Mobile Tech & Gadgets

The US is launching a missile capable of burying the Tomahawk on Iran. And the big question is where are you doing it from?

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The image of an American precision strike has been linked to silhouettes taking off from the sea or from the air. However, in recent years the Army has invested billions in recovering a capability that seemed secondary: hitting very, very far… from the mainland. In that bet may lie one of the greatest transformations of modern military power. A debut that changes theater. USA has premiered in combat the so-called Precision Strike Missileits new tactical ballistic missile, within the operation against Iran. It is not a minor evolution of the former ATACMSit is rather a leap in scope and concept. With more than 500 kilometers radius (and room to grow towards 650 and even 1,000) practically doubles the depth of ground fire available until now. As in many other “premieres”, it is not symbolic, it is doctrinal. A missile to bury the Tomahawk. The PrSM flies at speeds greater than Mach 3 in the terminal phase, allowing it to arrive earlier and better penetrate hardened targets. Forehead to Tomahawkslower and subsonic, the new system greatly reduces the enemy’s reaction time and complicates interception. Additionally, two missiles fit in a single HIMARS launcher pod, meaning that double the punch per vehicle. Of course, it does not replace the Tomahawk in strategic range, but in regional scenarios it can be left in the background due to speed, survivability and response capacity against time-sensitive targets. A PrSM capsule seen in front of a US Army M142 during an exercise in Australia. The M142 carries a 227 mm rocket with six projectiles. The Persian Gulf as a platform. At this point, geography explains a good part of the movement. The Gulf has a medium width of just 250 kilometerswith American allies aligned on the western bank and Iran occupying the eastern one. With a range of 500 kilometers, a land battery located anywhere on the Arab side can cover wide swathes from Iranian territory without the need to penetrate its airspace. That makes the missile a perfect tool to support an air campaign without exposing fighters or depending exclusively on ships. A test launch of a PrSM The key question: from where? The most decisive fact remains unknown. No has been confirmed Which Gulf country has authorized the use of its soil to launch these missiles. This mystery is not technical, it is rather political. The reason? Allowing a US land battery to fire on Iran automatically makes that territory in possible objective of retaliation. Many States in the region have historically preferred discreetly support to Washington while avoiding public exposure. Put another way, the exact location of the launch determines what capital takes on the direct risk. Hunting sensitive targets. Short-range ballistic missiles are especially effective against radars, mobile launchers and air defense nodes. Plus: they can be maintained on permanent alert and strike within minutes when a target arises. In a conflict where neutralizing anti-aircraft systems is key to sustaining air superiority, the PrSM provides a ground suppression capability which until now relied heavily on aviation and naval missiles. Beyond Iran. If you also want the premiere of the PrSM send a signal to other scenarios, especially the Pacific. Its planned evolution includes anti-ship versions capable of attacking moving targets and variants with greater range that will touch the threshold of medium-range missiles. It we have counted before. The US Army wants regain prominence in long-range warfare, traditionally dominated by the Air Force and Navy. Iran, in that sense, has been the first real test bed. Cost, volume and future. It is the “but” of any ballistic missile. Each projectile can exceed a million and a half dollars, although the price has been dropping as production increases. The goal is to reach up to 400 units annuallywhich will expand the available inventory and facilitate its sustained use. With future versions that could exceed the 1,000 kilometers rangethe PrSM does not seem just a substitute for the ATACMS. It is the first stone of a terrestrial architecture that seeks to project deep power from solid ground. What is really at stake. In short, the real twist is not that the United States has launched a new missile in a war, but that it has from the ground and against Iran. If he Tomahawk has symbolized precision warfare from the sea, the PrSM aims to represent the return of the tactical ballistic missile as a flexible instrument of regional pressure. And while it is not known with certainty from what ground ally is taking off, the political dimension of that launch will continue to be as relevant as the technical one. Image | CENTCOM, Australian Army, US Army In Xataka | If the question is how much of Europe is within range of Iran’s missiles, the answer is simple: a fairly large In Xataka | The arrival of the B-2s to Iran can only mean one thing: the search for the greatest threat to the United States has begun

