iPhone 17 Pre-Orders Open at 5 AM Pacific
Apple opened pre-orders today for its highly anticipated iPhone 17 lineup, following the "Awe Dropping" event on September 9. The new devices feature groundbreaking technology and will officially launch on September 19.
Key Specifications:
- A19 Chip: Built on 3nm technology with 6-core CPU (1.5x faster than A15) and 5-core GPU (2x faster)
- Camera System: 48MP Fusion Main + 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide cameras with Center Stage front camera
- iPhone Air: Revolutionary 5.6mm thickness - the thinnest iPhone ever created
- Ceramic Shield 2: 3x better scratch resistance with aerospace-grade aluminum body
- Battery Life: Up to 30 hours of video playback with ProMotion display
Also Available: Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 ($249) are now open for pre-order. iOS 26 releases Monday, September 15.
Quantum Computing Attracts $1B Investment
PsiQuantum secured a massive $1 billion Series E funding round to accelerate development of photonic quantum computers, valuing the company at approximately $7 billion - more than double its 2021 valuation.
Major Funding Rounds This Week:
PsiQuantum - $1B Series E
Million-qubit quantum systems development ($7B valuation)
Mistral AI - €1.7B Series C
Open-source AI models scaling (€10B valuation)
Cognition AI - $400M
AI development platform ($10.2B valuation)
Perplexity AI - $200M
AI-powered search engine ($20B valuation, 30M+ users)
2025 Unicorn Explosion: 36+ New Entrants
The unicorn landscape continues its explosive growth with 1,526 active unicorns globally as of September 1, 2025. AI startups dominate new entries, though space and blockchain companies also attract significant capital.
Notable 2025 Unicorns
- • Thinking Machines: $2B seed at $10B valuation (largest seed round ever)
- • European Surge: 12 new unicorns in H1 2025
- • AI Dominance: 70% of new unicorns are AI-focused
Other Notable Rounds
- • Speedchain: $111M for construction fintech
- • Augment: $85M Series A for AI logistics
- • ReOrbit: €45M for European satellites
Tech Industry Restructuring Continues
The tech industry has seen over 57,000 layoffs across 229 firms in 2025, with companies reallocating resources toward AI investments while maintaining strong IT spending projections.
Key Statistics:
- • AWS: 31% cloud market share, 17% YoY growth in Q1 2025
- • Microsoft Azure: 30%+ growth driven by OpenAI partnership
- • IT Spending: $5.43 trillion projected for 2025 (7.9% increase)
- • AI Infrastructure: 42.4% YoY growth to $474.9B
Key Takeaways
- 1 Act Now: iPhone 17 pre-orders are live - expect high demand for iPhone Air model
- 2 Quantum Leap: $1B investment signals mainstream quantum computing approaching
- 3 AI Capital Rush: Record-breaking funding rounds creating new AI unicorns weekly
- 4 Prepare for iOS 26: Major update releases Monday - backup devices this weekend
- 5 Infrastructure Boom: AI driving 42% growth in data center investments
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