Fortune Tech: iPhone Air 2.0, EU vs. Huawei, RIP Facebook buttons.

It’s been a very long time coming. At 42 days and counting, it’s by far the longest shutdown in American historical past.

Before the Senate handed the invoice that paves the best way for an finish to the standoff—the House should additionally go the measure, and President Trump should signal it—I requested immediately’s prevailing AI chatbots once they thought the federal government would possibly reopen.

One refused to reply. A second stated “likely in the next few days.” The greatest reply was “between November 11 and 13, 2025,” supplied “no major surprises occur.” (Ah sure, 2025, the yr of no political surprises.) 

Just a reminder that the federal cybersecurity company, tech procurement contracts, H1-B visa processing, and regulatory exercise—plus, y’know, flights coast to coast—are hanging within the steadiness. NBD!

Today’s tech information beneath. —Andrew Nusca

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Apple reportedly punts on the subsequent iPhone Air

Courtesy Apple

Apple wants a breath earlier than it places out the subsequent iPhone Air.

The $999 thin-and-light mannequin was alleged to fill out the product portfolio the identical means its inspiration, the MacE book Air, as soon as did. (That is: Not fairly as low cost as the bottom mannequin, not fairly as costly because the “Pro” mannequin.)

But gross sales have confirmed lackluster as customers discover that their hearts lie with greater batteries and higher audiovisual capabilities, given the value. 

A new report from The Information says Apple will now delay the discharge of the subsequent iPhone Air, due a yr from now, to transform the system.

Presumably, that can imply totally different tradeoffs. 

Though there’s not a lot to be carried out about battery life on this format—except somebody plans to bend the legal guidelines of physics—one can think about Apple attempting to save lots of a number of cents in much less distinguished locations in a bid to tilt the “value” meter in its favor.

Alternatively, the corporate may simply put its base iPhone—already fairly a bit thinner and lighter than its Pro sibling—on a food regimen and model it “Air.”

There’s no disgrace in that recreation: Today the slim MacE book Air, as soon as the highest of its line, now sits on the backside of the corporate’s Mac vary however is liable for 2 in 5 Macs offered. —AN

EU might pressure member states to ditch Huawei, ZTE tech

The European Union’s government department reportedly desires to pressure member states to wash Chinese telecommunications tech from their communications networks.

Gear made by Huawei and ZTE—thought-about high-risk distributors—is within the authorized line of fireplace, in response to a new Bloomberg report. 

National governments, not the EU, have ultimate say over infrastructure selections. But the European Commission reportedly seeks to make a 2020 suggestion a legally binding requirement that might include monetary penalties for noncompliance.

“The EU is increasingly focused on the risks posed by Chinese telecom equipment makers as trade and political ties with its second-largest trading partner fray,” the report reads. “The concern is that handing over control of critical national infrastructure to companies with such close ties to Beijing could compromise national security interests.”

China’s Foreign Ministry beforehand stated that there was little factual foundation for the EU to label Huawei and ZTE as “high risk.” Whatever the case, native firms like Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia stand to profit. —AN

So lengthy, Meta ‘like’ and ‘share’ buttons (type of)

Meta stated Monday that it’ll discontinue use of its “like” and “share” buttons on exterior web sites. They’ll stay in place on Meta’s personal channels.

The firm says it’ll flip externally embedded Facebook controls into zero-by-zero-pixel parts in order to not break internet pages the world over.

The change, deliberate for February 10, 2026, comes as utilization of the plugins has declined to unspecified ranges. “The digital landscape has evolved,” the company notes in a weblog publish for software program builders.

The buttons had been first launched in 2010—a time when social media networks had been extra favorable to content material revealed elsewhere and eager to drive engagement on their platform.

(What did the digital panorama appear to be then? Justin Bieber’s debut album, the primary Apple iPad, and the utter domination by the TV collection Glee. Ah, mem’ries.)

Today’s Meta would a lot want you to interact with its AI chatbot. The silver lining? The World Wide Web remains to be going sturdy…for now. In 2025 Facebook stays a Top 10 web site, because it did in 2010, with virtually 10 billion month-to-month visits. —AN

More tech

—Rumble will acquire Northern Data. The Canadian video platform will purchase the German AI infrastructure firm in an as much as $970M deal.

—CoreWeave handily beats on Q3 results. $1.36 billion in expectations-beating income and a internet lack of $110 million, down from final yr’s $360 million.

—C3.ai may decide to sell, or not less than fundraise, within the wake of CEO Thomas Siebel’s exit.

—AI errors are growing in legal briefs. A “rising tide of AI slop” together with references to instances that don’t exist.

—TSMC sales slowest in 20 months. Is the AI growth slowing down, or simply taking a beat?

—Klook files for IPO. The APAC journey reserving service misplaced about $141 million on $407 million of income this yr.

—Apple hides China’s most popular gay dating apps. Blued and Finka get axed from App Store listings within the wake of a Beijing order.

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