The world of PCs is evolving rapidly. Because of this rapid evolution, we constantly welcome many new PC trends and say goodbye to many old trends that have engaged enthusiasts for years. For better or worse, these old trends slowly faded away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t remember fondly.

Let’s see what Cook is cooking.The stakes are higher than usual at this year’s WWDC. Major Apple Intelligence features the company teased at last year’s conference are stalled out, the company got a stern talking-to from a federal judge a couple of months ago over its App Store policies, and then there’s everything going on with tariffs. It’s not an entirely enviable position, but the show goes on. Apple announced a slew of platform operating system updates with its latest design language, called Liquid Glass, and a new yearly naming scheme. iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, visionOS 26, and more. It’s also opening up access to on-device Apple Intelligence for app developers and plugging ChatGPT into Image Playground.A new Games app connects you to your friends, AirPods have added camera controls, and the planned update for Spotlight “looks like a power user dream,” according to David Pierce. Oh, and did we mention the multitasking improvements on the way for iPadOS?Read on below for all of the updates from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event. Apple brings the iPhone Journal app to iPad and Mac Apple’s Liquid Glass was a wild change to my iPhone DualSense controllers are getting improved pairing. Apple WWDC 2025: the 13 biggest announcements Apple’s big updates for Intel-based Macs will end with Tahoe Apple punts on Siri updates as it struggles to keep up in the AI race Cyberpunk 2077 needs a bit more time for Mac. The biggest changes coming to your iPhone with iOS 26 Which WWDC 2025 announcement was our favorite? Apple’s Liquid Glass redesign doesn’t look like much The first developer betas for iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, iPadOS 26, and more are now available Apple’s Spotlight upgrades look like a power-user dream A better mouse pointer on iPad! Apple’s new Games app lets you challenge your friends Apple’s ChatGPT integration makes it easier to search for more context on images and shop for things they see. iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe are coming this fall Apple’s Image Playground now integrates with ChatGPT. Apple Intelligence takes on language barriers in messages and phone calls. Typing indicators in group chats! Apple announces iOS 26 with Liquid Glass redesign Apple gives developers access to its on-device Apple Intelligence model. Apple’s visionOS 26 adds PSVR2 controller support and spatial widgets to the Vision Pro A protester tried to interrupt Apple exec Craig Federighi at WWDC Apple tvOS 26 adds AirPlay speaker support, karaoke mode, and better user profiles Apple launches iPadOS 26 with a new look and way better multitasking Apple announces watchOS 26 with a wrist flick gesture and AI ‘Workout Buddy’ Apple’s AirPods update adds camera controls and more Apple’s new design language is Liquid Glass Apple renames its operating systems WWDC 2025 live blog: a fresh new look at iOS, macOS, and more I really, really hope Apple announces way better iPad multitasking today. Good morning from Apple Park. We’re at Apple Park! Apple’s new research paper says AI reasoning isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. How to watch Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote Apple is on defense at WWDC The Vergecast’s WWDC 2025 preview Apple is reportedly going to rename all of its operating systems Apple’s WWDC 2025 event starts June 9th

Microsoft is now allowing Windows 11 testers to try out a new, larger Start menu that includes a scrollable interface, new views, and more customizability. An early version of the new Start menu first started showing up in Windows 11 builds in April, followed by Microsoft’s official announcement in May. Today’s Dev Channel release lets you try it out officially for the first time.“We’re making it easier for you to launch your apps with our updated, scrollable Start menu,” explains the Windows Insider team. This scrollable Start menu means that all apps is now at the top level, so you don’t have to navigate to a second page to find your apps.You’ll also be able to disable the recommended section so you can see more of your apps, and choose two new views: category and grid. The default category view groups apps by category, and the grid view is ordered alphabetically more like a traditional list view.Microsoft has also made the Start menu larger based on the screen size of your device or monitor. “On larger devices, users can expect to see 8 columns of pinned apps, 6 recommendations, and 4 columns of categories in the Start menu,” says the Windows Insider team. “On smaller devices, you’ll see 6 columns of pinned apps, 4 recommendations, and 3 columns of categories.”There’s also a new mobile device button on the Start menu that lets you expand or collapse the Phone Link interface that appears alongside the Start menu. Microsoft is also allowing Windows 11 users to choose what lock screen widgets appear, allowing you to add or remove widgets and rearrange them for the lock screen.Finally, this latest Dev Channel build also includes a new Gamepad keyboard update that lets you sign into a PC with a PIN code using a controller. This is part of Microsoft’s work to improve Windows 11 on handheld gaming devices like the recently announced ROG Xbox Ally devices.

