Technology

Thanks to the total trash-fire that is modern audio mixing, it's become almost impossible to understand what anyone is saying in movies and TV shows. Which is why so many people who are not deaf or hard of hearing have started turning on the subtitles so they don't miss important plot points.

Qualcomm doesn't seem to have quite figured out the naming scheme for its last few Snapdragon chips. Now, after the release of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, next year's chip will most certainly be a mouthful, as things are all up in the air now.

Microsoft has rolled out Copilot Chat and its suite of AI agents to a wider audience, bringing the unified AI chat directly into Microsoft 365 apps. This is a big deal because the full-featured Copilot chat panel was only for those with a paid plan.

The Power Supply Unit (PSU) in your desktop computer is the beating heart of the system.Without power your computer is a paperweight, but just like a sudden heart attack can ruin your day, a worn-out or faulty PSU can scrap your whole computer permanently.

Last week, The Atlantic published a story with a very frank headline: "The Job Market Is Hell." The piece describes a frustrating situation for job seekers and hiring managers alike: "Young people are using ChatGPT to write their applications; HR is using AI to read them; no one is getting hired." Surveys also show growing anxiety about generative AI and its effect on jobs. A recent Reuters Ipsos poll found that 71 percent of respondents said "they were concerned that AI will be 'putting too many people out of work permanently.'"

Perception doesn't always match reality, but in this case, the job market really is facing headwinds. The Washington Post reported today that long-term unemployment is at a post-pandemic high; in a report on the weak labor market, NBC News cited Citi analysts who reported "near-zero job growth" in recent months; and a study by three Stanford economists recently found that AI is already decreasing job openings for software developers.

Reports like these paint a bleak picture for job applicants. But this month, OpenAI announced that it wants to help job seekers and employers by launching an AI-powered hiring platform. According to TechCrunch, the job platform would compete with LinkedIn and is set to launch in 2026.

The new product, which OpenAI outlines in a blog post, would work similarly to other AI-powered job platforms. 

In short, the OpenAI Jobs Platform would help employers find AI-savvy employees to hire for whatever needs the company has. OpenAI says it's been working with tons of businesses like Walmart, various consulting firms, and even state government agencies to find out what modern businesses are looking for in terms of AI. 

On its face, the concept sounds like an AI-focused version of LinkedIn, where people would create resumes on the platform and be matched up with jobs that fit that description using, of course, AI. In addition to LinkedIn, hiring platforms like Hiring.cafe and Sonara are already trying to fill this niche in the job market

OpenAI also announced that it will start its own AI certification program. This actually started earlier this year with the launch of OpenAI Academy, an online class program to instruct people on how to use AI better at work. The OpenAI academy will start issuing certifications to people who complete the courses, and those certifications will be shown to potential employers. (LinkedIn has its own certificate program.)

As generative AI causes new challenges and anxieties for job seekers, OpenAI clearly believes it can also solve some of these problems. In a blog post about the OpenAI Jobs Platform, Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s new CEO of Applications, wrote that she believes “AI will unlock more opportunities for more people than any technology in history.”

For job seekers, it may be hard to square this utopian vision with recent comments from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who famously predicted that AI could destroy half of all entry-level white-collar jobs by 2030. In addition, LinkedIn already offers many of the tools OpenAI hopes to deliver with its own job platform, and in a tough job market, LinkedIn has hardly been a silver bullet.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

iOS 26 is here, and with it comes a new Liquid Glass design, interface overhauls for apps like Safari and Music, and support for the new iPhone 17 family of devices.

Common wisdom says that you should never write down your passwords, and for the most part I agree. Especially if you write it down on a sticky note attached to your screen bezel.

The iPhone 17 lineup offers a huge range of updates and improvements, plus it heralds the introduction of an all-new iPhone line, the iPhone Air. The new 17 series brings better cameras, a new design, and better processing, but not everyone is sold on the 2025 iPhone lineup. What’s next? The iPhone 18 series, of course.

There are already tons of rumors around the 2026 iPhones, likely to be headlined by the iPhone 18 series. Some of these rumors are years in the making, while others are relatively new. They all, however, point to a pretty huge year for the iPhone.

So, should you wait for the iPhone 18 series instead of buying an iPhone 17 or iPhone Air? Here’s what we know about the iPhone 18 so far.

