The best Black Friday deals you can still get

The best Black Friday deals you can still get

Illustration by Aaron Fernandez for The Verge

Black Friday 2023 has come and gone, and we’re cruising toward Cyber Monday — but that doesn’t mean all of yesterday’s deals are history. Quite the opposite. You can still take advantage of big savings at many retailers. Whether you’re shopping for a new smartphone, the latest noise-canceling headphones, or a stylish smartwatch, a ton of popular products are still heavily discounted.

Whether you’re checking off everyone on your list for the upcoming holidays or you’re just shopping for the best prices for yourself, we’re scouring all the quality deals Black Friday has to offer and logging them right here. But keep in mind that our Black Friday and upcoming Cyber Monday coverage goes well beyond a single post. You can find it all here, and you definitely don’t want to miss some of our budget-focused roundups, specifically our guides to the best deals under $100, under $50, and under $25.

But for now, if you’re looking for the very best remaining deals, some highlights include significant discounts on the latest Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C, Google’s flagship Pixel 8 Pro, the rarely-on-sale Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Roam smart speakers, plus a whole lot more. We’re rounding up all of the highlights below, and while we expect many of them to run through the weekend, frankly, there’s no guarantee.

Black Friday deals spotlight

• Apple is offering up to $200 in gift cards when you buy select devices, with the exact amount depending on the item. Big-ticket items like the MacBook Air and Mac Mini are eligible for up to $200 in credit, while iPads is entitled to up to $100. The promo also applies to AirPods, Apple Watches, older iPhone models, and accessories like the second-gen Apple Pencil.

The best headphone and earbud deals

• Apple’s luxe AirPods Max are back down to $449.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which remains their second-best price to date. The noise-canceling headphones are getting a little long in the tooth — blame Apple’s aging H1 chip — but they still offer great controls, deep integration with Apple products, and terrific sound quality. Read our review.
• Apple’s third-gen AirPods are matching their all-time low of $139.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy with a Lightning-only charging case; they’re also on sale at Costco with a MagSafe charging case for the same price if you’re a member. The third-gen earbuds are similar to the prior model in many ways, only they now feature an IPX4 water resistance rating, shorter stems, and better sound. Read our review.
• Sony’s last-gen WH-1000XM4s are on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for around $248 ($100 off), which is one of their best prices to date. The noise-canceling headphones may be an older model than the newer XM5, but they still sound great today and have a handy feature the new version does not: the ability to fold down for easier storage and travel. Read our review.

• Normally $179.99, you can currently buy Sony’s unique LinkBuds for $128 at Amazon and Best Buy. The earbuds offer crisp sound quality, great voice call performance, and use an “open-style” design that allows for better spatial awareness. Read our review.
• If you don’t like wearing earbuds in your ears while working out, you can pick up a pair of the wraparound Shokz OpenRun Pro for $99.95 ($80 off) at Best Buy. They’re a good pair of open-ear headphones that leave your ears exposed, allowing you to listen to music without sacrificing your safety.
• The Pixel Buds A-Series are on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart for around $59 ($40 off), an all-time low. The simple earbuds remain an appealing pair of earbuds for Android users despite their age, especially if you can do without noise cancellation and some of the more premium features found on the Pixel Buds Pro. Read our review.

The best smartwatch and fitness tracker deals

The best phone and mobile accessory deals

• Google’s Pixel 8 phone is on sale for $549 ($150 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The new Pixel is slightly smaller than last year’s at 6.1 inches but it packs a new Tensor G3 processor. Read our review.
• PopSockets is taking 25 percent off various grips, mounts, cases, and other accessories, including this PopGrip for MagSafe phone handle / stand (on sale for $22.50) which is compatible with iPhone 12 phones and newer.
• Maybe you heard, but Apple’s new FineWoven case isn’t our favorite. Consider a Moment case instead for your new iPhone 15 — they’re $34.99 right now, which is $15 off the full MSRP. Another option: Nomad is offering 30 percent off sitewide, so its $50 leather iPhone 15 case is $35 right now.
• EWA’s MagOne magnetic phone grip is on sale for $15.99 ($4 off) at Amazon. It’s a grip and a kickstand in one, making bigger phones a little more wieldy without getting in the way of MagSafe charging.

The best charger deals

• Nomad’s Stand, a magnetic Qi charger that tops out at 7.5W when charging MagSafe-compatible phones, is on sale at Nomad in white for $56 ($24 off). Also, the matching Base charger does the same thing while holding your phone flat and it’s just $35 (half off).
• You can buy the Anker 637 Magnetic Charging Station (MagGo) for $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon. The orb-like magnetic Qi charger doubles as a power strip with multiple USB-C, USB-A, and AC ports, which allow it to deliver up to 65 watts of combined power.

The best tablet and e-reader deals

• The eight-inch Kobo Sage — a newer, non-Amazon alternative to the Kindle Oasis — is on sale for $239.99 ($30 off) directly from Rakuten’s Kobo online store. The high-end e-reader features physical page-turning buttons and USB-C, along with stylus support so you can take notes. Its eight-inch display is relatively cramped compared to the Kobo Elipsa 2E’s, however, so we wouldn’t recommend it as a primary note-taking device.

• Speaking of the iPad, both the ninth-gen and 10th-gen models are only compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil, which is also on sale for $72.17 (about $27 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Unlike the second-gen Apple Pencil, you’ll need to charge it by plugging the stylus directly into the iPad’s Lightning port.

The best laptop and computing deals

• The new 2023 entry-level MacBook Pro with a 14-inch display, M3 processor, 8GB or RAM, and (most) of the good port selection is selling for $1,449 ($150 off) at Best Buy. It may be a bit of an “enigma” for a base model entry in Apple’s MacBook Pro line, but think of it more as a souped-up MacBook Air.

