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Get some peace and quiet with any of our top picks for noise-canceling headphones. Sony’s still the best overall, but there are reasons to go elsewhere, too.
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WP Engine just won a preliminary injunction against WordPress parent company Automattic. On Tuesday, a California District Court judge ordered Automattic to stop blocking WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org resources and interfering with its plugins.
The preliminary injunction comes after WP Engine, a third-party WordPress hosting service, filed a lawsuit that accused Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg, of “multiple forms of immediate irreparable harm.” It later asked the court to stop Mullenweg from restricting WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org.
Mullenweg waged a public campaign against WP Engine in September, accusing the service of misusing the WordPress trademark and not contributing enough to the WordPress community. After blocking WP Engine from WordPress.org’s servers, Automattic took control of WP Engine’s ACF Plugin.
Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín found merit in WP Engine’s claims that Automattic’s actions harmed business relationships, saying Mullenweg’s “conduct is designed to induce breach or disruption.” As for Automattic’s argument that blamed WP Engine for relying on WordPress.org to power its business, Judge Martínez-Olguín didn’t find it very compelling.
“While Defendants characterize WPEngine’s harm as self-imposed because it built its business around a website ‘that it had no contractual right to use...’ Defendants’ role in helping that harm materialize through their recent targeted actions toward WPEngine, and no other competitor, cannot be ignored,” the ruling states.
The Verge reached out to Automattic and WP Engine with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
The ruling found the WP Engine showed it will suffer irreparable harm without injunctive relief, while also impacting members of the WordPress community. Under the preliminary injunction, Automattic will have to take down the list of companies it displayed on a site it created to track outgoing WP Engine customers, as well as remove the checkbox that asks WordPress users to verify they’re not affiliated with WP Engine when logging in.
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The Steam Deck OLED, the best version of Valve’s gaming handheld with additional battery life, a slight increase to performance, and an eye-popping screen, can now be purchased refurbished for $110 less than it costs brand-new.
Valve has just begun selling certified refurbished Steam Deck OLED models starting at $439 in the US, UK, Canada, and EU. That buys you the 512GB model with a glossy screen, while the 1TB anti-glare model can be had for $519 — less than the $549 you’d pay to get even the 512GB model brand-new. (The 1TB model normally costs $649.)
Like my colleague Jay Peters just told me in Verge Slack, “$439 is a steal for the OLED.” Valve doesn’t currently have stock of refurbished LCD models, though they can be as cheap as $279.
Happy Tuesday! We've officially added Steam Deck OLED to our Valve Certified Refurbished program today, and refurbished Steam Deck OLED units are now available for sale in the US, Canada, UK, and EU. Learn more here: store.steampowered.com/sale/steamde...
Like Valve’s refurbished versions of the original LCD model, which has a slightly smaller and slower screen, Valve says it gives each unit “an extensive examination involving over 100 tests at one of Valve’s facilities,” including a battery health check, and Valve says they’ll “meet or even exceed the performance standards” of brand-new units. They each come with a carrying case, refurbished power supply, and one-year warranty — but they may have “minor cosmetic blemishes.”
Valve introduced the Steam Deck OLED in November 2023, and a year later, it’s still one of the very best ways to play PC games on the go. No other handheld has surpassed its ease of use, though the Asus ROG Ally X did finally meet or beat it in battery life while offering better performance.
While lots of other Windows handhelds are on the way, and maybe even some other intriguing hardware from Valve, the company’s been pretty clear it won’t release a new Steam Deck soon — not till newer chips let it offer a big leap in performance without sacrificing battery life.
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We found the best cameras for your budget and needs.
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YouTube says it has expanded its AI-powered auto-dubbing to “hundreds of thousands of channels” in the YouTube Partner Program that are “focused on knowledge and information.” YouTube says it will bring the feature to “other types of content soon.”
What the dubs consist of depends on the language used in the original video. If it was in English to start, it’ll be translated into French, German, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, Japanese, and Portuguese. If the starting video was made in one of those languages, YouTube will only produce an English dub.
For channels that have it, AI-dubbed videos are created automatically when the original video is uploaded, but creators can opt to preview them before they’re published. YouTube also provides options to unpublish or delete dubs, according to a support document for the feature.
The dubs aren’t very natural-sounding now, but YouTube promises they’ll get better at emulating “tone, emotion, and even the ambiance of the surroundings” with later updates. Here’s an English dub example of a French video about making potatoes au gratin:
However, YouTube cautions that “this technology is still pretty new, and it won’t always be perfect.” The company says it’s “working hard to make it as accurate as possible, but there might be times when the translation isn’t quite right or the dubbed voice doesn’t accurately represent the original speaker.”
YouTube initially announced its tests of auto-dubbing with “hundreds” of creators in June 2023.
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The YouTube Kids mobile app is getting a redesign that both makes it look and behave more like the standard YouTube app and lets kids browse through videos in portrait mode for the first time. It’s rolling out over the next few weeks on iOS and Android, while the web and smart TV experiences stay the same.
YouTube Kids launched nearly a decade ago, and its look hasn’t changed much since its last major redesign in 2017. As the company said last year, this is a hefty visual and functional refresh that looks less toy-like, with elements from the recent design changes in the main YouTube app.
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Screenshot: Google
The YouTube Kids update looks a bit more like the main YouTube app.
