usatoday24

iOS 26.6 fixes 78 security holes

July 29, 2026 by usatoday24

It is not the same to receive an update with new features that one can try on the phone than another one where the changes go internally. The latter are the boring ones, those that you leave until the end and that you only install when you get tired of seeing the notification. Paradoxically, the important ones tend to be the latter, because They are the ones that fix phone problems. This is the case of the recent update released by Apple. A patch to fix serious threats. The recent iOS 26.6 (and versions of other devices) is already in full distribution for compatible iPhones. In the update notice, Apple emphasizes that the software prepares the system for iOS 27although what is important are the problems it corrects. Among them, 14 entries aimed at one of the most critical areas of the system: the kernel. As stated in the changelog released by Applethe latest security update fixes serious windows to malicious code execution on devices. In total, there are 78 individual vulnerability entries linked to 87 CVE logs unique. There are more CVE records than entries because some of them group together several vulnerabilities. iPhone 17 pro Max One of the most important updates. It might seem that 26.6, released for all families of Apple devices, is a minor update, but the opposite is true: not installing it puts the use of our device at risk. Even though Apple is not aware that any of the vulnerabilities have been usedif exploited these would allow: An image that executes code alone. The devices allowed the processing of manipulated images to execute arbitrary code, without the user touching anything. Something similar to what NSO exploded in 2023 with BLASTPASS. CVE-2026-43818 From ordinary application to total control. One bug gave root privileges to an app, another, code execution with kernel privileges. A malicious application could take control of the device. CVE-2026-43723, CVE-2026-64747 Skip isolation between apps. Game Center and libc They allowed an application to escape its isolated execution environment. Another bug circumvented code signature checking, the mechanism that prevents unauthorized binaries from running on iOS. CVE-2026-64740, CVE-2026-28973, CVE-2026-43813 Fake contacts for telephone scams. An app could add contacts without authorization. For example, it would make it possible to add a fake bank number to the phonebook so that the user could trust when receiving the call. CVE-2026-64746, CVE-2026-64734 Bypass firewalls, VPN and parental controls. A remote attacker could bypass the system’s network filters. CVE-2026-64735 Access to a locked iPhone. The vulnerabilities would allow access to sensitive user information, even close to them: memory could be corrupted via WiFi. CVE-2026-43753, CVE-2026-64726 Advertising tracking without user knowledge. Several components made it possible to persistently identify the owner of the device in order to track him without his knowledge. CVE-2026-64741, CVE-2026-64733, CVE-2026-64713 Phishing with spoofed browser interface. Attackers could exploit vulnerabilities discovered in WebKit to spoof the Safari interface. This would allow the bank’s website to be imitated to trick the user into leaving their passwords on a false form. CVE-2026-64730 Despite the serious risks of all the vulnerabilities discovered, and patched in the recent update, we must emphasize that Apple found no evidence that they have been exploited to access the devices. Despite this, the advice is clear: updating costs nothing and can prevent a lot. Boring, but essential. Comes without the new Siriwithout changes to the interface and, as an improvement beyond the security fixes, iOS 26.6 and company prepare Spotlight indexing for iOS 27. Even so, this “boring” update is the only one that ensures the proper functioning of the devices. Which is exactly the main value to protect. Cover image | Montage with photo of Alejandro Alcolea and capture of Álvaro García In Xataka | The new Siri AI is here: two years later and with the help of Google, this is what Apple’s AI assistant does

