At WWDC, Apple finally unveiled the long-delayed, genuinely rebuilt version of Siri — a more context-aware assistant that can understand what’s on your screen, use your personal data across apps, respond more naturally, and work both inside iOS/macOS and as a standalone Siri AI app.

The prospect of having a more intelligent Siri to talk to is hugely exciting, but there were plenty of other smaller announcements made at the recent Worldwide Developers Conference that got overshadowed by the big Siri AI reveal.

In fact, I might actually be more excited about these features than the new Siri. Here’s what I’m looking forward to most:

1. AI-powered Safari tab organization

If you’re anything like me, your Safari browser is a shocking mess of tabs. I try to close them, but they seem to breed like rabbits whenever I’ve been using Safari for more than 10 seconds. In macOS Golden Gate, Safari can use Apple Intelligence to group your open tabs into relevant topics without you having to do anything.

So, if you’re planning a trip, all your open tabs related to that topic will be pulled together into a single group. “Topics” is the word Apple uses to describe this organization. In the case of your holiday, it would likely pick a name for the topic — probably the destination — and all the open tabs would then be accessible from within that topic.

2. Natural-language Shortcuts

Shortcuts already exist in macOS, and they’re awesome. Shortcuts in macOS let you automate repeated actions on your Mac, either with a click, a keyboard shortcut, Siri, the menu bar, Finder, the Share Sheet, or sometimes from inside apps. You can use them to resize images, extract text from PDFs, create calendar events or reminders, and much more.

They can, however, be a little tricky to create. That’s going to change with the new version of Apple’s software. macOS Golden Gate is going to use Apple Intelligence to make creating shortcuts easier. Instead of building fiddly automations manually, you can simply describe what you want using natural language and Shortcuts will build it for you.

3. Improved Photos editing

Clean Up, Extend, and Reframe are coming to Photos to make editing pictures on your iPhone a whole lot easier, thanks to Apple’s on-device AI models, which can enhance your photos in ways that wouldn’t be possible without AI.

First, Clean Up is already part of Photos and is useful for removing distractions, but it’s getting a big upgrade in the next OS. The old version could get tripped up by busy backgrounds and complex textures, but the new version is much more adaptable and works on old photos and photos not taken on an iPhone.

Next, Extend is a way to add more background to any photo, or adjust its aspect ratio. Apple Intelligence simply fills in the new areas after the fact.

Finally, Reframe looks like a very powerful way of improving your photos. It uses Apple’s on-device AI model so you can change the angle a photo was taken at — just drag your finger around on the image in real time to change the angle the camera was pointing in. It looks a little bit like magic, and it’s very cool.

4. AirPods custom EQ

This may look like a small feature for AirPods owners, but it’s a big quality-of-life win, especially if you’ve ever wished that AirPods had more personal sound control, so you can adjust the sound to your tastes, not Apple’s.

So what does it do? Well, you’re able to adjust bass, mids, and treble, although it doesn’t give you exact frequencies or a numerical scale showing how much you’re affecting them. The good news is that older models like the AirPods Pro 2 will support Custom EQ, as well as the newer AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4.

5. Smarter parental controls

I don’t know if these features are “smarter” or simply “less confusing,” but I’m all in. Having tried to set up parental controls before for my children on iPhones, I’m in favor of anything that makes the process less tortuous.

Features like the new Ask to Browse, where a child can ask if they can look at a particular website before you grant permission, sound like they’re just making everything easier for the parent to set up. Ask to Buy is another feature that sounds self-explanatory, and exactly what busy parents need. Time Allowances for entertainment, games, and social media also look great and give a handy starting point for concerned parents.

These aren't the AI features you're looking for

A lot of the new features I’m looking forward to here use AI, but they are benefit-first features rather than another excuse to use AI for something nobody actually wants. Siri AI may well be a great step forward for the next generation of Apple devices, but there are plenty of other ways that AI is going to benefit Apple users too — and some of them might turn out to be more useful in everyday life than talking to Siri.

• Apple's CEO has warned that "price increases are unavoidable" for its products
• That means more expensive Macs, iPhones and iPads for starters
• Price hikes will likely be substantial, and there are concerns that product lines could be adjusted as seen recently with the Mac mini – is the entry-level MacBook Neo to suffer the same fate?

CEO Tim Cook has warned that Apple is going to substantially hike prices on its products due to the RAM crisis.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (as spotted by Wccftech), Cook said: "Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable. We're doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable."

The spiralling costs of both memory and storage (SSDs) means that Apple needs to put up prices, and the hikes will be "substantial" the report suggests (as did Cook's previous comments whereby the CEO said that from June, Apple will be facing "significant" cost increases for memory and this will "drive an increasing impact" on Apple's products).

So, this wasn't unexpected, but now it's crystal clear that these price increases are coming due to the "unsustainable" situation around memory chip supply (which is being eaten by AI and data centers to the detriment of consumer products).

What we don't know is the magnitude of these price increases, or what products they might apply to, as Cook didn't furnish us with any specific info along those lines.

It's a safe enough bet that Apple's core products are going to get pricier, though, meaning the iPhone, iPad and Macs. The WSJ even theorizes that the iPhone Pro 18 might cost from $1,299 in the US based on some rough maths.

Analysis: time to buy a Mac?

How soon these price hikes might happen is another key question, of course, but given Cook's previous comments about June, Mac rises could be imminent, as the WSJ indicates – particularly given that we've already seen the Mac mini get pricier at its baseline level. If you recall, Apple discontinued the most affordable entry-level model with 256GB of storage, effectively making the cheapest Mac mini a third more expensive.

The upshot is that if you're thinking of buying a Mac, now seems to be the time to pull the trigger, before these devices get pricier. Any deals that pop up on MacBooks for Prime Day could well be worth pouncing on, and there's already been a discount applied to the MacBook Neo (in the UK).

Grabbing that deal might be a particularly smart move to make, actually, because if the Mac mini is anything to go by, the current base version of the MacBook Neo may not survive the coming quarter. As one of a few such comments on this Reddit thread puts it: "The $599 MacBook Neo was fun while it lasted."

As to what all this means more broadly for Apple pricing moving forward, another interesting point that Cook brings up in the interview with the WSJ is that he says Apple is willing to use its "balance sheet to help be a part of the solution."

By that, the CEO doesn't mean Apple is about to fund the building of its own chip production facilities, and Cook explicitly states that. What it indicates is that the company is going to invest in this side of the tech industry, but exactly how is up for debate.

Some (like Jukan on X) theorize that what Cook is referring to is Apple prepaying to secure more memory supply – and that'll require a serious amount of upfront cash to compete with the major AI players. Others believe this could mean that Apple might help fund expansion plans for memory chip makers as part of some kind of deal to lock in more favorable longer-term pricing for iPhone, iPad and Mac memory supply.

Meanwhile, Jukan also highlighted a message from President Trump on Truth Social which states that "Apple has agreed to work with Intel to design and build its chips in America", as has been previously rumored as a way of diversifying away from Apple's reliance on TSMC.

Tim Cook said before that Apple is exploring a "range of options" in terms of dealing with the RAM crisis, and it seems there's a lot going on behind the scenes right now. Hopefully we'll learn more about the details soon enough, but for now, I'm nervously watching what happens with the MacBook Neo and other Apple laptops.

• More Mac models have now been pulled by Apple
• Mac minis and Mac Studios now available in fewer configurations
• AI and the associated memory shortage is to blame

With AI data center demand sucking up the world's supply of RAM, consumers are feeling the effects: having already removed some configurations of the Mac Studio and Mac mini from its store last month, Apple has now reduced the available options even further.

As spotted by MacRumors, you can no longer buy Mac mini models with 32GB or 64GB of RAM, while the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256GB of RAM has also been taken off sale — so right now that particular computer is only available with 96GB of RAM.

Both the M3 Mac Studio and the M4 Max Mac Studio, meanwhile, are showing delivery estimates of 9-10 weeks. Even if the configuration you want can be purchased through the store, you might be waiting a long while for it.

As for Mac minis, you're left with a 48GB of RAM option for the M4 Pro model, and 16GB or 24GB for the standard M4 version. The 256GB SSD storage option has been removed in recent weeks, too, raising the starting price.

'Supply demand balance'

Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has gone on record as saying "the ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ may take several months to reach supply demand balance" — and Cook specifically mentioned AI and agentic tools as reasons why these computers are so in demand.

These Macs are being squeezed in two ways: not only are they ideal for running AI models and software, which increases their popularity, but that same demand for AI processing power is also significantly reducing stocks of memory to go inside these computers.

And there's no sign of the situation getting any better in the short term. The biggest players in the business have been warning that it's going to take a while before supply can catch up, which isn't encouraging for availability and pricing going forward.

Reaction online has been understandably negative: "I've come to despise AI," admits one Redditor, while other commenters want to see more done to limit the number of machines that can be purchased at once (most commonly for large, complex AI projects).

• Apple's entry-level $599 Mac mini with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM is no longer available
• It now starts at $799 for 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM
• Apple's still quoting over a month for delivery as well

Less than 24 hours after Apple’s earnings call in which CEO Tim Cook commented on supply chain issues hitting the Mac mini — shipping dates for the popular entry-level Mac desktop unit have been slipping — the price has gone up, and the former mid-range model is the new entry-level model on Apple.com.

Prior to this story's publication, Apple’s entry-level Mac mini was priced at $599 and came with 256GB of solid-state storage and 16GB of RAM, though that model was out of stock for over a week. That’s no longer an option, though, and the Mac mini now starts at $799 for 512GB of solid-state storage and 16GB of RAM.

MacRumors was the first to spot this change, and the price has increased internationally as well. The Mac mini now starts at £799 in the UK and AU$1,299 in Australia, both with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Essentially, the $599 / £599 / AU$999 model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is discontinued, and the previous mid-range $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 Mac mini with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is now the entry-level. Same hardware specs and cost, but that previous step-up price is now the entry point.

As we noted in our review when this refreshed Mac mini hit the market, it delivered significant value, especially at the $599 price point in the United States. That value’s a bit tougher with a $200 MSRP increase, but one could say the MacBook Neo takes that spot — albeit with less power — while still staying affordable.

Considering the ongoing RAM crisis, which is bleeding into storage, and slipping times for Apple’s Mac mini already stretched out by weeks, this is likely a way for the supply chain teams within the Cupertino-based technology giant to manage the model.

On the earnings call, Cook didn't give many specifics or tease this forthcoming change, but did say, "We think, looking forward, that the ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ may take several months to reach supply demand balance."

Even with the new entry-level model, the Mac mini is still showing a multi-week delivery estimate. If I were to order it now, the estimated delivery is between June 9, 2026, and June 16, 2026 — actually after WWDC 2026 starts.

We've reached out to Apple to request comment on the changes to the Mac mini and will circle back when we receive a response. And in the meantime, let us know what you think about this change to the Mac mini starting point.

I am a PC builder. There, I said it. I don't feel like one yet — but the facts are undeniable. I built a PC.

Okay, so I had some help along the way, but now that I've crafted my own gaming rig for the latest season of TechRadar's AI Planned It video series, I can hold my head high among the experienced builders on the team.

And make no mistake, building your first PC can be incredibly overwhelming; for me, a clutzy, anxious, and miserly gamer, the stress of it was tantamount to open-heart surgery.

The secret sauce in the equation to help me overcome my fears was ChatGPT, which, alongside Google's Gemini, helped me pick my components — as demonstrated in our previous video.

The more risky (and potentially costly) stage of the experiment, of course, was actually putting the thing together — and that process taught me a lot about both PCs and optimizing LLM usage.

So, here's how I did it, including the specific instructions ChatGPT gave me for my PC build, plus my thoughts on what worked and what did. Hopefully they'll be helpful to others — and please do share your thoughts in the comments below.

I-I-I hallucinate when you call my name

I've already shared the prompt I used to train up Gemini and ChatGPT for this project, so be sure to give that a read for some extra context.

As far as the building stage went, my principal concern with using ChatGPT was that it might hallucinate different parts or outdated configurations. My experiences in the first stage of the experiment, in which it shared outdated information on a couple of occasions, did nothing to reassure me.

So, at the very start, I doubled down and reminded it of my configuration via the below prompt:

The prompt: Simply copy and paste the full block of text into ChatGPT or Gemini, replacing my components with yours.

Ok, I've ordered my parts, and they're on their way. To confirm these are the products I purchased:

• AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (6-Core)
• Radeon RX 9070 XT (16GB)
• ASUS Prime B650M-A WiFi II
• 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO
• 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
• Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE Black
• be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 750W
• Fractal Design North Charcoal (mesh side panels)

Can you now provide me with detailed, step-by-step building instructions as well as any tools I will need to do so. Please feel free to ask follow-up questions before providing your final list.

The first signs of trouble

Initially, ChatGPT took the word "detailed" and really rolled with it, presenting me with reams of instructions. In doing so, it made it pretty hard to follow as a first-timer, especially due to its excessive use of (often unnecessary) jargon.

While I had the benefit of building the PC alongside TechRadar's resident computing expert, Matt Hanson, I wanted as much as possible to emulate what someone trying this at home might experience. So, I reminded ChatGPT I was a beginner and it came back with the below instructions:

ChatGPT PC building instructions

[Note: Be warned — these are long, and while there are few total inaccuracies, they can be non-specific in nature. Proceed with caution if you plan to follow these steps!]

Step 1: Open the case

Take both side panels off the Fractal North case. Put the case to one side and find the little box or bag of screws that came with it.

Step 2: Put the motherboard on its box

Take the motherboard out and place it on top of its cardboard box. That gives you a safe surface to work on.

Step 3: Install the CPU

Find the large square area in the middle of the motherboard. That is where the CPU goes.You will see a small metal arm next to it.

Do this:

• Push the arm slightly down and away
• Lift it up
• A metal frame will open

Now take the CPU out of its box.

Important:

• Hold it by the edges
• Do not touch the bottom

Look for a tiny gold triangle on one corner of the CPU. Look for the matching triangle on the motherboard socket. Line those triangles up, then gently place the CPU into the socket. Do not press down.

If it is lined up properly, it will sit in place on its own.

Then, lower the metal frame and push the arm back down into place. That part can feel a bit stiff. That is normal.

Step 4: Install the SSD

The SSD is the slim storage stick. Find the SSD slot on the motherboard. It is a flat slot, usually with a small screw or cover.

Do this:

• Remove the small cover or screw if there is one
• Slide the SSD into the slot at a slight angle
• Push it in gently
• Press it down flat
• Put the screw back in, or close the latch if your board uses one

If there is a little heat cover with a soft pad underneath it, make sure any plastic film is removed before putting it back.

Step 5: Install the RAM

You have 2 RAM sticks. They go into the long slots next to the CPU.

For your board, use the second and fourth slots from the CPU.

Do this:

• Open the clips on those two slots
• Line up the notch on the RAM stick with the slot
• Press firmly straight down until it clicks in

You may need more force than you expect. If it is not fully clicked in, the PC may not start later.

Step 6: Install the cooler

Your cooler is the Thermalright Phantom Spirit. This is the hardest part for most beginners, so take it slowly.

First, look in the cooler box for the AM5 mounting parts. Use the cooler manual beside you while doing this step

The short version is:

• Remove the two black plastic brackets already around the CPU area on the motherboard
• Keep the metal plate on the back of the motherboard in place
• Attach the cooler’s own mounting pieces
• Put a small dot of thermal paste on the middle of the CPU if it is not already on the cooler
• Place the cooler on top
• Tighten the screws a little at a time, alternating sides

Important: Do not overtighten, the cooler fan should blow air toward the back of the case

Then plug the cooler fan cable into the motherboard header labeled CPU_FAN

That just means “CPU fan.”

Step 7: Put the motherboard into the case

Now move the case back onto the table. Check that the little metal screw posts inside the case line up with the holes in the motherboard.

Then:

• Lower the motherboard into the case
• Make sure the back ports fit through the rectangular hole at the back
• Screw the motherboard into place
• Tighten the screws until snug, not super hard.

Step 8: Install the power supply

The power supply goes at the bottom of the case.

Put it in with its fan facing toward the vented side of the case.

Then screw it in place from the back.

Now take out these cables from the PSU box:

• The big 24-pin motherboard cable
• The 8-pin CPU cable
• The graphics card power cable(s)

Step 9: Connect power to the motherboard

There are two main power plugs for the motherboard.

First one: The big wide connector on the right side of the motherboard. Plug the 24-pin cable into that.

Second one: Near the top-left of the motherboard. Plug the 8-pin CPU cable into that. Push both in until they click.

Step 10: Connect the case cables

This is the fiddly bit. The case has small cables coming from the front of it. These connect the front buttons and ports.

These include:

• Power button
• USB ports on the front
• Headphone jack on the front

Use the motherboard manual for the exact pin diagram.

For a beginner, the most important one is the power button cable. Without that, pressing the case button won’t do anything.

The tiny front-button cables are the most annoying part of the build. That is normal.

Step 11: Put in the graphics card

The graphics card is the biggest part after the motherboard.

Do this:

• Remove the metal slot covers at the back of the case where the card will stick out
• Find the top long slot on the motherboard
• Push the graphics card straight into that slot until it clicks
• Screw it to the case

If the card came with a support bracket, use it.

Step 12: Connect power to the graphics card

Your graphics card also needs power from the PSU.

Use the correct graphics card power cable from the PSU box and plug it firmly into the graphics card.

Make sure it is fully in. This is important.

Step 13: Tidy the cables

Before turning the PC on:

• Move loose cables away from fans
• Put extra cable length behind the motherboard tray if you can
• Use cable ties if needed

It does not need to look perfect. It just needs to be safe and not block fans.

Step 14: First startup

Now connect:

• Monitor to the graphics card
• Keyboard
• Power cable to the PC

Very important: Plug the monitor into the graphics card, not into the motherboard.

Then, turn the switch on at the back of the power supply and press the case power button

The PC may take a little time the first time it starts. That is normal.

What you should expect

A good first boot often looks like this:

• Fans start spinning
• Lights come on
• Screen stays black for a short while
• Then the motherboard logo appears

That first startup can be slower than later ones.

If it does not turn on

Check these first:

• Is the switch on at the back of the PSU turned on?
• Is the big 24-pin cable fully plugged in?
• Is the 8-pin CPU cable fully plugged in?
• Is the RAM fully clicked in?
• Is the monitor plugged into the graphics card?
• Is the graphics card power cable plugged in properly?

Step 15: Go into the BIOS

When it first starts, tap the Delete key on the keyboard again and again.

That opens the motherboard settings screen.

Once you are in there, check:

• CPU is showing up
• 32GB of RAM is showing up
• SSD is showing up

Step 16: Turn on EXPO

This is a simple setting that makes your RAM run at the speed you paid for.

Find the setting called EXPO and turn it on. Then save and restart.

You do not need to understand the deep details. Just know that this is a normal thing to enable for your RAM.

Step 17: Install Windows

You will need a USB stick with Windows on it.

Plug it in, restart the PC, and follow the instructions on screen.

Install Windows onto your 2TB SSD.

Step 18: Install drivers

Once Windows is running, install:

• AMD motherboard chipset drivers
• AMD graphics drivers
• Windows updates

This makes everything work properly.

Blimey... so how's your index finger after that scroll-fest?

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE

For the full, unfiltered trauma I experienced when following these instructions, you'll have to watch the full episode on TechRadar's YouTube channel. The long and short of it, though, is that barring one or two missteps where ChatGPT encouraged us to do a step too early or wasn't clear enough on its instructions, the steps were broadly correct.

That being said, it hit me a few times with a generic "just use the manual" tip. In an ideal world, it would search for those instructions and be a true assistive companion, but ultimately, for a fair chunk of this process, I ended up looking at the respective components' printed/online guidance.

I don't mind that too much, and should have probably guessed that'd be the case — particularly given that I'd asked ChatGPT to return such a long-form result. Setting aside the lofty ease-of-use promises made by AI evangelists in the years since LLM technology began its rapid ascent to mass adoption, ChatGPT itself advised that I should instead "message and I’ll guide you one stage at a time." Granted, that tip was at the end of its building instructions and I was by then elbow-deep in cables, but I do respect that it made the suggestion.

In the end, I did actually take it up on this offer, though not for the main building process; that would have been a nightmare while also trying to film, present and take notes on the day, which was hard enough by itself.

Instead, when I later had major issues troubleshooting a problematic bootable Windows drive, ChatGPT was there to help in real-time, both by message and through photos of the interface to help me navigate jargon-y menus.

You'll have to watch the full AI Planned It series to know exactly what went right and wrong in our experiment, but to cut to the chase, yes, the PC works and no fires were started in the process.

That said, I did have the aforementioned computing expert Matt Hanson on hand to fact-check and sanity-test ChatGPT's building instructions, which proved invaluable to stop us from making dumb rookie mistakes that the AI was ignorant of.

My big takeaway? If you try to place all the onus on AI, you're more likely to make a mistake than you are if you instead watch a few videos, read the documentation and learn for yourself.

However, it can be a fantastic companion for troubleshooting, researching and finding information written by experts; just moderate your usage if you care about its environmental impact, how its prosumer rollout leads to job losses, and perhaps most crucially, its impact on critical thinking.

Watch the full episode of TechRadar's AI Planned It below!

You can check out the top recommended builds for both ChatGPT and Gemini, and if you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you'll get so see what we let AI plan next.

Tim Cook’s reign as Apple boss is coming to an end. The long-time leader of one of the world’s largest tech companies is stepping down on September 1 and installing the company’s hardware chief John Ternus as his replacement. A new Apple era is almost here.

Ternus has been at the company for around 25 years, so we’ve had plenty of time to get acquainted with him. That hasn’t stopped fevered speculation surrounding what he might do to shape Apple in his own image. Yet there are plenty of ways that things will stay very much the same with this old hand at the wheel. If you’re curious to see what lies in store under Ternus’s watch, read on to learn five ways that Apple probably won’t change — and two ways that it might.

Hardware and software integration

Apple is world-famous for the way it controls the whole widget, to paraphrase Steve Jobs. The company makes its own hardware and software and integrates them together incredibly well. Could that change under Ternus’s leadership?

Don’t bet the farm on it. Given that Ternus has been part of the Apple furniture for a quarter century, building hardware and software that work together impeccably is now part of his DNA. And while he might currently be the firm’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, he’s also played a role in much of Apple’s software. He strongly pushed for the creation of iPadOS, for example, and took on the role of “executive sponsor” for design in recent months, which unsurprisingly includes software. If you’re expecting him to break with Apple tradition when it comes to integration, you’ll be disappointed.

Emphasis on design

As executive sponsor for design, Ternus is becoming intimately attuned to the design situation at Apple. His role involves explaining current projects and sticking points to Apple’s board, requiring a deep understanding of how the cookie crumbles at a company defined by design.

According to Bloomberg, Ternus and Cook held a staff meeting after the CEO transition was announced. There, Ternus reportedly told employees: “We’re going to keep focusing on design, because design is core to what we do at Apple. Apple’s brought truly incredible design to more people than any company in history.”

What’s more, there’s no way Ternus could have ascended to the lofty heights that he has without a proven grasp of Apple’s design inclinations. With that being so, the likelihood of him suddenly rewriting the playbook in this area is next to zero.

Durability over repairability

In his role as head of Apple’s hardware, Ternus has been repeatedly questioned about the company’s policies on product repairability. And on this subject, he’s been clear that Apple prioritizes durability rather than repairability, with the logic being that a product that lasts a long time doesn’t need to be repaired.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Ternus explained: “Repairability in isolation is not always the best answer.” As he went on to describe, “The reality is repairability is a means to an end. The goal is to build products that last, and if you focus too much on [making every part repairable], you end up creating some unintended consequences that are worse for the consumer and worse for the planet.” One example could be a removable part that introduces a new point of failure, thereby negatively affecting the device’s longevity in the long run.

Given Ternus has long been responsible for setting Apple’s hardware priorities, you can expect this emphasis on durability over repairability to remain. Although he has insisted that “We want to make things more repairable,” the focus will continue to be on making long-lasting products that, with any luck, won’t need to be repaired during their lifespans.

Privacy and security

Steve Jobs liked to insist on user privacy, but it was under his successor Tim Cook that the company really made this a defining trait. Now that John Ternus is next in line, you might be questioning whether that commitment to privacy and security will endure.

The good news is that it almost certainly will. In the comments reported by Bloomberg, Ternus told Apple staff that he will continue to work on these efforts, with no change in policy on this front. As before, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise – you don’t get as far within Apple as John Ternus has without believing in the program.

Environmental policy

In those same remarks cited by Bloomberg, another core Apple policy that Ternus pledged would not change is its stance on the environment. During Cook’s time in charge, Apple has made strenuous efforts in this area by reducing packaging and cutting emissions, so much so that Apple aims to ensure that both the company and its entire supply chain are carbon neutral by 2030.

Speaking to Apple employees, Ternus explained that: “there are some things that can never change and won’t change,” with action on the environment being one of them.

A renewed focus on hardware

Despite all those aspects that Ternus has promised will remain the same, there are a few areas where the new CEO might want to put his own stamp on affairs. Naturally, given his background, one of those could be a renewed focus on hardware. After all, Ternus has headed up Apple’s hardware division for many years now, so it seems reasonable to assume he’d bring plenty of that acumen to the table.