At the top, you’ll notice a newly designed carousel for familiar content filters. They’re clearly labeled by topic, whether you’re looking for gaming, shows, music, or the educationally inclined “Explore” tab. Those buttons will occupy less horizontal space.
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Screenshot: The Verge
Here’s how the YouTube Kids app looks now, before the new update rolls out.
Some of the other shortcuts that used to live at the top — such as Home, Search, and Profile — will be moved to a new navigation bar at the bottom. A new “Your Stuff” page will also live in that bar and serve as a dedicated portal to find content that you’ve downloaded, shared, or previously watched. Parental controls and other settings will remain in dedicated views, with shortcuts for those always accessible in the upper right corner, next to the Cast button.
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In what it’s calling a “first-of-its-kind partnership,” Google will collaborate with developers to build data centers powered by renewable energy generated on-site.
It’s partnering with energy company Intersect Power and investment firm TPG Rise Climate on a $20 billion initiative to develop an unspecified number of “industrial parks” across the US this decade. The first one is supposed to be partially operational by 2026 and completed by 2027.
If successful, it would be a big change to how data centers are typically built and operated. Google and its competitors are racing to find clean sources of electricity for energy-hungry AI data centers. But the US electricity mix is still dominated by fossil fuels; connecting new data centers to the power grid leads to more pollution as a result. With this new partnership, Google can bypass that problem by connecting directly to solar and wind farms and batteries for renewable energy.
“The scale of AI presents an opportunity to completely rethink data center development.”
“To realize AI’s potential, the growth in electricity demand must be met with new, clean power sources. The scale of AI presents an opportunity to completely rethink...
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Microsoft is changing up how Copilot works on Windows yet again. After demoting Copilot to a Progressive Web App (PWA) earlier this year, Microsoft is now rolling out an update to Windows testers that replaces the PWA version of Copilot with a “native” experience that includes a new keyboard shortcut and quick view UI.
The new quick view for Copilot floats above the taskbar, much like Microsoft’s new Companion apps that it’s currently testing for files, contacts, and calendar entries. The quick view can be triggered using a new Alt + Space keyboard shortcut, or through the system tray. The quick view doesn’t do anything special here, but it does float above all your other apps and remains always on top until you dismiss Copilot to the taskbar or trigger the Alt + Space shortcut again.
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Image: Microsoft
The new Copilot quick view.
The new keyboard shortcut here could get a little complicated though, depending on what apps you use. Other apps already use the Alt + Space shortcut, and it sounds like they’re going to be fighting Copilot for control here. “For any apps installed on your PC that might utilize this keyboard shortcut, Windows will register whichever app is launched first on your PC and running in the background as the app that is invoked when using Alt + Space,” says Microsoft.
I am not sure why Microsoft made the choice to move Copilot to this Alt + Space shortcut when it previously reused the Windows key + C shortcut from Cortana with Windows Copilot before downgrading the experience to a web app and giving up on the keyboard shortcut in favor of a dedicated Copilot key. Microsoft even says “Copilot will continue to explore options related to the keyboard shortcuts for the app,” which sure reads like the AI assistant is suddenly calling the shots over at Microsoft now.
This new keyboard shortcut and Copilot quick view will also be available on Windows 10 as well as Windows 11 PCs, despite Microsoft’s insistence that Windows 10 end of support really is happening in October 2025. Microsoft reopened beta testing for new Windows 10 features earlier this year as a way “to make sure everyone can get the maximum value from their current Windows PC.”
Copilot originally started off life as Windows Copilot in Windows 11 last year, integrated into the operating system as a side bar that could appear across all apps. Microsoft then made Copilot less useful with its new Copilot Plus PCs, cutting the app back to a basic web app. Microsoft says this latest iteration is “a native version,” but it’s still just a web view of Copilot wrapped in a slightly more native implementation.
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General Motors said it would no longer fund its Cruise robotaxi service as it seeks to focus autonomous vehicle development on personally owned vehicles.
GM said Cruise employees would be combined with its internal teams working on advanced driver assist systems, as well as its project to develop personally owned autonomous vehicles.
“Consistent with GM’s capital allocation priorities, GM will no longer fund Cruise’s robotaxi development work given the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market,” the automaker said in a statement published Tuesday.
It’s likely that GM’s move will result in layoffs at Cruise, though none are being announced right now. What is clear is that Cruise’s testing in Arizona and Texas will pause as the company decides its next move. GM will need repurchase its remaining shares of Cruise (the automaker owns 90 percent of the company) and then Cruise’s board will determine next steps, which includes restructuring, layoffs, or simply shutting down.
The shutdown of Cruise’s robotaxi service comes amid a turbulent time for autonomous vehicles. While Alphabet’s Waymo continues to eye new markets, other ventures have faltered. The most notable was Argo AI, which shutdown in 2022 after Ford and Volkswagen pulled funding.
Developing ....
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Even with the abundance of streaming services we’re using now, Windows PC storage can still fill up quickly. Games, photos, movies, and apps can take up significant chunks of room, and before you know it, that SSD is starting to run low on free space. And a cluttered PC drive can impact performance as well as Windows updates.
You don’t have to accept the slow decline of available storage space on Windows, though — there’s plenty you can do about it, whether that’s using built-in tools provided by Microsoft or keeping your files and folders better organized.
Screenshot: Microsoft
Windows can get you started with file organization — but there’s much more you can do.