• If you’re shopping for a convertible, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 starts at around $799.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The powerful laptop offers a 120Hz screen and is a stunner available in various colors, ranging from green to blue. Read our review.
• Alternatively, if you’re looking for a laptop that can handle heavier graphics, the creator-focused Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is available with an Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $1,399.99 ($200 off) at Best Buy and the Microsoft Store. The laptop sports a terrific keyboard/trackpad combo, as well as a 120Hz screen, one that’s capable of pivoting so you can lay it flat to write or draw on it. Read our review.

• 8BitDo’s Retro Mechanical Keyboard is currently on sale for $89.99 ($10 off) at Amazon. The Nintendo-inspired Bluetooth keyboard features two red programmable buttons similar to the ones found on the original NES controller; it also offers a standard tenkeyless layout that’s devoid of a numpad and comes with clicky, hot-swappable switches.
• Elgato’s Stream Deck Plus has fallen to an all-time low of $169.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo. The well-built peripheral functions in a similar fashion to Elgato’s other macro controllers in that it provides you with a selection of programmable keys, only the Deck Plus also features four knobs with their own set of apps and an LED touchscreen. Read our review.

The best smart display deals

• The last-gen Echo Show 8 is available for $54.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, down from $129.99. Although it can’t act as a smart home hub like the newer third-gen model, it’s still a good smart display for making Zoom calls, controlling smart home gadgets, watching videos, and carrying out a range of other Alexa-enabled tasks. Read our review.

The best speaker deals

• Sony’s SRS-XB100 speaker is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $38 ($22 off), a new low pricew. Despite the fact it’s tiny, the Bluetooth speaker delivers crisp, clear sound along with up to 16 hours of continuous battery life. It also sports IP67 dust and water resistance, so you can take it to pool parties or on hikes without worrying. Read our review.

The best gaming deals

• In addition to the Split Pad Pro, Hori’s Split Pad Compact handheld controller in its cute Gengar Pokémon design for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon.

• If you enjoyed HBO’s fantastic adaptation of The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part I is on sale for the PS5 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop for $39.99 ($30 off). It’s a remarkable remake of the classic title from 2013, with faster load times, better visuals, and other welcome tweaks. Read our review.
• Walmart is selling the Xbox Series S 512GB console in white with an extra matching controller for $289.99 (about $80 off). That’s less than the regular cost of the $299.99 console alone, and you get a spare controller for local multiplayer or backup duties. Read our review.

The best robot vacuum deals

• The Roborock S7, the S8’s predecessor, is also on sale at Walmart for $359.99. This was our former pick for the best robot vacuum/mop combo before the S8 took its place. The impressive robovac lacks some newer bells and whistles, including AI-obstacle avoidance, but it keeps carpets dry thanks to the mop’s unique lifting mechanism. Read our guide to the best robot vacuums.

• Amazon is discounting the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 to $249.99 ($200 off), which is the lowest price we’ve seen on the budget-friendly robot vacuum/mop hybrid. It’s a little loud and lacks an auto-empty base, however, it makes up for the caveats with good suction, a great app, and a laundry list of features (including mapping).

• The Roborock Q5 Pro is $319.98, down from $429.99 at Amazon. An excellent mid-range vacuum, it packs 5,200 Pa suction power and two rubber roller brushes that are great at picking up pet hair. It’s not fancy, but with a huge 770ml bin with big wheels to get up on higher-pile carpets, it’s a good option for families with pets. The Plus version is also on sale for $479.98 and adds a self-empty dock that automatically empties the robot’s bin when it’s full. Read our review.

The best smart home deals

• The Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Triangles Smarter Kit is available for $131.99 ($88 off) at Nanoleaf or $189.99 ($30 off) from Amazon and Best Buy. The nine customizable light panels, which appear black when turned off, are capable of showcasing 16 million colors and support smart home platforms like Apple Home.
• Nanoleaf’s Shapes Mini Triangles Smarter Kit is on sale for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and direct from Nanoleaf. The 10 modular light panels can display millions of colors and can sync with music, much like the aforementioned black panels, however, they’re much smaller and appear white when turned off.

• Tovala’s Smart Oven Air Fryer is $49 ($200 off) when you buy it from Tovala and order meals six times over six months. Each meal typically costs $12.99. Tovala’s Smart Oven Air Fryer accompanying meal kit service and built-in QR code scanner lets you quickly cook a wide range of delicious meals. It can scan store-bought groceries, but it cooks Tovala’s meal kits the best. Read our review.
• Regularly $94.48, you can currently buy the Blink Video Doorbell with a Blink Sync Module 2 (which allows for local storage) for $47.49 at Amazon. If you’re looking for a basic buzzer, the 1080p video doorbell is a good option with support for motion-activated recording and alerts, night vision, and two-way audio.

• If you want gigabit-capable mesh Wi-Fi covering your home but don’t want to pay top dollar, you can get a three-pack of the midrange Eero 6 Plus routers for $194.99 ($105 off) at Amazon.
• Vornado’s 660 AE, a large whole-room fan that circulates a lot of air and connects to Alexa for smart functionality, is on sale right now at Amazon for around $114 (normally $129.99).

The best TV, streaming device, and soundbar deals

The best streaming service deals

The best deals Legos, Nerf blasters, and other toys

• Lego’s Optimus Prime is down to $151.99 ($28 off) at Amazon and Target, which matches its second-best price to date. It’s an excellent build, even if our Sean Hollister felt it was a little fragile while transforming. You can even watch him build it here.
• Lego’s colorful Tales of the Space Age set is down to $42.49 (about $8 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, matching its best to date. The minimalist 688-piece kit consists of four space-themed “postcards,” which depict shooting stars, a space shuttle, and other celestial bodies, all of which can be mounted or displayed standing up.