the great hoaxes about the fires that return every summer

July 29, 2026 by usatoday24

The recent fires that have devastated thousands of hectares in different parts of our country have left an undeniable ecological and social scar, but they have also left a long string of hoaxes that have permeated society. Some of these appear every year around these same dates and all they do is create social alarm. The reclassification of land burned is one of the most listened to on social networks, since it fuels the supposed “hidden interests” behind all these fires. This term is nothing more than a legal category that causes a forest land to be become developable to begin creating new homes. But the reality is that it is not as easy as you may think. Here the forestry law does not allow reclassifying land that has been burned until 30 years after the forest fire has been extinguished. Although there is an exception that It was introduced in 2015 and which indicates that this limitation can be bypassed if there are “compelling reasons” to grant it. But the reality is that since 2003 no public works have been carried out in areas that have been affected by fires. Solar panels. In an attempt to demonize renewable energies, there are several voices that suggest that right where the panels are going to be installed is where there will soon be a forest fire. But here, as Greenpeace points out, it is not necessary to reclassify the land from rustic to developable in order to be installed. This means that burned soil does not shorten or modify the environmental procedures that must be followed to make these installations, and that is why there is no advantage to burning the forest before carrying out this project. But in addition, photovoltaic installations need firm, accessible and safe ground, which is exactly the opposite of what a burned mountain offers. Your real problem. In Spain it is not precisely that ‘free’ land is needed to build this type of installation, but rather that the brakes we have in place It is in the electrical network itself and in the saturation that exists in the different nodes. Climate change For many people it is unimportant and has no relation to the increase in frequency of these forest fires. But the reality we are experiencing is that heat waves are becoming more frequent, intense and long-lasting. But logically this does not mean that climate change lights the spark that causes fires, but it does create the perfect breeding ground for them to be much more dangerous. They don’t let the mountains be cleaned. This is another hoax that points precisely to ecological policies so that nothing on forest land can be touched. But the reality is that current legislation allows clearing the forest and even imposes an obligation on the autonomous communities to have fire prevention plans. Here Greenpeace also points out that forest owners must keep their properties clean and in good condition and even impose the obligation on city councils to take care of this in the event that the owner does not comply with his obligation. There is a nuance. Although cleaning the mountains is not prohibited, it does require a bureaucratic process behind which delays the issuance of the necessary permits to carry out actions in the mountains. This can cause owners who are older or further away from their properties to desist from carrying out this permit application process and cause them to neglect their obligations. Images | dife88 In Xataka | The smoke from the fires in the center of the peninsula is crossing half of Spain: satellites already see it over Andalusia and Extremadura

Satya Nadella on the future of employment: “The fallacy of the fixed amount of work and the lack of imagination prevent us from moving forward”

July 29, 2026 by usatoday24

In addition to the cost and effects derived from its development, the biggest concern about the future of AI is knowing the impact that this technology will have on the labor market around the world. In fact, we are already beginning to see the first signs: it may not take away our jobs in the short term, but that’s it changing the way we work. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been interviewed by Fareed Zakari in the cnn and has told his vision of how AI will affect the future of employment. To describe the scenario, Nadella uses a phrase that can seem almost cryptic until its meaning is known: “The fallacy of the fixed amount of work and the lack of imagination prevent us from moving forward.” The fallacy that stops us. Nadella calls it the lump of labor fallacy. It’s an idea widely studied and argues that there are a certain number of tasks to be performed. Employment is defined by these tasks: there are those who build houses, others put pipes, others cables, other furniture, etc. If a machine (or an AI, in this case) automates one of those tasks, fixed quantity of work theory defines that a human has one less task left to do. That is, that job would have been destroyed. For Nadella, that calculation fails because it does not take imagination into account. The typist apocalypse. The CEO of Microsoft gave a fairly descriptive example of how this theory falters in the face of technological advances: “Imagine that in the early 80s, someone said to you: “You know what? Three billion people are going to wake up tomorrow and start typing. “We would have said: and why does the world need three billion typists?” joked the company’s top executive who, according to the CEO of Perplexitybuilt the concept of office work to sell more software and was mainly responsible for the computer implementation in companies. “In the last 40 years, the entire knowledge work economy was created, and all of us have worked in it in different roles,” Nadella concluded. That is, the CEO believes that the future of employment cannot be assessed from the perspective of current labor or work organization needs, because in the future, the needs of companies will be different and the roles of employees will also be different. The fact behind the anecdote is real. In 1980 there were almost a million typists in the US. Today it is a profession that is almost extinct. And yet, office employment remains more active than ever. He just changed the way he worked. Nadella bets that something similar will happen with AI. The process of change. We are already seeing this change in the way of working in some sectors such as software engineers or in the lawyers. “What it means to be a software engineer is changing,” Nadella said. Creating a document and creating a program have become, “to some extent, the same task”: enough ask the AI agent appropriate. This change is already noticeable outside of computing. In the legal sector, some firms treat AI as a quick but unreliable intern. And lawyers, increasingly, as their AI supervisors. Nadella states that: “Our ability to discern what a human does with the output of AI will be the new quality we value.” The value is no longer in typing quickly, but in know what deserves to stay and what to throw away. However, the manager has no doubts about the difficulty that all of humanity will face to complete this change in the labor paradigm: “This process is going to have some changes and a significant displacement (of employment). Not everything is going to be rosy. But when we come out on the other side, I think there will be new jobs that we will value as human beings.” Macrodelegation and microdirection. To explain day-to-day work, Nadella coins his own term: macrodelegation and micromanagement. “Each of us will become better at managing through intentions (madrodelegation) and will have the ability to direct it exactly where we want it (microdirection),” he declared in his interview with the cnn. In other words, the role of employees will be that of conductor of the orchestra of AI agents. An employee would tell them what objectives to achieve, and would supervise that the results delivered by the AI meet that objective and are precise in their execution. That is, AI would not play a substitute role, but rather a collaborative one. “Does that mean that, in some way, the specialized systems engineer that we need to be able to build distributed systems in Azure disappears? No way,” stated the Microsoft CEO. Nadella’s revolution. The manager closed his interview by pointing out one of the fears that Silicon Valley is stirring: that society does not accept the change implied by the arrival of AI and this process of job displacement. There Nadella draws a historical reference. “Revolutions are great, as long as there is a reaction.” The CEO prefers an orderly transition, like the one experienced in England in 1688in which the institutions did not lose control, to a violent rupture as the French Revolutionwhich made the heads of the country’s authorities roll. In Xataka | In 1993 Satya Nadella was a lanky middle man who introduced Excel to developers. Today he is the CEO of Microsoft Image | Microsoft

