Today’s highlights
- Apple raised Apple Music and Apple One prices; Apple blamed “rising licensing costs.” (Engadget, 2026-07-17)
- The Apple TV 4K has become notably more expensive than comparable streaming boxes (Fire TV, Roku), prompting a rethink for price-conscious buyers. (Engadget, 2026-07-17)
- Samsung’s tiny Freestyle+ projector is now available at $1,200. (Engadget, 2026-07-17)
- Luxury/novelty note: Caviar is selling a Lionel Messi–themed Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra for $13,130 ahead of Samsung’s official unveiling. (Engadget, 2026-07-17)
- Watch your cloud bills: an AWS bug caused some customers’ displayed billing estimates to spike from cents to billions; Amazon warned displayed estimates may not reflect actual charges. (Engadget, 2026-07-17)
How to think about savings
- Subscriptions: review billing dates and plan tiers for Apple Music/Apple One and compare family/individual plans; confirm exact effective dates with Apple (not specified in the source).
- Hardware: if hardware cost matters more than ecosystem features, consider cheaper streaming devices (Fire TV, Roku) since Apple TV 4K is now relatively pricier.
- One-off buys: the Freestyle+ at $1,200 is a compact projector option — compare features and throw distance to alternatives before buying.
- Cloud billing: verify AWS dashboard numbers and contact support if estimates look wrong; don’t assume displayed estimates equal final charges.
Key takeaways
- Apple Music and Apple One saw a price increase attributed to rising licensing costs.
- The Apple TV 4K’s recent price movement makes cheaper streaming boxes more competitive.
- Samsung’s Freestyle+ projector is available at a $1,200 price point.
- An AWS billing display bug caused alarming estimate spikes for some customers — monitor bills closely.
Sources
- There’s now an API for mainlining Trump’s Truth Social posts — https://www.engadget.com/2217943/there-s-now-an-api-for-mainlining-trump-s-truth-social-posts/
- Meta is reportedly considering a multibillion-dollar data center deal with Anthropic — https://www.engadget.com/2217904/meta-is-reportedly-considering-a-multibillion-dollar-data-center-deal-with-anthropic/
- Zoox issues software recall because its robotaxis may be confused by smoke — https://www.engadget.com/2217803/zoox-issues-software-recall-because-its-robotaxis-may-be-confused-by-smoke/
- The Odyssey in IMAX is worth a long journey of your own — https://www.engadget.com/2217775/the-odyssey-in-imax-is-worth-a-long-journey-of-your-own/
- Apple Music and Apple One prices rise for the first time in years — https://www.engadget.com/2217745/apple-music-and-apple-one-new-price-increase/
- Is the Apple TV 4K still worth buying after the price hike? — https://www.engadget.com/2212812/is-apple-tv-4k-worth-after-price-hike/
- Here are the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 camera and battery specs, apparently — https://www.engadget.com/2217717/here-are-the-samsung-galaxy-z-flip-8-and-z-fold-8-camera-and-battery-specs/
- A bug in AWS has caused some customers’ bills to spike from a few cents to billions of dollars — https://www.engadget.com/2217648/a-bug-in-aws-has-caused-some-customer-bills-to-spike-from-a-few-cents-to-billions-of-dollars/
- Bethesda details what’s next for Fallout and its other franchises amid Xbox cuts — https://www.engadget.com/2217631/bethesda-details-whats-next-for-fallout-and-its-other-franchises-amid-xbox-cuts/
- Apple and Google ordered by San Francisco attorney to take action against ‘nudify’ apps — https://www.engadget.com/2217578/apple-and-google-ordered-by-san-francisco-attorney-to-take-action-against-nudify-apps/
- Samsung’s Freestyle+ projector is now available for $1,200 — https://www.engadget.com/2217299/samsung-freestyle-plus-projector/
- Caviar is selling a ridiculous Lionel Messi-themed Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra a week before its official unveiling — https://www.engadget.com/2217484/caviar-lionel-messi-samsung-galaxy-z-fold-8-ultra/
Not financial/professional advice.