Tim Cook cut his teeth in operations and was not, by all accounts, a product person. John Ternus, though, most definitely is, and he’s been ultimately responsible for ensuring Apple’s physical products are up to scratch for years. With that in mind, we might see the company double down on hardware quality and innovation, which could be just what troubled devices like the Vision Pro need going into the future.

A drive into home tech

Before he got started in the world of work, Ternus studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. There, his senior project was a mechanical feeding arm designed for use by people with quadriplegia. I say this because it coincides nicely with a product that Apple is rumored to be working on: a smart home display that’s mounted on a robotic arm.

This device is just one of Apple’s mooted smart home products that are reportedly just around the corner. These devices were initiated under Tim Cook, but with Ternus heading up the company, we might see a new push into this arena. Given the parallels between his senior university project and at least one of Apple’s smart home devices, that could be a fitting change for Apple to embrace.

The online world is buzzing with the news that Apple is going to have a new chief executive later this year. Tim Cook has announced that in September, he'll be handing over the reins to John Ternus, who is currently Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple.

In short, Ternus is head hardware honcho across all Apple's products, but not for much longer, as the big promotion is less than half a year away.

You may not know a whole lot about Ternus, as he hasn't been in the limelight as much as some of Apple's other major execs. Cook said of his replacement: "John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor."

What he is, by all accounts, is a reliable presence, and a steady hand — with a similar temperament to Tim Cook — to take over the rudder of the company and steer it through whatever choppy waters the RAM crisis may bring for the remainder of this decade. He's also 50 years old, which, interestingly enough, is the exact same age at which Cook took the top job at Apple back in 2011.

However, while there are clear similarities between the two execs, there are notable differences, too, which we're going to explore in this list of surprising and perhaps even weird ways that Ternus definitely isn't Cook.

1. The hardware guy who started in VR

While John Ternus may have a measured and more risk-averse demeanour (as Bloomberg reports), which is close to Tim Cook's nature, one clear difference is that he's an engineer at heart. Ternus has been intimately involved with the ins and outs of hardware in his career, and the hope of many is that the presence of an engineer in the CEO job is going to be reflected in the design and implementation of future Apple products.

Given his background, when it comes to top-level decisions, Ternus should be in a better position to understand the nuts and bolts of what Apple is trying to do with its hardware. And interestingly, his first job after leaving university was with a VR company. From 1997 through 2001, before he joined Apple, Ternus was a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems, working on VR headsets. Bear in mind that this was still early days for VR, of course.

For one thing, this experience should give Ternus a unique position and understanding to help develop the Vision Pro headset, which has certainly had its issues (notably the price tag, though it's making strides of late as an entertainment powerhouse).

2. Robotic arm

Before Virtual Research Systems, Ternus attended the University of Pennsylvania, where his senior project was a mechanical 'feeding arm', as Apple Insider reports. This was an invention for quadriplegics that could be controlled by their head movements.

It's interesting to note that Apple has a rumored project in the works, which consists of a robotic arm with a screen attached, and Ternus would be a very well-informed CEO for this venture. Mind you, Apple's tabletop robot is just a theory and is likely years away (if it ever comes to fruition). But still, it's another interesting element of potential product-based synergy with the appointment of Ternus.

3. Rush to the top

As highlighted on Reddit, apparently, Ternus is a fan of the rock band Rush. This comes from what's reportedly his yearbook quote: "Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies."

It's a lyric taken from the song "Losing It" by Rush, and seemingly, Ternus isn't the only Rush fan at Apple. Apparently, Craig Federighi may also enjoy hearing "The Spirit of Radio" or similar (as per Wikipedia), possibly singing the prog rock band's hits at office karaoke parties. (But not Tim Cook — well, I'm guessing, and presumably not all of Apple's top execs are Rush addicts, unless that's a hitherto hidden qualification for entrance to the C-suite inner circle).

4. The other side of Ternus

If you think Ternus might be a typical hardware nerd, think again. As Fortune reports, he was quite the swimmer in his youth, and Ternus was an 'all-time letter winner' for the men's swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania.

Bloomberg also highlighted that he's a keen cycling enthusiast, and very much into car racing, seemingly taking Apple colleagues to upstate Washington for a spot of off-road rallying now and then. Underneath that calm exterior, then, there appears to be something of an adrenaline junkie.

5. Ternus has a LinkedIn page — of sorts

Unlike Tim Cook, Ternus does have a LinkedIn profile — but you've got to wonder why, seeing as it's been left as a truly barebones effort.

Again, this was picked up by an eagle-eyed Redditor, who spied the page for Ternus, which is as sparse as can be (and is barely ever looked at by the incoming CEO, by all accounts — although most denizens of Reddit consider that to be a good thing, mind).

There wasn't even a photo on the profile page when the Redditor took a screenshot, but interestingly, now there is — maybe Ternus will populate it a bit more thoroughly going forward. Or maybe the exec will just delete it. Watch that space.

I've been putting off building my first PC for years. Despite having grown up surrounded by home servers, custom builds, and more cable ties than any sane person could ever use, it's been a bucket list entry I've found so intimidating that I've happily procrastinated even making the first steps of researching how all of the pieces come together.

So when I was given the chance to build my own rig for our latest season of AI Planned It, I leapt at the chance, but the jury's still out on whether that was the best or worst choice I've made in my career so far. Three weeks, two chatbots and two 20-minute videos to produce; what could possibly go wrong.

Spoiler: everything.

How do you solve a problem like a RAM crisis?

In case you missed it, PC building hasn't been a particularly fun hobby for a few years now, especially if you're budget-conscious. Between chip shortages, RAM shortages and near-endless supply-demand issues, there are far more hurdles before you reach the promised land of lag-free AAA gaming.

If you're a first-timer like me, that can make the already-daunting task of learning what a PCIe slot is or which of the five million fan connectors your cooler needs to be connected to so much worse. Enter AI.

For this project, I turned to two of the most popular general-use LLMs, ChatGPT and Gemini, to find out how confidently I could use the tools to help my build my first PC. The first step was to set the scene with both chatbots, explaining their role in helping me upgrade my rig:

The prompt: Simply copy and paste the full block of text into ChatGPT or Gemini, and then respond to the queries each asks you. Your responses will naturally vary from mine, so scroll down to find the questionaire's I personally answered for each chatbot below.

You will be acting as an experienced computer technician to help first-time PC builders pick parts and build their own desktop gaming computer, using a combination of real-time market insight, cost vs. value, performance, compatibility and other general pros and cons. You will tailor your recommendations based around specific needs and use cases, asking follow-up questions if there is any ambiguity or in situations where several options present similar issues or benefits.

Here is a suggested workflow:

Begin by surveying user needs. This should include questions around practical considerations like budget and compatibility but also personal preferences; what kinds of games they enjoy and their expected benchmarks for those games, aesthetics and the like. Ask follow-up questions on areas that may lead to ambiguity in your reasoning, if necessary.

Provide three build options (the same components can appear in multiple configurations) including all of the key components (Motherboard, RAM, storage, CPU, GPU, cooling, power supply, case etc.) as well as a short justification behind your decisions.

These parts must all be compatible with others in the same build option

Factor in the lifespan of components and flag where a part may need replacing sooner than others.

Apply thorough reasoning to the cost and value of components – if a part is outdated or overpriced, it isn’t always the best option.

Where there’s a trade-off or a concession on a part to ensure balance between cost and benefits, explain that trade-off thoroughly.

Only suggest products that you can find in stock at reputable retailers.

Help the user choose a final option, and then discuss refinements where relevant.

Once the customer has received their parts you will give specific build instructions based on the components they are using.

Refine your search

In my personal experience, ChatGPT was the most effective at considering my needs from the get-go, and while its questionnaire included a couple more technical terms than I'd like to unpack as a first-timer, I found it covered most bases pretty well.

Gemini, on the other hand, asked me fewer questions but kept them more beginner-friendly; I'd be interested to know in the comments below if any readers found the same patterns between the two!

Below, I've shared the two questionnaires provided by the LLMs if you'd rather lift these for your own usage than get a fresh set.

ChatGPT PC building questionnaire: Simply copy and paste the full block of text, and then respond to the queries each asks you.

1. Your total budget – Please include your country too, since prices and stock vary a lot by region.

2. What’s included in that budget – Do you need just the tower, or also monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, Windows license, etc.?

3. What games do you play most – Examples: Warzone, Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, Minecraft with shaders, Valorant, Elden Ring, Cities: Skylines II, modded Skyrim, etc.

4. Your target resolution and performance

• For example:
  • 1080p high refresh
  • 1440p high/ultra
  • 4K
  • target FPS like 60 / 120 / 144 / 240

5. Do you care about ray tracing, DLSS, FSR, or frame generation. This matters a lot for GPU choice.

6. Any non-gaming uses – Streaming, video editing, music production, coding, 3D work, AI workloads, school/work multitasking, etc.

7. Size and aesthetics preferences

• Examples:
  • black or white
  • RGB or no RGB
  • compact, mid-tower, or no size preference
  • quiet build vs max airflow
  • glass side panel or plain case

8. Connectivity needs – Do you need Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, lots of USB ports, front USB-C, specific audio needs, multiple SSD slots, etc.?

9. Upgrade philosophy – Would you rather maximize performance right now, even if upgrade path is weaker, keep a stronger platform for future CPU/GPU upgrades or split the difference

10. Any brands or parts you want or want to avoid – For example AMD vs Intel, NVIDIA vs AMD, air cooling vs liquid cooling.

11. Are you buying new only, or open to used/refurbished for some parts (Especially GPU, where used can change value a lot.)

Gemini PC building questionnaire: Simply copy and paste the full block of text, and then respond to the queries each asks you.

1. The Budget –What is your total budget for the tower itself? (Excluding monitor, keyboard, and mouse). Do you also need recommendations for peripherals? If so, let me know if those have a separate budget.

2. Performance Goals & Resolution – what resolution are you planning to play at? (1080p, 1440p, or 4K?), what is your target refresh rate? (e.g., "I want a steady 60 FPS in cinematic games" or "I need 240+ FPS for competitive shooters.")

3. Your "Gaming Library" – Which games do you play most? (e.g., Heavy AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or GTA VI; competitive titles like Valorant or Apex Legends; or simulation games like Microsoft Flight Simulator?)

4. Aesthetics & Form Factor – What do you want the PC to look like? (e.g., "All-black stealth," "Total RGB light show," or "Clean white build."). Size constraints? Do you want a standard Mid-Tower, or are you looking for something small (ITX) to fit on a cramped desk?

5. Beyond Gaming – Will you be using this for anything else? (e.g., Streaming on Twitch, 4K video editing, 3D rendering, or AI development?)

6. Location – What country are you shopping in? (Pricing and availability in the US vary significantly from the UK, EU, or Australia.)

Refine your search

If you're curious to know how Gemini and ChatGPT landed on their respective recommendations (which you can check out here), you can find below the answers I gave to ChatGPT. I sent both chatbots the same general responses, though I removed details that Gemini didn't ask me for in the name of science:

My responses: If you like the look of my new PC, here's what I told ChatGPT to get those top recommendations.

1. Total budget - £1500, shopping in the UK. I have some budget flexibility (+/- £200) but £1500 is my ideal.

2. What's included in that budget - no need to budget for peripherals or software.

3. What games do you play most - I mostly play AAA titles, with games like Baldur's Gate, Cyberpunk 2077 and Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 in current rotation. I'd like some degree of future-proofing for this class of games.

4. Target resolution and performance - ideally 4K but definitely 1440p with steady 60fps refresh rate.

5. Ray tracing / DLSS / FSR / Frame generation - I'd love these, but it's not an absolute deal-breaker due to budget constrictions.

6. Non-gaming use - I'd like to be able to use it for some creative tasks like video and photo editing but I don't often have heavy loads here.

7. Size and aesthetics preferences: My home aesthetic is industrial loft-style so something that has minimalism but also that svelte design language. I like the idea of having some lighting, but not overbearing. Smaller build would be preferable but is not a deal-breaker, I'd be happy with a standard mid-tower.

8. Connectivity needs - A good number of ports for peripherals (and a mix of USB-C and USB) and Wi-Fi. I will take your lead on if I need (and can afford...) multiple SSD slots.

9. Upgrade philosophy - split the difference

10. Any brands or parts you want or want to avoid - nope, just whatever works best for my budget and compatibility

11. Are you buying new only, or open to used/refurbished for some parts
Especially GPU, where used can change value a lot. - I’m open to used/refurbished

Can ChatGPT and Gemini build a good PC?

OK, so you know now what ChatGPT, Gemini and I discussed, but what about the results?

You'll have to watch the full AI Planned It series to know the ins and outs of our experiment, but to cut to the chase; yes, AI can help you build a PC... but it can't do it all for you, and the journey to get there is riddled with so much anxiety that you may well decide to can it altogether; I nearly did!

I worked with TechRadar's resident computing expert, Matt Hanson, to fact-check and sanity-test both ChatGPT and Gemini's instructions, and while we were pleased and impressed to see that all of the components selected were compatible with one another, the experience was marred by sycophantic shopping and terrible market knowledge.

It's fair to say I'm no AI evangelist; I believe in its usefulness in industries like tech and science to tackle complex research and analysis as well as to fill in some gaps in critical infrastructures. Its use cases at scale to improve our quality of life, health and wellbeing are phenomenal; but I'm still really uncomfortable with its environmental impact how its prosumer rollout leads to job losses, and perhaps most crucially, its impact on critical thinking.

Watch the full episode of TechRadar's AI Planned It below!

Besides all that, I think there are a lot of tasks where human interaction is far more valuable, and for me, that includes interests like PC building which are more tactile in nature. The cracks really began to show when I asked both chatbots to find live links and pricing estimation, and this is where I'd suggest you stop following my example. ChatGPT fared much better than Gemini (which linked me to a toupee?) but even then, neither LLM was capable of scraping the internet to find the absolute-best, live pricing.

Both struggled to stay on-task, and having realised they couldn't meet the originally quoted build price kept tweaking their responses without offering me the abundant clarity I would expect as a consumer, so I ended up having to do a lot of model name checking and searching of my own.

Perhaps that's no bad thing; I don't love the idea of a machine deciding where I spend my money, and it was hard enough to concede to ChatGPT and Gemini on what I should spend it on. That being said, I'm comforted, somewhat, by the fact that ultimately, I leaned far more on my friend and colleague for advice than AI, with a whole lot of legwork cut out by using it as a research tool.

You can check out the top recommended builds for both ChatGPT and Gemini, and if you subscribe to our YouTube channel you'll also find out in the next episode how well ChatGPT instructed us on building the PC itself.

• More fake Samsung SSDs have been uncovered, and the drive maker has said it's 'taking consistent action against such counterfeits'
• At the same time, CPU sales are seemingly in a major slump, the worst seen in a decade, we're told
• With the PC component crisis just getting more intense, there is hope for some relief later this year – but the way it'll be realized isn't very comforting

As the PC component crisis intensifies, with CPU sales now apparently in a serious slump, we've had another warning about fake Samsung SSDs as scammers try to capitalize on expensive higher-end drives.

First off, let's look at the SSD nastiness, with German tech site ComputerBase reporting (via VideoCardz) that an Austrian buyer had the misfortune to receive two Samsung 990 Pro SSDs from a retailer that have both been confirmed to be fakes.

While the packaging of the 1TB drives looked authentic enough, and didn't ring any alarm bells, inspection of the SSDs did, as they had a blue circuit board (rather than the black color Samsung uses). They also used the wrong SSD controller (a Realtek model rather than a Pascal controller).

The real sign that something was very wrong, though, was the fact that these solid-state drives didn't work at all. (Unlike better fakes, which work, and can even appear to be the correct model when installed in a PC if you don't engage in anything other than a cursory inspection).

When Samsung was told about this incident by ComputerBase, the company provided a statement that read: "Samsung takes such reports about counterfeit memory products very seriously. We are taking consistent action against the distribution of such counterfeits.

"We recommend purchasing Samsung storage media exclusively through the Samsung Online Shop or authorized retailers. Consumers can also use the Samsung Magician software to verify that their product is genuine."

With the price of CPUs creeping up, maybe we'll also need to be wary of an uptick in processor fakes (such as the counterfeit Ryzen 9800X3D chips we've seen palmed off on unsuspecting consumers in the past).

More broadly, is it the case that pricier processors, and the squeeze from the memory crisis in general, are killing sales of desktop silicon? Apparently, this is indeed happening, as mentioned at the outset.

PC Gamer reports that TechEpiphany, who regularly posts figures from major German retailer Mindfactory, shared some recent data on X showing that processor sales have fallen sharply in the last three weeks (after being in something of a slump across the whole of March). It's mainly AMD Ryzen sales that have dropped actually – though that's partly a function of Intel sales numbers already being a great deal less at the start of 2026 – and it's an eye-opening slump.

Based on that data, and other sales figures drawn from the likes of Amazon, TechEpiphany posted on X that: "In 10 years of tracking retail CPU (and related) sales, I have never seen such a steep decline."

Analysis: an 11.5-level crisis

Saying that this is the single biggest slump which TechEpiphany has witnessed in the last decade is quite a statement regarding CPU sales. When asked 'on a scale of 1-10, how done are we?' in a follow-up post on X, TechEpiphany replied that we're at '11.5' currently.

Are processor prices really rising that steeply? Well, following rumors of major price increases late last year, they are going up, certainly, as there's a CPU shortage which is getting more serious.

However, this isn't just about processors in a bubble, but the entire custom PC market. With the prices of all components going up, and particularly RAM along with storage, building a computer from scratch – or looking at a substantial upgrade to a new motherboard platform for an existing system – has become a ridiculously pricey affair.

So, people just aren't doing that, and this is going to depress CPU sales, and indeed all components – not just the memory side of the equation, where the price hikes have been truly astronomical.

Counterfeit products being increasingly wheeled out as scammers try to profiteer from these high prices isn't going to help the situation, either. It's not great news that fake Samsung SSDs have now reached Europe, after an increase in Japan was already observed – though at least this latest bout of fakery wasn't as sophisticated as previously seen.

There's one hope here, namely that these stupidly high prices – and the PC market in general getting out of hand – is indeed resulting in a refusal to buy from consumers (as apparently seen with CPUs, but also RAM recently, too). That in itself could rebalance the supply and demand seesaw to some extent, and lead to prices falling. And as PC Gamer also spotted, MediaTek is tentatively predicting a more optimistic pricing trajectory for RAM in the second half of 2026 based on this kind of theorizing.

MediaTek's SVP and head of global sales, Eric Fischer, recently told analyst firm Counterpoint: "We're super cautious, maybe cautiously optimistic about the second half [of 2026], about where it goes because, at some point the prices are going to have an impact on the consumer's ability to spend – whether it's notebooks or [other] consumer products."

This is a sentiment we've heard elsewhere, but it isn't really all that comforting that the best hope for the RAM crisis to slacken its grip on our wallets is that pricing simply gets so high that people point-blank refuse to spend. But, here we are, and this is seemingly what it's come to...

• A YouTuber made a giant 'superdome' fan that consists of 15 separate 120mm case fans
• This 3D-printed project turned out far better than a jokey prototype he previously made
• In fact, the superdome solution dropped the CPU temperature by 20C, and wasn't noisy when doing that

If you're a PC enthusiast, and a fan of fans, as it were, here's a project guaranteed to pique your curiosity – a giant 'superdome' fan, comprising of a whole bunch of standard 120mm cooling fans, that attaches to the computer as a side panel.

As spotted on Reddit, YouTuber Major Hardware came up with this idea, which was inspired by commenters on a previous project showcased on his channel.

The idea with that older video was to build 'The Destroyer of CPUs', a tongue-in-cheek version of a 120mm Noctua case fan. It was a bizarre version of a Noctua NF-A12x25 fan made up of 15 tiny little (30mm) fans, arrayed in a dome design.

Done more for fun than anything, it was impressive that the custom 15-tiny-fan take on a standard case fan performed just the same as the full Noctua 120mm version in terms of the cooling delivered. Actually, it was a smidge better based on Major Hardware's testing, albeit the custom effort was a lot noisier which was the notable wrinkle.

Commenters then suggested building a huge dome made up of actual Noctua NF-A12x25 fans, so that's exactly what Major Hardware did.

Noctua sent the YouTuber 15 of these 120mm fans, and Major Hardware scaled up the previous concept, 3D printing the necessary supporting structure, to produce a big superdome of a fan that essentially slotted on to his Lian Li PC case as a side panel. You can check out the result below.

Dome and dusted

The YouTuber found that the new giant dome design was far more practical than the previous miniature effort which was simply made for a meme.

Testing how hot the gaming PC got in a Battlefield 6 session showed that beforehand, the CPU temperature reached 86C (the YouTuber fully admits that the cooling setup isn't optimal here, preferring RGB aesthetics over thermals to an extent – remember, the PC has to look the part on YouTube). However, with the superdome fan in place, the temperature of the Ryzen processor dropped to around 66C when playing the shooter – a big difference of 20C overall.

Also, unlike the tiny prototype version, this supersized fan didn't make a racket, with Major Hardware observing that it "doesn't make that much noise".

So, were there any drawbacks? Well, the superdome does use a fair bit of power, although at just under 30W, it's not a wattage guzzler. There's also the issue of a lack of dust filters in this implementation, although the YouTuber observes that he's not too worried about that due to the way his case is set up to exhaust the hot air anyway.

Indeed, Major Hardware was very impressed with the giant fan, noting that "it's kind of nuts" how much air the superdome is pushing around, and concluding that: "I might just leave it on my PC as is."

You can make your own version if you wish, as the 3D printer designs (for the Lian Li case) are available (and provided in the details on YouTube), although the other drawback, mind, is the cost of buying the necessary 15 fans. They are $35 apiece in the US at the time of writing, so you're looking at $525 plus the cost of the other materials for printing and assembly.

Still, you'll end up with quite a 'statement PC' and one that's pretty effectively cooled by all accounts. Just watch that dust accumulation if you go for a giant fan-dome panel for your gaming rig.

If you like this kind of stuff, check out a few other off-the-wall computer cases we've seen so far in 2026, which includes a coin-op gaming PC.

It looks like the global RAM shortage has claimed more victims, as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to buy new Mac desktop PCs.

As Mac Observer noticed, if you try to order a Mac mini or Mac Studio from Apple’s online store you could end up waiting several months for your new device — especially if you add extra memory.

I’ve tried this myself to confirm, and the situation does indeed appear bleak. Attempting to buy a standard M4 Mac mini from Apple's US store, the website informs me that shipping will be four to five weeks — that's a big delay for people expecting the usual next-day delivery.

Upping the memory from the default 16GB to 24GB extends the delivery estimate to 10 to 12 weeks, and increasing the memory again to 32GB pushes it back to 16 to 18 weeks, which means some people could potentially be waiting over four months for their new Mac.

It’s a similar story in the UK and Australia, with waits of up to 18 weeks for the Mac mini with 32GB of memory.

This is a real shame, as the current Mac mini is one of my favorite products of all time — if you’re looking for a compact PC, there really is no better alternative. However, it’s difficult to recommend to people if they can’t get hold of one.

Is this why we’ve not had an M5 Mac mini yet?

The fact that changing the amount of memory on the Mac mini makes the delivery delays worse certainly suggests that Apple isn’t as immune to the global RAM shortage as some had thought.

Because Apple uses what it terms ‘unified memory’, which is soldered directly onto its M-series chips and shared between computing and graphics tasks, rather than that off-the-shelf RAM that other laptop makers use, it had initially looked like Apple might escape the worst impacts of the memory shortages, but it seems not.

This could also explain the absence of an M5 Mac mini (and Mac Studio), despite Apple releasing M5 versions of its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. If the company is struggling to get enough memory for its existing portfolio of products, I can understand why it would be reluctant to launch any more.

On the other hand, could Apple be holding some of its memory stock in anticipation of the M5 versions? Apple is typically tight-lipped about these things, so we can only guess.

What I do know, however, is that if you want a Mac mini that will be delivered in a relatively reasonable time, you’re going to have to either buy one from another retailer, or stick with the base 16GB model if you buy from Apple.

It’s important to remember, however, that because of the compact design of the Mac mini, as well as Apple’s frustrating antipathy to designing products that can be upgraded and fixed by its customers, if you do buy a Mac mini (or Studio) with a reduced amount of memory, you won’t be able to add more later.

You’ve just got a shiny new MacBook Neo and you’re keen to see what it can do. But before you go racing off to browse the internet or play some games, there are a few things it’s worth doing first.

Here, we’ll show you 7 of the best changes you can make to your Mac, from strengthening your privacy to customizing it to your liking. These quick fixes and adjustments will make all the difference to your macOS experience, and these tips are great for anyone new to macOS, no matter what Mac or MacBook you have.

Secure your Mac

The last thing you want to happen to your new Mac is for it to be compromised. Luckily, privacy and security are two of Apple’s core strengths, and macOS is well equipped to keep your digital life safe and sound.

First, you’ll want to enable automatic updates to ensure your Mac always has the latest security patches and new features. To do so, open the System Settings app and head to General > Software Update in the left-hand sidebar. From there, click the i button next to Automatic Updates and switch all the toggles on.

