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For the past year, a new technology has emerged on the horizon: AI agents. These newcomers promise much more than their chatbot predecessors, with more sophisticated conversation capabilities, the ability to perform more complex tasks, and the potential to learn and adapt, improving over time to understand the nuances of the business they are operating in.It’s not surprising 2025 has already seen the launch of several high profile AI agents, including Manus AI, Oracle AI Agent Studio, and OpenAI Operator. Demand for these new agentic AI solutions is coming from both businesses and consumers.For businesses, AI agents promise to improve tasks like recruiting employees, contacting potential sales leads, creating marketing content, and managing IT systems - as well as improving customer service and communication, which will in turn benefit customers. 70% of consumers are noticing that AI is improving self-service support, and 60% agree AI has made interactions with brands more efficient.Many businesses are now looking to AI agents to deliver the return on investment they’ve been hoping to achieve with AI. How can they make this a reality?

Generic agents lead to underwhelming results

Organizations should be wary of blindly throwing AI at whatever issue their teams are facing. This includes implementing generic AI agents that are currently too unreliable and inflexible to be used as a blanket CX solution. The best AI agent for your organization will always be one that’s been designed to operate in your specific industry, and trained to do the specific job you want it to do.For instance, a specialized ecommerce AI agent can be trained to understand the nuances of sizing charts so they can provide guidance to customers who are unsure about what size or item to choose. Or in the travel industry, a specialized AI agent can understand the complexities of booking policies or cancellation terms.Generic AI agents will struggle with industry-specific terminology, processes, and regulations. Non-specialized AI agents might even provide incorrect information or send inappropriate responses to a customer. These mistakes massively threaten customer trust and have the opposite effect they are intended for, creating additional work for employees who are left to correct the AI agent’s missteps.

Trust is the ultimate differentiator

Gartner predicts that by 2028, 25% of enterprise breaches will be tied to AI agent abuses. In a world where AI agents are now being entrusted with personal and sensitive information about customers, clients, and patients, it’s essential for organizations to put in place transparent accountability protocols and regular audits.Trustworthy and reliable industry-specific solutions are particularly crucial in areas like healthcare or financial services, where the stakes are high and agents are tasked with handling medical records, processing financial transactions, and providing recommendations that have a serious impact on users’ health, safety and economic wellbeing.Organizations that prioritize trust - rather than taking a ‘move fast and break things’ approach - will set themselves apart. This means adopting ethical AI principles, securing robust data privacy measures, and fostering transparency.

Assistants, not free agents

A recent survey found 28% of employees are worried about their roles being replaced by AI. While this is a common concern, it’s far from the truth. AI agents are nowhere near capable of operating autonomously and without human engagement or supervision.In their current form, AI agents serve best as collaborators or assistants, rather than standalone project managers. By taking routine tasks off employees’ to-do lists, AI agents free up human agents to focus on complex, specialist tasks, or come up with new ideas.Again on the customer service side, when it comes to handling a new situation they haven’t experienced before - like a complex or emotional customer enquiry - this is also where human-AI teamwork is key. An AI agent doesn’t have the empathy required to handle an interaction like this alone, but it can act as an assistant to a human agent, for example automatically bringing up the customer’s history with the organization, any previous interactions, and any other information to enable the agent to provide the best possible customer support.

Slow and steady wins the AI race

Organizations' AI budgets aren’t likely to decrease any time soon: it’s predicted that by 2028, enterprises will spend $202.2 billion on AI and generative AI solutions worldwide.Agentic AI offers a huge amount of potential to businesses that are prepared to implement them in the right way. Rather than diving into the deep end and spending lots of resources on the latest, shiniest solution, organizations should remember slow and steady wins the race.This means getting the basics right first, building a tailored, specialized AI agent that will work for your organization's needs. It also involves testing, refining, and integrating new AI agent solutions into specific workflows, rather than blindly applying them across the whole business.By combining a custom-built, ethical, and collaborative approach with thorough training across teams, organizations can unlock the benefits of AI agent technology, rather than being swept up by the hype.

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Q: I'm a Gen X Windows user, I've been building my own systems for decades, and I work mainly in 3D design for the building and construction industry. I would like to know if you feel switching to Mac makes sense with all this unnecessary tariff turmoil?

I've been trying to make the leap for years ... I feel like I need someone to just tell me to go for it and not look back. — Jim from Bainbridge Island, Washington

A: It's undoubtedly a great time to make the jump from Windows to Macs. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are among the highest-rated laptops we've reviewed over the last few years, and the Mac mini and iMac are also fantastic solutions for desktop users. There's certainly a bit of a learning curve when jumping platforms, but it's mostly just a problem if you require specialized software that only runs on Windows.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

What are the benefits of moving from Windows to Mac?

There are three big advantages from switching from Windows to Mac.

Speed

At the moment, the biggest advantage is the sheer speed of Macs. That's entirely thanks to Apple Silicon, the company's custom chips that are built to be efficient and very fast. In our benchmarks, even the most basic M4 chip blows away most of the hardware from Intel and AMD. Apple's advantage only grows as you move up to its Pro, Max and Ultra chips.

Apple Silicon's speed doesn't just show up in benchmarks. It's easy to see that modern Macs, even the entry-level MacBook Air, feel zippier than comparably-priced Windows PCs. That goes for everything including web browsing and office productivity apps, as well as more complex tasks like rendering video. Apple's chips also include some powerful graphics cores, giving you the ability to easily run many games from the App Store. While you certainly wouldn't mistake any Mac as a true gaming PC, I was still surprised that the MacBook Air was able to run a complex new game like Lies of P in 1080p at 60 fps.

Battery life

Since Apple Silicon is based on Arm's mobile chip architecture, it's also a lot more efficient than Intel and AMD's more demanding CPUs. That leads to killer battery life across the board for Mac laptops. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air lasted well over 18 hours in our video benchmark, while the MacBook Pros went beyond 30 hours. In real-world usage, you can expect most Macs to last two full work days without needing a charge. Macs also tend to hold their charge in standby mode far better than PCs, so you can have a bit more faith that they'll be ready to work the instant you turn them on.

Durability

After reviewing Macs for the last 15 years, and supporting them as an IT worker for a decade before that, I can also confidently say that Mac hardware lasts longer than PCs. Apple's aluminum cases withstand bumps and drops far better than the cheap plastic you'll find on some PCs. Now that's not to say they're immune to wear and tear, but from what I've seen Macs just tend to hold up well. If you do need to get something fixed, it's also relatively easy to get that done at an Apple Store, instead of shipping a Windows PC off to its maker.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

What are the downsides of switching from Windows to Macs?

While I think it’s worth making the jump to Macs overall, there are a few downsides:

Windows to Mac learning curve

Given how much of our computing lives revolve around cloud apps like Gmail and Google Docs these days, moving to Macs mainly involves learning the basics of Apple's platforms. Installing software outside of the App Store works a bit differently than Windows — you often have to drag an app to the Applications folder, instead of clicking through an installer. Apple's trackpads also don't support right-clicking by default. Instead, you either have to hold down the Control key and click, or enable a Secondary Click feature (System Preferences > Trackpad). There you can assign right-clicks to a two-finger tap, or a tap on the bottom corners of the trackpad.

The macOS Dock can be confusing since it can't show all of your open apps like the Windows taskbar can. Subsequently, managing all of your open apps can be a pain. My suggestion? Set up Hot Corners (System Settings > Desktop and Dock > Hot Corners) so that your Mac will reveal your apps whenever you drag your pointer to a corner of your screen.

