Apple is reportedly working on a new AirPods feature that can translate live, in-person conversations between different languages. This real-time translation ability will be tied to the upcoming iOS 19 update and delivered via an AirPods software upgrade later this year​. In simple terms, your AirPods and iPhone will team up as your personal interpreter, helping you understand and speak foreign languages during face-to-face chats.

How the Feature Works

Apple’s AirPods Pro with charging case. With iOS 19, Apple plans to update AirPods to translate live conversations via a software update, which should work with current AirPods models​

The translation process uses both your AirPods and your iPhone’s Translate app working together​. For example, imagine an English speaker wearing AirPods talking to a Spanish speaker. The AirPods’ microphones will pick up the Spanish speech and send it to the iPhone, which instantly translates it into English. The English translation is then played back in the AirPods, so the English-speaking user hears the Spanish sentence in English​. When the English speaker replies, the iPhone will translate their response into Spanish and speak it aloud through the iPhone’s speakers for the Spanish speaker to hear​. In essence, AirPods become a wireless earpiece for real-time conversation translation. Apple’s built-in Translate app already supports bilingual conversation mode on an iPhone screen, but integrating it directly with AirPods will make the experience more seamless and hands-free

Real-Life Uses for Travel, Business, and Education

A live translation feature in AirPods could break down language barriers in everyday situations. Here are some ways it can be useful:

·  Travel: Tourists can communicate with locals more easily. For instance, you could ask for directions or order food in a foreign country and hear the translation of the local’s response instantly in your ear​. This makes interactions abroad more natural and efficient, without needing phrasebooks or typing into translation apps​.

·  Business: Professionals working with international clients or colleagues can have smoother meetings. In multilingual business meetings or negotiations, AirPods could translate what each person says on the fly, reducing the need for human interpreters or translation devices​. This real-time support can help ensure everyone understands each other, improving collaboration across languages.

·  Education: Language learners and students could benefit from practicing with real conversations. For example, a student learning French might wear AirPods while conversing with a native French speaker; the AirPods can provide immediate translations when something isn’t understood​. Hearing the translated phrases in real time can also help learners grasp pronunciation and sentence structure better​, making it a helpful tool for immersion and learning.

How It Compares to Existing Translation Tools

Real-time language translation isn’t an entirely new idea – Google’s Pixel Buds have offered a similar feature for several years​. Back in 2017, Google demonstrated Pixel Buds translating conversations in real time using Google Translate, supporting around 40 languages​. Many travelers have used Pixel Buds or smartphone apps like Google Translate to converse in foreign languages. Several other companies also sell translator earbud devices with live translation capabilities.

What makes Apple’s approach noteworthy is the deep integration with the iPhone and the Apple ecosystem. Apple Translate (introduced in iOS 14) already works with many languages on the iPhone, and iOS 19’s AirPods translation will tap into that app​. The big advantage is convenience – instead of holding up a phone or using a separate gadget, you can hear translations directly in your ear and respond, almost like having a universal translator from science fiction.

Possible Concerns and Considerations

As exciting as real-time translation sounds, there are a few concerns to keep in mind:

• Privacy: Using any live translator means audio of your conversation is being processed. Apple’s translation feature will rely on your iPhone, and Apple has a strong focus on privacy and on‑device processing​. In theory, if translations are handled locally on the iPhone (without sending data to cloud servers), your conversations stay private​. However, users should be aware of privacy implications, especially if any cloud-based translation is involved. In sensitive conversations, some might worry about who could potentially access the voice data. Apple will likely emphasize safeguards, but it’s wise to use such features judiciously when discussing confidential matters.

• Translation Accuracy: Machine translation has improved a lot, but it’s not perfect. Real-life speech can be tricky – accents, dialects, idioms, or background noise might confuse the translator​. This could lead to incorrect or awkward translations. Users might experience the system mistranslating a phrase or missing context, which can cause misunderstandings. Over time, Apple may refine the accuracy with AI improvements, but at launch there may be limitations. It’s best to speak clearly and be patient, as a slight delay or occasional error in translation is possible.

