Technologies

Apple to Pump $100 Billion More Toward Manufacturing in US

All glass covers for iPhones and Apple Watches will be made in Kentucky, Apple CEO Tim Cook says.

Apple said Wednesday it plans to invest another $100 billion during the next four years to increase manufacturing in the US.

The company’s wide-ranging announcement — which was leaked early by the White House — said it will now spend $600 billion to hire more US workers and expand some of its manufacturing across 10 states.

Apple CEO Tim Cook joined President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday to unveil its American Manufacturing Program. The program includes plans to develop 100% of the cover glass for its iPhone and Apple Watch products in Kentucky in partnership with Corning. Apple said it plans to commit $2.5 billion to that product effort alone.

«Every new iPhone and every new Apple Watch sold in the world will contain cover glass made in Kentucky,» Cook said. iPhone cover glass is already being made at Corning’s Harrodsburg, Kentucky, manufacturing facility, though it’s not clear when 100% of the iPhone glass will be made there.

The Apple CEO said that the company plans to create an end-to-end silicon supply chain in the US, increasing the amount of chip design, manufacturing and packaging in the country.

Read more: Trump Phone Site Drops Its ‘Built in US’ Claim

«American innovation is central to everything we do,» Cook said. «We’re growing and hiring here. We support 450,000 jobs with suppliers and partners in all 50 states.»

In the announcement, Apple reiterated what it previously said in February — that it was also planning to hire 20,000 US workers over that four-year time period.

Trump praised Apple and Cook in particular, calling him a «visionary» moments before questioning his athleticism.

The president also repeated his assertion that there will be 100% tariffs on semiconductors imported from other countries.

«I think the chip companies are all coming back home,» Trump said. «If you’re building in the United States or committed to build without question, there will be no charge.»

The manufacturing of smartphones in the US has other ties to the president. When the Trump Organization announced the launch of a Trump Mobile service in June, it promised a gold phone called the T1 that would be manufactured entirely in the US. Those claims were later walked back after it was revealed the $499 phone’s specifications appeared to be similar to one made overseas for T-Mobile.

Apple’s shifting strategy

Apple has been shifting the way it produces its products this year in response to the steep tariffs against countries where it manufactures most of its flagship products, such as iPhones. While Apple and other major technology companies don’t make smartphones in the US, some assembly of products using components made overseas can be done in the US.

The company has moved some production from China to countries including India and Vietnam to bypass tariffs and reduce its reliance on China’s extensive manufacturing supply chains. Smartphone makers have been facing tariffs as steep as 25%, and Apple is trying to avoid price hikes on its products. The company is gearing up for the launch of the iPhone 17 in September.

During the press conference, Cook was asked about the possibility that Apple could manufacture an entire iPhone in the US. Cook said that some components are made domestically and assembly can be done in the US, but he stopped short of promising an entire device made in the US.

Trump said that Apple’s supply chains have been in place for a while.

«We may incentivize them,» he said, but suggested he was optimistic that an all-US-made iPhone could happen «one day.»

Apple’s announcement included news of partnerships with companies that include Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Applied Materials, TSMC and others. Some of those efforts will include increased chip development and manufacturing domestically.

The company has also opened up a new factory that produces servers for the company in Houston. It will gear up for mass production next year. Apple said those servers will help with its Apple Intelligence efforts.

Technologies

Chevy’s New Bolt Electric Car Is Truly Affordable, at Less Than $30,000

The new Chevrolet Bolt is cheaper than other «affordable» EVs, and even fixes the weaknesses of its predecessor.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 26 #602

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 26, No. 602.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, and timely, too. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Fall-ing

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Crisp season.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

HARD, DUST, MORN, LOOT, HAVE, GALE, LOAF, TOOL, VEST, BUMP, DOUBT, BALE, BALL, FOOT, CHARD

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

CORN, FOLIAGE, HARVEST, FOOTBALL, ORCHARDS, PUMPKINS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is AUTUMN. To find it, look for the A that’s five letters down on the far-left row, and wind across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 26, #868

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle No. 868 for Sunday, Oct. 26.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a diverse mix of topics. I laughed out loud at the green category. As a Gen Xer, I remember actually singing a song about that topic in music class back in the day. Today’s categories are not too tough, but if you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Music.

Green group hint: The Greatest.

Blue group hint: Time to compete.

Purple group hint: Teeny tiny.