Since that feature debuted (it was originally called Expose), I’ve set it up to reveal current app windows in one corner, all of my windows in another, and the desktop in a third. Apple’s Stage Manager, which debuted in macOS Ventura, can also help you wrangle apps, but I typically only use that when I want to focus on one or two programs.

Lackluster gaming library, limited upgrade options

Apple has historically been terrible when it comes to supporting games on macOS, but it’s getting better. Recent titles like the aforementioned Lies of P, as well as Resident Evil Village and Death Stranding, are readily available on the app store. There are also more titles on Steam shipping with dedicated Mac support, and cloud streaming opens up access to services like Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass library.

But there’s no way Apple will be able to catch up with Windows when it comes to overall gaming support anytime soon. So if you actually care about always getting the latest titles, you might want to stick with PCs. That's doubly true if you also have any interest in ever wanting to upgrade video cards, RAM or internal storage options, all of which aren't really accessible on Macs — including desktop models.

No touchscreen support

While Apple pioneered the use of touchscreens with the iPhone and iPad, it’s stubbornly refused to bring that feature over to Macs. So if you’re used to casually flicking a laptop's screen to scroll, you’re just out of luck with Macs… for now. A 2023 report claimed that we may see a touchscreen MacBook Pro this year, but it’s unclear if that will actually happen. Personally, I don’t miss having a touchscreen when I use Macs, since Apple’s glass touchpads feel just as fluid.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

A brief history of Mac vs. Windows

The battle between Mac and Windows is nearly as old as the concept of personal computing itself, and it will likely never end. In 1983, Apple's Lisa broke new ground as the first consumer computer with a graphical user interface (GUI), and the company followed that up with the more affordable Macintosh in 1984. Microsoft countered with Windows 1.0 in 1985, but the platform didn't really take off until Windows 3.0 arrived in 1990.

By that point, the philosophical differences between the two companies was clear: Apple was more focused on delivering friendly user experiences for its custom hardware, while Microsoft built up Windows as a platform that could run on a wide variety of computers. Consequently, the user culture around both platforms became fairly distinct: Macs became the go-to choice for anyone working in creative fields and academia, whereas Windows was more focused on office work and straightforward productivity. There's also always been a major price difference between the platforms, as Apple's custom hardware has typically cost far more than your basic Windows PC.

Over the years, Apple has gone from using Motorola's PowerPC chips to Intel's — a move that brought Macs far closer to Windows PCs. And most recently, Apple completely changed things up again by moving entirely to its own Apple Silicon chips, which are built around the same mobile architecture used by iPhones and iPads.

While Macs and Windows remain very distinct, the differences between them have flattened a bit now that we’re relying on so many cloud services. Using Gmail or Google Docs on a Mac is no different than on a Windows system, after all.

Which Mac is best for you?

It may sound cliche to say this, but Apple’s Mac family now has something for everyone (unless you’re a hardcore gamer). We’re four generations deep into Apple Silicon chips, and all of the company’s hardware has seen some helpful impressive revisions. The real question is figuring out which Mac is best for you.

A note on pricing: While Apple's entry-level prices are more reasonable than ever before, they do skyrocket as you add more RAM and storage. You also can't add more memory or storage to Apple Silicon systems down the line, so you'll have to think hard about what you need when you buy a new Mac. I'd recommend prioritizing more RAM when possible, as you could always use cloud services or external drives for storage beyond your SSD. I'd also suggest snagging a new Mac soon if you're interested, as there's a chance Apple could start increasing prices to keep up with tariffs. (Just recently, both Microsoft and DJI have increased prices for aging devices.)

But if you're finally ready to pull the trigger on a new Mac, these are your best options right now. You can also find some excellent deals if you look for refurbished M3 and M2 versions of the systems below.

The MacBook Air is the best ultraportable laptop available today. It’s fast, incredibly light, has great battery life and is also completely silent, since it has no cooling fan. Now that it starts at $999 with 16GB of RAM, it’s also a surprisingly good deal. Unless you need the additional ports and improved screen on the MacBook Pro, the Air will be all the computer you need for several years.

Stepping up to the MacBook Pro gets you a high refresh rate screen, faster M4 Pro chips and a wide variety of ports (including more USB-C connections, a microSD card reader and HDMI). While it’s heavier than the Air, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is still relatively light and is better-suited to sustained workloads, like video encoding or 3D rendering. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is pretty much the same machine with a larger screen.

Starting at $599 (but often on sale for much less), the Mac mini is a powerful-yet-tiny box that can outmatch full-sized Windows desktops. It’s the ideal gateway to the world of Macs if you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse you like. The base model is powerful enough to handle any productivity task you throw at it, but if you need more performance you can also step up to the M4 Pro-equipped Mac mini. In addition to shrinking it down for this latest revision, Apple also seems to have heard my complaints and added two USB-C ports to the front of the Mac mini. Together with three more USB-C ports on the rear, HDMI and Ethernet, the Mac mini serves up a comprehensive array of ports and it’s hard to think of a more capable $600 PC.

While the iMac isn’t the first all-in-one desktop computer, it’s popularized the form factor to the point where most PC makers have their own copycat products. Now with an M4 chip, the iMac is more powerful than ever, while also sporting a thin profile that means it fits right at home on a kitchen table. Its 24-inch screen is just right for getting a bit of work done without dominating a table, and its speakers also sound surprisingly great. The iMac is the ideal family computer, one that can be set up just about anywhere and be useful for kids and parents alike.

If you need more power than the Mac mini, the Mac Studio is a powerhouse of a desktop. While it's still far smaller than a typical Windows desktop, its M4 Max and M4 Ultra chips can easily take on the best hardware from Intel and AMD. At this point, the Mac Studio is more of a Mac for professionals than the actual Mac Pro, which is far more expensive and more meant for high-level corporate work.

Have a tech question you’d like Engadget to answer?

As tech reporters, the Engadget staff is always answering questions from readers, friends and family about electronics, software, gaming, big tech policies and more. So we decided to write down our answers. This question came from a listener of The Engadget Podcast, and has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. If you’ve got a tech-related question you’d like us to answer for you, please email ask@engadget.com.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/ask-engadget-is-it-a-good-time-to-move-to-macs-from-windows-145159396.html?src=rss

Hacker pleads guilty to accessing confidential Disney filesDisney's private Slack channels were breached in the attackThe leak led Disney to switch from Slack to Microsoft Teams

A Santa Clara man who created an AI image generation tool that deployed hidden malware has pleaded guilty to stealing over 1.1 TB of internal company data after illegally accessing Disney’s internal Slack channels.The hacker, Ryan Mitchell Kramer, who went by the name “NullBulge” was charged with one count of accessing a computer and obtaining information and one count of threatening to damage a protected computer, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California reported.The incident had wide reaching consequences, with Disney choosing to ditch Slack in favour of Microsoft teams following the breach. Over 10,000 Slack channels were involved in the incident, and confidential data including internal communications and sensitive information like images, source code and credentials were compromised.

A malicious programme

Kramer reportedly accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to the two felony charges that each carry a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison - but he has not yet been sentenced.The plea deal outlines that in early 2024, Kramer “posted a computer program on various online platforms, including GitHub, that purported to be computer program that could be used to create A.I.-generated art. In fact, the program contained a malicious file that enabled Kramer to gain access to victims’ computers.”After the victim downloaded the malicious file, Kramer accessed Disney’s information through the victim’s personal computer, where he stored login credentials for personal and professional accounts.After the hacker accessed these accounts, he downloaded over 1.1TB of data from Disney, which was then publicly released alongside the victims bank, medical, and personal information.According to the report, the FBI is currently investigating the possibility of at least two more victims hit by similar attacks by Kramer

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A few weeks out from the arrival of Elden Ring: Nightreign, developer FromSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco have released a lengthy overview trailer that offers an in-depth look at what's in store. The run-based Elden Ring spinoff gives players three in-game days to prepare for a final boss battle with the help of up to two human-controlled allies.