In just six episodes it goes further than other series in several seasons

July 29, 2026 by usatoday24

A lawyer dying of AIDS tells his doctor that he is not homosexual, that a homosexual “has no power” and he does. Remembering some of his great performances from the past, Al Pacino embroiders one of his best recent roles with phrases like that. And he is not the only one. ‘Angels in America‘, which you can see in HBO Max and Movistar Plus, not only is it one of the best series to marathon on HBO Maxbut one of the best miniseries of all time. Mike Nichols directed this adaptation of Tony Kushner’s play ‘A Gay Fantasia on National Theme’, which premiered on Broadway in 1993, winning awards such as a Pulitzer and a Tony for Best Play. HBO filmed it with 60 million dollars, a budget that in 2003 was close to that of a large film, and achieved its most awarded year until then: 11 Emmys from 21 nominations. Jeffrey Wright reprized in the television version the role for which he had already won a Tony on stage, to endorse the official nature of the adaptation. In it, Pacino plays Roy Cohn, the real lawyer of the McCarthyite witch hunt, who for two decades would be a mentor to a very young Donald Trump. A chilling journey told in six hours, only six chapters that take us to New York in 1985: AIDS that no one wants to name, an angel that crosses ceilings, ghosts that dialogue with the living… the tone is completely soaked in an almost theatrical fantasy, a direct inheritance from the original production. Its entire sensational cast plays various characters: Meryl Streep plays a rabbi, a ghost and an angel, and Emma Thompson goes from nurse to celestial creature. With its handful of episodes that allow you to watch it almost in one sitting, it is the perfect antidote to the current sad television formula of stretching a weak idea over ten episodes. There is nothing left over here. In Xataka | Mark Wahlberg continues to regret not having agreed to work for a legendary science fiction franchise

An A350-1000ULR has just completed a flight of more than 24 hours non-stop. Boeing wanted the project, but Qantas chose Airbus