more than 600 km/h on a line that has accumulated years of delays

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In 2015, a seven-car prototype in Japan made us dream with the tremendous speeds that the trains of the future would have, with the Japanese country as the main standard bearer. The L0 Series train reached 603 km/h on the Yamanashi test line, becoming the fastest manned railway vehicle ever recorded at the time. More than a decade later, that record still standsalthough the promise of its commercial use has yet to materialize. And the line that is supposed to bring it to travelers accumulates years of delays. magnetic levitation. The L0 Series works via superconducting magnetic levitation, using powerful magnets along the track and in the train that interact to lift the vehicle on the track, completely eliminating physical contact with the tracks. Without friction, without mechanical noise, without wear, and with heart-stopping speeds. The system is known as SCMaglev and uses an electrodynamic suspension, different from that used in the Shanghai maglev. Japan National Railways began researching this type of propulsion in 1962 with a clear objective: to connect Tokyo and Osaka in one hour. They have had that dream for more than six decades. Chūō Shinkansen. This is the maglev line under construction between Tokyo and Nagoya, with plans to extend it to Osaka. The idea is that it will be established between Shinagawa and Nagoya stations, with stops in Sagamihara, Kōfu, Iida and Nakatsugawa. The line is not intended to replace the legendary Tokaido Shinkansen, but it will exist to offer travelers a much faster alternative. The line would connect Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes and, later, Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes, at a maximum speed of 505 km/h. Today the fastest Nozomi (Japan’s fastest high-speed train service) takes around two and a half hours between the two cities. With Chūō Shinkansen, the idea is that approximately 90% of the 286-kilometer route to Nagoya passes through tunnels, instead of following the coast, as the Tokaido does. This decision is also the root of much of their problems. ORa prefecture and a river. The main obstacle was that the then governor of Shizuoka, Kawakatsu Heita, denied permission to drill one of the tunnels under the Japanese Southern Alps for environmental reasons. The argument was that the impact studies had been carried out with little rigor and that the excavations could affect the bed of the Oi River. The section in question affected just 8.9 kilometers of tunnel within Shizuoka, but it was enough to block the entire project for years. Without that section, the rest of the work could not be completed. However, the current governor of the region, Yasutomo Suzuki, authorized the geotechnical inspection prior, but the works are still in progress. A calendar full of delays. In 2024, JR Central president Shunsuke Niwa publicly ruled out opening in 2027 and targeted 2034 as the new minimum date. But the story doesn’t end there. Last October, JR Central postponed the arrival to 2035. Construction costs have already skyrocketed by more than 50% to 11 trillion yen (about 61 billion euros), according to RailTech. The section to Osaka, for its part, It would not arrive until 2037 at best. The threat from China. In July of last year, during the World High Speed ​​Congress held in Beijing, the state-owned CRRC presented a maglev prototype Designed to reach 600 km/h. The train runs on rubber wheels at low speed and switches to magnetic levitation when exceeding 150 km/h. The Asia Times shares that it will still take a long time to put it into commercial use, and that market demand, rather than technology, is the main obstacle. But there is more: the T-Flight project from the state company CASIC, which combines magnetic levitation with hyperloop-style vacuum tubes, has already reached 623 km/h in tests in 2024, with the goal of exceeding 1,000 km/h soon. China has also, for years, the only commercial maglev in the world that operates regularly: the Shanghai Maglev, which circulates at 430 km/h. Cover image | Maglev.net In Xataka | The Mayan Train has become a nightmare for Mexico: what seemed like a great plan has run into justice

There are wonderful Androids for less than 700 euros. The point is that almost no one buys them, and Apple knows it

