Google has released Gemma 2B and 7B, a pair of open-source AI models that let developers use the research that went into its flagship Gemini more freely. While Gemini is a big closed AI model that directly competes with (and is nearly as powerful as) OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the lightweight Gemma will likely be suitable for smaller tasks like simple chatbots or summarizations.

But what these models lack in complication, they may make up for in speed and cost of use. Despite their smaller size, Google claims Gemma models “surpass significantly larger models on key benchmarks” and are “capable of running directly on a developer laptop or desktop computer.” They will be available via Kaggle, Hugging Face, Nvidia’s NeMo, and Google’s Vertex AI.

Gemma’s release into the open-source ecosystem is starkly different from how Gemini was released. While developers can build on Gemini, they do that either through APIs or by working on Google’s Vertex AI platform. Gemini is considered a closed AI model. By making Gemma open source, more people can experiment with Google’s AI rather than turn to competitors that offer better access.

Both model sizes will be available with a commercial license regardless of organization size, number of users, and the type of project. However, Google — like other companies — often prohibits its models from being used for specific tasks such as weapons development programs.

Gemma will also ship with “responsible AI toolkits,” as open models can be harder to place guardrails in than more closed systems like Gemini. Tris Warkentin, product management director at Google DeepMind, said the company undertook “more extensive red-teaming to Gemma because of the inherent risks involved with open models.”

The responsible AI toolkit will allow developers to create their own guidelines or a banned word list when deploying Gemma to their projects. It also includes a model debugging tool that lets users investigate Gemma’s behavior and correct issues.

The models work best for language-related tasks in English for now, according to Warkentin. “We hope we can build with the community to address market needs outside of English-language tasks,” he told reporters.

Developers can use Gemma for free in Kaggle, and first-time Google Cloud users get $300 in credits to use the models. The company said researchers can apply for up to $500,000 in cloud credits.

While it’s not clear how much of a demand there is for smaller models like Gemma, other AI companies have released lighter-weight versions of their flagship foundation models, too. Meta put out Llama 2 7B, the smallest iteration of Llama 2, last year. Gemini itself comes in several weights, including Gemini Nano, Gemini Pro, and Gemini Ultra, and Google recently announced a faster Gemini 1.5 — again, for business users and developers for now.

Gemma, by the way, means precious stone.

Nintendo offers news on releases for the first half of 2024.

This year’s first Nintendo Direct is coming in a bit late. Instead of taking place within the first two weeks of February as it had in years past, the event is happening Wednesday, February 21st, possibly because the company has some news about some games from some other publishers. In the Direct announcement, Nintendo said it would share news on games, “coming in the first half of 2024 from our publishing and development partners.”

At long last, this Direct will finally (probably) let us know when to expect Hi-Fi Rush to arrive on the Switch. Please. It’s been weeks. Pentiment, the 16th-century murder mystery / illuminated manuscript, is also one of the games rumored to be making the jump from Xbox to the Switch. Here’s all the news from Nintendo’s first Direct of 2024.

While the event is known as one of the biggest motorsport events in the world, it’s also a place to showcase technology, land stewardship, and just a tiny bit of nightlife.

Every year, tens of thousands of people gather here in the Mojave Desert with two goals: to see some incredible off-road racing and to lose their minds in the kind of unbridled debauchery their mothers always warned them about.

King of the Hammers is often described as “Burning Man for rednecks,” and while the drug of choice is usually Coors Light and the cars are valued for performance rather than artistic sensibilities, the description works. This year, nearly 80,000 people came to the camping area on Means Dry Lake, drawn by the promise of friends, fuel, and two weeks of dirt-slinging, rock-spewing, mind-blowing racing.

While some folks are familiar with off-road races like the Baja 1000 or the Dakar Rally, King of the Hammers is completely different. The rigs have to be able to conquer a high-speed desert section — usually that means independent front suspension and plenty of horsepower — but they also need to defy physics in the rock-crawling sections. A solid axle in the front and plenty of torque is a necessity.

The difficulty of the rock sections is legendary. Boulders the size of a Mini Cooper are scattered throughout a narrow valley. Some are embedded in the ground, and others move when you put weight on them, which happens often. King of the Hammers competitors relish these rocks. They live for them. The rocks are their reason for being.

Photo by Ernesto Araiza

Race cars can’t just change their front-end suspension for each section, so it’s up to the MacGyver-like minds of the fabricators to either make independent front suspension work well in the rocks or engineer a solid front axle that can speed through the desert.

I’ve been to King of the Hammers at least five times — as a spectator, staff member, and this year, as a competitor — but the thrill never diminishes. What started as a group of pals who put a case of beer on the line for the person who could run all the incredibly difficult rock-crawler trails in one day has morphed into a two-week off-road racing extravaganza with motorcycles, desert cars, UTVs, and unlimited rock crawlers with 40-inch tires and an abundance of horsepower.

Over 1,000 competitors take the green flag to battle some of the toughest terrain in North America. Most will fail, but there is honor to those that finish and glory to those that win.