July 28, 2026 by usatoday24

After 24 hours and 24 minutes without touching land, a Airbus A350-1000ULR landed this Tuesday in Toulouse. It did not carry commercial passengers, but pilots, engineers, five tons of instrumentation and more than a thousand sensors designed to record how it responded during a full day in the air. What we have seen has not been a simple demonstration of autonomy: Qantas and Airbus were testing the machine with which they want to convert some of the longest flights ever planned into regular services. The route also does not anticipate a future commercial route for the Australian airline. The aircraft took off from Melbourne, moved northeast over the Pacific, crossed the United States and Canada, then crossed the Atlantic and descended over the United Kingdom before reaching southern France. Toulouse was the logical destination: there it is found the final assembly line of the A350 and this test aircraft was to return there. The mission was to demonstrate a block time of 23 hours, enough to cover up to 21 hours and 40 minutes of flight and preserve margin for taxiing, waiting or a possible detour. That trip was not an isolated test. The first A350-1000ULR had taken off for the first time on June 2 and, since then, Airbus had been examining the changes introduced for the program for weeks. The company distinguishes this mission as a flight of developmentnot as a commercial service nor as a complete certification in itself. Its usefulness was in accumulating data on fuel management, cabin climate control and pilot rest compartments during a prolonged operation, before facing the necessary certifications and authorizations. The A350-1000ULR maintains the A350-1000 as a base, but adds more fuel, a higher maximum takeoff weight and cabin systems prepared for very long duration missions. Much of its autonomy comes from a central rear tank with a capacity of 20,900 liters, integrated into the structure of the aircraft. Incorporating it has forced the European manufacturer to modify the system that manages fuel and its transfer, because it is not enough to increase capacity without controlling how the weight and balance of the device change during the journey. This variant retains the engines Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 of the conventional A350-1000, but adds the necessary adjustments to face missions of about 22 hours with the required operating margins. Flightradar24 recorded the arrival of the A350-1000ULR in Toulouse after more than 24 hours in the air and 16,889 kilometers traveled Airbus did not come to this race alone. Boeing also wanted to take over the Qantas program and presented the 777-8, one of the members of the 777X family, as an alternative for ultra-long routes. The airline chose the A350-1000 as its preferred option in 2019 and formalized the order for 12 units in May 2022. Qantas highlighted its combination of commercial terms, fuel efficiency, operating costs and passenger experience, as well as the track record built by the Trent XWB engine. The 777-8 had scheduling uncertainties, although the company never presented them as the official reason for its choice. Flying for almost an entire day is not a completely new idea. We have seen it in demonstrations like the 747-400 that Qantas took from London to Sydney in 1989in the 22 hour and 42 minute journey made by a Boeing 777-200LR in 2005 and in the tests that the airline itself organized in 2019. There are also regular services between Singapore and New York. However, those references had fewer occupants, restricted loads or lower distances. The challenge now is to turn that resistance into a viable daily trade route. Recreation of a First suite of the future Qantas A350-1000ULR Qantas has not attempted to maximize the aircraft’s capacity: it has opted for a low-density cabin with only 238 seats. According to the configuration presented by the companywhose designs are still subject to change, there will be six First suites, 52 Business, 40 Premium Economy and 140 Economy, including 42 Economy Plus. The airline assures that it will be the A350-1000 with the lowest seat density in service and will reserve more than 40% of them for Premium classes. That approach offers more space, but also helps balance passengers, luggage, fuel and range. Recreation of the Business cabin of the future Qantas A350-1000ULR The commitment to Premium cabins is especially appreciated in the front part. First will have six closed compartments, each with a six-foot bed, a separate recliner and enough space to work or eat with another person. Behind there will be 52 Business suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, all with direct access to the hallway, sliding door, completely flat bed, a large table and more storage areas. They are amenities designed so that spending nearly 20 hours on board is not simply equivalent to sitting for almost a day. Recreation of the Premium Economy cabin of the future Qantas A350-1000ULR The challenge will be different for those traveling behind Business. Premium Economy will have a 2-4-2 layout, approximately one meter between rowswrap-around headrests and leg support. In Economy, Qantas has opted for a 3-3-3 configuration, with 83.8 centimeters of separation in most of the cabin, lumbar support, 13.3-inch screen and USB-C connections. There will also be 42 Economy Plus seats with 34 inches of space between rows. They are small differences on paper, but they take on another dimension when the journey takes up practically an entire day. The A350-1000ULR wellness area will allow you to walk, stretch, hydrate and have snacks The wellness area will allow you to get up, stretch your legs, hydrate and follow exercises on the screen, while the 12 lighting scenes will change along the journey to accompany sleep, meals and adaptation to the destination time zone. Qantas plans to put all of this into service between Sydney and London in October 2027, subject to pending certifications and authorisations, with New York as the next destination. In 1947, That journey involved four days and seven stops; Project Sunrise aims to make it a single flight. … Read more

There is a way to retire at age 63 in Spain. The key requirement is not age, it is pension