While the entry-level MacBook Neo lacks Touch ID, the more expensive model comes with Apple’s fingerprint recognition system. To register your fingerprint with macOS, go to the Touch ID & Password section of the System Settings app and click Add Fingerprint, then follow the instructions.

If your MacBook Neo model doesn’t have Touch ID, you can still protect your login details with Apple’s Passwords app. This is the free, built-in password manager that comes with macOS, and you’ll find it in your Mac’s Applications folder that’s accessed using the Finder. Just open it up and follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure you click Passwords > Get Browser Extension in the app’s menu bar to install it in your favorite web browser. That way, you can save and fill passwords on the web without needing to leave your browser.

It’s also a good idea to turn on FileVault. This encrypts your files so that even if you lose your laptop, no one else can access your private documents and information. To set it up, open System Settings and go to Privacy & Security > FileVault in the sidebar, then enable the toggle to start protecting your files. Just make sure you make a note of your Mac’s password so you don’t get locked out. Your Recovery Key is also synced to every Apple device you own with iCloud Keychain enabled.

All about apps

While iOS is very restrictive about where you get your apps (although that’s beginning to change), Mac users have long been able to install apps from anywhere they like. But in order to do that, you’ve got to change a simple setting first.

Go to the Privacy & Security section of the System Settings app, then scroll to the bottom of the page. Under the Security header, you’ll see ‘Allow applications from.’ Click the pop-up menu and select App Store & Known Developers. This gives you wider access to apps from outside the App Store while maintaining the security of your device.

Once you’ve installed a few new apps, it’s a good idea to change which ones are used to open certain files. After all, you might not always want videos to open using QuickTime, for example. There are a few ways to change your default apps.

Firstly, let’s say you want to change the app that’s used to open JPG images. Right-click a JPG file, click Get Info, then expand the Open with section and pick an app from the pop-up menu. Click Change All to make sure every JPG file opens with this app rather than just the one you selected.

To switch to a different default web browser, open System Settings, click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar, then scroll down to the Widgets section. There, next to ‘Default web browser,’ click the pop-up menu and pick a new app.

Finally, you can change your default email client by opening the Mail app and clicking Mail > Settings in the menu bar. Now click the General tab and choose a new app from the ‘Default email reader’ pop-up menu at the top of the page.

Customize your Dock

The macOS Dock permanently houses all your favorite apps, shows recently opened apps, and has spots for downloaded items and the trash. It’s a pretty powerful tool when you know how to use it.

To rearrange app icons in the Dock, just drag them to a new position. You can add new apps by dragging them onto the Dock and remove apps by dragging them out until the word Remove appears, then letting go.

By default, the Dock shows recent apps on the right-hand side. That can be handy, but can also clutter the Dock. To change this, open System Settings and navigate to Desktop & Dock in the sidebar, then disable the toggle next to ‘Show suggested and recent apps in Dock.’

You can also hide the Dock itself by adjusting the ‘Automatically hide and show the Dock’ toggle. It disappears by default and will reappear if you move your mouse pointer to the bottom of your Mac’s screen.

Finally, Apple’s standard configuration has apps use a ‘Genie’ effect when they’re minimized. This sucks them down into the Dock at an angle, but it’s not to everyone’s taste. If you don’t like it, change Genie Effect to Scale Effect next to ‘Minimized window animation’ in the same System Settings window.

I’ve written about the Dock in more detail, including highlighting some clever tricks to help you get even more out of it. Check that guide out if you want to learn a bit more about this macOS feature.

Set up Time Machine

If anything was to go wrong with your Mac, you don’t want to find out you’ve lost all your files. One way you can prevent that is by using Time Machine to back up your Mac. For this, you’ll need an external storage drive with enough space to hold your Mac’s files.

Now, ensure your drive is connected to your Mac, then open System Settings and go to General > Time Machine > Add Backup Disk. Choose your external drive from the list and click Set Up Disk. Once you’ve followed the on-screen instructions, you should be good to go. Your Mac will now automatically back up as long as your drive is connected.

Make full use of your trackpad

Apple’s MacBook trackpads are some of the best in the business, and even though the MacBook Neo doesn’t use a Force Touch trackpad, its offering is still incredibly well refined. You’ll find a range of intuitive gestures are enabled by default, like pinching your fingers together to open the Applications pane or moving four fingers upwards to show all your open app windows.

But you can unlock extra trackpad gestures that are hidden in your Mac’s settings. The first one can be found in System Settings by scrolling to the bottom of the sidebar and clicking Trackpad. From there, click More Gestures, then click the pop-up menu next to App Exposé and choose a gesture. App Exposé shows all the open windows of just the foremost app – rather than those of all currently open apps – allowing you to quickly flick between them.

The second secret gesture relates to dragging and dropping files. Sometimes, you might find you run out of space on your trackpad when moving a file. But if you go to System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control > Trackpad Options, you’ll find some handy ways to fix that. At the bottom, enable the toggle next to ‘Use trackpad for dragging,’ then pick one of the options from the pop-up menu. These choices let you do things like let go of the trackpad to reposition your fingers as you move a file, all without dropping it, making the process a lot easier.

Keep your battery going for longer

The better you look after your MacBook Neo’s battery, the longer it’ll serve you. Apple’s laptop batteries are already some of the most effective in the industry, but a few quick tweaks could help you get even more out of them.

The first thing to do is head to System Settings > Battery. Next to Charging, click the i button, then enable Optimized Battery Charging. This learns your daily usage routine and charges at optimal times to prevent overcharging.

Back in the Battery section, scroll to the bottom and click Options, then enable ‘Slightly dim the display on battery’ to make sure your screen isn’t eating into your battery too much while you’re not using a charger.

If you really want to eke as much juice out of your laptop as you can, click the pop-up menu next to Low Power Mode and select a scenario. This disables certain features to prolong your battery as much as possible.

Tune up your display

MacBooks have beautiful displays, and the MacBook Neo is no different. A few little changes here and there, though, can make it even better.

If you tend to use your laptop at night, you know how painful it can be to have your eyes blasted by a bright screen. To put that right, go to System Settings > Displays > Night Shift, then click the pop-up menu next to Schedule. Night Shift automatically changes your screen’s color temperature, which helps ease the strain on your eyes. You can either set up a custom schedule or use Apple’s Sunset to Sunrise option.

Back on the Displays pane, enable the toggle next to ‘Automatically adjust brightness.’ As the name suggests, this detects the brightness of your surroundings, then changes your display to match. It can help ensure your screen is never too bright or too dark for your needs.

Apple’s latest M5 Pro and M5 Max chips have taken Mac performance to a new level, and there’s no doubt that gaming on Apple’s computers is in better shape than it’s been in for years. The days of Mac gaming being a distant pipe dream are well and truly over.

But at the same time, we’d be remiss to say Mac gaming performance is anywhere near that of the best graphics cards like Nvidia’s RTX 5090. Chances are you’re still going to have to make a few accommodations on your Mac if you want to get good performance in any of the best and most demanding games.

And that’s what this guide is all about. Here, we’ll show you the little-known hacks and tweaks you can make in macOS that will improve your Mac gaming performance like never before. Put these changes into effect and you’ll get an enjoyable experience, no matter what your favorite Mac game is.

Start with Game Mode

Back in 2023, Apple introduced Game Mode for Mac users. This feature makes a range of automatic adjustments – like giving the game priority access to your CPU and GPU, reducing background tasks, doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate, and more – in order to improve gaming performance.

Game Mode runs automatically, providing you’re playing a game in full screen mode and have macOS Sonoma or later installed on your Mac. Because of that, you might not realize it even exists.

Luckily, switching it on and off is easy. While your game is running, press Command + Esc or click the rocket ship icon in your menu bar to open the Game Overlay (the rocket icon is replaced by a controller icon in macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia).

In the Game Overlay, click the settings button, then click Game Mode to enable or disable it. Your Mac will remember your decision, so there’s no need to enable or disable Game Mode repeatedly.

Modify your game's settings

All games come with varying graphical demands, and while one game might run well on your Mac, that’s not a guarantee that another will. To ensure you consistently get smooth, playable frame rates across your favorite titles, it’s a good idea to delve into each game’s graphics settings and make a few adjustments.

The choices you get here will depend on the game in question. Often, games give you presets (such as Low, Medium and High, for example) that change a range of settings in one go. It’s a good idea to start on the lowest preset, see if the performance is good enough, then move up to a higher preset and test the performance again (some games have built-in benchmarks that show your performance at various settings). A good target to aim for is 60 frames per second (fps), although higher is always better if you can get there without sacrificing too much visual quality. Once you’re more or less happy, you can then start adjusting individual settings to your liking.

One of the most consequential settings you can change is the game’s resolution – simply put, the higher resolution, the more pixels your Mac has to render, leading to greater strain on your hardware. Many games are starting to integrate Apple’s MetalFX Upscaling, which renders the game at a lower resolution, then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the graphical fidelity. It’s a good way to get a crisp picture while reducing the load on your Mac’s chip.

Some games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Crimson Desert, have a graphical setting called For This Mac. Click this and the game automatically adjusts settings based on your computer, providing a more tailored approach than the broad Low, Medium and High presets. Give it a try if it’s available.

Finally, many games are incorporating another AI technology that can help gamers: frame generation. This uses AI to add generated frames alongside those actually rendered by your hardware, giving you higher frame rates than you’d normally enjoy. Apple calls this MetalFX Frame Interpolation, but whether it’s called that or “frame generation,” try enabling it to see if you can get smoother gameplay.

Native Mac games

With Mac gaming gaining in popularity, increasing numbers of developers are starting to optimize their titles specifically for Apple’s computers. You can see that in both Cyberpunk 2077 and Crimson Desert, mentioned above, due to their For This Mac options. But there are plenty of other game developers that have worked hard to ensure their products work well on macOS.

The ideal situation is finding a game where the developers have worked directly with Apple to ensure their game takes advantage of Apple’s software, APIs and more, which will give you the best experience. After that, games optimized for macOS (without Apple’s direct involvement) should also offer good-quality performance.

But even a game that works natively on macOS – even if it’s not been painstakingly optimized for Apple fans – will perform better than one that only works on your Mac through a compatibility app like CrossOver.

A quick way to tell what kind of performance you can expect is to simply check the game’s compatibility information. If it has detailed Mac requirements, you know it’s compatible, although that doesn’t tell you if it’s well optimized. Once you know it works on macOS without needing software like CrossOver, you can research how well optimized it is. And if it is – well, that’s a good sign that performance should be up to par.

Opt for Ethernet

Not every game requires you to be online while playing, but those that do will obviously benefit from having a strong, stable connection. If you’re running up against lag spikes and frustratingly poor performance while gaming online, you might need to start looking beyond your Mac.

One of the best ways to improve your internet connection is to hook up an Ethernet cable directly into your Mac. A wired connection will almost always be more reliable than internet beamed over Wi-Fi, as it doesn’t get affected by thick walls and signal black spots.

That said, there is a significant caveat: many modern Macs have ditched their Ethernet ports. You won’t find Ethernet slots on any MacBook (of the Air, Pro or Neo variety), but desktop Macs – including the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro – all either possess Ethernet by default or can be configured to come with it. Be sure to check before you buy.

The good news is that even if your Mac doesn’t have an Ethernet port, there are other ways of getting a wired connection. Ethernet can be run over USB-C and Thunderbolt ports, at least one of which is preset on every modern Mac. To get Ethernet running this way, you’ll just need an adapter or a docking station.

Try cloud gaming

These days, even the most affordable low-end Mac can run the most demanding games. How? By tapping into cloud gaming services like Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.

Instead of loading games locally on your Mac’s hardware, these services run on powerful computers connected to the internet, then stream the gameplay to your Mac. That takes your hardware out of the equation – as long as you have a reliable internet setup, you’re good to go.

Of course, this option puts even more emphasis on having stable internet than regular gaming (giving you another good reason to try Ethernet). Cloud gaming services can also quickly get expensive. The cheapest paid GeForce Now membership, for example, costs $9.99 a month and limits both your play time and frame rates. Higher tiers cost upwards of $19.99 a month, and while there is a free option, it’s ad-supported and cuts off your gaming sessions after an hour.

Still, cloud gaming could be a good option if your Mac hardware can’t handle the games you want to play. While it requires an ongoing payment, it might still be cheaper than buying a new Mac.

Bonus: Spec your Mac out for gaming

Speaking of buying a new Mac, there’s one more important consideration in all of this. So far, all of our tips focus on things you can do after you’ve got a Mac. But one of the most important decisions you can make for Mac gaming comes before you pull the trigger.

Simply put, make sure you configure your Mac with adequate hardware specs for the games you want to play. It’s no good cheaping out by picking the lowest-end components if you want to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 120fps, after all. And considering how difficult – or impossible – Macs are to upgrade post-purchase, you don’t want to make a costly mistake.

The key aspect here is your Mac’s graphics capability, indicated by the chip’s GPU. If gaming is your thing, you’ll probably want to opt for the most performant GPU – with the highest number of graphics cores – that you can afford.

The CPU is also of high importance, and many games rely more on this than the GPU. Again, choose the best CPU within Apple’s chips that you can afford, and make sure to research whether your favorite Mac games harness the GPU or CPU more before starting.

Both the GPU and CPU are built into your Mac’s chip (they’re not discrete components, as they are in the best gaming PCs), so that’s where you’ll want to look when speccing out these components.

Next, consider memory (also known as RAM). This is less important than your Mac’s chip but could have an impact. Thankfully, modern Macs all start with at least 16GB of memory, but the most demanding games might benefit from having more (do you research before needlessly spending extra here, though). Apple uses what it calls “unified memory,” which allows the CPU and GPU to draw from the same memory pool. This means that 16GB of unified memory often offers better performance than 16GB of regular PC memory, so be sure to check Mac benchmarks rather than PC ones when it comes to RAM in order to get an accurate idea of what you need.

Aside from that, consider your prospective Mac’s display. The MacBook Pro’s screen, for example, offers refresh rates up to 120Hz, while the MacBook Air tops out at 60Hz. The former costs more but will offer much smoother gameplay (provided your chosen chip can provide the power needed for high frame rates, of course).

Finally, there’s storage. Apple’s SSDs are incredibly fast, which should ensure speedy loading times when it comes to games. Just make sure you opt for enough capacity to hold all the games you want to play.

Take all those considerations into account and you should be well positioned for an enjoyable spot of Mac gaming, whatever titles you have in mind.

I’ve been a long-time Windows user, going back to when Windows 95 was the operating system of the times. I’ve been through every iteration of Microsoft’s OS since, with Windows XP and Windows 7 being my favorite editions. Moving to Windows 10 was a natural progression when I purchased a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 in 2018 and used it with no complaints until I upgraded to Windows 11 in 2021 on the same machine.

Windows 11 increasingly became frustrating to use, with the ads on the start menu and the constant push to make me use Edge and OneDrive. AI functionality and Copilot were being suggested just as aggressively, with even the most basic programs like Notepad and File Explorer getting AI buttons.

The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, exacerbated by Microsoft’s planned Windows 10 obsolescence in October 2025, which basically rendered several older and still-functioning PCs obsolete. In my case, the Lenovo hardware still holds up — Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM — and is enough for most of my needs but, alas, Microsoft forced my hand and thus began my hunt for a replacement.

macOS: On the outside looking in

With the ongoing RAM shortage and other components like storage getting expensive, I was worried that I had made this decision at the wrong time. Thankfully, most laptops and computers with fixed components were still unaffected by these shortages, so prices haven’t gotten out of control just yet. Interestingly, the best deal to me was switching OS and going down the Apple route.

I’d played around with Linux a bit, trying Ubuntu in the 2010s and, while it was fine, I kept retreating to the familiarity of Windows. macOS, on the other hand, felt more user-friendly and suitable as a full-time replacement for Windows.

The only reason I never switched earlier is because I felt Macs were overpriced before Apple’s own silicon made them compelling options — and since my Lenovo was still going strong, I erred on the side of monetary caution these last few years.

Gradually, Apple started to bump the RAM of its base-model Macs from 8GB to 16GB while retaining the same price. And that’s when the M4 Mac mini became a standout with its starting price of $599 / £599 / AU$999, making it hard for most PCs to beat in terms of the same computing power.

The base configuration with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage was enough for my personal needs, and I finally made the switch to macOS.

Easy, quick setup, but still a learning journey

Apple makes getting set up on a Mac device very easy — I was only asked to sign in to my Apple ID, which is optional if you don’t have one or don’t want to create a new account.

In comparison, a fresh Windows install mandates a Microsoft account during setup, and you need to be connected to the internet to move to the next steps (or employ some increasingly locked-down workarounds). I'd previously even get rid of some bloatware like the Xbox app and Clipchamp, some apps even requiring third-party software to remove.

A fresh Mac install, on the other hand, has a comparatively clean and streamlined experience.

I’m not a complete beginner with macOS, but I’m still finding my feet — it’s a bit of an adjustment coming over from Windows and I haven’t quite memorized all the keyboard shortcuts yet. I’m also still getting my head around all the menus.

The overall experience, however, is such a massive improvement from Windows 11 — everything just works, and not a single ad or upsell to distract me.

Now, macOS isn't perfect, and I agree with my colleague Matt when he says Windows has a better clipboard (the built-in Clipboard Paste feature is sorely missed), and snapping two separate windows to either edge of the screen to have them take both halves of the screen equally still works more effortlessly on Windows.

And yes, it has to be said that gaming is still much better on Windows than on a Mac, even though it's getting better now.

But can it run Crysis?

Gaming was not top of mind when I decided to get the M4 Mac mini, so I wasn’t too fussed when I found that a lot of the games I used to play aren’t natively supported on macOS. There are plenty of workarounds, including a third-party program called Crossover, to allow Windows-only games to run on Macs, but I don’t feel the need to buy it just yet.

There are still a lot of titles in my Steam library that run on macOS natively — from less-demanding games like Stardew Valley to some graphically-intensive ones like No Man’s Sky. I was happy to hit anywhere between 40-60 frames per second as my monitors only have a 60Hz refresh rate and, for the most part, the M4 Mac mini can easily hit that mark with most of my games (albeit with some resolution adjustments).

Getting the upgraded M4 Mac mini can yield better results than that if gaming is a key criterion when choosing a new Mac. If you’re curious about what games can run well on this machine, MacGamingDB has user-reported benchmarks on a range of titles tested across all of the M-series Macs.

And yes, the M4 Mac mini can run Crysis, but only through Crossover.

The best deal in computing amidst this RAM crisis?

I live in Australia where the M4 Mac mini is still in stock at several retailers, but reports suggest it’s starting to sell out in some regions.

In any case, the M4 Mac mini still hasn’t received a price increase from Apple, and the RAM and storage upgrade costs remain unchanged — well, at least for now — making it a competitively priced option.

My experience with the M4 Mac mini has been very positive — snappy performance, a cleaner user interface, seamless integration with my iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple TV and iPad mini (6th Gen), plus it's a surprisingly capable gaming machine too. It’s definitely money well spent.

• Apple plans to build some Mac Mini computers in the US
• Tim Cook made the announcement while showing off some behind-the-scenes manufacturing video
• AI may be one of the driving forces here

The suddenly hot Mac mini will soon be made in the United States. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the move on Tuesday in a post on X.

"As part of our $600B commitment, Mac mini will be produced in the US for the first time later this year!" wrote Cook.

The $600B investment he refers to is the billions Cook promised US President Donald Trump last year he'd be funneling into US manufacturing efforts as part of a new "American Manufacturing Program" (AMP). He made the promise while also presenting Trump with a golden plaque featuring the words "Made in America."

This Mac mini news, though, may be far more valuable to American consumers interested in buying one of Apple's increasingly popular tiny desktop computers.

A mini piece of the pie

The Mac mini has accounted for only about 1% of Apple's Mac sales in recent years, but the mini's star is on the rise. According to recent reports, 2024 M4 Mac minis have been selling out (along with Mac Studios). Why? Blame AI. The tiny box computer is considered a perfect fit for handling localized agentic AI tasks, and so they're apparently flying off the shelves.

Now, it's unclear if all those sales are helping the Mac mini draw closer to, say, it's best-sellign MacBook Air or MacBook Pro counterparts. That seems unlikely, but the US production, set to begin at a new Houston, Texas, facility later this year, should increase mini-production levels.

An entire production facility devoted to just one thin slice of Apple's Mac market doesn't make much sense. However, AI's appetite for hardware goes far beyond the mini. Apple will also be building AI servers that should help support the company's growing Private Cloud Computer and other AI aspirations.

How mini are these operations

Tim Cook's post offers scant details on exactly when the facility will open and become operational, or how many Mac minis it will produce each quarter. It's likely the factory will only build a fraction of all the Mac minis Apple produces for sale. Perhaps, it will build all those sold in the US, while other global manufacturing facilities serve the rest of the world.

However, we do now know a bit more about how Apple builds products through its supply chain and with its manufacturing partners, thanks to a new video report from The Wall Street Journal.

The report focuses largely on Apple's efforts to get its Apple Silicon built in the US. Apple does not produce any chips; it relies on a series of partners to produce the high-powered silicon. However, it's clear from the video that Apple's fingerprints are all over the process.

When asked by The Wall Street Journal, "Who is the most demanding customer you have?" the Global Wafers exec answered quickly, "Apple."

Apple's deep involvement and its size give it the power to push partners like these chip supply chain partners to move more operations to the US.

iPhone next?

Apple's promise to begin building some Mac minis in the US this year does not signal a massive shift to making all Apple products in the US. And when Apple executives were asked by The Wall Street Journal about making the iPhone in the US, they gave a circuitous answer about future innovation, but offered no insight into future iPhone build operations.

Ultimately, the Mac mini's new manufacturing home represents a small but perhaps important return to US manufacturing for Apple, which famously built the original Macintosh in Fremont. California.

There's no indication Apple is planning a broad return to US manufacturing, but the push for US-based operations for chip manufacturing is perhaps a stronger possibility because of the growing need for chips (and memory) in the US.

For now, the majority of silicon and RAM are made outside the US. Once again, the global AI race is creating unprecedented demand, shortages, and the need for, in the US, closer-to-home supply chains.

In a way, this Houston-based operation is also a proof of concept. If it goes well, and Apple can also bring some Apple Silicon manufacturing to the US, we may finally see a wider swath of Apple products arriving without the support of imports and the potential burden of tariffs.

Will that mean cheaper Mac minis and eventually other products? Only time will tell.

• Apple's Mac mini and Mac Studio are suffering from long shipping delays
• This pertains to the models with more than a baseline level of RAM
• It's seemingly the consequence of the AI boom and popularity of local AIs, notably OpenClaw, which is causing, or at least contributing to it

If you were thinking of ordering a Mac mini with lots of RAM from Apple, then you could be in for something of a wait – and that's even more true for the Mac Studio.

Tom's Hardware noticed a post on X from Alex Finn, the CEO of Creator Buddy (an AI tool), who observed that: "Something big is happening. First Mac Minis. Now Mac Studios. Completely sold out. When I bought 2 Mac Studios a month ago, my wait was 14 days. Now the wait is 54 days."

The theory is that people are catching on to the potential of AIs that are run locally – meaning on your own PC, rather than accessed in the cloud – and this is being driven ahead at a fast pace by the popularity of AI agent OpenClaw (among other factors).

So, people are looking for a PC with a beefy enough loadout of RAM to run such local AIs. Apple's Mac mini and Mac Studio, which you can load up with an absolute ton of memory, are good candidates for the job. (The RAM comes at a correspondingly high cost, it should be noted.)

If we look at the Apple store in the US currently, the evidence is plain enough to see. The base Mac mini with the vanilla M4 chip is available for immediate dispatch in its 16GB form, but if you want 24GB or 32GB of RAM, you're looking at a wait of two to three weeks for delivery.

With the Mac mini M4 Pro model, you are also going to be waiting two to three weeks for the PC to arrive, with the only exception being the base model again – in this case, the lower-tier CPU with 24GB of RAM, which can be sent out immediately.

For the Mac Studio, the wait is even longer. With the PC that has the M4 Max higher-tier variant, if you want this model with 64GB of RAM, there's currently a delay of four to five weeks. Go for the 128GB model, and you'll be drumming your fingers for five to six weeks before your Mac Studio shows up. (Disclaimer: finger drumming for extended periods of time is not recommended.)

The M3 Ultra version of the Mac Studio, with a whopping 512GB of RAM, is also showing a five to six week shipping delay from Apple. All of these delivery timeframes are accurate at the time of writing, but may have altered by the time you read this.

Analysis: mini mania

The Mac mini, packed with a whole load of RAM, is a great solution for running an AI locally, with that unified memory (shared by the CPU, NPU, and GPU) being seriously nippy and ideal for such tasks.

And this is seemingly being reflected in sales of these compact computers, and the beefier Mac Studio, too. As Tom's points out, there's a growing number of companies that are using "clusters and clusters of Mac Studios" which are "perfect for long-running agentic tasks and local private LLMs" (Large Language Models, or AIs).

While there clearly are some pretty long lead times for ordering RAM-packed Macs, we can't jump to the conclusion that this is entirely due to a local AI boom. But there's clearly something going on in that respect, and it's not going to help if Apple is facing supply pressures at this point in terms of securing memory inventory. (And even Apple's huge resources will start to creak at some point).