If you’ve never given much thought to how your files and folders are organized, now might be the time to change that. Whether it’s a physical filing cabinet, a fridge freezer, or a Windows PC, having a system in place makes it quicker to get to what you want. It also means you can more easily identify data you’re done with and can safely delete.
The organizational structure you use is completely up to you. Windows itself gets you started with default folders for...
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Apple enabled non-emergency satellite messaging from iPhones earlier this year. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it may do the same for the next Apple Watch Ultra in addition to adding the long-rumored blood-pressure monitoring feature_._
Satellite messaging on the Watch Ultra has been rumored since before we even knew what Apple’s XL-sized sporty take on its smartwatch line would be called. According to Gurman’s description, it would work like it does on the iPhone, letting you send text messages from the watch without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.
He also reports that Apple is swapping out Intel modems in the Apple Watch for a component from MediaTek but doesn’t have any plans yet to use its upcoming in-house modems for the wearables. The new component included in “at least some models” could also support RedCap, the 5G service intended for wearables and IoT that sacrifices extra antennas and maximum bandwidth to reduce cost and extend battery life.
Adding satellite service could help Apple lure some Garmin inReach fans who might want to have one less thing to carry even if the inReach’s hundreds of hours of battery life still win out for extended hikes. Presumably, service would be provided by Globalstar, Apple’s satellite partner for the iPhone that it bought a 20 percent stake in last month.
As for blood-pressure monitoring, Gurman says that it “may arrive as soon as 2025 as well,” but he reminds us that the feature has been delayed in the past. Like sleep apnea detection and other health features of the Apple Watch, this feature wouldn’t offer specific measurements but could let you know if you seem to be experiencing hypertension.
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The best from Apple, Bose, Samsung, Sony, Beats, Google, and more.
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In response to the utterly baffling discussion as to whether people should be allowed to sing along with Wickedin theaters (absolutely not), Universal is rolling out a bunch of screenings specifically for the folks who fancy themselves background vocalists.
Universal announced today that special interactive, sing-along Wicked screenings are making their way to theaters in the United States, Canada, and select international markets beginning December 25th. In addition to on-screen lyrics for people who aren’t yet off-book, the screenings will feature a special message from stars Arianna Grande and Cynthia Erivo (who has previously come out in favor of audience participation).
In a statement about the screenings, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution Jim Orr described them as a unique opportunity for fans to “become part of the story they’ve embraced so enthusiastically.” But for those of us who just want to leave the singing to the professionals, this sounds like the studio is making sure that we can watch the movie in peace.
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Lucid Motors began manufacturing its Gravity SUV last week, and now the EPA has finalized the vehicle’s all-electric range, which is 450 miles on a full charge. The new official estimate is slightly above the 440 miles originally advertised by Lucid. The company’s Air sedan can go up to 512 miles, depending on the trim.
Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson announced the updated Gravity range figure today via LinkedIn and also boasted that the vehicle only uses “half of earth’s precious resources compared to some competitors.”
Last week, Lucid had a ceremonious start of production at its Arizona factory to commemorate the first Gravity SUVs coming off the line. The Gravity features three rows of seating plus a frunk that’s good for storage or seating when parked. It is also the first vehicle from Lucid to get a native NACS port for charging at Tesla’s Superchargers.
Today marks an exciting landmark for our company. Production of the Lucid Gravity is now underway at our factory in Arizona!
This milestone is a celebration of the hard work by our passionate and dedicated team to bring this groundbreaking SUV to life. Its combination of space… pic.twitter.com/ItJsOL3H3Y
— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) December 5, 2024
With big range, however, comes big prices. Lucid started taking orders for the Gravity on November 7th, with initial configurations starting at $94,900 for the Grand Touring models. The cheaper $79,900 Touring versions won’t be available until late 2025. Lucid is also planning a cheaper midsized SUV for late 2026 that’ll cost around $50,000.
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Image: CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077’s new 2.2 update is out now, and it adds a lot of new ways to customize your character and your cars as well as some improvements to photo mode.
For character customization, developer CD Projekt Red is introducing a bunch of additional options to make your V, as detailed in a blog post. One of those changes is an option to have horrifying / awesome double eyes:
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Image: CD Projekt Red
The character creator is getting an improved randomizer that has a “plain-to-punk” slider, too. “Whether you’re aiming for an understated, casual look or a bold, edgy style for your V, you can now use the slider to strike the perfect balance,” CD Projekt Red says.
CD Projekt Red has also expanded the ability to change a car’s paint job to cars to more of the in-game brands. And if you see a paint job you like on another car, you’ll be able to scan it so you can use it later. But perhaps the best car-related change with update 2.2 is that Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves) will now sometimes show up in the passenger seat while you’re driving.
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Image: CD Projekt Red
Update 2.2 also brings some changes to photo mode, including a free camera and the ability to add characters to your shot.
Cyberpunk 2077 launched four years ago today, and while it had an infamously rocky launch, the game is now in an excellent place. It’s coming to Macs with Apple Silicon in early 2025.
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Google Docs is rolling out 40 new templates to make your documents more visually appealing. The new pageless templates cover a wider range of scenarios, whether you’re writing a blog post, creating a project roadmap, or making an interview guide.
Google says its “high-quality, visually modern” templates come with preset layouts and styles. They also make use of some of the newer features within Google Docs, such as tabs to better organize documents and placeholder chips that let others know the information they need to fill in.
