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News from the Digital Communication, Web & Web Gis 2.0 World
26 Aug 2025
iPhone, in futuro il design sarà completamente diverso - TheAppleLounge
iPhone, in futuro il design sarà completamente diverso - TheAppleLounge
How Big is Anything? - Google Maps Mania
How Big is Anything? - Google Maps Mania
25 Aug 2025
TCL’s new Z100 speakers are the first with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which promises to make surround sound setup super easy - Popular Science
There’s a certain kind of LA day that looks color-graded for Dolby Vision, whether it needs it or not. Taking an early morning walk along Palisades Park, the marine layer is soft as gauze, palm trees contrasted against the Pacific lapping low and slow against the sand. Perfect conditions for a pilgrimage. But I haven’t flown all the way to Santa Monica for gazing at sky gradients or even screens. I’m here for another Dolby technology, stretching my legs before heading to Universal Music Group Studios to see how immersive audio mixes get made, and how TCL plans to unmake your assumptions about living-room sound with its Z100 speakers—the first-to-retail Dolby Atmos FlexConnect wireless surround sound system.
Tony WareLeaving behind the sounds and stories swirling around the pier, I arrive from one immersive experience in search of another. Inside the recording facility’s lounge, small gray fabric-clad columns occupy every available surface along the perimeter. But before we have time to explore their significance, we’re ushered into one of the mixing rooms. It’s a tuxedo of a space, impeccably tailored, PMC monitors threaded along the walls and ceiling precisely to measure.
This is a 9.1.4 room, which means nine ear-height speakers map a horizontal stage, one LFE channel handles the gut-check, and four overheads draw the Z-axis—basically a sphere for sound to skate on. Nick Rives, Grammy-nominated UMG recording engineer, eases us into the format: Atmos is object-based. You don’t aim a guitar at a rear surround; you place that guitar in space. You don’t just pan; you paint. The renderer translates that across speakers and then keeps it there across wildly different systems—temples like this, 5.1 holdovers, soundbars, headphones and earbuds—so the intent translates even if the speaker count doesn’t. That creative latitude, he explains, means fewer “sonic sacrifices” than stereo; with more real estate, clashing frequencies can move apart instead of elbowing for the same seat. There will always be a place for comb filtering and EQ compromises, but it’s nice when more elements coexist appropriately without carving away each other’s character.
Rives cues a mix. The visualizer on the screen—green spheres tracking each element—looks like an orrery of audio: a brush of synth passes across the horizon, a whisper crawls behind us, as if the singer slipped in through a dimensional rift. Rives solos a part and just … moves it effortlessly from front to height to rear. The lesson lands as the sound floats: instruments and effects aren’t locked to lanes; they’re placed at coordinates in a three-dimensional field.
If you’re new to this, a quick compression of history: we went mono to stereo to 5.1 (and its surround-sound cousins) to Atmos, which cracks the ceiling. Atmos showed up in cinemas in the 2010s, spread into streaming and music, and now sits everywhere from TVs to cars; Dolby’s role isn’t just an emblem on a box but a pipeline of tools from DAW plug-ins to the renderers that recompose a mix for your specific speakers. While different hardware manufacturers have their own interpretations and virtualizations, the core technology is less “special effect,” more “faithful map.”
We exchange a few questions, discuss dynamic headroom and creative headspace, then we’re taken to another room to see how all that console choreography gets reproduced in the real world—where coffee tables, bookcases, and sofas could care less about canonical speaker angles. We take our seats in a simulated living room, a couch and stools placed in front of a TCL QD-Mini LED TV, flanked by two of those previously seen obelisks, another off to the side behind us.
We’re then introduced to the Z100, which Scott Ramirez, TCL’s VP of product marketing, describes as “not just a new product introduction; this is actually a new category introduction.” These coffee table cylinders don’t announce themselves—they look more like home decor than pro gear or a new paradigm—but they have the auspicious distinction of being the first product on the market featuring FlexConnect.
The FlexConnect arc reads like a tour itinerary of a band that keeps getting upgraded venues: unveiled with TCL at IFA 2023; Hisense announced its own plans in 2024; deployments started in China; MediaTek showed off bar integrations in January 2025; TCL announced U.S. support in May; and now systems have landed stateside. We get a little more why before we find out if it wows.
As explained by Dolby’s Chris Turkstra, FlexConnect takes the object coordinates from a movie or music mix and re-renders them based on two things it learns: where your devices actually are and what each device is capable of. TV speakers small? FlexConnect knows and assigns them work they can do gracefully while offloading the punch and presence to the Z100s, which, when connected to a compatible TCL TV (currently the 2025 QM6K, QM7K, and QM8K), report their own characteristics to the array. Think of FlexConnect as a conductor who not only knows the score but also the lung capability and grip strength of everyone playing.
If Atmos maps intent and FlexConnect maps reality, the Z100 invites them to meet in the middle. Each Z100 speaker is a self-contained, 5-pound 1.1.1 acoustic structure (separate main, bass, and height drivers) rated at a muscular 170W RMS. A silk-dome tweeter sat behind the grille, a mid driver carried the body, and a discreet top-mounted driver with a 15-degree tilt handled height effects. The components inside include premium parts like neodymium magnets and deeply wound voice coils co-tuned with Dolby, so “wireless” doesn’t have to mean “weightless.” You can connect up to four of the $399 speakers, or three plus a wireless 130W subwoofer with a 5.25-inch driver—a cap influenced by chipsets and bandwidth, but not by any inherent ceiling in the Dolby tech. While today’s demo is TCL-to-TCL, FlexConnect itself is Switzerland, not a silo.
It’s the three satellite-one subwoofer configuration that we hear, which offers a frequency range of 45Hz – 20kHz. We start with Dolby’s “Nature’s Fury” sizzle reel, then a contemplative scene from The Two Popes, then Top Gun: Maverick for the “we get it, you like it loud” crowd. Finally, a spectral Billie Eilish track plays, followed by Elton John’s atmospheric “Rocket Man,” an Atmos chestnut. Wind spins around our shoulders as thunder crackles overhead. Jets strafe the sofa. A phantom singer manifests. Backup vocals billow. The motion stays continuous and the center image locked, despite speakers perched on side tables.
Admittedly, it’s still possible to localize the rear speaker with it all the way to our right, so we ask if it can be moved more centrally, which can also give us a chance to see if the “simple” in the “simply spatial” pitch is more than marketing confetti. The basic setup is simple: plug speakers into power; your leader device, in this case a TCL TV, detects them over Wi-Fi; a pop-up offers to configure; intelligent optimization runs via the TV’s built-in mic array—no bundled tripod mics, no sci-fi sweeps. A UI (shown below) displays a map of where the TV thinks you placed everything for visual confirmation and any needed adjustments; if someone stood in front of one during calibration (it happens), remap in seconds.
You can migrate furniture, or not want to move the ficus, and the system should easily adapt to where you’ve situated the Z100 speakers. Should being the operative word. Connected audio demos aren’t without their gremlins. With everything rearranged, one speaker refuses to be recognized. Cue the universal fix: Off/on. One polite calibration later, and we’re back to rain showers and high-risk, low-altitude missile strikes. It can happen to you, it can happen to them. The tech is forgiving, so it hopes you are, too.
The Z100 speakers also feature Bluetooth 5.3 for direct music streaming, though that’s a side quest—the main story is the Wi-Fi link to the TV, which meets Dolby’s latency/quality requirements. So you can use native apps, play Spatial Audio off Apple Music, or even stream AirPlay content to your TV and have it route to the system, knowing everything will be in sync, whether you’ve got two, three, or four speakers.
No, it won’t replace the discrete components of a custom install. It won’t convert audiophiles and forum-reading home cinema enthusiasts. But it’s not designed for that. The primary goal of a plug-and-play system is to free the average living room from the tyranny of sweet-spot symmetry. It’s an ambient presence, making the room you have feel improbably bigger than its dimensions without taking up space you can’t spare. No diagrams, no measuring in degrees, no dread. More dopamine. With the Z100, TCL and Dolby Atmos FlexConnect want to add fidelity and remove friction, treating your room as full of resources, not restrictions.
The post TCL’s new Z100 speakers are the first with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which promises to make surround sound setup super easy appeared first on Popular Science.
Invasive parasitic wasp spotted in the US for the first time - Popular Science
A previously unidentified species of invasive parasitic wasps is now stalking their prey on both coasts of the United States coasts, according to some long-term entomological data. Unlike the maligned murder hornets of 2020, the millimeter-sized Bootanomyia dorsalis isn’t likely to threaten humans. But the effects on North America’s roughly 800 species of oak gall wasps—and their ecosystems—remains to be seen. The discoveries are detailed in a study published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.
Meet Bootanomyia dorsalisNative to Europe, B. dorsalis is one of the world’s many parasitoid wasps, insects that lay their eggs in living plants and animals. It frequently targets both their fellow oak gall wasps, which measure only one to eight millimeters in length. Galls are small, tumor-like growths formed on plants that act as incubators for oak gall wasp larvae. Parasitic wasps often lay their own eggs in these galls, which later feed on their victims.
North America currently hosts about 90 oak tree species that collectively house an estimated 800 gall wasp species. And the number of parasitic wasp species is even larger.
“Parasitic wasps are likely the most diverse group of animals on the planet and are extremely important in ecological systems, acting as biological control agents to keep insects in check, including those that are crop or forest pests,” Kirsten Prior, a biological scientist at Binghamton University and study co-author, said in a statement.
Prior and colleagues found B. dorsalis thousands of miles from their native habitat during work on a larger research project focused on North American oak gall wasp and parasitoid diversity. Specifically, the team is looking at how gall-forming insects evade ever-evolving parasitic wasp varieties (or clades), and how those same wasps pursue them. Their strategy involves collecting oak gall wasps from around the continent, allowing parasitic wasps to hatch from those galls, and then conducting genetic sequencing to identify the various species.
“We are interested in how oak gall characteristics act as defenses against parasites and affect the evolutionary trajectories of both oak gall wasps and the parasites they host,” Prior explained, calling the broader study the most extensive of its kind.
It’s unclear how the invasive wasps will affect native ecosystems. Credit: Mehmet Akif Suna / iNaturalist An out of place parasiteAfter years of research, the team has so far amassed an estimated 25 oak gall wasp species while also identifying over 100 parasitic wasp species. In doing so, they recently noticed that a handful of those parasitic insects weren’t where they were supposed to be.
“Finding [B. dorsalis] on the two coasts of North America inspired our group to confirm this parasitic species’ identity and whether it was, in fact, an introduced parasite from Europe,” said Prior.
But while the specimens are all technically B. dorsalis, the genetic differences between the Pacific and East coast varieties (or clades) are so striking that they may warrant separation. Using the Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit (aka the universal barcoding gene, mtCOI), Prior’s team determined that the New York clade was related to B. dorsalis found in Portugal, Italy, and Iran. In contrast, the Pacific wasps were related to parasitoids in Spain, Hungary, as well as Iran, too. The East Coast wasps were also slightly more genetically diverse than their West Coast counterparts, which hints at potentially less of a population bottleneck or multiple introductions to the continent.
There are a couple main theories about how they got to North America in the first place. It’s possible that B. dorsalis arrived when Europeans colonists planted non-native oak tree species as far back as the 17th century. But given that an adult B. dorsalis can live as long as 27 days, they may also be more recent transplants aboard airplanes.
Get ready for Gall WeekWhile this research confirms that B. dorsalis has already made it to North America, it’s less clear how their introduction may affect insect and plant populations. Prior conceded that other invasive parasitic species have been documented as harming native insect populations.
“We did find that they can parasitize multiple oak gall wasp species… [so] they could be affecting populations of native oak gall wasp species or other native parasites of oak gall wasps,” she said.
Regardless of their ramifications, studying and identifying these insects can only continue with both proper funding—and the help of citizen scientists. The platform iNaturalist regularly hosts Gall Week to encourage specimen collection, while Prior and colleagues will continue to update their progress on the website Gallformers.org.
“Only when we have a large, concerted effort to search for biodiversity can we uncover surprises—like new or introduced species,” said Prior.
The post Invasive parasitic wasp spotted in the US for the first time appeared first on Popular Science.
An Uzbekistan cave holds an ancient agricultural secret - Popular Science
The Neolithic era marked ancient humanity’s giant leap from hunting and gathering to agriculture— but it didn’t happen in one specific place. Instead, farming developed in multiple places and times, including the Americas, eastern Asia, and Africa. Meanwhile, how it developed all depended upon where you were located. For example, paleoarchaeologists believe that the first to cultivate barley, legumes, and wheat was a Levant culture known as the Natufians, about 10,000 years ago. The Natifians lived in the Fertile Crescent, a Middle Eastern region hosting the earliest known agricultural evidence.
However, researchers have added new layers to the complicated and overlapping history. According to a study published on August 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, experts uncovered similar grain cultivation practices may have been occurring at the same time as much as 900 miles away.
The 2019 excavations in Toda Cave. Credit: Robert SpenglerIn 2019, an international team of archaeologists began digging in Toda Cave, a site in southern Uzbekistan’s Surkandarya Valley. They excavated several artifacts including charcoal, stone tools, and plant remnants from inside the cave’s oldest layers. The finds are at least 9,200 years old, while additional archaeobotanical research showed the cave’s occupants had collected wild barley, pistachios, and apples.
Additionally, use-wear analysis strongly suggests that the Neolithic community used their stone blades and flakes similar to sickles. These cutting patterns align with other sites around the globe with confirmed agricultural techniques.
“This discovery should change the way that scientists think about the transition from foraging to farming, as it shows how widespread the transitional behaviors were,” Xinying Zhou, a study co-author from China’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, said in a statement.
A modern specimen of wild barley with the individual grains naturally shattering off as they become ripe. Credit: Robert SpenglerThe researchers contend that the Toda Cave discoveries directly link the ancient hunter-forager culture to communal practices that would lead to their own dawn of agriculture almost in tandem with the Natufians, but hundreds of miles away.
“A growing body of research suggests that domestication occurred without deliberate human intent, and the finding that people continually developed the behaviors which lead to agriculture supports this view,” explained study co-author Robert Spengler at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology.
Further surveys are needed before Xinying, Spengler, and colleagues can determine the extent of these early traditions across a wider swath of Central Asia. They also hope to investigate if the grains offer an early example of wild barley cultivation. If so, it would suggest yet another ancient hub of experimental farming— either separate from the Fertile Crescent, or one that arrived in the area much earlier than currently thought. Regardless of these outcomes, the latest finds can better contextualize the larger picture of humanity’s technological, social, and agricultural evolution.
The post An Uzbekistan cave holds an ancient agricultural secret appeared first on Popular Science.
Solar flares as you’ve never seen them before - Popular Science
Solar flares are a great reminder of our sun’s truly immense power. Despite our solar system’s central star being roughly 93.955 million miles away from Earth, its flares have enough energy to cause blackouts and mess with radio communications. Studying the intricacies of solar flares and other space weather could help us Earthlings improve disaster plans when the sun’s excess energy is headed our way.
Now, the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) has captured some incredibly detailed images of a solar flare. These new images may help us better understand the sun’s magnetic field and improve space weather forecasting in the future. The findings are detailed in a study published August 25 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
On August 8, 2024, the sun emitted a highly-energetic X1.3-class solar flare. X-class flares like this one are incredibly powerful and can even interfere with technology here on Earth. At about 4:12 p.m. ET, the study’s team used the DKIST to observe and image the solar flare during its decay phase towards the end of the event.
“This is the first time the Inouye Solar Telescope has ever observed an X-class flare,” Cole Tamburri, a study co-author and an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado Boulder, said in a statement. “These flares are among the most energetic events our star produces, and we were fortunate to catch this one under perfect observing conditions.”
The astronomers using this sophisticated telescope observed these special solar features at a very small wavelength called H-alpha wavelength (about 656.28 nanometers). Observing the sun’s activity in such detail can show aspects of our star’s behavior that other solar telescopes can’t pick up.
They captured solar features called coronal loops—wispy, arches of plasma that follow the sun’s magnetic field. Coronal loops often occur just before a solar flare begins and persist throughout. The coronal loops themselves may trigger the bursts of energy often seen spewing from the sun’s magnetic fields. They are also very hot—with some coronal loops topping one million degrees Fahrenheit.
An active region of the sun just rotating into the view of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory gives a profile view of coronal loops over about a two-day period, from February 8-10, 2014. CREDIT: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory.The team focused on hundreds of these razor-thin magnetic field coronal loops above the solar flare ribbons. On average, the loops were roughly 30 miles across, but some were right at the telescope’s resolution limit of 15 miles.
“Knowing a telescope can theoretically do something is one thing,” added study co-author and solar astrophysicist Maria Kazachenko. “Actually watching it perform at that limit is exhilarating.”
Astronomical theories have suggested that coronal loops may range from six- to 62-miles-wide and the DISKT makes confirming this range possible.
A high-resolution image of the flare from the Inouye Solar Telescope, taken on August 8, 2024, at 20:12 UT. The image is about 4 Earth-diameters on each side. Labels of the different relevant regions of the image are added for clarity: flare ribbons (bright areas of energy release in the dense lower solar atmosphere) and an arcade of coronal loops (arcs of plasma outlining magnetic field lines that transport energy from the corona to the flare ribbons). CREDIT: NSF/NSO/AURA“This opens the door to studying not just their size, but their shapes, their evolution, and even the scales where magnetic reconnection—the engine behind [solar] flares—occurs,” said Tamburri.
One of the most tantalizing theories is the idea that the coronal loops may be the foundational building blocks of how solar flares form.
“If that’s the case, we’re not just resolving bundles of [coronal] loops; we’re resolving individual loops for the first time,” Tamburri adds. “It’s like going from seeing a forest to suddenly seeing every single tree.”
The post Solar flares as you’ve never seen them before appeared first on Popular Science.
138-year-old shipwreck discovered in Lake Michigan - Popular Science
A Great Lakes tour guide recently discovered the remains of a massive, 138-year-old shipwreck near the northernmost tip of the Door County Peninsula in eastern Wisconsin. After noticing an inexplicable smudge on a satellite image of the region, Door County Adventure Rafting owner Matt Olson set off on a boating excursion to Lake Michigan’s Rowleys Bay armed with diving gear, sonar, and a waterproof camera. He then splashed into the murky water, and soon confirmed that the photo’s small discoloration represented something much larger.
Olson shared his find with marine archaeologists at the Wisconsin Historical Society, who confirmed his suspicions: The wreck was the long-lost SV Frank D. Barker, a two-masted shipping vessel that offers a stark example of why most boats try to avoid the bay at all costs.
