Technology News

Leaked photos and parts lists for the unreleased iPhone 18 Pro have appeared on the dark web. This follows a data breach affecting one of Apple's key suppliers, according to a Reuters report. The images reportedly show a drop test of the future device. This incident reveals sensitive product information prematurely, impacting Apple's product secrecy and supply chain security. The

Tidal implemented new policies for AI-generated music. The platform will not pay royalties on tracks identified as 100% AI-generated. Starting July 15th, these tracks will be labeled with an icon to inform listeners. Tidal aims to protect artists and ensure transparency without banning AI music outright. Royalty policy changes are effective immediately, with labeling commencing mid-July.

There are already a few ways to play PlayStation games on the go, but Sony is also rumored to be working on a new handheld. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Sony hinted in a recent Q&A with investors that the next generation PlayStation will offer some kind of experience that lets you play games outside of your living room. Here's the relevant portion from the transcript, emphasis mine: Q: How can you bring back to the PlayStation platform users who migrated to gaming PCs during

OpenAI is releasing some sort of device related to its AI-powered coding tool, Codex, on July 15th. In a video posted to X on Monday, OpenAI shows a square-shaped device with several buttons, alongside the caption, "Your favorite Codex shortcuts are getting an upgrade." This isn't the mysterious AI-powered device OpenAI is working on with former Apple designer Jony Ive, however. As shown in the teaser, OpenAI is launching the device in partnership with Work Louder, a company that sells an array

The iPad Air supports Apple Pencil Pro, plus hover support. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge Most of Apple’s price increases have gone into effect, resulting in iPads and other products costing hundreds more than they did a few days ago. If last week’s Prime Day sale wasn’t a good time to consider buying an iPad, we found a deal worth considering that’s just under $500 right now. The 128GB iPad Air that has the M3 processor, plus both Wi-Fi and 5G cellular support, costs $499 at Be

The Govee Uplighter in action. | Image: Govee July 4th sales are typically a precursor to what we’d see during a mid-July Prime Day, but obviously things are flipped around this year. Last week’s big Prime Day sale is over, yet there are a number of familiar deals still poking around in the week leading up to the nation’s birthday. Best Buy is hosting its own 4th of July sale, for example. And, if you’re on the hunt for tech and gear for the outdoors, REI is hosting a sale on products that wil

A new proposal would ban the sale of Americans' health and location information to data brokers - including information people reveal to an AI chatbot like ChatGPT or Claude. In the coming weeks, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) are planning to debut a new version of the Health and Location Data Protection Act that's better suited to the AI era. The former version of the bill, first introduced in June 2022, prohibited data brokers from collecting and se

You can reserve the username you want to use before the feature starts rolling out later this year. | Image: Meta / WhatsApp WhatsApp is introducing a new way to add and chat with contacts, without having to share your phone number. Usernames will launch "later this year," in a move to make the communications platform "even more private," allowing you to keep your phone number concealed from people who aren't already in your contacts. Usernames are available to reserve starting this week, givi

Dbrand announced Monday that it's refunding everyone who bought its Steam Machine Companion Cube, which it said it made "without a license from Valve." Dbrand announced the Portal-themed Steam Machine accessory in November and took preorders for it last Monday. But a few days later, the product had disappeared from the company's website and the teaser video promoting it had been made private after Valve contacted the company. Dbrand says that the Companion Cube became "the second-fastest selling

We’re one step closer to Tony Stark’s smart glasses, but still quite a few steps behind J.A.R.V.I.S. Xgimi, the Chinese company known for its all-in-one smart projectors, is expanding its portfolio with a new line of screen-equipped smart glasses that first debuted at CES 2026. Unlike AR glasses from companies like Meta and Snap, Xgimi’s new privacy-focused MemoMind One skip cameras for a lighter and more discreet design that helps hide their AI-powered smart functionality. After testing them

Suno has ambitions to be more than just a toy to churn out AI slop, it also wants to be a streaming destination and to break new artists. Spark is their new incubator program for independent artists that provides grants, mentorship, and marketing support. To apply, artists need to be an unsigned singer, songwriter, or producer releasing music under their own name. They also need to agree to some terms and conditions that have raised some eyebrows over on the Suno subreddit. For one, you need to

The LineShine supercomputer at the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen. | Photo: Liang Xu/Xinhua via Getty Images Despite trade restrictions, China has reclaimed the title of the world's fastest supercomputer for the first time since 2018. LineShine has pushed El Capitan out of number one on the TOP500 ranking. That's despite strict limits on what high-powered computing components can be sold to China by US firms, which dominate the list, with America holding three of the top five spots

