• watchOS 12 – or as it’s henceforth to be known, watchOS 26 – has been revealed at this year’s WWDC conference
• New features include an AI Workout Buddy, an improved Smart Stack and the new Liquid Glass visual language
• It also gets a Notes app!

We made it! watchOS 26 – formerly and never-again referred to as watchOS 12 – has been revealed at this year’s WWDC 2025 developer’s conference at Apple Park.

You can catch all the action live as Tim Cook’s keynote speech wraps up and the post-game unfolds, and you can check out what’s new with iOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe too.

The evolution of goalkeeper gloves has hit new heights with Liverpool FC goalkeeper Alisson Becker breaking a record by winning the Premier League in Reusch gloves—marking the brand’s resurgence since his youth. The history of goalkeeper gloves dates back to the 1885 patent by William Sykes, evolving through technology and materials, with modern gloves now featuring innovative designs tailored for elite performance. Despite advancements, challenges persist, such as the limited options for women’s gloves and the high cost of quality pairs, which wear out quickly. The debate continues over training gloves’ efficacy, grip maintenance methods like using Vaseline, and the quest for sustainable glove materials, as some professionals struggle with glove durability and performance.

By the Numbers

• Alisson became the first goalkeeper in 24 years to win the Premier League with Reusch gloves.
• Top-tier goalkeeper gloves retail between £80 and £180, while cheaper options start at £25 ($33).

Yes, But

While the advancement in glove technology benefits performance, the ongoing issue of limited tailored options for women’s gloves highlights a significant gap in the market that requires further attention and innovation.

State of Play

• Goalkeepers frequently switch gloves, often using a new pair every month due to wear and grip reduction.
• Non-stick training gloves are being adopted to enhance goalkeepers’ skills by increasing training difficulty.

What’s Next

As the demand for better and more sustainable goalkeeper gloves grows, innovations in materials and design are likely to continue, potentially leading to custom solutions that meet the unique needs of both male and female goalkeepers.

Bottom Line

The future of goalkeeper gloves hinges on addressing performance, fit for women, and sustainability, with continuous innovation essential for maintaining grip and comfort in a demanding sport.

TIAA President and CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett is now an investor in the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Duckett is one of two Black women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Now, she is making headlines for her minority stake in the New York Liberty as part of an investor group, Essence reports. Majority team owners, Clara Wu Tsai and her husband, Joe Tsai, raised capital through the group at a valuation of $450 million, which is a record for a professional women’s sports franchise, according to The New York Times. What’s more, Clara shared that she thinks the team is capable of becoming the “first billion-dollar women’s sports franchise.” The Tsais are also co-owners of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

Duckett expressed on Instagram, “Sports has made a profound impact in my life. It taught me grit, perseverance, teamwork and resilience. To be an investor in women’s sports and the NY Liberty franchise is truly an impact moment.”

The investment group, with each share a percentage in the “mid-teens”, also includes Alibaba Founder Jack Ma, CNBC’s Karen Finerman, supermodel Karlie Kloss, private equity executive Gabrielle Rubenstein, and philanthropist Samantha Lasry. The raise will reportedly support a 75,000-square-foot practice facility located in Brooklyn, NY, once approved by the WNBA Board. The Guardian reports this will lead to the creation of two full practice courts, a strength and training room, a recovery suite, a hair and makeup studio, and more for the New York Liberty players — who won their first WNBA championship in 2024.

“We are pleased to welcome Jack, Karen, Thasunda, Karlie, Gabrielle and Samantha to the New York Liberty family,” Clara said, according to Essence. “We are fortunate to partner with these entrepreneurs and leaders whose exceptional achievements span technology, finance, business, and culture. They bring unique perspectives to our organization and share our deep commitment to advancing women’s sports.”

Joe Tsai commented:

“I am also delighted to welcome our other investors to our New York Liberty family, each of whom is a fierce advocate for women across industries including sports.”

