Consumer Tech News (Mar 3-Mar 7): Discord May Initiate IPO, Apple's New MacBook Air With M4 Chip, Tencent' Yuanbao AI Surpassed DeepSeek As Most Downloaded & More

President Donald Trump has strongly criticized the U.K. government’s demand for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to create a backdoor into its encrypted cloud storage, comparing the move to authoritarian surveillance tactics used in China.

First Lady Melania Trump used her first major public appearance to call for stronger protections against online abuse, advocating for legislation targeting deepfake and revenge pornography while criticizing Democrats for their absence at the discussion.

Smartphones

Honor has ramped up its AI ambitions with a $10 billion investment over the next five years, alongside a deeper partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google.

Technology

Major tech firms, including Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), ByteDance-owned TikTok, and Snapchat, are urging Australia to reconsider the exemption of YouTube, an online video sharing platform owned by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google, from its ban on social media access for users under 16.

Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) launched its newest MacBook Air with equipped with the advanced M4 chip for improved speed, longer battery life, and a 12MP camera. The base version costs as low as $999.

Google has begun disabling uBlock Origin and other extensions that rely on its outdated Manifest V2 framework, leaving millions of Chrome users scrambling for alternatives as the company fully transitions to its new extension standard, Manifest V3.

Ransomware operators have found a way to exploit a Windows-signed driver from Paragon Partition Manager, posing a threat to system security.

Discord, the popular social chat app favored by gamers, is reportedly in early discussions with investment bankers about a potential initial public offering in 2025.

Former Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) CEO Craig Barrett has strongly criticized calls to divide Intel’s business, arguing that the company should focus on its recent chipmaking breakthroughs instead.

Read: Ming-Chi Kuo Dismisses Nvidia Order Cut Speculation Amid Intact AI Demand, Confirms TSMC Expansion On Track

Reddit Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) co-founder and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian has joined Frank McCourt’s bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, as competition intensifies with rival groups that include YouTube star Jimmy Donalson, aka MrBeast, tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, and Wyoming investor Reid Rasner.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Tencent Holdings’ (OTC:TCEHY) Yuanbao AI chatbot has surpassed DeepSeek as the most downloaded iPhone app in China.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek revealed cost and revenue estimates for its popular V3 and R1 models, showing a theoretical cost-profit ratio of up to 545% per day.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for stronger U.S. AI safeguards, warning that autocratic regimes like China and Russia could use artificial intelligence to enhance their control and military capabilities.

Anthropic and Google has raised $3.5 billion in a Series E funding round, bringing its valuation to $61.5 billion.