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GIF: Google
I’m not seeing the new templates just yet, but Google notes that the full rollout could take up to 15 days. Still, I’m glad to see Google adding more designs, as I’ve always felt Docs fell short in terms of template variety and quality when compared to Microsoft Word and even Canva.
You can access templates in Docs by selecting the “Templates” button at the top of a new document or by heading to File > New > From template gallery. The new templates will be available to everyone with a personal Google account, as well as Google Workspace customers and Workspace Individual subscribers.
Google plans on rolling out “even more high-quality Docs template options in the coming months.”
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We’ve known for some time that the second season of Castlevania: Nocturne was scheduled to hit Netflix some time in the new year, but we finally have a solid release date and a bloody new trailer to boot.
Though the sun is shining bright in Nocturne’s new trailer, the fact that vampire god queen Erzsebet Báthory (Franka Potente) is still out there plotting has Annette (Thuso Mbedu) convinced that all hope is lost. Annette’s feelings seem reasonable considering how Erzsebet’s right hand woman Drolta Tzuentes (Elarica Johnson) is back in action despite appearing to be killed by Alucard (James Callis) in Nocturne’s first season. But with Alucard now working with Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), Richter’s grandfather Juste (Iain Glen), and a hardened Maria Renard (Pixie Davies), the vampires won’t exactly have an easy time plunging the world into darkness.
The trailer features a handful of shots — Maria is finally going to summon her dragon — that make Nocturne’s second season look like it’s trying to top the first in terms of utterly batshit action. And while the trailer doesn’t exactly spell out just what Erzsebet’s up to this time around, we won’t have to wait long to find out for ourselves because Castlevania: Nocturne is set to return on January 16th.
The VergeThe company closes out a difficult year with this terrific soundbar that proves Sonos still knows how to do hardware. Software, though...
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Apple’s last-gen Macs are still a great deal, particularly when you can find them at a steep discount. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. It discontinued the M1 MacBook Air to make room for the latest models, but some retailers are still selling the last-gen laptop starting at $649 — a far cry from the $2,499 starting price of the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro. Purchasing a new MacBook can certainly be a pricey endeavor, but thankfully, finding a deal on more recent models is actually not that difficult. Apple has recently shaken up the starting RAM for several models, creating more options than ever before and resulting in steeper discounts on older models.
Although Macs may not experience perpetual discounts, it’s not uncommon to see various models discounted by as much as $400. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save money without waiting for the changing deal winds to blow your way. It’s also the only option to find certain SKUs of older models as Apple continues to move forward on newer releases. Apple’s refurbished store provides a one-year warranty on all products and generally offers discounts of up to 15 to 20 percent off the price of a new unit.
But if you want to buy new and you’re looking to save whatever you can, here are the best MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini deals available.
TheM1 MacBook Air was considered Apple’s entry-level laptop before the M3 model’s arrival prompted Apple to stop selling it directly in its online and brick-and-mortar stores. But while the redesigned M2 version of the MacBook Air (which has been with us for a while as well) seems poised to take over as the top value choice, the 2020 version with an M1 processor and fanless design remains available at some retailers as a solid budget option. It’s best suited for typical productivity work, with a comfortable keyboard, an excellent trackpad, and all-day battery life. For many people, the M1 Air still ticks the right boxes when it comes to performance and price, even if it’s long enough in the tooth to have been fully dethroned in our guide to the best laptops.
The base MacBook Air with the M1 chip comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s becoming harder to find in new condition, but Walmart has committed to keeping it around for the foreseeable future and is currently discounting it to $649 ($350 off) — a special sale price that’s hung around since the retailer ran its counter-Prime Day promotions in July. The M1 Air may be a few years old now, but it’s still hard to beat in terms of value, especially when it comes to everyday performance and battery life.
The M2 MacBook Air is a super slim, lightweight laptop with a 1080p webcam and a handy magnetic charger that frees up one of its two USB-C ports. Although its M2 processor didn’t kick-start a revolution like the M1 generation, it’s a great performer for any user, including more demanding creatives.
It does have some slight downsides, though, including slower storage in the base 256GB configuration and a notch cutout in its otherwise excellent screen. But even so, Apple hasn’t offered a more travel-friendly laptop since the days of the polarizing 12-inch MacBook, and this prior-gen model was once good enough to top our list of the best laptops.
The M2-powered MacBook Air 13 from 2022 seems to be on its way out, with availability for the 15-inch version waning. But, outside of opting for the newer M3 models (see further below), you can at least get the 13-inch M2 model with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an eight-core GPU at Amazon and Best Buy for $799 ($200 off). You can also get the same model with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for as low as $899 ($300 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo; however, that’s a significant premium for a configuration that offers less RAM than the base model.
If you’re looking for a bigger display, Best Buy is still selling the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 in its base 8GB / 256GB configuration for $999 ($300 off). Again, keep in mind that Apple now sells the 15-inch Air with an upgraded 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $1,299.
The M1 Air and its wedge had to perish for the M3 MacBook Air to exist. Apple’s updated entry-level laptops arrived in both 13- and 15-inch variants simultaneously this time, bringing with them slightly faster performance and a slate of minor upgrades. Apple added Wi-Fi 6E, for one, along with an additional Thunderbolt port that allows you to use two external displays when the lid is closed. They also continue to offer 18 hours of battery life and a MagSafe charging port, though the M3 Air starts at a slightly higher price than its predecessor at $1,099. That said, Apple recently discontinued the M3 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and now considers the 16GB / 256GB model as the starting configuration.