That sure is a man in a cube, alright. | Image: NBC / Jim Henson Company I'm sure we're all familiar with Dark Crystal, so we know that Jim Henson can be weird and tackle slightly more mature subject matter. But there is little in his oeuvre that is quite as mind-bending as the Muppetless The Cube. This 1969 teleplay was produced for an NBC anthology series called Experiment in Television, which featured, appropriately enough, various experimental films, plays, and documentaries. One episode e

Jonathan Rinderknecht was facing arson charges for setting a fire on New Year's Day in 2025, which became one of the deadliest wildfires in LA history. To make their case, prosecutors turned to location data from his iPhone, security camera footage, and witness testimony. But they also turned to his ChatGPT logs. Prosecutors said that Rinderknecht had ChatGPT generate images of fire, asked the chatbot, "Why am I so angry all the time?", and ranted to it about how the wealthy were destroying the

The founding story of Nest is pretty much a perfect tech myth. A legendary product maker (in this case, Tony Fadell) helps create one of the most successful products ever (the iPhone) and then rides off into the sunset to enjoy the rest of his life, only to have an experience that drags him back for one last job. For Fadell, that job was to try and reinvent the thermostat. And maybe change the way our homes work forever. On this episode of Version History, we tell the story of the early days of

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about the streaming industry, follow Emma Roth. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Streaming was once a reprieve from cable. Not only could you watch whatever you wanted at any given time, but you didn't have to sit through five-minute-long commercial breaks. And the best part was the price: Netflix, for example, cost

A $280 bike lock on a $10,000 e-bike. I've seen lots of so-called "smart" bike locks over the years, but none so far could justify the added cost. A newcomer that got its start securing ATMs for banks is trying to change that. There's nothing wholly unique about the TMD Chain Lock, but the combination of materials, performance, and insurance-friendly ART-2 certification makes it worth considering. TMD's first bicycle lock combines a Bluetooth proximity sensor and motion alarm with a slender co

Teenage Engineering has already issued multiple substantial updates for its surprisingly capable $329 EP-133 KO II sampler. Its latest is one of the biggest yet. OS 2.5 adds audio over USB, selectable sample rates for lo-fi fun, sample reverse, an arpeggiator, equal-length autochopping, and it extends the maximum length of a sample from 20 seconds to 40 seconds by capturing mono, instead of stereo, audio. Sample reverse is such a simple feature that it's shocking it wasn't implemented earlier. A

Margaret Atwood onstage at Detroit Opera House on January 26, 2026 | Photo: Monica Morgan/Getty Images Maraget Atwood, the storied author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin, was interviewed as part of the Babell Literary and Cultural Festival in Porto, Portugal. As it usually does at these things, the issue of AI came up, and Atwood didn't mince words. According to Deadline's recap, Atwood said she'd used an AI chatbot exactly once, Anthropic's Claude, and came away unimpressed. Sh

Apple is seeking an exception from the Trump administration to purchase RAM chips from Chinese supplier CXMT. CXMT is blacklisted by the Pentagon due to alleged ties with the People's Liberation Army. This move aims to alleviate supply chain pressure and address skyrocketing RAM prices, highlighting a conflict between national security concerns and corporate supply chain needs amidst global economic

That is an objectively dope couch. | Image: Kai Wright Kai Wright is the co-host of Stateside with Kai and Carter over at the Guardian. But Wright has been bringing his unique insights to listeners for years. He's also hosted Notes From America, The United States of Anxiety, and Indivisible. He's a Peabody Award-winning journalist who has profiled powerful men, explored what it means to be American, and chronicled the AIDS epidemic. When he's not diving deep on sex, race, and politics, he's ga

Nostalgia remains a powerful force. So much so that, in exploring the echoes of a late-'90s childhood spent skimming the water of Corneria and sneering "cocky little freaks!" in time with a monkey encased in a Gundam suit, I'm simultaneously describing playing Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars if you're nasty) in 1997 and streaming it through Nintendo Switch Online today. The franchise has been revived through a splashy remake on the Switch 2, but it's also a series that has not seen an all-new entry sinc

Tim Cook recently said price increases were "unavoidable" and described the company's pricing as "unsustainable." The 16-inch MacBook Pro saw its price go up by $300. The 11-inch iPad Air went from $599 to $749. Even the HomePod Mini got a $30 bump to $129. Cook squarely placed the blame at the feet of the AI industry, which is not surprising. RAMageddon has already come for your desktop PCs and gaming consoles. The Xbox has seen its price climb nearly 25 percent depending on the model, and Noth

Four years ago, overlooking a canal in Amsterdam, the smart home industry collectively launched Matter, the one interoperability standard to rule them all. Heralded as the solution to the industry's struggles, Matter was built on open standards and existing technologies and is the result of years of collaboration between traditional rivals, including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. Matter promised an end to walled gardens and ecosystem lock-in. It promised to make a smart home device, like a