July 28, 2026 by usatoday24

Retiring at 63 is possible in Spain, although you have to meet a series of requirements very specific to be able to do it. All this is due to the network of possibilities that do not depend so much on your age, but on your pension or the years you have been contributing. The retirement age The minimum age in Spain has gone from 66 years and ten months in 2026 if you have contributed less than 38 years and 3 months, and to 65 years if you equal or exceed those years of contributions. Early retirements allow you to retire up to two years earlier, and that opens the door to being able to do so at 63, although only in certain circumstances. Three key requirements. To qualify for early retirement, you have to meet several requirements. First of all, you must have contributed to Social Security for a minimum of 35 years. Secondly, you must be a maximum of 2 years younger than your corresponding retirement age. And the third requirement is the key, because the pension you have left after applying the reducing coefficients must be higher than the amount of the minimum pension that would correspond to you when you turn 65 according to your family situation. The key is the pension and the reducing coefficients. With all this, what should be clear to you is that retiring at age 63 depends on the pension you will have if you do so, and that you will not be able to retire early at that age if you will have a pension that is too low. And when calculating the pension you will have, the reducing coefficients for early retirement come into play, whether voluntary or involuntary. These are percentages that are subtracted from your pension for bringing your retirement forward, and the more you want to advance it and the fewer years you have contributed, the greater the percentage that will be subtracted from your final pension. And these percentages are final, the pension you have left after applying them is the one you will receive for the rest of your life. In 2026, the percentages of the reducing coefficients for voluntary early retirement are between 2.81% and 21%. The percentage that you have left will depend first on the number of months in advance with which you request your retirement with respect to the ordinary retirement age. And secondly, it will also depend on what you have quoted. This second part is divided into four different sections. But so that it’s not too much of a hassle, this is the official table where they tell you the sections and reductions: In this way, that maximum 21% is taken away if you want to advance your retirement to the maximum, 24 full months, and if you have contributed for less than 38 years and 6 months. On the other hand, if you only want one month in advance and you have been contributing for more than 44 years and 6 months, your pension will only be reduced by 2.81%. Then, all that remains is for you to calculate your specific case in the retirement simulator of Social Security. There are other types of retirement. Everything we have told you is referring to voluntary retirements, but there are also other cases of involuntary early retirement. These are those that are due to external causes, things that you do not ask for, such as collective or objective dismissals, judicial resolutions of the contract and similar. This modality can lead to advancing the ordinary retirement age up to 4 years if there is a minimum of 33 years of contributions, and if you register as a job seeker at least 6 months before requesting it. But of course, this depends on each specific case. As for the self-employed, they can retire early voluntarily with the same conditions as employees, just as we have explained to you, with the same minimums and reductions. And then there are the officials, for whom it depends on the regime that corresponds to them. General Regime officials have the same conditions and requirements as employees, which we have already explained to you. And those in the Passive Classes Regime can voluntarily retire early at age 60 if they have been serving the State for 30 years. Image | pxhere.com In Xataka Basics | Request a card for Social Security retirees and take advantage of discounts