If we see this trend continue, it's not difficult to imagine where all this is headed – these Macs are going to get very expensive (which is true with the RAM crisis as it is, anyway), and maybe even difficult to get hold of at all.

In short, if you were mulling the purchase of a Mac mini (or indeed a Mac Studio) with more than a baseline amount of memory, you might want to think about pulling the trigger sooner rather than later.

• A Chinese manufacturer, Seaviv, has revealed a new all-in-one PC
• The AideaOne R27 is a premium-looking all-in-one like Apple's iMac, but with a big difference
• It's built around AMD's powerful Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, backed with an eye-opening amount of RAM

AMD's flagship Strix Halo chip is the powerful engine of a new all-in-one PC that's been revealed over in Asia.

As reported by VideoCardz, Chinese manufacturer Seaviv has unveiled the AideaOne R27 all-in-one PC, which is built around a 27-inch 4K screen and AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor (which has found a home in plenty of mini PCs and handhelds).

The hardware components are in the monitor's stand, a different approach to situating them behind the screen as with a typical all-in-one device.

The AideaOne R27 is a premium-looking PC and is listed at 21,999 yuan in China, which is around $3,170 in the US. That's a big step up from the Apple iMac M4 starting at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999, but the R27 packs some seriously powerful components to justify the price.

Seaviv's all-in-one PC doesn't just have that beefy 16-core Ryzen chip, which incorporates a Radeon 8060S integrated GPU, but it's also packed with 128GB of RAM – which in itself costs a small fortune these days – as well as a 2TB SSD.

The RAM crisis has led to an unprecedented hike in prices for memory kits, so all in all, the $3,000 price tag is not that surprising. After all, this is an all-in-one PC that can tackle demanding tasks for productivity, and gaming with performance results similar to an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU.

It's a niche product, though, obviously enough – and not one the average consumer will be able to stomach the price of, certainly not in comparison to Apple's iMac.

Analysis: the OLED factor

There's a notable weak spot with the AideaOne R27, and it's not just the availability of the device outside of Asia (which we don't have any info on). This downside is that the all-in-one PC has a rather pedestrian screen in the form of a regular 60Hz IPS monitor.

That may seem like something of a mismatch given the rest of the high-powered spec, but it's likely a reflection of the intended usage – meaning productivity, and those working with AI locally (given that massive lump of RAM inside).

It'll do gaming, and facilitate creative work, sure, but an OLED screen – which are gradually becoming more affordable and common for PC monitors – would be much better for those types of usage.

OLED offers much better contrast and color accuracy than a regular LED, of course, while delivering a punchier, more immersive image. There's no backlight bleed with OLED, either, as the tech relies on individual self-lit pixels (which allows for a truly deep black level).

Maybe in the future, we'll see an all-in-one built around the powerful Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with an OLED screen to give Apple something to really think about. Price would, of course, remain a question mark over such an all-in-one, which definitely wouldn't come cheap.

I admire niche products, like this AideaOne R27 PC, which are trying to do something different, with its peppy hardware and the approach of building the components into the stand, rather than within the display.

• The process for buying a Mac on the Apple Store has changed
• There are no more preconfigured Mac or MacBook options
• The site takes you step-by-step through choosing your specs

For several years now, if you were in the market for one of the best Macs or best MacBooks available, you would go to the official Apple website and start with one of the preconfigured options – but that's now changing in a significant way.

As spotted by MacRumors and others, you now no longer begin the purchase process by choosing a preconfigured Mac or MacBook. Instead, you start from scratch and choose your components one by one, with the display size and color first up.

In other words, buying an Apple computer is now much more like buying one of the best iPhones or best iPads. It gives you a little bit more control over your new Mac or MacBook, but requires a little bit more knowledge about what exactly you want.

There has always been the option to tweak specs and RAM and storage on your Mac after choosing a preconfigured computer, but that initial stage has now been ditched – perhaps for better consistency across Apple's various product lines.

All the options

There's been no official word from Apple about why this change has been implemented, so we don't know for sure what the thinking is here. Another possibility is that people will be more tempted to upgrade to a higher spec if they can see all the options available.

It appears that all the choices that were previously available are still here: you can, for example, still opt to have certain professional apps like Final Cut Pro preinstalled on your Mac (though as yet there's no mention of Apple Creator Studio).

All of this comes while we're eagerly anticipating some new MacBook Pros to appear in the very near future, very possibly with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips inside. Perhaps the new online ordering system will help users assess all the various options available.

Head to the Mac page on the official Apple website to check out the new process for yourself (you don't actually have to buy anything to test it out). Is this a good move for the Apple Store or one that wasn't really needed? Let us know in the comments.

• Costco has removed RAM sticks from display PCs on shelves
• This has reportedly happened after incidents of theft
• In recent times, an office was broken into just to steal the DDR5 RAM, and online buyers of memory are facing scams, too

If you needed another sign that the RAM crisis continues to get worse – yes, yet another sign – then here it is: memory sticks are starting to become a target for thieves.

VideoCardz picked up on what seems to be a growing trend, with the latest development being that Costco in the US has started removing the RAM modules from its prebuilt PCs on the shelves (and keeping the memory in the back of the store instead). In one reported case, this was after an incident where a person was apprehended after removing memory from a display PC.

Another Redditor posted photographic evidence of a PC on the shelf with empty RAM slots on the motherboard, and this follows the retailer also removing GPUs from its computers – which happened a long time back (in 2020, by all accounts).

With the high value of DDR5 RAM now, though, it seems this is becoming a target for shoplifters.

This isn't the only recent example of RAM theft, as the week before last, we reported on an incident that happened in an office in South Korea which was broken into expressly to steal the DDR5 system RAM from the PCs (nothing else was taken).

On top of this, there are (indirect) thefts taking place via online retailers, whereby scammers are buying pricey RAM and replacing those sticks with old (cheap) memory in the boxes, then returning them (and keeping the expensive DDR5 memory). If the retailer fails to check the return properly – and this does happen – another subsequent buyer ends up purchasing the ancient RAM sticks and getting stung.

Analysis: RAM-sacked

I guess this was inevitable with RAM prices absolutely soaring, and higher-end DDR5 memory sticks now being worth a small fortune. The same has been true of GPUs, of course, in the past, and as noted these high-value items have long had similar precautions taken with them at bricks-and-mortar retailers.

However, RAM is a lot easier to steal – or certainly conceal – than a graphics card, especially a beefy high-end triple-slot affair. Still, getting inside a PC in a store to steal any component seems like a very tall order, frankly – and in the case of Costco, the RAM thief was caught.

Seemingly the way some folks might get away with this is by pretending to be someone who looks official (holding a clipboard, iPad or similar) and carrying out some kind of inventory inspection, who may not be challenged to any extent if they're confident enough.

Whatever the case, the average consumer doesn't have to worry about what's going on in stores – but we do have to worry about online orders where a fake item might have been substituted for the real product by someone carrying out a returns scam, as noted.

These days, it's a good idea to record yourself unboxing any high-value tech product, just so you have evidence of the box contents on video, should you need extra proof if a purchase goes awry.

• AMD Ryzen 9850X3D bundles have been spotted in China
• They bundle the new CPU with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a cooler
• This could be a way to give PC builders a break on the price of memory, and might be a plan AMD brings to other regions with any luck

AMD could have a plan to tackle the pain of component price hikes – most notably the rocketing cost of RAM – and that's to sell bundles with its imminent new Ryzen X3D CPU, or at least there's some evidence to indicate this in Asia.

Tom's Hardware highlighted a post on X from Uniko's Hardware which shows a bundle that AMD is reportedly launching in China, consisting of a processor plus cooler and system RAM.

What buyers get in this package is the new Ryzen 9850X3D CPU, which was recently revealed – and is about to go on sale, looking a great addition to AMD's gaming lineup – along with a Cooler Master cooler for this chip, and 32GB of V-Color memory (a pair of 16GB DDR5 sticks to be precise).

We don't have pricing yet, only a photo of this bundle as you can see in the post above. However, what's interesting here is that this appears to be an official collaboration between AMD and V-Color alongside Cooler Master, rather than a retailer simply throwing together its own bundle, hence the logos on the box.

There's another telling difference in that the motherboard isn't bundled here. Typically you'd get a CPU and memory plus motherboard in a bundle box, but here the latter is replaced by said cooler.

Analysis: a hopeful hint in a deeply pessimistic market

Presumably, the motherboard has been dispensed with to keep the cost down, as obviously a bundled cooler in its place will ensure an overall lower price (while still making sense as a partner for a high-end gaming CPU). And the main point of this bundle is, of course, to provide DDR5 RAM at a (relatively) palatable price alongside pushing AMD's new processor.

It is, of course, likely that the V-Color DDR5 RAM comprises of affordable 16GB memory sticks, so there'll be no high-end, speedy RAM here (as that would defeat the point of an affordable bundle). As observed by Uniko's, it's likely DDR5-4800 memory (meaning it runs at a speed of 4800MT/s, which is the slowest performance for DDR5).

As Tom's further notes, what's important in that regard is that AMD has been busy making it clear that the Ryzen 9850X3D doesn't need fast RAM. In fact, there's barely any difference in performance between DDR5-4800 and faster DDR5-6000 RAM with the 9850X3D, with a less than 1% difference in frame rates (across an average of 30 games – see the above slide courtesy of VideoCardz).

In other words, whatever DDR5 RAM you're using won't make any noticeable difference with the Ryzen 9850X3D. This is true of X3D processors in general, as their beefier cache (3D V-Cache which the naming convention 'X3D' refers to) means the CPU has to tap the system RAM less often, so the speed of that memory isn't such a factor in determining overall gaming performance.

This is all well and good, but will these bundles arrive outside of Asia? That's the key question here – this and exactly where AMD might pitch pricing. On the latter point, if the bundle isn't a considerable saving on the separate parts, there would hardly be much point.

As to whether the US, or Europe, or anywhere else will see Ryzen 9850X3D plus RAM bundles, we obviously don't know. But the fact that this is happening in China is certainly an indication AMD is mulling strategies to keep RAM pricing down for PC builders – given this is an official collaboration as noted – so I don't see any reason why that strategy might not apply to the wider global marketplace. Well, except for supply worries, naturally, but this is at least a hopeful hint that similar bundles could be in the works.

Meanwhile, standalone DDR5 RAM remains at ridiculous prices, even if it's discounted as we saw yesterday.

Nifty PC cases are nothing new, of course, with some stunningly creative designs that have been fashioned by case manufacturers, as well as keen enthusiasts and modders.

In the past, from some of the bigger (and smaller) case makers, we've witnessed the likes of Cougar's FV270 fish tank case, which has an RGB turntable inside. Or to venture into more left-field experimental territory, how about Cooler Master's shark-shaped gaming case? Or indeed some of the truly elaborate case designs seen at past Computex shows.

If anything, this year has shown us some even wilder and more innovative ideas for PC cases, even though 2026 has barely begun, which has prompted me to pick out a few favorites here.

Two are actual PC cases, and one is just a DIY concept that modifies your existing case – but I love it so much that I feel it must be mentioned. And anyone who played coin-op arcade games is likely to appreciate it just as much.

1. NextGear Clear Shift

The NextGear Clear Shift, as highlighted by PC Watch (a Japanese tech site), has a built-in cloaking device, Star Trek-style. Well, sort of. What the Clear Shift actually does is transform the case window panels (front and side) from see-through to opaque at the touch of a button.

One minute, the case is transparent, and you can see the CPU, GPU, and other hardware inside; the next minute, it's opaque, and you can't see the innards at all. When the PC is off, it's opaque by default, in case you were wondering.

Pretty cool? Definitely. Pretty pointless? Well, what's the point of any of these fancy custom cases, except to do something strikingly different that takes us away from the land of plain black mini towers?

Although that said, there could be a practical use for this case after all, given what we've been hearing about RAM being a new target for burglars, smashing and grabbing the stuff out of desktop PCs – at least with the NextGear Clear Shift, they won't be able to see if you've loaded up 128GB of DDR5 inside your machine (not at a glance, anyway).

2. InWin Aeon

Shown off at CES 2026, where it turned some heads to say the least, InWin's Aeon case is described as a "vision beyond convention" and a "mechanized architectural statement". Hyperbole? Well, yes, but in fairness, this is a jaw-dropping case and definitely a statement.

It uses reflective mosaic panels to achieve a really smart, modern appearance, and the chassis shape makes the Aeon seem more like a futuristic artifact from a sci-fi movie than a PC case. On top of that, the chassis has an RFID card reader, and when the provided card is swiped, the case opens to give super-slick access to the components (check it out in the promo video above).

3. Coin-op gaming PC

Remember coin-ops, or coin-operated machines, at old-style arcades? Here we have an external addition to a PC case: a coin mechanism. You need to put a specific coin into your machine to turn it on.

This is the brainchild of Mr Yeester, a hardware engineer with his own YouTube channel, as Tom's Hardware spotted, and you can see the process of making this creation in the video clip above.

The end result is a separate coin acceptor box hooked up to the gaming PC, and while the engineer uses a makeshift enclosure to save time, it could obviously be something a bit fancier. This is a highly novel idea, and there's a security element here too: if you don't have precisely the right coin – the acceptor box checks the metal's size and thickness using phototransistors and infrared LEDs – you can't turn on the computer. Top marks for ingenuity here.

• Amazon has a deal on a 32GB DDR5 RAM kit
• It's $55 off (with a 14% discount)
• However, that reduced price is actually 2.5x more expensive than this RAM was only four months ago, making it clear how bad things have become

If you wanted an at-a-glance look at just how bad the RAM pricing crisis has got, a new offer at a major retailer underlines this rather effectively.

Over at Amazon in the US, you can see there's a flash deal (a price cut for a limited time) on a Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM kit which comprises of two 16GB memory modules (running at 6000MHz).

That 32GB dollop of memory – which will see you good to go for any everyday or gaming PC, it should be noted – now costs $345 in said deal, which is a substantial $55 discount (14% off) on the quoted list price of $400.

While that may sound like a half-decent deal on the face of it, the truth behind that asking price is that back in September 2025, this RAM was less than half the cost it is today – when it's reduced. In fact, this current deal on a solid DDR5 RAM kit is 2.5x the price it was only four months ago.

How's that for a bargain? Well, obviously through that lens, it isn't a bargain, but compared to the rest of the RAM landscape, it's about as good as it gets, sadly.

Even a DDR4 (last-gen) 32GB RAM kit will set you back $240 (at least) on Amazon currently (sticking to known brands, as I'd advise you should, rather than shaky sounding memory products). As we've seen recently, that older memory standard also getting much pricier is a more recent unfortunate trend.

Analysis: a note of caution for potential buyers

How did we get here? The price of system memory has shot up thanks mainly to a combination of two factors. Firstly, the exploding popularity of AI in all its various forms has led to a huge demand for RAM to fuel this (in data centers where AI workloads are handled). That's not just system RAM, but also video RAM (graphics cards are heavily involved in that processing, too).

What's made this worse is that memory manufacturers cut back on chip production in the past, as there was a glut of supply – meaning this spike in demand has been a lot harder to handle. RAM, and also storage, particularly with higher-end SSDs (these drives all use memory chips, too), have therefore seen huge price rises, as an unprecedented level of demand has been met with lean supply levels.

The other problem here is that correcting those chip stock levels is not an easy process, as memory makers can't magic extra production (huge factories, or fabs as they're known) into existence overnight. Bringing extra manufacturing capacity online is a long-term task, and the thinking is that while there are new fabs being made, they won't be in action and making a meaningful impact on the supply situation until 2028.

What this unfortunately means is that this year, and likely 2027 too, are going to be very difficult times for RAM supply, and consumers will certainly be getting the shortest end of the memory stick (PC makers and other bulk buyers, obviously including those data centers, are the priority). There are a lot of predictions that RAM price hikes are going to get worse before they get better or stabilize.

So, am I suggesting you buy this Amazon deal, then? I can't make that call for you, and in all honesty, it still feels bad to be forced to drop that much money on 32GB of RAM for your PC. On the other hand, as noted, this offer is as good as it gets (from what I can see at the time of writing for a decent DDR5 kit), and in a year's time, $345 might look like a bargain in the US (and the same might be true of the equivalent deals in your region right now).

However, that said, if you don't have a desperate need for RAM in the near future, and aren't planning a PC build for some time, I'd be tempted to hold out until prices start to normalize – which could happen sooner than the experts think, perhaps. As long as your computer will do for some time, being patient is likely still the best approach, and I won't be rushing to buy memory myself.

Storage, on the other hand, is likely to be a different matter. You can still get relatively palatable prices on lower-end SSDs, and if you think you might need one of those in the near future, I really would think seriously about buying now.

• Chrome 151 will drop support for macOS 12 Monterey
• That means certain older Macs will no longer get browser updates
• You can switch to a different browser, or get a new Mac

Over time, shiny new gadgets become outdated and obsolete ones, and Google has announced it will no longer be offering updates for its Chrome browser on older Mac computers from the end of July this year.

More specifically, Google Chrome version 150 will be the last to support macOS 12 Monterey, as per an update (via Notebookcheck) on the Chrome Platform Status site. Chrome 151 is "tentatively scheduled" to launch on Tuesday July 28, 2026.

In other words, if you're on a Mac that can't be upgraded to macOS 13 Ventura, you're not going to get the vital Chrome updates and security patches you need to stay safe from July onwards. You'll need to either upgrade your Mac, or switch to another browser.

If you are affected, Chrome won't suddenly stop working when version 151 arrives (we're currently on Chrome 143). However, you won't get any new features, and more importantly, you won't get important security updates from Google either.

Recent macOS history

macOS 12 Monterey was released in October 2021, with macOS 13 Ventura following the year after. We're now up to macOS 26 Tahoe for the latest Macs, which Apple pushed out to the masses in September of last year.

To check the version your Mac is running, click the Apple icon in macOS (top left), then choose About This Mac. If you're unable to upgrade to anything beyond macOS 12, then you must be using a relatively old Apple laptop or desktop, using an Intel chipset.

You can install macOS 13 Ventura on iMacs and iMac Pros from 2017 and later, Mac minis from 2018 and later, Mac Pros from 2019 and later, MacBooks and MacBook Pros from 2017 and later, and MacBook Airs from 2018 and later.

While Safari hasn't been updated on macOS 12 since July 2024, the latest versions of Firefox and Microsoft Edge do still fully support the older operating system. If you don't want to change from Chrome though, it might be time to invest in a new Mac.

This week, the NexPhone has been making serious waves. In case you missed the revelation of this piece of hardware, it's a three-operating-systems-in-one smartphone, a seriously clever idea that's set to ship in Q3 2026, and it caught me completely by surprise.

The 6.6-inch NexPhone runs Android, as well as desktop Linux and Windows 11. As was made clear when we interviewed the CEO of the maker Nex Computer, it's essentially trying to bridge the gap between the phone and the PC by turning that phone into a computer.

So, it's a phone that can be a phone (obviously), but it can also boot a desktop OS and effectively be a computer, either running that environment on the small phone display – with tweaks so the OS works better here – or more ideally, connected to an external monitor of some kind, with Windows or Linux depicted in its full glory.

It's not a new idea, but the way it's done here is very remarkable. You can boot to Android or to Linux (Debian) and still access all your files on the Android system. Or you can go in another direction entirely, and boot Windows 11 (without Android file access, mind) – but this isn't some cut-down flavor of Microsoft's desktop OS. This is full-blown Windows 11.

Why am I so stoked about this prospect? Well, firstly, it's just really cool to think you can have your Windows 11 setup accessible on your phone, to the point that it's just a matter of plugging in the handset to a monitor, and away you go (with some additional input peripherals, naturally).

You'll be able to run all your Office apps on the NexPhone when it's acting as your Windows 11 PC and carry out other basic computing tasks. I've seen people worried that the admittedly somewhat old mid-range ARM mobile CPU (it goes back half a decade or so) might struggle running Windows 11, but based on YouTube footage of the device in action, which has been aired this week, it seems like the OS should work fine with the basics.

Of course, you won't be able to do anything remotely demanding – but for emails, browsing, dipping into Office, and so on, it all looks relatively okay in performance terms. There's 12GB of RAM backing up the Qualcomm CPU, incidentally, which should be enough. It's also worth noting that the CPU has been picked for its long-term support, with 10 years of that in the pipeline, a comforting prospect.

Money talks

The second thing that excites me about the NexPhone is its potential to save people money. While it's more targeted as a secondary phone, or work smartphone (it's a rugged model, incidentally), I can see a market for this later in 2026 for people who are priced out of buying a PC, perhaps.

We've got the RAM crisis, of course, and SSD prices are also heading skywards, so it's no secret that PCs are going to become a good deal more expensive this year. Indeed, these price hikes are widely predicted to get even worse before the situation improves (or even stabilizes), and the reality is that some folks may need to buy a new computer in 2026, but may not be able to afford one. Even though their current PC may be in dire need of replacement and on its very last legs.

If they're also mulling a new (affordable) phone in the near future, the NexPhone could be a tempting middle ground that gives them entry to both worlds. The $549 price will effectively secure two devices: a new mid-range smartphone and a Windows 11 (or Linux) PC. That could seem quite the bargain in a time of spiralling prices (RAM has got truly ridiculous now).

For this niche set of buyers, the NexPhone could be a way to sidestep this whole PC pricing nightmare. It's your phone, it's your PC, and if you get (or already have) a portable display (and Bluetooth keyboard), it could be your laptop, too.

Just scratching the Surface

The final reason the NexPhone is a truly intriguing development is not the device itself, but what it points to in the future. Now this hardware exists – and if the reality of how useful it seems actually pans out, it'll surely pave the way for others to make similar devices.

Even if performance does feel a bit wonky with the Windows 11 side of the equation on the NexPhone, which is one of the main points of skepticism – that and 'who wants Microslop Copilot on a phone' (just use the Linux desktop, then) – a beefier version of such a phone can remedy that.

Further to that, here's another thought: maybe this could prompt Microsoft to consider creating its own higher-end version of this concept? I may be wrong, but I've got a feeling the NexPhone could be a very important step forward in terms of bringing together the worlds of mobile and desktop computing, which, one way or another, is going to be the future.

• RAM prices in Germany are still going up at a rate of knots
• DDR5 memory is up 27% month on month, and is now 4.4 times more expensive than it was in July 2025
• DDR4 (and DDR3) RAM isn't quite as pricey, but it's catching up with DDR5's massive inflation, and these German numbers reflect the global picture

Here's your weekly dose of bad news on the RAM front, with rising prices in Germany serving as yet another indicator that the price of system memory worldwide is likely to keep increasing – even from the exorbitant levels it's already reached.

VideoCardz spotted that German tech site 3D Center updated its 'memory crisis price index' which, as the name suggests, tracks RAM pricing at German retailers (and only retailers – third-party marketplace sellers or auction sites, also known as scalpers, aren't included).

The figures for January 2026 show that DDR5 RAM (in Germany) is now 4.4 times more expensive than it was in July 2025, just half a year ago (based on an average price of 20 different DDR5 products across various RAM kit capacities and speeds).

The good news – such as it is – is that DDR5 memory is not going up as steeply now compared to the previous month, notching a 27% increase, which sounds a lot, but not when viewed through the lens of the 93% hike from November to December.

Looking at older RAM, meaning DDR4 and also DDR3 memory – and the latter is growing increasingly popular as a budget alternative for some folks with the pricing crisis – these prices are rising faster than DDR5, but are still at a relatively lower level of inflation in total.

In January 2026, the DDR4 and DDR3 RAM kits that 3D Center monitored rose by 46% in terms of their cost, which was a faster rate of increase than the previous month, when their price inflation was 30%.

Compared to July 2025, these older standards of RAM are 3.2 times more expensive, so not reaching the same levels as DDR5 yet. But month-on-month increases are steeper, meaning DDR4 (and DDR3) is catching up with DDR5 for the overall price spike experienced.

Analysis: a global headache that isn't going away

Of course, it makes sense that with DDR5 having gone truly through the roof (and still climbing skywards), those who are thinking they may need an upgrade of their DDR4 memory are now watching the price of that RAM mirror the newer standard in terms of a meteoric rise – and likely deciding to pull the trigger before things get any worse.

On top of that, perhaps those who are building a new PC are simply electing to go the DDR4 route instead – or even DDR3, maybe, if they want a PC for basic computing tasks only. However, I still wouldn't recommend stepping back in time quite that far if you can at all avoid it, although these products remain very cheap (relatively) even with price inflation (which is obviously the attraction for a niche set of buyers).

While this is just one temperature taken in terms of how the RAM market is overheating right now, the German tech scene is the biggest in Europe, and it obviously reflects what's happening across the globe. While there will be slight differences from market to market, all of us are seeing huge price spikes, and elsewhere DDR4 pricing is likely to mirror what's happening in Germany now. We're all suffering from the same dwindling RAM chip supply, after all.

Meanwhile, 3D Center points out another worrying development which is fresh for this month – GPUs are rising in price and are up 14% (compared to September 2025). That sounds nothing compared to the RAM hikes, of course, but it's still a sizable jump for products which in many cases already cost a huge chunk of cash, and some high-end graphics cards in particular have been hit badly, as we've seen.