Apple packed a bunch of major updates into its annual Worldwide Developer Conference keynote. During the event, the company showed off the sleek design refresh coming to its operating systems, as well as a mix of new features for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and more.Here’s a roundup of some of the most exciting changes Apple announced during the keynote.Apple’s operating systems are now named by yearAs predicted, Apple has given each of its operating systems new version numbers that now align with the year after their release, rather than the version number. The new names are iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. They’ll be coming out in late 2025, but still, it’s easier to remember that than iOS 19, watchOS 12, and macOS 16.The operating systems are available as developer betas starting today and will be available to all users this fall.Liquid Glass design updates across iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and moreApple is revamping the design across its operating systems. Now they will have a new Liquid Glass theme that adds more transparency to buttons, switches, sliders, text, and media controls throughout their interfaces.The date, time, notification previews on iOS 26’s lockscreen will also adopt the new look, allowing you to get a clear view of your wallpaper behind all the text.New looks for the Camera, Safari, and Phone appsAs part of its broader redesign, Apple revealed revamps for some of its core apps in iOS 26. Now, webpages in Safari will take up your entire screen. The Camera app also has a simplified layout that shows you two main options — photo and video — and you can swipe on the tool bar to reveal other modes, such as Slow-Mo and Cinematic.The Phone app is getting an upgrade, as well, as it will now have a layout that combines favorites, recents, and voicemails into one panel, while calls, contacts, and keypad remain on the bottom of the app.iPadOS 26 will come with better windowing featuresApple is bringing a major update to iPadOS 26 that should make multitasking easier. New windowing capabilities will let you resize app windows, place them around your display, and open more windows at once. It’s also adding a more precise mouse pointer and a new menu bar, allowing you to swipe down on an app to view various options and commands. It all looks a lot more Mac-like.iPadOS 26 is also getting a version of the Mac’s Preview app to view and annotate image and files.Messages gets custom backgrounds and new group chat featuresApple is updating Messages to let you change the background of your chats and create polls in group conversations. Some other updates include typing indicators for group chats and the ability to screen messages from unknown senders, which will appear in a separate folder instead of your main list.Apple reveals a new hub for gamesApple revealed a new Games app that will let you access all of your Apple Arcade games and discover new ones from a single spot. You can check out the Library tab to view the games you’ve downloaded from the App Store, as well as use the Play Together option to challenge friends.macOS Tahoe 26 makes Spotlight more usefulThe next macOS software update will introduce an upgrade to Spotlight that will make your search results more relevant with personalization and filtering options to help you search for specific files, folders, apps, and messages. It also adds the ability to take actions like sending an email or creating a note.Apple is also bringing the Phone and the newly announced Games app to macOS 26, along with support for the iPhone’s Live Activities.The Vision Pro adds PSVR2 controller supportThe Apple Vision Pro will support PlayStation’s VR2 Sense controllers in visionOS 26, which will let you play a wider variety of virtual-reality games. It’s also adding a new scrolling feature that lets users navigate apps by looking up or down, in addition to spatial widgets that integrate “seamlessly into a user’s space and reappearing every time they put on Apple Vision Pro.”Apple Intelligence can search what’s on your screenThere’s a new Apple Intelligence feature coming to iOS 26 that lets you use the same buttons you would to take a screenshot to call upon the AI assistant. From there, you can ask additional questions about what you’re seeing on your screen with ChatGPT or search for a particular object on Google or Etsy to find similar images.watchOS 26 adds a new “wrist flick” gestureAlong with the Liquid Glass design language, Apple is bringing a new “wrist flick” gesture to watchOS 26 that you can use to dismiss notifications. The Apple Watch will have a new AI-powered “Workout Buddy,” as well, which will generate personalized advice and encouragements.Live Translation is coming to calls and text messagesApple is building AI-powered live translation into the Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps. You can use the integration to automatically translate texts in the Messages app, while you’ll hear speech translated aloud on the Phone app. In FaceTime, Apple will display translated live captions while you listen to your conversation partner.AirPods will soon offer new camera controlsApple previewed an update that will let users take a photo with their iPhone or iPad by tapping the stem of their AirPods. It’s also working on a new feature that lets users record “studio-quality” vocals in noisy areas with voice isolation. The features will come to the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and AirPods Pro 2.Apple opens its AI models to developersThough Apple’s keynote was a bit light on AI news, the company announced that it will let third-party app developers access the on-device large language model used by Apple Intelligence, allowing them to create tools of their own.

If you're looking for a versatile laptop that's sleek and has lots of power, this one from HP is going to be right up your alley. The HP Omnibook X Flip is a convertible laptop that features an AMD Ryzen AI 7 processor that's paired with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage.

I've been using Google's AI-powered personalized research assistant, NotebookLM, since it was launched as an experimental product, and I've covered it a bunch recently. And honestly? I'm still not over it, and it's easily my favorite AI productivity tool.