But it’s not just the racing, and frankly, it’s not just the extracurricular events that happen around the Hammers. Every year, I take away some key lessons from KOH that I can apply in my everyday life. It might be hokey, finding inspiration in a two-week racing party, but what can I say? I’m a sentimental gal.

Photo by Ryan Del Ponte

Photo by Ernesto Araiza

Photo by Paolo Baraldi

Photo by Ernesto Araiza

The races

The first four-wheeled race took place on the only-on-the-desert sections, and I’m proud to say that your humble author took the green starting flag in her lifted Miata named Buddy. I’ve raced plenty out here but always in a car that was built for the desert, not in a freaking Miata. Amid a sea of trucks three times my size, I piloted Buddy through rough and sandy sections alike. Did I think I was going to die? Yes, multiple times. But I got Buddy around the track in one piece to the slack-jawed amazement of more than one spectator.

It was Christopher Polvoorde in a 1,000-horsepower Mason Motorsports AWD truck who eventually ran the quickest race, finishing about two hours faster than I did. While I didn’t win any trophies, Buddy the Off-Road Miata certainly won the hearts of plenty of off-road fans that day.

Expect the unexpected. That’s Hammers.

After a few days of qualifying sessions, the UTVs set off around the course, encountering both high-speed desert running and rock crawling. And they had to do it in the rain thanks to the atmospheric river that attacked California in February. Although Kyle Chaney made short work of Johnson Valley, earning his fourth first-place finish in the event, third-place finisher Phil Blurton really had a good time.

“A mile into the race, I had my visor up, and we barrel-rolled the car, and I got a face full of dirt. We landed on all fours and never let off and kept going,” said Blurton.

Persevere. That’s Hammers.

Next up, the Every Man Challenge, where the self-funded grassroots teams get their chance to shine. This year, Keith and Melissa Silva defied convention in their garage-built electric rock crawler, a combination of Chevrolet S-10 and Tesla Model S. Last year, they were not able to complete a full lap, but this year, thanks to a better battery management system, they earned first place in the EV class. Sure, they were a class of one, and their lap was shorter than other classes, but bringing a fully electric rock crawler with 37-inch tires across the finish line is an accomplishment, especially when you consider that over 100 competitors were not able to complete the race.

When I asked them why they torture themselves with the extra complexity of running an EV, Melissa replied, “How easy is it to put an LS motor in and do what everyone else is doing? Nobody is pushing the boundaries. Somebody has to do it and I would rather it be a single team.”

Photo by Ernesto Araiza

While it was Randy Slawson who took top spot on the podium in the Every Man Challenge, despite having to drive 10 miles on two flat tires to reach his team in his pits for help, the Silvas took the crown for not taking the easy way out.

Do it the hard way. That’s Hammers.

Finally, the Race of Kings brought the whole event to a close. This is the most popular race, with vehicles completely unlimited in terms of power, suspension, and tire size. If you can build it, you can race it. While it runs the same course as the other races, these competitors have to race the rock section twice.

Out of 105 starters, only 40 finished. One competitor lost their steering rack a mere 0.7 miles into the race. Two racers got tangled together when one tried to drive over the other. Another team was all set to win but lost their transmission mere miles before the finish line. In a feat of terrific driving and just a small amount of luck, JP Gomez, who had started 99th, took the win.

Gomez took the trophy from his brother Raul, who won in 2022 and 2023. The new king teared up when talking about his brothers on the finish line. “We worked our asses off. Everyone in the Gomez Brothers Racing team and family — they all earned this as much as I did.”

Family first. That’s Hammers.

Photo by Ryan Zummallen

The nightlife

As the course is closed to racers, it is opened to spectators. Most of the racecourse is on public land, which means everyone has the right to access it. And these spectators go hard.

The biggest party goes down on Chocolate Thunder. Yes, that’s the name of the trail. I know it sounds like something a 12-year-old boy would say, but the truth is, the first person to successfully complete a new trail gets to name it. Some trails have been around for years and have names that make vague sense like Outer Limits, Sledgehammer, or Wrecking Ball. Those are words that conjure up images of really difficult rock trails. But then we get names like Chocolate Thunder. Or Her Problem. May I interest you in a ride on Backdoor?

At any rate, every night at Chocolate Thunder, hundreds of spectators show up to test their garage-built rigs against the rocks. It’s a veritable traffic jam with drivers trying every driving line possible and some that are impossible. Drivelines are destroyed, hubs are sheared off, and engines routinely go boom. Folks set off fireworks, put on laser shows, and yes, have a fistfight or two. If you flip your rig, you’ll get chastised by the crowd, but folks will always help you recover. While racers need to run fully caged vehicles with five-point harnesses and wear the appropriate safety gear, nighttime at King of the Hammers is a free-for-all. It is unbridled chaos.

