EU Court Cuts Intel Antitrust Fine to €237 Million Amid Long-Running AMD Dispute 
SoftBank Shares Slide as Oracle’s AI Spending Plans Fuel Market Jitters 
SpaceX Edges Toward Landmark IPO as Elon Musk Confirms Plans 
US Charges Two Men in Alleged Nvidia Chip Smuggling Scheme to China 
Australia Enforces World-First Social Media Age Limit as Global Regulation Looms 
Mizuho Raises Broadcom Price Target to $450 on Surging AI Chip Demand 
IBM Nears $11 Billion Deal to Acquire Confluent in Major AI and Data Push 
China Adds Domestic AI Chips to Government Procurement List as U.S. Considers Easing Nvidia Export Curbs 
U.S. Greenlights Nvidia H200 Chip Exports to China With 25% Fee 
Nvidia Develops New Location-Verification Technology for AI Chips 
Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Sparks Global Debate and Early Challenges 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools Raises U.S. National Security Concerns 
Adobe Strengthens AI Strategy Ahead of Q4 Earnings, Says Stifel 
SpaceX Insider Share Sale Values Company Near $800 Billion Amid IPO Speculation 
Apple seems to be having a difficult time replicating the success of the second generation of iPhone SE. A research firm that surveyed salespeople from United States carriers reported that the mid-range phone’s successor, along with the standard Pixel 6 from Google, has not been selling well.
The report comes from Wave7 Research (via PCMag), which said that 56 percent of the salespeople who participated in the survey said they noticed a weaker demand for the 2022 iPhone SE compared to its predecessor released in April 2020. In the case of Pixel 6, the device seems to struggle to gain the interest of US carrier customers apart from Verizon. One salesperson told the research firm that they were only able to sell Pixel 6 to two customers because their first phone of choice -- Galaxy S22 variants -- were not in stock when they came in the store.
Another point raised in the report is the seeming lack of extra effort from Apple to advertise the iPhone SE. It is worth noting that the 2022 mid-range phone was unveiled more grandly as it was part of the company’s spring launch event last month. In comparison, the second-generation iPhone SE was only launched through a press release because it entered the market at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020.
One salesperson who was part of the survey also suggested that the smaller size of the iPhone SE might be a factor why not too many people are coming in to buy it. For the second time, Apple used the same iPhone 8 form factor for its mid-range phone that has a 4.7-inch screen.
This is an interesting take because there were earlier reports that said the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini faced the same struggles in terms of sales. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to ditch the “mini” model this year with reports that it will release four new iPhones in the fall, including a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max.