After staring at, scrolling through, and puzzling over Apple's new Liquid Glass design language on my iPhone for the better part of an afternoon, I don't hate it. But I also think it needs a little more time in the kiln.Apple announced Liquid Glass on Monday for all of its devices at WWDC 2025. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about it is that app icons, tab bars, and even the text magnifier you'll see when you hover over words feel, well, liquid-y and glassy.The idea seems to be that because they're "floating" a layer over things like your lockscreen wallpaper or text, the "glass" can be translucent to give you a sense of what's under them. It makes sense. The initial implementation in the iOS 26 developer beta has many of Apple's signature flourishes and attention to detail.But boy are the changes jarring when you first see them.Let me show you just how dramatically it changes things. Below, on the left is a picture of my iOS 18 lockscreen I shared with David Pierce for the Installer newsletter just last month, and on the right is my lockscreen today, on my iPhone 16 Pro with the iOS 26 developer beta (out now) installed. iOS 18 on the left, iOS 26 on th …Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple's WWDC 2025 had new software, Formula 1 references, and a piano man crooning the text of different app reviews. But one key feature got the short end of the stick: Siri. Although the company continuously referenced Apple Intelligence and pushed new features like live translation for Messages, FaceTime, and phone calls, Apple's AI assistant was barely mentioned. In fact, the most attention Siri got was when Apple explained that some of its previously promised features were running behind schedule.To address what many saw as the elephant in the room, Apple's keynote briefly mentioned that it had updated Siri to be "more natural and more helpful," but that personalization features were still on the horizon. Those features were first mentioned at last year's WWDC, with a rollout timeline "over the course of the next year.""We're continuing our work to deliver the features that make Siri even more personal," Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software engineering, said during Monday's keynote. "This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year."Apple's relative silence on Siri stands outApple has long …Read the full story at The Verge.

So, I'm a somewhat (some might say very) late convert to Tailscale, and the powerful virtual networking arrangements it facilitates. Some of that is because I've been using various traditional VPN providers, and also because,until recently, I hadn't needed to access my home lab remotely, as I didn't have a home lab to access.

Macs equipped with an Intel chip will no longer receive major software updates after the release of macOS Tahoe this fall. During the WWDC Platforms State of the Union keynote, Matthew Firlik, Apple’s senior director of developer relations, announced that macOS Tahoe “will be the final release for Intel Macs.”After launching its first in-house processor in 2020, Apple completed its transition away from Intel with the launch of the Mac Pro in 2023. Intel-based Macs compatible with macOS Tahoe, such as the 16-inch MacBook Pro released in 2019, will continue to receive security updates for three years, according to Apple spokesperson Lauren Klug.“Apple silicon enables us all to achieve things that were previously unimaginable, and it’s time to put all of our focus and innovation there,” Firlik said. “If you’ve not done so already, now is a great time to help your users migrate to the Apple silicon versions of your apps.”Here’s a full list of devices compatible with macOS Tahoe, as shown on Apple’s website:MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2019)MacBook Pro (13‑inch, 2020, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)iMac (2020 and later)Mac mini (2020 and later)Mac Studio (2022 and later)Mac Pro (2019 and later)Apple is carrying over its new Liquid Glass design language to macOS Tahoe, as well as several new features, such as a more powerful version of Spotlight, support for the iPhone’s Live Activities, and the Phone app.

The “Adaptive Power” option will exist alongside “Low Power Mode.”Apple is working on a new “adaptive power” feature in iOS 26 that aims to make your battery last longer. In the iOS 26 developer beta, Apple describes the feature as a way for the iPhone to make “small performance adjustments to extend your battery life,” including by lowering screen brightness and “allowing some activities to take a little longer.”Apple also notes that it may automatically enable Low Power Mode, which restricts background activities, when your battery reaches 20 percent. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman first reported on the possibility of an AI-powered battery optimization feature for the iPhone last month.At the time, Gurman said that the feature will use the “battery data it has collected from users’ devices” to determine which apps it should lower power consumption on. Google has a similar Adaptive Battery feature for Android phones, which it says uses AI to analyze how you use your phone, allowing it to shut off lesser-used apps in the background.The Adaptive Power toggle currently exists alongside Low Power Mode in the Battery > Power Mode section of the Settings menu in the iOS 26 developer beta.Apple plans to release the iOS 26 beta to more users next month before rolling it out to everyone in the fall. Along with a new “Liquid Glass” design, iOS 26 adds a bundle of new features, including updates to the Camera, Phone, Safari, and Messages apps, as well as Apple Intelligence-powered live translation for text messages and calls.

Apple announced its first Apple Silicon chip, the M1 chip, in November 2020. Between now and then, the Cupertino-based tech giant has continued to expand its silicon lineup with faster, more efficient chips.