The wreck is just 24 feet below the water’s surface. Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society“It’s over 130 feet long,” he told Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) on August 25. “When I saw how massive the wreck was, I was like, ‘How could no one have come across this at any point in time?’”
The answer is likely to do with just how the vessel wound up 24 feet below the lake’s surface in the first place. Rowleys Bay is punctuated by Barker Shoal, a limestone outcropping made even more dangerous thanks to the comparatively shallow waters.
The 137-foot-long Barker had been in service for 20 years when it set out for the town of Escanaba, Michigan, on October 1, 1887. The crew intended to reach the port to receive a load of iron ore, but ran into foul weather and foggy conditions that sent them off-course. At some point, the Barker struck the shoal and began taking on water. However, unlike so many other Great Lakes maritime disasters, everyone managed to escape and make it to nearby Spider Island, where they waited out the weather.
Conservationists hope to add the site to the National Register of Historical Places. Credit: Wisconsin Historical SocietySalvage teams tried locating the sunken ship multiple times over the next year, but never found the ship valued at around $250,000 when adjusted to today’s dolalrs. Meanwhile, the outcropping itself acquired the name Barker Shoal, mostly likely in reference to the ill-fated boat. Given its actual final resting place, historians now believe no one initially found the wreck thanks to inaccurate newspaper reporting at the time, which attributed the sinking closer to Spider Island. But now that they know exactly where it is, experts wasted no time in checking it out for themselves.
“It’s like a football field filled with oak,” maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen told WPR. “The entire ship is sort of filleted open, and a lot of the deck machinery is still there. It’s just really amazing.”
Thomsen described the site as looking like a puzzle with the pieces laid out in front of them.
“Everything is there… the sides have split open but you can, in your mind, kind of put it back together.”
Salvage teams mounted multiple attempts to find the ship in the months after its sinking. Credit: Wisconsin Historical SocietyThe Wisconsin Historical Society is currently planning further expeditions to the Barker in the hopes of adding the shipwreck to the National Register of Historical Places. Its exact location will remain undisclosed for the time being in order to protect it against potential looters and treasure seekers.
“There’s a lot of interesting things potentially on this shipwreck, and it would be a shame if it got pillaged by people looking for souvenirs,” Olson said.
As for the tour guide, this makes for his third shipwreck discovery. In 2024, Olson found a schooner called the Grey Eagle that sank in 1869, as well as another schooner named Sunshine the year before.
The post 138-year-old shipwreck discovered in Lake Michigan appeared first on Popular Science.
Humpbacks are the only whales that can feed with bubble nets - Popular Science
With their bubble-net feeding strategies, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are a new level of ”smart” animal. Their method of making “nets” out of air bubbles is even more special than once thought. It is considered tool use, which is one way to assess an animal’s level of intelligence. Out of seven species of baleen whales, humpbacks are likely the only whales that can pull off the high-performance turns required for bubble-net feeding.
How bubble-net feeding worksBubble-net feeding is a hunting strategy that individual whales and whales eating in groups both utilize. When a group feeds this way, it is a very synchronized set of behaviors that requires communication and cooperation, which is even more evidence of their high social intelligence.
In bubble-net feeding, the group of whales or a single whale dives down below a school of fish or a small crustaceans called krill. Then, they blow bubble rings from their blowholes to stun their prey and trap them closer to the surface. Once near the surface, the whales open up their giant mouths and swallow everything in the bubble net before shutting their mouths. The baleen plates push out the water, while the whales swallow the animals whole.
It’s all in the pectoral flippersNow it appears that humpbacks are the only baleen whales that can feed this way, thanks to their unique pectoral (or side) flippers. The biomechanics and more are detailed in a study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
A team at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s Institute of Marine Biology Marine Mammal Research Program used data from drones and noninvasive suction cups to get a closer look at how the whales feed. With this data, they could accurately quantify the immense turning performance required for the maneuver.
A solitary bubble-net feeding humpback whale targeting a patch of Pacific herring in Alaska. CREDIT: Martin van Aswegen.“The fact that humpback whales’ pectoral flippers enhance their maneuverability wasn’t the most surprising part of our study, as there have been previous studies on the morphology of these flippers,” Cameron Nemeth, a study co-author and recent UH graduate, said in a statement. “However, it was shocking to discover that amongst thousands of turns from a variety of behavioral states, no other species of whale examined were achieving the turning performance required to create a bubble-net.”
In order to make the turn needed to form the bubble net, the humpback whale’s large pectoral flippers can generate nearly half of the necessary force. Even if other whale species are physically capable of making similar turns, they would need to spend significantly more energy to do so. Having to burn so much energy would make it an impractical feeding strategy.
Humpbacks’ special body shape also allows them to successfully hunt for smaller or scattered groups of prey, without using bubble-net feeding. They can also lunge feed, where the whales swim through schools of fish with their mouths open to swallow huge schools of krill and plankton.
The Hawai’i connectionHumpback whales in Hawaiʻi fast while they’re visiting the islands during the winter months. Instead, they focus on mating and calving in the warm tropical waters. To get by, they rely on the energy reserves they build up when feeding in Alaska over the summer. Understanding the efficiency of their foraging techniques can help marine biologists assess their health and energetic needs while in Hawaiʻian waters.
Nemeth also worked with the journal to include an abstract of the paper in the Hawaiian-language. He translated the text and worked with a Hawaiian language professor to edit the text. The team hopes that this will set a precedent for future publications.
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Get a cool deal and cooler drinks with this insulated leakproof backpack, 20% off at Amazon - Popular Science
Summer’s doing that thing where it’s technically still here but starting to ghost us. Whether you’re making the most of late-season park hangs or gearing up for a packed fall sports schedule, Amazon’s got deals on outdoor gear—including this absolute MVP of a backpack cooler. It’s 20% off right now, and you can stack extra savings with the code TR5AND10 on qualifying purchases.
TOURIT Cooler Backpack, leakproof, holds up to 28 cans — $29.59 (was $36.99)TOURIT
See ItDragging a hard cooler across a field should count as cardio. This backpack-style version turns snack duty into a wearable mission—perfect for hauling orange slices to the team or adult beverages to the tailgate. It keeps things cold for up to 16 hours with ice packs, has enough pockets to make a cargo vest jealous, and includes a built-in bottle opener for your Mexi-Cokes and beers. Available in five colors, including classic black, tie-dye black, blue, gray, and dark gray. Weighs just 1.1 pounds when empty, so your back will forgive you. Just don’t forget that coupon code!
More sports accessories deals- Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker with Google apps, $119.95 (was $159.95)
- Fitbit Inspire 3 Health & Fitness Tracker, $79.95 (was $99.95)
- Hydro Flask 24 Oz Wide Flex Straw Cap Bottle in Aloe, $29.96 (was $39.95)
- Stanley IceFlow Fast Flow Water Bottle, $26.25 (was $35)
- Stadium Seats for Bleachers, $43.95 (was $54.95)
- DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Standard Combo + 58-Piece Kit, $409.99 (was $459.99)
The post Get a cool deal and cooler drinks with this insulated leakproof backpack, 20% off at Amazon appeared first on Popular Science.
The best IEMs for drummers in 2025, tested and reviewed - Popular Science
If you’re a performing drummer, you already know the importance of being able to hear your fellow musicians. The age of the stage wedge is over, which means you’ll need a great pair of in-ear monitors. The very best—whether pricey custom-molded like the Ultimate Ears Premiere or affordable universals such as the Westone Audio Pro X30—offer comfort, isolation, a rich low-end with a realistic sense of impact, and the ability to hear as much, or as little, of your bandmates as you need. They’re also a great way to put on your favorite tracks and air drum along when not performing or recording (and way easier to carry around than full-sized headphones).
- Best overall: Ultimate Ears Premiere
- Best for gigging on a budget: Westone Audio Pro X30
- Best entry-level: Shure SE215
- Best for audiophiles: Thieaudio Divinity V16
- Best value: Thieaudio Hype 4
- Best universal for ergonomics: Campfire Audio Cascara
- Best for bass-heads: Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch
In addition to having a passion for technology and helping people make the best choices with their limited budgets, I’ve been a musician for the past 25 years and have played on live stages for more than a decade. I’ve gone through the era of the stage wedge to the modern standard of in-ear monitors and personalized mixers and have learned what frequencies matter most to different musicians. Just like no two players are exactly the same, there’s no single in-ear monitor that’s going to deliver what every band member needs.
Drummers need bass and impact. They need viscerality. At the same time, it’s important that they’re still able to hear fine details, like the texture of their cymbals, the gradients of roll-off, and the fine tonal differences that resonate from different locations on each drum head. They also need to be able to hear as much or as little of each bandmate as they desire at any given time, so they can drive the dynamics of the performance—playing off the bass player, but also the guitarist, vocalist, and keyboardist in turns.
I’ve been testing and writing about audio gear professionally for years, and through my personal love of audio, I’ve allowed it to blossom into a genuine hobby of my own. I have more than 100 pairs of IEMs in my personal collection, and more than two dozen pairs of headphones. Pulling together this list, I considered all of the sets I’ve reviewed over the last year, as well as those that have come in years before (just because something is older doesn’t mean it isn’t great). I also considered the IEMs my colleagues in this space have fallen in love with, that perhaps I haven’t tested on my own. In that way, this list is also collaborative and a meeting of the minds between people who love listening to music and making it as well (such as my editor at PopSci, Tony Ware). I’ve done the research and testing to offer the best picks for different types of listeners, so you can save time shopping and spend more time doing what you love: jamming out, creating new beats, and getting lost in the rhythm and flow of music.
Best overall: Ultimate Ears Premier See It Pros- Custom fit offers security and top-tier isolation
- 21 EQ-friendly BA drivers with a stock tuning that emphasizes bass and lower mids
- Optional Ambient feature allows you to balance isolation with hearing the audience
- Professional (read multi-thousand) price point, not including cost of ear molds
- Price: $2,999.99 (plus cost of ear molds)
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 40,000Hz
- Drivers: 21 x Knowles balanced armatures
- Connectivity: Wired, 3.5mm (IPX/T2 cable)
Why it made the cut: A custom fit, customizable sound signature, great details, and a comfortable fit, the UE Premier is tops for serious road warriors.
Few brands are as well-known and highly esteemed among performing musicians as Ultimate Ears. The UE Premier is its flagship pair of in-ear monitors, and they are jam-packed with technology and fine-tuning to ensure that you have all of the isolation and detail you need to perform your best. These earphones don’t come cheap, but I think you’ll agree that they are a professional-tier product that pushes the envelope in what you should expect.
Beginning from the inside out, the UE Premier uses 21 balanced armatures per side, each custom-tuned to focus on a certain frequency band or acoustic property. Using this driver array, it’s able to offer dedicated drivers to each register and a single True Tone Plus driver that is dedicated entirely to harmonics and overtones. In audiophile terms, the Premier offers excellent technicalities. In normie terms, it’s a tonal powerhouse.
In truth, the Premier has received a bit of criticism for the sheer number of drivers the manufacturer has packed in there, but each one serves a purpose. Consisting of all balanced armatures, two dual drivers are dedicated to the rumbling sub-bass, and four dual drivers are dedicated to the middle lows. One quad driver is dedicated to the mids, and an additional quad driver is dedicated to the highs. The True Tone Plus driver focuses on the super highs, a.k.a. the air frequencies, to give your mix a lifelike ambiance.
One of the things that makes this such a good choice for drummers, however, is that its stock tuning emphasizes the low end more than most other studio monitors do. While it’s possible to use EQ and tailor it to any musician’s taste, by default, you’ll be able to enjoy powerful bass that reaches low and has a punchy sense of impact. Because of its wide array of drivers focusing on the mids and highs, you won’t miss out on any of the higher frequencies that give toms their particular sound and texture or cymbals their sizzle and decay.
Importantly, these IEMs are about as isolating as they come. They can only be purchased with a custom ear mold. While that does mean you’ll need to make a trip to the audiologist to have those molds done, the final product will match your ear perfectly. It’s able to block out up to 26dB of stage noise and offers an incredibly secure fit so you can play freely without worrying about either earpiece coming loose. (Additionally, if you pay an extra $50 for the Ambient feature, a small port with a clear plastic plug allows you to select up to 12dB of stage bleed.)
Because each pair is so uniquely matched to its listener, there aren’t many real cons to speak of outside of subjective listening preferences. Its price is surely one of them, and custom ear molds typically run a minimum of $100 to $150 per ear before the multi-thousands Premier is even constructed for you. They’re also a bit large and may stick out of the ears of smaller listeners a bit, but because of the custom molding process, this is an aesthetic consideration and not a concern for the earpieces falling out mid-performance. In addition, the sweat-resistant IPX/T2 cable is built for durability and reliability.
While certainly luxurious, there’s no question that the UE Premier is a professional’s tool. It’s the kind of set that you work toward, not what you begin with. In that category, it’s a veritable showpiece of what a great pair of stage monitors can offer.
Best entry-level: Shure SE215 ProShure
See It Pros- Affordably priced
- Relatively balanced stock tuning
- Offers clarity for stage mixes and practice sessions
- Soundstage is a bit congested
- Fit may be an issue for some
- Price: $109
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20,000Hz
- Drivers: 9.2mm dynamic driver
- Connectivity: Wired, 3.5mm
Why it made the cut: An ultra-affordable standard, these IEMs are as good today as they were when they debuted in 2011.
The Shure SE215 Pro has been an audio industry standard for more than a decade (from microphones to monitoring solutions). In fact, it was my own first pair of stage monitors back when I exclusively played guitar. I wasn’t as deep into the audio hobby at the time and didn’t have as much experience with what made a great pair of IEMs versus a normal pair of headphones. However, everywhere I looked when I was speaking with professionals I trusted, the SE215 Pro kept showing up in ears and recommendations when it came to a starter set of stage monitors.
If $100 seems too budget to trust at real gigs, believe me, I hear you. But there’s a reason why these are the affordable recommendation. To get better audio performance from a dedicated stage IEM, you can expect to pay significantly more. Viewed from another angle, it’s also fair to say that until you reach monitors that are twice the price or even higher, you won’t notice nearly as much of an improvement as these offer coming from a normal pair of consumer earphones.
The Shure SE215 Pro is a standard setter. It uses a single 9.2mm dynamic driver, which allows it to be small and low profile, perfect for wrapping behind and down your back to hide its presence. They’re repairable, featuring a detachable cable that ends in a standard 3.5mm termination. If anything should happen to it, you can simply source another at a much lower cost than buying a whole new pair of IEMs. And it can be swapped out for a microphone cable (sold separately) if you plan to use these as a communication device to check in from the road … assuming your phone still has a headphone jack.
Its presentation of sound is fitting for its price. These earphones offer decent layering, allowing you to hear each element within the mix. That’s a critically important quality for any pair of stage monitors, so you can always hear any fellow musician you need to in the moment. Its soundstage isn’t very expansive, and its detail retrieval for fine acoustic textures is only average, but it provides everything you need to get started and play live shows for years to come. In fact, I know musicians who still use the SE215 Pro even though they could easily afford a better set. For the money, it does its job well.
The biggest drawback, in addition to its relatively small soundstage, is fit. While this obviously varies from user to user and the shape of your ear, I found that these had a tendency to come loose while not fully coming out during performances. This caused me to lose a complete seal, reducing bass and negatively impacting isolation. This could be remedied with a good pair of foam ear tips, however, which also stand to enhance its bass response (which is also acceptable for a beginning live drummer).
Build quality is another area where this set is only average. While it doesn’t feel especially cheap, it also doesn’t feel especially robust. This isn’t a set that you’ll want to be particularly hard on if you want them to last through many shows. Treat them kindly, however, and they certainly can, as my musician buddies can testify.
The Shure SE215 Pro is a staple recommendation for a reason. At $100, it isn’t the absolute cheapest pair of IEMs you can find, but it is one of the best values and is worth the investment for any drummer working to up their game without breaking the bank. I’ve still got a pair around here somewhere, it’s just too grungy to share.
Best for gigging on a budget: Westone Audio Pro X30Alex Kuldell
See It Pros- Low-profile shells stay put and isolate well for long sets
- Linum BaX T2 cable shrugs off sweat, snags, and cable crackle
- Clear, quick mids/highs keep click, snare, and cymbals locked in
- Doesn’t deliver the “subwoofer-in-your-head” slam of big dynamic drivers
- T2 connector narrows aftermarket cable options vs. 2-pin/MMCX
- Price: $369
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 18,000Hz
- Drivers: 3 x balanced armatures (3-way crossover)
- Connectivity: Wired, 3.5mm (Linum BaX T2 cable)
Why it made the cut: Clarity, stage-proven fit, and a tough Linum BaX T2 cable make these IEMs that you can gig with through hot lights and sweaty clubs, and they’ll never flinch.
The Pro X30 is the IEM to toss in your stick bag when you need something reliable that can survive the road but won’t wreck the budget. Westone’s pedigree shows—they were building hearing solutions and musician monitors long before in-ears were standard on small stages, and the Pro X line feels designed by people who’ve actually loaded in and soundchecked night after night on a few hours of sleep (like our X30 model above, Alex Kuldell of Celtic-Americana band Scythian).
The Pro X30 plays nice with your belt pack, and the sound is classic triple-BA: fast, tidy, and easy to read under pressure. Balanced armatures are tiny, sealed drivers originally born for hearing aids; they don’t move tons of air, but they’re lightning-quick and efficient. Split across a 3-way crossover, the X30’s lows keep kick and floor tom tight, while the mids and highs give you the transient snap to track ghost notes, stick attack, and cymbal decay without cranking dangerous volumes. Resolution won’t reach double-digit drivers but if you’re used to consumer buds, the jump in separation and intelligibility is immediate—your click sits right where it should, and you can keep vocals in your periphery instead of drowning the mix.
Ergonomics are where these win night after night. The shells are small and disappear in the ear; the over-ear fit never fights your headset mic or glasses; and the included foam tips make it simple to dial a seal that blocks bleed from side fills and that one guitarist who won’t turn down. You can keep them in for two-hour sets without hotspots and “is my left side slipping?” anxiety.
The unsung hero is the Linum BaX T2 cable. It’s sweat-resistant, featherlight, doesn’t kink, and resists microphonics when it brushes a collar—huge if you move around the kit. The T2 connector locks in more securely than most, and it’s the same style you’ll find on high-end customs (think the UE Premier’s IPX cable above), so you’re getting tour-grade pull-force stability on a working player’s budget. It’s a cable that could snag on a drum throne and survive without a cutout—try that with a bargain MMCX.
