Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge During Apple’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday afternoon, CEO Tim Cook mentioned that the company is working on generative AI software features that will make their way to customers “later this year.” That aligns with reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said recently that iOS 18 could be the “biggest” update in the operating system’s history. Cook’s teases — he mentioned generative AI several times, but never got specific — seem to confirm that we’re in for a big release this fall.“As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future. That includes artificial intelligence, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort, and we’re excited to share the... Continue reading…

The Gocycle CX+ cargo e-bike has a unique Flofit handlebar. | Image: Gocycle Gocycle, the British e-bike company founded by a former McLaren car designer, has just taken the wraps off an innovative new electric cargo bike for families. The CX series of longtails are lightweight and foldable, as you’d expect from Gocycle, with an intriguing new handlebar on the CX Plus model that can be quickly adapted for rider comfort. Gocycle calls it Flofit, and it’s “probably the most adjustable-for-comfort handlebar ever developed!” says company founder and designer Richard Thorpe in a press release. “Adjustable in reach, grip angle, offering multiple hand positions, and of course foldable — it’s a game-changer for discerning urban e-bikers.” Image: Gocycle Fold the chassis, handlebar, then remove... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge Every time another Google app or feature bites the dust — even a small, relatively inconsequential one — I get annoyed. Really annoyed.Here’s the thing: there are Google Assistant-equipped devices in three rooms of my relatively small house: living room, bedroom, and office. Which means, unfortunately, that when I say “Hey, Google” out loud to my phone, I am just as likely to get a reaction from one — or more — of those three devices. (Yes, I know that’s not supposed to happen and no, we haven’t been able to fix it yet.) And they sometimes offer different answers simultaneously, which makes things even more confusing. This is what I got when I hit the mic icon in Search. To avoid this unfortunate state of affairs,... Continue reading…

Image: 343 Industries Black History Month is that special time when video game companies try to show consumers how inclusive they are with special Black / African themed in-game cosmetics and messages of appreciation for the three or four Black employees they keep on staff at any one time.In Halo’s case, it’s offering players a special set of armor shaders in colors and patterns typically associated with African art and culture. As a concept, these shaders are totally fine. Individual cosmetics players can use to zhuzh up their armor; cool, I dig it. But the way 343 slapped all these individual pieces together, like a ridiculous Voltron of Blackness, is darkly hilarious in a way I don’t think the company intended.“Divided, we are sand. United, we are a... Continue reading…

I've been a proponent of having a NAS since I built one as a DIY project from an old PC I had lying around. It's been a phenomenal addition to my apartment that I get a lot of use out of, so much so that I think there are a few reasons why anyone should have one of the best NAS devices out there.

With the AI hardware competition heating up and AI PCs entering the market, we're beginning to see which technologies the big companies want to support. This is potentially huge, as these early days of technology adoption may define which products we end up using the most in the future, kind of like an AI version of the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD battle. Now, Microsoft has stated that its DirectML NPU API will only support Intel processors, which may shape how things will develop.

Google’s data center in Eemshaven, Netherlands. | Image: Google Google announced its biggest deal yet to purchase offshore wind energy for its data centers in Europe, signing power purchase agreements to support two new wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands. It’s part of Google’s plan to match all of its data center electricity consumption with clean energy generation on a 24/7 basis by 2030. To do that, the company will need to help get more renewable energy, including offshore wind, pulsing through power grids where it operates. It shared “the next step” of that plan for Europe today, where it says it’s adding more than 700 megawatts of clean energy capacity to the grid.Much of that new capacity will come from the pair of new offshore wind farms in the Netherlands, where Google operates two... Continue reading…

Wi-Fi comes in many flavors, with various versions of the protocol appearing over the years, as well as new bands. Today, Wi-Fi networks can operate in three bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and most recently, 6GHz. A higher frequency, like 5GHz, means you can get much faster speeds, though this comes at the expense of effective range. That's even more true for the 6GHz band, which is still somewhat uncommon, making 5GHz the sweet spot for most people.

Let’s check out the specimens! | photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images The most important thing to know about social media is this: Most people don’t post.You know this. I know this. God knows this. I am going to limit my analysis to text-based sites because video sites such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are not my ministry. This analysis may transfer in whole or in part to those platforms, for all I know. The silent majority of every successful text-based social media site is lurkers. These are sane, normal people with sane, normal lives. They are well-balanced and have hobbies. One of those hobbies is visiting social media sites, where they are usually looking for either information or entertainment. They’re the audience.The development of trolls appears to be the internet’s version of... Continue reading…

The standard Nintendo Switch can be played on the go or while docked on a TV. | Photo by James Bareham / The Verge While the Nintendo Switch 2 is widely expected to drop this year, it’s anybody’s guess when. That means if you don’t want to wait to play games like the Mario vs. Donkey Kong demo and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the existing Switch lineup is still your best bet. Luckily, the Nintendo Switch console with neon blue and red Joy-Cons is on sale right now for just $269 when you check out at Amazon, which is a rare $30 discount given it typically goes for $299.99.If you’re looking for a console you can take on the go or play docked on a TV, the Nintendo Switch remains an excellent option. True, the Switch 2 might come with a bigger eight-inch screen, but the 6.2-inch touchscreen found on the original Switch is still spacious... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Tomorrow, Apple will launch its Vision Pro headset, marking the company’s most high-profile product launch since the original Apple Watch. And later this year, it will open up the iPhone’s App Store (at least in the EU) in new ways, offering developers more freedom — even if some of them are already displeased with the approach Apple is taking. There are enormous moments ahead for this company, and in the run-up to all of that, today Apple announced its Q1 2024 earnings. At least for now, the pivotal question surrounding Apple’s business remains the same as always: how’s the iPhone doing?Pretty well, it turns out. This was the first full quarter of iPhone 15 sales, and Apple reported iPhone unit revenue of $69.7 billion. (Just a few... Continue reading…

Major artists like Swift have been removed from TikTok. | Photo by Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Universal Music Group (UMG) has started removing the music catalogs of performers the label represents — including Taylor Swift, Drake, and Olivia Rodrigo — from TikTok after negotiations to renew licensing agreements broke down this week. The previous licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok expired on January 31st. On Tuesday, UMG accused the video platform of attempting to bully it into accepting a “bad deal” that didn’t soothe the record labels' concerns regarding adequate compensation for artists and songwriters, protections against AI-generated music, and online safety on the platform to protect artists from “hate speech, bigotry, bullying and harassment.” TikTok responded saying that it was “disappointing” that UMG had “chosen... Continue reading…