The new trailer explains that you'll have a limited time to strengthen your character. You can level up by fighting dangerous grunts or scour the land for weapons and other gear. You can also collect useful information that's hidden in enemy bases. Alternatively, you can face off against more formidable enemies inside fortresses and receive "powerful rewards" if you can take them down. You don't have to stay with your teammates the entire time either, as you can take a divide-and-conquer approach to your runs.

Limveld (a renamed version of the original game's first main area Limgrave) is procedurally generated, so things will be different every time you play. Yup, this is a roguelite, folks. Expect the unexpected, as obstacles can include things like meteor strikes and craters that are full of lava.

As in the likes of Fortnite and other battle royale games, the playable area will shrink over time, nudging your squad into encounters with minor bosses when night falls. So you'd best make good use of your time to prepare for these tough fights. If you do fall in battle, one of your allies can revive you by, uh, attacking you. Look, this is Elden Ring, it doesn't have to make complete sense.

In addition, the trailer reveals details about the eight character classes in Elden Ring: Nightreign. Each has their own weapons, passive abilities and skills. One has a grappling hook that can pull in enemies or be used to swiftly close a gap. Another can turn invisible to sneak around enemies or ambush them. I suspect quite a few people will opt for the sea-faring Raider, whose arsenal includes a powerful blow that can't be interrupted by an enemy attack. Let's see how those colossal bosses like the taste of their own medicine.

After each run, whether you triumph or fail, you'll earn relics. These are part of a permanent progress system and can be used to improve your stats. You'll be able to unlock cosmetic costumes as well. Some of these take inspiration from previous FromSoftware games, such as one that references Solaire from Dark Souls.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on May 30.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/elden-ring-nightreign-trailer-details-all-eight-classes-and-some-fiery-hazards-151216173.html?src=rss

Harry Potter TV show: key information- Will debut on HBO in 2026 or 2027- Filming begins in mid-2025- No official trailer released yet- Six main cast have been announced, including Dumbledore, Snape and Hagrid- Rest of the cast still under wraps- Plot will follow J.K. Rowling's books- Show will last ten consecutive years

The Harry Potter TV show will debut on HBO in 2026 or 2027, remaking the iconic books-turned-movies for the small screen. Reigniting the magic on one of the best streaming services is a gargantuan task and one they're taking the necessary time to do justice before filming begins in mid-2025. But, before we can ready our wands, there's a lot of the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter being reshaped – including a whole new cast list.Fortunately, there's lots to talk about when it comes to release date, casting announcements, plot synopsis and more. And putting all this information in one place is a task we've busied ourselves with while rewatching all eight movies for the umpteenth time. Here's everything you need to know about the Harry Potter TV show making its way to HBO.Full spoilers to follow for all the Harry Potter movies.

Harry Potter TV show: is there a release date?

Wands at the ready. The upcoming HBO Original Series, #HarryPotter, will be filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden with production beginning in Summer 2025 and coming to Max. pic.twitter.com/6JSOA20w52December 5, 2024

Unfortunately, there's no release date to share just yet. However, Deadline have revealed that the series is expected to premiere in 2026 or 2027, following an announcement by Warner Bros. Discovery global streaming chief JB Perrette.It has also been confirmed, as shown in the above tweet, that filming will commence in Leavesden this summer, in the same location as the previous eight movies. So, while there's time to wait, it gives us plenty of opportunity to dust off our wands and brooms for its arrival. And for UK viewers, that'll most likely be on Sky and Now TV since HBO and Max aren't available in this region.

Harry Potter TV show: has a trailer been released?

Your Hogwarts letter is here. Max has ordered the first ever #HarryPotter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/3CgEHLYhchApril 12, 2023

With filming yet to commence, there's no trailer to share. For now, only a short teaser has been released by Max when the show was first announced, showing little but floating candles assembling the boy wizard's name.As we loom ever closer to the eventual Harry Potter TV show release date though, we'll be sure to update here when we get even a hint of magic to share.

Harry Potter TV show: confirmed and predicted cast

HBO has made six exciting cast announcements (Image credit: HBO)

Potential spoilers follow for the Harry Potter TV show.

First and foremost, in June 2024, it was revealed that Harry Potter TV show lands a magical creative duo with a showrunner in Francesca Gardiner and head director in Mark Mylod. And they've been busy ever since casting magical hires to play the iconic roles of the franchise in a total revamp from the movies.And HBO's Harry Potter TV confirmed the cast for Dumbledore, Snape, Hagrid and more in April. Starting with one of the most iconic roles, the HBO press release confirmed John Lithgow will become Dumbledore.In conversation with Screen Rant, Lithgow explained the offer to play the iconic Hogwarts headmaster "was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited." Adding: "I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes."

A post shared by Nick Frost (@friedgold)A photo posted by on

Another confirmed cast member is Nick Frost, who will play Rubeus Hagrid. And Frost himself took the opportunity to say: "Thank you for trusting me with such a loyal, gentle and courageous half-giant like Rubeus Hagrid. Robbie, I promise I won't let you down." In reference to Robbie Coltrane who played the iconic groundskeeper in all the movies before his passing.And there's more cast reveals with Paapa Essiedu as Potions Professor Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch all joining the wonderful wizarding world.

A post shared by Harry Potter (@harrypotter)A photo posted by on

The question yet to be answered though is who will play Harry, Ron and Hermione? In September 2024, an open casting call started circulating online, and it's authenticity was then confirmed by HBO to Variety. And reportedly some 32,000 kids auditioned for the leading trio. No surprise given the sheer success of the franchise.Though casting is now closed, it read: "Please prepare a short poem or story of your choosing. It can be from your favorite book, a poem that you love, a monologue from a play or something you've created yourself. Please, nothing from 'Harry Potter'. Please use your own accents. 30 seconds maximum!" Alongside a request for a longer self-tape with more information about the actor.With filming taking place this summer though, we're sure these announcements will come thick and fast – and we'll be sure to update here when they do.

Harry Potter TV show: story synopsis and rumors

The Harry Potter TV show will follow closely alongside the books (Image credit: Warner Bros)

Full spoilers follow for Harry Potter.

It's been years in the making as we first reported rumors surrounding a Harry Potter TV adaptation in January 2021. But, news of the Harry Potter TV show was first officially announced in April 2023 by Warner Bros. Discovery. As reported in Deadline, the show will have J.K Rowling as an executive producer, and will be "a faithful take on her classic Harry Potter books with a new cast." So, when it comes to the plot, if you've read the books or seen the movies, you'll know exactly what's about to happen.For the TV show though, it'll be another long-running adaptation, but this time even longer, with CEO David Zaslav saying: "It's really moving, for ten consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it's really something." Which means the story that J.K. Rowling told over seven world-building novels will have an opportunity to unravel across countless hours.Deadline also revealed that the show will stick to the "canonical" ages of its characters, which unlike the movies means that certain characters will be much younger than their movie counterparts. The report divulges that showrunner Gardiner had described the show as offering up a "bigger sandpit to play in", as well as including more activity from Hogwarts staff and "having fun with Peeves in the corridor". Mylod also added that he will "dig into the depths and crevices of Hogwarts".With ten consecutive years to play with, there's obviously a lot more room for storytelling given the film franchise adapted the seven books into eight movies and the TV show is reportedly going for ten whole seasons.

Will there be more seasons of Harry Potter?

