NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity Concludes a 15-Year Mission
By Tu Nguyen
Silent since a giant dust storm last summer, the rover was the longest-lasting robot on another planet ever. Opportunity, the longest-lived roving robot ever sent to another planet, explored the red plains of Mars for more than 14 years, snapping photos and revealing astonishing glimpses into its distant past. But on Wednesday, NASA announced that the rover is dead. “It is therefore that I am standing here with a sense of deep appreciation and gratitude that I declare the Opportunity mission as complete,” Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science, said at a news conference. The golf cart-size rover was designed to last only three months, but proved itself to be an unexpected endurance athlete. It traveled more than the distance of a marathon when less than half a mile would have counted as success. As it moved across the surface, Opportunity provided an up-close view of Mars that scientists had never seen: fine layers of rock that preserved ripples of flowing water, a prerequisite for life, from several billion years ago. It also changed the paradigm for how to explore a planet. Instead of a lander studying a single spot a rover let scientists head to the most promising places. The steady stream of photographs and data from Opportunity — and from its twin, Spirit, which persisted until 2010 — brought Mars closer to people on Earth. Because the rovers operated for so much longer than expected, NASA has now had a continuous robotic presence on Mars for most of the century. That streak seems likely to not end soon. A larger, more capable rover, Curiosity, arrived in 2012, and NASA is planning to launch another in 2020. “Rovers and their observations resonate with people,” said Raymond E. Arvidson, a professor of planetary geology at Washington University in St. Louis, and the deputy principal investigator for the mission. “It’s as if you were walking on the surface. It has that kind of perspective, and it’s not a particularly alien landscape.” On Tuesday night, NASA made one last call to Opportunity, which was silenced last summer by a giant dust storm. There was no reply. “It was an incredibly somber moment,” said Tanya Harrison, a member of the mission’s science team who was present in Pasadena, Calif., at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during the final attempt to reach the rover. “Just waiting for the inevitable, basically.” The rover has been quiet since June. During the dust storm, Opportunity’s solar panels could not generate enough power to keep the spacecraft awake. NASA had hoped that once the skies cleared, the rover would revive and continue its work. Last fall, the space agency announced it would spend just a month trying to reconnect with Opportunity. “There were some that were willing to give up quite quickly, but there was a huge backlash,” Dr. Harrison said. “We didn’t feel like the rover was being given a fair chance.” NASA relented, but as time passed, the odds grew that the mission was finally over. Perhaps the solar panels became encrusted in a thick layer of dust, or some crucial electronic component broke down in the extremes of Martian weather. Unless astronauts on Mars one day can take a look at Opportunity, what dealt the lethal blow will likely remain a mystery. Twin rovers on the red planet Opportunity landed on Mars on Jan. 24, 2004, three weeks after its twin, Spirit, which set down on the opposite side of the planet. NASA was looking to rebound from two embarrassing failures in 1999. A mix-up between English and metric units caused the Mars Climate Orbiter to be ripped apart in the atmosphere. Three months later, the Mars Polar Lander vanished during its landing. An investigation found that the spacecraft likely had shut off its engines too early and plummeted to its destruction. Editors’ Picks Bree and Chuck West on Art Imitating Life People Love Studio Ghibli. But Should They Be Able to Recreate It? 10 Wild Clips to Help You Understand Andy Kaufman’s Greatness Steven W. Squyres, a Cornell astronomer who serves as the mission’s principal investigator, had been selected to oversee the scientific instruments for an Opportunity-like rover that was to launch in 2001. Because of NASA budget limits, the rover was changed to a stationary lander. After the 1999 failures, the Mars lander mission that was to launch in 2001 was canceled. The question became what to do in 2003, the next time that Earth and Mars would be close enough to send another spacecraft. One option was to put Dr. Squyres’s instruments back on a rover, a scaled-up version of the successful Pathfinder mission in 1997. Daniel S. Goldin, the NASA administrator, was initially skeptical, but agreed. Then he asked: Why not two rovers? A pair would provide redundancy, and allow exploration of two different regions of Mars. The rovers received the green light from NASA in the middle of 2000. Then came the rush to develop and build the rovers in time to launch in 2003, while also avoiding the corner-cutting mistakes that had doomed the 1999 spacecraft. “It was a miracle we got to Florida,” Dr. Squyres said. Waters of Mars Three days before Opportunity’s landing, the entire mission appeared to be in jeopardy. Although it landed successfully a couple of weeks earlier, Spirit suddenly stopped talking. Engineers scrambled to figure out what had gone wrong and whether Opportunity was susceptible to the same flaw. “There was a period of time when everyone was concerned that we were at risk,” said Peter C. Theisinger, who was then project manager. The engineers figured out the problem and started nursing Spirit back to health. Opportunity then landed perfectly and hit a scientific jackpot immediately, ending up in a small crater with exposed bedrock. The bedrock was made of finely layered sedimentary rocks that formed in water several billion years ago, but these waters were highly salty and acidic. “In reality, we were mostly talking about sulfuric acid on Mars,” recalled Dr. Squyres. “Habitable, yes, but it was no evolutionary paradise.” Over the years, Opportunity explored a series of larger and larger craters. At the rim of the biggest, the 14-mile-wide Endeavour Crater, the rover discovered bedrock that was older than the crater, lifted upward but not broken apart by the impact that had formed the cavity. The rock contained clays, which would have formed in waters that were pH-neutral or slightly alkaline. “This was water you could drink,” Dr. Squyres said. That environment might have been habitable for microbes, had any been on Mars long ago. However, the rover was not carrying instruments to search for molecules that might have hinted at ancient life. Still, the evidence offered a picture of early Mars: a once-habitable environment that became harsh, as volcanic eruptions turned the waters acidic and the entire planet dried out. 5,111 days on Mars At the beginning, the mission was a dash, with the scientists trying to squeeze out as much data as they could before Spirit and Opportunity died. The designers of the vehicles expected that dust settling from the Martian air would pile up on the solar panels, and eventually the rovers would fail from lack of power. Unexpectedly, gusts of Martian winds repeatedly acted as cleaning events, wiping the dust away. The rovers made it through the winters by parking with their solar panels pointed northward, toward the sun. Part of that success was timely new technologies — in particular, the long-lasting lithium ion batteries similar to those now used in cellphones, laptops and electric cars. “These rovers actually have the finest batteries in the solar system,” said John L. Callas, the project manager for the mission. “We’d all love if our cellphone batteries lasted this long.” The engineers also figured out workarounds to problems like a stuck heater switch that sapped energy from the rover as well as later bouts of amnesia where the rover would forget what it was doing. Each year, investigators bet whether one or two rovers, or none, would make it through the year. Richard Cook, one of the top managers for the rovers, was not among the optimists. “I bet and lost $20 every year for the first five years, and then I stopped betting,” he said. In 2009, Spirit slipped into a sand trap and could not pull itself out. It stopped communicating in March 2010. Opportunity continued trundling across the Martian landscape. Instead of just 90 Martian days, Opportunity lasted 5,111, counting the days until its last transmission. (A Martian day is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day.) NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed in 2012, continues to explore another part of Mars, a crater that was once filled with water. In addition to NASA, China and a joint European-Russian collaboration are also planning to send rovers to Mars in 2020. A generation of planetary scientists grew up with Opportunity. In 2004, Abigail A. Fraeman was a junior in high school who was selected by the Planetary Society to go to Pasadena and take part in the rover mission. She was with the scientists on the night of Opportunity’s landing. “It was the coolest night ever,” Dr. Fraeman said, and it inspired her to choose this as her career. She has been the deputy project scientist for Opportunity since 2016. Dr. Harrison was a college student when the mission started and that she knew she wanted to work on a rover like Opportunity. “I never knew I would get to work on Opportunity 15 years later,” she said. She said that at the end of the night on Tuesday Dr. Callas phoned operators of a radio dish in Australia, part of the network that NASA uses to communicate with its interplanetary voyagers. He thanked them for 15 years of work with Spirit and Opportunity, and said he was now signing off. “There had been a lot of talking and laughing and whatnot between crying and hugging,” Dr. Harrison said. “As soon as that moment happened, it just went silent.”
