Two years ago, every argument about AI was about quality. The machines hallucinated court cases, absorbed biases from their training data, misspelled words in their own images, drew hands with six fingers, and couldn’t count the letters in strawberry. The confident claims that biases and hallucination errors were inherent to machines already sound quaint. Those […]
The post From slop to non-slop: The new big AI theme is quantity appeared first on Asia Times.
But Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX owns Starlink, accuses Ukrainian military of violating the company’s terms
Ukraine’s military has a “stable connection to Starlink”, the Ukrainian government said, 10 days after its ability to use the satellite communications system was suddenly restricted.
But hours after the announcement, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose company owns Starlink, accused the Ukrainian military of violating the company’s terms. Neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, took responsibility for imposing the curbs.
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© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
ISLAMABAD – Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone Duo landed in Pakistan with staggering price tag of Rs1.5 million, putting cost of a single smartphone in the same league as some used cars. But the real surprise is that Pakistani retailers are charging nearly Rs100,000 more than the prices announced through the company’s authorised distribution channel.
iPhone Duo is now being advertised by Pakistani retailers after its international release on October 23, 2026. However, the device’s arrival has exposed a considerable pricing gap, with the top-of-the-line 2TB model listed at Rs1,479,599. Another distributor announced price of Rs1,390,000 for the same variant.
| Model | Dealer Price | Market Price |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone Duo 256GB | Rs899,999 | Rs999,599 |
| iPhone Duo 512GB | Rs980,000 | Rs1,079,599 |
| iPhone Duo 1TB | Rs1,145,000 | Rs1,239,599 |
| iPhone Duo 2TB | Rs1,390,000 | Rs1,479,599 |
The extraordinary price is only part of the story. Pakistan’s initial supply of the iPhone Duo appears limited, with several sellers advertising restricted availability and some listings showing sold-out inventory. Certain retailers are taking orders for deliveries expected during the final week of November, although others are offering considerably shorter delivery estimates.
At Rs1,479,599, the most expensive advertised iPhone Duo is just Rs20,401 away from the Rs1.5 million milestone. That is enough money to compete with the asking prices of some older used vehicles in Pakistan, turning Apple’s latest smartphone into a purchase comparable to a major household investment.
Even entry-level version, priced at Rs899,999 through the authorised distributor, remains beyond the budget of most consumers.
Apple entered the foldable smartphone race with a device designed to combine the convenience of an iPhone with the larger viewing experience of a tablet. iPhone Duo features a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR outer display, allowing it to function like a conventional smartphone when folded.
Opening the handset reveals a much larger 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR screen, offering additional space for videos, gaming, reading and multitasking. Under the hood, the phone runs on Apple’s A20 Pro chip, manufactured using a 2-nanometre process, alongside iOS 27.1. The camera system includes a 48-megapixel main sensor and a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens, supported by front-facing cameras for selfies and video calls.
Instead of the familiar Face ID system, Apple has introduced a side-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor on its foldable device. Despite its dual-screen design, the handset weighs approximately 254 grams and comes with IP68-rated water resistance.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo on September 9, 2026, marking its first major move into the foldable smartphone segment. International pre-orders opened on October 16, followed by the initial commercial release on October 23. A leading phone dealer announced the smartphone’s arrival in Pakistan, offering PTA-approved units through its authorised distribution channel.
Apple unveils first foldable iPhone Duo – Features & prices explained
The post iPhone Duo to cost around Rs15Lac in Pakistan, enough to Buy Used Cultus, Mehran appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
ISLAMABAD – Registering imported mobile phones in Pakistan could become easier on the pocket as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) rolled out a new facility allowing eligible users to pay sales tax in monthly instalments instead of bearing the entire financial burden upfront.
The move offers potential relief to mobile phone users who face substantial tax payments when registering imported devices under Pakistan’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS). Under the new arrangement, eligible applicants can spread their sales tax payments across the remaining months of the financial year, making the registration process more financially manageable.
