Apple says it’s ‘hard to predict’ when iPhone Duo constraints will improve

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1:39According to Apple, it's hard to predict when iPhone Duo constraints will improve. I'm Emron Shaikh and your Wednesday Daily Crunch featuring three big tech headlines starts right now. Apple's AI-powered audio intelligence technology for the Apple Watch is rolling out into beta testing on Tuesday, initially for developers in the iOS 27.3 update after first being announced at the company's Surprise and Shine hardware event in September. Now, the tech includes a set of four opt-in AI features that allow Apple Watch Series 12 wearers to detect important sounds, identify songs, catch up on conversations, and take notes.

2:17The news was announced via a press release sent out via Apple in India, but the update has not yet rolled out in the U.S. market as of Tuesday morning. The sound recognition feature will help deaf and hard-of-hearing users identify important sounds like sirens, alarms, or doorbells from their watch, while the song recognition feature taps into Apple's Shazam app to detect music playing in the background and identify the song name and artist. However, the more potentially controversial features are those that listen to human conversations, Live Rewind and Siri recaps. Given the backlash to AI recording devices like Meta's AI glasses and other AI wearables, Apple has attempted to carve out a space where the features can be useful to Apple watch owners while still respecting the privacy of those around them.

3:02With Live Rewind, the idea is to let you go back in time to see what someone just said in case you missed it. For instance, if someone was giving you verbal directions or reading a long list of specials at a restaurant, you could double-press on the watch's digital crown to see what was said in the last 15 seconds as a text snippet displayed on the watch face. You can view this snippet and then, well, do nothing, and it'll disappear permanently. Or you can save it to the standalone Siri app that shipped with iOS 27 for later access, which might be helpful if you're trying to remember someone's name or take a quick note from a fast-paced presentation.

3:38For more on Apple's AI-powered audio intelligence technology for the Apple Watch, head over to TechCrunch.com. On Tuesday, Google announced that it plans to disable AI tools for K-12 students next year unless school administrators explicitly turn them on. The tech giant says the change follows consultations with schools, teachers, leading researchers, and policymakers. Now, as a result, Google is revising its approach across Gemini, Notebook, LM, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search. The decision means that schools choosing to restrict AI altogether will no longer be able to access Google Search as AI features are now integrated into the search engine.

4:17Chris Phillips, vice president for education at Google, told the New York Times that search and AI are deeply integrated, which means that if a school chooses to restrict AI altogether, students will not have access to search and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available. The change raises an issue for schools. Although teachers may not want students to use AI overviews and Google Search to conduct research or complete assignments, they likely still want them to be able to have access to the search engine to find sources and other learning materials. However, Google Search and its AI features are now inseparable.

4:50Given the dominance of Google's suite of apps in classrooms and the widespread use of Chromebooks, the decision underscores the company's influence over the education sector. Schools that want to continue to have access to Google Search, well, looks like they're gonna have to accept its AI features. Apple Chief Operating Officer Sabi Khan acknowledged the shipping delays plaguing the new iPhone duo during the company's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call on Monday, but offered little clarity on when customers can expect relief. You see, the delays were just one point of concern during an earnings call filled with questions about the rising costs of memory chips driven by soaring demand from the AI industry.

5:29Customers who didn't wait in line at an Apple store or immediately jump on pre-orders are now seeing ship time stretch into next year. Meanwhile, Verizon has been apologizing to its customers for the delays by offering gift cards. In an October report from the Financial Times, Apple described demand for the duo as nothing short of extraordinary after the device sold out on the company's website within hours of going on sale, pushing delivery dates into next year. The prolonged shipping delays are notable given Apple's reputation for its highly efficient supply chain. But the company is hardly alone in facing supply pressures.

6:04You see, soaring demand for memory chips from the AI industry has driven up component costs for hardware makers across the board, threatening to push device prices even higher. Apple, too, has raised prices on a number of products, Khan noted on the call, adding that those decisions were made reluctantly. In another sign of the company's efforts to meet demand for the duo, Apple said it's deepening its partnership with Perriman, a titanium producer for supplying materials for the new foldable device. We've been thrilled with the early response from reviewers and customers, and we are working hard to get iPhone Duo into customers' hands as quickly as we can, Apple CEO John Turner said during his opening remarks.

6:42And folks, that's your Daily Crunch. Today's stories were reported by Aisha Malik, Sarah Perez, and more awesome TechCrunch journalists. We'll see you here tomorrow, same Tech Time, same Crunch channel, and until then, find us at TechCrunch.com.