Storage is also witnessing large hikes, with SSDs up 79% in price according to 3D Center's stats, and hard disks now up 53% (compared to July 2025). Building a new PC from scratch is becoming a much pricier endeavor as a result, as you are paying a lot more for your system RAM and SSD, and a chunk extra on the GPU to boot.

The obvious prediction is made by 3D Center, which is that high prices are not going away, and if anything, they're going to get even worse. About the best we can hope for is a shift towards a plateauing of prices for the products that have seen near-vertical climbs in their cost, notably DDR5 RAM, and a fall in pricing would only be precipitated by some big event like the AI bubble bursting (which is not likely, to put it mildly).

• Micron has defended its decision to shutter the Crucial brand of consumer RAM
• A marketing exec said, "Our viewpoint is that we are trying to help consumers around the world. We're just doing it through different channels."
• This refers to the majority of Micron's consumer business as being supplying RAM for OEM PCs, and the exec has a point to an extent – but so do those who are complaining

The RAM crisis continues to rage, and some consumers are still raging too, remaining unhappy with Micron ditching its Crucial brand last month – but the memory maker has just been defending this decision.

Wccftech interviewed Christopher Moore, who is VP of the Marketing, Mobile, and Client Business Unit at Micron (hat tip to VideoCardz). The tech site asked the executive a range of questions on the current RAM shortage as it relates to consumers and AI demand (as the profits made due to the latter are the reason system memory is getting thinner on the shelves for consumers).

The first, and primary, question Wccftech posed was about the backlash and negative sentiment around Micron's decision to shutter its Crucial consumer brand in favor of selling RAM to data centers for AI usage.

Specifically, the tech site asked about "whether memory suppliers are inclined towards catering to the AI sector, leaving consumers behind", and Moore took what might seem a surprising angle initially.

The VP said, "Well, first I would want to try to help everybody understand that the perception may not be exactly correct, at least from our point of view. So I would never want to tell someone what to think or that they're wrong, but our viewpoint is that we are trying to help consumers around the world. We're just doing it through different channels. We still have a very sizable business in the client and mobile markets. We are also, of course, servicing our data center customers.

"And what's going on right now is that the TAM [total addressable market] and data center is growing just absolutely tremendously. And we want to make sure that, as a company, we help fulfill that TAM as well."

Of course, Micron representing its Crucial shutdown as "trying to help consumers" has not gone down well, since, on the face of it, this nugget of a statement could feel like doublespeak or PR nonsense.

However, there's a fair bit to dig into behind what Moore means here, and Micron's broader presence in the consumer RAM market.

Analysis: Crucial isn't the big deal here – but it's still a psychological blow

When Moore says Micron is "trying to help consumers" but is "doing it through different channels", what the VP is referring to is the memory maker supplying PC manufacturers (OEMs) with RAM modules for their desktop computers and laptops (the "very sizable business in the client and mobile markets").

Micron is one of the biggest suppliers of RAM in this regard, so what Moore is arguing is that this is still supporting consumers, rather than abandoning them – even though the Crucial brand, the RAM sticks on shelves that people can buy directly (as opposed to in a PC), is going away.

Of course, the argument then becomes that average consumers still want to buy directly, off retail shelves, themselves, and that just supporting OEMs (for consumer PCs, which of course does still benefit everyday folks) is robbing them of this ability – and so this is still a 'ditching' of support for the average PC owner.

What we can't forget, though, is that Micron also sells memory chips to other third-party consumer RAM brands, and in theory, there may now be more supply available to them (rather than it appearing under the Crucial label, from Micron, it'll just have a different badge on it).

Not convinced about any of that? Well, the indisputable thing is that there will be a certain amount of RAM supply produced for consumers in 2026 (by which I mean the memory modules that end up on retailer shelves, whether in online stores or bricks-and-mortar shops). That will be less this year, because there's a RAM supply shortage, and AI is a far more profitable sector to sell to versus consumers (for everyone, not just Micron) – that's a fact. And crucially (ahem), whether or not Crucial exists arguably won't (meaningfully) affect those availability levels (and therefore consumer pricing). As noted, whatever supply is available for RAM on retail shelves (not a great deal) will get out there, whatever label it has slapped on it.

Further, remember that Micron hasn't said it is favoring OEMs more (over consumers) now – it has always done so anyway – although we don't know what's really happening behind closed doors in meeting rooms and on the production lines in the big factories (and if there has been any shift in that respect).

Some RAM clarity, please

Am I trying to defend Micron here? It might seem that way, but I'm just attempting to clarify where the firm is coming from, and to make the point that the exit of the Crucial brand isn't really the primary pain point to focus on.

These overarching RAM woes are being caused by the galloping success of AI, which shows no signs of abating – but it's also partly the fault of memory makers (Micron, along with its rivals) for their past actions in terms of trimming down production too much in tougher times (when there was an excess of supply). Let's not forget that. That's a major factor as well as the AI boom itself, as the RAM industry started well on the back foot with too lean an inventory.

Ultimately, as with any business, decisions are made largely on the basis of profit, and with only so much RAM supply to go around – which is to say not nearly enough – AI will get the lion's share, as there's far more money in it, and consumers will get the crappy end of the deal. That's just the cold world of business.

All this said, I can see why Moore's comments are not going down well with some folks (see this Reddit thread, for example), and why the closing down of the Crucial brand seems very much like a blow, as it's a very negative signal about how Micron feels about its consumer stock and sales. That's undeniable, hence the negative reaction in turn towards Micron from those consumers, who are seriously (and rightly) frustrated with the situation as regards system memory (or indeed VRAM) right now.

Meanwhile, Moore notes that Micron has moves afoot to boost its production capacity, but those expansion plans won't see any meaningful impact on RAM supply until 2028. Again, that's another warning signal that memory woes could last not just throughout this year, but they could remain a big problem next year, too. In fact, that's seeming more and more likely by the day.

• Framework just hiked the price of its desktop PCs, particularly the top-end model
• The company said that the "memory outlook as we enter 2026 continues to get worse"
• It warned: "It's clear that this is going to be a challenging year and possibly even years for consumers"

Framework, which makes modular laptops along with a DIY desktop PC – all offering a range of custom configuration choices – has sounded a warning bell regarding RAM pricing.

The PC maker explained that: "We held off on it as long as we could, but with LPDDR5x memory prices from our suppliers continuing to increase rapidly, we've had to update the pricing on Framework Desktop systems and Mainboards."

In an update to a blog post about the current volatile memory market, Framework further noted that with its desktop PC: "The prices of 128Gbit parts (of which we use 8 to get to 128GB) have spiked the most, impacting our very popular 128GB configuration."

The price of all its desktops has gone up, although Framework says any existing pre-orders won't have their asking price changed. The 32GB and 64GB PCs have been kept "closer to our original pricing", but the computer with 128GB has seen a big price hike.

The 128GB configuration of the Framework Desktop is now 50% pricier than the 64GB version (carrying the same hardware spec otherwise). This means you're paying $820 (in the US) for the extra 64GB of system RAM, making for one nasty sting of a price hike.

Most worrying, Framework also wrote: "The memory outlook as we enter 2026 continues to get worse. From what we learned in meetings throughout the week at CES with suppliers, distributors, and partners, it's clear that this is going to be a challenging year and possibly even years for consumers."

Analysis: stormy seas ahead – but for how long?

That last quote is one of the more pessimistic predictions we've seen on how long the memory crisis might drag on. The use of the word 'years' is not comforting, and it suggests that RAM supply and pricing difficulties could persist through not just this year, but next – and maybe even longer.

There have previously been suggestions from some quarters that we may not see a return to normal for RAM costs until 2028, and this appears to back up this notion – although it is still couched as a possibility by Framework, not a foregone conclusion by any means.

Ultimately, those well placed in the industry are only offering their best educated guess as to how prolonged these component price hikes may be, which go beyond RAM and into storage (which also uses memory chips), as well as GPUs (which have video RAM).

It puts PC makers in a difficult position, of course, and consumers who are trying to buy parts to build their own computer, too. For that reason, there's a lot of gloom around PC sales predictions for this year, and about all we can do is hope to get 2026 out of the way, and that a recovery might be in line for 2027.

However, given the gathering momentum behind AI – which is a key factor in the RAM crisis, as tons of memory is being bought up for AI usage (including copious amounts of VRAM in AI GPUs) – it's easy enough to remain pessimistic. Especially as Framework's viewpoint seemingly comes from a wide-ranging set of conversations with all its various suppliers and others along the distribution chain.

On January 11, 2005, then Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco and unveiled the original Mac mini.

At the event, Jobs revealed that Apple finally had an answer to a question he kept hearing from consumers: “Why doesn’t Apple offer a stripped-down Mac that is more affordable?”

Cue the first-generation Mac mini. The entry-level model came with the following specs for a price of $499 / £339 / AU$799:

• 1.25GHz PowerPC G4 processor
• 256MB of 333MHz DDR SDRAM, expandable to 1GB
• 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive
• Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive
• ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor with 32MB video memory
• One FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports
• 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet networking and 56K V.92 modem
• Internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth
• DVI or VGA out (adaptor included), composite/S-video out with optional adaptor and
• Built-in speaker and headphone/line out

All of this was packed into an impressively small body that measured 2 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches / 51 x 170 x 170 mm, and was “the most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS X and iLife," according to Jobs.

One of the reasons Apple was able to keep the price down was because it was, as Jobs announced, “BYODKM” – Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse. It was Apple’s first Mac that didn’t come with a display and peripherals.

Boasting about what a product doesn’t come with is pretty bold, and it was an angle that Apple soon dropped. However, the fact that the Mac mini Jobs showed off in 2005 is remarkably similar to the Mac mini you can buy in 2026 is testament to how Apple nailed its compact computer.

What no one at Apple could have hoped for at the time – and certainly something I never imagined – is that 21 years after the first model launched, the Mac mini is easily the best PC on the market for most people.

Compact killer

While the device that Steve Jobs introduced to the world 21 years ago is unmistakably a Mac mini product, Apple’s diminutive Mac has had several redesigns over the years. In 2010 it got an aluminum unibody design that gave it a sleek and modern look that was so iconic Apple didn’t do much to change it until the Apple Mac mini (M4, 2024), when it kept the unibody design but made the overall size of the PC even smaller, while packing it with powerful components, including the M4 and M4 Pro chips.

The Mac mini also remains the most affordable way to get a Mac, with the latest model launching at $599 / £599 / AU$999, which isn’t a huge increase over the original model.

This is why I recommend the Mac mini to anyone looking for a new desktop PC (unless you want one for gaming – if that’s the case you’ll still want to get a Windows 11 desktop PC with discrete GPU). There really aren’t any Windows 11-based mini PCs that offer the same level of design, build quality and performance for anywhere near the same price.

Looking at our best mini PC buying guide, the closest alternative is the GMKtec NucBox G10 mini PC, which is certainly cheaper than the Mac mini, but doesn’t look quite as nice, and can’t compete power-wise.

There’s also the Geekom A9 Max mini PC, which definitely brings the performance, and the Mac mini-inspired design isn’t too bad (though still not a patch on the original) – but at $999 / £999 it’s almost twice the price of the Mac mini.

Of course, with the Mac mini you’ll be using the macOS operating system, but even if you've not used it before it’s not a huge culture shock these days, and you'll get used to it pretty quickly. And, with Microsoft seemingly breaking Windows 11 with every other update while also cramming in unwanted AI features, swapping operating systems isn’t a bad idea at all.

I’m no Apple fanboy, but I have to give the company credit for launching a product that in its 21st year continues to beat almost all of its competition – and hopefully we’ll see a new model with the M5 chip sometime soon.

After attempting a major branding overhaul of several of its major PC lines last year, Dell appears to have reversed course and is reviving the XPS brand at CES 2026.

"We're getting back to our roots with a renewed focus on consumer and gaming," Dell Technologies vice chairman and chief operating officer, Jeff Clarke, said in a statement. "XPS is back, better than ever."

Among the first devices to sport the restored moniker are the new Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16, as well as the return of the Dell XPS 13, which will come later this year.

More than just a name: Dell's redesign of the XPS is a welcome change

The new lineup is thoroughly redesigned, with a focus on premium materials, interfaces, and mobility. The new devices are sporting CNC aluminum and Gorilla Glass in their construction, along with a unibody base with structural side walls integrated into the body to boost rigidity and durability.

And, if only to really drive the point home for consumers, the XPS logo is moving to the front lid of the device for the first time, replacing the Dell logo that's marked Dell PC and laptops for many years.

The new Dell XPS design makes a number of changes that I've been hoping for since the launch of the Dell 13 Plus a few years back.

The ‘virtual’ function keys—effectively a touchbar with small backlit labels—used over the past few generations of the XPS 13, XPS 14, and XPS 16, as well as last year’s 14 Premium and 16 Premium, have been replaced by physical keys.

What's more, the touchpad isn’t hidden on the glassy chin of the laptop’s key deck as with earlier models, as the new XPS sports subtle lines around the touchpad, letting you know where it is.

Dell XPS 14 &XPS 16 Specs

The new Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 models will use Intel Core Ultra 300 series processors with Intel Arc integrated graphics featuring 12 Xe cores, and will no longer have options for discrete graphics. That said, Dell claims the new XPS models get more than 50% faster graphics versus the previous generation. There is also a redesigned thermal system to improve airflow in the thinner chassis to help keep the systems cooler and quieter.

Both models are very thin, measuring in at just 14.6mm thick, and the XPS 14 weighs in at about three pounds, while the XPS 16 weighs about 3.6 pounds, according to Dell. For the displays, there will be options for tandem OLED panels or 2K LCDs.

Perhaps most importantly, Dell claims up to 27 hours of use, or more than 40 hours of local video playback on a charge. If true, this would put the XPS ahead of even most ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops and MacBooks on the market.

Initial configurations go on sale in the US on Jan 6, starting at $2,049.99 for the XPS 14 and $2,199.99 for the XPS 16, with additional configurations and global availability to come. The Dell XPS 13 will launch later this year.

I know, I know – keyboard shortcuts are hard to remember, and most of them are so niche they're not even worth trying to waste memory on.

But some are incredibly useful, and I've put together this list of the shortcuts I actually use day-to-day for work, browsing, and gaming.

You may already know some of them – but I'm willing to bet you'll learn at least one new trick from this article that'll save you time and Windows-fueled headaches.

I put all of them in one quick-lookup table directly below, but if you want more in-depth explanations, use cases, and bonus shortcuts, read on.

These are the 10+ Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts I can't live without…

1. Windows + .

Windows + . is an incredibly handy little timesaver that not many users know about.

If you've ever Googled 'skull emoji,' tried to find an ASCII face like '( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°),' or realized you need the link you copied to your clipboard an hour ago, this shortcut, which opens the 'Emojis and more' table for you.

It's also invaluable for those who need to use special symbols like Em dashes (—), arrows (→), and various currencies ($ or £).

Windows + V will take you straight to your clipboard history, where you can see past text you've copied with Ctrl + C, and even recent screenshots you've taken. Clipboard history is disabled by default, but Windows + V will still get you there to enable it.

2. Windows + Shift + S

If I had a dime for every time I used Windows + Shift + S, I could buy Microsoft and get rid of Copilot.

Windows + Shift + S is far better than using PrtScn for screenshots because you can choose to grab either a rectangular area of your choosing, just the active window, your entire screen (taskbar and all), or even a freeform shape.

You can also use the toolbar at the top of Windows + Shift + S to switch to screen recording, a color picker that returns Hex, RGB, or HSL values, or a text grabber that allows you to quickly copy words from images or stubborn PDFs.

Plus, once you take a screenshot, you can paste it straight into chats or image-editing software with Ctrl + V.

Screenshots taken this way will be saved to the 'Screenshots' folder by default (not Downloads!)

3. Windows + Alt + Arrow keys

If you ever need to divide your screen up into halves or quadrants – so that you can read an article on the left side of your screen and take notes on the right half, for example – you can use Windows + Alt + Arrow keys for quick cycling between them.

4. Windows + Shift + Arrow keys

This one is for the multi-display users in the audience. If you kitted your setup with two or more of the best monitors, Windows + Shift + Arrow keys is a lifesaver.

You can quickly throw a full-screen video from your left monitor to your right one without having to exit full screen, drag the video over to the other monitor, then re-enter full screen.

It's also great for productivity, allowing you to quickly move spreadsheets or documents to your second monitor.

And for gamers, if a game starts on the wrong monitor you can move it to the correct one (though sometimes this will mess with the game's display resolution).

Plus, it comes in handy when Task Manager opens behind an unresponsive app and you can't access it otherwise.

5. Alt + Tab

Most of you with skin in the Windows game will be very familiar with Alt + Tab. It's a tried and true time-saver, letting you quickly flip through open windows without having to click around.

But it's so useful that I had to include it in this list just in case someone isn't already using it – if this shortcut were to disappear I might genuinely consider switching to Linux.

You can also use Windows + Tab to see all your open windows across multiple desktops, and it's better than Alt + Tab in some cases (for example when you want to look through your open windows without constantly holding down Alt).

6. Windows + Alt + G

If you want to capture highlights of your gameplay, share funny moments with friends, or have a replay to confirm your suspicions of a cheating enemy, Windows + Alt + G is the way to go.

You'll have to enable it before you can use it though, so be sure to open Xbox Game Bar with Windows + G (you do not need to own an Xbox), click the gear icon in the top nav bar to head to settings, then click Widgets and enable 'Record in the background while I'm playing a game.'

Once enabled, Windows + Alt + G will create a clip of the past 30 seconds of gameplay and save it to your Captures folder (in Videos).

You can also choose whether it records solely game audio, or desktop audio as well (which will capture mic inputs from Discord, for example). You can also use Windows + Alt + R to start an ongoing screen recording.

7. Ctrl + Arrow keys

Ctrl + Arrow keys is great for quickly navigating text. It jumps your cursor to the start or end of a word, and can be used in combination with Shift (Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys) to highlight entire words or lines of text at a time.

It's perfect for grabbing certain sections of text to copy and paste or delete without using your mouse or Ctrl + A, which highlights all of the text on a page or in a text input field.

If you want to highlight text letter by letter, or line by line, use Shift + Arrow keys.

8. Ctrl + F

I've saved my friends countless hours with this one. If you're searching for a name, a date, or even just a certain letter in a document or web page, Ctrl + F will do the searching for you.

After using Ctrl + F to bring up the search field, simply type in whatever you're searching for and use the arrow keys to the right of the search bar to jump directly to the text you want.

It also tells you how many times a certain word, number, or phrase appears on the page, which is useful if you're writing a paper so you can see when it's time to sub in a synonym. I just used Ctrl + F to see that this is the first time I used the word 'paper' in this article (it just jumped to two).

9. Ctrl + R

Ctrl + R refreshes the browser tab you're currently on, which is great for getting fresh results on limited-time sales events, live-blog pages, and YouTube recommendations, among other things.

10. Ctrl + Shift + T

Ctrl + Shift + T will open recently-closed tabs on browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.

This is a huge time-saver if you close a tab only to realize you need to look at it again, or if you accidentally close the entire browser and need to get your tabs back.

It reopens tabs in the order they were closed, so if you need multiple tabs open again just use Ctrl + Shift + T multiple times.

Got a favorite Windows 11 shortcut of your own? Let me know in the comments below!

• Dell and Lenovo are expected to increase pricing for PC hardware
• The purported price hikes are a result of increased demand for memory
• These changes are slated for mid-December and early 2026

With the AI boom sparking a trend of significant price hikes on memory (specifically RAM kits) and, eventually, SSDs, there are plenty of reasons for PC users and gamers to be concerned – and two major brands are the latest to be impacted.

As reported by TrendForce, Dell and Lenovo will reportedly deliver price hikes on PC hardware; it's stated to be a 15 to 20% increase from mid-December for Dell, and unknown increase from early 2026 for Lenovo. This is a result of increased demand for memory for AI servers and issues with supply chains globally, which has ultimately led to increased DRAM (and VRAM) pricing.

We're already seeing similar signs on both Nvidia's and AMD's end; both are reportedly considering discontinuing budget graphics cards due to rising VRAM costs, and other rumors suggest Team Red is gearing up to increase its Radeon GPU prices.

Dell and Lenovo are responsible for a wide variety of pre-built desktop gaming PCs and laptops, while the latter has multiple handheld gaming PCs on the market. While the purported 15 to 20% price hike estimate is specific to Dell, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a very similar increase for Lenovo's products.

Considering how expensive RAM kits are, with some costing almost $1,000, it's not looking very good for PC (and even console) hardware at this stage, leading into 2026.

Analysis: If you thought handhelds were too expensive, it's only going to get worse

I have been very critical of manufacturers and brands setting obscene prices for handheld gaming PCs, notably Microsoft and Lenovo for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2, respectively. If you share the same sentiment, I'm afraid that matters are only going to get worse.

While SSD price hikes haven't been ushered in just yet, they're expected to eventually rise at a similar rate to RAM price increases, which have already spiralled out of control.

Fortunately, I haven't yet spotted a major impact for RAM on pre-built PCs or handhelds' prices yet, but I worry that the recommendation to push for 32GB of RAM for gaming is where consumers may find issues.

When you combine both SSD and RAM price hikes, it's a duo that could lead to dark times for PC consumers. This goes for upcoming and current handhelds, as well as Valve's Steam Machine, which many gamers are already disregarding due to suggestions of an entry-level gaming PC price, and this will only worsen with RAM complications.

At this point, the only hope to reverse these price hikes will be a pop to the current AI bubble, which is seemingly impacting every region of technology. Will that happen though? At this stage, I don't think so.

• More details have been spilled about Google's incoming desktop OS merger
• A job ad provides info on how this mix of Android and ChromeOS will work
• The plans for 'Aluminium OS' sound far-reaching and certainly have exciting potential for desktop PCs and more affordable AI laptops

We've learned more details about Google's plan to merge Android with ChromeOS to make a new and improved desktop operating system thanks to a job listing.

Android Authority spotted the LinkedIn advert (which has now been taken down) for a 'Senior Product Manager, Android, Laptop and Tablets' based in Taiwan who will be involved in a "new Aluminium, Android-based, operating system".

Take all of this with some seasoning, but it appears to confirm the Aluminium name – or more likely a code name, in the same vein as Chromium, which is the underlying engine of Google's Chrome browser – as well as revealing more about how this desktop take on Android will work.

We're told Aluminium (yes, it's supposed to be the non-US spelling) will be an OS with AI at its core (no surprises there), and that Google has wide-ranging plans for the platform. Support across all form-factors is mentioned: laptops, tablets, 2-in-1s, and 'boxes' which refers to desktop PCs (which are, after all, big boxes – or indeed small ones otherwise known as mini PCs). Furthermore, support across all tiers from entry-level to premium devices is planned, too.

In short, this will be a new desktop platform spanning all price brackets and types of devices.

Tellingly, the position advertised is responsible for driving both "ChromeOS and Aluminium platforms and devices" which suggests that the two platforms will exist in parallel.

At the same time, the blurb for the job ad mentions a strategy for transitioning "Google from ChromeOS to Aluminium with business continuity in the future."

That suggests Aluminium will replace ChromeOS eventually, as you might expect – but not for some time, with both operating systems running side-by-side for a transitional period.

Possibly a lengthy one at a guess. Aluminium is clearly the end goal, but there'll be a lot to deal with in terms of migration of devices from ChromeOS to Aluminium (where that's possible given the hardware).

It's also true that Chromebook is by now such a recognized brand of laptop that Google surely won't want to lose the pull of that name, and so ChromeOS could eventually be the name given to Aluminium – it'll take on the brand.

As Android Authority points out, Google engineers have called the existing Chromebook platform the likes of 'non-Aluminium ChromeOS' or 'ChromeOS Classic', which suggests Aluminium will eventually be the new ChromeOS. And ChromeOS Classic very much makes sense as the name for the legacy platform while it remains on older Chromebooks that are living out the remainder of their existence.

Analysis: Android desktop dreams (featuring electric sheep icons?)

It's exciting to hear more about Aluminium and how Google seemingly has plans in place for this new desktop operating system to take the baton from ChromeOS, with a period of transition before an entire replacement (where the very name might be taken by the newcomer, too).

The theory behind Aluminium is certainly more than sound. Tying it in with Android in a fundamental way like this – the other codename Google engineers use for the OS is 'Android Desktop' (which could also be the new name, perhaps) – has all sorts of advantages. When Google works on Gemini AI features for Android phones, those fresh capabilities can go straight to the desktop, with no need for any extra effort from coders (avoiding the possibility that some functionality could be neglected and not ported over).

Naturally, Android apps will be supported natively on the desktop, and not emulated, which will be pretty cool. Aluminium should help deliver a much better experience for Android tablets too, and there's quite a bit of anticipation around that. (Google will be looking to seriously challenge the iPad here.)

Of course, if you're thinking that it's one thing to build a nifty new desktop operating system that puts ChromeOS in the shade – but it's entirely another to create a desktop OS that can take on Windows or macOS and live to tell the tale, well, you'd be right. No matter how great Aluminium sounds, will it take on the desktop might of Microsoft? No, it won't – there are issues around software support, not to mention games and a number of such wrinkles – and besides, that's not the aim (not initially, anyway).

