Here are the latest tech updates: a leak suggests Apple’s HomeView smart display may double as a security camera, OpenAI has reportedly lowered its fundraising goal, Google is previewing a status bar for Wear OS apps, and Linux 7.4-rc1 arrived with a record-sized merge window.
Apple HomeView Code Hints at a HomeKit Security Camera Mode
Code found in HomeView Software 27.2 suggests Apple’s smart home display could work as a security camera using HomeKit Secure Video. The strings were spotted by Apple code researcher pdfu and describe four camera modes: Off, Detect Activity, Stream, and Stream & Allow Recording. One setup screen reportedly says the HomeView can be used as a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video.
Apple has not announced the feature, and code strings do not guarantee a release. Still, the leak points toward the HomeView’s built-in camera doing more than FaceTime and facial recognition. Android Authority noted that Google’s Pixel Tablet skipped this kind of security camera capability.
Google Tests a System Status Bar for Wear OS Apps
Google’s October 26 Wear OS canary emulator previews a persistent system status bar that shows the time and system indicators over app windows on the round display. Google says the time appears after two seconds of user inactivity, and full-screen dialogs hide the bar automatically. The early build shows only a placeholder star icon instead of final status icons.
The status bar will not ship with Wear OS 7.1, which is based on Android 17. Google says it is exclusive to the canary emulator for now, so developers can test and give feedback before a later platform release.
OpenAI Cuts Its Funding Target to About $20 Billion
OpenAI has reportedly secured around $11 billion in commitments for its latest funding round, well short of the $30 billion it first sought. Reports say the target has been lowered to about $20 billion, and the valuation sought has dropped from $1.4 trillion to $1.25 trillion.
The Wall Street Journal reported a lukewarm response from some large investors, and coverage links the cut to a tech-stock sell-off and concern about AI spending. The $11 billion is in commitments, not a completed raise, and the first close may come in below $20 billion.
Linux 7.4-rc1 Arrives After the Largest Merge Window Ever
Linus Torvalds released Linux 7.4-rc1 on November 1 after a merge window of 19,671 commits, the largest on record and well above the usual 15,000 or so. He said he is happier to see AI-triggered work land in the merge window than show up mostly as fixes during the release candidate phase, calling it a healthier model, though he added that we will need to see how the later release candidates look.
Torvalds also noted that part of the size may come from developers expecting 7.4 to be the next LTS kernel, so AI is not the only reason. Phoronix says a stable release is likely before the end of December.
What These Stories Mean
None of these items are final launches. The HomeView feature is unannounced, the Wear OS status bar is an emulator preview, the OpenAI round is still open, and Linux 7.4 is only at its first release candidate. Details may change before anything ships.