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (7441) Review
By Tu Nguyen
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, Dell's Inspiron 14 Plus (model 7441, starting at $849.99 and $999.99 as tested) serves as a solid, if unremarkable, everyday laptop. Its aluminum design adds a premium feel, and features like a touch screen, Wi-Fi 7, and multiple biometric options come standard. Although it doesn't stand out among midrange slimlines, it's well-rounded enough to be a worthy contender, particularly if you catch it on sale. At this price and screen size, we're partial to the AMD Ryzen-based Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Touch (UM3406) for full x86 compatibility or the Acer Swift 14 AI if you want to stick with Snapdragon for extreme battery life. Design: Your Friendly Neighborhood Inspiron Dell's widely recognized Inspiron brand is soon to be phased out as the company has decided to rename its entire lineup. While the Inspiron 14 Plus I'm reviewing here hasn't undergone this rebranding yet, its successor will probably carry the "Dell Plus" name. The 14-inch laptop we tested at $999.99 is equipped with a Snapdragon X Plus processor (X1P-64-100, 10 cores, 3.4GHz), Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive. The $849.99 entry-level model offers half the storage (256GB). Optional upgrades include a Snapdragon X Elite processor and a 1TB solid-state drive. Although the Dell's starting price undercuts those of the Acer Swift 14 AI ($1,049.99), the HP OmniBook X 14 ($999.99), and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x ($1,199.99), those notebooks can often be found at significant discounts, making it worthwhile to wait for a sale. I noticed our review model briefly discounted to $799.99, which made it much more attractive. Also, keep in mind that Dell offers an Intel variant (model 7440), priced similarly but with key differences in port selection, screen options, and standard features. The Inspiron 14 Plus is proportioned like the Acer Swift 14 AI, at 0.7 by 12.4 by 8.8 inches. At 3.2 pounds, it misses our three-pound cutoff to qualify as an ultraportable. Both the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and the HP OmniBook X 14 are thinner and lighter. The Dell's aluminum design feels strong and premium, passing MIL-STD 810H tests for operation in harsh conditions. While the laptop isn't visually striking, the rounded corners lend it a friendly look, and the Ice Blue lid breaks up the monotony. The Inspiron’s physical connections are adequate but not extensive. On the left, you'll find two USB4 ports (the power adapter can be plugged into either) and a microSD card slot, while the right side holds a USB Type-A port and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s no dedicated (HDMI or DisplayPort) monitor output unless your monitor supports USB-C, so you may need to carry an adapter. A Qualcomm FastConnect wireless card supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless. Biometric features include a fingerprint reader built into the power button and an infrared webcam for password-free logins using Windows Hello. Living With the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus: A Fine Casual Laptop Home users will find much to like in the Inspiron 14 Plus. The aluminum design feels sturdy enough to tote anywhere; the touch screen is convenient; and the white keyboard backlighting is effective in low light. Also, it has a good webcam with a sliding privacy shutter. The Inspiron's quad speakers are a standout feature. Positioned on either side of the keyboard and facing upward, they deliver excellent clarity and rich bass. Drum hits in Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" were especially engaging, and the audio experience felt like being in a mini movie theater while watching The Marvels. The 2,560-by-1,600-pixel display provides ample working space and minimizes reflections with its anti-glare surface. I found it almost too bright at night. Colors aren't quite on the level of an OLED display but are still well saturated. The display also has Dell's ComfyView blue-light-reducing technology. The keyboard is the only factor preventing me from recommending this laptop for more than casual use. Its lack of tactile feel affects usability; I managed only 106 words per minute (wpm) with 96% accuracy in the MonkeyType online typing test, about 10wpm below my usual speed. Additionally, the mismatched sizes of the arrow keys are not intuitive. On the bright side, the keyboard features a function lock (Fn+Escape) to toggle the top row to system shortcuts. Below, the touchpad is generously sized. The included MyDell app offers Dolby Vision settings and various performance modes. I used the default Optimized setting, which kept the fans quiet to the point that I rarely noticed them. For those looking to maximize performance, the Ultra Performance profile is available, though it comes with increased fan noise. The laptop also includes a McAfee antivirus trial, which I promptly uninstalled. The Snapdragon X's built-in neural processing unit (NPU) is powerful enough to support Microsoft Copilot+ and enable localized AI processing. While its capabilities are likely to improve over time, the only obvious current AI features are the special webcam effects available in the Windows Camera app. It's also important to note that not every Windows program is Arm-compatible, so ensure your apps run on this laptop before making a purchase. Verdict: A Solid Midrange Snapdragon Laptop Dell's Inspiron 14 Plus is a good fit for casual home use. Its bright screen and excellent speakers make it ideal for entertainment, and its Snapdragon processor keeps things running smoothly. Standard biometric features and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity add convenience. However, the Inspiron doesn’t quite lead the pack. For a slightly higher price, the Acer Swift 14 AI provides longer battery life and an even better screen, if you want to run with Snapdragon silicon for its extreme endurance. Otherwise, we maintain that the Ryzen-based Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Touch cited up top is one of the best 14-inch values out there. Still, keep this Inspiron on the table, especially if the price is right.