• If you’re into Lego Star Wars kits, the BD-1 Droid (of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor) is on sale for $69.29 (about $30 off) at Target. If online orders are unavailable, you might have better luck with in-store pickup.
• Lego’s 1,222-piece Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck is on sale for $73.99 (about $16 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, one of its better prices to date. It’s a great set if you’re a fan of the Horizon series from Guerrilla Games, one that stands over 13 inches tall and also comes with a brick-ified version of the velociraptor-like Watcher robot.
• Lego is selling its Star Wars Razor Crest starship from The Mandalorian series for $419.99 ($180 off). The 6187-piece building kit is from Lego’s Ultimate Collector Series and includes four minifigs to display alongside its small decorative placard.

• The Nerf N-Strike Mastodon blaster is on sale at Amazon for half off at $49.99, which matches its all-time low price. The motorized, mega-dart firing blaster comes with 24 darts included along with a shoulder strap.
• Nothing beats a family Nerf war, and the best way to do it is with a six-pack of single-shot Nerf MicroShot blasters — which are just $19.99 ($13 off) at Amazon. Each Derringer-style blaster loads and fires one dart, requiring you to pick your shots carefully before having to reload.
• Nerf’s Zombie Strike Hammershot is just $12.49 ($5 off) at Amazon. It may be small, but it packs a great punch with a spring-powered hammer and rotating five-dart revolving chamber. It gives off a great gunslinger vibe, especially if you dual-wield a pair of them.

The best deals on Verge Favorites and other tech

• Peak Design is taking up to 40 percent off its bags, camera accessories, and magnetic phone cases for Black Friday, including the 15L Everyday Backpack Zip. A favorite of some Verge staffers, it’s $151.96 ($38 off).

• The Chi Original Digital Ceramic Hairstyling Iron is one of our holiday gift guide picks for Moms, and right now is down to $63.75 ($57 off) at Amazon. This is an excellent flat iron that heats up quickly and straightens and defrizzes hair well. It can even create some nice, long loose waves.

• The 2022 Tile Mate is also on sale for $17.99 ($7 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The Bluetooth tracker is platform-agnostic like the Tile Pro, but can only keep tabs on items up to 250 feet away, as opposed to 400.

• The ultra-portable AeroPress Original is currently available for around $31.95 (about $15 off) from Amazon, Target, and AeroPress, which is a great price for the single-serve coffee maker.
• TP-Link’s RE315 Wi-Fi extender is on sale for just $24.99 ($25 off), matching its best price to date. It’s a good option if you’re looking to extend network coverage in your home or add ethernet connectivity to another room.

Feeling a little overwhelmed on what deals to pounce on? Need some tech buying advice? Our Verge Deals team is here for your retail therapy, and we’ll be answering your burning shopping questions for Cyber Monday live on November 27th at 11AM ET. Leave a question here.

Ubisoft blames ‘technical error’ for showing pop-up ads in Assassin’s Creed

Ubisoft blames ‘technical error’ for showing pop-up ads in Assassin’s Creed

Image: triddell24 (Reddit)

Ubisoft is blaming an unspecified “technical error” for a fullscreen pop-up ad that appeared in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey this week. Reddit users say they spotted the pop-up on Xbox and PlayStation versions of the game, with an ad appearing just when you navigate to the map screen. “This is disgusting to experience while playing,” remarked one Reddit user, summarizing the general feeling against such pop-ups in the middle of gameplay.

“We have been made aware that some players encountered pop-up ads while playing certain Assassin’s Creed titles yesterday,” says Ubisoft spokesperson Fabien Darrigues, in a statement to The Verge. “This was the result of a technical error that we addressed as soon as we learned of the issue.”

Image: triddell24 (Reddit)

The pop-up ad appeared during the middle of gameplay.

Ubisoft hasn’t explained the technical error, but we can’t imagine the game suddenly became sentient and started adding its own Black Friday pop-up ads to promote Ubisoft’s latest versions of Assassin’s Creed. Someone at Ubisoft had to code this into the game specifically for the sale this week. We just don’t know whether this was supposed to be a limited test that was somehow made public, or if there were plans to actually roll this out. Either way, the intent of adding pop-ups into the middle of a game you’ve paid for is rather “gross” as one Reddit commenter puts it.

We recently saw Microsoft use fullscreen Xbox pop-up ads to promote its own games, and they’ve been annoying Xbox owners. Microsoft’s ads only appear when you boot an Xbox, and not everyone seems to be getting them. Microsoft and Ubisoft’s pop-ups are still very different to the ads we’re used to seeing on game consoles. We’ve seen games like Saints Row 2 with ads running on billboards, or plenty of in-game ads in EA Games titles in the mid-to-late 2000s.

Fullscreen pop-up ads in the middle of a game certainly aren’t common. Imagine a world full of games you’ve paid $70 for and then ads popping up in the middle of gameplay. I truly hope that Ubisoft’s “technical error” never becomes a game industry reality.

¿Cuáles son los riesgos del armamento que funciona con IA?

¿Cuáles son los riesgos del armamento que funciona con IA? Las preocupaciones por las armas capaces de matar sin intervención humana no son totalmente nuevas.

The Verge’s 2023 home tech holiday gift guide

The Verge’s 2023 home tech holiday gift guide

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

From color-changing lights to gadgets that’ll take care of dinner for you and your pets, here are some of our favorite smart home gifts.

Our homes are where we spend a good chunk of our lives, so we might as well make them feel like somewhere worth living. Given where we live can influence everything from our mood to our productivity, a gift for the home is thus an investment, one that can go a long way toward helping your loved one live a better life. But that’s only if it’s the right gift.

