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Weekly Rewind: NASA's human tissue bounty, the iPhone's true cost, and more

In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week. Everything from the action at WWDC and E3 to the possibility of alien life, it’s all here.

Everything Apple announced at WWDC 2016: iOS 10, WatchOS 3, MacOS, Siri, and more

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Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) marked a big milestone for the company, as iOS reached its 10th iteration. Although iOS 10 and Siri were the stars of the show, WatchOS 3, tvOS, and MacOS had some pretty big updates, too. Although Apple didn’t show off new devices at WWDC, that doesn’t make it any less exciting. The developer conference revealed some key hints about the future of Apple products and presented the company’s vision for its future.

Read the full story here.

Everything Microsoft announced at E3 2016: Xbox One S, software updates, games

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E3 2016 kicked off this week, and Microsoft delivered one of the most exciting, feature-laden showcases in recent memory. Microsoft’s dedication to cross-platform play via the new Xbox Play Anywhere initiative stood out among a veritable smorgasbord of trailers and gameplay demos, and the announcement of two powerful new Xbox One console versions reinforced the company’s support for the game development community.

Read the full story here.

NASA offers $500K to anyone who can grow lifelike human tissue for space experiments

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NASA is offering $500,000 to split between the first three teams that can successfully grow human organ tissue in a laboratory. The agency then hopes to study this tissue in an effort to make deep space travel less harmful to the body and save astronauts from extreme experimentation. It’s a NASA priority to understand astronauts’ physical and mental health while in space – but this can prove difficult as any experimentation puts the subject at risk.

Read the full story here.

How much would it cost to build the iPhone in the US? MIT crunched the numbers

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MIT recently did a study to determine just how much it would cost Apple to build the iPhone in the U.S. rather than in China. In fact, the researchers did two studies — one looking at how much it would cost to only assemble the iPhone in the U.S., and the other looking at how much it would cost to manufacture components and assemble the device in the U.S.

Read the full story here.

Green is gorgeous in Hazang’s handmade bamboo speakers

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Bluetooth speakers have come a long way in a fairly short time, not just technologically speaking but in terms of design as well. You’ll still find plenty of the utilitarian black or gray boxes that abounded during the early days, but more companies are pushing the boundaries, whether it’s the gravity-defying Meizu Gravity or a wooden enclosure instead of the standard plastic.

Read the full story here.

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Starting in 2030, all new cars registered in Germany must have zero emissions

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Hammer, dropped. Dismayed that CO2 emissions from motor transport have not dropped in the country since 1990, Germany is taking what some will consider an extreme measure. Others will think it’s about time. As of 2030, all new cars registered in Germany must be emissions free, according to The Globe and Mail. Just to be sure that’s clear, zero emissions will be the rule for all new cars allowed on German roads starting in 2030.

Read the full story here.

Aliens have probably once existed, according to leading astrophysicists

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Some 3,000 planets have been identified outside of our solar system. A whopping 1,284 of those were announced just last month by the team behind the Kepler space telescope. What was once a difficult and uncommon discovery has become something of the norm – new planets seem to pop up regularly. “Improvements in astronomical observation technology have moved us from retail to wholesale planet discovery,” writes University of Rochester professor of astrophysics Adam Frank.

Read the full story here.

Snap a photo of your meal and this AI-powered startup will tell you how many calories it contains

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It’s the dream of any foodie who watches what they eat to be able to snap a photo of their meals and have their phone instantly tell them how many calories they’re about to consume. That’s the mission statement of a new startup called AVA, which promises to do away with the dreary manual logging process of rival healthy-eating apps in favor of an altogether more streamlined process. Using AVA’s “intelligent eating” service, users will simply take a photo of their food, text it to AVA, and then receive health and caloric information in return.

Read the full story here.

Amazon readying for music streaming battle with new stand-alone service

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It’s better late than never for Amazon, which is preparing a new music streaming service to directly compete with products from Apple, Spotify, and Google. Although the online shopping giant currently features a similar offering through Prime Music, Reuters cites information from two inside sources that the new service will have a more “competitive catalog of songs.” The service will have a basic $10 per month tier, matching competitors. Amazon is currently working through deals with labels for the service, which is expected for a late summer or early fall launch.

Read the full story here.

Boeing’s solar-powered airplane looks ridiculous, but it might just be crazy enough to work

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The first solar-powered airplane completed an intercontinental flight four years ago last week. NASA’s Pathfinder made headlines with its pilotless, sustained flights in 2014. Just two months ago, a solar plane made history after it traversed the Pacific Ocean. It may be a slow and steady progression, but the solar-powered airplane race is heating up.

Read the full story here.

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Be careful with your iPhone! Repairing it just got more expensive
Someone holding an iPhone 15 Pro Max outside on a patio, showing the back of the Natural Titanium color.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple has significantly changed its repair and standard warranty policies — potentially resulting in higher repair costs for iPhones and Apple Watches.

The policy change pertains to “single hairline cracks.” In the past, this type of problem was covered by the standard warranty for these products. However, it is now being treated as “accidental damage,” with customers being required to pay for the repair.

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I really hope this iPhone 15 Pro price leak isn’t true
Render of the iPhone 15 Pro in red.

We’re just a few months away from Apple revealing the next-generation iPhone 15 lineup in the fall. However, a new report from Chinese outlet Economic Daily News suggests that the entire lineup could see a price increase of 10% to 20%.

This isn’t great news. For the standard iPhone 15, that means it could start at $899, which is $100 more than the starting price for the current $799 iPhone 14. Currently, the iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999, but with this price increase for the next generation, the iPhone 15 Pro could be $100 to $200 more — starting at $1,100 or $1,200.

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This rare iPhone just sold for more than a new car
Sealed, 2007 iPhone with a red "Lucky You" sticker on it.

The original iPhone is a hugely important part of mobile phone history, and anyone who has one still in its original packaging might just be sitting on a gold mine if they're willing to part ways with it as this recent seller did.

We've seen a handful of original iPhones selling for ridiculously high prices at auction over the last few months, and the most recent sale of a rare variant indicates that the trend is still going strong.

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