Even more new iPhone models are coming soon

The biggest change for the iPhone 17 lineup comes in the form of a new device that doesn’t have the 17 branding at all. The iPhone Air is a totally new model in the lineup, built for those who prefer something as thin as possible to something with a long battery life and multiple cameras. That’s alongside Apple doing away with the “Plus” model.

But rumors indicate Apple could make even bigger changes in 2026. Not only is the company likely to release an updated version of the iPhone Air — potentially called the iPhone Air 2 — but it’s also reportedly set to finally debut its first foldable iPhone. That means that the 2026 iPhone lineup could look something like this:

• iPhone 18

• iPhone 18 Pro

• iPhone 18 Pro Max

• iPhone Air 2

• iPhone Fold / iPhone 18 Fold

This is what a foldable iPHonen Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Apple

The foldable iPhone will reportedly be very thin, with early rumors pointing to 4.5 to 4.8 mm when unfolded. Reports suggest it will have a 5.5-inch display on the front and a 7-inch display on the inside. It will also come at a high price. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that the device will cost over $2,000, making it even more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

It’s worth noting that it’s entirely possible that not all of these devices will launch at the same time. It wouldn’t be unheard of for Apple to announce the iPhone Fold in September and release it to the public later in October. Not only that, but some recent reports indicate that Apple might end up delaying the base iPhone 18, releasing it in 2027 instead of alongside the other models in 2026. I would be very surprised to see this happen, however.

Under-display Face ID

Apple may finally do away with the Dynamic Island entirely, or at least make it a whole lot smaller, with new Face ID tech. Reports from The Information suggest that Apple is working on under-display Face ID tech that works more or less the same as Face ID does today, but can work under the screen instead of requiring a cutout. 

It’s unclear if Apple will put the entire Dynamic Island under the screen (including the camera), or just the sensors required for Face ID, keeping a small circular cutout for the front-facing camera. Under-display cameras have notoriously made for low-quality photos, but it makes sense that companies like Apple would be working on improving the tech. 

The Apple A20 chip

As usual, Apple will almost certainly release a new series of chips for its latest iPhone models. The A20 series will follow on from the A19, and will likely be made up of a base A20 chip and an A20 Pro chip.

Reports from Apple analyst Jeff Pu indicate that the new chips will be built on the same TSMC 3nm process that the A19 chips are built on, and while the performance improvements might be relatively minor, rumors suggest that the chip will offer a Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging, which makes for better integration with memory, the neural engine, and other platform components. This will likely be part of a push for better on-device AI performance. 

Better cameras

Cameras are always a focus (ha) of new iPhone releases, and while sometimes the improvements are a little minor, the iPhone 18 series may end up getting more impressive camera improvements. According to a leak from Apple leaker @Jukanlosreve on Twitter, the iPhone 18 series will get a new three-layer camera sensor from Samsung, which should make the camera more responsive, while at the same time improving dynamic range and reducing noise. 

This would actually be a pretty big change for Apple, considering the fact that Sony has long supplied all of the camera sensors in the iPhone series. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new sensor will be used for the 2026 iPhone’s ultrawide camera.

To update, or not to update?

Obviously, the iPhone 18 series should be better than the iPhone 17 series — phone models improve every single year. But the question remains: should you upgrade now, or wait for next year?

It’s complicated. Basically, if you need a new phone, then upgrade now. If you're happy with your iPhone 15 or 16 Pro or Pro Max, wait a year and see what happens. What you probably shouldn’t do is assume that rumors are fact. Yes, a foldable iPhone has been rumored for a long time, but it’s entirely possible that Apple ends up delaying the release of it for 2027 or beyond.

If you’re on the fence but need a new phone now, you could always upgrade now and sell or trade-in your new device next year once the iPhone 18 series is finally revealed. Year-old iPhones usually retain their value decently well, and you may only be out a few hundred dollars if you keep your device in good condition.

Bait-and-switch humor has been around forever: set up an expectation, then flip it on its head. It’s one of comedy's oldest tricks, and right now it’s reviving an old trend on X.

Users are cleverly playing with profile banners. The setup usually starts with a post about struggling to crop or format an image. But when you click into their profile to check, the banner reveals something completely different — often a joke that either undercuts the original image or turns it into a punchline.

This isn't a brand-new joke, either. According to Know Your Meme, it dates back to at least 2019, when it began with a woman posting side-by-side photos of herself and her boyfriend and asking how to fit both into her header. The gag fizzled for a while but resurfaced in 2023 when users began posting images of trash cans, only for the cropped banner to reveal the person they were calling “trash.”