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Yesterday Apple renewed its entry-level iPhone. He iPhone 17e It has arrived as a discreet renewal of a model that, already in 2025, had some important shortcomings. Were consumers outraged? Quite the opposite. He iPhone 16e sold like hot cakesand this is exactly what Apple is looking for again. There is competition, and better. The iPhone 17e has a price of 709 euros. They are not the 959 euros of a iPhone 17but it is not an economical mobile. It is a price for which we can buy authentic high-end phones on Android. For example, the LITTLE F8 Ultrawith Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (same processor that the 1,500 euro phones have), 12 GB of RAM, 120 Hz AMOLED panel with 3,500 nits, 6,500mAh battery with 100W charging. There are dozens of examples like this. Even if we are willing to buy a mobile phone that has been on the market for a few months, we can get a Galaxy S25 or a iPhone 16. Phones that do not have the latest processor, but are superior in the rest of the technical specifications. None of this matters. The most nerd We shake our heads when we look at the technical sheet. But in the real world, the technical sheet is the least important thing. Apple doesn’t sell specs, it sells experience. A cheaper access iPhone than the rest. The latest chip to execute the functions of its older brothers. A design that many find comfortable, practical and pleasant. A higher update cycle than many of its direct rivals. Entry mobile to the Apple ecosystem, completely new and unpretentious. It works for Apple. The iPhone 16e has sold much more than the iPhone SE 2022a model that was more reminiscent of iPhone 6 than to the new Apple phones. It’s a formula that makes sense, one in which an iPhone is sold as a natural leap from a iPhone 11 either 12 (in fact, Apple does not allow comparisons with superior mobile phones on the advertisement page), and not as a technical display. You come from an old iPhone, you want a new one and not break the bank. You buy this one. Go deeper. Nobody sells more high-end mobile phones than Apple, not even in countries like China. The reflection of the iPhone 17e is curious: it is not even a high-end device, but the iPhone 16e managed to sneak into the list of the 10 best-selling mobile phones in the world. Apple does not sell iPhones because they are high-end mobile phones. It sells iPhones because they are iPhones. Image | Xataka In Xataka | iPhone 17 Pro Max, analysis: the change that the most ambitious iPhone needed is not visible to the naked eye

Why it is not advisable to connect the charger to the mobile phone before connecting it to the power

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Putting your phone on charge is a gesture that we do practically every day and it is something that is apparently very simple. Well, it turns out that we are doing it wrong. There is a key detail that many of us overlook and that can have negative consequences for both the cable and the mobile port. There are many recommendations for take care of battery healthsuch as avoiding downloading it to the maximum or charging it to 100%, but there is another factor that is not usually taken into account and that is the order in which we connect the cable. The order of the factors does alter the product And if not Tell my partner Álex Alcoleathe owner of the Lightning cable in the photo below these lines. The fact that the pins have turned black is not a dirt problem, but rather an order problem. Álex used to connect the cable to the cell phone and then to the power, which generates a brief voltage spike that goes directly to the connector. For once nothing happens, but if we do it continuously the result is a fried cable. This is how our colleague Alejandro Alcolea’s Lightning cable looked after several months It is a common phenomenon in any type of plug: you plug it in and a surge occurs. If the cable is already connected to the phone when this happens, a small electrical arc may be created where the pins make contact. This little sparkcan cause the cable pins to become damaged and, over time, the charge begins to fail or we have to move the cable to make contact. If you are wondering if there is a possibility of frying your cell phone with this habit, don’t panic. Smartphones have internal protections to prevent them from being damaged if there is a voltage spike and we are also talking about a very brief spike. The recommended order to charge your mobile Preventing that small spark from damaging the connectors is as simple as reversing the order, that is, connecting the charger to the socket and then connecting it to our mobile phone. In this way, the voltage peak remains contained in the charger and it does not occur when we connect the mobile. Manufacturers like Huawei and Samsung They recommend following this order to avoid possible damage: Plug the charger into the power outlet. Connect the cable to the charger (if separate). Finally, connect the cable to the mobile. What to do if your cell phone doesn’t charge If your cable or the charging port on your phone is starting to fail, the charging order could be a possible reason. To find out, check if the cable pins are blackened like those in the photo at the beginning, although if it is a USB-C it is more difficult to see since they are inside. The most common thing is that dirt has accumulated in the charging port and this does not let the cable connect well. If this is the case, you can clean it using a wooden toothpick, always being very careful not to damage the charging port. It may also be that your mobile does not charge because moisture has entered the port. In this case, try to remove the liquid by tapping it against your hand and leave the phone in a place where there is air flow, never insert anything to remove the liquid as you can make it enter even more. If the problem is not with the cable or the port, it is possible that it is with the battery, so you will have to go through technical service. In Xataka | Quietly, Spain is solving its biggest energy problem: becoming the world’s second largest battery power Cover image | Ivan Linares for Xataka

