Tech News for October 18, 2025#
Windows 10 Reaches End of Life#
Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, exactly ten years after its launch on July 29, 2015. Users now face the decision to upgrade to Windows 11, pay $30 annually for Extended Security Updates (ESU), or switch to alternatives like Linux. An estimated 240 million computers worldwide cannot be upgraded to Windows 11 due to strict hardware requirements. European Economic Region users automatically receive free ESU for one year.
YouTube Unveils Major Video Player Redesign#
YouTube began rolling out a comprehensive video player redesign globally starting October 13, 2025, featuring a cleaner and more immersive interface across web, mobile, and TV platforms. The update includes rounded, translucent buttons resembling Apple’s Liquid Glass design, dynamic animations for likes (such as musical notes for music videos), improved double-tap seek functionality, and structured comment threading for better conversation flow. The redesign aims to make controls less intrusive while maintaining functionality.
Zorin OS 18 Released as Windows 10 Alternative#
Zorin OS 18 officially launched on October 13, 2025—the same day Windows 10 support ended—offering a polished Linux alternative for users seeking to extend their hardware’s lifespan. Built on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with Linux kernel 6.14, the release features a refreshed interface with rounded corners, a floating panel, lighter colors, and enhanced Windows app compatibility. The OS includes a new window tiling manager for efficient multitasking and proactively suggests Linux alternatives when users attempt to run Windows installers.
Firefox 144 Introduces Profile Manager#
Mozilla released Firefox 144 on October 13, 2025, featuring a long-awaited profile management system accessible directly from the main menu. Users can now create fully isolated browsing sessions with separate settings, history, bookmarks, and extensions, each with custom names, icons, and color schemes. The update also includes tab group improvements, stronger AES-256-CBC password encryption, Picture-in-Picture enhancements, and 24 security vulnerability fixes.
Samsung Galaxy XR Event Set for October 21#
Samsung announced a virtual Galaxy event titled “Worlds Wide Open” scheduled for October 21, 2025, at 10 PM ET to unveil Project Moohan, its first Android XR headset developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm. The headset, powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip and running Android XR, aims to compete with the Apple Vision Pro. Customers who reserve before October 20 receive a $100 credit toward additional products, with pricing rumored between $1,800 and $3,000.
Apple Launches M5-Powered Devices#
Apple unveiled updated iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and Vision Pro models on October 15, 2025, all powered by the new M5 chip through press releases rather than a special event. The M5 chip, manufactured using 3nm technology, features a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each core, delivering over 4x the peak GPU compute performance for AI compared to M4, 30% faster graphics, and 15% faster multithreaded CPU performance. The iPad Pro starts at $999, MacBook Pro at $1,599, and Vision Pro at $3,499, with preorders now open and availability beginning October 22.
OnePlus 15 Launch Confirmed for October 27#
OnePlus officially confirmed the OnePlus 15 will launch in China on October 27, 2025, at 7 PM Beijing Time, alongside the OnePlus Ace 6. The flagship features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 165Hz ultra-high refresh rate display, a 7,000mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, and comes in three colors: Sand Dune, Absolute Black, and Mist Purple. The global launch is expected around November 13, 2025.
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Explodes During Durability Test#
YouTube durability tester JerryRigEverything reported that Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold caught fire and exploded during a bend test on October 14, 2025—marking the first smartphone to explode in his decade of testing. The device snapped at antenna lines near the hinge (the same weak point that plagued previous Pixel Fold models) before the battery underwent thermal runaway, emitting enough smoke to trigger fire alarms. While iFixit experts noted this was likely due to extreme testing conditions with a charged battery rather than a design defect, the incident raised questions about Google’s durability claims.
OxygenOS 16 Officially Launched#
OnePlus unveiled OxygenOS 16 on October 16, 2025, based on Android 16, featuring an iOS-inspired redesign with enhanced AI capabilities and improved multitasking. Key features include zero-lag performance during intensive tasks, OnePlus Flow Motion for smoother animations, cross-device sharing with Mac, Windows PC, and iPhone, and Apple Watch support. The rollout schedule begins in November 2025 with the OnePlus 13, OnePlus 13R, OnePlus 12, and OnePlus Open, continuing through Q1 2026 for older devices.
MIT’s SEAL Framework Advances Self-Improving AI#
Researchers at MIT gained renewed attention for their Self-Adapting Language Models (SEAL) framework, which enables large language models to generate their own training data and continuously improve through reinforcement learning. The updated technique, published in a revised paper and open-sourced on GitHub under an MIT License, allows models to create “self-edits” that specify how they should adapt, with testing showing accuracy improvements from 33.5% to 47.0% on knowledge tasks and 20% to 72.5% on reasoning problems. The breakthrough represents a significant step toward truly self-evolving AI systems.