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 134, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope you're okay in all this heat, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about Polymarket lies and Jalen Brunson and the Arts and Crafts Movement, watching Not Suitable for Work and way too much of the World Cup, trying to catch up on The Bear before the final season starts, playing a bunch of Hank Green'

What's the Password? has a simple concept: To solve each of the game's more than 100 puzzles, you have to type in the right four-digit password on a number pad. That might sound like a limited constraint. But the simplicity gives solo developer Dan DiIorio, better known as TrampolineTales, lots of room to play with clever ideas. Over the course of a few hours, the game never stopped surprising me. Puzzle clues come in several different formats. Some are written text; the very first puzzle is a s

Amazon’s Prime Day is now in its final hours, but whether you’re looking for a new pair of wireless earbuds or a smartwatch, there’s a good chance you’ll still find a discount. The Apple Watch Series 11 remains at its best price to date, while the AirPods Pro 3 are still on sale for $179. With Apple recently raising prices on several Macs and iPads, now may be one of the last chances to pick up the company’s hardware before those increases fully take effect. Some retailers are still offering dis

The Verge reports significant Prime Day discounts are available on new and recent video game titles for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Amazon's sales primarily feature physical copies, though some digital versions also offer competitive pricing. This event provides consumers with opportunities to purchase popular games at reduced costs during the limited-time sale period, impacting gaming hardware

World Cup attendees from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East faced exclusion from the United States, contrasting with European tourist experiences. This situation arose due to President Donald Trump's immigration policies, which reportedly prevented their entry. The article highlights a disparity in travel experiences for international visitors to the US, impacting participation in major global events and raising questions about

I can understand why The Verge readers are flocking to the BirdBuddy deal we posted at the beginning of Prime Day. The BirdBuddy Pro with Solar Panels is a wholesome upgrade for your yard, but the full price of $299 is tough to stomach. After all, the BirdBuddy is essentially a video doorbell and solar panels stuck to a bird feeder, something you could assemble yourself in an hour for under $100. Specialized features like bird recognition and naming are locked behind a subscription, so you’re lo

We’ve arrived at the final day of Prime Day, which at this point should probably be called “Prime Week.” We’ve found discounts on all manner of gadgets, including TVs, smart home tech, chargers, headphones, and more. Some of the best deals have started selling out at some retailers, so if you’ve been craving a popular upgrade like the AirPods Max 2, time is running low. The good news is that our team is still hard at work, and in addition to the deals that remain in stock, the retailers sometime

Less than 24 hours after news broke that OpenAI would stagger its next model release at the request of the Trump administration, that model, GPT-5.6, is here. On Friday, the company unveiled the limited preview of its new GPT 5.6 model suite: Sol, the flagship; Terra, a medium-tier model for "high-volume work"; and Luna, a "fast and affordable" everyday model. OpenAI says it's especially skilled at coding, cybersecurity, and biology, as well as staying focused during long-horizon agentic AI tas

Level’s defining innovation was hiding the battery, motor, and electronics that power the smart lock inside the deadbolt itself. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Assa Abloy has laid off the majority of staff at Level Home, the smart lock company known for building smart tech into traditional-looking deadbolts, and is folding the business into Kwikset, according to a source familiar with the decision. The Verge obtained exclusive details from a person familiar with the restructuring who reque

If you’ve been curious about the emerging world of smart glasses, Prime Day is your chance to try some of the best models with a rare discount from Best Buy or directly from Xreal. The high-end Xreal One Pro is $549, $50 lower than the usual price, and the more entry-level Xreal 1S is $399, $50 off the usual price, but only until 1:00 AM ET. Both feature tiny micro-OLED screens filtered through optics that simulate a humongous screen in front of your eyes anywhere you want, complete with three d

Microsoft announced Xbox Series S and X console prices will increase in August. This marks the second price hike in under a year, attributed to rising memory costs impacting various industries. Consumers have a limited window to purchase at current rates. The change affects all Xbox models globally, reflecting broader economic pressures on hardware manufacturing and consumer electronics markets.

Instagram introduced new features for its smart TV app, expanding its presence to larger home screens. The update, available on Amazon Fire TV and Google TV, includes vertical Reels. This move is designed to encourage users to spend more time on the platform by integrating it into their living room entertainment, marking a strategic shift to capture attention beyond mobile

Even Tim Cook couldn’t supply chain his way out of the RAM crisis. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge As far as prices go, Apple is kind of a reverse canary in the coal mine. With its famously generous margins and immense purchasing volume, it can afford to ride out price fluctuations in its supply chain in a way no other consumer tech company can. So when Apple raises prices across nearly all of its product lines, you know that shit is well and truly real. That's what happened earlier toda