Right now, the entry-level model with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $899 ($200 off). You can also find a $200 discount on the 16GB RAM / 512GB model, which drops it to $1,099 in select colors at Amazon and Best Buy.
As for the 15-inch MacBook Air M3, you can currently grab it with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $1,099 ($200 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. You can also get it in the 16GB / 512GB configuration at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $1,299 ($200 off).
During its “Scary Fast” event last year, Apple announced new MacBook Pros that use M3 processors — including a new 14-inch model that replaced the 13-inch M2 model. Apple followed the M3 models up with M4-based machines in October, and we’re already starting to see the discounts on them. That being said, the last-gen M3 models are often the better bargain, as they’re still relatively easy to find and receive steeper discounts.
The entry point into the MacBook Pro world is a MagSafe-equipped MacBook Pro that uses the existing 14-inch design and slightly pares it down. The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro has the same 3024 x 1964 resolution display and 120Hz refresh rate as its pricier siblings, and in addition to a MagSafe charging port, it has an SD card slot and HDMI port. However, it starts with just 8GB of RAM and lacks the third USB-C / Thunderbolt port found on the M3 Pro and M3 Max models (as well as Thunderbolt 4 speeds).
The M3 MacBook Pro may be a bit of an odd middle child in some ways, but it’s still a very good laptop — especially if you can find a deal that puts more price distance between the M3 model and the M3 Pro version. Availability for the base model with 8GB and 512GB of storage seems to be waning as Apple standardizes 16GB of RAM across its lineup, though, thankfully, Best Buy is now selling the step-up configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $1,399.99 ($300 off). That’s what the base model regularly sold for before the newer MacBooks arrived, and that’s the same price that 8GB / 1TB models are currently retailing for at Best Buy and Amazon.
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros of late 2023 are another round of spec-bump models, much like their previous 2022 incarnations. Now starting with the M3 Pro chip (or the speedier M3 Max) and 18GB of base RAM instead of 16GB, the new models remain targeted at creatives doing content work like video editing, photo processing, and other graphical work. Like their predecessors and the M1 Pro generation before that, they offer MagSafe charging, three USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI-out, and a full-size SD card slot, with prices starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch. You can, of course, spec them up the wazoo if you’re willing to pay more, as exhibited by the review unit Apple sent us of the 16-inch model, which cost an eye-watering $7,199.
But rest assured, versions that actual humans buy now receive regular discounts. For instance, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro (11-core CPU / 14-core GPU), 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD is going for $1,699 ($200 off) at Best Buy and B&H Photo. It was $500 off not long ago, making the current discount good but not that good. As for the base 16-inch Pro — which comes with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD — it’s on sale starting at $1,999 ($400 off) at Best Buy.
Apple released the M4-series MacBook Pro on November 8th. Notably, the base 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro is the first to launch with 16GB of RAM — double the previous generation’s starting memory — and 512GB of storage for the same $1,599 starting price as the last-gen model. It also picks up a third Thunderbolt 4 port, which is positioned on the right side and supports dual external monitors while the lid is opened. Also new this year is an upgraded 12-megapixel webcam that supports Center Stage and a new Desk View feature, plus the option to add a nano-texture display for an extra $150. It’s also available in space black.
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips also received additional RAM, bringing them up to 24GB. They start with 512GB of storage, too, and retail for $1,999 and $2,499, respectively. While the total port selection hasn’t changed compared to their respective M3 Pro and M3 Max counterparts, you’ll get faster Thunderbolt 5 ports on these more substantial models. That’s in addition to the SD slot, dedicated full-sized HDMI port, and 3.5mm jack. They also have the upgraded 12-megapixel Center Stage webcam with Desk View and the optional nano-texture display option.
Deals for the M4 MacBook Pro have already started to roll in. Right now, for example, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,449 ($150 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo, while the 24GB / 512GB variant with an M4 Pro chip (12-core CPU / 16-core GPU) is down to $1,799 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo. The base 16-inch MacBook Pro is also on sale with an M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $2,249 ($250 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.
There’s a new Mac Mini in town, as M4-based models arrived earlier this year. Apple increased the starting RAM from 8GB to 16GB, as it did with the 2024 MacBook Pro and 2024 iMac. That makes Apple’s newest desktop an excellent value, even if you factor in the more aggressive discounts we’ve recently seen on the M2 Mac Mini.
The 2023 Mac Mini comes in a base configuration with Apple’s M2 processor or a more powerful configuration with the M2 Pro, both of which have proven to be some of Apple’s most value-packed computers to date. The M4 version is poised to take that crown, but the M2 Mac Mini is still kicking around and starts with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $599, while the M2 Pro model features a superior processor, gigabit ethernet, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $1,299.
The latter model also features an expanded port selection, from two USB-C ports to four. It’s almost like getting an M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pro 14 but in desktop form. However, keep in mind that buying any Mac Mini means you have to provide your own mouse, keyboard, and monitor. Right now, the base model with an M2 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD is on sale for $499 ($100 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.
Deals on the last-gen Mac Mini are still available, sure, but we’re also starting to see discounts on the newest models. The M4 Mac Mini starts with an M4 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $599. That’s an incredible value for a tiny desktop computer that can rival the Mac Studio and Mac Pro when it comes to certain tasks, including light gaming, 4K video editing, and 3D modeling. Vertically, the M4 Mac Mini is a fair bit thicker than the M2 model at 2 inches tall, yet it measures a mere 5 inches wide and 5 inches deep.
