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Robinhood admits it’s just a gambling app
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281883/robinhood-presidential-betting
Apple Intelligence is here, but it still has a lot to learn
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24279804/apple-intelligence-ios-18-1-siri-ai
Philadelphia DA sues Elon Musk to stop $1 million election lottery
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281752/elon-musk-pennsylvania-election-2024-lottery-lawsuit
Beats Solo 4 and Studio Pro headphones are an impressive 50 percent off
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281656/beats-solo-4-studio-pro-lenovo-legion-go-deal-sale
Apple quietly released a video announcement for its new iMacs
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281798/apple-imac-m4-2024-announcement-video-keynote
Apple updates the iMac with new colors and an M4 chip
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24273124/apple-imac-m4-chip-announced-price-release-date
Animal Crossing mobile is getting its new, paid app in December
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281659/animal-crossing-pocket-camp-complete-mobile-launch-date-introductory-price
Apple Intelligence is out today
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24272995/apple-intelligence-now-available-ios-18-1-mac-ipad
Microsoft Teams is getting threads and combined chats and channels
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281619/microsoft-teams-threaded-conversations-combined-chats-channels-ui-design-view
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on the gospel of Steve Jobs and what founder mode really means
https://www.theverge.com/24279570/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-founder-mode-apple-steve-jobs-management-decoder-podcast-2024
The pragmatist’s guide to the 2024 presidential election
https://www.theverge.com/24279103/2024-election-guide-trump-harris-policy-issues
All the news from Apple’s ‘week’ of Mac announcements
https://www.theverge.com/24279307/apple-mac-m4-updates-news-announcements
Hospitals use a transcription tool powered by a hallucination-prone OpenAI model
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24281170/open-ai-whisper-hospitals-transcription-hallucinations-studies
Instagram saves the best video quality for the most popular content
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24280968/instagram-video-quality-lower-for-less-popular-videos
Apple’s first smart home display could pay homage to a classic iMac
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24280830/apple-intelligence-smart-home-display-imac-g4-design
It’s finally glow time.
Apple Intelligence has finally arrived, and like most AI on smartphones so far, it’s mostly underwhelming.
The debut features of Apple Intelligence are all very familiar: there are glowing gradients and sparkle icons (https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/10/24195605/ai-sparkles-ai-sparkles-everywhere) that indicate the presence of AI; writing tools that make your emails sound more professional; and an AI eraser in Photos that blots away distractions. It’s all here, and it all works okay. But none of it is even close to the time-saving computing platform shift we’ve been promised.
Essentially, there are two Apple Intelligences: the one that’s here now and the one we might see in the future. Even in today’s launch announcement (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24272995/apple-intelligence-now-available-ios-18-1-mac-ipad), Apple is busy teasing the features that haven’t launched yet. What’s here today is a handful of...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24279804/apple-intelligence-ios-18-1-siri-ai)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is suing Elon Musk and his Donald Trump-supporting America PAC. Filed Monday in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, it’s the first legal action against Musk’s $1 million daily award offered to registered voters (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/20/24274971/elon-musk-1-million-prize-america-pac-petition-voting-presidential-election).
As reported previously by CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/politics/elon-musk-philadelphia-lawsuit) and the Philadelphia Inquirer, the lawsuit argues that all lotteries in Pennsylvania must be run by the state and calls the arrangement deceptive, saying that “Though Musk says that a winner’s selection is ‘random,’ that appears false because multiple winners that have been selected are individuals who have shown up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.”
According to the suit, “Since launching on October 19, 2024, America PAC claims it awarded $1,000,000 checks...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281752/elon-musk-pennsylvania-election-2024-lottery-lawsuit)
Solo 3 owners have plenty of reasons to consider upgrading. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
One of the best deals on wireless headphones during Prime Day earlier this month is back. The Beats Solo 4 headphones, which only launched in April, are 50 percent off at $99.99 ($100 off) from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Beats-Solo-Ear-Headphones-Compatible/dp/B0DDQLGDY3?tag=theverge02-20), Best Buy (https://howl.me/cnou87ENN86), and Target (https://goto.target.com/c/482924/2190024/2092?subId1=vergeBeatsSolo4102824&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fbeats-solo-4-bluetooth-wireless-on-ear-headphones-cloud-pink%2F-%2FA-91747218), matching their all-time low. If you prefer over-ear headphones or need active noise cancellation, the Beats Studio Pro fit the bill and are also matching their record low price of $169.99 ($180 off) at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Beats-Studio-Pro-Personalized-Compatibility/dp/B0C8PSMPTH?tag=theverge02-20), Best Buy (https://howl.me/cnoveumojyN), and Target (https://goto.target.com/c/482924/2190024/2092?subId1=vergeBeatsSolo4102824&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fbeats-studio-pro-bluetooth-wireless-headphones-sandstone%2F-%2FA-89401492).