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Absolutely. As discussed above, the Harry Potter TV show will follow closely alongside J.K. Rowling's books in the same way the movies did and, as confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, will run for "ten consecutive years". Ten years of more Harry Potter? We're feeling utterly spoilt.Though there has been some mixed feelings surrounding the show regarding J.K. Rowling's criticism of transgender rights and transgender issues in recent years. Onboard as an executive producer for the TV adaptation, her continued comments could affect the show overall. But Warner Bros. has stood behind her continued collaboration in the franchise with a clear statement to Variety: "J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement."If, like us, the impending arrival of the Harry Potter TV show has left you contemplating another (or first ever) run through of the iconic movie franchise, then here's how to watch the Harry Potter movies in order and you can always delve into the ever-contentious discussion of the best Harry Potter movies ranked, from worst to best.

For more Max-based coverage, read our guides on House of the Dragon season 3, Creature Commandos season 2, Peacemaker season 2, and Euphoria season 3.

Proton has claimed it will lower its prices after a landmark US ruling against AppleA US judge found Apple guilty of violating a federal injunction over illegal monopoly and lying under oathFortnite maker Epic Games sued Apple in 2020, challenging the up-to-30% cut the Big Tech provider takes from App Store's purchases

Proton could lower its pricing by up to 30% after a US judge found Apple guilty of violating a federal injunction over illegal monopoly.Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple willfully violated her injunction issued in 2021 in the Epic Games case. The Big Tech giant was supposed to halt anti-competitive practices by giving third-party developers more power to redirect users to cheaper non-Apple payment options.Proton, the provider of one of the best VPN and secure email apps, has welcomed the ruling as a victory against Big Tech. "Proton will finally be allowed to let iOS users purchase subscriptions outside of the App Store. No Apple tax means we will lower prices for users by up to 30%," wrote the company's CEO, Andy Yen, on X.

In response to the recent court ruling in the US against Apple's illegal in-app purchase monopoly, @ProtonPrivacy will finally be allowed to let iOS users purchase subscriptions outside of the app store. No Apple tax means we will lower prices for users by up to 30%.May 1, 2025

Yen also pointed out how such a court decision could help cut inflation in the US, too, "by dropping the price of a significant chunk of digital purchases by 30% overnight".The Fortnite maker sued Apple in 2020 to challenge the up-to-30% cut the Big Tech provider takes from App Store purchases."It's about choice. Apple can charge whatever fee they want for their payment system. But we are now free to offer an alternative option that is up to 30% cheaper. For the first time, the user can decide for themselves (pay Apple 30%, or save 30%)," said Yen.It's too early to say how this will affect Proton VPN and Proton Mail users in the US and beyond. We approached Proton for clarification, but are still waiting for a response at the time of publication.Nonetheless, on May 2, 2025, Spotify confirmed that Apple has finally approved an update to allow the music streaming giant to freely show clear pricing information and links to purchase, fostering transparency and choice for US consumers."We can now give consumers lower prices, more control, and easier access to the Spotify experience. There is more work to do, but today represents a significant milestone for developers and entrepreneurs everywhere who want to build and compete on a more level playing field," wrote Spotify in its official announcement.

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As mentioned, Judge Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in "willful violation" of the order issued in 2021 and later enforced in 2024, after the Big Tech giant lost the appeal in 2023.Ways Apple violated the ruling include charging a 27% commission fee to developers when they allow purchases outside the App Store. Other barriers and requirements were also enforced to discourage customers from using competing purchasing platforms, said the Judge as reported by the BBC.Besides allegedly promoting an illegal in-app purchase monopoly, the company is also facing a criminal contempt investigation as the judge found Apple's vice-president of finance, Alex Roman, "outright lied under oath."Apple is said to "strongly disagree" with the judge's decision. "We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," said an Apple spokesperson.We have contacted Apple for further comments and will update the article when we know more.

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The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined TikTok owner ByteDance €530 million ($602 million) for breaching the European Union's privacy laws. The regulator said TikTok sent European user data to China without being able to guarantee that the information was safe from government surveillance.

It was reported last month that the DPC was going to slap TikTok with such a fine — the third-largest ever for a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) breach. The regulator confirmed that on Friday.

The DPC, which handles enforcement of the GDPR when it comes to TikTok (which has its European HQ in Ireland), also ruled that the platform wasn't adequately transparent with users. Along with the fine, the DPC gave TikTok six months to halt all illegal data transfers.

TikTok claimed during the four-year probe that it didn't store data from European Economic Area users on servers in China. However, it told the DPC last month it learned in February that "limited EEA User Data" had been stored there and admitted that contradicted what it previously said to regulators.

"The DPC is taking these recent developments regarding the storage of EEA User Data on servers in China very seriously," DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement. "Whilst TikTok has informed the DPC that the data has now been deleted, we are considering what further regulatory action may be warranted, in consultation with our peer EU Data Protection Authorities."

The DPC said that, between 2020 and 2022, TikTok didn't tell users that their data was being transferred to China. The regulator says TikTok met its transparency requirements in 2022 after updating its privacy policy. Still, the breach of transparency rules resulted in a €45 million fine. The data transfers to China led to a €485 million penalty.

"TikTok’s personal data transfers to China infringed the GDPR because TikTok failed to verify, guarantee and demonstrate that the personal data of EEA users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU," Doyle said. "As a result of TikTok’s failure to undertake the necessary assessments, TikTok did not address potential access by Chinese authorities to EEA personal data under Chinese anti-terrorism, counter-espionage and other laws identified by TikTok as materially diverging from EU standards."

TikTok said in a statement that it disagrees with the ruling and it plans to appeal in full. It claims that Chinese officials had never requested European user data and that it had never provided such information to the country's authorities.

The platform also contends that the DPC did not fully consider Project Clover in its decision. That initiative concerns privacy safeguards, such as setting up European data centers to store data locally. The DPC decision "focuses on a select period from years ago, prior to Clover’s 2023 implementation and does not reflect the safeguards now in place," Christine Grahn, TikTok's head of public policy and government relations for Europe, said. However, the DPC said it "considered ongoing changes" related to Project Clover while making the ruling.

This is not the first time that the DPC has fined Bytedance. In 2023, it handed down a $368 million penalty after determining TikTok failed to protect the data of users aged between 13 and 17. EU regulators have other ongoing investigations into TikTok over whether it failed to meet obligations to stop foreign interference in an election; age verification and addictive algorithm concerns; and an alleged failure to submit a risk assessment report ahead of rolling out TikTok Lite in France and Spain.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/tiktok-fined-602-million-for-illegally-sending-european-user-data-to-china-154807194.html?src=rss

Jensen Huang's salary was up 59%, overall compensation up 46%Other execs got stable salaries but much higher overall compensation packagesNvidia's last full-year revenue stood at $130.5 billion, up 114% year-over-year

Despite being the company's CEO since its founding in 1993, Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang has been drawing the same salary from the company for a number of years - however a recent SEC filing has revealed Huang just got his major first salary increase in a decade.Rising from $996,514 in 2024 and $996,832 in 2023, Huang received a $1,486,199 salary in fiscal 2025, marking a not-insignificant 49% year-over-year increase.In reality, various other components make up Huang's total compensation, the biggest being $38.8 million in stock awards in 2025, leaving him with a hefty $49,866,251 package at the end of the year.