Iran is not only resisting, it can mess things up

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In just four days of fighting, they have launched hundreds of missiles and drones over several Gulf countries, the Strait of Hormuz has seen paralyzed the transit of a fifth of the world’s oil and gas prices in Europe they have been shot about 50% in a matter of hours. What began as an offensive aimed to quickly neutralize A concrete threat has become a crisis that already affects markets, embassies and military bases throughout the region. It had to be “surgical”. The joint offensive of the United States and Israel was born with an “official” goal: Neutralize the Iranian missile program and dismantle its response capability before it could reorganize. It was assumed that the initial attacks, directed against hardened installations and command centers, would leave Tehran disoriented and with little room to react. However, four days later, the reality is another. Iran has not only continued launching ballistic missiles, but has shown that its military structure I was prepared to absorb decapitations and continue operating. The war has not ended in an initial phase of incontestable air supremacy. The mystery of the arsenal. Washington recognizes that completely eliminating Iranian ballistic missiles is extremely complex. Part of the production is undergroundfortified, and the systems can be disassembled, transported and reassembled. Israel claims to have destroyed hundreds of shuttles, but the shooting continues. The question is no longer where they are, but how many are left. The historical precedent of hunting of Scud in 1991which barely achieved verifiable results despite a massive air campaign, weighs as a warning. Because damage assessment from the air rarely offers absolute certainty. The decentralization that avoided the collapse. I was counting this morning the Financial Times that, after the death of the supreme leader and senior commanders in the first bombings, the Iranian response did not stop, accelerated. Command was previously decentralized to prevent the elimination of key figures from paralyzing the operational chain. The middle I remembered that the units now act with general guidelines already established. This explains the speed with which the attacks began against US bases, energy infrastructure and targets in the Gulf. It does not seem like improvisation, but execution of a designed plan for a long war. Iran’s key naval base in Strait of Hormuz set on fire in attacks Saturation, wear and western cost. American and allied defenses are being tested in an unprecedented scale. Low-cost drones, ballistic missiles short and medium range and electronic warfare capabilities are forcing Patriot and THAAD systems to be deployed on multiple fronts simultaneously. We talk about the embassy protectionbases and energy assets that encompass an immense space. Even when interceptors work, the economic cost is disproportionate: because shooting down a drone can cost several times more than manufacturing it. In addition, the chaos in the sky has caused fire incidents friend and low. In short, the feeling of absolute control, if there was one at any time before the attack, has been eroded. The Gulf as a field of economic pressure. Because Iran has gone beyond direct confrontation with Israel and the United States. It has hit energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabiahas tense traffic until it closes a few hours ago through the Strait of Hormuz and has sent gas and oil prices skyrocketing. The Eurozone, in fact, already fears a severe inflationary spike if the conflict continues. The message in this scenario is clear: war is not limited to the exchange of projectiles, it is also fought in the markets. Global economic stability is part of the battlefield. Displacing the neighbors. The Gulf States, which had attempted to maintain cautious neutrality, now find themselves under direct fire. Hundreds of missiles and drones have been detected and intercepted over the Emirates and other countries, which are preparing to counterattack. The scale and speed of the attacks have surprised even those who expected retaliation. The regional outrage growsbut also the bewilderment at the unexpected magnitude of the Iranian response. Tehran, in short, is demonstrating the ability to strike broadly and sustainably. The idea that no one contemplated. So, four days after the start of the offensive, an uncomfortable realization is imposed in Washington and Jerusalem: Iran is not collapsing, far from it. Has not exhausted its launch capacity nor his will to climband your bet combines volume, dispersion and structural resistance. Hence the unknown about the actual size of its arsenal remains open, and as long as that question does not have a definitive answer, each missile intercepted is not a strategic victory, but rather a most uncertain extension. The campaign that was to quickly neutralize the threat thus faces a scenario that did not appear in the initial calculations: Iran not only resists, has margin to expand the conflict and turn it into something much more unstable and explosive than anyone had anticipated. Image | ESA, Hossein Velayati, Planet Labs In Xataka | Europe has opened its doors to the US to attack Iran. Except Spain, which had an ace up its sleeve: a Cold War signature In Xataka | The arrival of the B-2s to Iran can only mean one thing: the search for the greatest threat to the United States has begun