The Solo 4 (https://www.theverge.com/24145150/beats-solo-4-headphones-review) are a solid refresh that should serve you well into 2025 and beyond. Like typical Beats, they have a sound signature favoring emphasized bass, but with a healthier balance between the mids and highs than older headphones in the line. Apple meets today’s expectations for...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281656/beats-solo-4-studio-pro-lenovo-legion-go-deal-sale)
Image: Apple
Apple did more than put out a series of press releases when it announced the new iMac with M4 (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24273124/apple-imac-m4-chip-announced-price-release-date) and the release of its Apple Intelligence software updates (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24272995/apple-intelligence-now-available-ios-18-1-mac-ipad). The company also made a video to go with them — although it took a keen eye to spot it at first, as it was tucked away in a “Watch the announcement (https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/imac/2024/e1d50c6b-bc34-47bd-850d-379149b71fb8/films/announcement/imac-announcement-tpl-us-2024_16x9.m3u8)” link on the company’s splashy iMac page (https://www.apple.com/imac/).
Apple has since released the 10-minute video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaB7nCdId0Y) as well. In it, Apple Intelligence product manager Allegra Tepper discussed Apple’s AI system, which is now available as a software update for compatible iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Tepper ran through coming features, while specifying that today’s update only includes things like writing tools and slight Siri improvements (including the glowy...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281798/apple-imac-m4-2024-announcement-video-keynote)
Image: Apple
Apple is updating the iMac with an M4 chip. The new iMac, announced this morning (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/apple-introduces-new-imac-supercharged-by-m4-and-apple-intelligence/), includes an M4 chip with an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. The entry-level model (https://apple.sjv.io/c/482924/1683292/7613?subId1=veergeappleproducts102824&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Fbuy-mac%2Fimac) costs $1,299 with two Thunderbolt USB-C 4 ports, while the higher-end models start at $1,499 and have four ports.
It’s also bundled with accessories that now use USB-C charging ports (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24275569/apple-usb-c-magic-keyboard-mouse-trackpad-no-lightning) instead of Lightning. Like the prior model, the new iMac has a 24-inch, 4.5K display. However, Apple is offering a new “nano-texture glass option” for $200 extra, which is supposed to help reduce reflections and glare.
Additionally, the iMac’s base RAM has been doubled to 16GB over the prior model, with the ability to configure the higher-end option with up to 32GB. Apple’s new iMac also...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24273124/apple-imac-m4-chip-announced-price-release-date)
It’s all smiles until your campsite’s owner doesn’t transfer you over and you get deleted. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The final, microtransaction-free version of Animal Crossing mobile is coming to iOS (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/animal-crossing-pocket-camp-c/id6547834967) and Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.zasa) on December 3rd. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete is set to replace the existing “free-to-start” version of Pocket Camp that first launched in 2017. The complete version will cost $9.99 in the US at first, but once January 30th at 10PM PT rolls around it will cost twice as much at $19.99.
Existing Pocket Camp players who want to port their game data over will have until June 1st, 2025 to do so, via a linked Nintendo account. The original app’s service will cease on November 28th at 7AM PT, so it seems anyone on the fence needs to have their save data linked and prepped for transfer (https://faq.complete.ac-pocketcamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/29555650212761-Preparing-to-Transfer-Save-Data) before that. Nintendo has spelled out some of these...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281659/animal-crossing-pocket-camp-complete-mobile-launch-date-introductory-price)
The iPhone 16 will finally be able to use the AI it was supposedly “built for.” | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Apple’s AI features are finally starting to appear. Apple Intelligence is launching today (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/apple-intelligence-is-available-today-on-iphone-ipad-and-mac/) on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, offering features like generative AI-powered writing tools, notification summaries, and a cleanup tool to take distractions out of photos. It’s Apple’s first official step into the AI era, but it’ll be far from its last (https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/10/24237714/apple-intelligence-generative-ai-features-update-schedule).
Apple Intelligence has been available in developer and public beta builds of Apple’s operating systems for the past few months, but today marks the first time it’ll be available in the full public OS releases. Even so, the features will still be marked as “beta,” and Apple Intelligence will very much remain a work in progress. Siri gets a new look, but its most consequential new features — like the...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24272995/apple-intelligence-now-available-ios-18-1-mac-ipad)
Illustration: The Verge
Microsoft is finally adding threaded conversations to its Microsoft Teams communications app. Threaded conversations in Teams won’t arrive until mid-2025, but ahead of that, Microsoft is also combining its separate chats and channels UI inside Teams into a single view.
I exclusively revealed Microsoft was planning a new chats and channels experience in my Notepad newsletter in August, and Microsoft is now bringing this unified UI to Teams in public preview in November.
