Apple's big day, new AI models, and a floating nuclear barge

Apple's busy week

Apple held its annual September event in Cupertino and showed off the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. That's the headline hardware news of the day.

But the more interesting Apple story might be quieter. The company has bought Sonera, a California chip startup that has never actually released a product. No price was given. Buying a team before it ships anything is a classic Apple move — it's about the people and the ideas, not the product.

AI keeps accelerating

Anthropic and OpenAI both launched new frontier models on the same day — Claude Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra. The pattern here is simple: the two biggest AI labs keep leapfrogging each other, and the pace isn't slowing.

There's a darker side to all this AI everywhere. Two big scam campaigns, called BigBear 2.0 and PREY-0058, are hitting Microsoft 365 users worldwide with fake IT calls and phishing emails, tricking staff into handing over logins and security codes. And in Poland, Alior Bank is warning customers that using AI features on their phones while banking raises the risk of data leaks and fraud.

Hardware, energy and space

In Taiwan, ProLogium has started mass-producing all-solid-state batteries, hitting 381 watt-hours per kilogram — a figure verified by the testing body TUV Rheinland. Solid-state has been the industry's 'next big thing' for years, so actual mass production matters.

Money is flowing into ambitious energy and space projects too. Bluecore raised fifty million dollars in San Francisco to build a floating nuclear power plant on a barge. And in Paris, The Exploration Company raised four hundred and fifty million dollars to develop a rocket engine, separate from its reusable capsule, Nyx.

Two more things worth knowing. Tesla's Cybercab launched in Austin with no steering wheel or pedals — just a virtual joystick. And Poland's anti-drone system is struggling with equipment shortages as wartime demand outpaces supply.