Magnificent 7 Weekly Briefing

March 6, 2026

Apple launched new MacBooks & iPhone, Google expanded AI tools & data centers, and Microsoft advanced its Copilot. Tesla faced lawsuits and production shifts, and more.

• Apple unveiled new hardware including the MacBook Neo, updated MacBook Air and Pro models with M5 chips, refreshed Studio Displays, and a cheaper iPhone 17e. ^{12345678910111213141516171819}
• Google announced new AI models, an AI-powered workspace feature called Canvas, and several partnerships and initiatives, including an AI center in Berlin and a collaboration with Taiwan for public health AI. ^{202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546}
• Microsoft introduced advancements to Dragon Copilot, open-sourced a multimodal reasoning model (Phi-4-reasoning-vision-15B), expanded sovereign cloud capabilities, and launched Copilot Tasks for autonomous actions. ^{47484950515253545556575859}
• Tesla faced legal and logistical challenges, with lawsuits over Model S doors and a Cybertruck crash, reports of Cybertrucks destroyed in a fire, and union disputes at its German factory, while also planning for lower-cost batteries and cars. ^{606162636465666768697071727374757677787980}
• Both Google and Amazon joined the White House Affordability Pledge, committing to pay full data center power costs and invest in grid upgrades, while Microsoft secured a significant financial agreement for its LaPorte data center. ⁸¹⁸²⁸³
• Other notable developments include NVIDIA setting a STAC-AI record for LLM inference, Google suffering a setback against Canada's competition watchdog, and a report suggesting Apple may use Google Gemini AI for an upgraded Siri. ^{84858687888990919293949596979899100}

