spend around $25 million over five years to support developers designing tools that will make lives easier for people with disabilities. "For the most part, this is just about possibility," says Rob Marvin, [associate features editor at PCMag.](https://www.pcmag.com/feature/360886/microsoft-build-all-the-news-you-need-to-know/)
Uber said that its self-driving system was to blame when one of its cars killed a pedestrian in March. But the ride-hailing company is still pushing forward with autonomous technology development, with plans to launch driverless, flying taxis in the next few years. Those will start off piloted, and the company will coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure safety, says Nikhil Goel, head of product and advanced programs at Uber.
The giant retailer last year launched Store 8, a tech incubator that will help Walmart innovate and compete in the future, says the founder of Jet.com and Walmart's head of e-commerce.