My pal Michael Teo Van Runkle experienced the spectacle that is Chocolate Thunder at night for the first time this year. “It’s gnarly,” he told me. “Everyone is wasted, everyone’s screaming. There are multiple side-by-sides with giant speaker systems blasting early 2000s rap music and modern pop country. Tires are blasting rocks into the crowd and tearing up what is going to be the race course the next day.”

“Meanwhile, the wind is blasting and there is sand and smoke everywhere,” he continued. “The trucks are spewing exhaust so you’re hacking the whole time. My eyeballs were coughing up grit and dirt for two days but it was so worth it…just a hard-core ragefest on the mountain with Mad Max apocalypse shit going on. It was awesome.”

Party like there’s no tomorrow. That’s Hammers.

Photo by Royce Rumsey / Optima Batteries

The EVs

While the party rages on every night on the trail, those wanting something a bit more staid, — and much more techy — can check out the two-day Optima Unplugged event. For the second year in a row, Optima Batteries had 67 electrified vehicles out to King of the Hammers for fun trail rides through Johnson Valley. Most participants were in Rivians, both the truck and SUV, but there were also a few Ford F-150 Lightnings, Toyota Tundra hybrids, and a Tesla Model Y. To charge all of these EVs in the middle of the desert, Renewable Innovations was along for the ride with its green hydrogen and solar-powered Mobile Energy Command units, providing the free use of four Level 3 chargers and 10 Level 2 chargers.

Newbie Dennis Wang came out with his red-wrapped Cybertruck for an excellent introduction to wheeling in the dirt.

“This was my first time off-roading, my first time at King of the Hammers– first time at everything,” he said. “I didn’t know KOH was so massive and this EV thing was only like a sliver of what was going on. I was a bit anxious about off-roading but I learned a lot in the driver’s meeting and after the first hour I was really comfortable. At first I was worried about charging but having Renewable Innovations there with its off-grid system was pretty cool. My CCS adapter didn’t work, so I ran the whole day on one charge. I made it home, though!”

Photo by Royce Rumsey / Optima Batteries

There were actually two Cybertrucks at the event, as Tesla aftermarket supplier Unplugged Performance brought out its own Cybertruck with the intent to find its limits — which eventually took the form of a broken rear tie rod. I was lucky enough to get a quick drive in Elon Musk’s dream car and was surprised by the composed air suspension in the undulating whoops. I expected the front end to get overwhelmed at speeds of 30 miles per hour or so, but it soaked up the hits no problem.

Ford Performance even brought out its one-off Switchgear concept. The team took an F-150 Lightning and added longer-travel Fox shocks, beefier control arms, and 37-inch tires, and then let driver and professional fun-haver Vaughn Gittin Jr. loose behind the wheel. I was relegated to the passenger seat, but man, what a thrill ride. We drifted across the dry lake bed, threw up rooster tails in the soft sand, and generally hooned like irresponsible children. If you want to get maximum range out of your EV when on the dirt, don’t let the fun-haver behind the wheel. During our drive, we only managed 0.5 miles / kWh, and it was worth every minute of extra time at Renewable Innovations.

Be different. That’s Hammers.

Photo by Eric Warner

The drones

Even if you’re not at King of the Hammers, you can watch all the action on the streaming live show. For two weeks, some of the best off-road racing content in the world is streamed from a distant lake bed onto YouTube. There are three jumbotrons, two remote reporters, dozens of static cameras, and no fewer than 20 drones capturing all the action on the final day of racing.

“At first we used a DJI Inspire 1 drone,” said operator Daniel Mayfield. “Now we have these first-person view drones and we have drone racers coming into cinematography. So we get flips and turns. We take the video feed out of their goggles and that’s what goes into the live show.”

These first-person drones provide an incredible view, getting into some close quarters with 6,000-pound race cars as they come into the finish. The fliers can spin, flip, and otherwise perform impressive acrobatics, providing a view to those at home like no other.

While it’s pretty easy to send the finish line footage to the production trailer a few feet away, the production crew uses drones out on the course, too, often miles away. In the past, microwave dishes have been used to relay footage back to the production trailer. This year, it was all done with Starlink. The video stream goes from the controller to a LiveU transmitter to a hardwired Starlink unit, although they also keep a secondary Starlink on Wi-Fi as backup. The feed gets sent to the production trailer where the technical director can bring the drone feed in and out of the live show as necessary.

Multiple static cameras brave the terrain, driving their own rigs over rough desert terrain to shooting spots, setting up their Starlinks, and waiting all day for the cars to come by. They brave the elements while the course is hot, enduring everything from bitter winds and rain to the pounding sun. And they do it all for the shot.

The result is 12 hours of uninterrupted coverage, beamed out to the hundreds of thousands of race fans around the world. Fans seem to like it as well, with one Perry P commenting on YouTube, “​It’s pretty amazing that the KOH coverage these days is better quality than Baja (1000) coverage.”

Always innovate. That’s Hammers.

