Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) were the focal points of recent technology news, with Qualcomm announcing a renewed patent agreement and Apple reportedly expanding its hardware lineup.
Qualcomm wrapped up its three-day Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, where it announced on Thursday that it has renewed its global patent license agreement with Apple. The renewed agreement is set to become effective April 1, 2027.
At the same event, Qualcomm introduced two new high-end AI-first processors: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. These chips are designed to run more artificial intelligence tasks directly on devices.
Separately, Apple is reportedly expanding its wearable offerings. The company is said to be developing a new screen-free fitness tracker that resembles Whoop bands, as well as an AI-heavy pendant. Additionally, Apple is marketing its newest Macs to businesses, highlighting that they allow users to run powerful AI models without incurring per-token cloud charges. Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji told Reuters that the machines offer a model where there is "no cost per token" and users simply reuse the hardware.
In other reported developments, entrepreneur and investor Jason Calacanis suggested that Apple should consider acquiring Disney, Robinhood, or Uber under new CEO John Ternus.