Jensen Huang salary increase

Besides the salary increase, rises in other compensation saw the Nvidia leader get nearly $15.7 million more in 2025 compared with 2024, marking an equally healthy 46% jump.Salaries for CFO Colette M Kress, Worldwide Field Operations SVP Ajay K Puri, Operations EVP Debora Shoquist and General Counsel and Secretary EVP Timothy S Teter remained stable year-over-year, but total compensation of the four Named Executive Officers (NEOs) rose by 59-74%.It's not just compensations that have rise in the past year, though. In February, Nvidia declared a staggering 114% growth in annual revenue compared with the year before, noting a 78% year-over-year increase to its fourth-quarter revenue alone.Yearly revenue stood at $130.5 billion, compared with $60.9 billion the year before, and $27.0 billion and $26.9 billion in the two preceding years.Earlier in 2024, Nvidia's total market cap exceeded $3.5 trillion, making it the world's most valuable company for a short period of time. That now stands at $2.723 trillion, with billions lost to trade war-induced uncertainty and other natural causes.

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We've almost reached the halfway mark of The Last of Us season 2. With only three episodes left after this week's installment, we'll be bidding farewell to the hugely popular show in the near future.Right now, though, a new entry will be available to enjoy very soon. Indeed, The Last of Us TV show's next chapter in only a few days away, so it's time to find out when and where you can watch it.In this guide, you'll learn what day and time it'll air in the US, UK, and Australia. There's a full release schedule for the dystopian series' final few episodes later on, too, so you can see when new chapters will be released.

What time can I stream The Last of Us season 2 episode 4 in the US?

The fourth episode of The Last of Us' sophomore season will arrive on Sunday, May 4 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.Just like every other installment to date, those who live stateside can watch it on Warner Bros Discovery's (WBD) super streamer Max, as well as cable network HBO.

When will episode 4 of The Last of Us season 2 come out in the UK?

Watch where you're pointing that handgun, Dina! (Image credit: HBO)

Ellie and Dina's quest to find and kill Abby and company will continue in the UK on Monday, May 5 at 2am BST. Yep, it'll be another late night or very early morning for anyone planning to watch it as soon as it's released on British shores.You've got two places you can stream it, too. Sky Atlantic and Now TV are home to The Last of Us in the UK, so sign up to – or into – either platform to check it out.

Where can I stream The Last of Us season 2's next episode in Australia?

everything hurts. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/pV4BrdstRBApril 28, 2025

One of the best Max shows is available to watch on, well, Max (aka one of the world's best streaming services) in Australia. The post-apocalyptic survival drama series is also available on Foxtel for those of you who are signed up to that service.As for when episode 4 will launch Down Under, that'll be on Monday, May 5 at 11am AEST.

The Last of Us season 2 full episode release schedule

Jeffrey Wright's Isaac makes his live-action debut in season 2's next episode (Image credit: HBO)

Want to know when the final three chapters of the Bella Ramsey-fronted TV show will launch where you live? Read on for more details.

Episode 1 – out nowEpisode 2 – out nowEpisode 3 – out nowEpisode 4 – May 4 (US); May 5 (UK and Australia)Episode 5 – May 11 (US); May 12 (UK and Australia)Episode 6 – May 18 (US); May 19 (UK and Australia)Episode 7 – May 25 (US); May 26 (UK and Australia)

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Kuwait is cracking down on cryptocurrency miners throughout the country, as reported by Reuters. Officials have blamed the practice for blackouts and for causing stress on its power grid. The country started this crackdown just before the onset of summer, which experts say could reach scorching temperatures of 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement that it has been conducting a "wide-ranging" security operation that targets homes suspected of being used for cryptocurrency mining. The government agency went on to say that crypto mining is illegal, as the country’s Capital Markets Authority banned the practice in 2023. Crypto trading was also banned at that time.

The crackdown has been targeting homes in the Al-Wafrah region of Kuwait, which is located in the southern part of the country. The region’s electricity ministry has said that around 100 homes were being used for mining operations, often consuming up to 20 times the normal power levels. To that end, energy consumption in the area dropped by 55 percent following the operation, according to a government statement.

It’s no secret that cryptocurrency mining gobbles up vast amounts of computing power and, as such, electricity. Kuwait isn’t the only country to regulate or outright ban the practice. Russia has banned crypto mining in several regions throughout the country. Kosovo outlawed the practice back in 2022 and Angola did the same in 2024. European countries like Iceland and Norway have strictly regulated the industry due to energy shortages.

As for Kuwait, researchers at the University of Cambridge estimated that the country was responsible for just 0.05 percent of the world's bitcoin mining in 2022. Alex de Vries-Gao, founder of a research project that tracks crypto energy use, told Reuters that "it only takes a very small share of the total bitcoin mining network to have a significant impact on the relatively small total electricity consumption of Kuwait."

Recent data indicates that crypto mining accounts for almost 2.5 percent of the total energy consumption of the US. That’s approximately half of the energy used by the entire commercial sector of the US economy. But hey, at least we get some fake coins we can’t buy anything with for our trouble.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/kuwait-cracks-down-on-crypto-miners-to-cut-down-on-electricity-usage-161200772.html?src=rss

I've been testing VR headsets for years, but before a recent trip from London to Miami I’d never taken one with me on a flight – and until some key things change, I probably won't take one with me again, based on my experience.Normally I adore my Meta Quest 3 – I think everyone should own one, or a Meta Quest 3S, given how superb these VR machines are for their price – and having seen stories of Meta's success in offering them as in-flight entertainment on Lufthansa airlines I believed I'd have an excellent time flying with one too.However, my troubles began before we took off – in fact, they began before I’d even left home.

What would I download?

Checking Meta's app store I was surprised to find no ‘flight-approved’ category that would easily supply me with software recommendations. And searching for movie downloads was much more of a challenge than I expected.While the Quest supports streaming platforms like Netflix, the browser-based (rather than app-based) solution displays its faults clearly. In this form it's an online only service as it's impossible to download content to watch offline like you can with the phone app.Eventually I sourced a digital copy of Avengers: Endgame in 3D, but it wasn't a hassle-free process – far from it. I also found a mixed-reality chess game I thought might be fun, not realizing it was an online-only title until I was in the air.

(Image credit: Meta / Lufthansa)

After my meal had been served and the seat belt sign had been switched off so I could fetch it from my stowed bag, I donned my Quest 3 and dove into the metaverse, armed with my limited entertainment selection.

Avengers: Endgame was superb. Not just the movie itself (I haven’t watched it since the midnight release showing years ago and I’d forgotten how great it was) but the overall experience.I had installed Bigscreen – a free app which transports you to different cinema screen environments to watch movies in – but ended up just using the Meta TV app in mixed-reality mode.I could dim my surroundings and enlarge the screen so it felt like I was in my own private movie theatre, but I wasn't shut off from my surroundings, so I could pay attention if a flight attendant walked past with food or drink.It was leagues ahead of the dinky screen installed in my seat that I'd have had to rely on for entertainment otherwise.Not being in VR helped during turbulence too. Because I could see the real world shaking thanks to the MR passthrough feed I didn't feel particularly nauseous during the ordeal, something I suspect wouldn’t be the case had I been in VR.

Now for my problems

Software selection woes aside, my next biggest concern was battery life. I was able to watch one hour of Endgame in mixed reality using just under 50% of my Quest 3's battery life.With a charging cable and power bank I could extend this use time, but relying solely on the Quest 3 as inflight entertainment for a long voyage would clearly be a challenge.You could mitigate this with an add-on like the one of the Kiwi Design battery straps I've reviewed, but then you’d run into the next problem: bag space.Baggage space on an airline comes at a premium, and filling your carry on with a fully kitted out VR headset setup is a non starter. So I replaced the bulky battery strap with the more compact (and less functional) elastic strap.This reduced the space the Quest 3 took up considerably, but it still wasn't compact – especially with the controllers.