• Dependence on the iPhone: Unlike a standalone translator device, AirPods will require an iPhone nearby to do the heavy lifting of translation. The AirPods themselves aren’t doing the translation; they act as microphones and speakers, while the iPhone’s processor and Translate app handle the language processing​. This means you’ll need to have your iPhone with you (and likely in active use) during the conversation. If your iPhone battery dies or you don’t have cellular or Wi-Fi for an online translation (if offline packs aren’t downloaded), the feature could be limited. In short, the convenience also comes with the constraint of staying within Apple’s device ecosystem.

Additionally, users might consider practical factors like battery life – continuously translating conversations could drain the AirPods and iPhone battery faster than usual, especially during long dialogues. Despite these caveats, the prospect of breaking down language barriers on the go is generating a lot of excitement. Apple’s solution will join existing tools in this space, but with the promise of greater integration and ease of use for iPhone and AirPods owners.

Overall, Apple’s upcoming real-time translation feature for AirPods could be a game-changer for multilingual communication. It aims to make foreign language conversations feel more natural by delivering immediate translations in your ear. We’ll learn more when iOS 19 is officially unveiled (likely at WWDC 2025) and this feature rolls out. If it works as described, traveling or working across languages may soon be as simple as having a friendly translator whispering in your ear, courtesy of your AirPods and iPhone.

In other words, Apple is aiming for a more hands-free, seamless experience compared to using a phone app alone​. And unlike some third-party solutions that require specific hardware or apps, this feature is expected to work with standard AirPods and an iPhone you already own, via a software update​. Apple coming later to the party might also mean they can refine the idea – leveraging on-device processing and the iPhone’s powerful chips to potentially make translations faster and more secure.

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Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is making a strategic shift in artificial intelligence (AI) development by testing its first in-house chip designed for training AI systems. This move marks a significant step toward reducing reliance on external suppliers like Nvidia and cutting down on infrastructure costs.

A Step Towards Self-Sufficiency

The world’s largest social media giant has commenced a small-scale deployment of the AI training chip, with plans to expand production if initial tests yield positive results. This development is part of Meta’s broader strategy to control its AI-driven future by designing custom silicon, rather than depending solely on industry leaders like Nvidia.

Meta’s commitment to AI is evident in its financial projections. The company anticipates total expenses of $114 billion to $119 billion in 2025, with up to $65 billion allocated for capital expenditures primarily driven by AI infrastructure investments.

The Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) Program

The new chip is part of Meta’s MTIA series, which has faced setbacks in the past. One of the sources noted that the training chip is a dedicated accelerator, meaning it is optimized specifically for AI workloads, potentially making it more power-efficient than traditional integrated GPUs used for such tasks.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) (2330.TW) is producing the chip, which recently completed its first “tape-out” a critical milestone in silicon development. Tape-outs involve sending an initial chip design to a factory for manufacturing, a process that costs millions and takes several months. However, the risk of failure remains high, as an unsuccessful test would require Meta to diagnose issues and redo the tape-out process.

Learning from Past Failures

Meta’s journey in AI chip development has not been without obstacles. The company previously scrapped an in-house custom inference chip after an unsuccessful small-scale deployment, forcing it to reverse course and invest billions in Nvidia GPUs. This decision made Meta one of Nvidia’s largest customers, utilizing GPUs for tasks like ad systems, recommendation engines, and training large-scale AI models, including its Llama foundation model series.

However, Meta’s executives are determined to make their own chips viable. Last year, the company successfully deployed an MTIA chip for inference tasks, such as curating content for Facebook and Instagram news feeds. This success has encouraged Meta to push forward with training-specific chips, with plans to integrate them into AI-powered recommendation systems and, eventually, generative AI applications like the Meta AI chatbot.

A New Era for AI Training?

Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox likened the company’s AI chip development to a “walk, crawl, run” approach, emphasizing gradual advancements. He highlighted the first-generation inference chip as a major success and underscored the long-term vision of scaling up Meta’s AI capabilities through proprietary hardware.

Despite this push, doubts persist about the long-term sustainability of scaling large language models through sheer computational power. Recent breakthroughs by Chinese startup DeepSeek have demonstrated that optimizing computational efficiency rather than simply increasing GPU power could be a more effective approach. This realization triggered a temporary decline in AI stock values, including a sharp drop in Nvidia’s share price.

