Background agents now sync and execute across web, iOS, and Android; Anthropic's session data (1.2M anonymized runs) shows 90%+ of Cowork work is business ops and content, not coding, with doubled usage limits through August 5.
Why it matters: Multiplatform Cowork removes the desktop-only friction for teams running knowledge work through agents — start a task on your desk, get a status update on your phone, pick up the output anywhere.
Google DeepMind abandoned the existing Gemini 3.5 Pro build to add a 2M token context window and a "Deep Think" reasoning layer — now missing its second self-imposed deadline (original: June 30).
Why it matters: If the 2M context claim ships, Gemini 3.5 Pro enters the document-heavy ops tier — brand audits, contract batches, annual reports — at a capability level that has been Fable 5-or-nothing until now.
After pushback, Anthropic moved the Fable 5 plan-inclusion deadline from July 8 to July 12; after that, access requires prepaid usage credits at $10/$50 per million tokens, the highest published rate for any Anthropic GA model.
Why it matters: Five more days to migrate any Fable 5 pipeline before the billing wall; the 4-5x cost step-up vs. Sonnet 5 makes substitution worth evaluating for any workflow where top-tier capability isn't specifically required.