In the arenas where Chromebooks currently dominate – primarily education, but also business – Aluminium is surely going to help Google's progress, and that will be one of the main goals. On the consumer front, we're looking at the exciting possibilities already mentioned on desktops and laptops alike, from native Android apps to the potential of AI tricks aplenty courtesy of Gemini – all in an OS that should be nicely streamlined and tight (we hope).

And no, the AI stuff won't be to everyone's liking by any means, but we may see truly affordable laptops with some strong AI features in the nearer future thanks to Aluminium. (Although Copilot+ PCs have already become considerably less wallet-damaging, to be fair).

What's the timeline on all this kicking off? For now, we've been promised the first incarnation of Aluminium will be out in 2026, but it's likely a full release (to the public) won't be ready until the following year. And of course, development from there will be something of a long haul, with ChromeOS seemingly to be kept on in parallel. It's going to be very interesting to see how Google's grand scheme for desktops pans out.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27: One-minute review

The Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 might make me a convert to the all-in-one PC, thanks to its sleek and ergonomic build, vibrant screen, and solid performance. The fact that it can be used as an external monitor is not only the cherry on top, but a point in favor of it being considered among the best all-in-one computers out there.

Of course, the lack of modularity, as with any all-in-one, can frustrate those who are used to digging into cases and upgrading parts, but as far as a hassle-free package, this is one of the best computers you're going to find on the market.

That said, even outside of its form factor, there are a few issues, such as the 'just okay' sound quality and a confusing array of configurations.

I will admit that if you go on the Lenovo website or Best Buy in the US (where my review unit can be purchased), you won’t be quite as confused as me. But UK and Australia shoppers will have some very different configurations available to you.

Whatever configuration you go with though, they're all more than enough to satisfy your general computing and productivity needs, so if you’re in the market for an all-in-one PC, the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 is a very easy recommendation.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $979.99 / £1,020.00 / AU$1,149.00
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

Thanks in part to the continuing relevance of the Apple iMac and its current iteration, the Apple iMac 24-inch M4, every brand has some kind of sleek, attractive all-in-One computer on offer. And like the iMac, the hardware seems eerily similar to what you would get from a powerful Ultrabook or Macbook.

As such, AIO models like the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 are generally reasonably priced. The Yoga AIO 27 starts at $979.99 / £1,020.00 / AU$1,149.00, while the iMac M4 has a more expensive starting price of $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999, plus it has a smaller 24-inch screen. On top of that, Apple’s upgrades, whether for RAM or hard drive space, come at a premium.

Another good benchmark as far as price goes is the HP OmniStudio X 31.5. Its lowest configuration is actually cheaper at $830.99 (about £620 / AU$1,270) for an Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD, as well as a 1080p 27-inch screen.

It’s worth noting that there are some serious variations between what’s available in the US, UK, and Australia. The UK and Australia both have customizations (more on that below), unlike the US, with Australia actually offering discrete graphics.

So, Australians, at least, can probably game with this AIO, though everyone else will need to temper their expectations.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27: Specs

• Soldered RAM
• Configurations can vary widely by region

The offerings from Lenovo on the Yoga AIO 27 (specifically the 27IAH10 model) is pretty straightforward, however, there’s a lot of variance between territories.

In the US, you have two models available directly through Lenovo. The base configuration comes with a Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.

The more expensive model is the same, but with a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU and 1GB SSD. Best Buy offers a different model that’s similar to the more robust one, but without the touchscreen, which is what was reviewed here.

In the UK, you can choose CPUs including an even more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, between 512GB and a 1TB SSD, and you can choose between touch and non-touch screens. You are locked into 32GB of RAM.

Australia only allows you to choose the size of the hard drive, but is more powerful since it has that Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, 32GB of RAM, and actual discrete graphics in the form of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.

Regardless of what you choose (or have available to you), the RAM is soldered in, unfortunately.

As mentioned earlier, you are able to choose between a touch and non-touch screen, though the resolution (1440p), refresh rate (120Hz), and basically everything else about it is the same.

You can also choose whether you get an IR-enabled webcam or not for a nominal upgrade. Otherwise, everything on the exterior including the color called Luna Grey is the same regardless of model.

• Specs: 3.5 / 5

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27: design

• Sleek, attractive look with good ergonomics
• Good ergonomics
• Great looking screen that can be used with other computers

I remember when I first started seeing Windows all-in-one computers start to pop (long before I was a writer) and they were not pretty. The word I would probably use is egalitarian. So it was a bit of a surprise when I got the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 in all its Ultrabook glory.

Yes, in my opinion, this AIO is basically what you get when you take a Lenovo Yoga laptop and turn it into an all-in-one. It’s sleek, comes in a very attractive colorway called Luna Grey, and has a gorgeous screen (more on that later).

In fact, it’s so nice looking, I had to double check that it didn’t have an aluminum case. Instead, it’s made of 30% ocean-bound plastic – pretty cool for those worried about the environment. The box it comes in is also fairly sustainable as it’s all paper or cardboard.

Back to the computer, it has some good ergonomics. First, it has a round base that can pivot in either direction 90 degrees, while the screen itself can pivot and additional 45 degrees to each side. Its tilt is up 10 degrees and down 5, which I do wish was a little more. And it has a lift of 70mm. It’s pretty easy to adjust the screen to your liking.

Speaking of the 27-inch screen, its resolution is decent at 1440p, much higher than I'm used to seeing on AIOs. But what’s more impressive are its other aspects. It has a solid refresh rate of 120Hz, supports HDR (though Lenovo doesn’t specify to what degree), and has quite wide color coverage and accuracy.

In our benchmarks, it had a sRGB rating of 116.5% and DCI-P3 of 82.6%, meaning it’s great for colors but not as good for contrast. It does have an accuracy of Delta>0.21.

Other design details include two three watt tweeters and two five watt tweeters to support Dolby Atmos, dual microphones, and a five megapixel camera.

Some models have IR capabilities like the one reviewed and some do not, a feature useful for Windows Hello that unlocks the computer when you log in instead of having to type in a password or use a fingerprint reader.

If that’s worrisome, don’t worry. Among the buttons on the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 is an e-privacy shutter.

There’s also a power button, an OSD button for controlling screen settings, and a switch button as you can actually use the screen as a standalone screen for another computer or use just the computer part with an external screen.

That means that there are two HDMI ports, one out and one in. The port selection in general is pretty robust and also includes three USB-A and two USB-C ports along with an Ethernet and an aux jack. Some of them are on the back of the stand, while some of them are on the side.

Lastly, the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 comes with its own matching keyboard and mouse. They’re both wireless and work fine, but if you’re particular about your accessories, you might want to upgrade to one of the best keyboards and best mice, especially the mouse, as it doesn’t have any side buttons.

That said, I didn't have any issues with them during general use or even spending a bit of time working on them.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27: Performance

• Good performance for most work
• Using it as a monitor for another PC is seamless
• Sound quality is OK

I threw around the Ultrabook label earlier for the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27, and I mean it. The PC comes with the same CPU, integrated graphics, and RAM configurations that you would find on one of the best laptops that wasn't specifically for gaming.

In terms of day-to-day use, that means you can easily have a bunch of tabs open and do just about any productivity work you could think of. It can handle some creative work, such as photo editing, but is a bit underpowered for editing video or 3D design. That is, unless you like long rendering times.

It can do light gaming, but won’t be able to handle the latest AAA titles unless you can get your hands on a model with a discrete Nvidia GPU, which is currently limited to Australia.

Really, I find this best for having a large, pretty screen to do regular productivity work and maybe some streaming.

I’m more impressed by the fact that I can use the screen as a monitor for another computer. That 1440p resolution can be limiting if you have a souped up gaming laptop, but it does allow some device consolidation if you like to have one computer for productivity and one for gaming. Regardless, using it as an external monitor is pretty seamless.

While it’s nice that the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 can support Dolby Atmos, the sound quality is decent but not great. It’s a bit mid-heavy and doesn’t quite have the clarity that having the best computer speakers would.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27?

Buy the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If my Lenovo Yoga AiO 27 review has you considering other options, here are two other AiO PCs to consider...

How I tested the Lenovo Yoga AiO 27

• Tested for a couple weeks
• Used it for productivity, streaming, gaming
• Tried out its various features

I used the Lenovo Yoga AiO 27 for a couple weeks, mainly for productivity, and I also used it for some streaming and tried to do some light gaming as well, not to mention tested its various features.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

• First reviewed November 2025

Quoted Tech Shield: Two-minute review

The Quoted Tech Shield is the latest pre-built gaming PC from boutique Canadian PC maker, and it's an ideal gaming PC for anyone looking to get started playing the latest AAA games.

Everything about the Shield feels like it’s made to bring first-time PC gamers into the hobby by offering great components, easy setup and access to internals, and simple repairs (and warranties) in case things go awry.

The configuration I received, the Shield Extreme—which currently retails for CA$1299 (US$927, £975, AU$1,993)—features an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 2TB SSD storage. This is a fantastic spec for blistering-fast framerates at 1080p and with very respectable framerates at 1440p, though some settings tweaks might be necessary for QHD gaming.

First-time PC gamers might not immediately appreciate just how easy everything is to set up. I have reviewed dozens of gaming PCs over the years, and I can say that few gaming PCs make it this straightforward to get going, while lower-quality PCs can be a downright nightmare.

This extends to the easy access to the internals through a pin-drop hinged door, and the relieving lack of complicated bloatware that plagues most pre-built PCs.

Probably the most impressive part of the Shield is its three-year parts and five-year labor warranties, which deliver peace of mind for first-timers navigating their way through the intricacies of a gaming PC by ensuring a more reliable and less complicated experience than many established competitors.

Those positives don’t mean that there aren’t some issues potential buyers should understand before buying.

Most of the Quoted Tech Shield’s problems are with the case design and port selection.

First, the Shield skips out on USB-C ports entirely, which might complicate things if you want to buy the best gaming mouse and best gaming keyboard you can afford to complement your new PC, as many modern peripherals are making the move to USB-C.

The overall case design also feels a bit fragile, and more serious PC gaming enthusiasts may have an issue with the lack of personalization software—especially RGB aficionados, as the Shield only has a few pre-configured RGB effects that you can cycle through with buttons on the top panel. That said, the Shield is all about keeping things simple, so the lighting presets might actually be a plus for some users.

Overall, however, the Quoted Tech Shield makes up for its faults by delivering fantastic 1080p and strong 1440p performance, quiet operation, and a user-friendly design to account for future upgrades. Combined with its generous three-year parts and five-year labor warranties, the Shield is unquestionably one of the best gaming PC options available for an inviting, low-risk PC gaming experience without the intimidation of traditional PC building or more complicated pre-built offerings.

Quoted Tech Shield: Price & availability

• The Quoted Tech Shield starts at $1299 CAD (about USD $930 / £975 / AU$1,995)
• Available now in the US, UK, and Australia through Quoted Tech's website

The Quoted Tech Shield can be purchased through the company's website, starting at $1299 CAD (about US$930 / £975 / AU$1,995).

There are eight different configurations ranging from the starting 1080p esports build to high-end 4K set-ups, which will set you back CA$3,049 (about US$2,205 / £1,820 / AU$3,530).

My Quoted Tech Shield "Extreme" configuration targets 1440p gaming, and will set you back CA$2,449, or about US$1,775 / £1,465 / AU$3,530.

Overall, these are respectable price points for a gaming PC at any level, though those looking for something cheaper or more premium can easily do so.

• Value: 4 / 5

Quoted Tech Shield: Specs

• Specs: 4 / 5

Quoted Tech Shield: Design

• Internals are easily accessible through the hinged side panel
• Chassis is very basic and lacks customizable RGB lighting
• No USB-C ports

One of the best things about the Quoted Tech Shield design is how simple everything is, from the side panel that’s opened with a simple pin-drop hinge to the easily removable front panel screen for quick fan maintenance.

There isn’t a part that doesn’t have easy access on this gaming PC, making future upgradability a straightforward process, especially for those who are new to PC gaming.

That does come at the cost of a case that doesn’t necessarily feel durable. In fact, I would go further to say that the overall design of the chassis feels somewhat flimsy compared to others on the market.

Though the all black colorway looks great, the case feels like it's made of very thin steel; something that was apparent when our review unit arrived and the rear panel port panel and front screen panel had small dents in them. As such, the Quoted Tech Shield isn’t the type of gaming desktop that you'll0 want to move around too much if you're concerned about its aesthetic.

The RGB lighting will also strike you as entirely simple or entirely problematic, depending on your tastes. The Quoted Tech Shield prides itself on not offering bloatware, which I genuinely love, but that means you need to cycle through preset RGB color schemes via a button on the top panel. Thankfully, one of the settings allows users to turn off the lighting completely.

When it comes to port selections, there are plenty of standard USB-A ports, including three top-panel USB-A ports, as well as a pair of 3.5mm jacks for a headset and a dedicated mic. That’s more than enough for many gamers, content creators, and everyone else in between.

The biggest problem comes from the lack of a USB-C ports, as many accessories are making the switch to this interface, so you might have to invest in USB adapters to use new peripherals in the future.

• Design: 3 / 5

Quoted Tech Shield: Performance

• 1080p performance is outstanding
• 1440p performance is respectable
• Don’t expect any performance customization options

The plug-and-play design of the Quoted Tech Shield Extreme configuration I received is complemented by its impressive gaming performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 serve as a solid middle ground between basic gaming and high-end 4K performance, with very high frame rates at 1080p resolution and great performance at 1440p, even without having to rely on frame generation.

As mentioned previously, this is great for those who don’t feel like thinking much about customizing performance modes, wattage usage, fan speed, and the like.

For the more competitive side of gaming, the Shield Extreme will work perfectly in both 1080p and 1440p.

Games like Battlefield 6, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Valorant ran well past 100 fps at 1440p with settings maxed out. Meanwhile, Marvel Rivals at max settings averaged around 60fps at 1440p. All of this was without relying on upscaling, much less frame generation, so you can definitely push the visual framerate much higher for a smoother experience.

For non-competitive titles, especially newer, more visually demanding games like Assassin's Creed Shadows and Black Myth: Wukong are going to need upscaling to maintain high frame rates at 1440p, though native-only gamers can still get high framerates at 1080p with settings maxed out without ray tracing.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows ran at about 58 fps at 1080p on ultra high settings without upscaling, while it hit around 33 fps on average without upscaling. Likewise, with Black Myth: Wukong, I was able to achieve an average of 55 fps at 1080p with Cinematic settings, and about 30fps at 1440p on the same settings without upscaling.

The worst results were for Cyberpunk 2077, which hit around 20fps on the Ultra preset at native 1440p. Turn on DLSS 4 with the transformer model set to balanced, without frame generation, and at 1440p, I consistently hit an average of 74 fps.

General computing and creative content curation worked well outside of gaming. Opening multiple tabs in Google Chrome didn’t lead to any slowdown or OS hangs, while Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro not only ran well but also exported files fairly quickly.

Overall, the Quoted Tech Shield proves itself as a strong, no-fuss gaming desktop that balances accessibility with performance, making it an appealing, well-rounded choice for both casual gamers and multitasking creators.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Quoted Tech Shield?

Buy the Quoted Tech Shield if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also Consider

If my Quoted Tech Shield review has you considering other options, here are two other gaming desktops to consider...

How I tested the Quoted Tech Shield

• I tested the Quoted Tech Shield for a little over a week
• I ran our standard battery of benchmark tests, as well as games like Ninja Gaiden 4, Battlefield 6, Dying Light: The Beast, Valorant, and Forza Motorsport (2023).

I spent a little over a week testing the Quoted Tech Shield, using TechRadar's standard benchmarking suite and real-world experience across a range of demanding tasks.

During work hours, I used Google Chrome for multitasking—running several tabs for productivity tools and browsing sessions—alongside Adobe Creative Suite for video editing and design work.

For gaming, I split my time between games like Dying Light: The Beast, Black Myth: Wukong, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to measure performance in visually demanding titles.

For competitive gaming, I spent time with Battlefield 6, Valorant, and Marvel Rivals.

I've been reviewing gaming PCs for several years now, so I know exactly how a gaming PC at this level should perform, so you can trust that anything I recommend is worth the investment.

• First reviewed October 2025

• Apple just teased 'Something powerful is coming"
• The teaser shows a MacBook Pro unfolding, likely a new M5-powered model
• While the M5 chip is almost certain, a new color option might arrive for Apple's Pro laptops

Update October 15: Apple has just announced the new M5 MacBook Pro.

Original story follows:

While Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t offer the teaser this time around – as he did for the Sky Blue MacBook Air and iPhone 16e – the Cupertino-based company’s SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak just basically confirmed that at least one new Mac is on the horizon.

A post on X (formerly Twitter) captioned “Mmmmm… something powerful is coming” shows a video with what appears to be a MacBook Pro folded open to make a V, with “Coming Soon” flashed across in varying shades of blue. Now count the number of m’s he used and remember what roman numeral V is, and we’re pretty sure that this is a direct tease for an M5-powered MacBook Pro.

As far as when “Coming Soon” exactly means, given past teasers that Apple’s posted on social media, we’d expect this to come in hot later this week, potentially as soon as tomorrow morning, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

In recent years, as well, Apple has used October to launch new Macs and in 2024 debuted new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, a redesigned Mac mini, a suped-up Mac Studio, and a new iMac, all with the M4 chip. Seemingly, we’re at least getting one new Mac, which appears to be a powerful variant of the MacBook Pro with M5.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given Apple’s history of October launches and, more recently, rumors of the M5 Macs making their debut soon. The rumor mill thus far has been expecting Apple to keep the working, chunkier, and port-filled 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, but to swap in the more powerful chip under the hood.

The M5 MacBook Pro will likely come as the base model as well as Pro and Max variants – that is, if Apple follows its existing naming convention.

However, while the M4 MacBook Pro comes in Space Black and Silver, I have a hunch that this latest teaser might be hinting at a new color option. Similar to how Apple finally gave the Pro iPhones a pop of color with Cosmic Orange and a new shade of blue alongside Silver, Apple might be finally getting ready to unveil a colorful version of its Pro laptop.

From the teaser, it appears that the MacBook Pro in question might have a hint of blue, so while not as pastel or flowy as the Sky Blue MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro might usher in a deeper navy.

Of course, we’ll need to wait for Apple to make it official, but with a teaser from none other than Apple’s own SVP of Marketing, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a new Mac launch imminently. And TechRadar will be the place to be as we’ll break it all down as it arrives.

• New MacBooks and Macs are rumored to be incoming
• These models are due across 2025 and 2026
• Almost every Apple computer model could get a refresh

We saw rumors around the new M5 MacBook Pro earlier this week, and now a fresh leak may have revealed Apple's entire Mac launch roadmap for the rest of this year and across next year – through details in the macOS Tahoe 26 software development timeline.

Sources speaking to AppleInsider, who are apparently familiar with macOS Tahoe 26 development and testing, have suggested that the M5 MacBook Pro is indeed going to be unveiled in the not-too-distant future.

Then, we're going to get the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air refresh early in 2026, these sources say. Those models would replace the current M4 MacBook Air model, which we had lots of nice things to say about in our M4 MacBook Air review.

As per this leak, the new MacBook Air is making its debut at the same time as macOS Tahoe 26.2. The M4 version of the laptop was launched in March 2025, also with a macOS update – macOS Sequoia 15.3. So the parallels are there.

Desktop computers

After that, we're apparently getting the high-end MacBook Pro variants, running M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. It sounds as though these models will show up soon after the M5 MacBook Air, completing the M5 MacBook Pro lineup.

Apple has more Mac plans for 2026, it would seem: a new Mac mini and a new Mac Studio are then tipped to show up in the middle of 2026. They might be joined by a new iMac, but the sources behind the leak seem less confident about this model.

These desktop computers would all replace the current versions, of course: the most recent desktop Mac launch we've had was in March 2025, when the M3 Ultra Mac Studio made its debut, so updates will definitely be due by next year.

It looks as though it's going to be a busy time for Apple across the end of 2025 and 2026, and there'll be lots more from the company besides these Macs too: new iPad Pros and potentially the iPhone 17e are expected over the coming months.

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Another year, another fantastic concept product from Qualcomm that will never actually appear on shop shelves. The wheel turns, nothing is ever different...

Seriously, though, this might be the most upset I've ever been about getting hands-on time with a device that won't ever see the light of day in the consumer market. At the Snapdragon Summit 2025 in sunny Hawaii (special thanks to Qualcomm for flying me out there!), we saw the arrival of powerful new Snapdragon X2 Elite processors - and just like last year, Qualcomm had prepared some very polished reference devices to showcase its new chips.

Now, many companies either won't bother with designing fancy-looking reference units, instead showcasing actual market-ready devices from their manufacturing partners (or simply relying on showing statistics on a slideshow). Not Qualcomm, though: this year, the Snapdragon team's engineers clearly put a lot of work into producing some extremely nice-looking devices in shiny Snapdragon red, and you can see the whole lineup below.

Small but mighty

One device in particular caught my eye: the impossibly compact Snapdragon X2 Elite mini PC concept. It was about as thick as my smartphone (the Google Pixel 8) and measured less than six inches in diameter, equipped with USB-C ports as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and micro SIM slot for wireless internet capabilities. Thermal management is handled by the remarkable Frore AirJet compact cooling solution, which I originally reported on two years back.

Based on the seriously impressive performance projections of the new Snapdragon X2 platform, this thing would almost certainly find its way onto our ranking of the best mini PCs – if it were actually a real product, that is. By volume, it's even smaller than the newly downsized M4 Mac mini, which won a rare five stars in our review earlier this year (though Apple's tiny computer does still have a smaller footprint).

As a self-confessed mini PC lover, I was enthralled by this tiny red circle - not least because of how powerful this thing is. The Snapdragon X2 Elite chip offers a serious step up in performance against the previous-gen X Elite, and this time around, there's also the even more powerful X2 Elite Extreme.

The new Extreme chip offers more than 40% faster performance in Adobe Lightroom and Premiere Pro compared to the original Snapdragon X Elite, along with 28% faster photo editing in Photoshop (as demonstrated by a live PugetBench test I was shown at the event). I also saw a laptop with the same chip average 90 frames per second in the 3DMark Solar Bay benchmark - an impressive score for a device without a discrete GPU.

Make it happen, Qualcomm

Now, these reference devices are merely expected to demonstrate what Qualcomm's OEM partners could do with the new X2-series processors. But after seeing some of these devices in action, I was left thinking one thing: guys, perhaps you should just make and sell some of these things yourselves?

Honestly, it's not often I see test hardware like this and actually think yep, I'd buy that. This little red disc had me genuinely enchanted from the moment I picked it up. Such performance in such a tiny form factor is practically unheard of in the computing space, with most mini PCs being three or four times as thick as Qualcomm's reference device.

And don't even get me started on the Snapdragon all-in-one system on the same display. I like a good all-in-one, and it's once again an area where Apple dominates, thanks to its excellent M4 iMac 24-inch. But this device took it one step further; the display and base are actually just a dock for a similar (but square) tiny PC, which might have been even smaller than its circular sibling. Let me tell you, reader, when I saw that thing detach, I was shook.

So please, Qualcomm – perhaps it's time to take matters into your own hands, and properly enter the consumer hardware game. You've clearly got the creative staff needed to make great designs, and the new X2 chips speak for themselves.

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• A Mac Pro has again been rumored for launch later this year
• It'll come with an M4 Ultra based on clues drawn from Apple's internal code
• M4 UItra could run with a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU in theory

The next iteration of the Mac Pro might see Apple powering the computer with an M4 Ultra chip, we've heard again.

It's been a couple of years since the last incarnation of the Mac Pro, which used the M2 Ultra, so it would be a considerable leap in performance to upgrade to a theoretical M4 Ultra – but Macworld reports that this is what's in the cards.

This is based on Apple's internal code that Macworld caught a glimpse of somehow, which contained the identifier 't8152' – and we're told this suggests the use of the M4 Ultra, codenamed 'Hidra' (a name that's previously been aired on the rumor mill via Bloomberg).

There's not much else to this rumor, and Macworld doesn't have any details on the spec, although it theorizes that the M4 Ultra could run with a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU.

As ever with this kind of leak, it could be genuine and yet never come to fruition. It might just show us that Apple has been testing a Mac Pro configuration along these lines – but it's possible that this machine may never see the light of day, ending up canned at some point in prototyping.

Analysis: M4 or wait for M5?

This leak tells us a couple of things. Firstly, that Apple staff can't spell 'Hydra' (well, okay, alternatively let's say Apple engineers can't think up decent codenames). And, being serious, that it does appear increasingly likely that a new Mac Pro design is going to pitch up later this year.

Indeed, the Mac Pro coming out later in 2025, complete with M4 Ultra, was suggested over a year ago now, so this latest nugget of speculation backs up the previous buzz on the grapevine.

On top of the weight of rumors starting to add up, there's also the fact that for Apple, the Mac Pro is in something of an odd predicament right now. This is due to the M4 Pro flexing some considerable performance muscles, and outgunning the Mac Pro's M2 Ultra. The upshot is you can buy a Mac mini (with M4 Pro) and get better performance – at least in terms of raw CPU power – than the Mac Pro, which isn't a good look for the seriously pricey computer.