For example, one Lions fan posted about trying to crop a picture of rookie wide receiver Issac TeSlaa. Click through, and the banner isn’t TeSlaa at all — it’s a goat, signaling he's the "GOAT" (greatest of all time). That’s the formula: a visual bait-and-switch that lets people label a person, team, or movie — whether as iconic or terrible — without saying it outright.

Credit: Mashable Screenshot/@sbolek1 Credit: Mashable Screenshot/@sbolek1

The trend has especially taken off on Sports Twitter, where fans are using it to hype up players or roast rival teams.

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But it’s not limited to sports — Stan Twitter has picked it up too, though often in a looser way. In those circles, the "bad crop" is less about a clever reveal and more about intentionally sloppy formatting, played up just for fun. Like most viral Twitter jokes, it cycles in and out of popularity — and right now, it’s having another big moment.

Deciding between buying and leasing a car is one of the most important choices for any driver, yet it’s not always straightforward. Both options come with distinct advantages and drawbacks, and understanding them can save you money while ensuring your vehicle meets your lifestyle needs.

So you want to be a PC user that doesn't have to rely on IT support for every little thing? You want to deal with most issues on your own, and feel in control of your computer?

iOS 26, macOS 26, and iPadOS 26 are all here. But watchOS 26 is perhaps one of the most overlooked. Apple has just released its latest watch update, and like its cousins in other hardware, it’s very packed.

It’s been a long time coming. iOS 26 has been in the works for a long time, and it’s one of the wildest iOS updates we’ve seen in a long time. Now, it’s finally here—and it’s packing a heck of a lot of changes.

Nintendo has a long history of redefining gaming with consoles that capture the imagination of kids and adults alike. They also made the Virtual Boy — and let’s be honest, that one was a dud.

Now, nearly 30 years later, the infamous headache machine known for its drab red-and-black video games is making a comeback as an accessory for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. For $99, you can once again fry your retinas with stereoscopic 3D — this time to play the original Virtual Boy lineup, freshly added to the Nintendo Classics library.

When Nintendo launched the Virtual Boy console in 1995, it was an instant critical and commercial flop, and then discontinued by August of 1996. The $179.95 price tag (about $382 in 2025), the clunky headset, the shallow game library, and a “VR” experience that was really just a red-on-black 3D gimmick all doomed it from the start. Its reputation as a discomfort machine was so bad that X-Play once parodied Saw by using the Virtual Boy as an actual torture device.

The new Virtual Boy accessory is a replica and essentially serves as a Switch 2 stand while also working as 3D glasses to deliver the same stereoscopic effect. Why Nintendo never tried something similar with the 3DS remains a mystery.

Nintendo says it will re-release all 14 North American Virtual Boy titles — including Teleroboxer, Mario Tennis, and Virtual Boy Wario Land — through the Nintendo Classics library. The replica headset launches on February 17, 2026, for $99.99, with a budget cardboard edition available for $24.99.

Apple released the long-awaited iOS 26 on Monday, and it's available now as a free software update. The new iPhone operating system promises major changes to how users operate their device and how it looks day-to-day.

Downloading the new operating system is simple enough; getting used to all the changes might not be so easy. Change is hard, but we think this particular change will be rewarding for most users. Mashable reporters have been testing the iOS 26 beta for months, and the new OS promises lots of cool new features. There's a lot going on with the update — but we've collected three of our favorites you should try immediately.

So, go download iOS 26 and get ready to try these new features.

Liquid Glass

OK, this one is obvious, but you should really play around with Liquid Glass after you update to iOS 26. In case you didn't know, Liquid Glass is the name for the new design language rolled out by Apple with the new operating system. Liquid Glass is more expressive and uses translucent objects — get it...like glass...that's liquid — to make multi-tasking and operating apps simpler.

Liquid Glass will also completely change how your iPhone looks. From the Control Center to the new customizable lock screen to subtle animations across the iPhone experience, there's a lot to discover after you update. You can also mess around with an all-clear look or a reduced transparency look, depending on your preference.

For more information about Liquid Glass, check out our deep dive on iPad OS 26, which also gets a Liquid Glass makeover.