rich, globalized and increasingly invisible

July 28, 2026 by usatoday24

More than twenty years ago, a Chinese engineer working in Silicon Valley with little more than a chip design. He wrote a phrase in an email that sounded like delirium at the time: predicted that the global memory business would end, sooner or later, in the hands of Chinese companies. Almost no one paid attention to him. Today, that engineer is one of the largest technological millionaires in China with a fortune estimated at 15.5 billion dollars. according to Forbes. His company has just debuted on the stock market with a force that has caught half of the Asian market off guard. And it is not an isolated case. An entire generation of young entrepreneurs is growing behind him. Chinese with giant fortunes. Unlike their North American counterparts, their objective is to go completely unnoticed by adopting a discreet public profile. Chinese millionaires: from bricks to chips The visionary engineer of Silicon Valley his name is Zhu Yiming and founded CXMT (ChangXin Memory Technologies), the largest Chinese DRAM memory chip manufacturer. When went public in Shanghai, its shares rose 500% on the first day surpassing Intel in capitalization. In 2018, Zhu committed to not collect his salary until the company made money. He fulfilled it. Zhu Yiming. Founder and CEO of CXMT Zhu is not alone in this new crop of Chinese millionaires who have gone from basing their fortune on the steel industry, construction or real estate speculation young entrepreneurs whose startups have become the technological cutting edge in AI and semiconductor development. According to the Hurun report 2026China already has 29 self-made billionaires aged 40 or younger. Liang Wenfengfounder of DeepSeek, rarely gave interviews when his AI model shook Silicon Valley. Your company just closed a new round of financing, and with it, his fortune climbed to the 36 billion of dollars. An estimate that places his fortune above that of Dario Amodei or Sam Altman. Millionaires with a global vocation This new generation of millionaires in China is not like the previous one. The big names of the nineties became rich driven by the real estate growth and the big factories for the west. Their growth objectives were in China and they did not contemplate expanding beyond its borders. On the other hand, the new millionaires have a more global vision for their products. Wang Ning created the Labubu dolls of Pop Mart and became the China’s tenth largest fortune and the youngest to achieve it. His toy triumphed across half the planet before many could even pronounce its name. He was not born with the aspiration of stay alone in China. Junjie Zhang founded something as united with chinese culture like a milk tea chain: Chagee. Just two years later it opened its first store outside of China and nine years later it is already a global success that listed on Nasdaq and operates in several countries. These new millionaires have not only adopted a more global philosophy in their companies, but they have also known how to connect with the needs of their employees. For years, Chinese business culture revolved around model 996: work from nine in the morning to nine at night, six days a week. Millionaires like Jack Ma or the founder of JD.com They defended that model of working day. However, the new generation break that habit to capture to the best talent. The price of growing fast However, not everything is an advantage for this new elite of billionaires. The Chinese Government continues to closely monitor the movements of its great fortunes since it punished in an exemplary way to Jack Ma. That happened after saying a speech criticizing to financial market regulators in 2020. In 2026, Beijing has blocked the sale from the artificial intelligence startup Manu to Meta for two billion dollars. Its founder, Xiao Hong, would have become a billionaire if the deal would have been closed. These types of run-ins explain why so many successful businessmen in China avoid the spotlight. They fear that a political turn in China or the US will change their business overnight, leaving their fortunes exposed. They let their products be and not their facesthose who cross borders make headlines in the press around the world. The most global elite in Chinese history is, at the same time, the most difficult to recognize on the street. In Xataka | Seven of the ten largest fortunes in the world in 2026 are due to AI: this illustrative graph makes it very clear Image | Pop Mart, CXMT, Unsplash (aboodi vesakaran)