Some presents can turn a house into a home, while others merely add to the clutter. Thankfully, we at The Verge know a lot about smart home tech, and we’ve rounded up a selection of gifts that can truly add value to your loved one’s life. We’ve included robovacs, pet feeders, and gadgets they can program to take care of everyday tasks on their behalf as well as color-changing lights, art-inspired speakers, and other items that’ll make their home feel more pleasant to live in. We’ve also pulled together some cool gifts that aren’t gadgets — including books, kettles, and a rose that can last up to a year — because, hey, everybody needs a break from tech every now and again.

Dbrand is suing Casetify for ripping off its Teardown designs

Dbrand is suing Casetify for ripping off its Teardown designs

Image: Dbrand

Dbrand, the device skin company known for trolling brands like Sony and Nintendo, is waging a legal battle of its own. The company is suing rival Casetify over claims it blatantly copied Dbrand’s Teardown device skins and cases, which are made to look like the internals of whatever phone, tablet, or laptop you’ve purchased them for. (It’s also introducing some new X-Ray skins on the same day it’s revealing the lawsuit.)

Dbrand first revealed its Teardown products in 2019 in partnership with JerryRigEverything, a YouTuber who breaks down new devices and sometimes even gives them transparent mods. The Teardown skins and cases make it look as if you’ve taken your entire device apart and slapped on a transparent backing — when in reality, it’s just a vinyl decal or a case you slot your phone into.

Even though it’s pretty easy to stick a decal on the back of your phone, a lot of work still goes into making the designs. Dbrand has to carefully disassemble the devices it wants to make a Teardown design for, whether it’s an iPhone 15, iPhone 14, Google Pixel 8, MacBook Pro, or a Galaxy Z Flip 5. It then scans their internals using a commercial-grade machine and puts the image into editing software. There, it makes numerous tweaks, such as removing screws, ribbon cables, and wires, as well as shifting some of the components around to ensure the design fits on the back of the phone, laptop, or tablet before making the prints.

Casetify allegedly took all of this work to use on its own phone cases.

It all started when Casetify launched a similar line of phone cases, called Inside Parts, which similarly puts an image of the components inside your phone on the outside. However, users noticed something wasn’t quite right with the designs. In March, one user on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out that Casetify appeared to be reusing the image of the same internals across different phone models, which means they didn’t accurately represent the insides of each device they were sold for.

Video: Dbrand

Dbrand called out Casetify’s apparent gaffe in a video posted to X, which shows how Casetify seemed to have recycled the same design across Apple, Samsung, and Google devices, with a mocking caption reading “iNsiDe PaRtS.” Just months after Dbrand posted its response to Casetify, the company came back with a new line of transparent-style phone cases called Inside Out.

This time, the images are consistent with the devices the cases are made for — and Dbrand claims that’s because Casetify stole its designs. However, Dbrand alleges Casetify also attempted to conceal the copycats by rearranging parts of the designs to make them look slightly different. (You can see an example of this in the video embedded above.)

There’s some pretty strong evidence backing up Dbrand’s accusations, too. Dbrand spotted the many Easter eggs it planted within its own designs on Casetify’s Inside Out products. That includes the “R0807” tag, which alludes to Dbrand’s tagline as a brand run by robots, as well as the JerryRigEverything catchphrase “glass is glass and glass breaks.”

Image: Dbrand

After scrutinizing the images of the cases on Casetify’s website — and even ordering some to confirm its suspicions — Dbrand discovered Casetify allegedly copied 117 different designs, down to the many digital manipulations it made to the images. Dbrand says it holds registered copyrights for each of these products, all of which were registered before Casetify’s product launch.

“If CASETiFY had simply created their own Teardown-esque design from scratch, we wouldn’t have anything to take issue with,” Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz tells The Verge. “We are under no illusion that dbrand owns the idea of taking apart phones and scanning them. The fact of the matter is that they repurposed our existing designs for their products, then went to great lengths to conceal their illegitimate appropriation of our work.”

That’s why, instead of issuing a cease-and-desist order, Dbrand is hitting Casetify with a federal lawsuit in Canadian courts, where the company is based, and seeking eight figures in damages. It hasn’t given Casetify any warning, either, so you can see the cases in question right now from the company’s website and draw your own conclusions.

Dbrand is also launching a brand-new set of X-ray skins across its entire portfolio today that are rather different from the Teardown ones — they’re black and white, captured at 50 micron resolution by a lab called Haven Metrology, and show details that wouldn’t be visible simply by removing the back cover of a phone, laptop, or gaming handheld.

While Ijaz tells us he doesn’t want anyone to think the lawsuit is a cash grab, the timing of the new skins doesn’t seem to be a coincidence; JerryRigEverything’s video about the lawsuit prominently features the new X-Ray skins, and Nelson suggests twice that fans can buy one to support legal efforts against CASETiFY.

Disclosure: The Verge recently collaborated with Dbrand on a series of skins and cases.

Microsoft, can we please just call it Windows 11.1 already?

Microsoft, can we please just call it Windows 11.1 already?

Image: Microsoft

Every time I see a big Windows 11 update I wonder why it wasn’t a Windows 11.1 or Windows 11.2 release. Instead, Microsoft has used a number of confusing ways to name Windows updates in recent years instead of a simple method like point releases.

Let me illustrate my point to you:

• Windows 10 Anniversary Update
• Windows 10 Creators Update
• Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
• Windows 10 October 2020 Update
• Windows 10 May 2021 Update
• Windows 11 22H2
• Windows 11 2023 Update

As you can see, Microsoft is gradually getting to a more understandable naming strategy for Windows releases, but it still regularly uses 22H2 and 23H2 monikers that sound like weird codenames to regular people. If you head into Windows Update you’re also more likely to see a reference to 23H2, and even the about screen in Windows lists 23H2 as the current version of Windows 11.

