One of the first things you may want to do when setting up a new Mac is add a password. By requiring a password each time you log in, bad actors will have a harder time trying to extract your data, assuming they have physical access to it. This also means you should lock your Mac whenever you leave it unattended to block those in the same space from viewing your files. Fortunately, setting a password on macOS Sonoma and earlier versions is quite easy, and there are several ways to lock your Mac. Below, you will find the detailed steps you have to follow.

Image: PaulSakuma.com AMD wants people to remember that Nvidia’s not the only company selling AI chips. It’s announced the availability of new accelerators and processors geared toward running large language models, or LLMs. The chipmaker unveiled the Instinct MI300X accelerator and the Instinct M1300A accelerated processing unit (APU), which the company said works to train and run LLMs. The company said the MI300X has 1.5 times more memory capacity than the previous M1250X version. Both new products have better memory capacity and are more energy-efficient than their predecessors, said AMD. “LLMs continue to increase in size and complexity, requiring massive amounts of memory and compute,” AMD CEO Lisa Su said. “And we know the availability of GPUs is the... Continue reading…

Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge Electric vehicles with batteries that contain minerals and materials sourced from China won’t be eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit starting on January 1, 2024, according to guidelines recently released by the Internal Revenue Service. That means a lot of EVs are about to lose their eligibility — chief among them, the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Ford sent out a notice to dealers recently stating that it is “unlikely that any Mustang Mach-Es will qualify for the Federal Tax Credit beginning on 1/1/24,” according to a report in Cars Direct. Ford spokesperson Martin Gunsberg confirmed the notice. “The rules proposed by Treasury and Energy about Foreign Entities of Concern within the Inflation Reduction Act are detailed and extensive,”... Continue reading…

Big Mac meets machine learning. | Illustration: The Verge McDonald’s is partnering with Google to deploy generative AI beginning in 2024, when “thousands” of stores will get hardware and software upgrades. Along with updates to other systems including ordering kiosks and the company’s mobile app, McDonald’s will be able to use generative AI on massive amounts of data to optimize operations. At least one outcome will be — according to the company — “hotter, fresher food” for customers. Large orders of fries delivered hot, thanks to large language models? It’s not completely clear what that means, but we can read between the lines: expect more AI-driven automation at a drive-through near you in the coming years.McDonald’s isn’t specific about how AI will be used but says it will include hardware... Continue reading…

Amazon says Microsoft’s licensing rules make it “financially unviable” for customers to switch from Azure. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has joined Google in criticizing Microsoft over licensing agreements that restrict competition in the UK’s cloud computing market, claiming Microsoft’s business practices make it harder for customers to switch to alternative cloud providers or run competing services alongside Azure. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating the UK’s cloud computing industry which Amazon and Microsoft dominate.Amazon laid out its concerns in a letter dated November 23rd, 2023 but published by the CMA yesterday:“Some IT providers, such as Microsoft, use licensing practices that restrict customer choice and make switching more difficult. For example, Microsoft changed its licensing terms in 2019 and again in 2022 to... Continue reading…

Image: HBO The second season of HBO’s The Last of Us will debut in 2025. A new teaser dropped by Max confirmed the date and also offered a glimpse into its 2024 lineup.The news comes after showrunner Craig Mazin revealed production will start on February 12th, 2024, which is later than originally planned because of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Despite the delay, work on the second season is still underway with an outline already prepared and the first episode’s script submitted before the strike.The forthcoming season will take place a few years after the first. It will likely be an adaptation of The Last of Us Part II video game, which is getting a remastered version for PlayStation 5 on January 19th, 2024. Bella Ramsey... Continue reading…

The Verge / Photo by Steve Jennings, Getty Images Dream Scenario’s Nic Cage wants you to know that there’s a difference between maximalism and pushing the boundaries of filmmaking as an art. Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google has a solution for the sync issue that caused files to disappear for some users on Drive for desktop. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as a one-click update, but Google has posted a list of steps you can take to recover your files.After downloading and opening the latest version of Google Drive for Windows or macOS, Google says to run the app’s recovery tool. To do this, click the Drive icon in the menu bar or system tray. From there, press and hold Shift, click Settings, and select “Recover from backups.” If all goes well, you’ll receive a notice that says “Recovery has started.” Google will put all the recovered files into a new folder named “Google Drive recovery” once the process is complete. In case you run into any... Continue reading…

GameStop’s current promo takes $25 off Nintendo’s latest holiday bundle as long as you’re willing to visit a brick-and-mortar store. | Image: Nintendo Unsurprisingly, Black Friday and Cyber Monday brought a flurry of discounts on the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and all three iterations of the Nintendo Switch. Some of those deals have since dried up — pour one out for the $349 Xbox Series X deal we saw last week — but a few newcomers have popped up in their stead. Take GameStop’s current promo on the Smash Bros.-inspired Nintendo Switch OLED bundle, which drops the excellent console bundle to $324.99 ($25 off) when you purchase in-store or order online and pick it up in-store.While not as slick as the previous Super Smash Bros.-themed Switch, Nintendo’s latest holiday bundle makes up for it in sheer value (especially at this price). It includes a Nintendo Switch OLED and a pair of... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Alan Rosa, former head of security for Twitter, filed a lawsuit against X, Elon Musk, and company adviser Steve Davis, alleging that he was wrongly fired for protesting Musk-led cost-cutting measures. Lawyers for Rosa wrote in the complaint that the cuts hampered Twitter’s ability to comply with the regulatory demands of the Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission. The lawsuit alleged that Musk hired Steve Davis as an adviser and gave him broad authority, with which he immediately “began cutting Twitter’s products and services that supported and complied with the Twitter FTC Consent Decree.” Twitter had settled with the FTC over its inappropriate use of users’ personal information only a few months before, prompting the... Continue reading…

Image: A24 Indie powerhouse A24 has a new home for its theatrical releases — both new and old. The production company has inked a multiyear exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring its entire slate of new releases to HBO, Max, and Cinemax after they leave theaters. On top of that, the two companies extended a licensing deal for its films that are already on HBO and Max — and will grow to include over 100 films in total, including The Whale, Uncut Gems, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and others. The agreement is a Pay 1 output deal — which will mean that after new A24 films complete their run in theaters, they’ll only be available on these WBD-owned platforms for a set period of time. A24 had a similar Pay 1 deal with Showtime it... Continue reading…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta detailed a bunch of updates to its Meta AI tools today in a blog post, including some new features for its AI image generators.One that caught my eye was a tool that will let you remix AI-generated images your friends share in a Messenger or Instagram chat. The images are made with a tool Meta calls “imagine,” and the company says you’ll now be able to “reimagine” images other people make in the group chat by pressing and holding on the picture and adding a text prompt. Image: Meta Meta’s new “reimagine” tool for AI-generated images. Meta is also bringing the imagine tool out of chats and letting users in the US access it on the web at imagine.meta.com. The company says that the tool is designed for... Continue reading…