Sources

1. Apple reportedly geoblocking downloads and updates of ByteDance-owned apps in the US 9to5mac.com
2. Apple iPhone 17e pre-orders go live with stellar 61p per day deal at one store cambridge-news.co.uk
3. iPad Air gets faster M4 chip, more memory, and better connectivity without a price hike tech.yahoo.com
4. Preorders for Apple’s colorful MacBook Neo come with a $25 gift card theverge.com
5. Apple unveils MacBook Neo Apple
6. MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e: Everything You Missed From Apple's March Event pcmag.com
7. Apple Releases iOS 26.3.1: Critical iPhone Update With New Features And Fixes forbes.com
8. Apple Calls New M5 MacBook Pro Its Most Powerful Laptop Yet techrepublic.com
9. Apple debuts $599 MacBook Neo to challenge Chromebooks, Windows PCs reuters.com
10. Apple launches 6 new products, discontinues 7—see the full list newsweek.com
11. Apple launches MacBook Air and Pro with faster chips, more storage usatoday.com
12. Apple announces new M5 MacBook Air, now with 512GB of starting storage for $1,099 mashable.com
13. Apple Announces The New Budget-Friendly MacBook Neo tech.yahoo.com
14. Apple introduces new MacBook Air with M5 Apple
15. Apple announces M5 Pro and M5 Max chips Apple
16. Apple unveils new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR Apple
17. Apple refreshes Studio Display, launches Studio Display XDR: Check details business-standard.com
18. Apple quietly launched a cheaper iPhone 17e thedailystar.net
19. Apple's Next Launch Starts Today macrumors.com
20. Google’s CEO Has Released a New AI That Can Start Your One-Person Business from Top to Bottom tech.yahoo.com
21. Google confirms plan for data center near Hermantown kfgo.com
22. Google suffers setback in fight against Canada's competition watchdog timescolonist.com
23. Google announces AI updates from February Google
24. Google pledges roughly three hours of its annual profit to fight climate change tech.yahoo.com
25. Google pledges $50 million to fight superpollutants Google
26. CVS taps Google Cloud to roll out AI-powered health platform reuters.com
27. Google opens AI Center Berlin for researchers and developers Google
28. Google's AI-powered workspace is now available to more users in Search theverge.com
29. Hawley launches Google investigation after shocking child trafficking testimony at Senate hearing yahoo.com
30. Google teaches LLMs Bayesian reasoning Google
31. Google revamps app store billing, fee structure, brings back Fortnite worldwide reuters.com
32. NotebookLM introduces Cinematic Video Overviews Google
33. Google launches Canvas in AI Mode in the U.S Google
34. Google collaborates with Taiwan on AI for public health Google
35. Google's Gemini AI chatbot drove man to suicide, lawsuit says usatoday.com
36. Google responds to Gavalas lawsuit Google
37. Google rolls out March Pixel Drop: Agentic Gemini, Circle to Search update business-standard.com
38. Google releases March Pixel Drop Google
39. Google rolls out Find Hub location sharing for lost luggage Google
40. Google introduces Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Google
41. Google confirms it is behind new data center in Hermantown kstp.com
42. Google announces significant changes to open up Android ecosystem neowin.net
43. Daily Mirror-owner suffers biggest loss in a decade as Google traffic slumps finance.yahoo.com
44. Nexi Group and Google Cloud Collaborate to Drive Agentic Commerce Across Europe morningstar.com
45. Google Confirms CVE-2026-21385 in Qualcomm Android Component Exploited thehackernews.com
46. Google Develops Merkle Tree Certificates to Enable Quantum-Resistant HTTPS in Chrome thehackernews.com
47. Microsoft introduces Dragon Copilot advancements at HIMSS 2026 Microsoft
48. Microsoft, Europol take down global phishing as a service network techradar.com
49. Microsoft open-sources multimodal reasoning model with 15B parameters - SiliconANGLE siliconangle.com
50. Microsoft expands sovereign cloud capabilities to support AI models ciodive.com
51. Microsoft announces Phi-4-reasoning-vision-15B Microsoft
52. Microsoft Draws Internet Ire Over Wave of Email Blocking | PYMNTS.com pymnts.com
53. Microsoft disrupts Tycoon 2FA phishing service Microsoft
54. Bill Gates Admits to Affair With Colleague Years After Microsoft Investigated Him Over Intimate Employee Relationship yahoo.com
55. New Microsoft deal without abatement nets LaPorte 'unprecedented' money southbendtribune.com
56. Brandon software distributor sentenced for trafficking stolen Microsoft activation codes yahoo.com
57. Microsoft Helps Bust Global Hacking Service wsj.com
58. Microsoft introduces Copilot Tasks Microsoft
59. Microsoft celebrates SharePoint's 25th anniversary Microsoft
60. Tesla Sued Again Over Model S Doors That May Not Open After Power Loss aol.com
61. E-mobility: Stellantis and Toyota no longer need Tesla for fleet targets heise.de
62. 2 Tesla Cybertrucks destroyed, others damaged in Santa Monica rooftop garage fire ktla.com
63. Analysis argues Tesla's tax havens help power Elon Musk's wealth statesman.com
64. Fresh fury over Elon Musk's Tesla tunnel loop as 'blindsided' lawmakers lodge complaints aol.com
65. Tesla's UK sales plummet in February but outpace BYD, New Automotive data shows reuters.com
66. Texas Cybertruck Owner Sues Tesla for Over $1 Million After Autopilot Crash Into Concrete Barrier autos.yahoo.com
67. Man Who Firebombed Tesla Facility Faces Up to 70 Years After Guilty Plea yahoo.com
68. Tesla says it could build the first humanoid AGI moneycontrol.com
69. Tesla to discuss expansion of Samsung AI6 production plans: report teslarati.com
70. Tesla Owners Furious After FSD Transfer Rules Change Again carscoops.com
71. Union tries to seize control of works council at Tesla's German factory theguardian.com
72. Tesla Reworks Fremont For Optimus Robots As Physical AI Bet Grows finance.yahoo.com
73. Tesla ramps Cybercab test manufacturing ahead of mass production teslarati.com
74. Tesla s 10-day Cybertruck Flash Sale Ended In A $10k Price Hike mensjournal.com
75. Canada's largest operating battery storage running Tesla Megapack 2XL units is now commissioned in Ontario pv-magazine-usa.com
76. Tesla Quietly Removes Model 3 Inventory in Canada in Preparation for Cheaper Chinese Imports autoevolution.com
77. Stellantis, Toyota, Subaru not in Tesla carbon pool for 2026, EU filing shows finance.yahoo.com
78. Tesla Giga Berlin head calls out Handelsblatt s claimed 2025 production figures teslarati.com
79. Tesla Making Lower Cost Batteries and Cars Late in 2026 and in 2027 nextbigfuture.com
80. 8 billion miles driven: Tesla's Full Self Driving cars reach major test milestone interestingengineering.com
81. Google signs White House Affordability Pledge Google
82. Amazon joins White House energy pledge Amazon
83. Amazon, Google, Microsoft Are Among Tech Giants Promising That Homeowners Won’t Pay Higher Electric Bills for Data Centers finance.yahoo.com
84. Google, DOJ Appeal Remedies Decision as US Judge Hires Technical Committee | Law.com law.com
85. NVIDIA Blackwell sets STAC-AI record for LLM inference in finance Nvidia
86. Google Identifies Cybersecurity Threat Used By Hackers To Target Older iOS Versions Possibly Developed By US Government tech.yahoo.com
87. Apple TV exclusively streams 2026 Formula 1 season in U.S Apple
88. AWS launches Amazon Connect Health Amazon
89. Nvidia commits to building 6G with telecom leaders Nvidia
90. Microsoft and Alphabet Spend Billions On AI: A Closer Look finance.yahoo.com
91. Nvidia introduces cuTile.jl for Julia Nvidia
92. O2 Telefónica deploys 5G core on AWS Outposts Amazon
93. Apple, Google, Microsoft and other tech giants push back on Pentagon's Anthropic blacklisting moneycontrol.com
94. Meta announces 2026 Data Center Community Action Grant recipients Meta
95. AT&T and AWS collaborate on AI connectivity Amazon
96. NVIDIA announces GTC 2026 conference Nvidia
97. Amazon introduces AI canvas for sellers Amazon
98. Apple plans to use Google Gemini AI to upgrade Siri with better privacy and performance moneycontrol.com
99. Apple may rely on Google cloud infrastructure for upgraded AI Siri: Report business-standard.com
100. NTT DOCOMO launches commercial 5G Core on AWS Amazon