Nonetheless, investors remain confident in Nvidia’s dominance in the AI chip industry, even as companies like Meta explore alternative solutions. Whether Meta’s AI chip strategy will eventually disrupt the reliance on third-party GPUs remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the battle for AI hardware supremacy is just beginning.

Meta’s shift toward custom AI chips marks a significant inflection point in its technological evolution. If successful, this endeavor could lower costs, improve efficiency, and reduce dependency on Nvidia and other external suppliers. However, the risks remain high, and the company’s ability to execute this vision will determine whether it can establish itself as a leader in AI hardware.

Also read: Microsoft is Reportedly Working on an Xbox Handheld Console

Microsoft is making a bold move in gaming by reportedly working on a handheld Xbox console, which could launch later this year. This comes alongside plans to introduce new versions of the Xbox Series S and X consoles by 2027. If these reports are accurate, it signals a shift in Microsoft’s gaming strategy towards more flexibility and portability.

Xbox Handheld: What We Know So Far

According to Windows Central, Microsoft is collaborating with a PC gaming OEM potentially brands like ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, or Razer to develop the device. Unlike a traditional console, this new handheld will run Windows and focus on the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass as core features. This suggests it will function more like a gaming PC in a portable form factor, rather than a fully custom-built Xbox console.

Reports indicate that the handheld, codenamed “Keenan,” may not introduce groundbreaking hardware but will refine Windows for handheld gaming. The device could be similar to existing PC handhelds, like the Asus ROG Ally X or Lenovo Legion Go, and could feature an AMD Strix Point APU, ensuring high performance for modern games.

Microsoft’s Strategy – Expanding the Xbox Ecosystem

Rather than being a major revenue generator, this new handheld is believed to be a research project for Microsoft, helping the company explore ways to expand Xbox beyond traditional consoles. It aligns with Microsoft’s vision of making Xbox an ecosystem rather than a single hardware platform.

While the hardware itself may resemble existing PC handhelds, Microsoft’s real innovation may come from optimizing Windows for portable gaming. Improvements could include better power management, fan control, console-style input integration, and a more user-friendly touch interface. If Microsoft succeeds, this could set a new standard for Windows-based handheld gaming.

How Does This Compare to Valve’s Steam Deck?

Microsoft’s move mirrors Valve’s SteamOS strategy, where the company optimized its OS for the Steam Deck and later expanded it to third-party devices. A dedicated handheld Xbox, optimized for Game Pass, could be a direct response to the Steam Deck’s success in dominating the portable gaming market. The challenge for Microsoft will be creating a seamless handheld gaming experience that truly competes with Valve’s optimized SteamOS.

What’s Next for Xbox Consoles?

Alongside the handheld, Windows Central reports that Microsoft has also finalized plans for the next generation of Xbox consoles, set to replace the Xbox Series S and X in 2027. These consoles will likely continue the trend of becoming more PC-like, making it easier for developers to port games between PC and Xbox.

While no official specs have been revealed, it’s speculated that the next Xbox will use AMD’s future GPU architecture, likely beyond RDNA 4. Microsoft also plans to ensure backward compatibility, meaning older Xbox games will still be playable on newer hardware.

Final Thoughts – Will This Xbox Handheld Succeed?

The handheld gaming market has remained niche, despite the rise of devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go. If Microsoft can successfully optimize Windows for handheld gaming and deeply integrate Game Pass, it could change the landscape of portable gaming.

However, competition is fierce. The Steam Deck remains the dominant player, and success will depend on how well Microsoft balances hardware, software, and pricing. If done right, an Xbox handheld could redefine portable gaming and push Microsoft further into the world of PC-style gaming devices.

OpenAI researchers have revealed that even their most cutting-edge AI models still fall short of matching human coders, despite CEO Sam Altman’s assertion that these systems could outdo “low-level” software engineers by the end of the year. In a newly released paper, the team notes that frontier AI models those at the very forefront of the field remain incapable of handling the bulk of coding tasks.