The Roborock S10 S5 Plus has dropped to a new low price. | Image: Roborock If you’ve been wanting to buy a robot vacuum but have been put off by how much it can cost to get a good one, now is not a bad time to start looking. We’re now on day three of Prime Day, and Amazon, along with retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, is offering discounts on several models we’ve tested from brands like Roborock, Dreame, and Shark. Whether you’re looking for a basic robot vacuum that can cut down on the amou

It's not exactly surprising that RAMaggeddon is making new tech hardware really expensive. But if you've been in the market for things like a new computer or tablet, this week has been filled with sticker shock. Given how many companies announced price hikes related to component shortages, it seems unlikely things will get cheaper any time soon. Valve started the week off by finally revealing the price of the Steam Machine, its long-delayed, console-like PC that, in our tests, has performance on

You can save hundreds on the latest iPad Air. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple just raised prices across its iPad and MacBook lineup. The good news is that many retailers are still selling their inventory at the old prices or far less, which means you can still score some of the best iPad deals we may see in awhile — if ever again. So if you’ve been thinking about picking up a new iPad, now is probably the time to do it. Now the bad news: those discounts are starting to disa

Polestar won't be allowed to sell its electric vehicles model year 2027 and beyond in the US after the federal government denied the company's request for authorization under a new rule banning vehicles with software from China. In a press release, the company says the decision to retreat from the US follows a recent decision by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security to not grant Polestar an authorization under the current Connected Vehicle Rule to sell vehicles from mode

You can get a great, color-accurate 5K monitor for half the price of an Apple Studio Display. | Photo by John Higgins / The Verge RAMageddon has come for computers. The price of memory chips, hard drives, and solid state storage has skyrocketed. That’s led to price increases on desktop and laptop RAM, SSDs, spinning hard drives, and pretty much everything that uses any of those things. Consoles are more expensive. Desktops are more expensive. Laptops are more expensive. Tablets and phones are

We at The Verge love a good gadget or tchotchke, especially when it’s not too expensive. But with the rising cost of just about everything these days, many once-cheap gadgets aren’t so affordable anymore. Amazon and other retailers sell all sorts of products from word salad brand names, but only some of it is handy and affordable enough to be worth telling you about. We’re highlighting some of our favorite picks that don’t suck and are on sale for Amazon Prime Day. Some of them you’ve likely see

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) denies her staff used AI to draft a defense funding amendment's text. She stated AI was only for "spellcheck" in an amendment summary, not the legislation itself. This clarification followed social media claims. Luna emphasized "NO Legislation is ever drafted with AI," addressing concerns about technology's role in congressional work and legislative integrity.

Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto VI will cost $79.99, launching November 19th. Significantly, physical editions of the game will not include a disc. Instead, these boxed versions will only contain a digital download code. This marks a notable shift in how physical game purchases are structured, moving further towards digital distribution even for boxed products. The decision impacts consumer

While the court still hasn't signed off on the massive settlement resolving Epic's antitrust lawsuit against Google for having a monopoly over Android's app store with Google Play, the tech giant says it will start rolling out changes to the way it handles billing for developers worldwide. As announced in March, the flat 30 percent billing fee is being replaced by "lower, decoupled fees" that partially decouple the billing and the app store. How much of a cut Google will take from transactions n

If you’re looking for a good deal without spending hundreds, Prime Day discounts have pushed some of our favorite products under $50. You can pick up everything from Nintendo Switch games to Bluetooth speakers while sticking to your budget. We’ll keep this post updated throughout the sale as we find new deals and low prices, and make sure to check out our other coverage of Prime Day for deals that cost a little more. Hoto 3.6V Electric Screwdriver Kit Pro Hoto’s rechargeable screwdriver is ideal

Alex Bores (D-NY) enters his watch party at The Freehand Hotel after conceding the congressional race to Micah Lasher who will replace Rep Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in NY's 12th Congressional District on June 23, 2026 in New York City. | Photo by Laura Brett/Getty Images. The expensive, $27 million political proxy war between Anthropic and OpenAI came to a draw last night when Alex Bores, a New York state Assemblyman whose popularity surged after being targeted by a pro-AI super PAC, narrowly lost t

Welcome to day two of Amazon’s four-day Prime Day event, which, if we’re being honest, looks a lot like day one. That’s actually good news, though, because many of the best deals are still around, and some new ones have joined them. If you’ve got a Prime subscription, whether through a free trial or a discounted student membership, you’ll find our favorite deals below. Not every Prime Day deal deserves your attention, so we’ve filled this guide with products we know and genuinely like. Our team

If League of Legends and Valorant players have the right hardware and elect to opt into "pre-boot security mechanisms and Windows' own native protection features," then, starting today, they can switch the Vanguard anti-cheat software from always-on to one that's "on demand." With "Vanguard Pre-Check," the kernel-level driver won't launch when your system does, according to a blog post from Phillip Koskinas, Riot's head of anti-cheat. Riot is able to introduce this new feature now after working