The first four places have records below 8 and that has never happened

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The best score in the history of one of the most difficult exams in the country has been obtained by a 41-year-old doctor with an academic record of 6.7. That phrase explains in a simple way why MIR 2026 has become in a detective movie. While the MIR Spain Association (AME) has requested an audit to the Ministry and there is anonymous testimony that accuses the applicant of copying, the interested party he denies it and offers himself to any verification. It’s morbid. It’s juicy. But it is much more than that. A statistical anomaly… According to the AME, the Ministry’s history shows that there is an abnormal pattern. In 2025the best position with a record of 6.75 was 1458. In 2024, it was 1374. This year, that position is 1. We have to go to 2021 to find something that high and it fell below position 200. But the anomalies do not stop there. According to the AME, the first four positions have records below 8 and no, it is not normal. Something strange had been seen at MIR 2025, but now the situation has become generalized. That is to say, the problem goes beyond whether number 1’s colleagues believe that she has copied or not. …which shows a systemic problem. And, although the Ministry has not yet commented on the matter, the truth is that the problems are piling up. He MIR 2026 is already accumulating delays in the admitted listserrors in academic scales, several resignations from the expert committeeetc, etc, etc. However, the “most difficult exam in Spain” has had problems for years. And it’s not even a Spanish problem. Last year, Argentina found a 33.6% increase in the highest grades with no apparent correlation with previous academic records. 141 applicants were forced to take the exam again and, although none of them achieved their previous scorethere were about 20 that were reported by the Ministry. The interesting thing about all this is the questions that remain open. Because if widespread fraud is demonstrated, this is not about a suspicious person, it is about an entire evaluation system that has entered into crisis; that must be reinvented from the roots. Can we examine today in the same way as before? Image | Duonguyen In Xataka | Artificial intelligences are close to beating doctors in the most difficult thing: understanding patients