Credit: Apple Polls in Messages

There are a number of changes coming to Messages with iOS 26. The new custom backgrounds on messages have already gotten a lot of attention, but it's not our favorite change. The addition of polls has the chance to be super fun for group chats.

Wrote Mashable's Alex Perry on the new feature: "One of my favorites is the ability to make polls in group chats, which is nominally a feature for deciding where to get dinner, but will really be a feature that's used to settle incredibly arcane, nonsensical inside-joke arguments among friend groups."

Credit: Apple / WWDC 2025 Live Translation

As someone who took many years of Spanish classes while retaining precious little, Live Translation could prove to be the coolest and most useful feature in iOS 26. The tool, powered by Apple Intelligence, will be built in to Messages, Phone, and FaceTime calls. That means, in theory at least, you could have relatively fluid conversations with folks who speak an entirely different language. It could be fun to give it a whirl once you update, just to see how well it actually works. (We're still in the process of testing it ourselves.)

Credit: Apple

We've become accustomed to all the cool stuff our tech can do, but, should this tool work well, translating your conversations in real-time does feel a bit like magic.

Want to learn more about iOS 26 and Liquid Glass? Catch up on Mashable's recent coverage:

• Liquid Glass is finally here — 4 settings to change on day one

• Every iPhone getting iOS 26: See if yours is on the list

• Ultra clear look for the iPhone is wild. Here's how to get it.

• I've been on Liquid Glass for months. Here are 3 features I love and 1 that isn't done cooking.

• Forget iOS. Here's how to download watchOS, macOS Tahoe, iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS 26.

Do you wish your Google Pixel's scam detection feature worked in more places, like your favorite chat apps or Instagram Messenger? If so, we have some potentially good news. This week, we learned that Google is getting ready to expand this great feature beyond calls and texts, making its phones safer than ever.

New York is moving forward with a law that could force major social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram to roll out some form of age verification before minors can access their highly personalized, algorithm-driven feeds.

iOS 26 dropped on Monday for iPhone users looking to completely revamp the look of their phone. That means the long-awaited arrival of Liquid Glass is finally here.

If you want to update, it's pretty simple. iOS 26 is available now for all compatible iPhones as a free software update. Apple has a detailed page on its website if you need more information, but the steps are remarkably straightforward.

SEE ALSO: Every iPhone getting iOS 26: See if yours is on the list How to upgrade to iOS 26: iOS 26 and Liquid Glass is finally here. Credit: Screenshot: Timothy Werth

1. First, back up your phone.

2. Plug in your phone and make sure you're connected to WiFi. (The download will require power and a good connection.)

3. Go into your Settings > General, then click on Software Update.

4. From there, choose iOS 26 and download/install the update.

So, why might you want to download iOS 26? It promises significant upgrades and changes to how your iPhone works. Perhaps most notably is the shift to Liquid Glass, a new design style that'll change how your apps and features look on your iPhone. So, if you want a total revamp of how your phone looks, the change shouldn't take more than four steps.

SEE ALSO: Liquid Glass is finally here — 4 settings to change on day one

You can get the NZXT Function 2 MiniTKL keyboard for a major 58% discount. This drops the price to a surprisingly low $55 on Amazon from its usual $130. This is a massive discount on a high-quality gaming keyboard that comes from a big name like NZXT.

Every fall, high school students applying to college face an intimidating task: They must write a stylish, memorable essay that will boost their admissions chances. 

So who can blame them when they look at AI chatbots like ChatGPT that can brainstorm, compose, and edit text, and see what looks like a tempting advantage? 

But college admissions experts warn against falling for the imagined payoff of a crisp, well-researched, confident-sounding essay. Instead, using AI to write an admissions essay could land a student at the bottom of the pile. 

SEE ALSO: We tested the best laptops for college students going back to school

"A college application is a blank canvas," says Dr. Jennifer Kirk, a high school counseling curriculum leader and member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "Everything that you throw at it should be a bright splash of color…If you throw a completely AI-written essay at that blank canvas, it's just going to wash it out."

Aside from a student sacrificing their authentic voice to AI, there are other important risks, like submitting an essay that contains embarrassing mistakes or inaccuracies, or that reads strangely similar to other applicants.

Why you shouldn't use AI to write college admissions essays

When students set out to write their Common Application admissions essay this year, they can choose from one of seven questions. Their response is limited to 650 words.  