To reach this conclusion, the researchers introduced a fresh benchmark called SWE-Lancer. This tool draws on more than 1,400 real-world software engineering tasks from the freelancing site Upwork. Using SWE-Lancer, OpenAI evaluated three large language models: its own o1 reasoning model, the flagship GPT-4o, and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

Researchers used a newly created benchmark to see how large language models would handle two categories of Upwork tasks: fixing bugs directly or managing projects at a higher level. To prevent any reliance on existing online code solutions, the models were barred from internet access. Although they collectively tackled jobs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, the models mostly addressed small, surface-level errors. They consistently fell short when it came to spotting more serious bugs or diagnosing their deeper causes an outcome often noted by those familiar with AI’s knack for confidently supplying answers that can unravel upon close inspection.

Despite working at speeds far exceeding human programmers, all three models struggled to recognize how pervasive the errors were or how they impacted the broader project. This led to incomplete or inaccurate outcomes. Among them, Claude 3.5 Sonnet was the top earner on these simulated Upwork tasks, outperforming the two OpenAI models. However, the majority of its solutions were still flawed, and the paper concluded that any AI system would need much greater consistency and accuracy to be suitable for real coding work. In short, while frontier AI models can solve focused issues and do it quickly, they remain nowhere near as adept as human engineers when it comes to tackling complex software challenges.

Although these large language models have made huge strides in recent years and will likely keep improving, they still lack the expertise to fully replace human software developers. Despite this shortfall, it hasn’t prevented some CEOs from taking the risky step of dismissing their programmers in favor of AI systems that aren’t quite ready for prime time.

Also read: China’s EV Giant to Mass Produce Solid-State Batteries for Extended Range

BYD, one of China’s leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, has announced a major milestone in battery technology. The company is set to mass-produce all-solid-state batteries (SSBs), marking a shift towards safer and more efficient energy storage solutions. These batteries replace the liquid electrolytes found in traditional lithium-ion batteries with solid electrolytes, enhancing safety and performance.

What Makes Solid-State Batteries Special?

Solid-state batteries bring several advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries. By using sulfide-based solid electrolytes, BYD aims to offer:

• Longer battery life: Reduced degradation over time.
• Faster charging: More efficient energy transfer.
• Improved safety: Less risk of overheating or fire.
• Higher energy density: Increased driving range for EVs.

These benefits make solid-state batteries an ideal choice for high-end electric vehicles, where performance and safety are top priorities.

BYD’s Plan for Solid-State EVs

BYD’s Chief Technology Officer, Sun Huajun, confirmed that the company expects its first solid-state EVs to be available within the next two years. The initial phase will focus on limited production, allowing BYD to demonstrate the capabilities of its new battery technology. Over the next five years, the company plans to scale up production and integrate these batteries into more EV models.

The Global Competition in Solid-State Batteries

Currently, no automaker has mass-produced all-solid-state batteries for EVs, making BYD one of the pioneers in the field. The company is the world’s second-largest EV battery manufacturer, holding a 17.2% market share in 2023. The only company ahead of BYD is Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), which dominates with a 37.9% global market share. CATL has also announced plans to produce solid-state batteries, though mass production is expected around 2027.

Challenges in Mass Production

While solid-state batteries are seen as the future of EVs, there are challenges to overcome before they can be widely used. These include:

• Manufacturing complexity: New methods are needed to produce these batteries at scale.
• High initial costs: Costs must be reduced to match lithium-ion batteries.
• Electrode design: The structure and materials used in electrodes impact performance and cost.

BYD is working on these challenges to ensure that solid-state batteries can be produced efficiently for future EVs.

The Future of EV Battery Technology

Solid-state batteries are considered the “holy grail” of EV battery innovation. Their potential to provide longer range, faster charging, and increased safety makes them a game-changer for the industry. As more automakers invest in this technology, we may see a major shift towards solid-state-powered EVs in the coming years.

With BYD leading the charge, the race to bring solid-state batteries to market is heating up. The next few years will be crucial in determining how quickly this technology can become mainstream and revolutionize electric mobility.

The development of solid-state batteries is a major step forward for the EV industry. With BYD and CATL competing to bring this technology to market, we can expect significant advancements in EV range, charging speed, and safety. If mass production is successful, solid-state batteries could soon replace traditional lithium-ion batteries, making electric vehicles more efficient and accessible worldwide.

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