Are there trade-offs? Sure. If you crave chesty sub-bass, you’ll need a perfect foam seal and/or a touch of EQ. And if you’re a serial cable-swapper, the T2 ecosystem isn’t as crowded as 2-pin. But for drummers who need crisp timing cues, reliable isolation, and gear that can handle weeknight rehearsals and weekend runs, the Pro X30 is a no-drama, built-for-the-grind workhorse that earns its keep show after show and will remain a staple in pits and fly-packs.
Also worth consideringSo while the above three picks are special highlights on this list, there are plenty more that are worth considering, depending on what you’re looking for. For example, if you were also looking for the best possible music listening experience alongside your stage performances, the Thieaudio Divinity V16 is a fantastic pick. It doesn’t come cheap at $1,500, but if you’re using it for both, that value goes up quite a bit since you won’t have to buy a second pair to use offstage.
The Thieaudio Divinity V16 features 16 high-end Sonion balanced armatures per side. It’s tuned to deliver outstanding crispness and detail with a powerful, textured, and impactful bass. It’s very well-rounded and highly regarded among audiophiles and drummers alike, at least among drummers in the know. Since Thieaudio is still an up-and-coming brand in the United States, it doesn’t quite have the same name recognition as brands like Ultimate Ears, Westone, or Shure. But make no mistake, they are absolutely worth considering, even if you step significantly down in price.
Tony Ware
In fact, if you’re looking for an affordable all-rounder, the Thieaudio Hype 4 (shown above) is one of my recommendations under $500. This set features two dynamic drivers and four Sonion balanced armatures to deliver a high-resolution but impactful listening experience. It’s not as expansive as the Thieaudio Divinity V16, but you wouldn’t expect it to be at less than a quarter of the price. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sound great. I’ve used this set for monitoring drums, guitar, listening to music, and even gaming. The tuning is safe but fun, allowing it to function well in a wide variety of circumstances without sacrificing the details and layering that a great pair of in-ear monitors needs.
Looking for next-level ergonomics and isolation without paying extra for custom-molded shells? Campfire Audio has you covered with the $499 Cascara (shown below). This pair of full-bodied IEMs is about as close as a universal fit pair of monitors can be to a custom mold without actually requiring a trip to the audiologist. Part of the company’s Chromatic series, it’s available in black or light blue and has a contoured concha-filling shape with a nozzle that, when topped off with a properly sized ear tip, seals out the outside world so you can focus on the music and rhythm. Campfire Audio may have built its reputation on the crystalline details of the Andromeda Emerald Sea, but make no mistake, the Cascara is a fun pair of IEMs with a great sense of impact and thickness, perfect for drums. Also, it’s made entirely in the USA and ships out of Portland, Oregon. It includes U.S.-based support, should you ever need it.
Chris CokeFinally, for the bass-starved or the bass-enamored, we have the Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch. This pair of $450 IEMs was tuned by popular earphone Hawaii Bad Boy (HBB), the host of the Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews YouTube channel. He left no question that this was a set being designed for bassheads. It offers powerful sub-bass for a pronounced rumble that, frankly, might take a little getting used to. For floor toms and kick drums, as well as thick, reverberating bass, it’s excellent. Unlike a lot of bass-focused sets, however, HBB made a point of ensuring that the rest of the frequency spectrum doesn’t sound muddled as a result. There’s a clear cutoff from the bass into the mids to keep the rest of the range clean. Since it uses a combination of a single 10mm dynamic driver, two open-vent balanced armatures, and two Sonion electrostatic drivers, it’s able to offer all of the details, layering, and soundstage you need for drum performances or practice sessions that are as fun as they are locked in.
Final thoughts on the best IEMs for drummers- Best overall: Ultimate Ears Premiere
- Best for touring on a budget: Westone Audio Pro X30
- Best entry-level: Shure SE215
- Best for audiophiles: Thieaudio Divinity V16
- Best value: Thieaudio Hype 4
- Best universal for ergonomics: Campfire Audio Cascara
- Best for bass-heads: Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch
Choosing a great pair of IEMs for drumming can be surprisingly complicated. But once you find the right set for your tastes and needs, all of that management goes out the window. You can focus on playing, not on struggling to hear the musicians around you. And with that lower apprehension comes a sense of freedom that inspires the very best performances. With that in mind, I hope this list allowed you to find your next pair of in-ear monitors so you can bang on, four on the floor, paradiddle, or throw all of that out with creative fills and tom solos that will leave your audience in awe.
The post The best IEMs for drummers in 2025, tested and reviewed appeared first on Popular Science.
Why do cats hate water? An expert explains. - Popular Science
It can happen in an instant. Your feline friend walks your bathtub like a balance beam, curious what you’re doing behind the shower curtain. Then, a paw slips. They fall in. Water goes everywhere. You’re stunned. They’re horrified. And, as quickly as they fell in, they zoomed away.
Cats and water just don’t mix—that’s the prevailing narrative. And yet, some cats seem to love water. Just poke around on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or the more specialized subgenre of the platform, #CatTok, and you’re bound to find some water-loving felines enjoying a shower or swim. So what gives?
“In general, most cats are averse” to water, says Kristyn Vitale, an animal behaviorist at Maueyes Cat Science and Education. “But I think it’s just like anything else, like with people as well, that a blanket statement never applies to every individual.” To uncover the reason most cats aren’t water fans, we have to look at our furry friends’ evolution, upbringing, and biology for answers that stretch thousands of years into the past.
First, blame evolutionIn many ways, cats haven’t changed much in 10,000 years of domestication. Unlike dogs, our feline companions “haven’t really been selectively bred as much. So their predatory motor pattern is basically still intact,” says Vitale. “A lot of their behavior is going to be very [similar to] their wild ancestor.”
That ancestor is the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). Clocking in between six and 18 pounds, the African wildcat looks pretty much the same as a large, tabby housecat—and like a tabby housecat, this wildcat isn’t into water either.
“African wildcats are typically going to be hunting on land and hunting terrestrial animals. So they didn’t really develop a lot of behaviors to be in the water or hunting around water,” says Vitale. They are, and always have been, land animals—specifically arid land animals.
Domestic house cats evolved 10,000 years ago from the African wildcat (shown here). Image: DepositPhotosAfrican wildcats primarily live in deserts and savannas. When they were first being domesticated some 10,000 years ago, they called the dry plains of the Fertile Crescent, a large swath of the Middle East that stretched from northern Egypt to Iran, home. So it makes sense that their modern descendants aren’t hopping into pools with much gusto.
A cat’s upbringing also plays a roleBut evolution is only part of the equation. How cats are raised also plays an important role in why some, if not most, of our feline friends are apprehensive about water.
“If you think about dogs, a lot of pet owners will take their dog to the beach or their dogs are going to be getting baths more often. So from an early age, dogs are learning about water and hopefully that water isn’t something scary,” says Vitale. “But as cat owners, we don’t really do that.”
Most domestic house cats aren’t exposed to water as often as their canine counterparts. Some cats may even develop a fear of water if, say, they’re falling into your shower accidentally or getting a bath after getting sprayed by a skunk. Unpleasant experiences like those may turn off cats even more from getting wet, says Vitale.
On the other hand, if your cat has positive experiences with water, they may start to seek it out. In more extreme instances, maybe they’ll even join you for a shower. May I introduce you to Pym the Shower Cat.
You shouldn’t bathe your catTo be clear, it’s usually best not to bathe your cat. Most cats self-clean, using their coarse tongues to groom themselves or one another. “Bathing them might cause issues because you’re potentially masking the cat’s scent,” says Vitale, especially if you use a scented shampoo or soap. “Cats feel safe and secure when they can smell themselves. And if you’re masking their scent, that can cause stress and anxiety,” says Vitale. It’s bad news if your furry friend starts associating water with being stripped of their natural scent.
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There’s also the potential that getting wet may throw off a cat’s balance. For instance, whiskers play a vital role in how cats interpret the world around them. They provide information about their environment and how to navigate it. “It’s very possible getting wet might hinder [whiskers’] ability to pick up on vibrations and sensations,” says Vitale.
That said, Vitale says there’s no need to worry if your cat enjoys a splash in the tub or a quick rinse. “It’s just like people, you know, some people love to go swimming and some are definitely afraid of water. It’s the same kind of individuality we see in cats.” So, don’t worry, Pym the Shower Cat is doing just fine.
Introducing water slowly can be beneficialIn general, you want to avoid forcing your cat to interact with water. That will only lead to an association with water and negative experiences. Instead, Vitale suggests introducing your cat to water slowly, especially if you have a kitten or young cat who may not yet see water as an enemy. One of the best ways to introduce water to cats is to get them a fountain, that way “they can kind of test the water out themselves,” says Vitale. “They can put their paw in. They can put their tail in.” It’s on their terms.
You can also find opportunities to introduce water to activities your cat already enjoys, like pets. Next time your cat jumps near a sink, “turn on the faucet for them and maybe just sprinkle a little bit of water [on them] or get your hand wet and pet them with your wet hands to start, and see how they react,” says Vitale.
“If they really freak out about it, then maybe, you know, back off and go even slower. But a lot of times just those gradual introductions to water can really help them like realize that, ‘Hey, water’s not something to fear.’”
This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.
The post Why do cats hate water? An expert explains. appeared first on Popular Science.
iPhone pieghevole, spuntano dettagli sulle fotocamere - TheAppleLounge
iPhone pieghevole, spuntano dettagli sulle fotocamere - TheAppleLounge
24 Aug 2025
Every new iOS 26 feature Apple has added in the beta - Popular Science
Apple announced the upcoming iOS 26 software for iPhone back on June 9, 2025, with a revamped Liquid Glass look and a host of new features. Those additions include live translations, AI-powered visual search, a new Games app, and better security, and you can read about those new features here.
Almost straight after the update was announced, Apple started a beta program for developers and early adopters. Since then, we’ve seen even more upgrades added to the iOS 26 that weren’t mentioned during the announcement.
With a full rollout of iOS 26 expected in September, to coincide with the iPhone 17 launch, here are all the significant new features Apple has added during the beta phase—and which will soon be coming to your iPhone.
CarPlay wallpapers: CarPlay is an extension of iOS that extends the familiar phone interface to your car’s head unit, and Apple has used the iOS 26 beta to roll out CarPlay wallpapers that match the new-look iPhone wallpapers.
Control Center: Among the Liquid Glass refinements added to iOS 26 during the beta program, the various elements in the Control Center have been made more legible as the company continues to strive for balance between aesthetics and functionality.
Drafts in Messages: Before now, if you started a text you didn’t finish in the Messages app, it wasn’t easy to find again. iOS 26 fixes this by introducing a dedicated Drafts folder.
Drafts are now easier to find. AppleDynamic wallpaper: like iOS 18 before it, iOS 26 has added a dynamic wallpaper option during the beta, so the color of your iPhone’s backdrop can slowly change during the day.
Liquid Glass tweaks: iOS 26 looks a lot different to iOS 18, and this look has been continually tweaked during the beta, including more transparency on the lock screen.
Live Radio widget: Widgets don’t miss out with the iOS 26 update, because there’s a new Live Radio widget attached to the Apple Music app for you to put on your home screen.
Apple Music adds a Live Radio widget. AppleLow battery alert: It’s always useful to know when your iPhone’s battery is low, and iOS 26 adds a redesigned low battery alert to the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen.
More wallpapers: As well as adding a dynamic wallpaper option (see above), the betas have also added more color variations for the new default wallpaper for iOS 26.
New ringtones: A bunch of new ringtones give you more options for incoming calls, including variations on the default Reflection ringtone, and a new one called Little Bird.
There are new ringtones to try out. AppleNotification summaries: Notification summaries for news and entertainment apps were pulled back in January while Apple fine-tuned them, but they make a return in iOS 26.
Performance improvements: iOS 26 has continued to get better and feel snappier over time, which means you shouldn’t notice any slowing down when you get it installed.
Personalized weather: You can now choose to give the Weather app access to the list of places you often visit stored by your iPhone, for more personalized weather forecasts.
AppleRedesigned Apple Watch blood oxygen monitoring: Apple is bringing back blood oxygen tracking to the Apple Watch, but this time the feature will run mostly on the iPhone. You can get this feature back in the US with a Series 9, Series 10, or Ultra 2 watch.
Restore your iPhone: Apple has now made it easier to restore your iPhone without the need for a Windows or macOS computer, to streamline the troubleshooting process.
Silence unknown callers: When calls from unknown numbers reach iOS 26, they can be silenced by default, or allowed to ring as normal, or the caller can be prompted for more details before the call is put through. It’s part of Call Screening in the Phone app.
Add in all the bug fixes that Apple has rolled out over the last couple of months, and iOS 26 is just about ready to go. Expect an announcement about wide availability when the iPhone 17 launch happens, which should be in the first or second week of September.
The post Every new iOS 26 feature Apple has added in the beta appeared first on Popular Science.
23 Aug 2025
12 dazzling images from the 2025 Capture the Dark photography contest - Popular Science
“Wow. Just wow.” That’s how astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers described a sprite she witnessed from the International Space Station. The mysterious atmospheric phenomena occur above intense thunderstorms and last for just milliseconds, so capturing it with a camera requires immense skill (and a bit of luck).
Photographer JJ Rao managed to document vibrant red sprites above Derby, Australia. Rao’s stunning image (seen below) took first place honors at the Capture the Dark 2025 photography contest. “Well…this happened,” Rao wrote on Instagram of his image. “I’ve read and heard about Red Sprites for a few years now and could have sworn I had seen a couple but it was nothing compared to this monster captured last night which was very naked eye visible, and very red.”
“The Watchers“First place | Capture the Dark
“Rare red sprites dancing over the tidal flats of Western Australia. A large sprite like this exists for 10 milliseconds, up to 40x faster than an eye blink. This makes photographing them challenging and requires very dark skies. The central sprite is unusual. It’s known as a ‘jellyfish’ sprite, the largest and fastest of all sprites.”
Credit: JJ Rao / Capture the Dark 2025 JJ Rao
More than 2,220 images from photographers in 22 countries competed in this year’s edition of DarkSky International’s premier nighttime photography contest. Honors were handed out across 11 categories. The judging panel included accomplished astrophotographers who selected the winners based on composition, technical skill, and adherence to DarkSky’s Principles for Responsible Astrophotography.
“Gems of Jizerka“First place | Young Astrophotographers
“In May, I visited Jizerka, which is located in a dark Bortle 4 zone (and sometimes even reaching Bortle 3). This valley transforms completely after sunset. A few scattered huts, fleeting fog, and a lively yet peaceful atmosphere under the stars made this night unforgettable.”
Credit: Oldřich Špůrek / Capture the Dark 2025
DarkSky International hopes the contest can help raise awareness about the concerning issues triggered by light pollution. “Light pollution continues to grow at an alarming rate—nearly 10% annually worldwide—disrupting critical wildlife ecosystems, threatening community wellness, and dimming our view of the stars,” the company explained in a press release.
To view the full list of winners, visit DarkSky International.
“Two Lovers Watching The Moonrise”Second place | Visit Tucson Location Award
Credit: Kevin O’Donnell / Capture the Dark 2025 “Paris, Asleep In The Pre-Dawn Hours”
First place | Dark Sky Friendly Lighting and Design
“Paris is known as the “City of Lights,” but after midnight, many iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur are turned off to save energy and reduce light pollution. I took advantage of the darker, less light-polluted sky to capture the Pleiades above the city, from a beautiful viewpoint in Sèvres, just 8 km from the Eiffel Tower.”
Credit: Gwenael Blanck / Capture the Dark 2025 “Starlight Highway”
First place | International Dark Sky Places
“The Starlight Highway sign is definitely one of the cooler signs to find on the road, and there is a good reason for it, as you can see! The sign marks the entrance to the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve—one of the most significant dark sky reserves on earth.”
Credit: Tom Rae / Capture the Dark 2025 “Celestial Dance Over Lupine Fields”
Third place | International Dark Sky Places
Credit: Lucy Yunxi / Capture the Dark 2025 “Kids and Comets“
First place | Visit Utah Location Award
“Chasing Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) with these two is one of my favorite memories of 2024. While it makes photography tricky, I love sharing moments under the stars with my children. They patiently waited for me to capture this comet for three consecutive nights. They asked questions, watched the comet through binoculars, and even posed for pictures.”
Credit: Carly Stocks / Capture the Dark 2025 CARLY STOCKS “Clash In Winter Sky: A Legend Tupi – Guaran”
Second place | People’s Choice Award
Credit: Rodrigo Guerra / Capture the Dark 2025 “Furnace of Life”
Second place | Deep Sky Observations
Credit: Rod Prazeres / Capture the Dark 2025 “Moonstruck”
Second place | Visit Utah Location Award
Credit: Michelle Bragg / Capture the Dark 2025 “Milky Way Over Quiver Tree”
Second place | Mobile Nighttime Photography
Credit: Jilanfeng Dai / Capture the Dark 2025 “The Perfect Ghost”
Second place | Creatures of the Night
Credit: Will Hudson / Capture the Dark 2025
The post 12 dazzling images from the 2025 Capture the Dark photography contest appeared first on Popular Science.
LASIK without the laser? Rabbit eyeballs hint at a new option - Popular Science
Figuring out a way to correct blurry vision is a part of life for many of us. In the United States alone, roughly six million people are estimated to have some sort of vision loss and another one million are totally blind.
To escape glasses and invasive contact lenses, many turn to more permanet corrective eye surgery, including the popular LASIK procedure. However, there might be a new vision correction method (that does not involve teeth) on the horizon that can do the same thing without the side effects. It was recently presented at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting.
What is LASIK?LASIK (or Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is a surgical procedure that uses a laser to reshape the cornea to correct vision. Human corneas are the dome-shaped, clear structures that sit at the front of the eye. They bend incoming light and focus it onto the retina. From the retina, the light is sent to the brain and interpreted as an image. If the cornea is misshapen, it doesn’t focus on the light properly, blurring the image that the brain is trying to interpret.
During LASIK, specialized lasers remove precise sections of the tissue to reshape the cornea. It is a very common procedure and considered low risk. However, it still has some negative side-effects including eye pain, dry eyes, and seeing halos. It also has some limitations and risks since cutting the cornea can compromise the structural integrity of the eye
“LASIK is just a fancy way of doing traditional surgery. It’s still carving tissue—it’s just carving with a laser,” said Michael Hill, a professor of chemistry at Occidental College who is working on a new way to correct vision without LASIK.
[ Related: Apple snails can regrow their eyeballs. ]
Enter electromechanical reshapingThe procedure that Hill and his collaborator Brian Wong are exploring can achieve this same cornea shaping goal without making an incision. It uses a process known as electromechanical reshaping (EMR). EMR has previously been used to to reshape cartilage-rich rabbit ears and change scars and skin in pigs.