The different essay questions invite applicants to share a meaningful talent, reflect on gratitude, or discuss an engaging concept or idea, for example. Applicants also write an essay of their choice.

The writing doesn't stop there, either. They may additionally submit a separate essay on "challenges and circumstances," which provides an opportunity to address factors that may have affected their record of achievement, like housing instability, homelessness, family caretaking, community disruption, and war or political conflict. 

Each college or university may also require multiple supplemental essays or written responses. The University of California, Berkeley, for instance, has applicants respond to four of eight "personal insight" questions. Harvard's application includes five questions that must each be answered in 150 words or less. 

For a student overwhelmed by the work of writing a memorable essay, plus crafting original responses for every application they submit, an AI chatbot promises a simple shortcut. 

Yet Connie Livingston, assistant director of admissions at Brown University, says that what sets special essays apart from those that don't impress is an "authentic" voice of someone who sees themselves as a learner and scholar. 

"There's no way AI can do that for you," says Livingston, now a college counselor with Empowerly. "It has to be an intrinsic quality that a student possesses that they then translate onto the page for admissions officers to, hopefully, see and appreciate."

While students might think they can prompt an AI chatbot or tool to approximate their own ideas and voice by feeding it personal information, Kirk cautions them against doing so, for privacy reasons. Some models may leak or publish sensitive or personally identifiable information to the internet, she says. 

There's also no surefire way to conceal the use of AI in an essay. 

Kirk says that admissions officers can detect telltale signs, such as constructions, phrases, punctuation, and grammar, that suggest an applicant used AI. 

If the essay itself contains original ideas and an authentic voice, those red flags might be dismissed. But if it reads as bland and uninspired, then the reader may suspect AI. 

Additionally, phrases and wording may seem unique to an individual student, but instead reflect how ChatGPT commonly responds to the same Common Application essay question, with minimal prompting. 

Imagine, for example, thousands of students applying to the same university and using the same AI chatbot to write their supplemental essays; the chatbot may use similar language for each individual response.

"That absolutely can happen," Kirk says. "They're going to sound pretty similar, and look pretty similar."  

When it's OK to use AI for college admissions essays 

Though Kirk says students should never use AI to write their essays, she does think the technology can be otherwise useful in the process. 

First, she advises students to research whether each college or university they're applying to actually permits the use of AI, in general and specifically in admissions applications, and then follow those rules.

Once students have that information, Kirk says they may consider consulting AI for researching, brainstorming, outlining, refining drafts, editing, and proofreading. 

Livingston recommends AI only for researching and brainstorming, and notes that students should also follow their high school's policy on AI use before adopting it during their essay-writing process.

Livingston says that AI can helpfully summarize information about a university's culture or academics, providing details that might have taken longer to track down. A student interested in a particular academic department, for example, could ask an AI tool to list the most accomplished faculty members or notable areas of research. The student can then potentially incorporate that information into an essay or written response. 

When it comes to research and facts, however, applicants should be careful to double-check what an AI search engine or chatbot says is true. 

"AI makes mistakes," Livingston says. 

"Don't rely on AI to choose your topic or develop core ideas without personal reflection." - Jennifer Kirk, school counselor

To use AI effectively for brainstorming, Kirk recommends narrowing down to a few key topics for further exploration, before asking AI for ideas about the subject of an essay. 

"Don't rely on AI to choose your topic or develop core ideas without personal reflection," Kirk says. 

Students may find AI helpful during the revision process, Kirk adds. She recently worked with an applicant who gave an AI tool two versions of the same essay, with a request to synthesize the content in order to write a new draft.

Still, Kirk says students shouldn't let AI overly polish their writing, beyond helping with structure and correcting grammatical errors and punctuation. This can dilute a student's original voice. Letting AI use big or fancy words that a student might not otherwise use has the same effect. Kirk says admissions officers can pick up on those discrepancies by looking at a student's entire application. 

If students don't want to find themselves in a high-pressure situation where deadlines are looming and they still have an essay and multiple responses to write, Livingston recommends starting as early as possible, if the process hasn't already begun. (She recommends the summer before senior year.)

Students can reach out to high school writing centers, college counselors, and English teachers for valuable help and feedback throughout the process, Livingston says.  

Regardless, rushed or desperate students should know that AI won't provide the winning shortcut to the college of their dreams. 

"Yes, AI can write a good essay, but a good essay is not going to get a student accepted into college," Livingston says. "It has to be a great essay."