Writer Launches Cheaper, Faster AI Model
Writer CEO May Habib discusses the company's latest LLM, Palmyra X5, and how it can help enterprises improve agentic capabilities. Habib speaks with Caroline Hyde on 'Bloomberg Technology.' (Source: Bloomberg)
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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
T-Mobile may be quietly planning a change customers will hate
T-Mobile has been losing customers left and right, with the company reporting a 5 basis point increase in customer churn year-over-year. This report came in the company's first-quarter earnings report for 2025, and it refers to the number of customers who canceled service. Rising prices on older rate plans, coupled with publishing plan prices that didn't include taxes, are some of the potential reasons why customer dissatisfaction with the uncarrier is growing. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Unfortunately, current and future T-Mobile customers may soon get some more bad news about the company's policies. This time, the issue is not with the cost of the monthly plans that consumers have to choose from, but is instead related to T-Mobile's payment installment programs. These programs allow consumers to finance smartphones, which most people choose to do because the upfront cost is simply too high. T-Mobile has offered installment plans on phones for over a decade, dubbing them "Equipment Installment Plans" or EIPs. But now evidence suggests the phone carrier is planning to change how these plans work, a move that could wind up being very unpopular. Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images Since T-Mobile began offering phone financing, the company has always allowed customers to pay off their phones over a 24-month period. But a listing glitch on the company's site, coupled with information from internal sources, suggests that this will be changing very soon. According to The Mobile report, an internal T-Mobile document revealed that at least some devices would soon shift to a 36-month EIP. The website also temporarily showed a 36-month EIP plan for certain Samsung Galaxy Watches on the site's product pages. Related: T-Mobile's new partnership will ease major customer concern Both the internal document and the website changes have been removed, but they are still fueling rumors that longer payment plans are on the way. Of course, stretching out the financing time for phones and other devices would help the company to keep its customers for a longer period of time. When you finance a phone, you can't leave the carrier until the device has been paid off, unless you come up with the cash. This means T-Mobile could effectively lock in plan users for a whole extra year. While the change may be good for the company's bottom line and could offer cheaper prices for those financing their equipment, there are also some big downsides for users. If T-Mobile makes this change, the company will undermine the value proposition it offered to consumers years ago with "Phone Freedom," which allows customers more flexibility in what they do with their devices. A key part of "Phone Freedom" was a "New in Two" guarantee, which promised customers that they would be able to upgrade their devices every two years on select plans. If T-Mobile makes financing a phone a three-year commitment, users will not be able to upgrade the device or leave the carrier as quickly. Related: T-Mobile's new free phone deal is hard to beat A T-Mobile shift to a 36-month financing plan would bring the company's policies more in line with competitors, as both Verizon and AT&T lock users into financing their phones over 36 months. AT&T made the change to longer financing periods in mid-2021, and Verizon followed along eight months later. It remains to be seen whether the new T-Mobile policy will eventually go into effect, or if the internal document and website glitch were just test cases. It's also unclear whether this change will apply to all devices - some plans do offer the New in Two promise, so the company may honor that commitment. More Retail: Costco quietly plans to offer a convenient service for customersT-Mobile pulls the plug on generous offer, angering customersKellogg sounds alarm on unexpected shift in customer behavior Ultimately, making this big change might give customers another reason to be dissatisfied. Of course, they may not be able to act on that anger if they get stuck in one of the new 36-month contracts that lock them in for the next three years. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 has a huge battery life upgrade — here's the iPhones that get it
One of our favorite new features added with the iOS 26 developer beta is Apple's new "adaptive power" mode aimed at extending the battery life of the best iPhones. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro model or newer to enjoy the benefits. In the iOS 26 developer beta, Apple describes adaptive power mode as a way for your iPhone to make 'small performance adjustments to extend your battery life,' such as by lowering screen brightness and 'allowing some activities to take a little longer.' When the setting's enabled, your phone will automatically trim its energy use to keep it going longer between charges. Adaptive power mode is different from the iPhone's existing low power mode, which restricts background activities and automatically kicks in when your battery reaches 20 percent. As confirmed in a weekend MacRumors report, the feature is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro phones and iPhone 16 series. While iOS 26 is compatible with phones as old as the iPhone 11, adaptive power mode is powered by artificial intelligence, so it's only enabled on phones capable of running Apple Intelligence. Below you can find a full list of iPhone models capable of running the new adaptive power mode in iOS 26: Adaptive Power is enabled by default in the iOS 26 developer beta, but you can also find it alongside Low Power Mode in the Battery > Power Mode section of the Settings menu. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman first reported that Apple was working on an AI-powered battery optimization feature last month. At the time, Gurman said the feature will use the 'battery data it has collected from users' devices' to figure out which apps to trim power consumption from. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Adaptive power mode could prove especially useful for the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored ultra-thin handset. Leaks suggest it could come with a measly 2,800 mAh — 1,100 mAh less than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Between this new setting and rumors that Apple will employ a new silicon carbon battery to boost battery density by as much as 15%, Apple may be able to squeeze out an impressively long battery life in the iPhone 17 Air's slim chassis. On the best Android phones, Google has a similar adaptive power feature that employs AI to predict your app usage and restricts the ones you don't visit as often from running in the background, thus using up precious battery life in the process. Over time, Adaptive Battery learns which apps are the worst drains on your phone's battery and limits some of their functions. That way, your phone's battery doesn't drain as much when it's left idle. iOS 26 remains in beta for now as Apple plans to roll out the full update sometime in the fall. It's rumored to add exciting new updates to the Camera and Photos apps as well as Apple Intelligence-powered live translation for text messages and calls.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Veteran chartist unveils eye-popping S&P 500 target