(Image credit: Meta)

With these battery and space issues in mind it feels like a VR headset would be ideal for a shorter (sub-four-hour journey) where you’re struggling for baggage space across the hold and cabin so carrying the headset wouldn’t be a problem.I should also note that I was flying in Virgin Atlantic's premium economy section, rather than standard economy, and the only seat next to me was vacant. Moreover, I was sitting at the front of the section, in a seat with extra leg room, so I had plenty of space to move around.In a more tightly packed economy seat I could see my arm movements being annoying to any stranger unlucky enough to be sitting next to me, making VR way too impractical (and risky) to be viable outside of more premium classes. Mixed reality would be more practical, but it’s also more of a battery sink, as I discovered.Despite these issues I could see how close the Meta Quest 3 is to greatness, and how the in-flight experience could be improved with a few upgrades.

(Image credit: Meta/Lufthansa)

More subtle motion controls (like those the Apple Vision Pro uses) would eliminate the risk of whacking an innocent passenger with my arm flails.A bigger in built battery would be ideal too, as would a simpler way to find and download movies to the headset.The big-screen movie experience, especially with a 3D movie, was truly fantastic, and it just serves to highlight why Meta and others must do more to improve this aspect of VR as finding even one 3D movie was a major hassle.And using the headset, even in mixed reality, helped me forget I was on a flight. I'm not an especially nervous flier, but I'll admit to feeling a little tense while in the air, and that tension was noticeably absent when using my Quest 3.So while I won't be taking my Meta headset on my next long-haul flight, I can see a future where it becomes my go-to travel gadget. For now, though, it'll be staying at home, and I'll take my AR glasses instead.

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Samsung is rolling out One UI 7 to all supported Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series phones in the USThe long-awaited update effectively ends a protracted months-long rollout for the Android 15-based updateIn the months since One UI 7 launched in pre-release form, Android 16 has been confirmed and One UI 8 rumored

Samsung is finally rolling out One UI 7 to older Galaxy phones in the US, following months of delays and ambiguity over the launch of the Korean tech titan’s latest mobile operating system.As reported by Android Authority, Samsung is now rolling out its most recent OS version update to the full range of supported handsets, after the Galaxy S24 series got the update in April 2025.The full list of devices included in this latest stage of One UI 7’s long-troubled rollout includes:

Galaxy S23 FEGalaxy S22 seriesGalaxy S21 seriesGalaxy Z Fold 4Galaxy Z Fold 3Galaxy Z Flip 4Galaxy Z Flip 3

As per SamMobile's list of One UI 7-supported devices, this means that once the rollout has completed, One UI 7 will finally be available on all supported Galaxy S and Galaxy Z phones in the US. Presumably, other regions will follow suit soon.Notably, the Android Authority report doesn’t mention whether this latest release will bring One UI 7 to any Galaxy A series phones – while the recently released Galaxy A26, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A56 all run One UI 7 out of the box, we’ve not heard so much about previous generations.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (pictured) is among the devices getting One UI 7 (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Samsung has seemingly struggled to get One UI 7 off the ground. The Android 15-based operating system launched with the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in January, though this was officially a pre-release build of the software.Here at TechRadar, we’ve reported extensively on the various updates and rumors surrounding One UI 7 and its prolonged release through our dedicated Samsung Galaxy phones coverage – but now, it seems like an end is in sight.However, with Google getting closer to the launch of Android 16, it’s worth asking whether this delay will affect Samsung’s update schedule going forwards.We recently reported on supposedly leaked images that show an early version of One UI 8 running on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, but there’s no telling when this update might arrive.Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, though – this is a great moment for Samsung Galaxy owners, and while I haven't exactly been impressed with the rollout of One UI 7, it is good to see Samsung pull through.Now that Samsung’s latest software update isn’t limited to only the best Samsung phones, many more users will gain access to its overhauled UI, new Now Bar feature, and reworked notifications system, among other new features. If you’re looking forward to upgrading, let us know in the comments below.

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TikTok has been fined €530 million for illegally sending Europeans' data to ChinaTikTok now has six months to bring its data processing into compliance or suspend any transfers to ChinaTikTok has rejected the EU data regulator's decision and plans to appeal in full

The Irish EU Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined TikTok a total of €530 million (the equivalent of a bit more than $600 million) for illegally sending Europeans' data to China, where its parent company, ByteDance, is based.Specifically, TikTok was found in breach of two articles of the EU data protection law, GDPR, for not fulfilling its obligations concerning data transfers to China and transparency. The video streaming app now has six months to bring its data processing into compliance or suspend any transfers to China.TikTok has firmly rejected the data regulator's decision and plans to appeal in full.

TikTok vs the EU

As the DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle highlights in an official statement, the GDPR requires that the high level of protection provided within the European Union continues where personal data is transferred to other countries. That's something TikTok seems to have failed to do."TikTok’s personal data transfers to China infringed the GDPR because TikTok failed to verify, guarantee, and demonstrate that the personal data of EEA users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU," said Doyle.Specifically, the EU data watchdog found TikTok to have breached two GDPR articles: Article 46(1), which regulates its transfers of EEA User Data to China, and its transparency obligations ruled by Article 13(1)(f). The DPC then issued two administrative fines of €485 million and €45 million, respectively.Such a failure to fulfill GDPR requirements, Doyle noted, didn't enable the video streaming platform to address potential access by Chinese authorities to EEA personal data under Chinese anti-terrorism, counter-espionage, and other laws.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Andy.LIU)

The problem for TikTok may not end here, though.TikTok was also found guilty of giving the DPC erroneous information about where Europeans' data where stored. The company first ensured these were not stored on servers based in China. Yet, this allegation was then contradicted in April 2025 when TikTok admitted to having discovered in February 2025 some limited EEA user data on Chinese servers. The DPC is set to publish a decision on this matter in due course.Commenting on this point, Doyle said: "Whilst TikTok has informed the DPC that the data has now been deleted, we are considering what further regulatory action may be warranted, in consultation with our peer EU Data Protection Authorities."TikTok said to disagree with the DPC decision and be ready to appeal all charges."The decision fails to fully consider Project Clover, our €12 billion industry-leading data security initiative that includes some of the most stringent data protections anywhere. It instead focuses on a select period from years ago, prior to Clover’s 2023 implementation and does not reflect the safeguards now in place," said Christine Grahn, TikTok's Head of Public Policy & Government Relations for Europe, in an official statement.This isn't, however, the first time TikTok has been fined in Europe for breaching data protection law. In 2023, the DPC issued a €345 million fine against TikTok for violating children's privacy.

TechRadar needs you! We want to know what you think about the world of VPNs. Whether you're a novice or a VPN pro, we want to hear your thoughts. Don't worry, though, your responses are completely anonymous, and it takes less than a minute to complete!To take part, click the link below: https://futurenet.questionpro.eu/tr-vpn

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OpenAI has addressed what went wrong with its sycophantic updateOpenAI is refining core training techniques to avoid sycophancy in the futureIts Head of Model Behavior suggests ChatGPT could have multiple personalities going forward

OpenAI has addressed the rollback of the most recent update to ChatGPT-4o because of user complaints about its annoying, sycophantic personality. In an April 29 blog post OpenAI states:“We have rolled back last week’s GPT‑4o update in ChatGPT so people are now using an earlier version with more balanced behavior. The update we removed was overly flattering or agreeable – often described as sycophantic.We are actively testing new fixes to address the issue. We’re revising how we collect and incorporate feedback to heavily weight long-term user satisfaction and we’re introducing more personalization features, giving users greater control over how ChatGPT behaves.”The blog post goes into further reasons for why the problem happened, but the crux of the matter is that OpenAI focused too much on short-term feedback, and did not fully account for how users’ interactions with ChatGPT evolve over time.OpenAI promises to refine its core training techniques and systems prompts to explicitly steer the model away from sycophancy in the future, as well as allow for more user testing before deploying models.