In addition to the odd decision to place the power button on its underside, Apple moved the 3.5mm headphone jack and two of its five USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 ports to the front. The rear features an additional three thunderbolt ports, HDMI-out, and a gigabit ethernet port. You can also get the Mac Mini with an M4 Pro chipset starting at $1,399, which comes with faster Thunderbolt 5 storage and the option to upgrade to 10-gigabit ethernet for another $100.
Right now, you can get the base Mac Mini at Amazon with an M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for $579 ($20 off). Stepping up to the version with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, meanwhile, will currently run you $744 ($55 off) at Amazon. The M4 Pro model is also a bit cheaper at Amazon, where you can pick it up for $1,369.99 (about $29 off).
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The US Commerce Department announced it has awarded memory chip maker Micron Technology with “up to $6.165 billion in direct funding” derived from the CHIPS Act.
The new funding will go towards multiple semiconductor manufacturing projects in the US, including an Idaho plant and a Syracuse, New York “mega-fab” facility, both announced in 2022. Between them, the Commerce Department says they’ll create about 20,000 jobs.
The grant, which was announced in April, approaches the size of other multibillion-dollar CHIPS Act subsidies given to Intel, TSMC, and Samsung. Micron “is committing to spend approximately $50 billion before the end of the decade,” according to the release.
The Commerce Department says it also “signed a non-binding Preliminary Memorandum of Terms” to give Micron $275 million in proposed funding for the expansion of its Manassas, Virginia facility. The funding goes to Micron with just over a month left before Donald Trump, who has criticized the CHIPS Act, will be inaugurated on January 20th.
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Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Chatbot service Character.AI is facing another lawsuit for allegedly hurting teens’ mental health, this time after a teenager said it led him to self-harm. The suit, filed in Texas on behalf of the 17-year-old and his family, targets Character.AI and its cofounders’ former workplace, Google, with claims including negligence and defective product design. It alleges that Character.AI allowed underage users to be “ targeted with sexually explicit, violent, and otherwise harmful material, abused, groomed, and even encouraged to commit acts of violence on themselves and others.”
The suit appears to be the second Character.AI suit brought by the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project, which have previously filed suits against numerous social media platforms. It uses many of the same arguments as an October wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI for allegedly provoking a teen’s death by suicide. While both cases involve individual minors, they focus on making a more sweeping case: that Character.AI knowingly designed the site to encourage compulsive engagement, failed to include guardrails that could flag suicidal or otherwise at-risk users, and trained...
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Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Instagram is allowing creators to test their reel ideas on new audiences before sharing them with followers. Trial reels will be shown to non-followers first, providing engagement data including views, likes, comments, and shares approximately 24 hours after publishing to help creators determine whether it’s worth sharing with people following their account.
The feature aims to help users try out new ideas and expand their audiences without negatively impacting their established following on the platform, which may be useful for creators who feel chained to a particular style of content. Instagram will provide insights that monitor how trials are performing compared to previous trials that the user has shared. Creators can then choose to share the trial reel with their followers if it’s performing well or set Instagram to automatically share it based on the views it receives within the first 72 hours.
“We often hear from creators that they feel nervous about posting too much to their audience or trying out new content that’s outside of their niche on Instagram, for fear of it not resonating with their followers,” Instagram said in its announcement. “Now, if you want to try out a new genre, storytelling format or topic, you can easily get a gut check on how your content might perform.”
Trial reels are rolling out starting today and will be globally available to “all eligible creators in the coming weeks,” according to Instagram. The feature is enabled via a “Trial” toggle before publishing a regular reel, and will appear alongside a user's drafts once live. Only the creator can see that the reel is a trial, and it won’t appear on their main grid or reels tab, or in the feeds or reels tabs of their followers.
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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
A new California bill could require social media platforms to display warning labels about the potential risk to kids and teens. The bill (AB 56), introduced by Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, is meant to help address “the growing mental health crisis” among young people.
If passed, social networks would have to show a “black box warning” to all users, regardless of age, during their first time using the platform. The warning, which platforms must display for 90 seconds or more, would then show up at least once a week following its initial appearance.
After issuing a public advisory about social media platforms last year, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy proposed putting tobacco-like warning labels on social networks in response to studies that link social platforms to mental health issues in young people. Nearly 40 US states announced their support of the proposal in September.
“Social media companies have demonstrated an unwillingness to tackle the mental health crisis, instead digging in deeper into harnessing addictive features and harmful content for the sake of profits,” Attorney General Bonta said in the press release. “Warning labels alone are not a panacea, they are another tool in the toolbox to address the growing mental health crisis and protect future generations of children.”
In October, Bonta and several other state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against TikTok over claims it hurts the mental health of children by designing addicting features and promoting things like beauty filters. Meta is also facing a lawsuit from dozens of states, alleging the company misled users about the safety of its products.
While some states have moved forward with their own laws regulating the use of social media, state attorneys general are urging Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
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Today, for the first time, you can buy a car — yes, a whole car — on Amazon. Same-day delivery not guaranteed.
The e-commerce giant’s first foray into car shopping is called Amazon Auto. The company is partnering with Hyundai dealers in 48 cities in the US to list vehicles on the site. Customers can browse, order, find financing, and arrange delivery — all within the familiar confines of Amazon’s online ecosystem.