With the stock market again flirting with record highs, investors want to know if their portfolios can keep climbing the proverbial wall of worry or whether the recent gains have been a last gasp before headline risks kick in and the next downturn starts. It's a fair question in a market that has largely performed to analyst expectations only if you measure prognostications by their beginning and end points. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Plenty of analysts expected the market to be near peak levels by mid-year, but no one was calling for the bumpy ride that stock market has actually seen. The S&P 500's roller coaster ride this year has left many scratching their heads, wondering what may happen next. Many on Wall Street are revamping their S&P 500 targets, including two long-time technical analysts who recently shared their updated forecast. Bloomberg/Getty Images The Standard & Poor's 500 Index entered 2025 at 5,868 and peaked on February 19 at 6,144; it then proceeded to give back nearly all of that gain by the time April rolled around. But after President Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" – when he announced sweeping tariff plans that rattled the markets – the index lost another 15% in a matter of days, setting a new low on April 8 at 4,982. The market then began to grind its way back; a month after Liberation Day, on May 2, it had recovered the full measure of the decline triggered by the tariff announcement. By May 13, the S&P 500 was in positive territory for the year. Related: Fed official sends shocking message on interest rate cuts Since then, it has ground higher, crossing 6,000 on June 6; that – and the record of 6,144 – was where a lot of market observers expected to see resistance, where a market that failed to break through could fall back, potentially all the way back to the April lows. While news events don't become part of the S&P 500 chart until they show up in prices, they do factor into what market technicians think can happen next. Technical analysts can cite legitimate concerns about a potential economic slowdown, sticky inflation, uncertain tariff policies, geopolitical tensions around the world and more. Those headlines cast a shadow over the market, which has market technicians looking for a breakthrough to confirm that the recent bounce-back isn't just a bear market rally. Two prominent technical analysts have made it clear that they expect the rally to hold, with new record highs coming any day now. Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, says that investors see the messy economic backdrop and figure it's not conducive for a rally to new highs. Focus on the technicals and rely on history, however, and Turnquist says a different picture emerges. Related: Veteran strategist unveils updated gold price forecast For starters, bottoms are a process where the market hits lows and then tests them repeatedly, but the April downturn was V-shaped, steep and fast down but with a hard bounce and no-retest of the downturn. There is reason to believe in the upside, Turnquist says. In an interview on "Money Life with Chuck Jaffe," Turnquist noted that LPL research shows that over the last 75 years, when there is a meaningful new high three months after the last high was set, momentum tends to keep rolling, and the average return for the index over the ensuing 12 months is nearly 10 percent. "We can't discount the fact that we have a lot of trade uncertainty," Turnquist said. "Yes, we're past peak policy uncertainty when it comes to trade, but still very elevated, still a lot of headline risk. We talk about the deficit as well. There's risk there." Turnquist said if the market struggles to break through to new highs, a lot of analysts will call for a double-top and expect a fall back to at least the 5,400 level on the S&P 500. That's a 50% retracement on the rally, and it overlaps with some of the lows from last September. More Experts Analyst makes bold call on stocks, bonds, and goldTheStreet Stocks & Markets Podcast #8: Common Sense Investing With David MillerVeteran fund manager sends dire message on stocks For that reason, Turnquist expects the market to find "a confluence of support around those levels," but that's not the move he's calling for. Instead, he called this "a market where you want to be buying dips and not selling rips right now." He's not the only technical analyst who foresees those rips and new highs. Matt Fox, president of Ithaca Wealth Management, said in an interview on the June 17 edition of Money Life that the sell-off in April did a lot of the "technical damage" necessary to set up a rally. He said he now has a 7,000 target on the S&P 500, meaning a gain of roughly 20% in the next 12 months. "The momentum has been strong, and we have seen a lot of great participation across sectors," Fox said. "It's not just a handful of stocks that has driven this rebound from the April tariff lows; it has been the entire market. I think that's a good sign that not only will we test those new highs but we will keep on going up and keep on making new highs for the foreseeable future." Fox said the current charts are particularly strong, noting that he sees a lot of cup-and-handle patterns indicating stocks on the verge of a breakout. "It seems like we are in this sweet spot where the charts are lining up perfectly as the fundamentals are improving, and that can lead to some explosive moves," Fox said, noting that the conditions he sees in current charts remind him of 2013, a year in which the S&P 500 gained nearly 33%. "This is reminiscent of that," he said. "I'm worried to come off as too bullish, but I think it's hard not to be pretty constructive on the market going forward." Related: Veteran fund manager sends dire message on stocks The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