two similar brothers focused on very different audiences

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Now that the new Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra have been announced, it is worth stopping to think about which one best fits what we are looking for. Should we opt for a better battery or a more versatile camera system? Do we want a smaller phone or do we prefer a bigger one? Let’s review the key differences of the new generation of Xiaomi. The differences between the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra Bigger or smaller Xiaomi 17 (left) and Xiaomi 17 Ultra (right). The most obvious difference between the two phones centers on the size. The Xiaomi 17 has a diagonal of 6.3 inches while that of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is 6.9 inches. Here we have to play with experience: do we feel comfortable using a mobile phone that is almost 7 inches? If the answer is no, the choice is clear. Because in addition to size there is another factor that influences: the weight. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra weighs 27 grams more, something that can be noticed when using it with one hand. Stay with this: we have to know if when using a cell phone, or when putting it in our pocket, we will feel comfortable due to size or weight. Because in the design, these are the two big differences, since in everything else we are practically talking about twin brothers. For example, both phones offer a 120 Hz refresh rate so that the phone looks much more fluid when playing games or navigating through the menus. Both displays also offer 3,500 nits of peak brightness, ensuring they look great outdoors. They are also compatible with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, two image formats that add a broader color palette. What does vary is the resolution due to the size of the screens, but it is not something that is noticeable with the naked eye. Processor and RAM and storage configurations RAM and storage configurations of the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra. While it is true that in the same generation mobile phones are usually differentiated by the processor (among other things), not here: both the Xiaomi 17 and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5which is the most powerful processor currently available in Android phones. Where we do find a difference is in the RAM and storage configurations. The Xiaomi 17 is available with two configurations of 256 GB and 512 GB of internal storage, while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at 512 GB and is available with a 1 TB version. Depending on how many photos, videos, or files you want to save, you may want more or less storage. The same goes for RAM.: The Xiaomi 17 is only available with 12 GB, and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is only available with 16 GB. This is important because the market is moving towards artificial intelligence: if you want to process AI locally, the more RAM memory the mobile has, the better. If it is not something that is part of your plans, you will be able to notice the difference when running several apps at the same time, although in both cases you should not have any problems because 12 and 16 GB are good RAM figures for a mobile phone. More size does not mean more battery That a mobile phone is larger means that it can contain a larger battery, but this is not always the case and the new generation of Xiaomi makes it completely clear to us: the Xiaomi 17 incorporates a 6,330 mAh battery and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with a 6,000 mAh battery. The difference is small, so will this be noticeable in practice? Yes, and it will probably be quite noticeable. The larger the screen, the more battery a mobile will consume. Taking into account that the Xiaomi 17 comes with a larger battery and a smaller screen, we will have more hours of autonomy on a single charge. In addition, it should also be noted that the two phones do not charge with the same power. The Xiaomi 17 offers 100W and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra offers 90W. The difference is small, but enough so that the cheapest mobile phone can have the battery fully charged in less time. A review of the photographic section Xiaomi 17 Ultra photography kit. The biggest difference between these phones is in their photography section. In both cases we once again have the Leica collaboration and both the front camera and the main sensor are the same. The difference is both in the ultra wide angle, which the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a larger aperture, and especially in the telephoto lens. The Xiaomi 17 incorporates a 50 MP f/2.0 telephoto lens, which means that it has a very interesting aperture for taking photos in environments with more complicated lighting, such as indoors or sunsets. Instead, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with a 200 MP telephoto lens with variable aperture between f/2.30 and f/2.96, allowing you to capture photos with better resolution with or without zoom. In addition, there is a quite interesting point: the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is the only mobile phone that is compatible with both photography kits of the brand. They are two accessories that are a great addition if what we are looking for is to have a photographic experience. In the previous generation (that of Xiaomi 15 Ultra) its corresponding photographic kit we liked it a lot. In summary: which Xiaomi mobile to choose according to your tastes and needs Why choose the Xiaomi 17 The Xiaomi 17 is no worse, it is a mobile phone that is focused on other types of users and that stands out in some sections: Best battery. The Xiaomi 17 has a larger capacity battery and its charging power is also greater. smaller size. As it is a smaller mobile phone, it is more comfortable to carry in your pocket. Good photographic section. It will not have the … Read more

a textbook “if something works, don’t change it”, but with two beastly hearts

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Apple is having a big week. The company is not attending the Mobile World Congress, but has decided to talk about it this week. Yesterday he presented the iPhone 17e and today they were playing the laptops. If last year they launched the MacBook Pro with an M5 processor, it was clear that it was our turn to see the older brothers. Next, we go with all the details of the new MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max. Some beasts with eight times more AI performance (but with immense fine print). First of all, the technical sheet of the new laptops. Technical sheet of the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max 14 inch macbook pro 16 inch Macbook Pro screen 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR 3,024 by 1,964 pixels ProMotion technology with up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate HDR 1,600 nits (peak) 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR 3,456 by 2,234 pixels ProMotion technology with up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate HDR 1,600 nits (peak) processor Apple M5 Apple M5 Pro Apple M5 Max Apple M5 Pro Apple M5 Max RAM 16 to 128 GB 24 to 128 GB storage 1TB to 8TB 1TB to 8TB ports SDXC card slot HDMI port 3.5mm headphone jack MagSafe 3 port 3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) SDXC card slot HDMI port 3.5mm headphone jack MagSafe 3 port 3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) WEIGHT 1.55kg 2.14kg webcam and sound 12MP Center Stage and Top-down View Camera Six Dolby Atmos speakers 12MP Center Stage and Top-down View Camera Six Dolby Atmos speakers battery 72.4Wh Fast charging with a 96W adapter 100Wh Fast charging with 140W adapter operating system macOS 26 Tahoe macOS 26 Tahoe price From 1,929 euros From 3,049 euros Identical on the outside We said it in analysis of the MacBook Pro with M5: Apple is one of the few companies that can afford to launch a generation without it being noticed. With the iPhone it is something that was set in stone with the notch, now with the ‘Dynamic Island’ and with the MacBook the same thing is happening. They made the change by introducing the notch and giving us connection ports again and, since then, the changes have been more internal than external. In this sense, the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro are no exception. In development…