“The whole effect was discovered by accident,” explains Wong, a professor and surgeon at the University of California, Irvine. “I was looking at living tissues as moldable materials and discovered this whole process of chemical modification.”
Within the human body, collagen-containing tissues like the corneas are held together like a magnet, with oppositely charged components fusing together. These tissues contain a lot of water. Applying electric voltage to these watery tissues lowers the pH, making them more acidic. When the pH is altered, the rigid attractions within tissue loosens up and makes the shape more malleable. If the original pH is restored, the tissue locks into a new shape.
The electromechanical reshaping technique successfully flattened this rabbit cornea, shown in a cross section, from its original shape (white line) to a corrected one (yellow line). CREDIT: Daniel Kim and Mimi Chen.In the experimental procedure, the team constructed specialized, platinum contact lenses. The lenses provided a template for the correct cornea shape. They placed the lens over a rabbit eyeball in a saline solution meant to mimic natural tears. When the team applied a small amount of voltage, the platinum lens generated the correct pH change. After roughly 60 seconds, the cornea conformed to the shape of the lens. The procedure took about the same amount of time that LASIK takes, but with fewer steps, less expensive equipment, and no incisions into the eye.
The team repeated this setup on 12 separate rabbit eyeballs. Ten of the eyeballs that the team studied were treated as if they had myopia, or nearsightedness. In all 10 “myopic” eyeballs, vision was theoretically improved since the eye’s targeted focusing power was fixed. The cells in these test eyeballs also survived the treatment, since the pH gradient was carefully controlled.
Additionally, other experiments found that the technique may be capable of reversing some cloudiness to the cornea.
[ Related: Bye bye, bifocals? New eye drops can fix farsightedness. ]
In the early stageWhile promising, it’s important to remember that this work is in its very early stages. The team will next go through what Wong describes as, “the long march through animal studies that are detailed and precise.” These include tests on a living rabbit instead of just its eyeball.
The team also plans to determine the types of vision problems that are possible to correct with EMR, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
“There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic,” says Hill. If the team can make it up to the operating room, this treatment could be less expensive and reverse blurry vision for good.
The post LASIK without the laser? Rabbit eyeballs hint at a new option appeared first on Popular Science.
Top Stories: All-New Apple Operating System, iPhone Leaks, and More - MacRumors
We're continuing to hear rumors about those iPhone and Apple Watch models, plus a few other products that are a bit further down the line. Apple is also putting the finishing touches on iOS 26 and related operating system updates in advance of next month's event, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!
Top Stories
Apple Working on All-New 'Charismatic' Operating System
Apple's long-rumored home hub device and eventual tabletop robot will run on a new operating system code-named "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The new home-focused operating system will reportedly blend elements of tvOS and watchOS and revolve largely around clock faces and widgets. Siri voice commands and touch input will be supported, as well as multi-user support with automatic facial recognition.
For more on Apple's smart home plans, be sure to check out last week's episode of The MacRumors Show.
iPhone 17 Pro Max's Internal Design With Metal Battery Allegedly Leaks
Alleged images of the iPhone 17 Pro Max's internal design have surfaced, offering a potential look inside the device before it is announced by Apple next month.
The images show that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will apparently feature two versions of a metal-covered battery, an L-shaped one to be used in models that still have a physical SIM card tray and a more rectangular one for models that lack a physical SIM card tray, such as those sold in the United States.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023, and it should deliver a few upgrades.
We're also expecting minor updates for the mainstream Series 11 model, and perhaps a bit more significant changes for the budget third-generation Apple Watch SE that should be seeing its first update since 2022.
For those users looking further ahead, one report claims at least one Apple Watch model will see a "significant redesign" in 2026, with a possibility of Touch ID for biometric authentication.
Here's Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 7
Apple is nearing the finish line on development for the initial public release of iOS 26, pushing out new betas to developers and public beta testers this week.
The redesigned Blood Oxygen feature that rolled out to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models in the U.S. last week is now included in iOS 26 and watchOS 26 betas, while there's now an option to receive notifications when the new Adaptive Power mode in iOS 26 turns on to help save battery.
Apple Rumored to Launch 'TechWoven' Cases for iPhone 17 With 'Crossbody Strap' Option
Earlier this week, we got our first glimpse at what will reportedly be Apple's new premium case material for the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup, replacing the highly criticized FineWoven cases that debuted alongside the iPhone 15 lineup.
A subsequent leak indicates the new material may be dubbed "TechWoven," with the cases available in a number of colors for the various models. Previously seen lanyard attachment points on Apple's first-party cases for the iPhone 17 lineup may instead be intended for a "Crossbody Strap" accessory mentioned on the alleged case packaging.
Apple Releases iOS 18.6.2 With Security Fixes
Apple this week released minor iOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 18.6.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.6.1 updates delivering security fixes. According to the Apple's security support document, the updates address a memory corruption issue that could occur from being sent a malicious image file.
Apple says it's aware that the issue may have been actively exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals," so while most users are unlikely to be targeted, it's still a good idea to make sure your devices are updated.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!Tag: Top Stories
This article, "Top Stories: All-New Apple Operating System, iPhone Leaks, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Top Stories: All-New Apple Operating System, iPhone Leaks, and More - MacRumors
We're continuing to hear rumors about those iPhone and Apple Watch models, plus a few other products that are a bit further down the line. Apple is also putting the finishing touches on iOS 26 and related operating system updates in advance of next month's event, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!
Top Stories
Apple Working on All-New 'Charismatic' Operating System
Apple's long-rumored home hub device and eventual tabletop robot will run on a new operating system code-named "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The new home-focused operating system will reportedly blend elements of tvOS and watchOS and revolve largely around clock faces and widgets. Siri voice commands and touch input will be supported, as well as multi-user support with automatic facial recognition.
For more on Apple's smart home plans, be sure to check out last week's episode of The MacRumors Show.
iPhone 17 Pro Max's Internal Design With Metal Battery Allegedly Leaks
Alleged images of the iPhone 17 Pro Max's internal design have surfaced, offering a potential look inside the device before it is announced by Apple next month.
The images show that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will apparently feature two versions of a metal-covered battery, an L-shaped one to be used in models that still have a physical SIM card tray and a more rectangular one for models that lack a physical SIM card tray, such as those sold in the United States.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023, and it should deliver a few upgrades.
We're also expecting minor updates for the mainstream Series 11 model, and perhaps a bit more significant changes for the budget third-generation Apple Watch SE that should be seeing its first update since 2022.
For those users looking further ahead, one report claims at least one Apple Watch model will see a "significant redesign" in 2026, with a possibility of Touch ID for biometric authentication.
Here's Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 7
Apple is nearing the finish line on development for the initial public release of iOS 26, pushing out new betas to developers and public beta testers this week.
The redesigned Blood Oxygen feature that rolled out to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models in the U.S. last week is now included in iOS 26 and watchOS 26 betas, while there's now an option to receive notifications when the new Adaptive Power mode in iOS 26 turns on to help save battery.
Apple Rumored to Launch 'TechWoven' Cases for iPhone 17 With 'Crossbody Strap' Option
Earlier this week, we got our first glimpse at what will reportedly be Apple's new premium case material for the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup, replacing the highly criticized FineWoven cases that debuted alongside the iPhone 15 lineup.
A subsequent leak indicates the new material may be dubbed "TechWoven," with the cases available in a number of colors for the various models. Previously seen lanyard attachment points on Apple's first-party cases for the iPhone 17 lineup may instead be intended for a "Crossbody Strap" accessory mentioned on the alleged case packaging.
Apple Releases iOS 18.6.2 With Security Fixes
Apple this week released minor iOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 18.6.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.6.1 updates delivering security fixes. According to the Apple's security support document, the updates address a memory corruption issue that could occur from being sent a malicious image file.
Apple says it's aware that the issue may have been actively exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals," so while most users are unlikely to be targeted, it's still a good idea to make sure your devices are updated.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!Tag: Top Stories
This article, "Top Stories: All-New Apple Operating System, iPhone Leaks, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Soundcore Boom 3i by Anker is the rugged speaker your patio needs, and it’s $30 off - Popular Science
Labor Day is coming, a lot of kids are already back to school, and before you stash away your white pants for the season, it’s time to squeeze the most out of your patio. Whether you’re hosting one last summer barbecue or want to start transitioning to cozier, cooler nights, these outdoor gadget deals bring the sound, light, and vibe without the high price tag.
Soundcore Boom 3i by Anker, IP68 Waterproof & Dustproof Portable Speaker – $109.99 (was $139.99)Soundcore by Anker
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If you think Anker is just about cables and chargers, surprise: the brand also makes seriously solid—and affordable—wireless speakers. The Soundcore Boom 3i floats, making it pool- and lake-friendly, while also withstanding those unpredictable summer thunderstorms. With 50W of punchy sound, deep bass and crisp highs, it’s got enough power to keep the music going well into the night. Plus, you’ll get 16 hours of playtime, app control and fun extras like Voice Amplifier mode and an Emergency Alarm—but using them depends entirely on what kind of relationship you want to have with your neighbors. And right now it’s 21% off, so you can save before your party goes off.
XGIMI
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The days might be shorter, but that just means more time for firing up a backyard movie. The MoGo 3 Pro makes it effortless, with Google TV and Netflix already built in—no dongles or cable wrangling required. The 450 ISO lumens and 1080p resolution keep the picture crisp up to 120 inches, and the 130° adjustable stand means you can set it down, point, and press play. Auto image alignment takes care of the rest, while the PowerBase Stand keeps it stable (and gives it up to 2.5 hours life away from an outlet). All you need is popcorn—and maybe a hoodie.
- Soundcore Select 4 Go Bluetooth Shower Speaker by Anker – $24.99 (was $34.99)
- Soundcore Rave 3S AI Party Speaker with 2 Wireless Microphones – $299.99 (was $349.99)
- XGIMI Elfin Flip Portable Projector – $258.99 (was $329.99)
- XGIMI MoGo 4 Laser Portable Projector – $679 (was $799)
- CIAYS Smokeless Firepit, 19 Inch – $108.98 (was $149.99)
- Yaheetech 10FT Solar Offset Umbrella with 32 LED Lights – $72.89 (was $96.99)
- Bose SoundLink Flex Portable Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Gen) – $129 (was $149)
The post Soundcore Boom 3i by Anker is the rugged speaker your patio needs, and it’s $30 off appeared first on Popular Science.
The best free public transit apps to get you from A to B anywhere in the world - Popular Science
You might think you don’t need a separate app for public transit directions, considering you get the feature built into Google Maps and Apple Maps—two very capable apps that are available for free, and which come preinstalled on Android handsets (Google Maps) and iPhones (Apple Maps, with Google Maps also available).
However, sometimes a dedicated app works best: It’s more detailed, it’s more thorough, and it’s more focused. That’s the case with the apps we’ve listed below, which are often more useful than the public transit features in Google Maps and Apple Maps.
If you spend a lot of time on public transit, or you’re about to—maybe you’re going traveling—then we recommend getting one or more of these excellent apps installed alongside whatever you already have on your phone. You’ll find them very helpful for buses, trains, trams, cabs, and more.
Citymapper Citymapper is comprehensive but easy to use. Screenshot: CitymapperCitymapper is one of the most well-established and well-respected public transit apps out there, and a lot of its success is down to how slick and simple it is to use. Even if you’re lost in a city you’ve never been to before, Citymapper can get you to the right place.
There’s very good coverage across cities worldwide. A Citymapper Club subscription gets you extras such as voice navigation, lock screen widgets, and an ad-free experience—but all of the key features are available for free.
All the info you need is put front and center, from how long it’ll take to navigate a route to how much you’re going to have to spend. There are neat features sprinkled throughout too, including a setting to increase or decrease the amount of walking you have to do.
Citymapper: Freemium for Android and iOS
Transit Transit makes complex routes straightforward. Screenshot: TransitIf you’re interested in bus and subway routes specifically then Transit—which covers most major cities in the world—has you covered. It has a wealth of data on more than 300 locales, and it promises up-to-the-second details of timings and delays.
It’s a really well presented app that doesn’t take itself too seriously (though it absolutely will serve up accurate info for you), and it does a great job of showing the details you need when you need them. When your bus is about to leave, for example.
In busy cities, public transit options can feel overwhelming, but Transit helps you cut through the noise to find the options you need. An optional Transit Royale subscription gives you even more data and customizations.
Transit: Freemium for Android and iOS
Moovit Moovit quickly recommends the best route for you. Screenshot: MoovitWith data for thousands of cities and hundreds of countries, Moovit leads the world in terms of the raw data it has access to. No matter where you find yourself, chances are that Moovit can serve up the bus and train schedules you need.
The flow of the app is really well done, from searching for destinations to figuring out which stop and platform you need to be at. One of the more helpful features is a recommended route option that picks the best choice based on your chosen criteria.
If you don’t want to travel right away, you can easily look up schedules for other times and dates, and when you do get moving you get straightforward step-by-step instructions. A paid subscription option removes the ads and gives you access to more live information.
Moovit: Freemium for Android and iOS
Momego You get a range of useful features included in Momego. Screenshot: MomegoMomego scores highly in all the categories that matter for a public transit app, including the quality of the data it serves up, the intuitiveness of the interface, and how easy it is to get started—and it’s well worth trying for travel, wherever you find yourself in the world.
There’s a lot under the surface of Momego, but the app keeps everything straightforward on the top: Just tell it where you want to go and how you want to get there. There’s a premium subscription too, which removes the ads and offers extras like weather updates.
Among the most useful features: alerts when you need to get off whatever vehicle you’re on, real time updates on routes, customizable widgets for your home screens, and the ability to plan your trips ahead of time for specific dates and times.
Momego: Freemium for Android and iOS
The post The best free public transit apps to get you from A to B anywhere in the world appeared first on Popular Science.
Changing Parking Lots to Homes - Google Maps Mania
Changing Parking Lots to Homes - Google Maps Mania
Battery or budget anxiety? This 33% off jump starter deal has you (and your car) covered - Popular Science
My phone’s dead. My earbuds are dead. My laptop’s gasping for 5%. And now my car battery wants in on the fun? Hard pass. Dealing with battery anxiety may be a daily occurrence, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fight back with some smart preparedness. Right now, Amazon is running a limited-time 33% off deal on the GOOLOO GT4000S Jump Starter when you use promo code JEX8H9RY. It’s like having a pit crew in your trunk, minus the matching jumpsuits. And minus over $40 if you act fast.
GOOLOO GT4000S Jump Starter 4000A Car Jumper Starter, 100W fast‑charging lithium jump box — $106.52 w/ coupon code (was $149)GOOLOO
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With enough juice to jump-start pretty much any 12V vehicle (up to 12L gas or 10L diesel), this beast is overqualified for your average sedan. It also doubles as a battery pack for your other electronics, featuring three USB ports, a 400-lumen flashlight that emits an SOS, spotlight, and strobe, as well as a DC port. Comes with cables, chargers, and adapters so you can stash it in your trunk and forget it. That is, until you really, really need it. Just don’t forget to click the coupon before you click Add To Cart!
- WARWOLF 160PSI Tire Inflator Portable Air Compressor, $49.99 (was $99.99)
- ETENWOLF T300 Digital Tire Pressure Gauge, $7.98 (was $14.99)
- PiSFAU 200W Car Power Inverter, $19.99 (was $35.99)
- BougeRV 12V Car Fridge (23 Quart), $156.99 (was $189.99)
- KMM Handheld Car Vacuum Cleaner, $28.99 (was $49.99)
The post Battery or budget anxiety? This 33% off jump starter deal has you (and your car) covered appeared first on Popular Science.
iOS 26: Eight New Features in Apple Music - MacRumors
AutoMix
AutoMix is an upgrade to the crossfade feature in Apple Music, and it is designed to provide more seamless song transitions. It transitions from one song to another as the song that's playing ends, using time stretching and beat matching for an undetectable shift.
Apple says that AutoMix is meant to work like a DJ, with songs transitioning at the "perfect moment" based on an on-device analysis of the key and tempo of the music.
AutoMix can be enabled when opening up the Apple Music app for the first time after installing iOS 26.
The feature isn't perfect and it works better with some genres than others, but it is a work in progress that Apple is improving over time. AutoMix is not an Apple Intelligence feature, but it does require an Apple Music subscription.
Lyric Translation
If you're listening to a song in a different language, you can now open up the lyrics and get a real-time translation so you know what it's about. The translated lyrics are displayed alongside the original lyrics.
Lyric Pronunciation
For songs in another language, you can also get a phonetic pronunciation guide for singing them aloud, which is useful when taking advantage of the Apple Music Sing karaoke feature.
Pinned Favorites
There's now an option to pin up to six playlists, albums, artists, or songs to the top of the Apple Music library.
Playlist Folders
Playlists can be organized into folders in the iOS Apple Music app, a feature that has previously been limited to the Mac.
Home Screen Widgets
There are new Home Screen widgets that show your pinned Apple Music content. There's a medium-sized widget and a larger widget for pins, along with a new large Live Radio widget.
Animated Lock Screen Artwork
The Lock Screen now features full-screen animated art for the Now Playing widget while music is playing.
Karaoke Microphone
tvOS 26 and iOS 26 turn the iPhone into a wireless microphone for karaoke on the Apple TV. When using Apple Music Sing, each participant can sing through their iPhone, queue songs up, and send emoji reactions.
Read More
More on the features that are available in iOS 26 can be found in our iOS 26 roundup. iOS 26 will launch in September.Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26Related Forum: iOS 26
This article, "iOS 26: Eight New Features in Apple Music" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
iOS 26: Eight New Features in Apple Music - MacRumors
AutoMix
AutoMix is an upgrade to the crossfade feature in Apple Music, and it is designed to provide more seamless song transitions. It transitions from one song to another as the song that's playing ends, using time stretching and beat matching for an undetectable shift.
Apple says that AutoMix is meant to work like a DJ, with songs transitioning at the "perfect moment" based on an on-device analysis of the key and tempo of the music.
AutoMix can be enabled when opening up the Apple Music app for the first time after installing iOS 26.
The feature isn't perfect and it works better with some genres than others, but it is a work in progress that Apple is improving over time. AutoMix is not an Apple Intelligence feature, but it does require an Apple Music subscription.
Lyric Translation
If you're listening to a song in a different language, you can now open up the lyrics and get a real-time translation so you know what it's about. The translated lyrics are displayed alongside the original lyrics.
