Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Google and the US Justice Department each believe the other wants too much of one thing: control. “Control is the defining characteristic of a monopolist,” DOJ counsel Julia Tarver Wood said during opening statements in the federal government's second antitrust trial against the search giant, which kicked off Monday in Alexandria, Virginia. To the government, Google exerts too much control over every step in the way publishers sell advertising space online and how advertisers buy it, resulting in a system that benefits Google at the expense of nea ..read more

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance — a vocal proponent of conspiracy theories about immigrants “replacing” Americans — is now spreading misinformation about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio killing family pets and protected wildlife. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” Vance posted on X on Monday, echoing an unsubstantiated rumor that took off on right-wing social media over the weekend. The unnamed “reports” Vance cites are likely from Infowars or the ..read more

Photo by Jemal Countess / Getty Images James Earl Jones, the distinguished actor behind the voice of Darth Vader, has died at age 93, according to Deadline. Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, in 1931. After managing to overcome a speech impediment, Jones went on to have a massive acting career, with credits spanning dozens of plays, TV shows, and films over several decades. He got his start on Broadway, starring in Sunrise At Campobello at the Cort Theatre in 1958 — now known as the James Earl Jones Theatre. However, his 1977 role in the very first Star Wars left a huge mark on his audi ..read more

Apple now sells four different AirPods, all of which support USB-C charging.Image: Apple Alongside the new iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Series 10, Apple announced three new versions of the AirPods during its “It’s Glowtime” event on Monday. They include the new entry-level AirPods 4 for $129, a higher-end AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation (ANC) that costs $179, and a revised AirPods Max priced at $549. All three will be available on September 20th and can be preordered today. According to Apple, the two new AirPods 4 models offer significantly improved sound over the third generation. And ..read more

Apple updated its lineup to include new colors and features, including sleep apnea alerts.Image: Apple The iPhone 16 took center stage during Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event on Monday, but it wasn’t the only new gadget to make its debut. Apple also introduced the new Apple Watch Series 10 and a black version of the existing Apple Watch Ultra 2. Both are available for preorder starting today and launch on September 20th, with the Series 10 starting at $399 and the latest Ultra 2 starting at $799. The Apple Watch Series 10 is Apple’s thinnest wearable and comes with a new wide-angle OLED screen ..read more

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Apple has revealed the launch date for iOS 18 — and it’s just days away. The update, which will add new ways to customize your iPhone’s homescreen and lockscreen, arrives on September 16th. In iOS 18, you can freely rearrange apps and widgets on your homescreen and change their appearance. Apple is rolling out a redesigned Control Center, too, along with a new password management app and support for satellite messaging. Some other updates include new text effects in messages, a revamped Photos app, and new ways to organize your inbox in the Mail app. However, t ..read more

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge AMD is saying the quiet part out loud: it’s now prioritizing AI chips ahead of flagship GPUs for gamers. The company’s just laid out a new business strategy, where it will merge its RDNA gaming graphics and CNDA data center efforts into a single universal “UDNA” that’s aimed at AI first. In two interviews with Tom’s Hardware (you’ll definitely want to read both), AMD computing and graphics boss Jack Huynh doesn’t beat around the bush. With gaming graphics, he explains, the goal is now building scale and market share at lower price points — not the “King of the H ..read more

Beats’ new iPhone 16 cases feature a microfiber-lined interior and will come in four colors.Image: Beats Beats, Apple’s other headphone brand, just announced its first collection of smartphone cases designed for the Apple 16 lineup, with full compatibility with the new Camera Control button. The $49 hardshell polycarbonate cases feature “flexible sidewalls” to help absorb some of the impact when dropped and a microfiber lining to protect an iPhone’s finish. According to Beats, the outer surface of each case has been treated with a “glossy scratch-resistant coating,” a feature that potentially ..read more

A group of people on a film set staring towards the camera.HBO HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is no stranger to building doomed cinematic universes, but the network seems game to poke fun at the messy business of it all with Armando Iannucci, Sam Mendes, and Jon Brown’s new series, The Franchise. Set in a world where the fictional superhero movie Tecto: Eye of the Storm is deep into production, The Franchise follows as the film’s crew tries to survive the experience of working on a project that seems destined to fail. Between dealing with temperamental actors and fire scares, th ..read more

Image: Apple Apple released a new, more powerful version of the MagSafe charger during its September iPhone 16 event today. The puck will be compatible with all iPhones and any Qi2 device, but only the new iPhone 16 models are listed as supporting the fastest 25W wireless charging rate. That’s a higher maximum rate than the phones offered by Samsung and Google right now — the Galaxy S24 series maxes out at 15W, while Google’s Pixel 9 phones range from 15W–23W when using the second-generation Google Pixel Stand. (Pixel 9 models can only manage 12W charging on standard Qi chargers.) For faster ..read more