In Spain, getting a house has become an impossible mission. There are those who are receiving them as a donation in exchange for taking care of dogs

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It happened in Madrid. ‘Subject A’ barely has contact with his children but feels enormous affection for his dogs, so he decides to reach an agreement with ‘subject B’: he will donate his home in usufruct if he agrees to take care of his pets. If ‘Subject B’ complies, no problem. If the animals end up unattended, you risk having the donation revoked. That of ‘A’ and ‘B’ is just one case commented a few days ago to The Newspaper (EPE) by a lawyer with an office in the capital, but it reflects a larger phenomenon: the increase in donationsincluding conditional ones. And it makes sense. What has happened? that in full housing crisiswith rental prices and m2 climbing to levels that remember to those of the brick ‘boom’, each time is more common meet donation signatures in notarial offices. Money is donated. And homes are donated. It’s nothing new. The trend has been going on for some time now. some time and it is part of a broader phenomenon that we have been talking about for some time, the ‘Great transfer’. What is striking is that just revealed EPE: not only do donations in general skyrocket, so do ‘conditional’ donations, those in which the agreement is subject to a series of previously agreed upon requirements. Donations with conditions? Exactly. Tax authorities defines them as agreements by which the donation is conditioned to certain requirements. “For it to be valid, the donee must be able to execute the condition or it must be an event with a high probability of occurring,” clarify the Treasury, which thus differentiates it from other types such as ‘pure’ or ‘remunerative donation’. Its dynamic is therefore simple: donor and donee reach an agreement on which the donation is conditional. It is fulfilled, perfect. If not fulfilled, the good returns to the donor. That is the logic, although in practice there are certain nuances. For example, the donation does not always have to take place at the same time. The donated property can be delivered when the agreement is signed or left in suspense waiting for the agreed conditions to be met. What do people agree? EPE has spoken with several offices in the Community of Madrid and has come across agreements of all kinds. For example, a grandmother who donates her house to her granddaughter in exchange for her finishing her degree and studying a master’s degree, donations to caregivers or (probably the most striking of all) transfers that are conditional on the care of animals. “There are cases in which the house is donated with the condition that the recipient takes care of their pet for as long as it is alive,” clarifies Manuel Hernándezby Vilches Abogados. “This guarantees (the donor) that if they die, their pet will be taken care of. It can also be done by inheritance, with a conditional legacy.” Is it just theory? No. As an example, Hernández cites the case with which this report began: a man from Madrid decided to donate his home to a friend in exchange for her taking care of his three dogs. “She had little connection with her children and was very fond of animals, so she donated her house in usufruct to a younger friend, if she would take care of her dogs. If this condition was not met, the revocation procedure could be initiated,” says the expert. The phenomenon is increasingly common and part of the “humanization” of pets. Is that easy? In practice, the agreements have fine print. It I remembered recently in COPE the lawyer Carolina Florez de Quiñones, who recognizes this type of conditional transfers, just like those directed to caregivers of the elderly; but he warns: “No one can leave alive what he cannot leave dead.” What does that mean? That the will of the person who donates is one of the key factors to take into account, but not the only one. Another is forced heirs. A living donation that damages your ‘legitimate status’ may end up being considered ‘unhelpful’. Are there more formulas? Yes. Another formula that has become popular is the donation of housing in bare propertywhich basically consists of transferring ownership of an asset without the rights of use and enjoyment. If we are talking about an apartment, that means that the donor can pass it on to his children, grandchildren, nephews or whoever he considers, but without giving up the usufruct of the home for the rest of his life. That is, the donor continues to enjoy the apartment as if nothing had changed, which implies that he or she can live in it or even rent it. Have they increased that much? The donations, definitely. In October the General Council of Notaries (CGN) published a report which shows that between 2017 and 2024 housing donations skyrocketed by almost 68%: from 32,623 they went to 54,735. During the first half of 2025 alone, it counted 27,000 donations. At the same time, notaries recorded an increase in inherited homes. The backdrop is the rising cost of housing and the difficulties of access for young people, which partly explains why grandparents, parents, uncles… come to the ‘rescue’ of the new generations, facilitating their access to the market. What do the notaries say? “The data show a clear increase in donations and inheritances of homes from older people to the following generations,” confirms the CGN. In case there were any doubts about its growing weight, the group also remembers that the number of inherited and donated homes in 2024 would be equivalent, overall, at 64% of purchase and sale operations. Not only housing is donated. Money is also transferred from the pockets of grandparents or parents to grandchildren/children to make it easier for them to get a mortgage. The question remains as to how many of these donations come with conditions. Images | Pam Mene (Unsplash), Yen Vu (Unsplash) and General Council of Notaries In Xataka | There are rich people so bored with their … Read more