having a device repaired even out of warranty comes into effect on July 31

July 28, 2026 by usatoday24

It is said a lot that Europe invents little and regulates a lot. The first is not true and we have some of the companies that They give life to sectors such as AI and semiconductors. The second yes, translating into the arrival of USB-C to iPhones or new Nintendo Switch with a battery that is easier to repair. In recent years, Europe has made advances to protect the consumer faced with something that manufacturers really like: planned obsolescence. And now, with the Directive 2024/1799 about to come into play, it is interesting to see what what has been dubbed the EU directive means for us as consumers. right to repair. Directive (EU) 2024/1799. This is its official name and it encompasses a set of common standards to promote the repair of property. It was formalized June 10, 2024 and modifies previously established European Union regulations and directives with the aim of extending the useful life of products, avoiding premature replacement and making repair more accessible and attractive to consumers. In essence, it seeks to generate less waste or electronic waste, as well as promote the circular economy, but obviously it also seeks to make it easier for a user to repair a washing machine, for example, rather than choosing to buy a new one by throwing the old one away at the recycling center. In fact, it is established that, as long as the device is repairable and the cost is proportionate, it can be repaired outside the legal warranty period. Calendar. The Directive formally came into force in June 2024, but as always in these cases, the different countries had a margin of time to adapt it to internal regulations. That time is coming to an end, since this June 31 the deadline for states to have prepared their proposals ends. By July 31, 2027, a further step will have to be taken to build a European online platform that allows consumers to easily find repairers and sellers of refurbished devices. The goal is to end 35 million tons of annual waste in Europe, but… what about practice? “Right to repair”. With this in mind, manufacturers will need to provide access to replacement parts, repair and maintenance information, as well as the software tools necessary to execute that repair. The key is that prices must be “reasonable” so that they do not dissuade the consumer from repairing the device and, furthermore, all this must be maintained during the warranty periods set by the countries. In the case of Spain, three years. The thing doesn’t end there. If the user wants to repair the device, manufacturers are obliged to provide replacement goods for the duration of the repair or to offer reconditioned goods when repair is impossible. If it cannot be repaired due to a factory defect and not due to misuse, you will not be left without a ‘clunker’ or you will have to buy a new one, in short. To do this, the Directive creates a ‘Form’ that repairers must provide free of charge to the consumer to inform about all this in the clearest and most understandable way possible. The type of repair, the price, the deadline, the guarantees on the repair and any other necessary terms are stipulated there, all of this in force for 30 calendar days for the user to make the decision. Furthermore, if the device is to be repaired, the warranty is extended by an additional year. And this is something that the manufacturer can do directly or by outsourcing the service. Impact. As we say, the different countries of the Union have had to prepare this last year for a new framework with which they hope to make repairs easier or for manufacturers to do products that last longer. There are some that are irreparable, but in practice, the impact of this measure reaches to establish repairability requirements on devices such as household appliances, some electronic equipment such as smartphones, consoles, computers and that type of goods. In case something goes wrong with the device and it is not due to misuse, you can assert your rights as a consumer. But of course, manufacturers will not be happy giving all the facilities, and this is where the importance of knowing those rights comes in. My colleague Pepu already captured that in Xataka Móvil, a series of recommendations which are most useful in order to have a little more peace of mind for the future of our devices: Deadlines and documentation: In Spain, any new mobile phone and other devices have a three-year warranty by law. Always ask for proof or purchase invoice, save it in digital and physical format, and do not lose it, as it is essential to manage any claim. Who is responsible for: During the first two years, if the technical service refuses to repair your device arguing that you have used it incorrectly, do not settle for a simple inspection at first glance. Always require that they certify and demonstrate said misuse through a detailed written report. Accessories: Elements such as the cable, charger or headphones that come inside the box do not have coverage of less than one year because they are consumables. The regulations grant them exactly the same three years of warranty as the phone itself. Warranty extension: If your device breaks within the warranty period, arranging its repair will allow you to obtain one more year of added legal protection, in accordance with European directives. Record everything: If they refuse to assist you or try to send you quickly in technical service, don’t give up. Raise your case by contacting the manufacturer’s official customer service (either by phone or online) mentioning the relevant law. If none of that works, you ask for the complaint form to go to the Consumer authorities. In Xataka | Logitech’s controversial “eternal mouse” does not require subscriptions. What it needs is to be repairable

In China they have had an idea to defuse the demographic bomb that shadows their future: “top blankets” of love