Lyric Pronunciation
For songs in another language, you can also get a phonetic pronunciation guide for singing them aloud, which is useful when taking advantage of the Apple Music Sing karaoke feature.
Pinned Favorites
There's now an option to pin up to six playlists, albums, artists, or songs to the top of the Apple Music library.
Playlist Folders
Playlists can be organized into folders in the iOS Apple Music app, a feature that has previously been limited to the Mac.
Home Screen Widgets
There are new Home Screen widgets that show your pinned Apple Music content. There's a medium-sized widget and a larger widget for pins, along with a new large Live Radio widget.
Animated Lock Screen Artwork
The Lock Screen now features full-screen animated art for the Now Playing widget while music is playing.
Karaoke Microphone
tvOS 26 and iOS 26 turn the iPhone into a wireless microphone for karaoke on the Apple TV. When using Apple Music Sing, each participant can sing through their iPhone, queue songs up, and send emoji reactions.
Read More
More on the features that are available in iOS 26 can be found in our iOS 26 roundup. iOS 26 will launch in September.Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26Related Forum: iOS 26
This article, "iOS 26: Eight New Features in Apple Music" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
What’s Next for Apple’s iPad Lineup - MacRumors
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
iPad Pro
Rumors suggest that Apple will update the iPad Pro models before the end of the year, introducing the faster M5 chip in the device. No notable design changes are coming because last year's update brought an overhauled look, but there are a couple new features planned.
The iPad Pro looks like it will be the first to get the M5 chip, which is built on an updated 3-nanometer process. We can expect modest performance and efficiency improvements.
There will be 11-inch and 13-inch size options, and the 2025 models will use OLED display technology much like the M4 models. Apple is rumored to be planning for two front-facing cameras, with one located at the top of the device and one located at the side. With this change, the iPad will be in the correct orientation for video calls regardless of whether it is positioned in landscape or portrait mode.
The M5 iPad could debut in either October or November, coming about a month after Apple releases new iPhone 17 models.
iPad Air
There's a new iPad Air in the works, and it could come in 2026, but there's no guarantee. We don't know much about the next-generation iPad Air, but there's a possibility that it will feature a display with a 90Hz refresh rate, up from 60Hz.
With the 2026 refresh, the iPad Air could be updated with an OLED display, but it's not yet clear if that's something Apple plans to debut next year or if we will be waiting until 2027.
The M3 iPad Air came out in March 2025, so we are unlikely to see a new model before March 2026.
Low-Cost iPad
There's a new low-cost iPad in development, and it will have an updated A18 chip. With the A18, the iPad will support Apple Intelligence features that are not available on the current model.
Rumors suggest the low-cost iPad will debut in early 2026, perhaps at a spring event.
iPad mini
Apple is working on an iPad mini 8 that could come out as soon as 2026. Leaked Apple code suggests that it will use the same A19 Pro chip that Apple plans to use in the iPhone 17 Pro models.
The A19 Pro will be built on an updated 3-nanometer process, so it will feature performance and efficiency improvements.
Apple is developing an iPad mini that uses OLED display technology, but it is not clear if the OLED display will be in the iPad mini 8 or a future iPad mini that's not coming until 2027. When the iPad mini does get an OLED display, it could feature an upgraded 8.7 inch display size instead of an 8.3 inch display.
This article, "What’s Next for Apple’s iPad Lineup" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
What’s Next for Apple’s iPad Lineup - MacRumors
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
iPad Pro
Rumors suggest that Apple will update the iPad Pro models before the end of the year, introducing the faster M5 chip in the device. No notable design changes are coming because last year's update brought an overhauled look, but there are a couple new features planned.
The iPad Pro looks like it will be the first to get the M5 chip, which is built on an updated 3-nanometer process. We can expect modest performance and efficiency improvements.
There will be 11-inch and 13-inch size options, and the 2025 models will use OLED display technology much like the M4 models. Apple is rumored to be planning for two front-facing cameras, with one located at the top of the device and one located at the side. With this change, the iPad will be in the correct orientation for video calls regardless of whether it is positioned in landscape or portrait mode.
The M5 iPad could debut in either October or November, coming about a month after Apple releases new iPhone 17 models.
iPad Air
There's a new iPad Air in the works, and it could come in 2026, but there's no guarantee. We don't know much about the next-generation iPad Air, but there's a possibility that it will feature a display with a 90Hz refresh rate, up from 60Hz.
With the 2026 refresh, the iPad Air could be updated with an OLED display, but it's not yet clear if that's something Apple plans to debut next year or if we will be waiting until 2027.
The M3 iPad Air came out in March 2025, so we are unlikely to see a new model before March 2026.
Low-Cost iPad
There's a new low-cost iPad in development, and it will have an updated A18 chip. With the A18, the iPad will support Apple Intelligence features that are not available on the current model.
Rumors suggest the low-cost iPad will debut in early 2026, perhaps at a spring event.
iPad mini
Apple is working on an iPad mini 8 that could come out as soon as 2026. Leaked Apple code suggests that it will use the same A19 Pro chip that Apple plans to use in the iPhone 17 Pro models.
The A19 Pro will be built on an updated 3-nanometer process, so it will feature performance and efficiency improvements.
Apple is developing an iPad mini that uses OLED display technology, but it is not clear if the OLED display will be in the iPad mini 8 or a future iPad mini that's not coming until 2027. When the iPad mini does get an OLED display, it could feature an upgraded 8.7 inch display size instead of an 8.3 inch display.
This article, "What’s Next for Apple’s iPad Lineup" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
22 Aug 2025
LLM Siri: The Complete Guide to Apple's AI Assistant Overhaul Coming in 2026 - MacRumors
Upgrading Siri hasn't been without hiccups, and it's been delayed once. We've rounded up everything we know about Apple's work on a more capable Siri that uses large language models.
LLM Siri
The next-generation version of Siri will use advanced large language models, similar to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI chatbots.
LLM Siri would be able to hold continuous conversations and provide human-like responses to questions, plus the assistant would be capable of completing more complex tasks.
Apple Intelligence Siri Delays
In what became an infamous move, Apple went all-in showing off a smarter, Apple Intelligence-powered version of Siri when it showed off iOS 18 at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple also highlighted advanced Apple Intelligence Siri features when the iPhone 16 models launched, but after months of customers waiting for the new feature set, Apple said that it wouldn't be coming.
In March 2025, Apple said that the Apple Intelligence Siri features that it expected to introduce in iOS 18 would not be coming in iOS 18 at all. Apple said that Siri would not be ready until 2026.
The Siri Features That Got Pushed Back
The Siri functionality that was delayed wasn't even the LLM version of Siri that had been rumored. It was an in-between model that was smarter, but without full chatbot capabilities. Here's what we're waiting on:
Personal Context
With personal context, Siri will be able to keep track of emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you've been sent.
- Show me the files Eric sent me last week.
- Find the email where Eric mentioned ice skating.
- Find the books that Eric recommended to me.
- Where's the recipe that Eric sent me?
- What's my passport number?
Onscreen Awareness
Onscreen awareness will let Siri see what's on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you're looking at. If someone texts you an address, for example, you can tell Siri to add it to their contact card. Or if you're looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask Siri to do it for you.
Deeper App Integration
Deeper app integration means that Siri will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. We don't have a full picture of what Siri will be capable of, but Apple has provided a few examples of what to expect.
- Moving files from one app to another.
- Editing a photo and then sending it to someone.
- Get directions home and share the ETA with Eric.
- Send the email I drafted to Eric.
Siri Redesign
We got more context on what went wrong with Siri when Apple introduced iOS 26 and Apple executives did a series of interviews to explain the situation.
Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that the first-generation architecture that Apple was developing for the personalized Siri features ended up being too limited. Siri was not able to match Apple's high standards, and by spring 2025, Apple realized that it needed to transition Siri to the second-generation architecture (aka the LLM version of Siri) that it had been planning.
With Apple abandoning the first-generation Siri architecture it had been working on, the new Siri features had to be delayed until the second-generation architecture was ready.
In an all-hands meeting in August, Federighi told employees that Apple had attempted to merge two separate systems, and it didn't work out. Apple had one system for handling current commands and another based on large language models. Federighi said Apple realized that the hybrid approach was not going to work.
Federighi said that Apple has successfully revamped Siri, and it's going to be a bigger update than expected. "The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed," Federighi told employees. "This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than that we envisioned."
Internal Restructuring
The misstep with Siri's debut and the failure of the hybrid architecture led Apple to restructure its entire AI team. Apple AI chief John Giannandrea was removed from the Siri leadership team, with Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell taking over instead.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was no longer confident in Giannandrea's ability to oversee product development. Rockwell reports to Federighi, and Federighi told employees that the new leadership has "supercharged" Siri development.
Apple has also struggled with retaining AI employees amid the Siri issue and recruitment strategies from companies like Meta. Meta poached several key AI engineers from Apple, offering pay packages as high as $200 million. At Apple's August all-hands meeting, Cook and Federighi aimed to reassure employees that AI is of the utmost importance to the company. "There is no project people are taking more seriously," Federighi said of Siri.
Cook said that Apple will "make the investment" to be a leader in AI.
Apple's LLM or a Partnership?
Part of the reason that Apple is seeing low morale among its AI employees is rumors that an Apple-designed large language model that's in development might be sidelined.
Apple is rumored to be considering a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI or Claude creator Anthropic to power the smarter version of Siri. Both companies are reportedly training versions of their models that would work with Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, and Apple is running tests with both its own models and models from outside companies. No final decision on Siri has been made as of yet.
Partnering with a company like Anthropic or OpenAI would allow Apple to deliver the exact Siri feature set that it is aiming for, while also giving it time to continue work on its own LLM behind the scenes.
Launch Date
Apple executives have confirmed that the new version of Siri will launch in 2026, and rumors suggest it will come as soon as spring 2026. If it is indeed planned for spring, Apple could roll out the features in iOS 26.4, because the .4 software updates are often reserved for significant feature improvements.
This article, "LLM Siri: The Complete Guide to Apple's AI Assistant Overhaul Coming in 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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LLM Siri: The Complete Guide to Apple's AI Assistant Overhaul Coming in 2026 - MacRumors
Upgrading Siri hasn't been without hiccups, and it's been delayed once. We've rounded up everything we know about Apple's work on a more capable Siri that uses large language models.
LLM Siri
The next-generation version of Siri will use advanced large language models, similar to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI chatbots.
LLM Siri would be able to hold continuous conversations and provide human-like responses to questions, plus the assistant would be capable of completing more complex tasks.
Apple Intelligence Siri Delays
In what became an infamous move, Apple went all-in showing off a smarter, Apple Intelligence-powered version of Siri when it showed off iOS 18 at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple also highlighted advanced Apple Intelligence Siri features when the iPhone 16 models launched, but after months of customers waiting for the new feature set, Apple said that it wouldn't be coming.
In March 2025, Apple said that the Apple Intelligence Siri features that it expected to introduce in iOS 18 would not be coming in iOS 18 at all. Apple said that Siri would not be ready until 2026.
The Siri Features That Got Pushed Back
The Siri functionality that was delayed wasn't even the LLM version of Siri that had been rumored. It was an in-between model that was smarter, but without full chatbot capabilities. Here's what we're waiting on:
Personal Context
With personal context, Siri will be able to keep track of emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you've been sent.
- Show me the files Eric sent me last week.
- Find the email where Eric mentioned ice skating.
- Find the books that Eric recommended to me.
- Where's the recipe that Eric sent me?
- What's my passport number?
Onscreen Awareness
Onscreen awareness will let Siri see what's on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you're looking at. If someone texts you an address, for example, you can tell Siri to add it to their contact card. Or if you're looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask Siri to do it for you.
Deeper App Integration
Deeper app integration means that Siri will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. We don't have a full picture of what Siri will be capable of, but Apple has provided a few examples of what to expect.
- Moving files from one app to another.
- Editing a photo and then sending it to someone.
- Get directions home and share the ETA with Eric.
- Send the email I drafted to Eric.
Siri Redesign
We got more context on what went wrong with Siri when Apple introduced iOS 26 and Apple executives did a series of interviews to explain the situation.
Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that the first-generation architecture that Apple was developing for the personalized Siri features ended up being too limited. Siri was not able to match Apple's high standards, and by spring 2025, Apple realized that it needed to transition Siri to the second-generation architecture (aka the LLM version of Siri) that it had been planning.
With Apple abandoning the first-generation Siri architecture it had been working on, the new Siri features had to be delayed until the second-generation architecture was ready.
In an all-hands meeting in August, Federighi told employees that Apple had attempted to merge two separate systems, and it didn't work out. Apple had one system for handling current commands and another based on large language models. Federighi said Apple realized that the hybrid approach was not going to work.
Federighi said that Apple has successfully revamped Siri, and it's going to be a bigger update than expected. "The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed," Federighi told employees. "This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than that we envisioned."
Internal Restructuring
The misstep with Siri's debut and the failure of the hybrid architecture led Apple to restructure its entire AI team. Apple AI chief John Giannandrea was removed from the Siri leadership team, with Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell taking over instead.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was no longer confident in Giannandrea's ability to oversee product development. Rockwell reports to Federighi, and Federighi told employees that the new leadership has "supercharged" Siri development.
Apple has also struggled with retaining AI employees amid the Siri issue and recruitment strategies from companies like Meta. Meta poached several key AI engineers from Apple, offering pay packages as high as $200 million. At Apple's August all-hands meeting, Cook and Federighi aimed to reassure employees that AI is of the utmost importance to the company. "There is no project people are taking more seriously," Federighi said of Siri.
Cook said that Apple will "make the investment" to be a leader in AI.
Apple's LLM or a Partnership?
Part of the reason that Apple is seeing low morale among its AI employees is rumors that an Apple-designed large language model that's in development might be sidelined.
Apple is rumored to be considering a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI or Claude creator Anthropic to power the smarter version of Siri. Both companies are reportedly training versions of their models that would work with Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, and Apple is running tests with both its own models and models from outside companies. No final decision on Siri has been made as of yet.
Partnering with a company like Anthropic or OpenAI would allow Apple to deliver the exact Siri feature set that it is aiming for, while also giving it time to continue work on its own LLM behind the scenes.
Launch Date
Apple executives have confirmed that the new version of Siri will launch in 2026, and rumors suggest it will come as soon as spring 2026. If it is indeed planned for spring, Apple could roll out the features in iOS 26.4, because the .4 software updates are often reserved for significant feature improvements.
This article, "LLM Siri: The Complete Guide to Apple's AI Assistant Overhaul Coming in 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Lost, ancient cult site unearthed near a Norwegian highway - Popular Science
Archaeologists in Norway have uncovered human remains and structural artifacts indicating a 3,000-year-old ritualistic cult site near a highway expansion project. Surveyors initially discovered the first signs of ancient religious activity over a decade ago, but more recent excavation work is offering further looks at the spiritually significant communal location. The surrounding geological environment also points to why locals eventually abandoned it—a giant mudslide in central Norway’s Gauldal river valley around 800 CE.
“It’s a very special find. We’ve never found anything quite like it. In a central Norwegian context, it’s entirely unique,” NTNU University Museum archaeologist Hanne Bryn told Science Norway earlier this month.
The first evidence of archaeological significance was discovered in 2014. Credit: Kristin Eriksen / NTNU University MuseumBryn first visited the area in 2014 on behalf of the Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality, but returned in recent years to assist an archaeological survey ahead of a planned highway expansion. Over two summers, she and colleagues scoured a large region buried under as much as 9.8 feet of clay.
All that digging has paid off. The location is composed of two main sections that each included a moderately sized longhouse measuring 33 to 39 feet in length. Near one longhouse stood a larger stone burial mound called a cairn, along with three burial chambers—some of which housed charred human bones. Archaeologists also found evidence of cooking pits and a fire pit likely utilized for making bronze.
Throughout the site, the researchers documented numerous stones carved with artwork such as a footprint, boat, human figures, as well as a bow and arrow. The stones are particularly striking because Norwegian rock art at that time was usually etched directly into bedrock. In comparison, these individual stones appeared to have been intended as possibly portable relics.
“It’s a very special find,” Bryn said of one stone measuring around 4 by 8 inches. “It’s so small. It’s portable, you could carry it in your pocket.”
Archaeologists discovered a burial cairn next to the longhouse remains. Credit: Mats Aspvik / NTNU University MuseumHowever, there is one type of building the archaeologists did not find. So far, there isn’t any evidence of a permanent community. Without that evidence of a more permanent settlement nearby, the researchers believe that the location served an important spiritual function, and was viewed with reverence.
“It points to a site of special significance,” explained Bryn.
Analysis of the human remains showed the bones date to 1000 to 800 BCE, which puts them right around the time of the devastating mudslide that inundated the Gaudal river valley. That said, it’s unclear if locals actively used the site as more than a burial ground around the time of the devastation.
“There are no traces of people here. It wasn’t a Pompeii, though we did wonder about that ourselves,” Bryn said.
Bryn and her team are now investigating an area on a plateau near the highway expansion. Although they haven’t found anything “exceptional” yet, there are indications of some kind of human settlement. Regardless of the new project’s outcome, the significance of what they found just down the road is clear.
“Finding portable stones like this, lying in the landscape where they were once used, is especially rare,” said Bryn. “There aren’t many discoveries that compare.”
The post Lost, ancient cult site unearthed near a Norwegian highway appeared first on Popular Science.
LASSIE’s robot dog may join astronauts on Mars - Popular Science
When humans eventually set foot on Mars, they may have a four-legged companion by their side. But the dog accompanying them won’t be a canine at all, but a quadruped robot designed to gather samples and keep astronauts on the Red Planet from twisting an ankle. Built with autonomous capability, it will be capable of operating independently of humans. Put another way, the Mars dog will walk off-leash.
A team of scientists from Oregon State University, the University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, and Texas A&M University tested a prototype of the future Mars robot dog earlier this month at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Over the course of five days, the robot was tasked with traversing the region’s loose, unpredictable soil, which is meant to mimic the surface of the Red Planet. The trial comes about two years after similar experiments with the same robot on Mount Hood in Oregon, where the terrain also resembles that of the Moon.
Scientists and their quadruped robot at White Sands National Park. Credit: Justin Durner Photography. From left to right, Ethan Fulcher, Diego Caporale, Feifei Qian (all University of Southern California), Deanna Flynn (Oregon State University) and Eric Sigg (University of Pennsylvania). CREDIT: CREDIT: Justin Durner Photography/Oregon State University.Researchers are hopeful that the lessons learned from these two desert excursions will give the robot dog the leg up it needs to join astronauts on future missions to the Moon (and eventually Mars) as a kind of independent sidekick. It would collect samples and alert its human partners when they are approaching unstable or unsafe areas. Fittingly, the robot dog experiments are being called the LASSIE (Legged Autonomous Surface Science in Analog Environments) Project.