Photo by Eliot Strickler

The cleanup

While the entire King of the Hammers organization is committed to packing out what it packs in, some spectators are not quite so respectful of our public lands. Every morning, volunteers head up to Chocolate Thunder and Backdoor for a cleanup. They’re led by Tread Lightly, a national organization that promotes responsible off-roading, and the Sons of Smokey, a ragtag group of pals devoted to the collection and disposal of trash from public lands, and sponsored in part by Bronco Wild Fund.

These dedicated volunteers are the true heroes of King of the Hammers. Over the two weeks of events, the morning cleanups netted 7,600 pounds of trash cleared off our public lands.

Adding their own twist to land stewardship was Bad Lines, Good Times and its King of the Canners effort. Armed with 21 empty 55-gallon fuel drums with attached can crushers, the canners entered King of the Hammers on a mission: to collect and recycle as many aluminum cans as possible. The contraptions were scattered around popular viewing spots as well as the vendor area known as Hammertown and emptied once or twice a day. In the end, they hauled 267 pounds of aluminum off the lake bed.

The group lost money on the venture, as most cleanups usually do, but team member Elliot Strickler summed it up perfectly, “Doing nothing is not an option.”

Do the right thing. That’s Hammers.

Photo by Ernesto Araiza

The finish line

Of course, there are so many more stories to tell from the lake bed. There was an invasion of old-school three-wheelers, a motorcycle race where bikes got flipped and riders went flying, a contest to test the mettle of teams’ pit crews, 33 stock Volkswagen bugs started their race side by side and it all went horribly wrong, a guy whose car caught on fire in the middle of the night while he slept next to it, and countless other debacles and victories that I don’t even know about.

The racing at King of the Hammers is like no other. Where F1 cancels a race because of a manhole cover and NASCAR throws a caution flag for an errant pebble on the track, the competitors at King of the Hammers are stopped by nothing. It’s the only event where part of your race strategy might just be driving off a cliff.

A wholesale switch to electric vehicles would be a tremendous boon to the health of many people around the world. But a new report from the American Lung Association highlights the particular advantages for children, especially those vulnerable to respiratory illness.

Based on a model in which all new vehicles sold by 2035 are zero-tailpipe emission, the group concludes that there would be 2.7 million fewer asthma attacks among children, as well as 147,000 fewer acute case of bronchitis. The transition to EV-only sales would also prevent 2.67 million cases of upper respiratory symptoms and 1.87 million cases of lower respiratory symptoms in children. And there would be 508 fewer cases of infant mortality.

Highlighting the specific impact switching to EVs would have on kids was important because children’s bodies develop at a different rate than adults’, said Laura Kate Bender, national assistant vice president for Healthy Air at the American Lung Association

“Kids are at greater risk of air pollution, their lungs are still growing,” she said in an interview. “I can say that as a person growing up with asthma, [it] put me in the ER more often than I think my parents would have liked.”

Combustion engine vehicles are huge drivers of climate change, accounting for over a quarter of all global emissions. That’s why governments around the world are attempting to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, which emit far fewer pollutants in the atmosphere. Children stand to gain a lot from this switch, especially kids at particular risk for respiratory illness.

That’s assuming all new passenger cars sold in the US are EVs by 2035 and all new heavy-duty vehicles sold are electric by 2040. What’s more, those vehicles would need to be powered by an electrical grid that is also free of fossil fuels.

“We see the two as inseparable,” Bender said of EVs and a zero-emission grid. “That’s really how you get to the greatest possible health benefits.”

The switch to EV-only sales will be difficult, especially as demand for plug-in cars wavers in the face of high prices and concerns about charging availability and reliability. Still, sales have been increasing steadily year over year, with EVs comprising a little more than 8 percent of all vehicle sales in 2023.

But “fleet turnover” can be slow, especially with conventional gas-powered cars and trucks becoming more capable, breaking down less, and staying on the road longer. The average light-duty vehicle on the road today is 12 years old, up from 9.6 years old in 2002.

If the United States wants to move to a fully electric fleet by 2050 — to meet President Biden’s goal of net zero emissions — then sales of gasoline-powered vehicles would likely have to end altogether by around 2035. That’s an extraordinarily heavy lift.

It could get even more difficult if the EPA follows through on its plan to slow the transition to EV-only sales. Bowing to the pressure from automakers and labor unions, the Biden administration recently pulled back on strict new Environmental Protection Agency rules that would have forced US automakers to phase out gas-powered cars by 2032.

Still, the American Lung Association wants to highlight the health benefits of such a transition — not just for us, but for our kids, too. Bender said she hopes the report will serve as a wake-up call for policymakers, especially as they consider strengthening new emission rules for cars and trucks.

“That would mean that even as automakers continue to make gas-powered vehicles, that they would actually be cleaner,” she said. “So there are real gains to be made even with the rules on the table.”

As skeptical as I am of Amazon the company, it knows its packaging. Its paper-tape cardboard boxes are wonderfully easy to rip apart for recycling, its paper mailers are promising (though missing firm commitment), and its gift bags are far too good to toss in the trash. Especially these new blue bags with integrated shopping bag handles.