Of course, if you’re looking for anything other than a Hyundai, you’re out of luck. At least for now.
“With Amazon Autos, we’re bringing the simplicity and ease customers expect from Amazon to car shopping, one of their largest purchases, while offering dealers a new channel to connect with a broad audience,” Fran Jin, global head of Amazon Autos, said in a statement. “We’re excited to have Hyundai as our exclusive launch partner and look forward to welcoming more brands and expanding our selection to customers as the program grows.”
“We’re bringing the simplicity and ease customers expect from Amazon to car shopping.”
Amazon first announced its plans to get into car buying last year, Previously, customers could browse car showrooms and compare prices on Amazon — but not actually buy a car. With the partnership with Hyundai, Amazon has finally added a key piece of the puzzle. And importantly, the end seller of the vehicle is still the dealer; Amazon’s platform will be the middleman between the customer and the dealership.
As such, Amazon needs to appeal to dealers almost as much as it does to car shoppers. The company is making its pitch by arguing that it can offer “a new sales channel that connects them with millions of Amazon customers.” And with over 310 million active users, Amazon certainly has the numbers to back it up.
Trade-ins will also be accepted through Amazon’s new car vertical. Customers will have to answer a series of questions about the conditions of the vehicle, after which the request will be processed by an “independent valuation service” to determine the value of the trade-in.
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Screenshot: Amazon Autos
A list of the 48 US cities where Amazon can sell you a car.
And for a limited time, Amazon is sweetening the deal by offering a gift card for $2,300 for anyone who buys a car through the site. The card can be applied to the vehicle purchase, but the offer ends on January 10th, 2025.
People typically hate car shopping, with most surveys showing that the dealership experience tops people’s lists of frustrations. Tesla has helped spearhead a movement toward a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model in which people buy their vehicles directly from the company, eschewing a dealership.
Forty-eight states have laws that limit or ban manufacturers from selling vehicles directly to consumers — though that has started to shift recently thanks to Tesla’s popularity. Tesla has no independent dealerships, but dealership associations in multiple states have filed numerous lawsuits against Tesla to prevent the company from selling cars.
Amazon’s deal with Hyundai neatly sidesteps this issue by ensuring that dealers remain a crucial part of the process. Most dealers allow customers to browse and buy a car through their own websites, but having Amazon as an additional platform with millions of daily customers is sure to help make the process even easier.
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Genki’s Moonbase charger can delivery up to 140W of power through one of its USB-C ports. | Image: Genki
Genki has announced its first power strip, capable of charging up to seven devices simultaneously using three AC outlets and four USB-C ports. The Moonbase can deliver up to 240W of power through its USB-C ports — maxing out at 140W to a single device — and will be available with custom USB-C cables featuring built-in lighting, making it easier to plug devices in when it’s dark.
The Moonbase is available for preorder now through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with delivery expected in April 2025. Full retail pricing for the power strip alone is expected to be $120, but it’s discounted to $88 for those who preorder early, or $129 if you also want a set of four of Genki’s Moonlink USB-C cables.
Genki might not be a household name, but since 2019 the company has successfully crowdfunded several products including portable Nintendo Switch docks and smaller USB-C chargers.
Measuring about 7.7 inches in length, the Moonbase features three AC outlets on top that are generously spaced to accommodate chunkier AC adapters and multi-port chargers. The AC outlets feature a transparent design with LEDs that change color at the push of a button. Below the outlets, the power strip incorporates an energy efficient GaN (Gallium Nitride) charger delivering a total of 240W of power through its four side USB-C ports.
The maximum power output of an individual USB-C port is limited to 140W, and that’s when just two of them are in use. With devices plugged into all four of the Moonbase’s USB-C ports, two can deliver a maximum of 100W, while the other two top out at just 20W.
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Image: Genki
One of the four Moonlink cables includes a built-in display and the ability to handle 240W of power.
Not every USB-C cable can handle over 100W of power, so Genki created an optional set of upgraded USB-C Moonlink cables to go along with the Moonbase. Three of the cables support 100W charging and come in small (1-foot), medium (3.3-feet), and large (6-foot) lengths, while the Moonlink+ can handle 240W and includes a built-in LED display showing the current power draw.
With one end plugged in, all of the Moonlink cables glow on their other end to help illuminate the USB-C port on the device you want to power — the lighting turns off once both ends are plugged in. Although the Moonlink cables are available as part of a bundle with the Moonbase power strip, you only get one of each of the four versions — unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose which of the cables will work best for your setup.
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Image: Solos
Solos’ camera-equipped smart glasses have arrived to provide some much-needed competition against Meta’s Ray-Bans. The AirGo Vision is available now starting at $299 — the same price as the Ray-Ban Meta eyewear tech — and features integration with OpenAI’s GPT-4o AI model to identify and answer questions about the people, objects, and text seen by the camera.
That allows the AirGo Vision to do things like translate text into different languages, provide directions to nearby locations or landmarks, and give the wearer more information about what they’re looking at. Solos says the glasses can also be integrated with other AI models like Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, something the company previously teased when it announced the AirGo Vision in June.
Like the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, the AirGo Vision camera can capture photos on demand. A swappable frame system means that you can wear the glasses with or without the camera — the battery and touch sensors used to control the device are housed in the frame’s USB-C chargeable hinges, providing an audio-only option when paired with the standard, no-camera-included AirGo frames.