is getting closer to total independence

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Cambricon Technologies is an essential company in China’s plans to challenge the US for its leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Although it is not as well known as Huawei or Moore Threads, this is one of the companies specialized in designing GPUs for AI with greater growth potential. In fact, in August 2025 received approval of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (China) to raise $560 million for the design of four chips for training and inference of AI models, and also for the development of an alternative to CUDAfrom NVIDIA. Cambricon has notified, according to SCMPto the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which during the fiscal year 2025 has had a net profit of 2,060 million yuan (approximately 257 million euros). In the context of companies whose business is based on semiconductors and AI, it may seem like little money, but it is not if we keep in mind that it was founded just a decade ago, and also that it went public in 2020. In 2025 its income has increased by 450% compared to what it reached in 2024. Be that as it may Cambricon Technologies It is not China’s only great asset to deal with the US in the domain of semiconductors for AI applications. Moore Threads and MetaX Integrated Circuits They have also made known just four days ago an exceptional economic performance that has been driven by the growing demand for Chinese semiconductors in a context in which the Beijing Government seeks to achieve technological self-sufficiency. What China currently has and does not have The chain that supports the manufacturing of semiconductors for AI applications is complex, but China controls most of its links. On the one hand it produces approximately 70% of rare earths that are distributed on the world market, and, what is even more important, it controls 90% of the processing industry to which rare earths must be subjected so that they can be used. Furthermore, it refines nothing less than 99% of heavy rare earths of the planet. The rare earth They have a leading role in the trade, technological and geostrategic war between the US and China. These chemical elements are relatively rare, and, furthermore, they are not usually found in pure form in nature, but what makes them so special are its physicochemical properties. In fact, thanks to them they have established themselves as a very valuable resource in numerous industries, especially in electronics and renewable energy. Moore Threads has developed several GPUs for AI applications that rival some of the advanced solutions from NVIDIA, AMD or Huawei If we stick to the design of GPUs for AI, several Chinese companies are already producing competitive chips. Currently the flagship products that Cambricon has to compete with NVIDIA and Huawei in the Chinese market are the MLU series (Machine Learning Unit) and Siyuan. Moore Threads, on the other hand, has developed several GPUs for AI applications that, on paper, rival some of the advanced solutions that NVIDIA, AMD or Huawei have put on the market. The MTT S4000 and MTT S3000 cards are their most interesting proposals right now. The other indispensable player in the Chinese AI chip industry is Huawei. And their GPUs Ascend 910D and Ascend 920 They are receiving support from some of the Chinese companies that are developing AI models. In this context, the biggest challenge facing China is to develop its own cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing technology. Or he will lose his fight for world supremacy with the US. Without 100% Chinese advanced chips, its military capacity, the development of its AI models and the competitiveness of its technology companies will suffer in the medium term. Huawei and SMIC are making advanced integrated circuits, but they use machines from the Dutch company ASML and a technology known as multiple patterning that compromises its competitiveness. This scenario has caused the Chinese Government support with very juicy subsidies to companies that have the capacity to develop cutting-edge photolithography equipment, such as YesCarrierShanghai Yuliangsheng, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), Huawei or SMIC. Time plays against this Asian country. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | SCMP In Xataka | NVIDIA has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. Your plan in China is in danger In Xataka | The US wants to end Chinese AI chips sold abroad. And China knows how to defend itself

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