We just got three of them in the mail for my daughter’s birthday. Was this some sort of experiment? Nope! They’re legit, Amazon spokesperson Nicole Pampe confirms to The Verge. The new gift bags with handles are available in both the US and EU.

“We’re pleased to offer customers a convenient way to wrap various sizes of gifts in our store, including our new medium-sized gift bags with handles. The gift bags are made from 100% recycled material, and can be reused for future wrapping, storage or other uses,” Amazon writes.

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Pampe writes that Amazon technically began adding handles this past holiday season to the medium-sized bags, but we didn’t see them on any of the holiday gifts we gave or received, and I haven’t seen anyone writing about them yet.

They’re nice! Pretty much the same as Amazon’s classic bags, but now with some strong fabric reusable-grocery-bag-esque handles sewn onto the inside of the bag. They’ve still got the dual drawstrings, and you can just stuff the handles down inside the bag if you prefer the classic giftbag look.

Image: Amazon

I gave the handles a good yank, and was definitely able to pull a stitch loose when I pulled in opposite directions, hard, but they seem just as durable as all the reusable recycled fabric grocery bags we have stuffed in the back of the car.

The handles are long enough we can sling them over one or both shoulders as an impromptu purse or backpack. Perhaps the best part, though, is that they don’t have quite as much of a Christmas ornament feel as the company’s previous bags. Depending on the light, the blue tinsel pattern almost blends in.

Would I pay the $4 for one myself? Nah. But when we get gifted some, we probably won’t just stick ‘em in the closet anymore. There are all kinds of jobs for a strong fabric bag with handles, particularly one we’ll be happy to give away or shred in the process. Distributing leftovers after a potluck? My daughter’s Girl Scout cookie deliveries? I’ll def be taking one along the next time I do a crawl under the house.

Apple sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. The offerings start with the 13-inch MacBook Air from 2020 at $999 and go all the way up to the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro starting at $2,499. But finding a deal on a current Mac with an M1, M2, or even the new M3 chip — as well as the higher-end M3 Pro and M3 Max — is actually not that difficult.

While Macs may not experience perpetual discounts, it’s not uncommon to see various current models discounted by as much as $400. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save money without as much waiting for the changing winds of deals to blow your way. Apple’s refurbished store provides a one-year warranty on all products and generally offers discounts of up to 15 to 20 percent off the price of a new unit.

But if you want to buy new and you’re looking to save whatever you can, here are the best MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini deals available right now.

The best MacBook Air deals

M1 MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is Apple’s entry-level laptop. It’s best suited for typical productivity work, with a comfortable keyboard, an excellent trackpad, and all-day battery life. The redesigned M2 version of the MacBook Air has been with us for a bit — there’s now even a 15-inch M2 Air — but the 2020 version with an M1 processor and fanless design remains in the lineup as the budget option. For many people, the M1 Air still ticks the right boxes when it comes to performance and price, even if it’s long enough in the tooth to have been fully dethroned in our guide to the best laptops.

The base MacBook Air with the M1 chip comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It typically sells for $999, but Amazon and Best Buy are currently discounting it to $749.99 ($250 off), matching its lowest price to date. The M1 Air may be a few years old now but it’s still hard to beat in terms of value — especially when it comes to everyday performance and battery life.

M2 MacBook Air

As for the newer, fancier 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, the base model with 256GB of storage and an eight-core GPU recently received a price drop. Along with introducing a 15-inch M2 Air during WWDC last year, Apple announced that the 13-inch model now starts at $1,099 instead of $1,199.

As for deals, the 13-incher is currently selling for $949 ($150 off) at B&H Photo with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can also get it with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at B&H Photo for $1,099 ($200 off) or the 16GB RAM, 512GB storage model from B&H Photo for $1,299 ($200 off). Heavier users can jump up to the 10-core / 16GB / 512GB SSD configuration for $1,399 at B&H Photo ($200 off).

The M2 MacBook Air is a super slim and light laptop, one that comes with a 1080p webcam that’s actually usable and a handy magnetic charger that frees up one of its two USB-C ports. Its M2 processor didn’t kick-start a revolution like the M1 generation, but it’s a great performer for any user outside of more demanding creatives.

It does have some slight downsides, like slower storage in the base 256GB configuration and a notch cutout in its otherwise excellent screen. But even so, there hasn’t been a more travel-friendly laptop offered by Apple since the days of the polarizing 12-inch MacBook, and this one’s good enough to be the No. 1 laptop we now recommend in our buying guide.

The newer 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 is a lot like a blown-up 13-inch Air, and judging from our glowing review, there’s nothing wrong with that. Like its smaller counterpart, it has an M2 chip, two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports, MagSafe charging, and its base model comes with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. But it differs by having a larger, 15.3-inch notched screen with 2880 x 1864 resolution, six speakers instead of four, a 10-core GPU that costs extra on the 13-inch, and a higher starting price of $1,299. Bumping up to a larger, faster 512GB of storage will run you $1,499.