I’m not entirely sure what’s stopping Microsoft from using point releases for Windows these days. Windows 8 got its own Windows 8.1 update, but it never had true point releases like Windows 8.1.1 or Windows 8.1.2. Then Windows 10 followed with a confusing mess of marketing and internal names that often don’t make sense.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Even Windows 8 got its own point release.

A few years ago multiple sources told me that Microsoft was looking at naming its updates after animals or people, but ultimately decided against this for a variety of reasons, not least because people can do bad things and you don’t want an OS named after a bad person. Instead, Microsoft transitioned to monthly names over point releases, and now we’re back to yearly names that don’t really mean much when you consider Windows 11 has had multiple big updates in 2023 alone.

Apple successfully uses point releases for iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, even if it stubbornly sticks to naming macOS releases after locations. It’s easy for me to troubleshoot a family member’s iPhone and get a quick and clear idea of what version of iOS they’re running. On Windows, the 23H2 version number doesn’t really tell me much, because there are monthly updates that can add features on top. It’s also far easier to Google “Windows 11.1” than “Windows 11 2023 Update November update” or “Windows 23H2 November features” to find out what got added.

I mean just look at Microsoft’s own update history page for Windows 11, it’s full of a mix of KB numbers and OS build numbers. Now look at Apple’s list of updates to iOS 17, it’s immediately easier to understand that iOS 17.1.1 is the latest. Microsoft lists OS builds 22621.2715 and 22631.2715, which don’t mean much to real humans. Good luck comparing those builds to 22621.2506 and 22631.2506, which were released just two weeks apart.

It could be worse.

Microsoft also has a long history of getting marketing names for its Windows operating systems horribly wrong. Jared Spataro, head of modern work and business applications at Microsoft, joked about Windows naming earlier this month. “Simplicity and naming, well, they haven’t always been our strong suit,” admitted Spataro, while discussing the Bing Chat rebranding to Copilot. “Anyone else remember Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems? Just rolls off the tongue,” he joked.

Still, it could be much worse. Believe it or not, Microsoft used to ship a product called “Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition” and even launched Windows Phone as “Windows Phone 7.1 Series” before quickly dropping the Series part. The Windows Mobile naming history was spread over at least 15 years of different brand names, so we might have a little while to go yet before things get better.

Hopefully with Windows 12, or whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, we’ll finally get point releases back or a clear and easy way to identify the latest version of Windows. Until then, good luck helping your family member with their Windows laptop during Thanksgiving. Oh, and don’t forget to turn off motion smoothing on your family’s TV while you’re at it.

Screensharing mistake gets Nvidia sued over alleged stolen trade secrets

Screensharing mistake gets Nvidia sued over alleged stolen trade secrets

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you’ve ever embarrassed yourself by publicly sharing a part of your screen you weren’t supposed to, spare a thought for Mohammad Moniruzzaman, who’s alleged to have shown off the source code he stole from a former employer during a Microsoft Teams call with that same company. The incident has come to light in a lawsuit filed by Moniruzzaman’s old employer, automotive technology company Valeo, which is suing Nvidia — the company Moniruzzaman moved on to — and accusing it of having benefited from these stolen trade secrets.

Nvidia has spent the better part of a decade attempting to branch out into the automotive market. Valeo is alleging that Moniruzzaman “downloaded without authorization the entirety of Valeo’s advanced parking and driving assistance systems source code” in early 2021, along with “scores of Valeo Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, and Excel spreadsheets explaining various aspects of the technology” before leaving to join Nvidia in August that year.

This alleged theft came to light in March the following year, when employees from both Nvidia and Valeo were on a call together working on a joint parking assistance project for an unnamed automotive parts maker. Nvidia had won the contract to develop software on the project, while Valeo was providing ultrasonic sensor hardware. The lawsuit claims:

“On March 8, 2022, one of these videoconference meetings was scheduled. Mr. Moniruzzaman, now employed by Nvidia, attended the videoconference call… and shared his computer screen during the call. When he minimized the PowerPoint presentation he had been sharing, however, he revealed one of Valeo’s verbatim source code files open on his computer. So brazen was Mr. Moniruzzaman’s theft, the file path on his screen still read “ValeoDocs.” Valeo participants on the videoconference call immediately recognized the source code and took a screenshot before Mr. Moniruzzaman was alerted of his error. By then it was too late to cover his tracks.”

The lawsuit goes on to state that German police “discovered Valeo documentation and hardware pinned on the walls of Mr. Moniruzzaman’s home office” when they raided his home as part of a criminal investigation, and that Valeo’s software and documents were found on his Nvidia computer when it was seized by investigators. Moniruzzaman admitted to stealing Valeo’s software when questioned by German police, according to the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Nvidia did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment, and declined to comment to Bloomberg. But in a letter sent to Valeo’s attorneys, a law firm representing Nvidia claimed the company “has no interest in Valeo’s code or its alleged trade secrets and has taken prompt concrete steps to protect your client’s asserted rights.” Moniruzzaman told Nvidia that the source code was only stored locally on his laptop and not shared with other Nvidia employees.

Bloomberg notes that Moniruzzaman was convicted of infringing Valeo’s business secrets in Germany in September and fined €14,400 ($15,724). But although Nvidia says it has no interest in using the stolen code, Valeo is alleging that its competitor has still benefited from it, saving “millions of dollars in development costs.” And if the code was merged into Nvidia’s database after “extensive edits and feedback loops by other employees,” then Valeo says it’s “unrealistic” to think it could ever be fully removed.

As a result, Valeo is seeking damages and an injunction to stop Nvidia and its employees from using or sharing its trade secrets. The Register reports that a date for the jury trial is yet to be announced.