Nvidia CEO Hand-Delivers DGX Spark Supercomputers#
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang personally delivered the newly launched DGX Spark AI supercomputer to both Elon Musk at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas and Sam Altman at OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco on October 15-17, 2025. The compact, desktop-sized DGX Spark packs 128GB of unified memory, delivers a petaflop of AI performance, and can run models with up to 200 billion parameters locally—all while consuming just 40 watts. Huang joked about “delivering the smallest supercomputer next to the biggest rocket” during the SpaceX visit, which coincided with the Starship’s 11th test flight.
TSMC and Nvidia Produce First US-Made Blackwell Wafer#
Nvidia and TSMC celebrated the production of the first US-made Blackwell wafer at TSMC’s Phoenix, Arizona facility on October 17, 2025. The milestone marks a historic achievement in bringing advanced AI chip manufacturing to American soil, with TSMC Arizona set to produce 2nm, 3nm, 4nm, and A16 chips essential for AI, telecommunications, and high-performance computing. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called Blackwell “the single most important chip” being manufactured in America, aligning with efforts to strengthen the US supply chain and technological leadership.
Walmart Partners with ChatGPT for Shopping#
Walmart announced on October 14, 2025, a partnership with OpenAI to enable customers to purchase items directly through ChatGPT using the Instant Checkout feature. The integration, branded as “agentic commerce,” allows shoppers to plan meals, restock essentials, or discover products through natural conversation, with Walmart handling order fulfillment. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon stated that this represents a shift from traditional search bar interfaces to a more intuitive, multimedia shopping experience. Following the announcement, Walmart’s stock rose nearly 5%, reaching a 52-week high.
Nvidia’s Market Share Falls to Zero in China#
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed that the company’s advanced AI chip market share in China has plummeted from 95% to zero due to US export controls. Chinese AI and semiconductor companies, led by Huawei, have rapidly developed domestic alternatives, eroding Nvidia’s once-dominant position. Despite receiving US approval to sell a less powerful H20 chip designed for the Chinese market, Nvidia faces additional challenges as Chinese authorities launched a security investigation into the product and advised local clients to avoid it.
Micron to Exit China Server Chip Business#
Micron Technology is reportedly withdrawing from the server chip sector in China after failing to recover from a 2023 government ban on its products in critical infrastructure. The company will continue supplying chips to Chinese customers with data centers outside China (including Lenovo) and maintain operations in automotive and mobile phone sectors. China accounted for approximately 12% ($3.4 billion) of Micron’s total revenue last year, with competitors Samsung, SK Hynix, YMTC, and CXMT positioned to benefit from the exit.
Gene Therapy Cures 95% of Children with “Bubble Boy Disease”#
Researchers from UCLA, University College London, and Great Ormond Street Hospital published landmark results showing that a one-time gene therapy successfully cured 95% of children with ADA-SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) over a median follow-up of 7.5 years. All 62 children in the study survived to the end of the trial, with 59 successfully treated. The therapy involves harvesting the child’s own blood stem cells, treating them with a modified virus that inserts a healthy ADA gene, and reintroducing the corrected cells to restore immune function.
Tech Giants Invest $23 Million in AI Teacher Training#
Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, the American Federation of Teachers, and the United Federation of Teachers announced a $23 million initiative to establish the National Academy of AI Instruction in New York City. The program aims to train 400,000 K-12 teachers in AI over the next five years through online courses, workshops, and an in-person training campus. The initiative focuses on helping educators understand AI applications in teaching, address student safety and privacy concerns, and prepare students for an AI-powered economy while keeping teachers—not technology—at the center of instruction.
Chery Global Innovation Conference Showcases Automotive Technology#
The 2025 Chery Global Innovation Conference officially kicked off on October 18, 2025, in Wuhu, China, under the theme “Innovation - Leading the World with Intelligence”. The event showcased Chery’s latest achievements in electrification, connectivity, and intelligent mobility, including a new-generation engine with 48% thermal efficiency that sets a benchmark for hybrid energy performance. A highlight was the AiMOGA robot Mornine, which delivered a 10-minute autonomous presentation demonstrating multilingual interaction and scenario-based applications across more than 30 countries.
Vivo Launches OriginOS 6 Globally#
Vivo officially announced OriginOS 6 on October 10, 2025, with a global release on October 15, marking the replacement of FuntouchOS with a fresh Android 16-based operating system. The update features Origin Design with translucent panels, layered shadows, dynamic lighting effects, and a new Vivo Sans font supporting 40 languages. The Origin Smooth Engine promises 18.5% faster app launches, 10.5% more stable frame rates, and 106% quicker data loading under heavy workloads. The rollout begins in early November 2025 with flagship devices including the X200 series, XFold 5, and V60.
Google Deepmind CEO Warns About AI Inconsistency#
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis issued a warning on October 18, 2025, about AI’s critical flaw of “jagged intelligence”—where systems excel at complex tasks like mathematical Olympiad problems but fail at basic reasoning. Hassabis cautioned that this inconsistency, along with hallucinations and misinformation, must be addressed before achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), predicting AGI’s arrival “in the next five to 10 years” despite significant hurdles remaining.