A video shared with Popular Science of the dog-bot, shows the petite black-and-white robot dog named Spirit tip-tapping its feet across the vast, sandy landscape. Spirit’s “head” is composed of several cameras placed side by side. The rapid oscillation of its robotic joints kicking up bits of sand produces a high-pitched squeaking sound reminiscent of a Pixar character. Later in the video, the quadruped can be seen working in tandem with a slightly larger, four-wheeled rover.
Researchers test the quadruped robot’s movement and balancing capabilities at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. CREDIT: Sean Nealon/Oregon State University.“Our group is very committed to putting quadrupeds on the Moon and on Mars,” Oregon State University robotics researcher Cristina Wilson said in a statement. “It’s the next frontier and takes advantage of the unique capabilities of legged robots.”
Why choose a robot dog?If and when Spirit’s four-legged successor makes it to the Martian surface, it won’t be the first robot to do so. NASA’s Sojourner rover landed on Mars back in 1997, and was followed seven years later by Spirit and Opportunity. Since then, three more rovers (two from NASA and one from China), along with a small helicopter, have all called the planet home. These are useful, but quadruped robots can go where their wheeled and winged cousins simply can’t.
The robot dog’s four stick-like legs allow it to adapt to different types of terrain and maintain its balance. These legs use what researchers call“proprioceptive sensing, which means the robot can detect slight changes in texture or recognize when one of its feet makes contact with the Martian surface. In other words, the quadruped can “feel” and interpret surface forces, much like a real dog knows when to hop over scalding pavement or uneven, rocky ground. That’s useful for preserving the robot’s durability, but it also means that it can serve as a kind of safety scout, walking ahead of human astronauts and warning them of potential hazards.
Part of the testing conducted this month was aimed at collecting more data to improve the algorithms that help the machine operate autonomously. By using computer vision and machine learning to chart its own paths, the quadruped can (at least in theory), collect samples in a process researchers call “adaptive sampling. They may also be able to explore areas independently of humans with these new algorithms. That efficiency can significantly increase the amount of scientific research conducted. Even so-called “failures” by the robot during tests are still considered valuable research successes.
“When the robot leg slips on ice or sinks into soft snow, it inspires us to look for new principles and strategies that can push the boundary of human knowledge and enable new technology,” University of South California assistant professor Feifei Qian said in a University of Pennsylvania blog post last year. “We learn and improve from the observed failures.”
Related: [A four-legged ‘Robodog’ is patrolling the Large Hadron Collider]
New Mexico: mimicking mars at homeDespite claims made by some billionaires to the contrary, getting to Mars isn’t a walk in the park. That makes testing anything expected to one day operate on the Red Planet a serious challenge. Researchers chose White Sands National Park because its active gypsum dune fields have varied sedimentary textures, similar-ish to those on Mars, consisting of loose sand. The area also features a fragile surface crust made up of salt, calcium carbonate, and microbes, providing a varied and complex environment to truly test the robot’s adaptability.
However, one key difference between New Mexico and Mars is the temperature. While temperatures on Mars can hover around negative 81 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers working in White Sands National Park faced sweltering heat waves approaching the triple digits. It was so hot, in fact, that they had to begin their experiments at sunrise and wrap up by late morning. The extreme heat took a toll on the team and posed a risk of frying the robot’s power supply.
While NASA doesn’t have any plans to send a real canine to Mars (at least that we know of), humans’ best friend is still playing a role in the research process. Howard, a German shepherd belonging to Wilson, reportedly showed off his athletic prowess during the Mount Hood experiments, gracefully running and hopping across snow and icy rocks. By studying the way he intuitively navigates those obstacles, researchers can apply those insights to improve the robot dog’s performance.
The end goal is developing a robot dog worthy of the name Lassie.
The post LASSIE’s robot dog may join astronauts on Mars appeared first on Popular Science.
Apple Sues Ex-Employee Who Allegedly Stole Apple Watch Secrets for Chinese Rival Oppo - MacRumors
Shi was a "highly compensated Sensor System Architect" at Apple from January 2020 to June 2025, which meant he had access to "valuable trade secret information," including the Apple Watch design, development documentation, internal specifications, and product roadmap.
Apple says that Shi told the company he was returning to China to care for his elderly parents, with no mention that he had accepted a position at Oppo. While in the process of leaving Apple, Shi allegedly collected sensitive Apple Watch documents and attended "dozens" of one-on-one meetings with Apple Watch technical team members to "learn about their ongoing research and development efforts."
Three days before leaving Apple, Shi downloaded 63 files from Apple's protected Box folder and transferred them to a USB drive. After downloading the files, he searched for information on how to wipe a MacBook and whether someone could see if he'd opened a file on a shared drive. Further, Shi sent a message to his Oppo employers letting them know that he would "collect as much information as possible" to share with them, specifically sourcing data on heart rate sensing methods. At Oppo, Shi is now leading a team that is developing sensing technology.
Apple is asking for an injunction prohibiting Oppo and Shi from using or disclosing Apple's trade secrets, restitution, damages, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees.
Tags: Apple Lawsuits, Oppo
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Apple Sues Ex-Employee Who Allegedly Stole Apple Watch Secrets for Chinese Rival Oppo - MacRumors
Shi was a "highly compensated Sensor System Architect" at Apple from January 2020 to June 2025, which meant he had access to "valuable trade secret information," including the Apple Watch design, development documentation, internal specifications, and product roadmap.
Apple says that Shi told the company he was returning to China to care for his elderly parents, with no mention that he had accepted a position at Oppo. While in the process of leaving Apple, Shi allegedly collected sensitive Apple Watch documents and attended "dozens" of one-on-one meetings with Apple Watch technical team members to "learn about their ongoing research and development efforts."
Three days before leaving Apple, Shi downloaded 63 files from Apple's protected Box folder and transferred them to a USB drive. After downloading the files, he searched for information on how to wipe a MacBook and whether someone could see if he'd opened a file on a shared drive. Further, Shi sent a message to his Oppo employers letting them know that he would "collect as much information as possible" to share with them, specifically sourcing data on heart rate sensing methods. At Oppo, Shi is now leading a team that is developing sensing technology.
Apple is asking for an injunction prohibiting Oppo and Shi from using or disclosing Apple's trade secrets, restitution, damages, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees.
Tags: Apple Lawsuits, Oppo
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Best Apple Deals of the Week: Shop Our Exclusive Discounts at Satechi and Anker, Plus All-Time Lows on MacBook Air - MacRumors
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MacRumors Exclusives
- What's the deal? Find exclusive sitewide sales at Satechi and Anker
- Where can I get it? Satechi and Anker
- Where can I find the original deal? Right here
EXCLUSIVE 20% OFFAnker Sitewide Sale
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This week we partnered with Satechi and Anker to offer our readers two exclusive sitewide discounts at each retailer. At Satechi you can get 25 percent off sitewide with code MR25, and at Anker you can get 20 percent off sitewide with code Ankermacrumors2025 through the end of the month.
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Amazon this week introduced a new record low price across the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, and you can still get the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for just $799.00, plus many other deals.
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Amazon is taking up to $144 off M4 Mac mini models this week, starting at $499.00 for the 256GB model.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
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Best Apple Deals of the Week: Shop Our Exclusive Discounts at Satechi and Anker, Plus All-Time Lows on MacBook Air - MacRumors
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
MacRumors Exclusives
- What's the deal? Find exclusive sitewide sales at Satechi and Anker
- Where can I get it? Satechi and Anker
- Where can I find the original deal? Right here
EXCLUSIVE 20% OFFAnker Sitewide Sale
25% OFF SITEWIDESatechi Sitewide Sale
This week we partnered with Satechi and Anker to offer our readers two exclusive sitewide discounts at each retailer. At Satechi you can get 25 percent off sitewide with code MR25, and at Anker you can get 20 percent off sitewide with code Ankermacrumors2025 through the end of the month.
M4 MacBook Air
- What's the deal? Get $200 off M4 MacBook Air
- Where can I get it? Amazon
- Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$200 OFF13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for $799.00
$200 OFF15-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for $999.00
Amazon this week introduced a new record low price across the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, and you can still get the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) for just $799.00, plus many other deals.
M4 MacBook Pro
- What's the deal? Get up to $436 off M4 MacBook Pro
- Where can I get it? Amazon
- Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$300 OFF14-inch M4 MacBook Pro (512GB) for $1,299.00
Continuing this week's theme of steep Mac-related discounts, Amazon also has great deals on the M4 MacBook Pro right now. You'll find up to $436 off these computers, starting at $1,299.00 for the entry-level 14-inch model.
M4 Mac Mini
- What's the deal? Get up to $144 off M4 Mac mini
- Where can I get it? Amazon
- Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$100 OFFM4 Mac mini (256GB) for $499.00
$110 OFFM4 Mac mini (16GB/512GB) for $689.00
Amazon is taking up to $144 off M4 Mac mini models this week, starting at $499.00 for the 256GB model.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
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Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Apple in Talks With Google to Power Next-Gen Siri With Gemini AI - MacRumors
Google has started training a model that would run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers in response. Apple previously held talks with OpenAI and Anthropic, and both of those companies have been working on versions of their models for Apple's servers.
While Apple is exploring partnerships with different AI companies to power an improved version of Siri, Apple still has not made a decision on whether it will use a third-party AI solution or go with the LLM models it has been developing in-house.
Apple is testing multiple LLMs, including its own, to determine which will provide the best results to customers. There are two versions of the new Siri in development, including one that is powered by Apple's own models and one that runs on third-party models.
Apple has been developing a more advanced version of Siri that overhauls the entire Siri architecture. Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi called this the "second-generation" Siri architecture earlier this month, and he said that the "end-to-end revamp" of Siri brought the results that Apple needed for more advanced AI features, such as the personalization that it promised as part of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.
"This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than that we envisioned," Federighi said.
Apple was leaning toward partnering with Anthropic, but Anthropic's fees prompted Apple to consider other AI companies as well. No deal has been inked with Google, OpenAI, or Anthropic as of yet. Rumors suggest that LLM Siri will launch in spring 2026.
This article, "Apple in Talks With Google to Power Next-Gen Siri With Gemini AI" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Apple in Talks With Google to Power Next-Gen Siri With Gemini AI - MacRumors
Google has started training a model that would run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers in response. Apple previously held talks with OpenAI and Anthropic, and both of those companies have been working on versions of their models for Apple's servers.
While Apple is exploring partnerships with different AI companies to power an improved version of Siri, Apple still has not made a decision on whether it will use a third-party AI solution or go with the LLM models it has been developing in-house.
Apple is testing multiple LLMs, including its own, to determine which will provide the best results to customers. There are two versions of the new Siri in development, including one that is powered by Apple's own models and one that runs on third-party models.
Apple has been developing a more advanced version of Siri that overhauls the entire Siri architecture. Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi called this the "second-generation" Siri architecture earlier this month, and he said that the "end-to-end revamp" of Siri brought the results that Apple needed for more advanced AI features, such as the personalization that it promised as part of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.
"This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than that we envisioned," Federighi said.
Apple was leaning toward partnering with Anthropic, but Anthropic's fees prompted Apple to consider other AI companies as well. No deal has been inked with Google, OpenAI, or Anthropic as of yet. Rumors suggest that LLM Siri will launch in spring 2026.
This article, "Apple in Talks With Google to Power Next-Gen Siri With Gemini AI" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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The best headphones in 2025 - Popular Science
For many people, headphones have become a necessity in their daily lives. As more workers settle into remote roles, headphones are becoming home-office staples for blocking out distractions and piping in colleagues. A growing number of content creators, from podcasters to musicians, rely on headphones to help them produce their best work in shared spaces. And, of course, some people just use them for pure transportive pleasure, as a means to decompress after the demands of the day. The best headphones—like our best overall, the Focal Utopia 2022—provide an immersive aural escape, whether you’re bringing your entertainment along on your commute, fueling your workout, focusing at your desk, or just relaxing at home, luxuriating in your favorite songs.
- Best open-back: Focal Utopia 2022
- Best closed-back: Focal Stellia
- Best for audiophiles: Sennheiser HD 800 S
- Best value: Sennheiser HD 660S2
- Best planar-magnetic: HiFiMAN Arya Stealth Magnet Version
- Best active noise-canceling: Sony WH-1000XM6
- Best for mixing: beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
- Best “in-ear headphones”: FiiO FA19
We spend a lot of time at Popular Science musing over facts and figures, but music is probably a close second when it comes to what’s on our minds. With all our Slack sessions sharing song suggestions fresh in our memories, we started our list of the best headphones based on my personal experience with the best over-ear headphones, supplemented with impressions from our managing editor and audio adventurer, Tony Ware. We then polled peers about their favorite headphones for music, parsed through critical reviews and user impressions, and narrowed it down to what we believe are headphones that can appeal to the widest range of listeners without pandering to any single type of tonality other than awesome.
The best headphones: Reviews & RecommendationsThe best headphones will reproduce every nuance of your favorite songs, movies, podcasts, and game soundtracks with superior clarity, dynamics, and detail. It’s important to note, however, that there is no perfect headphone—just the headphone that’s perfect for you and what you listen to.
Some purists search for end-game neutrality, picking everything in their signal chain to preserve a linear, studio-grade frequency response. Others may get a reference headphone that responds well to EQing, etc. Then they use components—like dedicated digital audio players, the best digital audio converters, and tube-driven amplifiers—to add “color” to this baseline. Still others want a specific tuning, no matter what the source and buy a headphone known for the signature that matches their genre of choice. (What works best for opera, EDM, Americana, and black metal is rarely the exact same thing.) Here are some of our favorite choices for various scenarios, each category featuring both a price-no-object pick and budget alternatives:
Best open-back: Focal Utopia 2022 See It Pros- Unrivaled fidelity
- Fit (and feel) like a glove
- Stunningly lifelike soundstage
- Price is out of reach for most
- Style: Open-back/over-ear
- Drivers: 40mm “M”-shaped beryllium dynamic
- Frequency response: 5 Hz–50 kHz
Why it made the cut: If you’re looking to invest in blue-chip components, these are the best-of-the-best open-back headphones.
We’re kicking off our hot list with the undisputed cream of the crop, the best overall headphones: the instantly, enduringly iconic Focal Utopia. (Yes, it has a jaw-dropping $4,999 price tag to match. But stick with us because, price-wise, it’s all downhill from here!)
French manufacturer Focal built a reputation for producing some of the most beautiful and best-sounding speakers available. That tradition continued with the launch of the company’s portable pinnacle in 2016. Utopia—Focal’s flagship open-back, over-ear headphones—produced an astonishingly revealing, deep soundstage. Inside, a pair of 40mm beryllium “M”-shaped dome dynamic drivers took advantage of the precious metal’s extreme lightness and stiffness to produce a smooth, ultrawide frequency response reminiscent of Focal’s premium speaker drivers. (A note about beryllium: This metal is hazardous in certain forms and contexts but is generally considered safe inside headphones and speaker drivers. For more information, see Focal’s documentation outlining precautions for use.)
The Utopia immediately established itself as one of the top aspirational audiophile headphones thanks to engineering that suspended its angled drivers in an open-air chamber to achieve an open, lifelike sound stage and remarkable detail reproduction. Utopia’s cozy fenestrated lambskin earcups connected to the plush headband with a carbon fiber yoke to minimize both weight (490g) and acoustic coupling, allowing pairs to stay effortlessly on the head of proud owners who extolled their pleasure continuously for the last five years. In 2022, however, the Utopia underwent an aesthetic makeover and sonic refinement. The voice coil, previously all aluminum, is now a blend of 30% copper and 70% aluminum, while the interior grill is now curved to match the driver.
These changes increase the headphones’ durability and conscientiously tweak its tuning, slightly shelving treble without dulling clarity and slightly extending subbass without affecting cohesion. It all adds up to an incredible sound stage with stunning realism and an emphasis on revealing musicality rather than unforgiving transparency (check out the Sennheiser HD 800 S below for that). Neutral-warm with immaculate imaging, able to deliver the attack and decay of each note with authority, the Focal Utopia 2022 is the idyll ideal—impressive not because of its sheer power but because of its absolute prowess.
While the 80-ohm Utopia can play nice with most sources, experiencing every lithe, lightning-quick transient at its best requires you use a great balanced amp and feed these headphones a quality signal. A most synergistic option is the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition (shown below topped by the now-discontinued Utopia 2020, a repackaging of the original Utopia with expanded accessories that is still a great buy at around $3,000). This amp/DAC/streaming music player supports Roon, TIDAL, Spotify, AirPlay 2, up to 32bit/384kHz via UPnP, etc., and features a dynamic voicing and presentation in lock-step with the pace, rhythm, and timing of any Utopia (especially when using the included balanced cable). If you’re looking for sonic solace, this pairing is pure bliss.
Tony WareUtopias giving you sticker shock? We feel you. The Focal Clear Mg (for Magnesium, the driver’s material) is the company’s “entry-level” open-back at only $1,599, if you want to sample the company’s spacious dynamics. Suppose you’re just interested in dipping a pinkie toe rather than cannonballing into audiophile-oriented open-back headphones. Our top recommendation for headphones that punch well above their price point would be the Meze Audio 105 Silva, which uses a carbon fiber-reinforced cellulose composite W-shaped dome nests inside a titanium-coated semicrystalline polymer torus and copper‑zinc alloy stabilizer for a precision-driven high that comes on with a comfortable balance of euphoria and technicalities. Meanwhile, the Philips Fidelio X2HR, a $165 over-ear model, is adored by connoisseurs of high-performing budget headphones. As for a more affordable amp/R2R DAC that can drive anything (including the Utopia) with verve, the $399 HiFiMan EF400 and $649 EF600 are highly recommended.
Best closed-back: Focal Stellia See It Pros- Intimate soundstage with superior isolation
- Exquisite design and finishes
- Precise, controlled bass
- Heavy
- Style: Closed-back/over-ear
- Drivers: 40mm “M”-shaped beryllium dynamic
- Frequency response: 5 Hz–40 kHz
Why it made the cut: For fans of closed-back headphones, flawless sound, and French fashion-forward styling, Stellia is a star performer.
Fans of Focal’s venerated Utopia headphones will find similar sonic gratification in the company’s Stellia headphones. This closed-back design offers two-thirds of Utopia’s outstanding soundstage (leaning more tall than wide). Like the Utopia, Stellia features light, rigid beryllium drivers (a material you can read about more above), which deliver a detailed, intimate sound profile. Transients are crisp, bass is warm yet defined. All of this comes with better isolation than the Stellia’s Utopian sibling (because, as you can see comparing the images above, there is an additional acoustic membrane beneath the Stellia’s grill.