Surprisingly, the 15-inch M2 Air started receiving some discounts even before it shipped, which let early adopters save between $50 and $100. As of right now, Best Buy has the best deals we can find across several configurations, such as the 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD model that’s down to $999 ($300 off). Best Buy also has the 8GB / 512GB model down to $1,199 ($300 off) and 16GB of RAM with a 1TB SSD for $1,499 ($400 off).

The best MacBook Pro deals

The MacBook Pro line is once again in a transitional phase. Apple announced Macs using a new M3 processor at its “Scary Fast” event in October, including a new 14-inch MacBook Pro that replaces the 13-inch M2 model. That means Touch Bar Macs are finally dead, but some of those outgoing M2 models are still available for now. You’ll find any deals on them further down, but first, let’s focus on the new M3 generation.

M3 and M3 Pro MacBook Pro

The new entry point into the MacBook Pro world is a MagSafe-equipped MacBook Pro that uses the existing 14-inch design and slightly pares it down. The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro has the same 3024 x 1964 resolution display and 120Hz refresh rate as its pricier siblings, and in addition to a MagSafe charging port, it has an SD card slot and HDMI port. However, it starts with just 8GB of RAM and lacks the third USB-C / Thunderbolt port found on the M3 Pro and M3 Max models (as well as Thunderbolt 4 speeds).

The M3 MacBook Pro may be a bit of an odd middle child in some ways, but it’s still a very good laptop — especially if you can get it on a deal that puts more price distance between it and the M3 Pro version. The base model with 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM on sale has been as much as $200 off. If you can’t wait for that deal to come back around, you can find it at Amazon and B&H Photo for only a smidge more at $1,449 ($150 off).

The 1TB configuration with 8GB of RAM is also selling for its all-time low of $1,599 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo, while the configuration with a 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM is selling for $1,599 ($200 off) at B&H Photo. That said, if you plan on going with a higher-spec configuration than that, you’ll likely want to spring for the M3 Pro model instead (see below).

The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros for late 2023 are another round of spec-bump models, much like their previous 2022 incarnations. Now starting with the M3 Pro chip (or the speedier M3 Max) and 18GB of base RAM instead of 16GB, the new models remain targeted at creatives doing content work like video editing, photo processing, and other graphical work. Like their predecessors and the M1 Pro generation before that, they offer MagSafe charging, three USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI-out, and a full-size SD card slot, with prices starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch. You can, of course, spec them up the wazoo if you’re willing to pay more, as exhibited by the review unit Apple sent us of the 16-inch model, which cost an eye-watering $7,199.

While these models are still quite new, versions that actual humans buy have begun receiving discounts. The 14-inch MacBook Pro in its base configuration with the M3 Pro (11-core CPU / 14-core GPU), 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD is currently on sale for $1,799 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo. You can also step up to the version with 1TB of storage and a 12-core / 18-core M3 Pro for $2,149 in space black at B&H Photo, or $2,199 ($200 off) in silver at Amazon and B&H Photo.

If you need more horsepower, you’ll want to consider the 14-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro (14-core CPU / 30-core GPU) with 36GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, which is going for $2,999 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.

As for the base 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro (12-core CPU / 18-core GPU), 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, it’s selling for $2,299 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo. If you need the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Max (14-core CPU / 30-core GPU) in this size, the starting configuration with a 1TB SSD and 36GB of RAM has fallen to $3,299 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.

M2 Pro MacBook Pro

As for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros from early 2023 with M2 Pro / Max processors, they’re still more than capable — they may even be a better buy than the new models if you can find them at a steep discount. Right now, however, the only viable deal we can find on a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro in new condition is at B&H Photo, where you can grab a silver model with a 10-core M2 Pro chip with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM for $1,799 ($200 off) or an upgraded 12-core M2 Pro chip with the same memory configuration in space gray for $1,999 ($300 off). We’d recommend the M3 Pro model, though, seeing as it’s currently on sale for less.

Sadly, the situation isn’t much better for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro. The best (and only) deal available right now on the creator-friendly laptop in new condition is at B&H Photo, where you can grab the M2 Pro model with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD in silver for $2,849 ($200 off) or in space gray for $2,899 ($200 off). That’s not great and we’d sooner recommend a lesser model at full price if you don’t need that much memory. Hopefully, we’ll see better deals as retailers work to clear inventory on other configurations.

M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro

For now, the older 2021 MacBook Pros can occasionally be had for some steep discounts that actually make a two-generation-old laptop still worth considering. You’re unlikely to find any base models still kicking around, but if you want a souped-up configuration on the cheap, you may be in luck.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2021 with an M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM, and an expanded 1TB of storage is available at B&H Photo for $1,849 ($850 off). You also can find a 16-inch M1 Max model (32-core GPU) with 1TB of storage and 32GB of RAM at B&H Photo for $2,499 ($1,000 off). Deals and inventory on new M1-based MacBooks are rare to come by these days, but keep checking back as we continue to monitor availability.

