Kubernetes has been an industry buzzword for a decade, leading a container orchestration revolution in how we run and deploy applications on bare metal and in the cloud. But is Kubernetes overkill for your home lab? Yes, but that's never stopped us from delving into other excesses like ex-enterprise networking gear.

Image: The Verge Apple has big plans for its rumored custom modems. Along with using them in iPhones and iPads, Apple also plans on putting the chip inside Macs and maybe even future versions of the Vision Pro, according to a report from Bloomberg.Macs with cellular connectivity reportedly won’t arrive before 2026, which is when Bloomberg expects Apple to launch its more advanced, second-generation custom modem. Apple may also add the 5G chip to a pair of augmented reality glasses that Bloomberg says is “years away.” In addition to the iPhone, the company already sells iPads and Apple Watches with cellular connectivity.Rumors suggest that Apple will debut its custom modem in the iPhone SE next year, followed by entry-level iPads and an iPhone that’s 2mm thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro, Bloomberg reports. Apple is also expected to bring its second-generation modem to high-end iPhones and iPads over three years as it phases out the use of Qualcomm’s modems.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Microsoft’s first Copilot AI-ready Surface laptop arrived earlier this year, and now Windows Central reports that the rest of the lineup is due for a refresh in 2025. According to the report, we can expect new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop computers — and we’ve already seen a possible prototype pop up in October — with Intel Lunar Lake chips, that will be Copilot Plus PCs with AI features, just like the current Snapdragon versions. That would make them the first Intel-powered Surfaces with the label after Microsoft didn’t extend the label and those features to the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6. Those machines had Intel Metor Lake chips with NPUs that didn’t meet the necessary mark. The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are also expected to get anti-reflective screen coating, and the Laptop version might get a card reader and 5G options.It also says the Surface Laptop Studio is due for an upgrade from the current model’s 13th-gen Intel chips that could use Intel or AMD. Whatever the case, I hope it will have better battery life than we saw in our review of the current model. Meanwhile, Microsoft confirmed to Windows Central that the Surface Studio 2 Plus all-in-one is g... Read the full story at The Verge.

Your PC will make noises when operating. This can be in the form of coil while, disk arm movement, or fans. Depending on which component is creating the most noise, there are ways to help mitigate this annoyance. It's important to work out why your PC is making noise to begin with. This is usually due to insufficient cooling, which can be caused by dust buildup or inadequate fans. Other times, your GPU driver could be at fault with unoptimized fan curves. Here are some things to try out when attempting to hush your computer.

Arm CEO Rene Haas. | Getty Images / The Verge Arm CEO Rene Haas has a unique, bird’s eye view of the tech industry. His company’s chip designs are in the majority of devices you use on a daily basis, from your smartphone to your car. The SoftBank-backed company he leads is worth almost $150 billion, which is now considerably more than Intel.With the news earlier this week that Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger “retired” and Intel is evaluating its options for a possible spinoff or outright sale, I wanted to hear what Haas thought should happen to his longtime frenemy. There were reports that he approached Intel about buying a big chunk of the company before Gelsinger was ousted. At the same time, Arm is also rumored to be eyeing an expansion into building its own chips and not just licensing its designs. Haas and I touched on all that and more in an exclusive interview earlier today, which will air in full on a future episode of Decoder. (You can listen to my episode about AI spending in the enterprise that just came out as well.) In the meantime, I wanted to give subscribers the first peek at the highlights from my conversation with Haas.The following interview has been edited and condensed:On what he makes of the Intel... Read the full story at The Verge.

Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you’re unsure what to gift the father figure in your life this year, we have more than a few suggestions. Read the full story at The Verge.

The number of generative AI tools has grown significantly, almost to the point of market saturation, with new AI platforms and features appearing everywhere. Every company seems eager to integrate AI in some way, but few tools stand out in both accessibility and capability. Adobe Photoshop’s Firefly AI is a familiar choice for creatives, offering AI features within a widely popular platform. Stable Diffusion, while less well-known compared to names like Midjourney, can be run locally, is highly customizable, and is free, giving creatives unmatched control over their projects.