“One thing we promised to deliver on was allowing consumers to have control of their experience with AI and smart technology, particularly with privacy options in mind,” Solos co-founder Kenneth Fan said in the announcement. “That’s why we developed frames that can easily be changed to decide when and where a camera may be appropriate without sacrificing any of the fun features.”
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Image: Solos
Here’s a frontal view of the Krypton 1 frame style...
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Image: Solos
...compared to the slimmer Krypton 2 design.
Soros says the Vision comes “with the option to purchase the frame only for $149 or bundle a camera frame with a regular frame for enhanced privacy, priced at $349.” It’s available in seven colors and two frame styles: Krypton 1, which sports a large square design with prominent nose pads, and the slimmer Krypton 2.
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Image: Epic Games
Fortnite players have finally started receiving refunds as part of a settlement Epic Games reached with the Federal Trade Commission, which claimed the developer tricked players into making in-game purchases. So far, the FTC says it sent out more than 600,000 payments totaling $72 million, and many players, including some of us here at The Verge, have already reported receiving payments.
In 2022, Epic Games agreed to pay $245 million to compensate players affected by Fortnite’s alleged “counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” that the FTC said led to unwanted purchases. The FTC is currently sending payments to players who submitted valid claims before October 8th, 2024, but it’s reviewing the claims it received after that date.
There’s still time to file a claim for a Fortnite refund if you haven’t yet, as the FTC is giving players until January 10th, 2025 to submit a claim. You can find more information about the refunds on the FTC’s website.
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Every once in a while, we turn The Vergecast inward. Not only are we constantly covering and discussing what’s happening in the tech and media worlds, we’re also living it ourselves. We’re trying to navigate changes in platforms and economies, and figure out the best ways to do our work and share it with you. And it’s complicated! So, once a year or so, we get into the weeds of how it all works for us here at The Verge.
On this episode of The Vergecast, it’s all inside baseball, all the time. Helen Havlak, our publisher (and everybody’s boss), joins the show to talk about our new subscription: why we’re doing it now, how we decided on a price, why we’re not getting rid of all the ads, and what we’re thinking about going forward.
After that, Nilay Patel, our editor-in-chief and your Vergecast co-host and friend, joins to talk about everything else you’ve been wondering. We talk about host-read ads, what we do during ad breaks, how The Verge is like a Montessori, what he thinks about our redesign two years later, and more. We got so many good questions — thanks to everyone who called and emailed! — and we couldn’t get to them all, but we tried to answer as many as we could.
If you want to know more about what The Verge is up to, and where we think (gestures widely) all this is headed, here are a few links to get you started:
Keep sending us questions, too! Call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, or email vergecast@theverge.com, and ask us anything. Our goal is always to be as transparent and accountable as we can — disclosure is our brand, after all — and we’d love to know everything else that’s on your mind.
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It feels like we only just heard that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later was in development, but the long-awaited sequel already has a full-length trailer and a solid release date.
Set almost 30 years after the initial outbreak of the rage virus, 28 Years Later focuses on the lives of a new group of survivors who have managed to find a modicum of safety living on an isolated, tied island. Because the island is only connected to the mainland by a long, thin, heavily-guarded path that seems like it might disappear when the tide comes in, people like Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) are able to build semi-stable lives for themselves.
But things are very different and dangerous on the mainland where time has given rise to all sorts of new mutations in the infected. Though the trailer doesn’t really give you a sense of why Jamie wants to journey into infected territory, it makes it clear that he’ll encounter other people who have somehow managed to survive living among the rabid pseudo-undead. Between the Purge-like masks and towers of skulls on display in the trailer, the mainland human survivors almost seem more ghoulish than the infected they live in fear of. But as disturbing as the trailer is, what makes it pretty delightful is the news that 28 Years Later is set to hit theaters on June 20th, 2025.
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Image: Yelp
Yelp is introducing some new AI features that aim to help users discover new establishments and narrow down customer reviews. The AI-powered “Review Insights,” announced today as part of Yelp’s end-of-year product release, quickly summarize how customers feel about certain aspects of a business, such as food quality, service, ambiance, and wait times.
Review insights are aggregated sentiment scores that provide a quick overview of topics using facial icons — positive, neutral, and critical — displayed above a business’s reviews. Yelp users can click specific topics to read related reviews that focus on those aspects of the business, such as what customers are saying about the food or service.
Yelp says the feature is available on iOS for restaurant, food, and nightlife businesses, and will be expanded to services categories “next year.” Review insights builds on the AI-powered review summaries feature that Yelp introduced in January.
“When searching for a local restaurant, you might have a specific aspect in mind that matters most to you — be it the vibe of the space, how long it takes to get a table, or the quality of the food,” said Yelp’s Chief Product Officer Craig Saldanha in the announcement blog. “Even when a review doesn’t explicitly mention one of the topics, the LLM understands the context in the review to identify and surface the relevant topic and sentiment.”
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Image: Yelp
Heads up — Yelp will autoplay and unmute the full-screen user videos on the iOS app homepage.
The home feed search bar on iOS now features a trending drop-down that highlights the most popular terms other local users are looking for, which will be coming to Android “early next year.” The iOS app home page has also been expanded to include new reviews, photos, and full-screen video spotlights uploaded by other users that surface recent experiences. Yelp says it’s rolling out an AI-powered update that “better tailors the home feed to your preferences” in the coming weeks.