The best Mac Mini deals

The latest Mac Mini comes in a base configuration with Apple’s M2 processor or in a more powerful configuration with the M2 Pro. It’s an excellent upgrade to one of the most affordable yet performant desktop computers you can get (as long as gaming isn’t your priority). The M2 Mac Mini starts with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $599, while the M2 Pro model features a superior processor plus gigabit ethernet, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $1,299.

The latter model also features an expanded port selection, from two USB-C ports to four. It’s almost like getting an M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pro 14 but in desktop form. However, keep in mind that buying any Mac Mini means you have to provide your own mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

Right now, Amazon and B&H Photo have the base M2 Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $499.99 ($100 off). You can also buy an upgraded 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD model at B&H Photo for $719 ($80 off) or an 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD model at Amazon for $689 when clipping a coupon and at B&H Photo for $699 ($100 off).

The beefier base M2 Pro model with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, meanwhile, is currently going for $1,149.99 ($150 off) at Amazon when clipping the coupon, and $1,199 ($100 off) at B&H Photo. If you want 1TB, you can pay $1,349 ($150 off) at B&H Photo. There’s also a version with 512GB of storage and 32GB of RAM at B&H Photo for $1,599 ($100 off). The M2 Mac Mini remains a great value for a desktop computer, with the M2 Pro version functioning like a baby Mac Studio for much less.

In the seemingly endless fight between record labels and ISPs over music piracy, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia decided Tuesday that $1 billion is too much for Cox Communications to pay record labels in damages. Instead, as reported by Reuters, a new trial should be set in a federal district court to figure out what would be an appropriate amount.

This new ruling overturns a 2019 US district court jury’s decision siding with the record labels involved in the lawsuit, which includes Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and EMI. The companies accused Cox of not addressing over 10,000 copyright infringement notices and failing to take action against music pirates, such as cutting off their broadband access. But the circuit court reversed the damages, noting that Cox “did not profit from its subscribers’ acts of infringement,” a legal prerequisite for part of the liability.

This is not the first time Cox Communications has tried to appeal that $1 billion judgement, but it is the first time it has been successful. Cox previously asked a federal court in Virginia to lower the damages or give it a new trial. When that court said no, the ISP filed a motion with a district court in Colorado claiming Sony fabricated evidence to obtain a favorable verdict.

The evidence in question was used in another music copyright infringement case against another ISP, Charter, and Cox sought to prove that evidence was created years after the music companies claimed it was illegally downloaded over Cox’s network. However, this allegation was not mentioned in the circuit court’s opinion Tuesday.

Neither music companies nor ISPs have been able to do much to stop repeat pirates; both parties mutually decided to end their Copyright Alert System partnership (known as the “six strikes” rule) in 2017 after it failed to significantly reduce illegal music and video downloads. The system was successful at getting internet users who infrequently pirated copyright material, but it didn’t do anything against the ones who consistently pirated material.

Disney is ending Disney Movie Club, the subscription service and online store where fans could buy Blu-ray or DVDs of films from the House of Mouse. The Digital Bits is reporting that the closure follows a new deal that Disney has signed with Sony, under which Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will take over all physical media production. The news of Disney Movie Club’s shuttering was delivered to the service’s 10 million US users by email, as well as the service’s website on Tuesday.

“We’ve enjoyed serving you for the last 23 years, but consumer behavior and viewing preferences continue to evolve so we have made the tough decision to close Disney Movie Club,” wrote Disney Movie Club in a statement viewed by The Wrap. Disney Movie Club users will have until May 20th to place their last orders, and Disney will officially end the service on July 20th.

First launched in 2001, the Disney Movie Club offered fans access to a vast selection of Disney’s physical media library, including titles from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and 20th Century Studios. New members who signed up for a two-year contract would receive their first four titles for $1, under the condition they purchase at least five other films for full price for the remainder of the contract, noted Disney Trippers in its review.

Although Disney Movie Club’s prices were often higher than that of physical retail stores or Amazon, the size of its library was unmatched. For fans of older or hard-to-find Disney films that aren’t available to stream, purchasing a DVD from the Disney Movie Club was sometimes the only option to view the film at home (unless they stumbled upon an old copy on eBay or elsewhere). The service also offered extra perks for members, such as special editions or exclusive prizes.

For some Mouseketeers, the writing has been on the wall. Disney shut down the service in Canada last October, citing “declining membership” as a factor. Only a couple of months prior in August, Disney halted production of DVDs and Blu-ray discs in Australia and New Zealand.

Many families and Disney Adults likely replaced Disney Movie Club with the Disney Plus streaming service, which launched in 2019. But since not all of Disney Movie Club’s selection was available on Disney Plus, some fans kept both services. Especially given that Disney and other streamers remove titles on occasion, buying a physical copy of a beloved film or show eliminates the risk it will one day disappear forever. Outside of Disney Movie Club, Disney super fans and collectors commonly turn to Amazon, eBay, or physical media resale sites for vintage or hard-to-find Disney films.

