7 Days: WhatsApp tests a paid version, Apple gets a new CEO, and Intel plans cheap DRAM

A week of Opera getting 500% volume booster, Codex reaching 4 million weekly users, Game Pass is cheaper, and new Steam controller could be pricey.

7 Days is a weekly roundup of picks of what's been happening in the world of technology - written with a dash of humor, a hint of exasperation, and an endless supply of (black) coffee.

This week's highlights include Tim Cook getting a successor, multi-billion-dollar AI deals, and WhatsApp getting a paid version after Instagram. Let's get started.

You can check out recent issues of the '7 Days' weekly series here.

End of an era: New Apple boss to take charge

Tim Cook and John Ternus walking together at Apple Park

One of the biggest transitions is happening in the tech industry. Apple has been preparing for Tim Cook's retirement for a while and finally announced that hardware chief John Ternus will fill in Cook's shoes as the new Apple CEO on September 1 this year. The current Apple boss, who catapulted the Cupertino giant from a market cap of $350 billion to $4 trillion, will continue as the executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.

For AI dominance

The AI coding startup Cursor was a hot topic this week as SpaceX announced it's acquiring Cursor in a $60 billion deal later this year. The Elon Musk-owned company wants to build an integrated development platform (IDE) using the Colossus supercomputer. Meanwhile, it was reported that Microsoft also considered buying Cursor but decided not to proceed.

Ban Ban Ban

Social media logos on cubes — *Image via DepositPhotos.com*

The UK's digital regulator, Ofcom, is going after Telegram after evidence suggested CSAM was being shared on the platform. An investigation under the Online Safety Act will see whether Telegram is meeting its CSAM obligations. If it fails, the instant messaging app could face a massive fine of 18 million pounds or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, and a potential ban.

Following other countries, Turkey has passed a bill to ban social media for kids under 15, and platforms will be required to install an age-verification system to restrict access to children. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has about two weeks to accept it.

Speaking of child safety, Meta's new Insights tab will show parents what their kids are up to with AI on Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram.

Boost volume by 500%

Opera just had its VLC moment; the web browser got a new volume booster to push the volume beyond your imagination. If you're struggling with low-volume content in a browser tab, you can increase the volume by up to 500%.

In other browser news, Google expanded Gemini in Chrome to seven countries in the Asia Pacific, allowing users to summarize tabs, edit images with Nano Banana 2, and sync Google apps directly inside their browser.

Microsoft Edge is working on a work profile feature for people who rely on Google for search queries to give them a more seamless experience. Meanwhile, Firefox 150.0 introduced Split View improvements, new features for the PDF editor, and more.

Fear sells?

Anthropic's Claude Mythos model became the latest buzzword in the AI space recently. The model can bypass sophisticated cybersecurity measures and caught the attention of the OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who remains unconvinced. He said that Anthropic is using fear-based marketing to promote its new model.

Speaking of cybersecurity, home security brand ADT confirmed a data breach linked to the ShinyHunters group. While ADT claims only a small number of users were affected, the hackers posted on a data leak site that the breach is much larger. Meanwhile, a trojanized HandyPay app is used by attackers to source NFC payment data of Android users.

Screenless band from Google (and more)

Google's upcoming screenless fitness band might be called Fitbit Air, according to a new leak. Expected to cost around $100, it will be available in Obsidian, Lavender, and Berry color options.

In other Google news, the search giant debuted its 8th-gen TPU AI chips (TPU 8t and TPU 8i) for training and inference, making big performance claims like near-zero latency. At Google Next Cloud, the company also unveiled Workspace Intelligence as a direct competitor to Microsoft's Work IQ.

Google Meet's Connect Room feature is now available to all Workspace customers with a Google Meet hardware. The feature uses ultrasound to detect the Meet hardware and join a video call without entering a code.

iPhone Fold on a strict diet before launch

An Apple Store sign — *Image via DepositPhotos.com*

The first foldable iPhone is expected to launch this year. A new rumor suggests the device will be thinner than expected, measuring 9.23mm compared to the previously suggested 9.6mm. This year will also see the iPhone 18 Pro in Dark Cherry as the new flagship color, replacing Cosmic Orange. It was reported that Apple might downgrade the base iPhone 18 to cut production costs, potentially bringing it close to the iPhone 18e in terms of specifications.

Apple fixes a loophole

The latest iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2 updates patch a vulnerability that allowed the FBI to extract deleted, encrypted Signal messages from a suspect's iPhone, even after they were set to disappear. The agency exploited a flaw in iOS's internal push notification database instead of compromising Signal's end-to-end encryption.

WhatsApp paid version

Image: Pixabay

After Instagram Plus, Meta is now looking for more ways to make money through WhatsApp. The company is testing "WhatsApp Plus" premium subscription, bringing perks such as the ability to send premium stickers, change the app's icon and theme, pin more chats, and access custom ringtones.

No more X Communities

The Communities feature on X, which lets you connect with people with similar interests, is shutting down. The social media giant is now focusing on XChat instead. It's said that low footfall and a high spam rate are the reasons why the feature is being scrapped.

A standalone XChat app launched for iOS 26 to act as an alternative for DMs and serve as a new home for Communities members. Among various features, admins can create group chats on XChat and share a joinable link on the Timeline.

Cheap DDR5 RAM, massive cache

While the global market is facing a memory crisis due to AI, Intel is working with ASRock and TeamGroup on a new technology to make DDR5 RAM cheaper. ASRock's new HUDIMM DDR5 module halves the number of memory chips per stick, enabling single-subchannel (1×32-bit) modules. It's supported on Intel 600, 700, and 800 motherboard series, but there is no mention of AMD motherboards yet.

Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop CPUs are expected to feature a massive cache, rumored to be much larger than AMD's 9950X3D2. A report claimed that Intel's top chip will include 288MB of L3 cache arranged across two compute tiles. AMD Ryzen X3D processors performed exceptionally well in AI RAG testing, showing big benefits on Windows 11 25H2.

In other silicon news, Alienware refreshed its Area-51 flagship gaming desktop with AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors, including the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. Maingear also announced a redesigned MG-1 Mk.II gaming desktop with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 and a bloatware-free Windows 11.

21 years of waiting

KDE seems to be testing the boundaries of better late than never. Plasma fans finally got the feature they have been requesting for over 21 years: per-screen virtual desktops. This means switching the workspace in a multi-monitor setup won't switch it across all monitors simultaneously. This Week in Plasma also brought good news for Intel users as KDE added support for overlay plans, which AMD users have had for years.

Here are some more stories from the open-source world:

The money pump

The AI industry is pumping as much money as it can. Anthropic signed a $100 billion AI infrastructure deal with Amazon, designating AWS as its primary cloud and training provider to meet global demand. Meta also entered a multi-billion dollar deal to power its agentic AI and computer workloads with AWS Gravitation5 cores.

Anthropic is seeing money coming from all directions. Amazon will invest up to $25 billion in the AI company. Google is also pouring $10 billion and will invest an additional $30 billion if the AI startup hits certain performance targets.

Codex hits 4 million WAU

OpenAI's Codex reached a new milestone as it crossed four million weekly active users, adding a million users in just two weeks. The AI giant launched Chronicle for Codex, an opt-in preview feature for macOS to streamline developer workflows.

OpenAI had a big week. It started competing with Nano Banana 2 by launching ChatGPT Images 2.0, which is significantly better at images that include text. ChatGPT now has workspace agents in research preview to help teams build and share AI agents within their organization.

OpenAI also launched a specialized version of its AI platform, called ChatGPT for Clinicians, for healthcare professionals with documentation, medical research, and care-related queries. The company's new GPT-5.5 frontier model is significantly better at agentic coding, computer use, knowledge work, and early scientific research.

That said, here are some more AI stories from this week:

New from System76

Linux PC maker System76 launched two new devices under its Thelio product family: Thelio Mira and Thelio Major. Mira is a desktop for professionals configurable with a Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor, 192GB of DDR5 memory, 28TB of storage, and NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics. Meanwhile, the Thelio Major workstation is configurable with 64-core AMD Threadripper 9980X processors, 256GB DDR5 ECC memory, NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell graphics, and 40TB of storage.

Proton Pass gets folders and other stuff

The spring and summer roadmap for Proton says its password manager, Proton Pass, will get support for folders and a new SSH agent. You will be able to organize your credentials and notes into dedicated folders/subfolders and share them with others. Proton said the feature will "require some rethinking of our cryptography model."

What happened at Microsoft this week

For those wondering what happened under the Redmond giant's roof this week: Microsoft explained how Windows 11 will get faster, shared upcoming OneDrive features, and introduced a built-in internet speed test for 25H2 and 24H2 users.

Rufus got some big updates, including a silent Windows 11 installation, the ability to turn off Copilot, and the ability to remove stock apps. You can check out Taras's freshly baked Microsoft Weekly roundup to catch up on all the interesting stories this week.

Cheaper Game Pass

Microsoft made a surprising move and reduced the prices of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This came after Xbox Chief Asha Sharma called Game Pass too expensive. A 15% to 25% reduction came with a price; Game Pass users won't see day-one launches for Call of Duty titles.

It's said that Microsoft is also readying a new Starter Edition for Game Pass. However, rather than being a standalone tier, it's likely to be bundled with Discord Nitro, a subscription service that offers extra chat and streaming perks.

The Xbox division has undergone massive shake-ups in recent months. It is focused on bringing things back on track with a list of major changes, and its "north star" will now be "daily active players." Meanwhile, a limited edition Forza Horizon 6 controller and headset arrived to celebrate the latest racing title.

What else in gaming?

The latest issue of Pulasthi's Weekend PC Game Deals curates several exciting games on sale this week. For the Epic Games Store this week, the fast-paced Metroidvania Doomblade is free to claim for all PC gamers.

While nine games left Xbox Game Pass, the subscription is now loaded with smaller-scale titles and indie hits, including Aphelion, Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era, and Vampire Crawlers. Meanwhile, the latest Free Play Days for Xbox fans brought Anno 117, Age of Mythology: Retold, and more titles.

That said, here are some more stories from the gaming world:

From the review corner

If using vinyls and CDs is still your cup of tea, Steven got his hands on the MIXX Analog Plus this week. It's a 2-in-2 fully automatic vinyl turntable with a built-in CD player and wireless Bluetooth 5.3 audio streaming. The device has a premium build, a good price tag, and acceptable sound quality. However, it doesn't support gapless CD playback, starts in CD mode when powered on, and the Bluetooth switch is located at the back instead of the mode button.

Aulumu M10

Taras got to try out one of the coolest-looking power banks that can take care of all your Apple devices. With a 10,000 mAh capacity, Aulumu M10 can deliver a 35W max output. It comes with a built-in Apple Watch puck and MagSafe charging support. The power bank has a unique design, a metal chassis with good thermals, and comes with a carrying case. However, it might feel a bit awkward to hold.

So, these were some of the biggest tech news and other updates from this week. There will be more issues of our 7 Days series in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing to extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.

Have a great weekend!

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Monday 27 April 2026 at 7:37 am AEST (my time).

News posts: 2023 5,800+ | 2024 5,700+ | 2025 5,700+ | 2026 (to end of March) 1,297

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