Stellia’s headband and earcups are lined in designer leather and filled with memory foam, making them somewhat heavy. Still, the headband and yoke mechanical features are adapted from the Utopia, which informs their high comfort factor, regardless of the shape and size of the listener’s head.
These headphones look as gorgeous as they sound, with aluminum-accented full-grain leather and mocha and cognac finishes. Accessories include three detachable oxygen-free cables and a ¼-inch adapter, plus a form-fitting, padded, purse-like case. Everything is housed in a sturdy leatherette box.
Those interested in a more “affordable” sampling of Focal’s balance of bass extension and treble precision can pick up the Celestee, which features an “M”-shaped aluminum/magnesium driver, for only a grand.
If you prefer your headphones to cost less than a used car, the stylish, wood-finished Meze Audio 99 Classics over-ear, closed-back headphones only cost a few hundred. They will appeal to those who want efficient and non-fatiguing headphones that offer a warmer sound signature. Or, for those that want an even more bass-enriched sound, consider a legacy brand like Sony, which offers dozens of choices ranging from workhorse closed-back podcast/recording classic like the MDR-7506 to our top wireless pick, Sony WH-1000XM6, to the summit-fi MDR-Z1R.
Best for audiophiles: Sennheiser HD 800 S See It Pros- Balanced sound signature
- Superior build quality
- Extremely comfortable during long wear
- You’ll need an amp to get the most out of these
- Style: Open-back/over-ear
- Drivers: 56mm Ring Radiator
- Frequency response: 4 Hz–51 kHz
Why it made the cut: If you crave accuracy, transparency, and openness that rival the most balanced studio monitors, look no further.
Sennheiser introduced its top-of-the-line HD 800 over-ear, open-back headphones more than a decade ago. They immediately became instant classics in both the studio and audiophile worlds, thanks to their exceptionally detailed response and nimble, neutral presentation.
The latest-model HD 800 S is hand-assembled, just like its predecessors in Sennheiser’s Tullamore, Ireland facility (also home to the world’s most expensive, most immersive all-in-one personal audio system). It’s based on Sennheiser’s 56mm, D-shaped Ring Radiator, which the company claims is the largest driver ever used in a dynamic headphone. Inside, carefully tuned resonators smooth out peaks and undesirable vibrations. You’ll be blown away by the expansive detail spread out well beyond your ears as you revel in your favorite tracks: The HD 800’s seemingly endless soundstage and pinpoint imaging rival that of the most balanced studio monitors, whether you’re doing some critical listening or just immersing yourself in your favorite songs. If our best overall pick, the Focal Utopia, projects your music with a natural luminescence, a properly powered Sennheiser HD 800 S puts each track under a spotlight, letting you pick out every individual element, no matter how quickly it darts and ducks.
These airy headphones weigh just 330 grams, making for effortless long wear. They also feature an improved yoke and a sleek matte-black finish. If you have $1,999 to spend on headphones, these will never disappoint. They even come with a certificate of authenticity.
Best value: Sennheiser HD 660S2 See It Pros- Overall balanced sound signature that leans a bit warmer than the original
- Wider soundstage
- Strikes a good middle-ground between price, performance, and comfort
- Plays it relatively safe in sonic improvements
- Substantially more expensive than HD 650, HD 6XX
- Style: Open-back over-ear
- Drivers: 38mm Dynamic
- Frequency response: 8 – 41,500 Hz
Why it made the cut: The HD 660S2 is a jack of all trades for the everyday listener, balancing outstanding sound quality, great comfort, and a reasonable price.
Sennheiser is one of the most esteemed brands in the entire audiophile industry (as you may have noticed above), and its HD 600 series is one of the longest-running default recommendations for anyone looking for a great pair of cans that don’t break the bank. The HD 660 S2 is the latest entry, and though they play it safe with their improvements, what has changed makes us feel like these are the best all-around bet for the majority of listeners.
Like its predecessors, the HD 660S2 aims for balance. It doesn’t tread too far in any direction, so you can count on a listening experience that’s overall neutral but also a bit more fun and certainly more engaging. Sennheiser has subtly increased its 600 series bass extension for deeper rumble and tweaked the mids for a wider soundstage. At times, the treble can sound more detailed because of this change. At others, the bass seems to warm the sound instead. It’s music-dependent but always enjoyable.
It’s clear that Sennheiser didn’t want to fix what wasn’t broken with its beloved headphone series, and as a result, it feels a bit safe. That doesn’t mar the fact that this is still an outstanding pair of headphones intentionally designed for wider appeal and to address some of the most common criticisms of the originals: they were bass light, had “three blob” imaging, and didn’t have a great soundstage. The HD 660S2 corrects all three and is also ridiculously comfy thanks to its plush velour earpads and well-balanced weight.
Its higher price will be a sticking point for some, though we think it earns its keep with how well it balances its aims. If you don’t mind playing with EQ, the original HD 650 is still a great pick that can get you very close to what the 660S2 offers. And the new HD 550 is a really well-tuned, shockingly well-priced budget option. But for an out-of-the-box, no-tweaks-required experience, the HD 660S2 is a great pick that’s sure to please.
Best planar-magnetic: HiFiMAN Arya Stealth Magnet Version See It Pros- Extended low-frequency response
- Highly detailed sonic profile
- Relatively affordable category entry point
- Pleather head strap is not designed for longevity
- Earcups may be overly long for smaller heads, touching the jawline
- Style: Open-back/over-ear
- Drivers: 130mm orthodynamic
- Frequency response: 8 Hz–65 kHz
Why it made the cut: These neutral, transparent headphones are an accessible introduction to the world of planar-magnetic technology.
If you crave an experience that’s as distinct as you are, the best planar-magnetic headphones, such as the HiFiMAN Arya Stealth Magnet Version, deliver the goods.
Planar-magnetic technology combines the principles of dynamic and electrostatic drivers, featuring a thin, flexible electrostatic-style material sandwiched between two arrays of evenly spaced magnets.
Planar-magnetic headphones are known for their bass response, which goes low but never gets boomy, remaining supple thanks to these headphones’ large driver surface area and powerful magnetic force. Whereas a traditional headphone driver measures around 30mm to 50mm, the nanometer-thick drivers in the HiFiMAN Arya Stealth measure a whopping 130mm across and can vibrate faster and more expansively. This latest revision of the Arya (the third) is open-backed, featuring a Window Shade grill on a teardrop earcup for an open, airy feel; it incorporates a new Stealth Magnet design that allows sound waves to pass through without generating interference. This translates to a transparent profile with a perceived quickness to the detail retrieval that reveals the leading edge and decaying trail of every note in the mix without extraneous noise.
The HiFiMAN Arya Stealth is articulate, neutral-warm, and just plain musical, though it may not be the most “audiophile” pair of planar headphones. One of the main reasons it ranks as the “best” planar magnetic, however, is how it seriously over-delivers at $599 (a big drop from its original price, thanks to the introduction of the Arya Organic, which we also love, as well as the even more expansive soundstage of the Arya Unveiled). That sounds like a lot, but for many listeners, the Arya Stealth is a mid-tier investment that can confidently, convincingly take on the lower upper tier. (Flagship planars can easily reach many thousands.) The Arya Stealth isn’t the final word in resolution, but its appealing timbre, imaging, and excitement ensure that its price-to-performance ratio really can’t be beaten. Plus, its performance scales gorgeously as you increase amplification. We love this line of headphones so much that we count them among the best audiophile headphones out there.
If you’re new to planar magnetic headphones, be sure also to browse models from industry pillar Audeze, which offers this technology at a range of price points from the $799 Audeze LCD-2 Classic to the flagship LCD-5, which clocks in at $4,500. If you’re a music producer, the $1,699 MM-500 headphones can be both a daily driver and a sonic scalpel as it makes music (particularly vocal-led tracks) equally approachable and transparent by presenting lithe transients, spacious midrange, and energetic bass. Fans of gaming headsets would do well to consider the Mobius, a PC gaming headphone that features head tracking and virtual surround-sound features, as well as the console gaming-friendly Penrose. And If you’re looking for a purely musical flagship Android Bluetooth experience, the $499 Edifier STAX Spirit S5 pairs Audeze-derived planar magnetic components with an aptX HD/Adaptive connection to great effect.
The Meze LIRIC is so impressive that it could graduate to best closed-back headphones in future coverage. Tony Ware Popular Science / Tony WareClosed-back planar magnetics, meanwhile, are harder to come by and even harder to get right. The $2,000 Meze Audio LIRIC II, however, is so impressive that it might end up taking the best closed-back headphones spot in a future update to this roundup. There’s a depth to it that responds eagerly and agilely to a bass boost, and a surprising width considering it’s a closed-back model. Each note’s impact and decay are crisp and coherent, and layering never gets convoluted. The headphone’s custom voice coil and airflow systems impart a natural presence, rich with mids and minutiae, capable of low-end rumble but never in an intrusive way. Similarly, the headphone’s meticulously machined and hand-assembled suspension makes for long listening sessions as effortless as the multidimensional sound. The LIRIC II is the closed-back complement to the Meze POET—a warmer alternative to the Meze Empyrean II, yet Meze Audio headphones that wowed us. All of these are amazing, but the LIRIC’s superior isolation makes it a much better fit for active environments.
Best ANC: Sony WH-1000XM6Tony Ware
See It Pros- Class-leading active noise cancellation
- Lightweight and comfortable for long flights/listening sessions
- Sculptable high-resolution playback
- Folds into a compact carrying case
- ANC microphone array protrudes in places
- Style: Over-ear
- Drivers: 30mm Dynamic
- Frequency Response: 4 Hz – 40,000 Hz
When it comes to noise cancellation, there are few headphones as well-known and highly regarded as the Sony WH-1000XM lineup. They have been industry leaders for years, and the WH-1000XM6 continues that trend. These are the headphones to buy if you want the best active noise cancellation (ANC), period.
The XM6 offers dedicated cutting-edge processors and an inside-out system for its noise cancellation, featuring 12 total microphones. That means it’s able to monitor the sound outside the headphones as well as what’s making its way inside the ear cup to deliver the most effective cancellation possible. The QN3 processor is an improvement over the last generation, as it cuts out more of the lower-end and middle frequencies, resulting in more overall silence. And all those mics allow the XM6 to excel at a natural-sounding transparency mode if you need to engage in conversation without removing your headphones.
That’s not all these headphones offer, however. While most reviewers agree that the XM6 is an iteration instead of a reinvention compared to the WH-1000XM5, they offer a wider headband and a reinforced hinge system for improved comfort, durability, and transportability.
Sony has also made advancements in the headphone sound. This line was already tuned to a consumer-friendly curve, but this latest release offers a wider soundstage and a more balanced sound profile, delivering greater detail across genres. Bass is more of a velvet glove than iron fist, offering more groove without grain. Mids are a touch recessed, but that leaves room for the punch of pop and hip-hop. The goal, physically and sonically, is marathon comfort, so treble is polished of any edginess. It still offers app support, however, and now includes a 10-band rather than a 5-band equalizer to fully dial in more vocal intimacy and less low end if it matches your taste in tonality. Of course, to get the fullest extension, you’ll need to be able to connect your device via Sony’s LDAC codec, but you can add that with a dongle such as the FiiO BT11.
We get that Apple acolytes out there typically want to stick to that ecosystem, so they can’t go wrong with the visually and sonically impressive AirPods Max. These $479 headphones, while significantly less travel-ready than even the Sony models, offer equally robust noise cancellation plus distinctive features like dynamic head tracking for spatial audio. They work seamlessly with iPhones, iPads, and macOS laptops and are poised to take advantage of more personalized listening features in iOS.
If straying from these keystone brands is not an issue, this is the most competitive headphone market sector, so options are plentiful. If you’re looking for the most lux headphones for airplane travel, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention our most recent best overall: the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. These are headphones that are stylish both visually and audibly—one of the best-sounding, best-looking, and most comfortable pairs of wireless headphones you can buy today.
Suppose both your appreciation for industrial design and your pockets are deep. In that case, the Bang & Olufsen BEOPLAY HX offers sleek looks and an equally polished sound. When it comes to audiophile headphones, wireless is typically a compromise. Simply unable to deliver the same quality of sound as wired headphones, wireless is often overlooked, but luckily Bang & Olufsen has crafted a set of headphones with only the minimum amount of sound quality downgrade in order to deliver a wireless experience fit for an audiophile. A cousin of the technically impressive B&O H95, the Beoplay HX excels in sound quality and comfort. Some have run into trouble with compatibility issues—common in wireless headphones as there are tons of devices to consider—and the tight fit of the cups. Compatibility, unfortunately, is an ever-changing game and an expected side effect of using wireless technology, and Bluetooth is a complicated protocol. As for the cups, just don’t wear something this nice while exercising, for fear of sweat build-up.
And for a completely different sonic flavor, the DALI IO-12 presents organic audio with such low distortion that you’ll hear every nuance of your favorite songs, from the subtle decay of cymbals to the room’s ambiance in live recordings. And despite being closed-back, the sound profile is surprisingly spacious and airy.
Alternatively, if the write-ups at the top of this page piqued your curiosity about the benefits of beryllium, but you want to take those high-speed transients on the go, you have premium options: Focal’s $699 Bathys and $1,499 Bathys MG, and the $999 Mark Levinson No. 5909. All of these offer a highly resolving wireless experience, as well as built-in DACs for wired listening, that’ll please even the most discriminating audiophiles.
At the end of the day, however, this is about noise cancellation. While the competition has been continually improving over the years (the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, in particular, has been exchanging blows), Sony currently holds the ANC throne with the WH-1000XM6. So if you’re looking to cut out as much of the outside world as possible, this pair is an immersive hug—cozy, confident, in control.
Best for mixing: beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro See It Pros- Wide imaging and airy soundstage
- Swappable earpads tailor sonic profile
- Flawless build quality
- Some find fit uncomfortable
- Style: Over-ear/open-back
- Drivers: 45mm Tesla neodymium dynamic
- Frequency response: 5 Hz–40 kHz
Why it made the cut: For many professional audio engineers, these open-back models set the benchmark for a portable mixing reference.
As we are often fond of saying here at PopSci, the best mixing headphones tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They’ll help you focus on the fine details, and your late-night headphone mixing sessions will never annoy the neighbors.
German audio brand beyerdynamic has been handcrafting headphones since 1937 and makes some revered audiophile-oriented flagships, such as the T5 (3rd Gen.). The tuning of those headphones, however, paints evocatively in darker hues. (Sludgy doom metal and live albums, for instance, are an amazing match.) Professional audio engineers gravitate toward open-back headphones as the best approximation of studio monitors, with their airy, open feel and wide, natural imaging. These qualities drive the design and performance of beyerdynamic’s DT 1990 Pro studio headphones. With the DT 1990s, beyer has funneled its engineering expertise into highly efficient, accurate 45mm Tesla neodymium drivers designed to deliver high-resolution sound with powerful lows, detailed mids, and smooth highs.
The DT 1990s feature titanium-coated acoustic fabric and precision-woven textiles that help inform its balanced sound. These sleek, black cans feature big, perforated earcups and come with two sets of interchangeable earpads, which let you choose between sonic profiles with a neutral frequency response or a slight bass boost. At $559, the DT 1990s are a big investment for home studio aficionados, but beyer helps you justify the expense by throwing in tons of accessories, including the earpads, straight and coiled cables, hard case, and a cleaning solution and pad. Bonus: The qualities that make the DT 1990s great for mixing—detailed imaging and crisp transients, for example—also make them great for gaming, giving you an immersive experience and maybe even a competitive edge.
The beyerdynamic 900 PRO-X headphones are wallet-friendly and make for great mixing headphones. Tony WareFan of the DT 1990s but not their hefty price tag? Consider beyer’s 900 PRO X open-back headphones, which feature a newly developed driver and provide a similar-style reference vibe but cost around $279. (For a deep dive into the entire PRO X line, check out our review.) For those tracking on a stricter budget, Audio-Technica’s wildly popular ATH-M20x over-ear, closed-back mixing headphones run just $49.
Best “in-ear headphones”: FiiO FA19Tony Ware
See It Pros- Outstanding detail
- Tuning switch provides two different sound signatures
- Great for musicians, as well as audiophiles
- Large fit may not be comfortable for listeners with smaller ears
- Style: In-ear monitors
- Drivers: Balanced armature (x10 per ear)
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz
Why it made the cut: These impressive in-ears deliver clarity and versatility in a refined package.
FiiO has been a rising star in the audiophile world for some time, getting its start with simple portable amps and DACs to now delivering some of the best value listening devices and accompanying earphones and in-ear monitors (aka IEMs, aka in-ear headphones). The FA19 is its latest set using only balanced armatures (BAs), and it earns our pick thanks to its combination of performance and versatility.
The FA19 features a whopping 10 Knowles balanced armatures per side, or 20 tiny speakers total, to create their sonics. A combination of electronic and physical crossovers split the frequencies between these drivers, allowing each to focus on a specific frequency band instead of being a jack of all trades. As a result, these earphones offer exceptional clarity and detail while also being tuned very well to bring out the best in your music.
FiiO pulled out all the stops with the technology in this set. It uses a negative feedback airflow system that enhances the low end while improving their comfort. A notch filter helps to fill out the treble and remove sibilance and the “over-crisp” quality balanced armatures can sometimes produce. It also features a tuning switch that changes its sound profile.
This switch allows the FA19 to shift from a flat reference sound profile, perfect for monitoring, to a HiFi mode that adjusts the frequency response to FiiO’s custom tuning. While the former is designed to highlight details through the entire frequency range without overemphasizing any one element, the HiFi mode enhances the bass and mids for a more energetic sound. This allows the FA19 to pull double duty as a stage IEM for performing musicians or bedroom recording artists, as well as deliver a blissful bubble curated for audiophiles. The FA19 is a fantastic set, but with 10 BAs per side, it’s certainly not the smallest. FiiO has engineered its nozzle and shell to accommodate a better fit, but there’s no way around its large size. Assuming you don’t have exceptionally minute ears, however, we still expect you can find a secure fit, even if they stick out a bit more than usual.
Want to spend less and get a slightly warmer, organic sound signature? Check out the hybrid $699 FiiO FH19, a mix of push-pull dual dynamic driver units and custom Knowles enhanced BAs. Want a more analytical expedition into far-flung transients? The $1,499 FX19—with a mix of dynamic, balanced armature, and electrostatic drivers—is harder to get currently, but not harder to love.