Consumption of physical media has been on a free fall for over a decade, coinciding with the widespread availability of streaming services and digital rentals and purchases. It took a particularly serious hit in 2023. Combined sales and rentals of physical media (including DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and 4K Ultra HDs) dropped by more than a quarter (25.3 percent) last year in the US, according to estimates from the Digital Entertainment Group.

Given that Sony is taking over Disney’s physical media operation, Disney fans in the US will still have some sort of option to purchase DVDs and Blu-ray discs. But it’s unclear what exactly this new offering will look like, and whether Sony will scale back Disney’s physical media offerings or continue to make the same titles available.

Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s surprise partnership to create a sports streaming platform hasn’t sat well with the TV streaming service Fubo. Today, Fubo filed an antitrust lawsuit against the three companies following what it calls “a years-long campaign to block Fubo’s innovative sports-first streaming business” at consumers’ expense.

Fubo CEO David Gandler said that the three companies had “blocked our playbook for many years, and now they are effectively stealing it for themselves.” Fubo has styled itself as a “sports-focused” streaming service, but the company says restrictive licensing terms from sports networks have limited its options. It argues that “unfair” bundling terms have made it pay for and distribute “expensive non-sports channels that Fubo’s customers do not want as a condition of licensing” these sports channels.

The Wall Street Journal noted today that Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery may charge around $50 a month for their new service — that’s quite a bit cheaper than what you’d pay for sports from Fubo or YouTube TV. Fubo says that’s by design, accusing the trio of charging it more than the market rate to license their content. The company says that it’s asking a judge to either block or limit the venture by requiring “economic parity of licensing terms,” as well as to award it damages.

The sports streaming alliance makes business sense for Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, as The Verge’s Emma Roth wrote last week, but it’s a risky time to do it, given all the regulatory moves the US government has been taking. The Department of Justice is reportedly already reviewing the companies’ plan to determine whether it will hurt consumers if it goes through, Bloomberg reported last week.

Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, CEO of OpTic Gaming, is suing Activision Blizzard for alleged monopolistic practices regarding the publisher’s Call of Duty esports league.

Rodriguez — whose company owned and operated the Call of Duty League’s OpTic Texas team — and now-retired OpTic player Seth “Scump” Abner are seeking $680 million in damages. In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the pair claim that Activision Blizzard’s “unlawful 100 percent monopoly” over the league forced them into financially ruinous partnerships at the risk of being unable to compete in the League.

Before the arrival of the Call of Duty League, competitive Call of Duty tournaments were hosted by independent third-party organizers and featured an “open” structure whereby any team could sign up and participate. However, when Activision Blizzard initiated the CDL in 2019, it changed this structure. Instead of offering multiple tournaments to teams throughout the year, there would be only one. Furthermore, Activision limited the League to just 12 teams and required franchising fees in the millions of dollars in order to participate.

The suit offers insight into some of the terms and conditions esports organizations had to agree to in order to participate in the League. Though there have been several reports highlighting that the cost of a berth in the League was between $20 to $25 million dollars, the suit claims that teams had to pay $27.5 million for a franchise slot. The suit also says that organizations were required to pass 50 percent of merchandise and event ticket sales revenue to Activision Blizzard and that the publisher had the exclusive right to sponsorships with the most lucrative advertising partners such as energy drink companies.

Additionally, the suit claims that Activision Blizzard prohibited teams and players from participating in tournaments outside of the League and restricted the ability of individual players to secure their own sponsorships.

One of the examples in the suit described how, in 2020, players were required to sign an agreement binding them to the League’s rules without the ability to have players’ counsel review them — at the risk of being kicked from their team just days before the League was scheduled to start.

Activision Blizzard has been accused of anticompetitive behavior regarding its esports leagues before. In 2023, Activision settled a suit with the US Justice Department over the publisher’s Competitive Balance Tax. The tax, which was present in the ruleset for both the Call of Duty and Overwatch esports leagues, fined teams that paid players over a certain amount and distributed that fine to other participant teams. Though the rule was meant as a kind of salary cap like those seen in professional sports leagues, the DOJ’s filing alleged that the rule would potentially depress player wages. The two leagues voluntarily scrapped the rule in 2021 amid a DOJ investigation.

The new lawsuit builds on these claims. “Activision secured a 100 percent monopoly over the market for professional Call of Duty leagues and tournaments, used that market power to eliminate competition, and forced team owners and players to either exit the market entirely or accept draconian anticompetitive terms that were favorable only for Activision and its monopoly,” it argues.

In a statement emailed to The Verge, Activision Blizzard spokesperson Delaney Simmons wrote,

“Mr. Rodriguez (aka OpTic H3CZ) and Mr. Abner (aka Scump) demanded that Activision pay them tens of millions of dollars to avoid this meritless litigation, and when their demands were not met, they filed. We will strongly defend against these claims, which have no basis in fact or in law. We are disappointed that these members of the esports community would bring this suit which is disruptive to team owners, players, fans, and partners who have invested so much time and energy into the Call of Duty League’s success.”

Update Tuesday February 20th 8:10 PM EST: Added statement from Activision Blizzard.