WWDC 2025 just happened and brought tons of exciting news in terms of software upgrades. We got to see the next-generation OS for iPhone, Macbook, and more. The keynote did not let down the Apple Watch fans, as watchOS 26 turned out to be one of the most significant updates in years, especially with how AI remained the focal point, allowing for more customization and personalization of features.

watchOS 26 is here, and it’s a game-changer,  introducing powerful Apple Intelligence-driven fitness features, with the all-new Workout Buddy taking center stage

While the hype remained about the other upgrades, the watchOS 26 overhaul cannot be ignored, given how it was heavily inspired by the Vision OS, making it one of the major updates for the wearable in a while. In terms of design, we see a fresh look that gives it a more clean look and the translucent UI seems to align with the rest of the software updates. The design language is more cohesive, especially with the Solarium or Liquid Glass theme that brings the interface closer to iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS.

With the help of the translucent background, the UI elements would pop out more clearly and add more layering, giving it a 3D touch. The animations would also be more fluid and smooth, especially on the smaller screen, and the AI prompts would not feel cluttered. Users have also been long waiting for a control center that can be customized, and this has been made possible with the watchOS. The update now extends third-party widget support in the control center, a feature that has been long anticipated and is definitely a usability upgrade given the amount of personalization that can be added up, allowing users to have control over what appears and where.

One of the most promising upgrades is the AI-powered WatchOS 26, which will now be available for Apple Watch users. WatchOS 26 is bringing Apple Intelligence to your Apple Watch, although the features will not be directly available on the wearable’s hardware and would require pairing with the iPhone. Hence, the watch would feel smarter, given how options like smart notifications and AI-driven reply suggestions can now be used to get more personal replies.

Apple is also introducing more advanced health and fitness tools in the watchOS 26 that are meant to provide a proactive approach to well-being, and one of the major announcements in the update was the Workout Buddy, which is an AI-powered fitness coach to help make the workout experience more personalized and engaging by provided real-time voice guidance during your sessions and even giving motivational prompts every now and then. The AI coach is able to learn from your workout patterns and then provide suggestions accordingly and even match the music according to the workout. This feature is integrated into the Workout app and does not depend on any third-party downloads.

watchOS 26 also introduces a new wrist-flick feature that can help users trigger actions on the Apple Watch by simply flicking their wrist and not having to touch the screen. This Assistive Touch and gesture-based control system allows for clearing notifications, silencing alarms, exiting an app, and returning to the home screen simply by gestures and engaging in a hands-free experience. Additionally, the Live Listen and Live Caption options on the Apple Watch allow you to start or stop a live listening session on the watch, so there is no need to take out the phone constantly. With the help of the live captions on the Apple Watch display, you can check out conversations instantly and discreetly, allowing for quicker accessibility.

The watchOS 26 public beta will be available next month, and the final release is expected in fall 2025.

(Bloomberg/Isabella Ward and Natalie Lung) — Behind almost every leading artificial intelligence startup, you’ll find a tech giant fueling its rise.

Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have invested billions in the top artificial intelligence startups, supercharging the fast-growing AI sector and establishing the old guard of technology companies as kingmakers for a new generation of businesses. Meta Platforms Inc. is set to join the fray: The social-media giant is in talks to make a multibillion-dollar investment into artificial intelligence startup Scale AI, Bloomberg News reported over the weekend.

The deals have attracted their fair share of scrutiny. Governments including the US, the UK and the European Union have reviewed some of these investments and partnerships, with some companies receiving requests about how such arrangements may affect the competitive landscape for AI development.

Microsoft is arguably the company that touched off the race among tech giants to partner with leading AI startups, paving the way with its $13 billion bet on OpenAI. Salesforce Inc. led a round in Hugging Face at a $4.5 billion valuation. Alphabet and Amazon.com have invested billions in OpenAI rival Anthropic. And Nvidia Corp. seemed to back almost every AI startup of note.