As Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary, we dive into how the company has grown as leader in marketing, retail, and services—and what’s next.

Adyen launched two point-of-sale (POS) terminals ahead of the holiday season, per a press release.As SMBs approach the critical holiday season, POS providers need to offer value to court cash-strapped vendors, reminding them the importance of a reliable, durable terminal system. Add-ons like AI-powered software can help convince vendors the value of their hardware with high-powered tools to boost conversions and payment volume.

Block’s gross profit increased 18% YoY to $2.66 billion, per its Q3 2025 earnings release. Expanding buy now, pay later solutions can help payment platforms grow volume heading into the holiday season as consumers grapple with economic uncertainty and the pressure of gift buying. Providers who can leverage rewards like cash back and/or interest-free options serve to secure consumer loyalty during a time of economic stress.

The news: Nvidia’s latest earnings report shows that spending on AI infrastructure remains strong, even as some metrics normalize after explosive growth. Despite robust numbers, Nvidia’s stock dipped slightly on Thursday, owing in part to the market’s excessive expectations of the industry giant. Our take: Nvidia is still riding the AI wave but is entering a more complex phase as expectations outpace results. If investment outruns adoption or monetization, the sector risks overkill. The test will be whether user demand and AI application development can keep pace with this level of spending.

The news: Nvidia is facing a new obstacle in its ability to sell chips to China—Chinese authorities are urging ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, and others to halt purchases of Nvidia hardware. This follows an agreement between President Donald Trump, Nvidia, and AMD that requires the two companies give the US government a 15% cut of Chinese chip revenues in exchange for permission to sell hardware there, per Bloomberg. Our take: ability to develop and deploy AI models for things like algorithm recommendations, content moderation, and generative AI (genAI) features. Marketers should diversify their AI-powered marketing tools to stay ahead if TikTok’s ad products and UX features develop more slowly.

The news: Global Payments rolled out a retail point-of-sale (POS) system under its Genius platform targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Our take: Despite that clout, as other merchant service providers also diversify their offerings through verticalized software, hardware, and partnership integrations, Global Payments’ Genius will enter a crowded POS space with its offerings nearly indistinguishable from Stripe’s, Square’s, or Toast’s hardware and software lineups.

he news: At WWDC 2025, Apple announced its upcoming macOS 26 Tahoe, marking the final operating system supporting Intel-based Macs and the end of a computing era. Apple’s transition will accelerate replacement cycles for millions of business users and marketing technology stacks. ur take: The shift will require a massive reset for Apple-reliant companies. They will need comprehensive technology audits across devices and software to weed out unsupported tools. Organizations delaying transitions, particularly for models that have already lost support, risk security vulnerabilities and performance limitations, affecting campaign execution and creative production timelines.

The news: The gaming industry is doubling down on handheld consoles. Nintendo’s Switch 2 shattered single-day sales records with an estimated 3 million units sold at launch, outpacing the Sony PS4’s historic numbers. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced its first handhelds—the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X—partnering with Asus to blend Xbox and PC gaming in a portable format. They’re expected to launch during the holidays. Our take: As cloud and console experiences merge into portable form, game design and ad models are set to evolve fast—opening up fresh real estate for marketers, game studios, and tech platforms alike.

Tariffs could add $12,000 to new car prices, drive up costs for electronics, and inflate grocery bills. Marketers must pivot to value-driven messaging as economic uncertainty reshapes spending.

CTV manufacturers don’t mind selling at a loss: High market penetration leads Vizio and others to turn to advertising’s lucrative potential.

Trump’s tariffs on key trade partners may drive up prices for semiconductors, EVs, and phones, threatening global supply chains and inflating costs for consumers.

Critical flaws in its flagship AI hardware force Nvidia into a rushed redesign, threatening delayed shipments and sparking doubts about the AI industry’s breakneck expansion.

Payment service providers competing to serve small and medium-sized businesses have a new opportunity to win them over with cutting-edge payment, cash flow, capital, and marketing tools.

One year later, a new headset—and , a whole set of challenges: Nearly one year and $15 billion later, Meta’s vision for the metaverse remains optimistic even if a focus on business and productivity apps seems premature and risky.

The metaverse is expected to be a major disruptor across industries, but it's still early days for the emerging realm. In this report, we look at how different markets are embarking on their own metaverse business models.

Roku looks to boost hardware sales with smart TVs: The company has seen sales of its CTV devices slow over the past year, and tapping into smart TVs could be the answer.

Payments Ecosystem: POS hardware, POS software, and gateway providers are working to become one-stop shops for merchants. Offering simple, robust access to front- and back-end solutions across industries lets them better serve merchants demanding integrated solutions.

The company could reveal a new overarching brand name as soon as next week and follow in the footsteps of Alphabet.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of all of Twitter's new features, which ones will propel the social giant forward, and how Twitter might jumpstart its US user growth. We then talk about Facebook suspending plans for an Instagram app for children, how much Apple's privacy changes have affected its business, and whether the social media titan is serious about getting into hardware. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Jasmine Enberg.

Home improvement stores, like The Home Depot and Lowe's, continue to see US sales surge as the pandemic-propelled demand for DIY and home improvement projects continues through 2021.