Not that the Mac Pro is competing with Apple's compact Mac mini, of course – it's a heavyweight pro-targeted PC that offers a lot of advantages in terms of hefty memory loadouts and PCIe expansion options. It is a very different beast indeed, but still, Apple needs to keep the Mac Pro on a reasonable footing in relative performance terms - again meaning that the rumored refresh with an M4 Ultra seems more likely.

A two-year gap also seems a fair enough timeframe for a refresh, and it feels somewhat unlikely to me that Apple would want to wait until the M5 series before pushing out a new Mac Pro given the above reasons.

That said, there are those who've argued that the M4 Ultra isn't going to happen – due to issues around jamming two M4 Max chips together, which is what the Ultra chips do – and that Apple will indeed wait it out for the M5 series to make another Ultra model.

So, everything's rather up in the air for now – but if an M4 Ultra is going to happen, it will surely be in a new Mac Pro, and we're likely to see more leaks soon enough. If the whispers go quiet over the next couple of months, that'll tell its own story.

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• Teenage Engineering has produced a new PC case
• The Computer-2 is a sequel to the Computer-1, but it's free
• It's made of plastic rather than aluminum, and unfortunately out of stock right now

Thinking of building a new computer? What if I told you that you could get the PC case for free - you probably wouldn't believe me, would you? Well, you can - with a couple of notable caveats, but this is still fundamentally a freebie.

The Verge reports that Teenage Engineering (more typically associated with nifty audio hardware) now has a sequel to its Computer-1 PC case. Can you guess what it's called? Yep: the Computer-2 case - in a stunning stroke of creativity.

The key difference is that, unlike the original case, which cost $ 149 in the US, the follow-up is free. Another notable change is that instead of aluminum, it's made of plastic, which is obviously a cost-saving measure.

In fact, it's a single sheet of semi-transparent plastic that folds into a PC chassis (using hinges and snap hooks). There are no screws needed, and the motherboard can simply be pushed and clicked into place, Teenage Engineering informs us.

It must be a (small) mini-ITX motherboard, mind, as this is a small form-factor (SFF) case for a compact PC build. It can fit an SFX power supply and a dual-slot graphics card (7 inches is the maximum length for the discrete GPU).

As well as the sheet of plastic that forms the chassis itself, you get the bits and pieces to go with it in terms of various power cables, fasteners, feet for the case to stand on, and so forth.

Analysis: What about those catches?

Okay, so coming back to the cost being a – literally – round figure of nothing - how on earth can this PC case be provided for free? Well, it can't, and Teenage Engineering is charging for the shipping to cover sending out the Computer-2 as you might guess (and likely a bit of that is to cover the cost of production). Of course, that's fair enough - it does mean you are getting the components themselves for free.

The other catch is that Computer-2 is already marked as sold out on the official website; you can only click to receive a notification when stock is back in. You can still examine the instructions, though, to get a better understanding of what construction involves, and exactly what you'll get.

By all accounts, the Computer-1 is a great case for a small PC build - and this new plastic take on the formula looks equally cool, especially given the price here (or lack of it). Anecdotally, I've seen a report of the shipping costing $16 (in the US) if you're wondering exactly what you might end up paying (when it's back in stock).

As for mulling over buying a cheap case in general, you can get some great products at the budget end of the market. Just be careful around airflow issues - especially if it's a gaming PC that you're building - and be sure to consult reviews to ensure you're not picking up a dud (and also our best PC cases buying guide will come in handy).

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Imagine a sunflower. Now imagine a computer that looks like one. Now imagine a sunflower-style computer running an interface that mimics the look and feel of glass. That's what I'm staring at – online at least – and I can't look away from this iMac G4 running Liquid Glass.

It's quite the mashup. The iconic iMac G4 launched 23 years ago with OS X and Liquid Glass is part of the macOS Tahoe 26 Public Beta, which launched just days ago. The project, spotted by 9to5Mac, is the brainchild of Colby Sheets, who first took the 2002 all-in-one, gutted it, and installed an M1 Mac Mini in 2021.

He posted about that on X and in this most recent follow-up, displayed a few images of what macOS 26 would look like on the iMac G4's floating, 15-inch active matrix LCD screen.

In a word, it looks lovely, but it's not just that the macOS 26 interface tries to ride the fine line between frosted glass mimicry and readable interface elements. I'm not sure I'd be as entranced if it weren't on the all-but-forgotten first floating-screen, all-in-one iMac.

I have a certain affinity for this system because it takes me back to a pivotal moment in tech history.

It was a recession, not a great time for computing or even the Internet, which was experiencing the aftermath of the rapid deflation of the dot-com bubble. Our industry needed something.

The last design and development spark had come, unsurprisingly, from Apple, which under returning CEO Steve Jobs' guidance introduced the first candy-colored all-in-one iMac that was both a design and commercial hit.

Things had been relatively quiet since then, with only the original iPod, more of a consumer electronics device, to inspire the Apple minions and gadget enthusiasts at large. On the computing side, it was the doldrums. Many of the Windows whitebox PC companies had either been acquired or were disappearing (Gateway, eMachines, Zeos), and what the rest of the industry was producing were mostly uninspiring tower PCs.

Blooming technology

The iMac arrived as a cover story in Time Magazine on January 14, 2002. It was weeks before the unofficial unveiling of the product at Macworld, so we all pored over the story and marveled at the images of this utterly unique system.

With just a 10.4-inch in diameter, circular, domed white base, chrome arm, and floating thin panel display, the iMac G4 looked nothing like the last iMac or any of the All-in-One PCs then filling Best Buy, Circuit City, and Micro Center shelves.

The design was quite intentional. Jobs recounted to Time the conversation he had in his backyard flower garden with then Apple Designer Jony Ive about how the new iMac should differ from the previous and arguably still quite popular model.

"Why have a flat display if you’re going to glom all this stuff on its back? Why stand a computer on its side when it really wants to be horizontal and on the ground? Let each element be what it is, be true to itself.” Instead of looking like the old iMac, the thing should look more like the flowers in the garden. Jobs said, “It should look like a sunflower.”

And so it does. The iMac G4 (for the CPU inside) is arguably the most plant-like of all iMacs before or since. New iMacs still have a floating display, but the base is flat and devoid of components, which now all fit neatly inside the screen panel body. Any other design, and Colby Sheets probably could not have squeezed Mac Mini components inside the classic iMac.

Up close and still out of reach

A few months after the Time Magazine article and the Macworld launch, an iMac G4 finally arrived at PC Magazine, where I worked in 2002. In person, it was even more impressive. Our first look lauded the new system's design, though we weren't thrilled with the "insubstantial" keyboard and one-button mouse. Still, the bundled software that included iMovie, iTunes, iDVD (the system could burn CDs and DVDs), and iPhoto stood out among PC offerings.

My romanticism of that design is a direct result of its brevity. Apple shifted away from the sunflower look within two years, replacing it with the iMac G5, which set the design language for all future iMacs.

I, though, have reason to think of the iMac G4 every so often. On many of my weekly walks with my wife, we make our way through our small town, walking by all the business storefronts. Inside one, quite close to a window, is an iMac G4. I've never seen it turned on, but each time, I fantasize about marching into the business and asking the proprietor to sell it to me.

Maybe someday. And then I guess I'll gut it and run macOS 26.

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Windows 11’s position as the default operating system for PC gamers could at last be coming under threat, with an increasing list of games being natively ported to rival platforms such as Linux and macOS.

A prime example of this is the recent launch of Cyberpunk 2077 on Macs. After a rocky launch on PCs and consoles in 2020, it has blossomed into one of my favorite games of all time, and I’m thrilled that people with compatible Macs, as well as new Nintendo Switch 2 owners, can now experience this brilliant game.

Cyberpunk 2077’s arrival on Macs is particularly exciting for me. Despite one of my earliest memories of PC gaming being playing Lemmings on a Macintosh (in black and white!), it’s fair to say that gaming on Macs hasn’t really taken off, with only a fraction of PC games being ported to macOS.

This has led to PC gamers only having one choice: buy a Windows machine. For people who don’t like Microsoft and its way of doing things, this was less than ideal.

With the rise of gaming-centric Linux distros like SteamOS and high profile games finally making their way to Macs, could this be the start of an exciting new chapter for PC gamers looking for Windows alternatives? Might we even one day see some of the best MacBooks also appear in our best gaming laptops buying guide?

Another exciting aspect about Cyberpunk 2077 arriving on Macs, is that this is a game that remains a graphical showcase with advanced effects, such as path tracing for ultra-realistic lighting and reflections, which unless you’re playing on the latest consoles, usually means you need a pretty high-end (read: expensive) gaming rig with a modern graphics card.

Modern Macs don’t have that; instead, Apple’s M-class chips that power the devices combine the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU), with shared (Apple calls it ‘unified’) memory. This design, based on Arm architecture and sometimes known as a system-on-chip (SoC), greatly differs from traditional gaming PCs and gaming laptops, which have separate CPU and GPUs, with GPUs having their own dedicated memory.

The conventional wisdom has been that for a game that’s as graphically-demanding as Cyberpunk 2077 when playing at high PC presets, you need a system with a dedicated GPU (often this means a graphics card like the Nvidia RTX 5080).

With Cyberpunk 2077 now available for Macs with integrated graphics, while promising to offer PC-level graphical fidelity (read: superior to console graphics), this is an exciting moment for PC gamers – could it prove that you don’t need a discrete GPU for playing modern AAA games, as well making macOS a viable alternative to Windows 11 for gaming?

Go big or go home

While Cyberpunk 2077 is now available to buy through Apple’s App Store on the Mac, you can also buy it from storefronts such as Steam and GOG – and if you’ve already purchased it for PC, you should be able to install it on your Mac without having to buy it again – I was able to download it onto my Macs via GOG Galaxy without having to rebuy – and it also allowed me to continue my playthrough from where I’d left off on PC thanks to cloud saves and cross progression, which makes switching to Mac pretty painless for PC gamers.

I’m lucky enough to have access to a range of modern Macs and MacBooks, so as soon as Cyberpunk 2077 became available, I wanted to test it out on the most powerful Mac I could get my hands on – and that just so happened to be the Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra), kitted out with a 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU and 256GB of unified memory.

It’s one of the most powerful Macs Apple has ever made – and also one of the most expensive, with a $8,099 / £8,299 / AU$13,149 asking price that would make even the most dedicated PC gamer wince.

While the Mac Studio, even with these specs, is not a gaming device, I was looking forward to seeing what it was capable of with Cyberpunk 2077.

To be honest, that was probably a mistake.

Taking inspiration from the Steam Deck?

Unlike PCs, which are made up of various components from different manufacturers, and which are usually built by other companies (or users themselves), Apple has a tight grip over the hardware of its Macs, and that has allowed it, along with the developers of Cyberpunk 2077 to offer a bespoke graphics preset called ‘For this Mac’ which should give you the best graphics and performance for the Mac or MacBook you’re running the game on.

It's a cool feature on paper, as it should mean that Mac users who aren’t as comfortable with tweaking every graphical setting in a game to eke out as much performance as possible as seasoned PC gamers are, should be able to play Cyberpunk 2077 and get the best experience without even having to open the settings menu (as the ‘For this Mac’ preset is selected by default).

This reminds me of a similar feature of Valve’s Steam Deck gaming handheld PC, where ‘Steam Deck verified’ games use a default graphics preset for Steam Deck hardware, again to offer the best possible experience without users having to delve into the settings menu of each game.

Both of these features promise to make playing PC games a lot more like playing games on a console, where tweaking is kept to a minimum so you can just jump straight into a game and start playing. It’s also a feature that PCs can’t really offer due to the sheer quantity of hardware configurations there are.

When running Cyberpunk 2077 on the Mac Studio using the ‘For this Mac’ preset, I thought it was playing it a bit too safe, as it set the resolution of 2560 x 1440 (despite being plugged into a 4K gaming monitor), ray tracing turned off, and Apple’s own MetalFX technology, which like tech from AMD, Nvidia and Intel, renders the game at a lower resolution, then upscales it for impressive-looking games that don’t stress out your hardware too much.

With MetalFX set to ‘Dynamic Resolution Scaling’, at the target framerate set at 60fps, the amount of upscaling will fluctuate to keep the game feeling smooth, and in my tests it did a good job of sticking to 60fps.

However, the game didn’t look nearly as good as it does on my gaming PC. Now, admittedly I usually play Cyberpunk 2077 on a PC with an Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card installed, which is an incredibly powerful GPU, so I might be a bit spoiled when it comes to comparing the game’s performance on PC and Mac, though over the years I’ve also played the game on much weaker hardware.

Part of the issue is the shorter draw distance, and anti-aliasing seems to introduce a more pixelated look on some objects. Also, in the neon-lit world of Night City (where the game takes place), ray tracing lighting effects make a huge impact, especially when the lighting reflects off puddles and other reflective surfaces (using even more advanced path tracing tech). Without ray tracing, the overall look of the game takes a big hit.

So, having established that the Mac Studio can play Cyberpunk 2077 out of the box at 60fps, my next mission was to tweak the settings to see if I could improve the visual quality of the game, while keeping framerates playable.

Keeping most of the settings the same, I upped the resolution to 4K (3840 x 2160), turned on ray tracing (to its highest settings) and path tracing. This time, the average frame rate dropped to 20.74fps – far too low to produce anything close to a playable frame rate.

Turning on AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation, a feature that uses AI to generate frames that get inserted in-between normal rendered frames with the aim of increasing the frames per second without impacting the hardware too much, and changing the MetalFX scaling to ‘Quality’ to see if that helped improve the look of the game did result in an improvement in graphics, but the slight bump in framerate to 25.69fps was still too low.

Switching MetalFX to ‘Balanced’ upped the framerate again to an actually playable, though far from ideal, 30.82fps.

Turning MetalFX’s setting to ‘Performance’, which lowers the rendered resolution for improved performance, and relies more on upscaling (at the cost of visual fidelity), boosted the frame rate further to 38.61fps.

Dropping the resolution back down to 1440p (and turning off ray tracing) saw a huge uptick in frame rates to 89.67fps. You’re not just relying on MetalFX to upscale the game, however, as you can switch to AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) tech, which is used in a wide range of PC games already, and unlike Nvidia’s rival DLSS tech, which is limited to Nvidia’s most recent GPUs, AMD FSR isn’t exclusive to AMD hardware. The tech is a lot more established than MetalFX for upscaling games, and switching to FSR saw frame rates more than double to 196.98fps.

This result is far more in line with what I was expecting from the hardware, and it meant I had headroom to increase some of the settings to improve the graphical fidelity of the game. Increasing the resolution back up to 4K brought an expected hit to frame rates, but it still hit on average 135.51fps, which is still excellent (and as the 4K monitor I’m playing on has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, it means I still have some headroom to increase settings, as anything above 120fps will be a bonus).

With that in mind, I turned ray tracing back on, but limited it to reflections and medium settings for ray-traced lighting. The game looked much better, though the framerate dropped to 69.59fps, a major fall that shows how demanding ray tracing is on the GPU.

As the Mac Studio is not a gaming device, I wanted to keep the frame rate at an achievable 60fps, rather than sacrificing too many graphical bells and whistles to boost the frame rate into triple digits.

So, changing AMD FSR to ‘Performance’ I turned on more ray tracing features, including sun shadows, and upped ray-traced lighting to ‘Ultra’. This dropped the framerate to 60.83fps on average, which meant I’d hit the sweet spot between performance and graphical fidelity.

M3 Ultra is no RTX 5090 killer

Now, getting an $8,000 PC to hit 60fps may seem disappointing, especially for PC gamers who are used to splashing out lots of money and getting incredible results. Playing Cyberpunk 2077 on my PC with the RTX 5090 means I’m used to having all the graphical settings at their very highest settings, along with the demanding path tracing feature also enabled, and seeing frame rates in the high 100s.

This shows that despite its power, the Mac Studio is not a gaming machine, but the addition of Cyberpunk 2077 and its solid performance means that it is a workstation PC that can also play games – and with good (if not spectacular) results.

What about MacBooks?

I also tried out Cyberpunk 2077 on a 15-inch MacBook Air (M4), a much more mainstream and affordable Mac. While it offers only a fraction of the performance of the Mac Studio, it’s far more popular – and it’s this kind of Mac that most people will be playing on.

Because of the entry-level specs of the MacBook Air, which features an M4 chip with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, plus 16GB of unified memory, I left Cyberpunk 2077 on the default ‘For this Mac’ preset, which uses the ‘medium’ texture quality and a resolution of 1710 x 1068, which is a step down from the native Retina resolution of the MacBook Air’s screen, which is 2880 x 1864.

MetalFX is set to Dynamic Resolution Scaling with a target of 30fps, and ray tracing is (unsurprisingly) turned off. With these settings, the game hit a rock-steady 30fps – and it actually impressed me far more than the Mac Studio performance. Let me explain.

Set your expectations

The reason I wasn’t that impressed with the Mac Studio’s performance with Cyberpunk 2077 is that my expectations were too high, whereas with the MacBook Air, my expectations were much lower (and more realistic), and that meant they were surpassed.

While 30fps might not sound like much (it’s certainly the lowest frame rate I’d consider playable), the fact that you’re running such a graphically-ambitious game on a device that not only doesn’t have a discrete GPU, but also a laptop that doesn’t even feature fans, is seriously impressive.

This is a very thin and light laptop and runs completely silently – a big contrast to most gaming laptops that are usually big and bulky, and pretty noisy when the built-in fans kick in to keep the hardware cool.

The solid out-of-the-box performance also means it’s a great example of how bringing Cyberpunk 2077 to the MacBook Air, a laptop that’s less expensive than a lot of gaming laptops, allows people who wouldn’t usually buy a gaming PC to play one of the best PC games ever made.

The smaller screen of the 15-inch MacBook Air compared to the larger 4K monitor I tested on also helped, as rough edges and other graphical blemishes that can be visable when you start lowering graphics settings and resolutions are far less noticeable (and more forgivable) on a smaller screen.

Using what I learned from playing the game on the Mac Studio, I turned on Frame Generation and switched the upscaling to FSR, and got a frankly excellent 69.83fps. This gave me scope to increase the texture quality to ‘High’, and it appears with minimal impact as I then got 65.32fps on average. But would turning on ray tracing prove too much?

Yes. Turning ray traced lighting to ‘Medium’ saw the frame rate drop to 39.12fps. Not disastrous, but it definitely makes the game feel less smooth. Changing AMD FSR 3.1 to Dynamic Resolution Scaling with a target of 60fps saw the framerate climb to 51fps, but the fluctuating image quality used to try and maintain that target meant it wasn’t worth the sacrifice for ray tracing. Turning it off, I was back to well over 60fps, and the game looked good and played well despite running on a non-gaming laptop. However, while the fanless design of the MacBook Air means the laptop remains silent, it does get quite toasty, with the space between the top of the keyboard and the hinge of the screen getting noticeably warm.

I do worry that during long play sessions (which many people, myself included, often indulge in with games like this) the MacBook Air could overheat which could result in reduced performance and even crashes where the game becomes unresponsive. However, during my time playing on the MacBook Air or the Mac Studio, I didn’t get any game-ending crashes.

After playing on both ends of the Mac spectrum, with the ultra high-end Mac Studio and affordable MacBook Air, I have to say I was most impressed with the MacBook Air, especially after a bit of tweaking that allowed me to play the game at above 60fps. For people who have never set foot into Night City, the Mac versions are a great choice, though PC gamers might not be that impressed.

There were also three surprising things that really stood out to me while playing Cyberpunk 2077 on the Mac, some of which I’d love to see in the PC version.

1. Spatial audio could be a killer app

Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac supports spatial audio via Apple’s AirPods earbuds, and I was very impressed with the results. Apple has a lot of experience in this field, with its AirPods devices offing impressive virtual surround effects for films, TV shows and music mixed for Dolby Atmos.

I used the AirPods Max while playing Cyberpunk 2077 and was extremely impressed with the results. The audio quality was fantastic, and the noise from the hustle and bustle of Night City really did feel like it was coming from all around me, making the game world feel even more immersive.

It was far better than most virtual surround sound systems I’ve tested with gaming headsets, though it still doesn’t quite compare to a real, physical surround sound setup.

The reason why it’s so successful is because Apple incorporates head tracking into the AirPods’ spatial audio, so the way you move your head influences the volume of the sounds you’re hearing in each ear. I’m massively oversimplifying it, but it’s an element I’ve not experienced with PC gaming headsets, and I was impressed with how well it worked with this game.

It’s limited to Apple’s own headphones, which (especially in the case of the AirPods Max) are quite expensive, but I could definitely see spatial audio support becoming a real selling point for gaming on Macs in the future.

2. 'For this Mac' presets are a great idea

When I first heard about the ‘For this Mac’ presets, I thought it was a good idea, allowing non-technically minded people get a solid gaming experience that’s tailored to the hardware you’re using.

In practise, it does mean you can fire up the game and get playing without any tweaking, which takes away some of the complexity that PC gaming has developed a (not entirely unfair) reputation for.

It’s definitely something I’d like to see more of with Mac gaming – especially considering it’s not really possible to do on a Windows PC – and it could encourage more people to try out gaming.

However, I found the settings were a bit on the cautious side, which is understandable but does mean that some Mac gamers could miss out on performance and effects if they stick to the preset.

It does offer a good springboard, however, for tweaking if a gamer does want to push the hardware and eke out better performance.

3. Cross platform saves mean Macs can be a great gaming backup

One thing I really liked was that the Mac version of Cyberpunk 2077 is available on the Steam and GOG game stores (as well as through the App store), and as I had already bought the PC version from GOG, the Mac version was sitting there for me to install without having to repurchase it.

It also offers cross platform progression, so when loading up the Mac version I was able to carry on from my last cloud-based save, essentially letting me continue from where I left off on my gaming PC.

This means my MacBook Air is now a viable gaming alternative if I’m travelling away from my gaming PC and desperately want to play Cyberpunk 2077 (it happens) – and it could make a MacBook a more enticing prospect for PC gamers looking for a non-gaming laptop.

It could work the other way as well, with Mac gamers who fall in love with the game potentially investing in a gaming PC, though if you buy the App store version you’ll need to buy it again on PC, as the App store isn’t available in Windows 11. You won’t have to buy a copy for every Mac you use, however.

Overall, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t mean gamers can throw out their graphics cards and dump Windows 11 for good, as gaming PCs are still the best place to play a game like this, but it’s an exciting glimpse of what the future holds for gaming on Macs.

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We’ve been hearing for months that Apple is planning to bring AAA game Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition to macOS, and yesterday we finally got a release date: it’s due to arrive tomorrow, July 17. It’s the news Mac gamers have been waiting a tortuously long time to hear.

As someone who games on both a PC and a Mac – and who absolutely loves Cyberpunk 2077 and has been playing it for years – I’m super excited to try out one of the best single-player games on my Mac. Because this isn’t just one of my favorite games on one of my favorite computers. No, it looks like Apple and CD Projekt Red are going above and beyond to make this an experience custom-built for Mac gamers. And that means there’s a lot to look forward to.

Game-changing performance

As an Apple gamer, I’m used to performance that lags behind my PC. Don’t get me wrong, Apple silicon has been an absolute gamechanger for Mac gaming, and I can still get decent frame rates in most games on my MacBook Pro. But despite Apple’s lofty claims, it’s always seemed like wishful thinking to imagine that the integrated GPU you find in Apple’s Mac chips can compete with any of the best graphics cards.

That’s why the key detail that leapt out at me from Apple’s announcement was the claim that Cyberpunk 2077 will be able to run on a Mac at 120 frames per second (fps) when using ultra settings. Considering how incredibly demanding Cyberpunk 2077 is, that’s bona fide gaming PC performance and would be a massive step up for Mac players.

If that’s what you can potentially eke out of a game like Cyberpunk 2077, then other, less-demanding games could perform even better. Sure, MacBook Pro displays are limited to 120fps, but you might be able to max out all settings and still hit that refresh rate in other titles. It’s an enticing thought.

Of course, everything depends on which chips will be able to achieve this kind of output. Apple hasn’t given any specifics here, but when we went hands-on with Cyberpunk 2077 on a Mac, it reached 120fps at ultra settings using an M4 Max chip. It’s unlikely that lower-rated chips will hit those numbers too – I’m not holding out too much hope for my M1 Pro MacBook Pro – but we’ll have to see how they perform when we get some testing time with the game.

Interestingly, software is seemingly just as important here as hardware. Yes, a high-end chip will undoubtedly help you reach those sky-high numbers, but some of the most interesting tidbits from Apple’s Cyberpunk 2077 announcement were related to software.

For instance, Apple said that MetalFX Upscaling would be available on launch, with MetalFX Frame Interpolation and MetalFX Denoising coming later this year. Starting with MetalFX Upscaling, this renders the game at a lower level than your display’s native resolution, then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to scale it up. Nvidia and AMD already have similar techs, and they do a fantastic job (in some cases, the upscaled version actually looks better than the original), so this could be a major boost for macOS.

MetalFX Denoising, meanwhile, will allow “real time path tracing on the game’s highest quality graphics settings,” Apple says, and that’s something that could provide an incredible boost to visual fidelity.