Ask me anything

From reading the blog post, you get the sense that OpenAI feels like it has dropped the ball on this one and is doing all it can to make amends.As well as issuing the statement, Joanne Jang, its Head of Model Behavior, has just done an ‘ask me anything’ (AMA) on Reddit, to answer any further questions people may have, specifically about ChatGPT’s personality, sycophancy, and future model behavior. Her replies revealed interesting insights into what the future might hold for ChatGPT’s personality:Reddit user Responsible_Cow2236 asked, “Where do you see the future of model behavior heading? Are we moving toward more customizable personalities, like giving users tools to shape how ChatGPT sounds and interacts with them over time?"Jang responded by offering the possibility that ChatGPT could come with multiple preset personalities:“We’ve been working on two things: (1) getting to a default personality that might be palatable for all users to begin with (not feasible but we need to get somewhere) and (2) instead of relying on users to describe / come up with personalities on their own, offering presets that are easier to comprehend (e.g. personality descriptions vs. 30 sliders on traits)", said Jang.The idea of preset personalities in ChatGPT is an intriguing one and something I could see combining well with the different voices that ChatGPT advanced voice mode already offers.As for when we can expect the next update to ChatGPT-4o, OpenAI is not saying anything at the moment beyond “We fell short and are working on getting it right.”

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Many military contracts include provisions that don't allow US Army to repair its own equipment This may change thanks to a new transformation strategyBoth Republicans and Democrats have argued for the right to repair

Shockingly, under past procurement contracts, the US Army hasn’t always held the right to repair its own equipment - but both Democrats and Republicans agree this now has to change.The US Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll and General Randy George, US Army Chief of staff, have issued an announcement confirming a “comprehensive transformation strategy,” which will, “reexamine all requirements and eliminate unnecessary ones, ruthlessly prioritize fighting formations to directly contribute to lethality, and empower leaders at echelon to make hard calls to ensure resources align with strategic objectives.”The strategy, named the Army Transformation Initiative, has three sides; “deliver critical warfighting capabilities, optimize our force structure, and eliminate waste and obsolete programs.”

A point of contention

This change is part of a broader effort being implemented by current Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who released a memo encouraging the US to “transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems.”Hegseth urges the US Army to “Identify and propose contract modifications for right to repair provisions where intellectual property constraints limit the Army's ability to conduct maintenance and access the appropriate maintenance tools, software, and technical data - while preserving the intellectual capital of American industry,” as well as to “seek to include right to repair provisions in all existing contracts and also ensure these provisions are included in all new contracts.Firms holding government contracts like Lockheed Martin and Boeing often use expensive equipment and installers in order to repair and service broken parts, but this initiative would enable military professionals to print 3D spares in the field and install them more cheaply and quickly.The Register outlines a nomination hearing in which Senator Elizabeth Warren gave an example of the Army needing a new safety clip cover, which the contracted supplier quoted $20 per clip and months in manufacturing time."Now, thankfully, the Army had managed to keep right-to-repair restrictions out of this contract and was able to 3D-print the part in less than an hour for a total cost of 16 cents," Warren confirmed.

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The knock-on effects continue for Apple after a blistering ruling from a federal judge earlier this week that ordered the company to stop collecting fees for purchases made outside the App Store. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple was using loopholes to circumvent her own ruling against the company from 2021. Companies are wasting no time streamlining payments outside of Apple’s walled garden, and Spotify is the latest to make these changes.

With the latest update available in the App Store, version 9.0.40, Spotify has added external links for subscription purchases, allowing it to advertise lower prices and different tiers without giving nearly a third of its revenue generated back to Apple from those subscription sales. These changes also lay the groundwork for content-specific microtransactions, like audiobooks, taking place outside the app. Spotify expressed its hope that these changes will create “seamless buying opportunities that will directly benefit creators.”

In a blog post shared on the Spotify website, the company was incensed that it took this long for Apple to comply with the same judge’s previous order in the landmark Epic Games case dealing with the exact same issue. It reads in part: “The fact that we haven’t been able to deliver these basic services, which were permitted by the judge’s order four years ago, is absurd. The ruling made it clear that Apple deliberately abused its market power to intentionally harm others and benefit only itself.”

Epic Games, which kicked all this off with its original court case, celebrated the legal victory by announcing a limited zero-commission policy for games sold through the Epic Games Store. The company also announced EGS Webshops to support out-of-app purchases launching next month.

While Apple has said it will comply with the judge’s ruling, the company also made clear it intends to appeal. It’s been a busy week for Apple’s legal team, as this comes on the heels of a separate ruling Apple faced from a patent dispute in UK courts, where the iPhone maker has been ordered to pay over $500 million in damages to Optis.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/spotify-breaks-free-from-apples-app-store-fees-170617269.html?src=rss

The window for Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders is technically open, but you may have a tough time grabbing the console before its June 5 release date if you haven't secured an order already. To recap the current situation: After an extended delay from the device's original April 9 pre-order date, Nintendo finally kicked off pre-orders in the US and Canada on April 24. A couple of headache-inducing hours later, stock at third-party retailers such as Walmart, Target and Best Buy sold out. GameStop began taking orders later that morning but quickly met the same fate.

Some eagle-eyed buyers were reportedly able to pre-order through Walmart as late as Saturday, April 26, but that retailer has since taken down one of its Switch 2 pages entirely, with the other listing out of stock. As of our latest update, none of the other stores mentioned above are accepting pre-orders either.

We're keeping an eye out for whenever that changes, but right now the only other retailer that we know will have pre-orders is Nintendo itself, via its My Nintendo Store. That said, the device maker will only offer the Switch 2 through an invite system. It began accepting registrations for that on April 2, with the first wave of invites set to roll out on May 8. However, the company updated its site last week to say that some people may not receive their pre-order email until after the June 5 launch date.

How to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2

As noted above, third-party retailers like Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and Target opened their pre-orders on April 24. Best Buy's, Walmart's and Target's pre-orders began at midnight ET, while GameStop's in-person and online pre-orders started at 11am ET. As of our latest sweep, though, the console remains either sold out or listed as "coming soon" at all of those stores.

We expect the Switch 2 to be available from Amazon some time in the future, but it's not yet, and there's been no indication as to when that might change. Other membership-based stores like Costco and Sam's Club have posted Switch 2 listings as well, but we haven't seen anything to suggest they will accept pre-orders. Newegg also has a Switch 2 page but isn't offering an option to buy just yet.

At this point, we recommend signing up via Nintendo's website if you haven't yet. It's free to register and you'll eventually get an email that lets you order the console, even if you have to wait until after the June 5 launch day. Just note that Nintendo is prioritizing invites "on a first-come, first-served basis" to those who've paid for its Switch Online service for at least 12 months and logged at least 50 hours of total Switch play time. (For the latter, you'll need to have opted into sharing gameplay data with Nintendo, which you can confirm in your account's privacy settings.) So if you're just registering with Nintendo today, don't be surprised if your invite doesn't arrive until some time after the initial May 8 batch.

In any event, if you're desperate to catch a restock, it's a good idea to create free accounts with each of the retailers above and ensure all of your shipping and billing info is up to date. Downloading each store's mobile app and signing up for notifications may help too, though that could get annoying fairly quickly. We'll continue to update this post as time goes on with the latest Switch 2 pre-order info.

Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Walmart

Amazon*

Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

*As of 1:15pm ET on Friday, May 2, Amazon has not listed either Switch 2 console package for sale. We will update this article with direct links if they arrive; until then, we're linking to the site's Nintendo-focused hub.