Five Days of Chaos: How Sam Altman Returned to OpenAI

Five Days of Chaos: How Sam Altman Returned to OpenAI On Friday, Mr. Altman was pushed out of the hot A.I. start-up he ran. But an intense pressure campaign and negotiations brought him back.

Breaking: Sam Altman to return as CEO of OpenAI

Breaking: Sam Altman to return as CEO of OpenAI

Sam Altman speaks during the OpenAI DevDay event on November 6th, 2023. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Sam Altman will return as CEO of OpenAI, overcoming an attempted boardroom coup that sent the company into chaos over the past several days. Former president Greg Brockman, who quit in protest of Altman’s firing, will return as well.

The company said in a statement late Tuesday that it has an “agreement in principle” for Altman to return alongside a new board composed of Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. D’Angelo is a holdover from the previous board that initially fired Altman on Friday; he remains on this initial small board to give the previous board some representation.

A source with direct knowledge of the negotiations says that the sole job of this initial board is to vet and appoint a new formal board of up to 9 people that will reset the governance of OpenAI. Microsoft will likely have a seat on that expanded board, as will Altman himself.

Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella have both now tweeted about the deal to return, which appears to be a done deal minus some last minute paperwork. When asked what “in principle” means, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company had “no additional comments at this time.”

We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo.

We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 22, 2023

i love openai, and everything i’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satya’s support, i’m…

— Sam Altman (@sama) November 22, 2023

We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring… https://t.co/djO6Fuz6t9

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 22, 2023

Altman’s return is even more shocking than his sudden exit on Friday. OpenAI’s nonprofit board seemed resolute in its initial decision to remove Altman, shuffling through two CEOs in three days to avoid reinstating him. Meanwhile, the employees of OpenAI revolted, threatening to defect to Microsoft with Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman if the board didn’t resign.

During the whole saga, the board members who opposed Altman withheld an actual explanation for why they fired him, even under the threat of lawsuits from investors. On Sunday, a key member of the board, Ilya Sutskever, flipped back to Altman’s camp, leaving the remaining three board members more vulnerable. We are told interim CEO Emmett Shear, appointed by the board to replace the previous interim CEO Mira Murati, threatened to resign unless the board could provide documentation or evidence of wrongdoing to support Altman’s firing, which seems like the move that ultimately caused the board to restart negotiations in earnest.

Developing...

Sam Altman Is Reinstated as OpenAI’s Chief Executive

Sam Altman Is Reinstated as OpenAI’s Chief Executive The move caps a chaotic five days at the artificial intelligence company.

Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now

Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now

The Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t a massive step up from the prior model, but it does offer a few new features. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

A couple of months ago, Apple launched its latest batch of smartwatches, introducing the Apple Watch Ultra 2 ($799) alongside the new Apple Watch Series 9 ($399). Each wearable has its own pros and cons, as does the second-gen Apple Watch SE ($249), but the introduction of the new wearables also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had.

But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch you can afford so that it continues to receive software updates from Apple. The latest update, watchOS 10, just launched on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, though no one can say with certainty whether the Series 4 will get the next big software update or whether it will be exclusive to newer watches.

Picking up a watch from the latest (or a recent) generation ensures you’re getting a smartwatch with an updated design, a robust number of features, and plenty of sensors. Now, let’s get into the deals.

Editor’s note: Black Friday is nearly here. Fortunately, several retailers are already slashing prices on Apple’s latest smartwatches, along with AirPods, MacBooks, AirTags, and other Apple products. We’ve rounded up the most noteworthy Apple Watch deals below, but for other tech, check out our guide to the best early Black Friday deals you can get.

The best Apple Watch Series 9 deals

The Apple Watch Series 9 represents the latest wearable in Apple’s flagship Series lineup. It introduces a slightly faster S9 SiP chip and a second-gen ultra wideband chip, which allow for onboard Siri processing and precision finding with your iPhone. It also offers a brighter, 2,000-nit display and works with Apple’s new “double tap,” a feature that lets you tap your thumb and index finger together to carry out various actions. While the improvements are welcome, the Series 9 isn’t a vast departure from the prior model, the Series 8.

The Apple Watch Series 9 only just arrived, but the GPS-equipped model is already on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Target in the 41mm sizing for around $329 ($70 off) or in the larger 45mm configuration at Amazon, Walmart, and Target for as low as $359 ($70 off). As for the LTE model with cellular connectivity, it’s currently available at Amazon, Walmart, and Target starting at $429 ($70 off), matching its all-time low.

Read our Apple Watch Series 9 review.

The best Apple Watch SE deals

The Apple Watch SE received a refresh in late 2022. It has the same chipset as the Series 8, which is great, but with fewer sensors, no always-on display, and a slightly outdated design compared to the Series 8 and Series 9. Those omissions might take this out of the running for some people, but it still may be exactly what you’re after. Best of all, it starts at $249 for the 40mm Wi-Fi / GPS model, which is $30 less than the previous generation’s baseline cost. Opting for cellular connectivity bumps up the starting price to $299 for the 40mm size (44mm adds $20 to each configuration).

Right now, the 40mm Apple Watch SE with GPS is on sale at Amazon for $179 ($70 off); it’s also available for $189 ($60 off) at Best Buy and Target. The GPS-only model, meanwhile, is on sale at Amazon in the 44mm sizing for $209 ($70 off), or at Target and Best Buy for $219 ($60 off). And if you want the LTE configuration, it’s currently available at Amazon starting at just $239 ($60 off).

Read our Apple Watch SE (second-gen) review.