Things to consider when buying the best headphonesNowadays, there’s a pair of headphones for everything and everyone. Best Bluetooth headphones? You’re spoiled for choice. Best headphones for kids? Safe, durable options abound. Best headphones for sleeping? Don’t sleep on these picks. And in-ear monitors and earbuds … well, that’s a separate, exhaustive topic. What we’re looking at here, however, are the best for unadulterated audio reproduction, the best-sounding headphones you can pick whether your budget is a couple hundred or multiple thousands. When choosing the best headphones, fidelity comes first, but great sound isn’t the sole defining factor. Comfort is critical and, depending on how you use your headphones, noise isolation and cancellation, connectivity, portability, and durability come into play. Let’s look at some top considerations:
Which style of headphones is best for me?To decide which style of headphones is best for you, consider where you like to listen and what kind of sound signature you prefer. Headphones are available in open-back and closed-back models, and in over-ear and on-ear styles.
Open-back headphones have earcups with vented backs that allow airflow and provide a spacious feeling and a wide, airy soundstage that feels almost like listening on speakers. (After all, headphones are just speakers you strap to your head to deliver your own personal collection of sound waves.) Closed-back headphones have sealed outer earcups, which provide a bit deeper bass and significant sound isolation for all parties—perfect for a public space (such as an office) where you need to block out your surroundings and not annoy the people around you with your guilty pleasures playlist.
Over-ear headphones have big, cushy earpads that surround your ears, which makes them generally more comfortable than on-ear headphones over long listening sessions because these earpads sit around your ears instead of pressing on them. Over-ear models usually have large drivers; generally, the larger the driver, the more expansive the frequency response, especially in the low end. On-ear headphones sit directly on your ears; they’re smaller and lighter than over-ear headphones, making them ideal portable companions. However, they are less isolating and provide a less expansive listen, so you won’t find any on this particular list.
What kind of features should I look for?The kind of features you should look for depends on how you plan to use your headphones. If you want to bring your headphones everywhere, look for folding models with sturdy cases. Some headphones come with washable/replaceable earcups, which can be a lifesaver if you wear them extensively, especially to exercise or while traveling outside. Active users (especially those with a modern smartphone that doesn’t have a headphone jack) should also consider the convenience of headphones that pair with iPhone and Android devices via wireless Bluetooth protocols.
If you rely on headphones for calls, look for models with built-in microphones and call-management controls on the earcups. For the best gaming experience, you’ll want headphones with deep bass and surround-sound features, and you’ll probably want a built-in mic. Active noise cancellation can be useful in just about any situation, from loud subway commutes to noisy offices. Some noise cancellation-equipped headphones use the same microphones that feed the ANC circuitry to enable a “transparent” mode that amplifies sounds around you, which can be important for safety, especially in busy urban environments.
Do I need a headphone amplifier?Do you need a headphone amplifier? Perhaps. An amplifier increases your sound source’s power output, bringing it to the level needed to drive your headphones at optimal levels so they can produce better sound. This doesn’t matter when you’re, say, plugging mass-market earbuds into your phone or working with an interface with built-in amplification, or even when you use a digital audio player purpose-built for power-hungry headphones. There are no hard rules here, but some less sensitive headphones require a lot of power to reach an enjoyable, distortion-free decibel level; these are usually high-impedance models, rated above 50 to 100 ohms.
Underpower a high-resistance headphone and not only will you push your volume level into insane territory, but the sound will only get louder, not fuller. While headphone amps won’t improve the sound quality of cheap headphones, premium high-impedance headphones—like our top models, including the Focal Utopia 2022 and Sennheiser HD 800 S—require amplification to perform at their full potential.
FAQs Q: Which are the best headphones for working out?The best headphones for exercise are durable, comfortable, and stay secure during physical activity—and for this reason, most athletes prefer compact, convenient earbuds. Look for water-resistant models that can survive your sweatiest sessions; if you have trouble keeping earbuds in your ears during physical activity, try a model with stabilizing over-ear hooks. If you prefer over-ear or on-ear headphones, look for lightweight, wireless models like TREBLAB Z2 Bluetooth over-ear headphones, which are IPX4-rated water-resistant and boast a 35-hour battery life. Plus, it’s inexpensive, which is something we look for in gear that can potentially hit the concrete.
Q: What are the best headphones for music with vocals?The best headphones for vocals often exhibit the same qualities that make them great for mixing: Look for a neutral, transparent pair with an open-back design that provides an open, spacious sound stage. Since voices generally sit in the frequency midrange, you may prefer headphones that lean less on the low end and emphasize mids and highs.
Q: Are headphones better than earbuds?It depends on the application. When it comes to sound quality, over-ear and on-ear headphones often offer deeper bass and a more immersive soundstage than earbuds, but premium models in both styles provide exceptional sound. Headphones offer less isolation than properly fit earbuds, but tend to be more comfortable over extended wear. It’s important to consider that both headphones and earbuds can damage your hearing if you listen at loud levels or for long periods, but the risk is greater with earbuds, which sit inside your ear canal, closer to your eardrum.
Q: What are the best noise-canceling headphones?Some would argue that Bose still holds the crown, but the company’s race with Sony to make the best noise-cancelling headphones is neck-and-neck and, for our money, Sony is pulling ahead. The year 2025 appears to be the time everyone is updating their flagship ANC headphones, however, so continue to watch PopSci for coverage of impressive noise-cancelling sets from Bowers & Wilkins and Cambridge, among others.
Final thoughts on the best headphones- Best open-back: Focal Utopia 2022
- Best closed-back: Focal Stellia
- Best for audiophiles: Sennheiser HD 800 S
- Best value: Sennheiser HD 660S2
- Best planar-magnetic: HiFiMAN Arya Stealth Magnet Version
- Best noise-canceling: Sony WH-1000XM6
- Best for mixing: beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
- Best “in-ear headphones”: FiiO FA19
Ultimately, the best headphones are headphones that work for your listening preferences and your lifestyle. Certainly, sound comes first. But the best headphones don’t just sound amazing; they also sound consistent at any volume level, they feel great for long periods of time, and they’re durable enough to stand up to whatever you dish out. Then, it’s all about finding the right style for your needs. Trust us, your ideal pair is out there; it’s just a matter of setting a budget, determining your favorite sonic and physical style, and prioritizing your must-have features, and you’ll be on your way to homing in on that perfect match.
The post The best headphones in 2025 appeared first on Popular Science.
The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year? - MacRumors
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
The third-generation Apple Watch SE is rumored to feature a larger display (perhaps like the Apple Watch Series 7), the S11 chip, and potentially a plastic casing. It could also available at a slightly lower price point.
The Apple Watch Series 11 will likely feature the S11 chip, 5G RedCap connectivity on cellular models, a "Sleep Score" feature, and potentially hypertension detection. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is rumored to also get all of these new features, as well as a slightly larger wide-angle OLED display with a faster refresh rate, and satellite connectivity.
Earlier this week, internal Apple code revealed that the 2026 Apple Watch lineup is poised to get some major enhancements. The new devices will feature Touch ID for biometric authentication, a redesigned chip based on newer CPU technology for improved performance, a revamped design with a new rear sensor array, and more.
The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel!
You can also listen to The MacRumors Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.
If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about Apple's plan to focus on the smart home with a host of new devices and improvements to Siri.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.
The MacRumors Show is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.Tag: The MacRumors Show
This article, "The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year?" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year? - MacRumors
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
The third-generation Apple Watch SE is rumored to feature a larger display (perhaps like the Apple Watch Series 7), the S11 chip, and potentially a plastic casing. It could also available at a slightly lower price point.
The Apple Watch Series 11 will likely feature the S11 chip, 5G RedCap connectivity on cellular models, a "Sleep Score" feature, and potentially hypertension detection. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is rumored to also get all of these new features, as well as a slightly larger wide-angle OLED display with a faster refresh rate, and satellite connectivity.
Earlier this week, internal Apple code revealed that the 2026 Apple Watch lineup is poised to get some major enhancements. The new devices will feature Touch ID for biometric authentication, a redesigned chip based on newer CPU technology for improved performance, a revamped design with a new rear sensor array, and more.
The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel!
You can also listen to The MacRumors Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.
If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about Apple's plan to focus on the smart home with a host of new devices and improvements to Siri.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.
The MacRumors Show is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.Tag: The MacRumors Show
This article, "The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year?" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Now Available to Buy or Rent - MacRumors
The film premiered worldwide on June 27 and has now surpassed $600 million at the global box office. This makes F1 Apple's most financially successful movie to date, with the release also returning to IMAX theaters due to its popularity.
Apple has now made the film available to rent for $20 or to purchase for $25 in the Store section of the TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. It includes approximately 45 minutes of bonus features through iTunes Extras.
The same pricing and availability apply through other services such as Amazon Prime Video. It is not yet available to stream on Apple TV+.
This period is known in the film industry as the premium video-on-demand (PVOD) window, and represents a higher-priced digital release that precedes availability through subscription streaming. The pricing is in line with other major studio releases in recent years.
Apple is expected to lower the cost once the film transitions from PVOD to standard digital distribution, when it will be available to rent or buy at the usual lower tier. This will likely coincide with its debut on Apple TV+, where it will be available to stream at no additional charge to subscribers.
Based on the previous Apple theatrical-first films such as "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Napoleon," the PVOD window typically lasts one to two months, suggesting that F1 will likely come to Apple TV+ in October or November 2025.Tag: Apple TV Plus
This article, "Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Now Available to Buy or Rent" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Now Available to Buy or Rent - MacRumors
The film premiered worldwide on June 27 and has now surpassed $600 million at the global box office. This makes F1 Apple's most financially successful movie to date, with the release also returning to IMAX theaters due to its popularity.
Apple has now made the film available to rent for $20 or to purchase for $25 in the Store section of the TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. It includes approximately 45 minutes of bonus features through iTunes Extras.
The same pricing and availability apply through other services such as Amazon Prime Video. It is not yet available to stream on Apple TV+.
This period is known in the film industry as the premium video-on-demand (PVOD) window, and represents a higher-priced digital release that precedes availability through subscription streaming. The pricing is in line with other major studio releases in recent years.
Apple is expected to lower the cost once the film transitions from PVOD to standard digital distribution, when it will be available to rent or buy at the usual lower tier. This will likely coincide with its debut on Apple TV+, where it will be available to stream at no additional charge to subscribers.
Based on the previous Apple theatrical-first films such as "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Napoleon," the PVOD window typically lasts one to two months, suggesting that F1 will likely come to Apple TV+ in October or November 2025.Tag: Apple TV Plus
This article, "Apple's 'F1: The Movie' Now Available to Buy or Rent" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Original 2001 iPod in Sealed Box Sells for Eye-Watering Price at Auction - MacRumors
This appears to be a record-breaking sale price for an original iPod at auction, with the previous known record being $29,000 in 2023. The latest price fetched does include a 25% buyer's premium charged by RR Auction.
In the U.S., the original iPod was priced at $399 at launch.
Introduced by Steve Jobs in October 2001, the iPod helped Apple to become successful again, after it flirted with bankruptcy in the late 1990s.
Jobs famously pitched the iPod as offering "1,000 songs in your pocket," and he unveiled the device by pulling it out of his own pocket.
"With iPod, Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go," he said. "With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again."
Here are the features advertised on the original iPod's box:
- Holds over 1,000 songs at near-CD quality on 5GB hard drive
- Up to 10 hours of continuous playback with rechargeable lithium polymer battery
- Super portable at 6.5 ounces and only 0.78 inch thick, 2.43 inches wide, and 4.02 inches tall
- Automatically synchronizes music and playlists with iTunes on your Mac
- Unique scroll wheel for simple, one-handed navigation
- Plays MP3, WAV, and AIFF formats
- Skip protection of up to 20 minutes (yes, minutes)
- High-resolution backlit LCD display
- Includes iPod, Apple Earphones, FireWire cable, and AC adapter
While that is not a record price for an original iPhone, it is still a staggering amount of money for a device that cost $499 when it launched in 2007.
This article, "Original 2001 iPod in Sealed Box Sells for Eye-Watering Price at Auction" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Original 2001 iPod in Sealed Box Sells for Eye-Watering Price at Auction - MacRumors
This appears to be a record-breaking sale price for an original iPod at auction, with the previous known record being $29,000 in 2023. The latest price fetched does include a 25% buyer's premium charged by RR Auction.
In the U.S., the original iPod was priced at $399 at launch.
Introduced by Steve Jobs in October 2001, the iPod helped Apple to become successful again, after it flirted with bankruptcy in the late 1990s.
Jobs famously pitched the iPod as offering "1,000 songs in your pocket," and he unveiled the device by pulling it out of his own pocket.
"With iPod, Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go," he said. "With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again."
Here are the features advertised on the original iPod's box:
- Holds over 1,000 songs at near-CD quality on 5GB hard drive
- Up to 10 hours of continuous playback with rechargeable lithium polymer battery
- Super portable at 6.5 ounces and only 0.78 inch thick, 2.43 inches wide, and 4.02 inches tall
- Automatically synchronizes music and playlists with iTunes on your Mac
- Unique scroll wheel for simple, one-handed navigation
- Plays MP3, WAV, and AIFF formats
- Skip protection of up to 20 minutes (yes, minutes)
- High-resolution backlit LCD display
- Includes iPod, Apple Earphones, FireWire cable, and AC adapter
While that is not a record price for an original iPhone, it is still a staggering amount of money for a device that cost $499 when it launched in 2007.
This article, "Original 2001 iPod in Sealed Box Sells for Eye-Watering Price at Auction" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Retired doctor discovers new dinosaur species deep in a museum archive - Popular Science
A retired physician’s reexamination of a 125-million-year old fossil specimen has unexpectedly yielded an entirely new dinosaur species. After careful analysis, it appears that the United Kingdom was once home to an iguanodontian featuring a distinctively massive, sail-like fin along its back. And naturally, its discoverer named it after a local sailing hero.
For the past few years, former general practitioner Dr. Jeremy Lockwood has combed through archival fossil troves as part of his ongoing Ph.D research at the University of Portsmouth and the Natural History Museum, London. While perusing the Dinosaur Island museum’s collection on the Isle of Wight, Lockwood noticed something peculiar about a set attributed to one of the island’s two known iguanodontian species.
“While the skeleton wasn’t as complete as some of the others that have been found, no one had really taken a close look at these bones before,” he explained in a statement. “This one had particularly long neural spines, which was very unusual.”
The anterior-most seven caudal vertebrae in left lateral view with neural spines reconstructed. Credit: Papers in PalaeontologyFurther analysis led Lockwood and colleagues to confirm the bones belonged to its own dinosaur species, which they named Istiorachis macarthurae and describe in a study published August 21 in the journal Papers in Palaeontology. While Istiorachis translates to “sail spine,” macarthurae is intended as a tribute to Dame Ellen MacArthur. A native of the Isle of Wright, MacArthur made history in 2005 when she set the world record for the fastest solo, non-stop voyage around the world—and on her first attempt, nonetheless.
Istiorachis appears to have been slightly taller than an adult human, with neural spines growing as long as 10 to12 inches. Why it boasted such a large dorsal accessory remains a bit of a mystery. According to Lockwood, there may be multiple explanations. Similar to male peacock’s ostentatious fan of tail feathers, I. macarthurae may have showed off its back fin as part of a sexual display.
“Evolution sometimes seems to favor the extravagant over the practical,” Lockwood said. “While the exact purpose of such features has long been debated—with theories ranging from body heat regulation to fat storage—researchers believe that the most likely explanation in this case is visual signaling.”
I. macarthurae stood slightly taller than an adult human. Credit: Papers in PalaeontologyIstiorachis seems to showcase a larger evolutionary theme for dinosaurs. Previous studies indicate iguanodontians first began displaying elongated neural spines during the Late Jurassic. By the Early Cretaceous, the physical detail had become far more common.
This isn’t Lockwood’s first paleontological discovery, either.
“Over the past five years, Jeremy has single-handedly quadrupled the known diversity of the smaller iguanodontians on the Isle of Wight,” said study co-author and Natural History Museum paleontologist Susannah Maidment. “Istiorachis demonstrates we still have much to learn about Early Cretaceous ecosystems in the UK.”
The post Retired doctor discovers new dinosaur species deep in a museum archive appeared first on Popular Science.
Passaggi per liberare spazio su Mac - TheAppleLounge
Passaggi per liberare spazio su Mac - TheAppleLounge
A heart-shaped scallop turned up off the Massachusetts coast - Popular Science
While surveying the frosty waters of the North Atlantic, a team of NOAA scientists recently uncovered a heart-shaped sea scallop. A small dent in the top makes the sea creature look like the symbol of love instead of the sea scallop’s typical fan shape. The mollusk was found in the northern edge of Georges Bank, a submarine plateau between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia, Canada.
According to NOAA, an object likely hit and detained the scallop’s shell somewhere in Georges Bank. Scientists and fishing enthusiasts know the area well for its strong currents and a rocky seafloor.
CREDIT: NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic.“Strong currents can toss scallops around, causing them to hit rocks or other scallops,” NOAA wrote in a Facebook post. “That can lead to shell damage. As the injury heals, the scallop continues to grow and shell malformations like this begin to appear.”
Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) are found from the Mid-Atlantic up to the Canadian border. They eat by filtering phytoplankton or other small organisms out of the water column. As filter feeders, they can even improve water quality by removing suspended materials.
Like the clams and oysters they are often served with, scallops are bivalves with two shells. The pair of shells are held together by an adductor muscle, the part of the scallop that Americans typically eat. Their upper shell is typically a reddish-pink or brown color, while the lower is white or cream. According to NOAA, about five to 10 percent are albinos, with all white shells. Sea scallop shells are also special among scallops for their lack of ribbing. Other species like bay scallops have a more bumpy edge, while sea scallops’ are smooth. The smooth shell is potentially an adaptation to helps propel itself faster and farther through the water.
[ Related: Unsuspecting sea creature has Earth’s hardest teeth. ]
The crew of the New Bedford-based scallop fishing vessel the F/V Selje pulled up the heart shaped mollusk during their annual Atlantic Sea Scallop Dredge Survey. Every year since 1979, NOAA scientists have collected data on the abundance, spatial distribution, and life history of marine species, focusing on sea scallops. The data from these annual reviews are used in Atlantic sea scallop stock assessments and help inform the catch limits for the commercial scallop fishery. Commercial fishing in New England brings in roughly $20 billion per year.
With so many scallops sitting at the bottom of Georges Bank, there could be even more scallop hearts just waiting to be found.
The post A heart-shaped scallop turned up off the Massachusetts coast appeared first on Popular Science.
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