The facility has been introduced through Customs General Order No. 06 of 2026, which amends the regulations originally issued in 2019. The revised framework allows individuals who meet the prescribed conditions to select a monthly instalment plan when applying for the registration of imported mobile phones.
However, the facility is not automatically available to every mobile phone user. Applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements before choosing the instalment option.
The number of instalments will depend on when a person applies for registration. According to the FBR, the total payable sales tax will be divided equally among the months remaining in the financial year, including the month of application. For example, an eligible applicant registering a phone in January could spread the tax over six monthly instalments, from January through June.
Anyone applying for registration in June will have to pay the entire sales tax amount before June 30, leaving no opportunity to spread the payment over multiple months. This is because Pakistan’s financial year ends on June 30, and all outstanding instalments must be cleared before that deadline.
FBR has also outlined the payment procedure to help applicants understand how the new system will operate. Once an eligible individual submits a registration application, the system will generate a Payment Slip ID (PSID) for the first instalment. A new PSID will subsequently be generated every month for the next scheduled payment.
If a particular month does not have the corresponding payment date, the system will issue the PSID for the final day of that month. Importantly, applicants will not have to wait until the final instalment date to clear their outstanding tax. The revised rules allow users to make advance payments, either partially or in full, before their scheduled deadlines.
While the new arrangement offers greater payment flexibility, the tax authority has made it clear that users must follow the prescribed payment schedule. Failure to deposit an instalment by its due date could result in the applicant being declared a defaulter. All payments must be completed by June 30, regardless of when the registration application was submitted.
The decision could make imported mobile phone registration more affordable in the short term by allowing eligible users to distribute their sales tax liability over several months. However, the change concerns the payment schedule rather than a reduction in the tax itself. The total applicable sales tax remains payable.
Mobile phone users planning to take advantage of the facility should first confirm their eligibility, review the relevant conditions and ensure they can meet the monthly payment deadlines.
The new arrangement marks a shift towards more flexible tax collection for eligible imported mobile phone registrations, potentially reducing the pressure of making a large one-time payment.
The post Your Guide to Paying PTA Mobile Phone Tax in Monthly Instalments in Pakistan appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, made its debut at Apple Store locations worldwide, introducing a new design that combines a large display with the portability of a traditional smartphone.
The device features a foldable design and offers Apple’s largest iPhone display to date. When unfolded, its 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR screen provides 50 percent more display area than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Its external screen also offers more than 90 percent of the screen area available on the iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple has designed the iPhone Duo to provide a smooth viewing experience across its inner and outer displays. The inner screen consists of more than 10 ultrathin layers and features a custom nano-texture finish intended to reduce glare. An under-display FaceTime camera remains hidden until needed, helping maintain an uninterrupted viewing surface.
The foldable device supports different positions and orientations, allowing users to watch videos hands-free, make calls and switch between displays. It also supports Apple Pencil (USB-C), expanding its potential for writing and other tasks.
Running iOS 27, the iPhone Duo introduces Split View multitasking, enabling users to work across two applications simultaneously. For example, users can browse photos and drag images directly into Mail.
The larger display also provides more room for Siri AI conversations, allowing users to ask questions and view responses in an expanded interface.
The smartphone includes a 48-megapixel camera system capable of recording video at resolutions of up to 4K and 120 frames per second.
Camera features include Smart Take, which detects when people are ready for a group photograph, Duo Preview, Kid Cue and Duo FaceTime.
Powering the device is Apple’s A20 Pro chip with a dual 16-core Neural Engine, designed to handle demanding applications and artificial intelligence workloads. An advanced cooling system featuring a vapour chamber helps maintain performance during intensive tasks and gaming.
A dual-battery system and an internal eSIM design help maximise space for battery capacity. The C2 modem is designed to improve power efficiency, while fast wired charging can deliver up to 50 percent battery capacity in approximately 20 minutes.
The built-in eSIM eliminates the need for a physical SIM card.
Apple has listed four storage configurations for the foldable smartphone:
256GB: $1,999
512GB: $2,199
1TB: $2,599
2TB: $3,199
The post Apple unveils first foldable iPhone Duo – Features & prices explained appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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