Stay informed about the latest happenings in technology. This week’s top stories include the public beta launch of iOS 26, GitHub’s new Spark AI, warnings from OpenAI’s CEO, potential GPT-5 release, and a major Starlink service disruption.
Apple’s new iOS 26 is now available in its initial public beta version. This follows the developer beta releases. The public beta lets regular users test out the new Liquid Glass interface and other features before the official launch.
Typically, public betas for iOS are rolled out in July to help squash early bugs. These versions offer a preview of new iOS features and are generally considered more stable than the developer versions.
GitHub, owned by Microsoft, has introduced GitHub Spark, an AI tool that lets users build apps by providing instructions in plain language.
Spark allows you to select from two AI models: OpenAI GPT or Claude Sonnet. It generates the code and shows an interactive preview, allowing for further refinement.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has cautioned about the increasing use of AI tools, like ChatGPT, as substitutes for therapists and coaches. He highlighted that there are currently no legal safeguards for these interactions.
Reports suggest that OpenAI’s next big model, GPT-5, might launch in early August. GPT-5 is expected to have unified reasoning capabilities, as reported by The Verge.
Elon Musk’s Starlink experienced a significant global outage this week. This outage affected internet access for millions across several countries, including the US, UK, and Germany, lasting approximately 2.5 hours.
This outage is among the longest in Starlink’s history. The incident occurred shortly after Starlink announced a new T-Satellite rollout in partnership with T-Mobile to extend coverage to remote areas.