Illustration: The Verge Google is now rolling out the ability to make a digital ID from your passport that you can store in Google Wallet and use at select TSA checkpoints.Here’s how to make the ID, per Google’s September blog post where it initially announced the feature:Select the prompt in the Google Wallet app to “create an ID pass with your U.S. passport” and follow the instructions to scan the security chip in the back of your passport. You’ll be asked to take a selfie video to verify your identity, and Google Wallet will notify you when your ID pass is ready (typically within a few minutes).However, in that blog post, Google also cautions that a digital ID in Google Wallet is “not a replacement for your physical ID” and that you should still carry a physical ID when traveling “for now.”The digital ID feature will be available to “all eligible users in the coming weeks,” according to Jenny Cheng, VP and GM of Google Wallet. You can see a map of which airports accept digital IDs on the TSA’s website.Cheng also shared that New Mexico driver’s licenses and state IDs can be saved in Google Wallet. New Mexico is the sixth state to support the feature, 9to5Google reports.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If I told you that Valve could make a play to dethrone the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox in your living room this next year while simultaneously challenging the Meta Quest as the gamer’s VR headset of choice, would you believe me? Because Valve may have a lot of SteamOS hardware on the way.If there’s fire where we currently see smoke, Valve is currently preparing a wireless VR headset codename Deckard, a pair of trackable wands codename Roy, a Steam Controller 2 gamepad codename Ibex, and a codename Fremont living room console too. (That last one now looks likelier than it did yesterday.) And Valve has also now seemingly revealed plans for partners to create third-party SteamOS hardware too.It won’t be easy to take on Sony, Microsoft, or Meta. Those companies have a lot to lose, and they’re deeply entrenched. But the Steam Deck has revealed a massive weakness in each of their businesses that may take them years to correct — the desire to play a huge library of games anytime, anywhere. And while they figure that out, Valve may be building an entire new ecosystem of SteamOS hardware, one that could finally let PC and peripheral makers tap into the huge and growing... Read the full story at The Verge.

When it comes to building a PC, seasoned veterans know that the tools in your toolkit are just about as important as the components you are using to build your PC. There's no real definitive answer as to which tools you need, and in most cases you can get by with a decent screwdriver. However, the more tools you have, the easier things will be and the better your PC will look when it is done.

2024 has been either a good year or a bad year for Surface fans, depending on which range they liked the most. For example, we saw the Surface Laptop 7 and the Surface Pro 11 release, but we also had to say goodbye to the Surface Studio 2+ and any future entries to the range. Now, it seems that 2025 has more exciting news for Surface fans, including a new 11-inch device.

T-Mobile would just love to sign you up on one of its new plans. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile is once again shuffling its 5G internet options, adding a streaming bundle to its priciest plan and introducing a new mid-tier option. The new plans start at $50 per month (including an autopay discount) and become available starting December 11th. Importantly, it seems that prices are staying consistent with T-Mobile’s previous 5G Home Internet options — if you’re new to T-Mobile. Discounts for existing customers with a T-Mobile voice line aren’t quite as generous with the new plans. The new T-Mobile Rely Internet plan costs $50 per month for new customers, which is what T-Mobile charges now for its Home Internet Unlimited plan. Current T-Mobile customers will pay $35 per month, which is $5 more than the $30 a month promo the company is offering now. Unlike the pricier plans, Rely includes a previous-gen 5G router. The next step up is a new T-Mobile Amplified Internet plan that costs new customers $60 a month with autopay or $45 with a T-Mobile voice line. It comes with T-Mobile’s newest 5G gateway; the small business version of the plan includes a mesh access point, too. Image: T-Mobile I love a comparison chart. The new top tier plan, All-In, includes the latest router and a streaming bundle with ad-supported Hulu and Paramount Plus Essential. It’s still $70 per month to new T-Mobile customers, but current customers will pay $55 per month — again, not quite as good as the $50 per month promotional price on the outgoing Internet Plus plan. T-Mobile spokesperson Katie Brinton tells The Verge “There are no changes for existing customers” on the outgoing plans. The Home Internet Backup plan is also sticking around for anyone who just wants an option when their primary Wi-Fi goes down.Wireless carriers in the US are leaning into fixed wireless internet as a way to make the most of the 5G spectrum these companies have acquired at great cost. T-Mobile has been at the front of the pack with 6 million wireless internet customers, according to its October 2024 earnings release. But its net internet customer additions were down year-over-year, something T-Mobile’s earnings factbook attributes partially to “Increased deactivations from a growing customer base.” A fresh batch of internet offers with extra streaming services included look like they’re a key part of T-Mobile’s strategy to keep pushing forward in the category.