Llama 4, Wolves & Trade Wars

Your essential tech update in 90 seconds:

CONSUMER TECH

Nintendo has just delayed their Switch 2 pre-orders, blaming "potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions."

This comes right as industry experts are whispering that Nintendo might have to bump up the US price thanks to those newly announced tariffs.

Meanwhile, the EU isn't sitting quietly – they're planning to hit back at US tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft in response to Trump slapping a sweeping 20% tariff on European goods.

Speaking of Apple, they're locked in a fight with the UK government right now, appealing an order to create a "back door" into their encrypted cloud storage systems.

And if you've been eyeing a new iPhone, you might want to move quickly. Apple has somehow kept that $999 flagship price since 2017, but that's likely changing soon as new tariffs hit basically every country where they manufacture – China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and others where Apple has shifted production.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Meta just dropped their Llama 4 lineup, and unlike most AI releases, you can actually get your hands on them right now. Meanwhile, Google's quietly rolling out their AI search mode to millions more users – a clear shot across ChatGPT's bow.

Over at Google, they're expanding their AI Mode search tab beyond the initial test group to millions more US Labs users. The feature now supports image uploads, essentially merging AI Mode with Google Lens to create a ChatGPT-like interface that can analyse visual content while answering complex questions.

FUTURE TECH

Colossal Biosciences just successfully "de-extincted" the dire wolf, which vanished 12,500 years ago. Yes, the same creatures from GoT were actually real, and now they're back with three healthy pups (including one named Khaleesi, naturally).

The team pulled off 20 precision gene edits using DNA from ancient remains. They've also cloned endangered red wolves, proving their tech works for both resurrection and conservation.

90 Second Tech