The best Apple Watch Ultra 2 deals

Apple’s latest Apple Watch Ultra launched at $799 in September with GPS and LTE support, much like the original model. The ultra-capable smartwatch has the most features, sensors, and ruggedness of any Apple Watch model available thus far, along with a display that’s 50 percent brighter than the first Ultra. The 49mm smartwatch also packs Apple’s new S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, just like the Apple Watch Series 9, while maintaining long-lasting battery life, precise GPS tracking, and a bevy of diving-friendly sensors.

As part of a slate of Black Friday promos, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $739 ($60 off), an all-time low. What’s more, the current sale price applies to all style configurations, meaning you can pick it up with either an Alpine Loop, a Trail Loop, or an Ocean Band for the same price.

Read our Apple Watch Ultra 2 review.

A note on the more premium models

While all of the Apple Watch models and colorways covered here are encased in aluminum (except the Ultras, which have a titanium build), Apple does make a more premium range built out of stainless steel and titanium. These offerings are functionally and aesthetically similar to their aluminum counterparts, with slightly refined colors and finishings — polished for the stainless steel and brushed for the titanium. However, they start at much steeper prices of $749 and above. They, too, can often be found on sale, but they’re never discounted as low as the standard base models, so we don’t include them here.

Before Altman’s Ouster, OpenAI’s Board Was Divided and Feuding

Before Altman’s Ouster, OpenAI’s Board Was Divided and Feuding Sam Altman attacked a member over a research paper that discussed the company, while directors disagreed about who should fill board vacancies open for months.

Joe Biden’s birthday gift to himself is a Threads account

Joe Biden’s birthday gift to himself is a Threads account

Joe Biden arriving to pardon the National Thanksgiving turkeys on November 20, 2023. | Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

US President Joe Biden signed up for a Threads account today, as did the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the second gentleman, Douglas Emhoff.

Biden’s first post on Meta’s X (formerly Twitter) competitor harkens back to his 2020 presidential victory speech with references to the country’s divisions and its current “inflection point.” Harris gestured to her travels throughout the US and her having met “over 100” world leaders, and Emhoff wrote about gender equity and “countering hate of all kinds.”

Meanwhile, the White House wrote, “The wait is Joe-ver.” Yes, I suppose it is. Former President Obama also posted a birthday message to Biden on Threads today.

Biden and company signing up is a good sign for the platform. Before its name change, Twitter had far fewer regular users than bigger platforms like Facebook. But it tended to draw influential people of all stripes, including political leaders. Biden joining doesn’t mean Threads will become a 1:1 replacement for the Twitter that was, but it may indicate that it has potential as a news source — whether it wants that or not.

According to a statement provided to Axios, the new Biden administration accounts don’t preclude their participation on Elon Musk’s platform. Even so, X’s struggles to retain advertisers have gotten worse in the last week as heavy advertisers, including Apple and the European Commission, abruptly left following a Media Matters report that highlighted hate speech on the platform Musk’s apparent support of it.

Epic Games C.E.O. Says Google Has ‘De Facto Control’ on Android App

Epic Games C.E.O. Says Google Has ‘De Facto Control’ on Android App Tim Sweeney, who runs the company that created Fortnite, testified in a case that, if he wins, could allow competing payment systems on the Play Store.

Linda Yaccarino: advertisers fleeing from X are just “temporarily paused investments”

Linda Yaccarino: advertisers fleeing from X are just “temporarily paused investments”

Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media

Last week, Elon Musk appeared to endorse antisemitic conspiracy theories and posted about supporting white pride on his social platform X, formerly Twitter. Musk’s tweets were then highlighted by a Media Matters article that found advertising from major companies had shown up next to pro-Nazi content. Major advertisers then halted their ad spends on the platform. To address the controversy, CEO Linda Yaccarino sent a memo titled “Our Work Is Meaningful,” reiterating her commitment to X.

As pressure mounts for the company to distance itself from supporting antisemitism, Forbes reported that advertisers are urging Yaccarino to resign as well. A former NBCUniversal chairperson with close ties to the ad industry, Yaccarino had been brought into Musk’s company to restore relationships with the companies that make up the majority of X’s revenue. Advertisers were already concerned their paid content would show up next to antisemitic or otherwise bigoted posts, but they’re especially worried now, when the platform’s owner seems to be actively stoking conspiracies about the Jewish community.

Addressing X employees in a company-wide email, Yaccarino expressed her enthusiasm about the company’s current direction. In the memo, first published by The Hollywood Reporter and obtained by The Verge, she claimed that advertisers had “temporarily paused investments” — an interesting way to phrase major advertisers like Apple, Disney, and IBM pulling their business from the platform because of Musk’s seeming endorsement of antisemitism. She also blamed articles that she believed had been “manipulated” for damaging the platform’s reputation. “The data will tell the real story,” she wrote in her memo, possibly a reference to Musk’s post / screenshot indicating that he would sue Media Matters.

In response, Media Matters’ president Angelo Carusone said, “Elon Musk has spent the last few days making meritless legal threats, elevating bizarre conspiracy theories, and lobbing vicious personal attacks against his ‘enemies’ online. Even if he does not follow through with his threat to sue, the volatility of actions reinforce why major brands are rightly skittish of partnering with X.”

Meanwhile, Semafor reports that Yaccarino has enlisted her son Matt Madrazo to reboot X’s political advertising business, in hopes to make up for the revenue lost by the “temporarily paused investments” of what previously were some of the company’s biggest clients.

Read Linda Yaccarino’s full memo below:

Sam Altman Is Said to Be Discussing Return to OpenAI With Company’s Board

Sam Altman Is Said to Be Discussing Return to OpenAI With Company’s Board Mr. Altman was forced out of the artificial intelligence start-up on Friday, leading to an outcry from his supporters and the company’s investors.