SpaceX Preps New Starlink Dishes, Including One for Gigabit Speeds
By Tu Nguyen
The company is also developing a dish to follow the Starlink Mini. SpaceX is developing a new Starlink dish meant to offer gigabit internet to customers, a big boost from current download speeds, which are closer to 200Mbps. The dish was mentioned in a webinar for Starlink resellers, according to a person who watched the presentation. It appears customers will need to buy the new dish to access gigabit speeds. SpaceX will also need to roll out its planned upgrade for the Starlink constellation, which will involve harnessing a broader range of radio spectrum for the satellite internet system. The company is still awaiting FCC clearance for the upgrades, but the proposed enhancements promise to boost Starlink’s speeds to rival ground-based fiber networks. It’s possible SpaceX will release the gigabit dish later this year, but that depends on whether the company’s Starship vehicle can successfully deploy third-generation V3 Starlink satellites. “Next generation, we’ll have smaller beams, more capacity per beam, lower latency,” SpaceX’s President Gwynne Shotwell said in November, adding that the resulting Starlink speeds will reach as high as 2 gigabits. SpaceX may market the gigabit product to business customers before consumers, following its pattern of offering its most powerful services to enterprises. In the meantime, SpaceX’s webinar also mentioned releasing a refreshed flat high-performance Starlink dish for enterprise buyers. The company has already discounted the existing flat high-performance dish from $2,499 to $1,499 — a sign it's trying to clear out inventory. The other notable news is that SpaceX is preparing another device model to follow the Starlink Mini dish, which currently costs $499 in the US. SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But satellite experts have told us they expect customers will need a new dish to access gigabit speeds since the current Starlink hardware isn’t built to support the additional radio bands needed to drive the gigabit speeds. However, SpaceX’s planned upgrades for the Starlink network could still deliver speed improvements to users on existing dishes. “Starlink is also asking the FCC for permission to relax the power limits applicable to their existing Ku-band links and allow the satellites to operate at lower altitudes and lower elevation angles,” satellite industry analyst Tim Farrar told us in October. “So the throughput for existing Ku-band dishes would improve, and it could be more feasible to aggregate multiple terminals and get gigabit downlink speeds that way.”
What Is Nvidia's DGX Station? A New, Specialized Desktop Line for AI Work
By Tu Nguyen
AI researchers and developers can look forward to these prebuilt towers, announced at GTC 2025 and coming from Nvidia and its partners, for extraordinary AI power at their desks. Also: Nvidia's taking reservations for its DGX Spark mini PC, formerly known as "Project DIGITS." SAN JOSE, CALIF.—After introducing an AI-focused mini PC, dubbed "Project DIGITS," at CES 2025, Nvidia is preparing to unleash a bigger cousin: a full-fledged tower desktop for AI workloads. At the company’s GTC conference on Tuesday in San Jose, Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, announced the DGX Station, saying, “This is what a PC should look like.” (You can view an edited-highlights version of Huang's epic keynote in the video above.) Indeed, Huang showed a mockup of the innards of a sample DGX Station: a board resembling a traditional PC motherboard, but with certain components enlarged and in slightly different spots than you'd expect. He also confirmed the DGX Station board contains some PCI Express slots, enabling it to connect to an Nvidia graphics card. Not for Gamers: The DGX Station Is for AI Experts Only Some of its interior may look relatable, but the DGX Station isn’t meant for consumers. Instead, Nvidia is marketing the product toward enterprise customers, such as researchers and software developers, looking to run intensive AI workloads. Indeed, the company dubs it a "desktop supercomputer." That’s because the product features a data-center-grade GB300 "Grace Blackwell Ultra" chip—a type that Nvidia has traditionally referred to a "Superchip"—that’s specifically designed for wrangling with cutting-edge AI models. This combined CPU/GPU contains 72 CPU cores, along with 784GB of unified memory shared between the processing and graphics portions. Pro AI devs would apply this kind of massive memory loadout to large training and inferencing tasks. An extremely high-speed interconnect, dubbed "NVLink-C2C," will join the Grace CPU and Blackwell GPU portions of the chip to enable all this data flow. Likewise, for external connectivity, a high-speed network card, the ConnectX-8 SuperNIC, will enable the kinds of transfers required for chaining multiple DGX Stations together, or to perform high-speed local-network data movement of the kind these workflows require. Nvidia didn't share how much a DGX Station will cost, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a single unit went for $10,000 or more, considering how expensive Nvidia’s other enterprise-grade GPUs can be. Expect the DGX Station to arrive later this year from Nvidia's manufacturing partners, all familiar desktop-workstation faces, among them Asus, Boxx, Dell, HP, and Supermicro. DIGITS to Sparks: Nvidia's AI Mini PC Gets a New Name In the meantime, the company is starting to take reservations for its AI-developer-centric mini PC, formerly known as "Project DIGITS." At GTC, Nvidia revealed it had renamed the product "DGX Spark." Like the DGX Station, the Spark mini PC isn’t designed for your typical PC buyer, but for software developers, researchers, and students interested in developing generative AI programs. The product features Nvidia’s GB10 Superchip, which can support AI models up to 200 billion parameters in size—similar to OpenAI’s GPT-3. Nvidia notes that the Blackwell GPU in the DGX Spark can support up to 1,000 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) to support training and inferencing needs. Also, the CPU and GPU will be equipped with Nvidia-specific interconnect technology that should allow for as much as five times the bandwidth between the chip elements and its memory, versus conventional PCI Express 5.0. Nvidia detailed a good bit more about DGX Spark's inner specs on its site once the GTC keynote wrapped up. The Spark will feature 128GB of unified LPDDR5x memory and have Nvidia's AI software tools preinstalled. The "Grace" portion of the GB10 will have 20 Arm cores. The system will also support a form of the ConnectX networking mentioned earlier, here ConnectX-7, for tethering two Sparks together to work on extremely large AI models. The system will come equipped with a 1TB or 4TB SSD, and have provision for Wi-Fi 7, USB (four USB Type-C, to 40Gbps), and Bluetooth connectivity, much like any other high-end desktop. DGX Spark will run by connecting to a regular electrical socket. But don’t expect the mini PC to play Windows games. The DGX Spark comes with Nvidia’s DGX OS, the company’s custom version of Ubuntu Linux. Nvidia says that models of the DGX Spark from its partners will start at $2,999. (The pre-order page teased a $2,999 Asus Ascent GX10 configuration with a 1TB SSD.) An Nvidia-branded Founders Edition version of the DGX Spark with 4TB of storage will go for $3,999, and Nvidia is also offering a bundle of two 4TB DGX Sparks with a high-speed connection cable, for $8,049. PC vendors including Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all preparing DGX Spark and DGX Station products under their own brands.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 review: Cheaper and better
By Tu Nguyen
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is the upgrade you've been waiting for. Apple's MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is not a perfect laptop, but at its new starting price of $999, it is the perfect laptop for many people. Outwardly, little has changed, but internally the new M4 chip has the Air once again outpacing most of its Windows on ARM rivals with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips, while still delivering over 15 hours of battery life. You also can't see the upgraded Center Stage webcam, but the difference will jump off the screen at you the first time you use it. Some minor complaints remain, like its limited ports and wishing Apple would make the move to a 120Hz refresh rate or even new display tech, but the $100 price drop helps cover over issues that most Air buyers would likely never worry about. Read on for a closer look at what makes the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 stand out from the crowd to earn a spot among our best laptops. The price is arguably the biggest upgrade for the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 with all configurations dropping by $100 compared to their predecessors. This is notable not only because we are seeing prices climb on many other consumer electronics in 2025, but also because of the upgrade to 16GB of RAM on the base MacBook Air that Apple announced in October 2024, which remains in place for the new M4 models. The base configuration of the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 returns to $999 after Apple moved to $1,099 for the base price of the Air with 2022's MacBook Air 13-inch M2. The base model includes 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an Apple M4 with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU. While the base price is outstanding, upgrades remain as expensive as ever. You’ll want to choose your additions carefully or risk spoiling the great value offered. My review unit is a configuration I would recommend for most people, for $1,199 your storage is doubled to 512GB, and you get the slightly enhanced M4 configuration with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. Extra storage is almost always welcome, as a full hard drive will slow your laptop down in the future. However, there are more immediate reasons to make this choice that I’ll address in the performance and heat section. If you’re a power user on the edge of opting for a MacBook Pro, you may also want to consider paying the $200 to upgrade to 24GB of RAM. It’s worth noting that if you are a student, the parent of a student, a faculty member, or staff at any school, or a homeschool teacher, you are eligible to shop through Apple’s Education Store, which will take another $100 off the price of any configuration. The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 still falls into the premium laptop category, but it is one of the most affordable options. Apple is no longer keeping the old MacBook Air around as a cheaper option, so outside of sales on the older models (while there is still stock), if you need something cheaper, you may want to consider one of the best Chromebooks. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the price drop we just covered, the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 design remains completely unchanged from last year, save for replacing the "Space Gray" colorway with "Sky Blue." I recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge, which comes in what Samsung calls “Sapphire Blue,” and I feel similarly gaslit by Apple’s “Sky Blue.” Both laptops look silver unless you place them next to a silver laptop. “Hint of Blue” or “Is that Blue?” would be more accurate names. Please Apple, let the iMac team share the love with one of its actually fun pastel hues. Prosaic Pantone protests aside, the overall design of the MacBook Air remains excellent. I love intriguing new laptop designs like Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 with its rollable display, but a traditional clamshell laptop design done well is still a perfect fit for many people. The bezels around the display aren’t the smallest that I’ve ever seen, but they aren’t distractingly large either. Battery life stopped being a concern for the MacBook Air when Apple Silicon arrived in 2020. This remains true with the MacBook Air 13-inch M4, eclipsing the 15-hour mark like its predecessor. You will see less than that if you push the laptop at full brightness, but I'm still giving that the "all-day battery life" stamp of approval. While the competition is stronger than ever for the laptops with the best battery life, the Air is still holding up exceptionally well, particularly when considering performance, which I’ll address later. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves navigating a set group of websites with video and static images while the display is set at 150 nits of brightness, the MacBook Air 13 M4 lasted an average of 15 hours and 30 minutes. Here’s how that stacks up against the battery life of the Air M4’s rivals. The MacBook Air 13 M4 comes with macOS Sequoia 15.3, which means the typical assortment of Apple apps installed by default. However, Apple is good about avoiding bloatware, so you shouldn’t have anything too pressing to remove. Particularly if you have other devices in the Apple ecosystem, there are benefits to using Apple’s native apps like Notes, so consider giving them a try if you haven’t previously. The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 ships with a typical one-year limited warranty, but it can be extended with AppleCare+ for $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the MacBook Air 13-inch. AppleCare+ gives you access to technical support and reduced repair costs, including a $99 fee to repair screen or external enclosure damage or $299 for other accidental damage. Apple hit the sweet spot with this laptop, delivering an affordable option that should check all the boxes for a swath of users. The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 feels like the return of the original M1 Air. It's an undeniable value that will give you years of excellent performance, even if you pick up the base model. My limited complaints are also similar to those of the M1 Air, there are features that the vast majority of people will never miss. If you need one of the best 2-in-1 laptops, best Windows laptops, or best gaming laptops, then this isn't the laptop for you, but the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is one of the best laptops and best MacBooks for most people.
Which OS Is Best: Windows, macOS, Linux, or ChromeOS?
By Tu Nguyen
Not sure which desktop operating system is best for you? We help you choose by comparing the top options based on app compatibility, ease of use, hardware availability, interface design, gaming support, and more. You don’t have a huge number of choices when it comes to your computer's operating system, but the one you pick has wide-ranging consequences. PCMag has been testing operating systems since the beginning of personal computers in the '80s, so we have the experience to inform your decision. The four OSes here are your most viable options: Windows 11, macOS Sequoia, ChromeOS, and Ubuntu. Four isn't a huge number, but each has distinct strengths and weaknesses. Windows and macOS support the most hardware peripherals and software, ChromeOS is lightweight and runs on inexpensive computers, and the Linux-based Ubuntu embraces the open-source model the most. Read on for a summary of each personal desktop operating system in order of usage share, along with links to our in-depth reviews and some advice to keep in mind while considering your options. Beneath its glossy surface that takes design cues from ChromeOS and macOS, Windows 11 is still quite similar to Windows 10; it gets you nearly the same wide selection of computer hardware, software, and video games. Windows 11 requires a PC with a recent CPU and a security chip called a TPM, but the latter has been standard on computers for several years anyway. So far, it has embraced generative AI the most out of the mainstream OSes, thanks to Copilot. Windows 11 does offer some new capabilities not available in Windows 10, however, including Snap Layouts for organizing program windows on the desktop, new HDR display support, and better security. It also includes an improved File Explorer with a tabbed interface, a Live Captions speech-to-text feature that works with any audio that's playing on the PC, and new video editing and sound recording apps. The 2024 Windows update brings a redesigned Copilot AI, new platform code to improve performance and security, an Energy Saver mode, and minor updates to the Start menu and Taskbar, including better phone integration. A new class of machines, called Copilot+ PCs, runs Windows 11 24H2. These get AI features like Recall, Cocreator image generation, and Click to Do, which overlays button options in apps based on your likely actions. Copilot+ PCs use Qualcomm Snapdragon Arm CPUs, as well as chips from AMD and Intel. Apple's desktop operating system is polished, capable, and reliable. It gets big updates every year, with Sequoia being the latest. If you're going to use macOS, Apple is your sole option in terms of device manufacturer (though it's a good one). Options range from the $600 Mac mini through MacBook laptops to the top-end Mac Pro. All the latest Macs run Arm-based Apple silicon processors, with names like M1, M2, and M3. These rival the top Intel chips in performance and require less power. The macOS interface is as slick as it gets and more consistent than any of the other OS choices here. It also ties in well with iPhones and other Apple devices. Stage Manager gives you flexibility with your windows and how you multitask among them. Apple's OS is document-based rather than program-based, like Windows, so the operating system provides the same menu for every app at the top of the screen. This can be a stumbling block if you move between Windows and macOS, as can the differences between the Mac's Finder and Windows File Explorer. Distinctions between Windows' Taskbar and macOS's Dock (along with the lack of a Start menu) also require some adjustment. Macs come with a superb array of software and utilities, such as the excellent Apple Photos, iMovie, and GarageBand. You also get Maps, Podcasts, Mail, Calendar, Notes, and Reminders. We can't forget the fine web browser Safari, either, which offers good synergy with its mobile counterparts as well as decent privacy features. Gaming has long been something of a weak point for Macs, but it's improving. As PCMag lead hardware analyst Brian Westover writes, "It hasn't reached the point where anyone would look at their gaming laptop and seriously consider ditching it for a similarly potent MacBook Pro." Apple does include good parental controls in macOS with Screen Time, and the system has a sterling reputation for security. Google's desktop operating system started out by providing a web browser and little else. The idea was for it to be an entirely cloud-powered system that ran only web apps and used Google Drive to store all your data. ChromeOS has moved beyond that now, with Android apps from the Google Play store being its main source of software. It offers true desktop features like file folders for local files, the Google Assistant voice AI, a night mode, and tight integration with Android phones. A variety of inexpensive Chromebook laptops and Chromeboxes (the desktop version) run ChromeOS. You might still be able to find some all-in-one Chromebase devices, but most manufacturers are promoting Chromebook Plus models—laptops with sufficient CPU power, storage, and screen resolutions to run more demanding software. These PCs can use unique Google tech like Magic Eraser (of Pixel commercial fame), add special effects to Google Meet video calls, and handle an impressive web version of Photoshop. The operating system's interface is clear and minimal. There's a shelf that's similar to Windows' Taskbar, and the program launcher and settings work well. Google continues to add conveniences, like Android phone tethering, picture-in-picture video, better offline functionality, and multiple virtual desktops. Its clever Tote feature keeps recent documents and images at the ready. The OS supports touch and stylus input, as well as works with many printer models (though not as many as macOS and Windows). Google recently added more generative AI features to ChromeOS, such as a Gemini app, live transcriptions with translation, and the ability to summarize text. Also new for the OS is Welcome Recap, which can get you quickly back to your tasks whenever you resume using the computer after a break. ChromeOS has two distinct app stores, the Chrome Web Store and Google Play, which have some of the same entries. Some Android apps behave inconsistently on Chrome, but the situation is improving, and Google seems keen on making Google Play the main place you get apps. You won't find high-end applications on ChromeOS, such as pro-level media editing software. However, Google has created a full suite of apps and services for the education market. If you're a student or prefer simplicity, ChromeOS might be right for you. If you want to play the latest AAA video games, edit videos and photos with professional-grade software, or run advanced hardware like VR headsets or 3D printers, choose another OS. Ubuntu is completely free and based mostly on open-source software. It's not the product of a giant tech company that's out to lock you into its ecosystem, and you never need to sign in with an account. You can install Ubuntu from Canonical Ltd. on nearly any computer, including Chromebooks, Macs, and Windows PCs. You can even run the operating system from a live USB stick, averting the need to fully install it. The latest version of Ubuntu is 24.10 (Oracular Oriole). It uses the Linux kernel version 6.11, which brings enhanced security and support for more recent CPUs. More in the realm of eye candy, 24.10 adopts the latest version of the Gnome desktop environment, which has new accent color options and redesigned dialog boxes. The newest Ubuntu release also improves legibility on small screens, Snap installations, and support for remote desktop sessions, network drives in the Files window, and progressive web apps (PWAs). The OS includes the App Center app store, consolidated settings, expandable notifications, a file manager with search, and support for Microsoft Active Directory. Apps can be installed in several ways, including by adding software repositories. Ubuntu has a pleasing interface and a workable selection of default apps, including browsers, email clients, office suites, and media apps. Unlike macOS, it supports touch input (though not as fully as Windows). Linux systems are highly customizable, with many distros (such as Ubuntu) available. Those distros further come in different flavors—Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Mate, and Xubuntu are all flavors of Ubuntu. They differ in preconfigured apps, interface designs, and settings. A drawback is that Linux requires a bit more tech-savvy than the other choices here. If you're squeamish about ever seeing a command line, choose another OS. Another drawback is that support for hardware peripherals is behind that of Windows, macOS, and even ChromeOS. Additionally, you can't use major desktop apps, such as Photoshop and Microsoft Office, though web versions of such programs are increasingly available and capable. Don't expect too much in the way of game selection, though there is a Linux Steam app for the OS with a growing library. Ubuntu strives to be as secure and stable as possible. That's no doubt why Linux powers so many servers, which demand a high level of uptime. Ubuntu includes built-in security protections, and Canonical provides regular security patches and updates. An operating system is the software that makes your computer work. It provides an interface between the hardware, the software running on the hardware, and you. Modern OSes include slick user interfaces and loads of utilities, tools, and preloaded apps that let you do a lot without even installing anything. Those apps include calendars, email clients, music players, photo editors, text editors, video editors, web browsers, and more. An operating system also has tools to keep your computer running smoothly, safely, and malware-free. Most include built-in security features and support for VPNs. Much of an operating system's security and stability relies on an update process that makes sure the system receives timely fixes to hardware and software compatibility and vulnerability issues. With smartphones being such a dominant part of modern life, a good desktop operating system must work in concert with those devices. Another prevalent theme is "the cloud," and most operating systems integrate with cloud services for things like system backup and file sharing. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a focus as of late as well, with Windows offering Copilot and macOS slowly getting Apple Intelligence. These services do research for you, provide summaries of large text blocks, and even create images based on your text prompts. Chromebook Plus devices are also getting into the AI act with Help Me Write and Generative AI wallpaper and video call backgrounds. Doing AI on the local computer rather than through calls to services is a trend in each of these endeavors, and Windows Copilot+ PCs are a prime example of this. Apple's AI hides the difference between local and server-performed AI in order to give users a seamless experience. Ubuntu is based on free and open-source Debian, GNU, Gnome, and Linux code, and ChromeOS is based on Google's open-source ChromiumOS project (which is, in turn, based on Linux). This means volunteer coders can contribute to the code, and third parties can put out their own versions. ChromeOS is Google's proprietary version of that code base that includes extras like its Android subsystem and cellular support. How to Choose an Operating System. In our linked reviews of the four operating systems discussed above, we take into account the following criteria, which can help inform your choice of OS: Range of hardware options Range of software available, including gaming, media editing, and productivity Interface design and windowing niceties Included apps and utilities Mobile and cloud integrations Stability, security, and updates If you need to run software that works on just one of these operating systems, your choice is obvious. You can get around this sometimes by running a virtual machine (see the next section), but running native apps typically results in a superior experience. For example, if Adobe Premiere Pro just won't do and you want to use Final Cut Pro as your video editor, your only option is macOS. If you want to run AAA video games, stick with Windows. The same holds for peripherals. Your 3D printer or VR headset might have drivers for just one type of system. Can Your Computer Run Multiple OSes? If you need to use software that's compatible only with a particular OS (usually Windows or macOS), multiboot setups and virtualization software let you run more than one operating system on your computer. For example, you can run Windows on a Mac inside a virtual machine or dual-boot using Boot Camp (if you have an Intel-based Mac). You can also create a Linux partition on a Windows PC and boot to that when the need arises. Running macOS outside of an actual Mac computer isn't possible—unless you're comfortable jumping through the technical hoops required to create a Hackintosh. You can run ChromeOS from either of the big two on a live ChromeOS Flex USB stick. Dig Deeper Into OSes For all our related content, head to our operating systems page, and for some bizarre and obscure operating systems that most people have never heard of, you can read about the strangest operating systems ever released. For a head-to-head comparison of the two leading choices, check out macOS vs. Windows.
Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch (2025, M4) Review
By Tu Nguyen
With its twin 2025 reboots of its MacBook Air laptops, Apple finds itself surrounded by some fierce competition, with AMD- and Intel-based Windows notebooks prepared to outpace and outlast the Airs. Perhaps, in part, this is why Apple did something it seldom does: It pushed a price cut. For 2025's models, Cupertino reduced the MacBook Air's starting configurations by $100 each. Coupled with a new baseline of 16GB of memory, the 13-inch MacBook Air becomes, surprisingly, one of the best deals in computing so far this year. That's especially true when you factor in Apple's included software and its now-cheaper upgraded configurations. The new 13-inch Air is our Editors’ Choice winner as the MacBook that's right for most people. Doing more for less money, and lasting longer on a charge than Apple’s claims, the M4-based model keeps the MacBook Air highly relevant. But why not a higher Editors' Rating than last year's M3 Air earned? Its Windows-ultraportable competition has been hitting the gym double-time. Configurations: Better Chips, More Memory for $100 Less If you’re familiar with buying a MacBook Air (or you browse Apple's product pages wistfully, by habit), the 2025 model’s configuration scheme won’t surprise you. However, the prices might, since the 13-inch version of the laptop now starts at just $999, and the 15-incher at $1,199. Both are down $100 from 2024's equivalent Air models. All 13-inch MacBook Air configurations enjoy the same 13.6-inch Liquid Retina LED display with a 2,560-by-1,664-pixel resolution. The screen refreshes at 60Hz and is rated for up to 500 nits of brightness. All models also receive an upgraded 12-megapixel Center Stage camera. At Apple’s new lower starting price, the 13-inch Air packs an M4 processor with a 10-core CPU and an eight-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and a 256GB solid-state drive. You can upgrade to a 10-core GPU for another $100. Meanwhile, upgrading the memory costs $200 extra to get to 24GB, or $400 extra for 32GB. Storage upgrades follow a similar path, with upticks to a 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD costing another $200, $400, or $800. A fully kitted-out 13-inch MacBook Air, including Apple's upgraded 35- or 70-watt MagSafe charger, costs $2,199. The review unit I’ve tested here has the 10-core GPU upgrade and 512GB of storage for a decent $1,199 total. (It would seem customizing the $999 base model with these two upgrades, one by one, should total $1,299, but Apple rolls in the 10-core GPU as part of the upgrade of the SSD to 512GB or larger. The same applies if you opt for the 24GB or larger memory capacity.) Before Apple shifted to including 16GB as a memory baseline midway through the 2024 MacBook Air's life cycle, and before this $100 overall price cut, a similar M3 configuration to our $1,199 M4 test model (with 16GB, a 512GB SSD and 10-core GPU) would have cost you $1,599. That is a substantial savings regardless of what kind of laptop you’re buying, much less a MacBook. Even with the most basic Air 13-inch model, I’m excited to see the MacBook Air getting back to a three-digit starting list price. Moves like these only increase value and, eventually, drive competition. Design: Still Groovy, But the Screen Is Getting On Two things are clear changes in the 2025 MacBook Air design: the upgraded 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, and a brand-new color scheme, Sky Blue. The improved webcam is a trickle-down feature from the M4-based MacBook Pro and iMac computers. It uses a wide-angle lens and the M4’s 16-core Neural Engine coprocessor to follow you as you move around within the camera’s wider field of view. The new Sky Blue color is a welcome addition to the Air's basic silver, gold, and black hues of the past few years. While I’d still go for the black MacBook Air every time, the Sky Blue pulls off a neat, albeit subtle, two-tone effect. It looks silver, or a pale blue, depending on the lighting conditions and the angle at which you’re looking at it. Better yet, you can get your Air in Sky Blue without paying extra. The new color is not locked behind buying any specific configuration. Otherwise, this is the same MacBook Air we’ve grown accustomed to since its last redesign in 2022. It’s just as thick, at 0.44 inch, and just as light, at 2.7 pounds. That’s considerably thinner but somewhat heavier than the new Dell Pro 14 Premium, which measures 0.71 inch at its thickest point and weighs just 2.52 pounds. Likewise, the Asus Zenbook S 14 is thicker (0.51 inch) but lighter (2.65 pounds), showing that the PC laptop world has very much edged in on Apple’s feathery domain. Of course, an unchanged design means that Apple fans’ (and Apple haters’) standard quibbles remain, notably the display "notch" at the top of the screen, housing the webcam hardware. Considering that this space is already occupied onscreen by the macOS menu bar, the notch doesn’t bother me too much. That said, I wouldn’t miss it if it somehow went away in the next design update. Notch aside, Apple might want to consider moving to OLED with its next pass at the MacBook Air's display. OLED panels are appearing more often than ever on sub-$1,000 PC laptops, particularly from Asus, and the color-coverage and contrast boosts that OLED brings are looking increasingly absent on the MacBook Air panel. Likewise, Apple hasn’t made any changes to the Air keyboard, which is 100% fine with me. I’ve enjoyed using Apple’s keyboards for years now, especially since it left those butterfly key switches behind years ago. Apple’s roomy haptic trackpad is also unchanged, which is not a problem. Both means of input provide smooth, accurate navigation and word processing, and the Touch ID sensor in the power button continues to prove useful. Using the 13-Inch Apple MacBook Air: That Familiar Apple Feel While much has changed regarding the MacBook Air’s internals, your overall experience with the laptop will feel much the same if you’ve used one in the past three years. From how the screen looks to how the keyboard types and how the laptop feels in your bag, the MacBook Air, in this current design, is well established. Apple’s Liquid Retina display is always a treat to work on, though by now, I expect Mac fans might be pining for an OLED to get that enhanced color coverage and deeper blacks. (Count me among them.) The top-shelf MacBook Pro serves up a deluxe Mini LED panel, but that would be too advanced for the Air's price class—just another step up in panel tech, to OLED, would be welcome. As for the keyboard and trackpad, between them I noted nothing to affect my score. I can still hit my usual 67-word-per-minute rate with 98% accuracy in the Monkeytype test. (I do miss the dedicated keys, eliminated a while back, to manage the keyboard's backlight intensity.) Regardless, the keyboard is a joy to type on, as always, and the trackpad is plenty big for the laptop’s size and tracks smoothly. While the MacBook Air’s port situation is acceptable, with two Thunderbolt 4 connections, a MagSafe charger port, and a headphone jack, I’ve seen PC laptops of a similar size manage to squeeze in more. I wouldn't mind seeing at least another USB-C port on the laptop’s right side. This would be especially helpful since now the new MacBook Air laptops support two connected displays while open. As noted earlier, Apple’s Center Stage webcam now hits the MacBook Air. I find this enhanced camera particularly useful for gathering around the MacBook Air for a group FaceTime call with friends or family. The wide-angle lens and 12-megapixel sensor make it easy for two or three people to join the call from the same laptop while keeping the picture clear and everyone in the frame. Apple’s Neural Engine coprocessor handles this feature's automated frame and focus adjustments. Plus, four speakers inside the laptop produce decent sound, enough to enjoy the occasional movie or video call without headphones. Finally, speaking of that Neural Engine, this is Apple’s first fresh MacBook Air following the late-2024 debut of Apple Intelligence, Apple's collection of AI features and services. Since the start of the M-series SoCs, the Neural Engine has been a 16-core coprocessor that Apple has gradually refined with each generation. After playing around with Apple’s new Image Playground tool for image generation, though, I’m not especially wowed by what it produces. I tried several prompts to produce a dragon attacking a castle in a forest, and nine out of 10 results showed a dragon with more than four legs or several eyes, like a spider creature. The basic prompts that the tool provides generate decent enough images, but original prompts seem to confuse the model in use. This output is bound to improve over time, and I’ll admit the option for 3D-like animated images or comic-like illustrations is a fun touch. Likewise, the option to use your own photos as prompts is a fun way to, say, turn yourself into a Tolkien-esque elf, like below. To learn more about some of Apple Intelligence's other sides, check out my 2024 Mac mini review. However, we still await the much-hyped Siri overhaul, which should drop later this year. Testing the 13-Inch Apple MacBook Air: Lean and Mean Enough So the base price is lower, and you now get more memory in its base configuration. But capable competitors in its price range now surround the MacBook Air. The M4 chip is clearly an improvement over the M3 (with two more CPU cores, for starters), and it shows, by significant margins, in all of our tests below. However, if you already have an M3 MacBook Air, is that enough to merit spending $1,000 or more all over again, so soon? Not if it were my money. Also, some of our comparison systems revealed that Apple has a pitched battle ahead of it in the ultraportable price segment. For instance, the Acer Swift AI 14 (starts at $1,199.99; $1,299.99 as tested), based on an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 chip, outpaced the M4 in some key benchmarks. The Dell Pro 14 Premium (starts at $1,899; $2,679.27 as tested) nearly caught up using its efficiency-focused Intel Core Ultra 7 268V processor but costs more than double to get there. We’ve rounded out the tests with one of the first Intel Core Ultra 200V laptops to launch, the Asus Zenbook S 14 ($1,499.99 as tested). While some of these laptops seriously challenged the MacBook Air in terms of raw output, only the Asus Zenbook includes a MacBook-beating screen for its price. Asus’ Zenbook display is sharper than the MacBook Air's and has a faster 120Hz refresh rate, though it lacks Apple’s True Tone color temperature adjustment. Productivity, Content Creation, and AI Tests Because macOS does not support our usual PCMark tests, we'll dive right into our CPU-centric benchmarks. First, Maxon's Cinebench 2024 renders a complex scene using the company's Cinema 4D engine. Next, Primate Labs' Geekbench 6.3 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we see how long it takes the video transcoder HandBrake 1.8 to convert a 12-minute clip from 4K to 1080p resolution. To measure a laptop's mainstream content-creation chops, we use workstation maker Puget Systems' PugetBench for Creators to gauge a laptop’s image-editing prowess with various automated operations in Adobe Photoshop 25. Also, we’re beginning to test AI performance in functions like image and text classification and face detection using Primate Labs’ Geekbench AI benchmark. To understand how this translates to AI agent performance, the quantized score best represents the level of precision that on-device AI models will use.\ The latest MacBook Air wasn’t the absolute best of this lot in some of our raw performance scenarios. While the M4 chip proved more than enough for each task, the Acer Swift's 10-core/20-thread Ryzen AI 9 365 outclassed it in video encoding and image rendering. The 2025 MacBook Air did edge out the Acer in Geekbench Pro, our broadest CPU performance measurement across many use cases, and delivered a dominant score in Photoshop image manipulation. We’re still building our database of results for Geekbench AI. Of the systems we’ve been able to test, the M4 MacBook Air stands on top, with a clear improvement from the M3 Air to the M4 in its Neural Engine to deliver quantized precision results to AI queries. Graphics and Gaming Tests Because of how the 3DMark suite of tests works on macOS, I could not run our graphics benchmarks on the new MacBook Air computers before publishing my reviews. We'll update these reviews with those graphics test results and comparisons shortly. We could still measure gaming performance using the 2022 strategy game Total War: Warhammer 3, our new gaming benchmark that we use exclusively on Macs. We run the test at Ultra and Low settings at 1080p resolution in the game’s Battle benchmark, measuring average frames per second (fps). These results shouldn’t be surprising considering the M4 in the 13-inch MacBook Air is at its most confined: a fanless cooling design in Apple’s thinnest, smallest-footprint MacBook. What’s promising for anyone hoping to get at least a little gaming action out of their new MacBook is this low-detail result suggests you should be able to play the game at 30fps at Medium detail settings. I’ve managed to play Baldur’s Gate 3 at 30fps using similar resolution (1080p) and detail settings (Medium) on the M3 MacBook Air, so the latest model should be able to pull off similar tricks. If you want more gaming potential out of any MacBook, consider upgrading the unified memory past 16GB, which the GPU can access to prepare that much more video data in real time. Apple continues to push the Mac as a legitimate gaming platform, and I don’t think it has much convincing left to do. However, it’s quite expensive to get to a level of performance and fidelity on a MacBook comparable with PC gaming on dedicated graphics cards. While Apple’s accomplishments in system-on-chip graphics are laudable, the Mac’s position as a gaming platform remains an increasingly excellent bonus for Mac lovers (Civilization 7 just hit macOS!)—just not a primary destination for computer gamers writ large. Battery Test We test each laptop's battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100%. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off. Apple claims that the 13-inch MacBook Air's battery can last up to 18 hours of video playback, and in our testing, it exceeded that expectation by almost two hours, lasting just a few minutes shy of 20 hours. The older M3 MacBook Air model outlasted the M4 one by about 90 minutes, and the M4 was also outrun by AMD- and Intel-based laptops of a similar size and screen resolution. Apple’s dominant position on laptop longevity appears to have ended, at least with this Air, even though this is still a very good result. Verdict: A Better Air Than Ever, But Here Come the PC Laptops Apple’s M4 processor update, baseline memory increase, and price decrease have elevated the MacBook Air to its highest perch yet. Any time a company releases a product that can do more for less than the last model, we must recognize that. Hence our Editors’ Choice award for this year’s MacBook Air. While we don’t recommend owners of the recent M3 MacBook Air splurge on the M4 model, it should easily eclipse any MacBook Air released before last year’s edition. However, we’d be remiss not to recognize that the MacBook Air’s lofty position as the most emulated laptop of all time has come full circle. PC-based laptops that have been chasing the Air for years are starting to run faster and last longer, thanks in part to advancements in throughput and efficiency by AMD and Intel. The MacBook Air may not necessarily be the fastest or longest-lasting laptop for its price, or of its kind, any longer. We’re even seeing the MacBook Air get outpaced on the display front, namely in refresh rate and panel tech. So, while the latest MacBook Air has improved to the point of earning a repeat Editors’ Choice award, it’s looking like time, the next go-around, for a display and design refresh.
Scientists Question Microsoft's Quantum Computing 'Breakthrough'
By Tu Nguyen
Several physicists say the lack of a peer-reviewed, detailed paper on Microsoft's work undermines its claims. The tech community is also skeptical. Some physicists are questioning Microsoft's February claim that it made a significant breakthrough in quantum computing. The claims are "not reliable and must be revisited," says Henry Legg, a quantum physicist at the University of St. Andrews. Microsoft said its team made significant progress on a 20-year quest to create the first "topological qubits" with Majorana particles. Legg says the company's work lacks a "consistent definition," and the results "vary significantly, even for measurements of the same device." Microsoft's quantum VP, Zulfi Alam, commented on Legg's post and called him a "pontificator" who didn't "bother to read the papers or even try to understand the data." Microsoft published its findings in Nature, but its paper was not peer-reviewed. “While the Nature paper outlined our approach, it does not speak to our progress,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Nature in a statement. The paper was also published about a year after Microsoft wrote it. The company claims "tremendous progress has occurred" since then but does not appear to have followed up with a more detailed paper. Another physicist questioned the news on social media shortly after it came out. "So, you mean to tell me that the thing we've been trying to for or the last, what, 20 years, unsuccessfully, and have been tearing our hair out...you guys just casually, no problem, did it?" she says on TikTok. "So are you going to elaborate on how you did that, or any of your results?" Meanwhile, Amazon's head of quantum technologies, Simone Severini, said the paper in Nature "doesn't actually demonstrate" that it can do what it says, according to a newly obtained email to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Business Insider reports. He conceded that it "seems to be a meaningful technical advancement" but doubted it was a true breakthrough. In a series of internal Slack messages, Oskar Painter, Amazon's head of quantum hardware, called Microsoft's quantum computing press releases "next level (in BS and hype)." Amazon revealed a new quantum computing chip in February 2025, called Ocelot, and Google revealed its quantum chip, Willow, in December 2024.
Should You Upgrade to the 2025 Mac Studio? Check Your Hardware First
By Tu Nguyen
Apple's new Mac Studio desktops promise field-leading performance for digital creators, data scientists, and other power users. But is the upgrade worth it if you already own an earlier model? Apple's macOS Sequoia may be new, but you can get it on several other Mac models, all the way back to the 2022 Mac Studio. So, while the latest software and an improved user experience are pluses if you buy a new system, it's hardly reason alone to plunk down money for an upgrade. The latest version of macOS is always available for free to every Mac that supports it. Finally, let's talk about pricing. The Mac Studio with the M4 Max chip starts at $1,999, while the step-up M3 Ultra model roughly doubles that entry point, starting at $3,999. But these are just base prices, and significant cost increases come as you configure the system with more RAM, additional CPU and GPU cores, and more internal storage. Apple's new 2025 Mac Studio models deliver a compelling mix of improved performance, expanded connectivity, and support for deeper AI uses. Regardless, whether you should upgrade depends heavily on your individual needs, and on your current Apple hardware. If you're using the 2022 Mac Studio with the M1 Max or Ultra chip, the performance gains offered by either of these new processors will likely be breathtaking. The improvement will significantly speed up your workflows, especially in demanding tasks like video editing and 3D rendering. However, this decision is not as clear-cut if you have the 2023 Mac Studio with an M2 Max or Ultra. The M4 Max will drive a noticeable performance improvement over the M2 Max, but that jump in capability may not be worth the high price of this premium machine. If your current hardware is getting the job done, it's worth asking yourself whether you should wait for the next M-series chips. However, the M3 Ultra presents a giant leap forward, and even though it's even more expensive, the value proposition is more straightforward. It will be worth the investment if you need the most extreme processing power for bleeding-edge computing work. Professional users should ask themselves whether their current Mac Studio is struggling to keep up with the demands of their workflow or creating a bottleneck that slows down their biggest projects. Suppose you're embarking on new projects that require more processing muscle, memory for multitasking and speed, or significantly more storage. In that case, the new Mac Studio models provide the headroom to meet new demands and keep up with future growth. I would recommend video editors, graphic designers, and 3D artists start their upgrade search with the M4 Max Mac Studio, whereas 3D software developers, data scientists, and researchers working with AI and machine learning might want to skip to the M3 Ultra model. It's usually worth investing in top-flight hardware in these fields, and the new Mac Studio desktops are top-tier workstations.
First Look: Apple's MacBook Air Laptops Get M4 Chips—and a $100 Price Cut
By test
The entry-model M4 Air will be $100 less expensive than its M3 equivalent. I got an early look at these beefier MacBooks, plus a Mac Studio juiced with M4 Max and M3 Ultra. The more broadly exciting story here from Apple is its brand-new line of MacBook Air laptops with a new color and MacBook Pro-level features for $100 less than before. Apple has increased its laptop value proposition quite a bit since it left Intel silicon behind years ago, but even I didn't expect a price cut in 2025. While Apple won't say why or how it managed the price reduction, I suspect it is due to its fabrication partner, Taiwan's TSMC, refining its 3-nanometer process, first used for the M3 chips, to produce better yields for M4. This increase in supply could have allowed Apple to respond to demand with a lower price without cutting into its margins. This price drop also allows the newest MacBook Air laptops to better compete with the wave of sublime, sub-$1,000 Windows laptops we've seen over the past year from companies like Asus and its Zenbook line. One note: The M3 MacBook Air laptops will not be sold at a lower price, as the M2 MacBook Air laptops have been since the M3 models landed. The M3 models are being discontinued, leaving the M1 MacBook Air, sold through Walmart, as the sole alternative to the latest M4 models. It's not every day that you see Apple slash a hunk off the price of its latest-gen flagship laptop, which should please consumers and might increase the pressure on its PC rivals to continue driving prices down. Likewise, reaching new performance heights such as the ones demonstrated on the desktop side is sure to shake PC makers, who, without switching to a unified memory approach, can only dream of fitting 512GB of RAM into a compact desktop.
Apple's 2025 iPads Compared: Entry-Level iPad vs. M3 iPad Air
By Tu Nguyen
Should you get the new low-cost iPad or spring for the M3 iPad Air? We break down all the key specs and features to help you decide between Apple's latest tablets.
Think Windows 11 is bad? Picture how much worse Windows 12 could be
By test
Windows 12 likely won't be the savior some Windows 10 users are hoping for — here's why. I hate to sound like a broken record to those in the know, but, if you aren't already aware, Windows 10 will be retired by Microsoft later this year — with its official end-of-support date billed for October 12, 2025. That means no more security updates, no more fixes, no more features, and no more technical support. The obvious and clearly pushed solution? Upgrade to Windows 11. However, for some, that's easier said than done. Microsoft's current flagship operating system is something of a mixed bag to many. With its divisive design choices, stricter hardware requirements, and questionable stability, it hasn't won everybody over. In fact, it hasn't even won most people over. Currently, estimates provided by StatCounter suggest that Windows 11 has only a 36.6% share of the Windows desktop market, compared to the 60.3% share held by Windows 10. 'Lo, a chorus of angels rings out to honor the emergence of Windows 12, suspended on a beam of light, cascading directly from Heaven — or at least, the hope of it. The savior of Windows 10 users is naught but whispers from the lips of tech tipsters, with Microsoft having not said a thing about a new milestone Windows release officially. Still, many are hoping it'll right the perceived wrongs of Windows 11, following Microsoft's near-tradition of providing good-again, bad-again operating system releases. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even if Windows 12 is coming, it may not be the beacon of light many are hoping for. In fact, to those crossing their fingers, toes, and eyes, as they wish for a chance to skip Windows 11 entirely — you may be manifesting a journey that sends you out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Apple iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 16: What's the Difference?
By Tu Nguyen
The iPhone 16e looks a lot like the iPhone 16 but costs $200 less. What's the trade-off and which phone should you buy? We break down the differences to help you decide.