Image: Microsoft
The new combined chats and channels view in Microsoft Teams.
“We’ve redesigned the chat and channels experience to simplify your digital workspace by bringing chats, teams, and channels into one place under Chat,” explains Jeff...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/28/24281619/microsoft-teams-threaded-conversations-combined-chats-channels-ui-design-view)
Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo: Airbnb
The Airbnb cofounder discusses being ‘in the details’ and why traditional management is doing it wrong.
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/24279570/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-founder-mode-apple-steve-jobs-management-decoder-podcast-2024)
Image: Mr.Nelson design for The Verge / Getty Images
Your vote matters. Here’s how it will change the future.
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/24279103/2024-election-guide-trump-harris-policy-issues)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Apple’s unusual approach to an October event is skipping the event and just announcing some forthcoming announcements.
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/24279307/apple-mac-m4-updates-news-announcements)
Image: The Verge
A few months ago, my doctor showed off an AI transcription tool he used to record and summarize his patient meetings. In my case, the summary was fine, but researchers cited by ABC News have found that’s not always the case with OpenAI’s Whisper, which powers a tool many hospitals use — sometimes it just makes things up entirely.
Whisper is used by a company called Nabla (https://www.nabla.com/) for a medical transcription tool that it estimates has transcribed 7 million medical conversations, according to ABC News. More than 30,000 clinicians and 40 health systems use it, the outlet writes. Nabla is reportedly aware that Whisper can hallucinate, and is “addressing the problem.”
A group of researchers from Cornell University, the University of Washington, and...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24281170/open-ai-whisper-hospitals-transcription-hallucinations-studies)
Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Ever wondered why some of your Instagram videos tend to look blurry, while others are crisp and sharp? It’s because, on Instagram, the quality of your video apparently depends on how many views it’s getting. That’s according to a video AMA from Instagram head Adam Mosseri, in which he explained why some videos are lower-quality than others.
Here’s part of Mosseri’s explanation, from the video, which was reposted (lindseygamble_/post/DBkEJmJvprg?xmt=AQGzMcoJTajdK4dS4gfBv7SJBfPs5h1TAx-Ma84165CHPg" rel="nofollow">https://www.threads.net/@lindseygamble_/post/DBkEJmJvprg?xmt=AQGzMcoJTajdK4dS4gfBv7SJBfPs5h1TAx-Ma84165CHPg) by a Threads user today:
In general, we want to show the highest-quality video we can ... But if something isn’t watched for a long time — because the vast majority of views are in the beginning — we will move to a lower quality video. And then if it’s watched again a lot then we’ll re-render the higher quality video.
He...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24280968/instagram-video-quality-lower-for-less-popular-videos)
A smart home display that looks like the iMac G4 would be irresistible. | Photo: Wes Davis / The Verge
The smart home display that Apple is rumored to be releasing next year (https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/29/24257391/apple-smart-home-display-homeos-apple-intelligence-homepod-ipad-robot) could sport a look that harkens back to the iMac G4, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-10-27/apple-m4-macbook-pro-mac-mini-imac-launch-details-ios-18-2-chatgpt-testing-m2rl1vws?srnd=undefined) in his Power On newsletter today.
The new smart home display will apparently be small. Gurman writes it will have a square display angled above a small base that makes it “reminiscent of the circular bottom of the iMac G4 from a couple of decades ago.” It may have speakers, essentially making it the HomePod with a screen that’s been rumored as one of Apple’s possible smart home futures (https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/16/24195063/apple-smart-display-rumors-homepod-ipad).
Gurman didn’t say how much this device might cost but has hinted at (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-10-13/apple-smart-home-plans-new-os-smart-displays-vision-pro-integration-robots-m27kw5m7) an “affordable” smart home device with a square display in the past. Rumors have suggested Apple will release a $1,000 model with a... (https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/14/24220475/apple-next-big-project-tabletop-robot-ipad)
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24280830/apple-intelligence-smart-home-display-imac-g4-design)
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
While there aren’t a lot of new features in Android 15 (https://www.theverge.com/24160704/google-android-15-beta-new-features), it does offer some useful additions for your phone — and one of the most interesting is called “Private Space.” Think of it as a separate app vault that locks away specified apps on your Android device.
Of course, the main lockscreen already stops other people from accessing your phone, but Private Space puts an extra barrier in place. The idea is that if you lend someone your device to make a call or look at a photo, they won’t accidentally (or deliberately) stumble into something they shouldn’t. It’s also an extra safety net if your phone is lost or stolen while it’s unlocked.
I tried the feature on a Pixel 8 phone running Android 15. Here’s how it works.
Setting up Private...
Continue reading… (https://www.theverge.com/24279464/private-space-android-15-pixel-how-to)