#hardware
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1: Who Ships It First, and What Else Qualcomm Buried in December
The Motorola Edge X30 is already out in China on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 — here's who's likely next, plus a look at Qualcomm's new handheld gaming chip.
- The Chip Shortage Was 2021's Real Main Character
A year-end look at how the global chip shortage reshaped buying everything from GPUs to cars in 2021.
- VR Finally Has Its Christmas Morning Moment
Quest 2 and third-party VR titles are posting record holiday numbers, a sign VR headsets have become a real gift-category contender.
- GameStop's Holiday Restock Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: PS5 and Xbox Are Still Nowhere to Be Found
GameStop's Christmas-week PS5/Xbox restock event, gated behind PowerUp Rewards Pro and bundled with extras, shows console scarcity hasn't let up.
- Ray Tracing and Upscaling Aren't Optional Anymore
Real-time ray tracing and DLSS-style AI upscaling have gone from marketing gimmicks to baseline expectations on new GPUs.
- Best Buy's Restock Vanishes in Minutes, and the Console Shortage Grinds On
Best Buy's 9am PS5 and Xbox restock sold out almost instantly, underscoring how deep the holiday console shortage still runs.
- The Holiday Buying Guide for a Chip-Starved Year: Laptops and Desktops Worth Gifting
With GPUs and consoles nearly impossible to find this holiday season, here's where stock actually exists and what's worth buying.
- The Chip Shortage Isn't Done With Us Yet
A look at why the semiconductor crunch that defined 2021 is still hitting shelves, prices, and wait times heading into the holidays.
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Kicks Off Flagship Android Season
Qualcomm's 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 brings ARMv9 cores and a faster Adreno 730 GPU, with the Motorola Edge X30 first in line.
- Cyber Monday Caps a Chip-Shortage Holiday Season
As Cyber Monday approaches, laptops, TVs, and consoles top wish lists while PS5s and top GPUs remain maddeningly out of stock.
- Black Friday Console Restocks Are Gone Before You Finish Loading the Page
A year after launch, PS5 and Xbox Series X restocks are still vanishing in minutes as Black Friday week kicks off amid the ongoing chip shortage.
- Apple Says You Can Finally Fix Your Own iPhone
Apple announced a Self Service Repair program to sell genuine parts, tools, and manuals directly to customers, starting with iPhone 12 and 13.
- Apple Watch Series 7: The Screen Got Bigger, the Redesign Didn't
A look at how reviewers are receiving Apple Watch Series 7 nearly a month after launch, and what the bigger screen actually changes.
- A Year Later, You Still Can't Just Buy a PS5
The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S turn one this month, and the chip shortage means retail stock is still basically theoretical.
- Elon Musk Let a Twitter Poll Decide His Tesla Stake, and the Market Is Not Amused
Musk asked Twitter whether he should sell 10% of his Tesla shares, nearly 58% said yes, and now everyone is watching what he does next.
- Intel's Alder Lake Finally Ships, and It's a Bigger Bet Than a Clock Speed Bump
Intel launches 12th Gen "Alder Lake" desktop CPUs with a hybrid core design, DDR5, and PCIe 5.0 support.
- The New MacBook Pro Reviews Are In, and the Notch Is the Least Interesting Part
M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro reviews are rolling out, and the redesign brings back ports nobody expected to miss this much.
- Halloween Horrors: The Chip Shortage Ghost That Won't Leave
A Halloween look at the console and GPU shortage haunting a second straight holiday season, plus a bright spot in Halo Infinite's November beta.
- Pixel 6 Launch Day: Google's Big Silicon Bet Hits Shelves
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro go on sale today, marking Google's first custom Tensor chip and its most aggressive hardware push yet.
- The New MacBook Pros, One Week Later: The Reviews Are In
A week after Apple's Unleashed event, early M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro owners are reporting big real-world speedups for developers and video editors.
- Google's Pixel 6 Bets Everything on a Homemade Chip
Google's new Tensor SoC inside the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro puts AI processing on-device, and the $599 starting price is a shot at flagship pricing norms.
- Apple Finally Goes Big: M1 Pro, M1 Max, and the MacBook Pro's Redemption Arc
Apple's Unleashed event brought M1 Pro and M1 Max chips and redesigned MacBook Pros with MagSafe, HDMI, and an SD slot back.
- The Great Console Restock Watch, Holiday Edition
PS5 and Xbox Series X remain nearly impossible to find at retail, and the Steam Deck is shaping up to be the season's next scarcity story.
- The Wrist Is Where the Next Platform War Gets Decided
With Apple Watch Series 7 preorders live and Google still sitting on Fitbit, the holiday wearables race is heating up.
- GPU Prices Just Hit a Six-Month High, and Nobody's Surprised
Nvidia and AMD graphics cards are selling well above MSRP again as chip shortages and crypto demand collide heading into Q4 2021.
- GPU Prices Are Still Insane, and Q4 Isn't Going to Save Us
Graphics cards remain 70-80%+ over MSRP as the chip shortage grinds on, with AMD's CEO warning the pain extends into 2022.
- Brussels Wants Everyone on USB-C, and We Know Who That's Aimed At
The European Commission's push for a universal USB-C charging standard is a direct shot at Apple's Lightning port.
- Microsoft's Biggest Surface Refresh in Years
Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 8, Laptop Studio, Duo 2, Go 3, and Slim Pen 2 ahead of Windows 11's launch.
- Apple's iPhone 13 Lineup Bets on Refinement Over Revolution
Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 family and Apple Watch Series 7 today, leaning on the new A15 Bionic chip and ProMotion displays rather than a radical redesign.
- The Smartwatch Wars Are About to Heat Up
With Apple's September 14 event days away, the Apple Watch Series 7 is set to face off against Fitbit's Sense and Versa 3 in a fast-growing category.