July 28, 2026 by usatoday24

Shanghai is a powerful financial center, with a booming stock market and hundreds of multinational headquarters. However, if one walks around on a Sunday afternoon People’s Parkin the Huangpu district, you will come across a market that seems straight out of another time. And not because their stalls sell crafts, spices or livestock. What we will see are parents determined to sell your unmarried children like great matches with which to start a family. Their goal is to capture the interest of other potential in-laws or marriage agency employees hired by other families. It may seem picturesque, but it is further proof of the demographic bomb that takes shape in China. A marriage market? Exact. And as a good market it is, we will find supply, demand, brochures and people committed to give notoriety to your ‘merchandise’although these are single children of matchmaking age who in many cases do not even know that their parents are there ‘selling’ them. That is the peculiar image that can be found on Sunday afternoons in the People’s Park from Shanghai (Rénmín Gōngyuán), where people meet who are looking for couples to start families with, parents concerned about the sentimental life of their children and agencies specialized in finding matches. OUCH! #China‘s population falls again as births drop to lowest rate since 1949 communist revolution. The number of new babies born was just 7.92mln in 2025, a decline of 1.62mln, or 17% YoY. The latest birth numbers show that the slight tick upward in 2024 was not a lasting… pic.twitter.com/QpUO7tRLFk — Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) January 19, 2026 Is it something new? No. There are references that go back to more than a decade. In fact, it is believed that the Shanghai marriage market started in 2004when parents began to act as matchmakers in the same place where their children gathered to attend dance classes or play sports. Shanghai is not the only place in China where these peculiar ‘love fairs’ are organized. We can also find them in parks Beijing, Canton either ChengduFor example. However, neither their popularity nor their antiquity has caused the interest they arouse among foreign tourists to decline. And what are those markets like? A quick Google search brings up articles on the topic of The Economist, South China Morning Post, The Paris Review either The Worldto name just a handful of examples. They are all recent and they all tell their readers the spectacle of the Shanghai market with a mixture of fascination and exoticism. And it is more than understandable. At fairs like the one in Huangpu you can find parents loaded with copies of the sentimental resume of their children, sheets in which they report their height, age, hobbies and (most importantly) if they have good salaries or a home they own. These leaves are hung from poles or open umbrellas, which recently led a reporter from The World to define it as a “top love blanket”. Why is it important? The fact that there are parks where suitors meet and, above all, parents concerned that their 35-year-old son is still single or a 38-year-old daughter is the only one in her group of friends who has not yet had children is striking. Just like the fact that there are agencies that They charge up to 1,000 euros for placing their clients’ resumes in the best places in the park, those where they will have the best chance of finding a suitor. However, if ‘marriage markets’ like the one in Shanghai generate so much interest, it is because of their social background. Cultural issues aside, they connect with one of the main headaches that Xi Jinping’s Government has been dealing with for years: the ‘demographic bomb’ that takes shape in China. Although for decades the problem was overpopulation and high birth rates, which led him to embrace until 2015 the ‘one child’ policyright now the challenge is another, of the opposite nature: birth rate falls, population falls, society ages and increasingly common to see single-person households. What do the data tell us? That parents who go to Parque del Pueblo with their children’s curriculum under their arms are the manifestation of a larger phenomenon. The Chinese authorities estimate that there are more than 240 million of single adults and there are studies that talk about 125 million of single-person households, which represents a radical break with the traditional concept of home in which up to four generations lived together under the same roof. The problem, after decades of application of the ‘one-child policy’, is that the gender division of this mass of singles is not balanced: there are 30 million more of men than women. As a backdrop, a nation in which demographic indicators are beginning to paint a worrying picture. In 2025 the country scored its lowest birth rate and saw the population shrink for the fourth year in a row. This trend has contributed, among other things, to China have lost the crown of the most populous country on the planet, but above all it worries about its implications social and economic. Is it only seen in the markets? Not at all. Marriage markets are part of a much larger and more complex mosaic that demonstrates how demographics (in their various manifestations) are becoming an obsession for part of Chinese society. And also his Government. In addition to fairs like the one in Shanghai, initiatives have been emerging in the country of all kinds for promote birth: matchmaking programs, subsidies…the Government has even gone so far as to make more expensive the price of condoms or activated, through the Communist Party (CCP), a kind of Tinder for young people. Images | Wikipedia (Jpbowen) and Luca Casartelli (Flickr) In Xataka | With the birth rate at levels not seen since 1939, a reality is emerging in Barcelona: the native population is now a minority

It has the last name Pro and will be updated for several years

July 28, 2026 by usatoday24

One of the best things about Apple is that it offers software update support for many years, which allows us to buy an old device and have it continue to be updated for many years. It happens, for example, with the iPhone 12 Promobile that is available refurbished at PcComponentes by 359 euros and that will still continue to receive updates for a few years. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A cheaper iPhone with the surname Pro He iPhone 12 Pro It is a good mobile. It may not have the improvements and innovations that we see in the most current generations, but it is still an interesting proposal both for its format and for everything it offers. PcComponentes offers two years warranty and promises that it has impeccable performance. The mobile was launched in 2020 and you will still receive software updates; specifically will be updated until 2028. It is, therefore, ideal whether we want it as a first mobile phone or as a secondary one (for example for work). It is also quite compact with a 6.1-inch screen and comes in a configuration with 256 GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Pro incorporates the A14 chip; It’s not the latest, of course, but it still offers good performance. It is also compatible with 20W fast charging and MagSafe charging, as well as 5G networks and FaceID. ⚡ IN BRIEF: iPhone 12 Pro offer today ✅ THE BEST Software updateswhich will end in a couple of years. It is compatible with MagSafe. Two-year warranty offered by PcComponentes. ❌ THE WORST YesYour charging connector is Lightning. 💡 BUY IT IF… Are you looking for a mobile phone for work or for a more secondary use, or as your main mobile phone if you want a compact and cheap Apple device. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You are looking to get the most out of your mobile with demanding apps and games or if it is essential for you that it has artificial intelligence functions. You may also be interested Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Anna MartiApple In Xataka | Best iPhones. Which one to buy in 2026 and recommended models based on budget, tastes and quality-price In Xataka | Best mobile phones 2026. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models

Log In

Sign In

Forgot password?

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections