Apple Mac mini 2024 vs. 2026: Yes, It's Already Time to Upgrade Your Mac Desktop

One of the main reasons you'd need such a superstar right now is for AI: Running a local LLM is all the rage among the tinkerers and programmers who make up more and more of the mini desktops market. You may already have a Mac mini for that purpose, but with two new models available, should you stick with what you've got or upgrade to the latest M5 Pro- or M6-powered systems?

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I Tested Every Apple Intelligence Feature: Is It Actually Useful, or Just Hype?

Apple Intelligence is an umbrella term for Apple's AI features, whether they run in the cloud or on your device. Writing Tools, for example, can help you generate text, while Visual Intelligence can identify objects in pictures you take. The latest iteration of Siri, which Apple calls Siri AI, is essentially an AI chatbot that can answer your questions and conduct conversations.

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Sick of Paying for Subscriptions You Don't Use? These Apps Will Track Them Down

And that's before considering other consumable content, like the music you enjoy, the workouts you stream, the digital comics you read, and the video games you play. Keeping track of everything can feel impossible. In fact, you might be paying monthly for a subscription you no longer use. Although the FTC tried to pass the "Click to Cancel" rule to force companies to make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions and provide clarity on what they'll charge after a free trial, it was ultimately blocked by US courts in 2025. So what can we do?

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Windows Is About to Change Forever: My Predictions for Microsoft's Big October Event

Speaking of Googlebooks, I don't recommend that Android phone owners rush out and get one. You might very well find that Windows 11's phone integrations work well enough for messages and notifications. What every Windows user should prioritize, however, is installing the emergency patch Microsoft released last week following a particularly buggy update.

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Don’t Get Burned: 7 Tariff-Beating Tips for Buying Tech in 2025

Uncertainty reigns in global trade, with tensions brought on by the Trump administration’s decision to levy tariffs—taxation based on a percentage of a product’s value—on imports from countries near and far. The stated goal is to get US consumers to buy more domestically made items. The reality is that products made in the US cost a lot, and the overseas supply chains and manufacturers' prowess (coupled with far less expensive and, many would argue, exploited labor) keep the cost of things low. Or, at least, lower than they would be if made in the States.

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The Best Free PC Games for 2026

Put down the plastic and pick up a controller to play these top, no-cost PC games for desktop, laptop, or handheld PC.

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Inside AI Prompt Security: Why Stopping Every LLM Exploit Is Impossible

LLMs need guidelines, and those guidelines come in the form of prompt engineering and prompt security. Prompt engineering is when you determine the language style and general criteria that an LLM follows. Prompt security is when you build up walls and structure guidelines that make the LLM more resistant against attacks.

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No Pressure: A Massive Starlink Upgrade Hinges on SpaceX's Next Starship Launch

But there's more going on here than cool space launches. The test flight marks a major milestone for SpaceX and the development of its largest cargo-carrying launch vehicle. It's also an early landmark for Starlink, as the test flight will carry and deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, which will kick off a long-awaited upgrade for the satellite internet service, promising potential gigabit speeds and the biggest step forward since the SpaceX IPO.

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Qualcomm Splits Its First 2nm Snapdragon Flagship Chip Into Two

The silicon does more than help AI perform. Both devices introduce the 6G modem to the mass market. The Elite Extreme Gen 6 also includes 18MB of High Performance Memory (HPM) and dedicated Adreno AI matrix cores. Expect this silicon to power upcoming flagship phones from Motorola and Samsung, as well as other models sold overseas in the coming months. Here's what to know about the new chip.

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Microsoft Tasks Activision to Build Next Halo Game as Xbox Layoffs Continue

Microsoft is also laying off positions at Halo Studios, formerly 343 Industries, which developed the recent Halo: Campaign Evolved game, says Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios.

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The Best 3D Printers We've Tested for 2026

More affordable than ever, 3D printers are booming for personal, professional, and educational use. We've been testing them for over a decade and are here to help you find the right option.

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Older iPhones Won't Get Previously Promised Camera Controls After All

However, that’s not what Apple claimed at launch, as reported by MacRumors. The original press release, preserved by Business Wire, said the new controls would be “available in iOS 27 on iPhone models that support the latest generation of Photographic Styles.”

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Get More Out of Starlink: 3 Must-Try Tricks I've Learned Over the Years

But I'm not one to sit back and use technology without trying to tweak the experience. I'm a tech guy, and I'm a power user. Every device has its tricks and little-used features that will improve the experience, and I pride myself on using my stuff well. Starlink is no different.

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Apple's First Live Music Venue Opens in London, Built to Stream Shows Globally

Apple Music Hall in London is housed in the same building as its UK headquarters. It's part of the recently converted Battersea Power Station, an iconic building along the River Thames, originally built between 1929 and 1955, and later redeveloped into a public space and offices.

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The Best Tenkeyless (TKL) Keyboards We've Tested for 2026

Compact without compromise, tenkeyless keyboards free up desk space while staying ready for marathon workdays, late-night gaming, and whatever else you throw at them. Our buying advice and reviews will help you pick just the right cut-down keyboard for you.

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Warning: Add These 6 Characters to Your Wi-Fi Network Name Immediately

When you ask your mapping app for a route, it uses GPS to determine your starting point and show your progress along the route. But GPS alone can be slow, so your smartphone supplements it with data from a Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS). In an informative blog post, a Kaspersky researcher explains, “WPS is what enables you to see your location almost immediately when you open a map app. Relying on ‘pure’ GPS data from satellites would take a few minutes.”

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The Best Gaming Headsets We've Tested for 2026

You need a high-quality headset to strategize with teammates or smack-talk friends in multiplayer games. The top gaming headsets we've tested let you easily communicate on PC, PlayStation, Switch, or Xbox.

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What to Do if Your Laptop Is Plugged In But Not Charging

When it comes to laptop batteries, there are multiple things that can fail. Some are easy to fix yourself with a software tweak or even a new battery, but other problems may require a visit to a repair shop or even a full-blown system replacement. Knowing which is which can save you hours of frustration and hundreds of dollars in repairs. Here's how to quickly troubleshoot the issue and narrow down the problem to find the most economical solution.

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The Best Pet Trackers and GPS Dog Collars We've Tested for 2026

With location and activity tracking, the top pet trackers and GPS collars we've tested can help ensure your dog or cat is both safe and healthy. Find out which one is right for your furry companion.

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Microsoft: Internet Explorer's IE Mode Won't Be Around Forever

In 2023, the company retired the old-school browser on Windows PCs with an update that permanently disabled it. However, Internet Explorer lives on in the special IE mode on Microsoft’s Edge browser, which is preinstalled on the Windows OS.

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SpaceX Seems to Expand 'Free' Starlink Mini Perk to All Residential Plans

On Monday, a customer in New York reported receiving an email from SpaceX about the deal, despite being on the lower-tier Residential 100Mbps plan. “Claim your Starlink Mini,” the email says; the dish usually costs between $199 to $249 to own.

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After Hundreds of Battery Tests, I've Never Seen a Phone Last This Long

Our Editors' Choice winners don't necessarily score top marks all the way across the board. But they do surpass the competition in most things. We've followed this maxim for more than 40 years across dozens of product categories.

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No Surprise Here: RX 9050 4GB Is 25% Slower Than 8GB Version

We first heard that AMD was bringing back the aging 4GB GPUs in July, and initial performance tests were rough. Although we didn't expect much, it's always important to wait for well-produced third-party benchmarks with reproducible results. Unfortunately, now that we have them, it's clear just how poor this new card's performance is.

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Get Ready for the Apple Home Hub. Here's What We Know

The hub is designed to unify your home controls and media while also providing access to Apple apps and services, and is set to be one of CEO John Ternus’s first big swings, Gurman says.

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Hacker-on-Hacker Crime: ShinyHunters Is Trying to Extort CLOP Ransomware Group

Over the weekend, ShinyHunters boasted about hijacking and defacing CLOP’s site on the dark web with an image of a Pokémon. ShinyHunters, perhaps best known for the Canvas breach at thousands of schools earlier this year, claims to have hacked CLOP’s site by exploiting a vulnerability in the Grav content management system that CLOP was using.

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Apple's Mac mini M5 Pro, in My Tests, Emerged as the Ultimate Compact Desktop

As you’ll see below, a lot of that has to do with Apple’s prioritizing memory speed versus raw memory capacity; the latter is a tough game to play amid ongoing shortages of memory. For staying savvy while delivering sizzling speeds, the Apple Mac mini with M5 Pro wins our Editors' Choice award among high-end mini desktops.

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I Tested Apple's New M6 Mac Mini. It Makes Mincemeat of Competing Mini-Desktops

If you're concerned that the increased power means a bigger box, don't worry: Apple has made no changes to the mini's compact design, and the system still meets the latest connectivity standards—now updated to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. For competing in a new price band and still dominating, the Apple Mac mini with M6 earns our Editors' Choice award among mini desktops.

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I Tested the New M5 Apple Mac Studio, a Pricey, Quad-Die Beast for Heavy AI Use

The pricing aside, though, Apple's new Mac Studio with M5 Ultra (starts at $5,499; $12,299 as tested) is not just simple Studio rehash. It introduces a new form of UltraFusion, a quad-die chip, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and a machine that's more powerful than any Mac that's come before. That's enough for it to supplant last year's M4 Max version of the Apple Mac Studio as our Editors’ Choice winner for professional workstation power on macOS. But let's not kid ourselves: Apple's desktop flagship remains a high-stakes investment tailored strictly for serious pros with budget to spare.

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