The AI revolution

What’s fascinating to me is that these are all AI technologies. They come at a time when Apple’s headline AI (specifically, Apple Intelligence) is widely perceived to be seriously lagging behind rivals like ChatGPT and Copilot.

Yet while most people envisage chatbots when they think of AI, artificial intelligence is actually far broader, as these gaming techs show. Apple has long been a strong AI performer – its image processing and Siri suggestions being two examples you’ve likely encountered on an iPhone.

Of course, we don’t yet know how well all of these MetalFX techs will perform, with MetalFX Frame Interpolation and Denoising not expected until later this year. But they could counter the argument that Apple is falling behind in AI (a contention that was never the full picture anyway).

Of these AI features, MetalFX Frame Interpolation is the one that has piqued my interest the most. Apple says this generates a new frame for every two input frames, resulting in much smoother gameplay than you would normally be able to achieve.

This is sure to reignite the impassioned “fake frames” debate that has been playing out ever since Nvidia and AMD introduced their own frame-generation features. Yet provided Apple can avoid stutters and jerkiness, I think this is unlikely to bother Mac gamers – for most Apple fans, being able to enjoy smooth framerates on Mac hardware is likely to outweigh any high-level concerns about whether the frames are “real” or “fake.” The true test will be at more modest hardware levels rather than the M4 Max and M3 Ultra we’ve seen Cyberpunk played on so far.

A serious gaming test

And then there are all the other interesting additions that are unique to the Apple edition. This version comes with “dynamically calibrated HDR optimized for Apple XDR displays,” Apple says, alongside Spatial Audio with head tracking (providing you’re listening with a pair of the best AirPods), plus “For this Mac” graphical presets that are “individually optimized for every Apple Silicon Mac model.”

That all makes me think that Apple is trying to do this the right way. It’s making use of its other products and adding its own techs that are tailor-made for its devices, rather than just plugging in upscaling and frame generation tools from Nvidia or AMD and hoping for the best.

The last few years have shown that Apple is taking Mac gaming seriously. Cyberpunk 2077 will be the sternest test of that commitment – but if Apple does it right, it could also be its biggest success story so far.

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• A 'bioinspired super-adhesive filter' has been tested by Korean scientists
• It uses oil, mimicking 'mucus-coated nasal hairs' for better filtering of dust
• Your PC could be a lot more dust-free in the future as a result, if this ever comes to fruition with mesh case filters

The dust filters that aim to prevent particles from getting inside your desktop PC or laptop could take a big leap forward in the future, thanks to an invention that models itself after the human nose.

The 'bioinspired super-adhesive filter' has been tested by Korean researchers, and it's essentially an oil-coated mesh that more effectively stops dust, or other infiltrating particles, in their tracks.

A paper in the journal Nature, authored by scientists from Chung-Ang University in South Korea (as highlighted by Tom's Hardware), explains that the invention is "inspired by the natural filtration abilities of mucus-coated nasal hairs," which doesn't evoke the most pleasant of images.

The reality is that it's a 'biomimetic filter' featuring a thin liquid coating, and just as with nasal hairs, that liquid helps to trap invading particles more effectively, as they stick to it. Or as the paper puts it: "When PM [particulate matter] encounters the mucus, a meniscus forms, generating strong adhesion by capillarity."

The result of this oil-based filter mimic should be a more dust-free computer. And while the researchers are primarily targeting the likes of household or industrial air filtration systems, the tech could be applied to anything where a dust filter is needed, including the humble PC.

The filters use a "thin, uniform silicone oil layer" which is sprayed on, and they capture significantly more particles than traditional efforts, and are effective for 2-3x longer, we're told.

To extend their usable lifespan, the filters can be washed, dried, and the oil reapplied by simply spraying it on (with a non-toxic oil obviously being used).

Analysis: maybe snot

Should we prepare ourselves for the Cooler Master Mucus 5N0T PC case, then? Well, maybe not, but this innovation could have serious benefits for the world of computers.

There's a balance required with the typical desktop PC case or laptop chassis, in that they need plenty of vents to keep the components inside cool. However, a lot of space for air to move through for cooling means a lot more dust potentially enters the PC.

Traditional meshes try to capture that dust, but don't always do much of a good job. Sure, they help, but if you look inside your PC (through the glass window on the side, if it has one), you may notice it's pretty dusty in there.

After a few years, dust can accumulate in a considerable quantity, particularly around the CPU fan and likely the graphics card as well, if you don't clean inside your PC case. And let's be honest, most of us are way too good at procrastinating when it comes to that kind of PC housekeeping (I know I am).

New filters that rely on oil could be a real boon in terms of keeping your PC a lot more dust-free throughout its lifespan, perhaps eliminating the need for any cleaning at all one day - or at least making this chore a far more infrequent task.

If all this talk has inspired you to clean up your PC, do so very carefully (using a can of compressed air), and make sure you look at some good advice on how to carry this out properly (without damaging fans). That's especially the case with laptops, and I wouldn't recommend trying to open a notebook case, in order to clean inside, to anyone but the most tech-savvy readers.

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• Apple could be working on a system to update Macs while they're still boxed
• This is based on clues in the latest developer beta of macOS 26
• Such a system is already used with iPhones, though it's not clear how Apple would get this to work with Macs

Apple's Macs could leave the shelf with a fully up-to-date installation of macOS on board in the future, preventing any need for a day-one update from the buyer, if clues in the latest developer beta are any indication.

9 to 5 Mac reports that the macOS Tahoe 26 beta 3 contains the groundwork (initial references and code) for such a system, which is already in place for the iPhone.

It's called Presto and it allows boxed iPhones to be updated to the very latest version of iOS by retailers - without removing the hardware from its sealed package - if the devices need an update beyond the version of the operating system they shipped with.

This saves the customer the trouble of applying an update right out of the gate, which is incredibly convenient.

The Presto hardware itself is a rack with six bays that can have six iPhones placed within. It uses wireless technologies to switch the phones on, update them, then turn them off. (MagSafe and NFC to turn the devices on, by all accounts, and Wi-Fi to pipe the actual update through.)

Analysis: Boxing clever

If Macs are going to get the benefit of having fully up-to-date software when they're taken home by the buyer, it begs the question: how is Apple going to pull this off with laptops and PCs? The system might have to work very differently for a bigger piece of hardware, and Macs don't have NFC either - so it's not clear how the sealed PC could be triggered to power on in its box (and off again afterwards).

9to5Mac suggests that maybe Apple could add NFC back to its macOS devices, or that perhaps a different mix of wireless tech could be used with Macs. Whatever the case, it's not clear how Apple would pull this off as it does with iPhones, but it may require a substantially different spin on the concept.

Furthermore, just because a potential feature is spotted in the background of beta software doesn't mean it'll ever come to fruition. That said, the presence of the code here does indicate that this is at least something Apple is seriously considering - watch this space, I guess.

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We’ve known that Cyberpunk 2077 is eventually coming to the Mac, and developers CD Projekt Red (CDPR) have been hard at work – and still are – at getting the title fit to run on any Apple Silicon-powered device. That means the massive AAA title, which has been frequently used to benchmark systems, will be able to run on the M1 chip or newer.

It was reconfirmed at WWDC 2025 – Apple’s week-long developer conference – that it would be arriving later this year, and back with the launch of the new Mac Studio, TechRadar saw a demo of it running on that super-powered computer.

Now, though, I had the chance to get another demo of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition – a newer version of the in-development title – on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip and 128GB of RAM.

It was on ‘Ultra’ settings with a buttery smooth and excellently rendered 120 frames per second. And yes, this performance is derived from Apple’s M4 Max chip – no discrete GPU required. Further, this was fully taking advantage of Apple's Metal 4, coming later this year, including MetalFX Frame Interpolation.

It looked fantastic and was responsive, but that had me thinking about the plans to launch this on any Apple Silicon Mac.

I was curious about performance on less powerful chips within Apple’s lineup, as the requirement for the title is expected to be Apple Silicon, meaning it should run base M1, M2, M3, or M4 chips as well as the more powerful creations.

I asked Pawel Sasko, Associate Game Director of CD Projekt Red, about what performance might look like on other Macs with different levels of performance from various chips, like even a MacBook Air.

He first explained that Cyberpunk 2077 is running on CDPR’s proprietary Red Engine Four, which is designed to be scalable. “It's trying to use everything that given platform provides,” Sasko explained and called out that the title is available on a variety of devices already, including the Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of its release on the Mac.

"Red engine is basically trying to check what hardware you have and squeeze out the max you can have,” he continued. Meaning that Cyberpunk 2077 will work to run and deliver the best performance based on the chip you have inside. Sasko couldn’t give a specific number yet based on the chip or a potential Mac SKU, but that’s because the game is still not finalized – CDPR is still working on it and polishing it.

Sasko even shared that they’ll work on optimizing performance until the very end, and recently CDPR figured out how to optimize cloth, also known as what a character is wearing, to make it look better.

Suffice to say, he shared that “We're trying to squeeze everything that given hardware gives us,” meaning it will run the best it possibly can on the Mac – which likely means that a more powerful chip, like an M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max, will deliver the best results.

And the good news is that we’re likely only a few months away from one of the biggest AAA titles arriving on the Mac – the CDPR team wouldn’t give an exact time frame, but Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will arrive in 2025.

I also got to see this demo of the title shortly after Apple unveiled macOS 26 Tahoe, which will introduce the Games app. Although CDPR hasn’t announced if it will be integrating with the new hub, it will work with the new ‘Game Overlay.’

This is a sidebar that can be brought to the top right-hand side of the screen, making it easy to enable game mode, adjust brightness or volume, and even switch controllers, as well as connect with friends. You can also opt to push your MacBook further with different energy modes.

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• Apple unveiled its new macOS Tahoe 26 with new gaming features
• MetalFX Frame Interpolation and denoising will be available via macOS Tahoe
• It generates an extra frame between two input frames for better performance

Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote unveiled various improvements coming to Macs in in macOS Tahoe 26 – and the boosts to the Cupertino giant's gaming efforts are certainly noteworthy.

As highlighted in the keynote (streamed on YouTube), Apple's new Metal 4 graphics rendering API will introduce MetalFX Frame Interpolation and MetalFX denoising for macOS Tahoe 26, providing an Nvidia Frame Generation-like gaming experience. The new dedicated gaming app will also introduce a gaming overlay that's very reminiscent of Discord's updated overlay.

This comes at an ideal time with games like Assassin's Creed Shadows already available on the platform, and Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert on the horizon; if implemented well, frame interpolation should bring a significant enhancement to graphically-demanding games, especially if base frame rates are at a decent standard.

With MetalFX denoising and upscaling, ray-tracing will become a stronger possibility for powerful M-based Macs, with better performance and visual quality than before. The game overlay looks set to provide a more gaming-friendly user interface, especially with the mini social hub for quick communication with friends.

All of the new features may bring Apple's macOS closer to becoming a stronger gaming platform. It's still early days, so there's likely plenty more for Apple to reveal closer to macOS Tahoe 26's launch this fall, but it's a promising start.

Analysis: So Apple, how about that gaming handheld?

M3 and M4 MacBooks are all set for improved gaming once macOS Tahoe 26 becomes available. While gaming performance with those M-based chips is great as it stands, the addition of frame generation and denoising technology is a significant upgrade.

Apple's M-based chips are power-efficient thanks to their Arm-based architecture, and as I've mentioned previously, this would be perfect for an Apple gaming handheld. So Apple, I guess it still isn't time for one? I beg to differ, because despite the gaming library, which still needs more growth, I can easily see an M-based handheld being a powerhouse and outshining others.

Usually, there are tons of leaks and rumors before Apple officially unveils surprises, so I didn't expect to see a handheld at WWDC 2025 – but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that we'll see one at next year's keynote.

Wishful thinking? Probably, but I think Apple is missing out on easy win, as the handheld gaming market is arguably blooming more than ever before right now.

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Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference - aka WWDC - is upon us once more, and the 2025 edition looks like it could ring in some big changes for Apple. The rumor mill says that there are major redesigns planned for iOS on the iPhone, as well as iPadOS, macOS, WatchOS for the Apple Watch, and even tvOS for the Apple TV streaming box. Lots of people will be hoping for news on Apple Intelligence too (although I wouldn’t hold my breath on that if I were you).

But, in the words of the immortal Spice Girls - I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want – and that’s more games for the Mac. I am that rare breed of creature known as the Mac Gamer. It’s a small, select group, mainly consisting of me and Whoopi Goldberg, but it’s growing all the time and after decades of completely ignoring games on the Mac it looks as though Apple is finally showing some interest.

Game On

Apple has never liked games. John Carmack, one of the creators of Doom and Quake at id Software, once said that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs “didn’t think very highly of games”, and Jobs’ attitude meant that Apple effectively ignored gaming on the Mac for decades (“I never took it personally,” said Carmack).

That state of affairs didn’t really change until WWDC in 2023. After making headlines with the debut of the Vision Pro headset, Apple very quietly released a new software tool called the Game Porting ToolKit (GPT) that was designed specifically to help developers produce Mac versions of their PC games.

This seemed to mark a real change in Apple’s attitude towards games, and the launch of GPT did help to bring a few AAA titles to Mac for the first time, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Control, Death Stranding, and multiple Resident Evil games. But the fact remains that most A-List PC games never get released on the Mac at all, so here’s my wishlist for the Mac games scene at WWDC in 2025.

More Powerful Hardware

Even the best Macbooks and Macs have often been mocked for lacking the power to play games with modern 3D graphics – in fact, Macs couldn’t even handle ray-tracing until Apple introduced its M3 processors about 18 months ago.

Even now, many Mac games still require very expensive, top-of-the-range Mac models in order to run at high graphical settings. There are some pretty good gaming PCs available for less than £1000/$1000, and Apple needs to bring real gaming power to more Mac models in order to create a larger audience for new Mac games.

In Apple's defense, though, there's no denying that the best gaming laptops can get pretty expensive - and many people need a single lightweight system for work as well as gaming, not a desktop-replacement powerhouse machine that can't last more than two hours away from a wall outlet. So the potential is there; Apple just needs to step up.

More Tools For Games Developers

The Mac operating system (aka macOS) relies on a piece of Apple software called Metal to handle 3D graphics in games. In contrast, PC games generally rely on Microsoft’s DirectX graphics software instead, and converting – or ‘porting’ - DirectX games to run on Macs is a huge technical challenge for game developers.

That’s where the Game Porting Toolkit comes in, as it is specifically designed to help with this conversion process. Apple did introduce GPT 2.0 at WWDC in 2024, so releasing another update at this year’s WWDC would reaffirm Apple’s commitment to gaming. Apple could also simply buy Codeweavers, the developer of the open-source CrossOver software that GPT is partly based on (codeweavers.com). The CrossOver team has enormous experience in getting Windows games to run on Macs, and that could help Apple to smooth the path onto the Mac for many PC-based games developers.

Open Up The App Store

At the moment, many Mac games are only available via Apple’s own Mac App Store. Even if you’ve already bought Control: Ultimate Edition on Steam or the Epic Games Store then you’ll find that you still have to buy the Mac version separately on the Mac App Store – so you’re effectively paying twice for a game that you already own. Games on the Mac App Store also tend to be more expensive than on Steam or Epic – where the PC version of Control: Ultimate Edition is currently on sale at a bargain price.

This applies to lots of other Mac games too, so Apple really needs to allow developers more freedom to sell their Mac games outside the Mac App Store. Unfortunately, Apple’s long-running legal battle with Epic over selling Fortnite on the App Store suggests that this is pretty unlikely. However, games such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hades 2 do allow you to buy the game once on Steam and then download either Mac or PC versions as required, so that’s something I’d like to see from more games in the future.

Revamp Apple Arcade

Apple makes billions of dollars from its subscription services, and Apple Arcade was meant to provide an Apple alternative to gaming services such as Microsoft’s Game Pass for Xbox and PC. But while Game Pass tempts players with newly-released hit titles such as Oblivion Remastered and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Apple Arcade is full of aging mobile games like Angry Birds that were originally designed for the iPhone or iPad.

The selection of Mac games is seriously underwhelming, so Apple needs to work with game developers to bring some heavyweight A-list titles to Apple Arcade. Mac users know that Apple often makes splashy announcements at WWDC about forthcoming games for the Mac, but it needs to continue that commitment for the other 51 weeks of the year if it really wants the Mac to be taken seriously as a gaming platform. Zigazig ah!

WWDC 2025 is almost here, and you can follow all of the last-minute rumors on our WWDC liveblog. But I’ve also got a last-minute prediction to slide under the wire – or, more accurately, an anti-prediction, because there’s one thing I’m practically convinced we’re not getting at Apple’s big event.

Where’s the gaming content, Apple? It feels like every few years, you take a big swing at the gaming arena – with stuff like Apple Arcade, the new Metal 3 developer kit, or, uh… Death Stranding coming to macOS four years late? – but frankly, it’s starting to feel like an afterthought.

Let me be clear about this: the games industry is worth more than the music and film industries combined. You like money, right, Apple? There’s a deep well of untapped potential here, but I’m afraid it’s going to take more than simply bringing a handful of triple-A titles to Mac. Oh, and you probably shouldn’t have tried to stop one of the world’s most popular games from being played on your hardware.

Apple and gaming: oil and water?

It’s a strange thing; Apple products are everywhere, from the seemingly omnipresent iPhone to the best MacBooks and Macs. Hell, Apple makes a pretty big deal about the MacBook Air being the ‘world’s best-selling laptop’ (this claim requires a little fudging of the data to ring true, but I’ll give it to Apple just this once).

But despite the no-doubt massive Venn diagram overlap between Apple users and gamers, the company seems largely disinterested in pushing gaming as a major feature of its products.

And those products are perfectly capable of gaming. The new M4 chips – which can be found in the latest 2025 MacBook Air, amongst other products – are actually pretty beastly. Even the older M2 chip offered some admirable performance in our own Roland Moore-Colyer’s recent gaming tests. The hardware is not the problem here.

So, perhaps the software is the issue? It’s a fair claim: macOS is not the operating system of choice for most non-console gamers, with Windows holding a mammoth 95.45% of the user share in the most recent Steam Hardware Survey, split mostly between Windows 10 and 11. For comparison, all the combined macOS versions totaled up to a measly 1.85%.

It’s hard to deny that gamers simply don’t see macOS as a viable platform for gaming, and by extension, developers don’t see macOS as a viable platform for developing games. But here’s the thing: that’s Apple’s fault.

Making a commitment

See, for all its faults, Microsoft has never shied away from the gaming space. The Xbox 360 was arguably one of the most iconic consoles of recent decades, the increasingly popular Game Pass is now available across console and PC, and Microsoft has long included gaming-related features in Windows. Hell, the company even has its fingers in the game development pie, with Xbox Game Studios hoovering up multiple smaller dev teams over the years.

This is what Apple needs to do, if it has any designs whatsoever on making itself relevant within the gaming market. My lovely colleague Isaiah Williams posited that Apple should make a gaming handheld earlier this year – and while I agree, I don’t think that’ll solve the problem here. No amount of new hardware will make people want to game on Apple products; the excellent gaming performance of the M4 chip proves that, frankly.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: what Apple needs to do is actually make games. You’re running one of the world’s richest companies here, Tim Cook; time to put some of those iPhone billions behind an established dev studio, create a macOS game publishing division, and deliver the killer app that makes gamers want to buy a Mac. If Apple wants people to believe that it’s serious about gaming, we need to see big titles coming to Mac on day one – or better yet, completely exclusive.

We’re not going to get this commitment at WWDC 2025, of that I have zero doubt. Perhaps Cyberpunk 2077 will finally get its long-awaited Mac release (after it came to the Nintendo Switch 2), but that’s just about all I’m expecting here. I’m not losing hope, though. It’s never too late to put your money where your mouth is, Tim. I’m sure we can afford to lose a few Apple TV originals.

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• A well-known leaker has said Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable is still inbound possibly as early as 2027
• Amazon also has a ‘similar’ large foldable in the pipeline, though
• With Huawei recently airing a foldable laptop, Apple may feel it’s falling behind rivals – and we still don’t even know the exact nature of its device

Apple’s rumored big foldable device – which might be a MacBook that’s all-screen and no physical keyboard, or a huge iPad tablet – has popped up on the grapevine once again with a claim that it could be here in 2027. However, Amazon might beat Apple to the shelves here, we’re told.

As Wccftech noticed, renowned Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X to let us know that Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable is still set to go into mass production in either late 2027 or 2028 (a timeframe he’s previously mentioned, and I’ll return to that point later).

This comment came after Huawei revealed its MateBook Fold laptop at Computex 2025 earlier this week, which is an 18-inch device, so very similar in size to Apple’s theoretical product here. (I should note that both this and the rumored Apple foldable are 18 to 19-inches when fully unfolded, so that’s the total size of the device).

Kuo further observed that Amazon is developing a “similar product” which has yet to be made official, but it could be due to hit the production lines in late 2026, or perhaps 2027 (add plenty of seasoning with all of this).

Analysis: Falling behind rivals?

The hint being dropped here, then, is that Apple is falling behind the pacemakers in the giant foldable device arena, with Amazon’s timetable apparently being a year in advance of Apple’s. Although that said, for something which isn’t even officially underway yet, the Amazon device debuting at the close of next year seems like a pretty fast track through development.

The key question, of course, is will Apple be producing an 18.8-inch foldable MacBook or iPad? (Incidentally, if a foldable laptop seems like an odd term – and it is, given that all notebooks fold up – it refers to a folding screen, rather than chassis. This is a notebook that doesn’t have a keyboard, and instead uses a virtual keyboard displayed on one half of the screen).

This is where things get a bit odd as rumors have suggested Apple’s foldable device could be either a laptop or tablet. Kuo comparing it to Amazon’s foldable – which is surely a Fire tablet – would seem to suggest it’s a huge iPad. But then a direct comparison is also made to Huawei’s foldable laptop. Furthermore, the leaker notably uses the neutral term ‘device’ rather than any hint of mentioning a laptop or tablet.

What that suggests to me is that Apple is working through concepts on both sides of the fence, tablet and laptop, and still hasn’t made the decision of which OS to go with, macOS or iPadOS, and what’ll be more useful: a MacBook with a folding screen (and virtual keyboard), or an iPad that can fold out to be a giant display.

Personally I think the MacBook idea is the frontrunner (and rumors about Apple working on a notebook with a virtual keyboard have been around for ages). Although more innovative and attention-grabbing, that is the riskier move, admittedly, in terms of getting Mac fans to accept the ditching of a physical keyboard in favor of a screen-based effort. It’d have to be a very good virtual keyboard, that’s for sure. A big iPad would be a safer avenue to tread when you look at these ideas in that light.

What’s also interesting is that Kuo hasn’t changed the release timeframe for this 18.8-inch foldable since talking about it in mid-2024, which could be read as Apple being on track with its development schedule here. Or Kuo simply hasn’t heard anything else, especially regarding that decision on whether to make the hardware a laptop or tablet.

All in all, that’s a bit of a worry, but if this large foldable device really is coming from Apple, we should receive some firmer hints soon enough. And it’s certainly true that plans from rival laptop (or tablet) makers will help spur Apple’s thought processes and the realization of this product, or I’d imagine so, anyway.

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• A new IDC study shows an increase in desktop PC and laptop sales in North America compared to Q1 2024
• This is likely a result of US tariff uncertainty, with manufacturers warning consumers about possible shortages
• There's a chance that the 90-day pause could be turned back

While the PC hardware market has always had cases of high demand for certain desktop components (notably GPUs) and laptops, it's arguably now hitting unprecedented levels due to US tariffs, and a new study corroborates this.

As reported by NotebookCheck, evidence from IDC (which tracks hardware sales) suggests that desktop and laptop sales in North America have spiked since US tariffs were implemented, and manufacturers have also warned consumers about potential shortages in supply, effectively leading to panic buying.

The study shows that in Q1 2025, compared to Q1 2024, laptop sales have increased by 26.9%, and desktops rose by 35.3%. This appears to stem from a fear that prices may suddenly skyrocket or, worse, sales may be paused. We've seen this happen with Razer, which previously halted its laptop sales due to US tariffs.

Notably, there is still a 90-day pause active on larger tariffs, while the 10% base tariff on imports to the US remains. However, there's uncertainty about whether this will be undone, which could affect sales of PC hardware. A large majority of PC hardware manufacturing takes place in China, and tariffs are now up to 145% on all of its imports into the US.

It's no surprise, then, to see sales hike significantly, before matters spiral out of control - and based on the trend of the GPU market, it might be a good idea to buy any PC hardware at retail price while things are relatively stable - as who knows what chaos the US tarrifs could unleash if they are reinstated.

Now is the best time to buy what you need, just not at any ridiculous pricing

Demand for PC hardware is arguably at the highest it's been (particularly compared to the Covid-19 period), but the one thing we must not do is purchase overpriced products.

While I'll say that this is particularly true when it comes to GPUs, with prices soaring far above what they launched at, the same applies to pre-built desktop PCs and laptops. Fortunately, I've not seen cases of either pre-built systems or laptops being obscenely overpriced, which is probably because they've always been slightly expensive to begin with (especially high-end configurations).

I'm sure we all hope tariffs don't get out of hand, and since there's not much clarity on how the PC market will be impacted in the near future, now could be the best time to jump on any appealing hardware deals you find.

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