Cruise’s C.E.O. Quits as the Driverless Carmaker Aims to Rebuild Trust

Cruise’s C.E.O. Quits as the Driverless Carmaker Aims to Rebuild Trust Kyle Vogt, a founder of Cruise, resigned from the company on Sunday, weeks after it suspended all of its self-driving operations.

SpaceX’s new Starlink satellite internet terminal has a kickstand

SpaceX’s new Starlink satellite internet terminal has a kickstand

Starlink Standard terminal | Image: SpaceX

SpaceX quietly introduced a new Standard Starlink terminal that’s slimmer and simpler than the previous version, with a 10 percent broader field of view and no motor for setting up — instead, it comes with a kickstand; to orient it, you simply move it. A Starlink support page says the kit is available “by invitation only to a small group of early customers in the US.”

SpaceX bumped its weather resistance rating up from IP54 to IP67, meaning it should be totally dust-proof and can be submerged in one meter of water for as long as 30 minutes before potential damage. Starlink’s specifications page says it can operate in winds over 60MPH. Speaking of which, the company will sell mounts in case you’d rather secure it in place. It’s otherwise roughly the same size as the previous Standard terminal (now called Standard Actuated).

Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt, who posted about the new terminal Friday morning, shared the quick start video for it.

Quick start guide: pic.twitter.com/XdPrG09S0g

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) November 17, 2023

The Wi-Fi router has been redesigned and now sits on its long edge instead of standing upright. It also comes with two coverable ethernet LAN ports and one ethernet WAN port that connects to the terminal (the older model had no ethernet ports at all). It’s now a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 router, whereas the previous model was a dual-band Wi-Fi 5 device, and the site says it can cover up to 3,200 square feet versus the 2,000 square feet of the older router.

Are TikTok and X Amplifying Antisemitic Content? It’s Increasingly Hard to Know.

Are TikTok and X Amplifying Antisemitic Content? It’s Increasingly Hard to Know. People who study social media say the conflict between Israel and Hamas has underscored the need for better data transparency from platforms.

Breaking: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

Breaking: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

Sam Altman. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The OpenAI board is in discussions with Sam Altman to return to CEO, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. One of them said Altman, who was suddenly fired by the board on Friday, is “ambivalent” about coming back and would want significant governance changes.

Developing...

The Fear and Tension That Led to Sam Altman’s Ouster at OpenAI

The Fear and Tension That Led to Sam Altman’s Ouster at OpenAI The departure of the high-profile boss of the San Francisco company drew attention to a philosophical rift among the people building new A.I. systems.

OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman is leaving, too

OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman is leaving, too

Illustration: The Verge

Sam Altman isn’t the only major OpenAI executive leaving the company on Friday. Hours after Altman was fired, with the board saying it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” co-founder and former board chair Greg Brockman revealed on X that he is also quitting.

When OpenAI announced the “leadership transition” and that CTO Mira Murati would take over as interim CEO, it said that Brockman would step down as chairman but remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO. Just a few hours later, that’s no longer true.

In the post on X (formerly Twitter), Brockman said he sent the following message to OpenAI staffers:

hi everyone,

i'm super proud of what we’ve all built together since starting in my apartment 8 years ago. we’ve been through tough & great times together, accomplishing so much despite all the reasons it should have been impossible.

but based on today’s news, i quit.

genuinely wishing you all nothing but the best. i continue to believe in the mission of creating safe AGI that benefits all of humanity.

After learning today’s news, this is the message I sent to the OpenAI team: https://t.co/NMnG16yFmm pic.twitter.com/8x39P0ejOM

— Greg Brockman (@gdb) November 18, 2023

OpenAI unexpectedly announced that it had fired Altman earlier on Friday. The company arguably kicked off tech’s current infatuation with artificial intelligence following the explosive popularity of ChatGPT.

Who Is Mira Murati, OpenAI’s Interim CEO?

Who Is Mira Murati, OpenAI’s Interim CEO? The company’s interim C.E.O. has been managing the development and distribution of ChatGPT and DALL-E for years.

Apple and Disney Halt Ads on X After Musk Endorses Antisemitic Post

Apple and Disney Halt Ads on X After Musk Endorses Antisemitic Post Disney, Apple and Lionsgate halted marketing on X, formerly Twitter, as Elon Musk faced a furor over antisemitic abuse on his social media platform.

X Races to Contain Damage After Elon Musk Endorses Antisemitic Post

X Races to Contain Damage After Elon Musk Endorses Antisemitic Post IBM, a major advertiser on X, has pulled its spending from the social media platform, whose employees are grappling with what to tell its other advertisers, according to internal messages.

Twitter’s decentralized offshoot Bluesky now has 2 million users

Twitter’s decentralized offshoot Bluesky now has 2 million users

A Bluesky sign-in screen. | Image: Bluesky

Bluesky, a decentralized social media app alternative to X (formerly Twitter), has announced that it has now crossed 2 million users — doing so just two months after crossing 1 million users. The company is also finally about to add a public web interface, which might help make it a more attractive destination for journalists and other users.

One big hurdle for Bluesky to reach a bigger audience is that people can’t view links to posts without being signed in, so the upcoming public web interface should finally help alleviate that problem. The public interface is slated for launch “around the end of this month,” according to the company’s blog post.

Bluesky will also open the floodgates for federation early next year. Bluesky is technically decentralized, since it’s built on top of the AT Protocol, but users who sign up for Bluesky (which is still invite-only) still must sign up via the company’s main bsky.social network. A federated network would allow users to post through various providers instead of a large central platform like most big social media companies. Right now, Mastodon is the most prominent decentralized Twitter-like platform that already openly supports multiple providers and has attracted a lot of journalists and professionals.

Bluesky has also highlighted how it had recently added features like mobile push notifications, email verification for your account, and accessibility improvements like improvements to alt text.