How to pre-order Switch 2 accessories and games

Naturally, the Switch 2 has several accessories and new games that you can pre-order separately. While Nintendo didn't adjust the console's pricing upon announcing its revised pre-order date, it did raise the cost of several accessories. The new Switch 2 camera, for one, now costs $55 instead of its original $50, while the new Switch 2 Pro Controller costs $85 instead of $80. An extra set of Joy-Con 2 controllers is up to $95 from $90, and the official Joy-Con Charging Grip now costs $40 instead of $35. You can check out Nintendo's official statement from April 18 for all of these price adjustments.

Broadly speaking, most of those accessories are still up for grabs at one or two retailers at a minimum, but stock has become spottier since their initial pre-order date. Upcoming first-party games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, meanwhile, remain widely available.

Mario Kart World for $80

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Donkey Kong Bananza for $70

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Additional Switch 2 games

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon

Samsung microSD Express Card (256GB) for Nintendo Switch 2 for $60

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon

Joy-Con 2 bundle for $95

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Switch 2 Pro Controller for $85

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Switch 2 Camera for $55

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera for $60

Best Buy

Target

Amazon

Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip for $40

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) for $25

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case for $85

Nintendo

Walmart

GameStop

Best Buy

Target

Amazon*

*As of 1:15pm ET on Friday, May 2, Amazon has not listed any first-party Switch 2 accessories or games for sale. (Some third-party devices and games are listed, however.) We'll update this article with direct links if they arrive; until then, we're linking to the site's Nintendo-focused hub.

More Switch 2 details

We knew from its initial teaser trailer that the Switch 2 would be bigger than the original and take a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new controllers now attach magnetically and include a C button, mouse controls, plus a built-in gyroscope for tilt control. The device itself is indeed larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate (with VRR), HDR10 and a 1080p resolution. The hardware also has a built-in mic to support a new feature called GameChat that'll let you communicate with friends in-game. Nintendo says that service will be free to all Switch 2 users until March 31, 2026, at which point it'll require a Switch Online membership.

When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it's improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the internal storage amount has jumped from 32GB to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded as before, but it'll only work with newer (and more expensive) microSD Express cards. As seen in the recent 20.0.0 update for the original Switch, the upcoming console will also utilize Nintendo's new Virtual Game Card system for lending digital games across systems, as well as a GameShare feature that lets you share select titles locally with just one copy of a game.

Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2

During its most recent Direct presentation at the start of April, Nintendo showed off more of the Switch 2 than it ever had before. That included the reveal of the April 9 pre-order opening date, in addition to the original $450 starting price. Shortly after, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on China and other countries, prompting Nintendo to delay pre-orders in the US and Canada.

In a reversal, President Trump later announced a 90-day pause on steep tariffs affecting 75 countries, but also announced that the tariff imposed on China will go up even further (right now, it sits at 145 percent).

We now know that the original $450 price for the Switch 2 will remain the same in the US and Canada, but based on its official statement, it appears Nintendo is leaving the door open for potential future price increases.

We also know that Nintendo started moving some of its Switch console manufacturing to Vietnam in 2019. The increased tariff for Vietnam was set to be 46 percent, but that's temporarily on hold in favor of a 10 percent tariff that’s in effect for the 90-day pause period.

It has been speculated that Nintendo will boost production of Switch 2 consoles in Vietnam so it can stay on schedule, even if it sells the console at a loss in the short term. It appears the company will have to seriously ramp up production to keep up with Switch 2 demand: According to Nintendo, 2.2 million people entered the pre-order lottery in Japan alone, which is far more devices than it is expected to deliver in that region on launch day.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-pre-orders-the-latest-updates-on-restocks-from-retailers-like-gamestop-walmart-target-and-best-buy-140931428.html?src=rss

Chuwi’s new CoreBook X features Intel i9-13900HK and 32GB RAM No discrete GPU does limit performance for heavier workloadsLightweight 2K laptop offers solid specs but lacks graphical punch

Chinese laptop maker Chuwi has announced a new version of its CoreBook X notebook, powered by a 13th gen Intel Core i9-13900HK “Raptor Lake” processor.This chip was released back in Q1 2023 and has 14-cores and 20-threads and can reach clock speeds of up to 5.4GHz. It comes with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, so will offer reasonable performance for tasks such as content creation, productivity, and light gaming.However, it’s a shame there’s no discrete GPU option for those needing more graphical oomph though.

Reasonably lightweight

The new CoreBook X i9-13900HK has 32GB of DDR4 RAM, upgradable to 96GB, and a 1TB PCIe SSD. You can add a second M.2 2280 SSD if you need more storage.The laptop measures around 12 x 9 x 0.7 inches and has a 14-inch 2K (2160 x 1440) IPS display with a 3:2 aspect ratio that covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut and offers an 85% screen-to-body ratio. It weighs in at 3.09lb (1.4kg) and has a backlit keyboard and a 5.8-inch touchpad.CoreBook X i9-13900HK comes with a 46.2Wh battery, which Chuwi says will provide up to 8 hours between charges. Fast-charging support allows it to reach 60% in under an hour. The laptop’s cooling system features dual copper pipes and a dedicated fan to keep the temperature down when under load.It comes with a full-featured USB-C port, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, HDMI, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card slot. Wireless connectivity is Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.There’s no word on pricing or availability yet, but the CoreBook X i9-13900HK is expected to launch in the coming months.

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Spotify's new iOS update lets it advertise other payment optionsThe change comes in response to a new US App Store rulingThe app still doesn't offer AirPlay 2 or native HomePod integration

That was quick. Just one day after a US federal judge told Apple to loosen its grip on the App Store, Spotify has issued an app update – already live in the App Store – that'll enable customers to subscribe without going through Apple.The update was approved by Apple and lets Spotify include details about subscription plans and promotional offers that are available outside the App Store on Spotify's website.Spotify has been a vocal critic of App Store rules and was in bullish mood following the ruling from a US federal judge. Previously, Apple heavily restricted how much app developers could advertise and link to payment options outside the App Store, where Apple takes a 30% cut from in-app payments.But the speediness of Spotify's move has got some subscribers asking a question: if Spotify can address this overnight, why hasn't it fixed some of the most annoying missing features for Apple devices?One potential answer, of course, is that adding non-Apple subscription links makes money and making Spotify play nicer with Apple doesn't.

What Spotify users are still waiting for

Spotify could offer native HomePod integration and AirPlay 2, but so far it's chosen not to (Image credit: Apple)

For Apple listeners, two of the biggest omissions are AirPlay 2 support and native HomePod integration, both of which have been possible for years. Spotify has chosen not to implement them and as a result streaming Spotify on HomePods or to AirPlay devices is a bit of a pain.The reason multiple streamers – Pandora was here too – didn't embrace HomePods was because when you asked them to play music they would always go to Apple Music. But that was addressed five years ago when Apple enabled you to specify other music apps as your default music player, and Pandora promptly changed its app accordingly.But by then Spotify was feuding with Apple over App Store fees and in no mood to play nice with its perceived oppressor. It filed its first anti-trust complaint in Europe in 2019.As subscriber btz1 put it on the Spotify Community site, only having first-gen AirPlay means that "this outdated technology presents several limitations that directly impact our enjoyment".Those limits include interruptions in the audio, limited bandwidth compared to AirPlay 2 and lack of multi-room support. In a later comment in the same thread, btz1 says "I feel punished for wanting to use Spotify in the Apple ecosystem."Clearly, Spotify has the resources to make big changes to its app and to make them quickly. So perhaps now it can escape Apple's "app tax" it can put some of them towards improving Apple subscribers' experience with the features they've been asking for for years.

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