This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
What smart kitchen devices are worth it, and which aren't, on Smart Home Insider
This week’s episode of the Smart Home Insider podcast is all about the smart kitchen, breaking down which devices do and don’t need to have connectivity and why there’s been a drought on Matter appliances.
In the news this week, we had a rare improvement on pricing. Ecovacs has announced that due to tariff reversals, they were able to drop prices on its vacuums by as much as $400.
DJI has also received its first Matter certification from the CSA. It’s for a robotic vacuum with Matter version 1.4.2, which could be the existing Romo P, A, and S models that have already been released.
OpenAI's chip talks lay groundwork for iPhone competitor, assuming company survives
OpenAI is absolutely hemorrhaging cash. Despite that, the ChatGPT owner is talking to chipmakers to make an iPhone competitor, with AI centric to the design.
OpenAI is already in the process of working with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on an AI hardware project. However, OpenAI has the potential to take on the smartphone market and try to rival Apple with an AI-centric version.
In an X post on Monday, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that OpenAI is working with MediaTek and Qualcomm on a new generation of smartphone processors. The report frames this as OpenAI moving into the smartphone space.
Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible
LincPlus LincStation E1 review: Compact, entry-level, and fast enough
The LincPlus LincStation E1 is a compact NAS that promises speed, capacity, and some smart features. Prosumers and above should skip this one, but for everyday users, it’s a pretty decent package.
A typical network-attached storage (NAS) device is, as the name implies, a bunch of drives in a purpose-made computer, optimized to serve files. There’s a big range that falls under that umbrella though, with many models able to provide services that rival a rack-mounted server.
When it comes to making a NAS for a typical computer user rather than those with greater needs, things tighten up a bit. We’ve been fond of LincStation’s approach to that market.
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
