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It doesnt officially arrive until November 29, but the Black Friday deals have already begun.

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MacworldWeve all been there. You decide to pick up a shiny new device, so you head to the shops and return home with your expensive purchase; all is well with the world. Then a week later a newer, better version is released, and youre left wondering whether youve wasted your money.In this article we show how to avoid this trauma by explaining when its the best time to buy an iPad.If youre struggling to decide which one is the right device for you, incidentally, you should also take a look at our iPad buying guide. When is the best time to buy an iPad?Its not so easy to say when the best time to buy an iPad is because there is no clear schedule to when Apple will update any of the iPad models. However, since Apple doesnt tend to update iPads as regularly as it does iPhones and the Apple Watch, you can be reasonabl.y condident that is the iPad is less than a year and a half old it probably isnt about to be updated. Safe in the knowledge that an update isnt due soon, you might be wondering if the price might change. Rather than wait for Apple to drop the price, which happens very rarely, our recommendation would be to look for deals from retailers. We see deals throughout the year, but the best tend to happen during Amazon Prime Day (July ad October) or Black Friday (November). The best time to buy an Apple Watch isnt necessarily when a new model launches. If you wait a month or two you might be able to take advantages of sales and price drops from resellers. During October and November we see lots of sales events, such as Amazon Prime Day andBlack Friday, and you can expect to get some money off at these events. Apple doesnt discount its products at its own stores, but it does offer vouchers with new purchases from time to timeand Black Friday is one of those times. For advice on where to buy, read our roundup of the Best iPad deals.Looking for a Black Friday deal: SeeBest Black Friday 2024 Apple dealsandBest Black Friday iPad deals.How often is the iPad updated?Life would be a bit easier for the iPad fanbase if you could always rely on the latest update to your preferred model appearing in September, as is the case with the iPhone. Instead, Apple updates its iPads on a less predictable schedule, with new models tending to appear around September/October or April, and often with a gap of two or more years between updates. Heres a list of the iPads on sale today and when they were last updated: iPad (10th generation, 10.9-inch): October 2022iPad Air (M2): March 2024iPad Pro (M4): March 2024iPad mini (A17 Pro): October 2024As you can see, its been a few years since the standard iPad was updated, and we do expect that Apple will be updating it in 2025. The iPad mini update in October 2024 came three years after the last update, which happened at the end of 2021. When will Apple launch new iPads? We probably wont see Apple update the iPad Air or iPad Pro for a while. We dont expect either to be updated in 2025. The iPad mini now runs on a processor compatible with Apple Intelligence, so it is also future-proofed for a few more years. The iPad on the other hand still features an older A15 chip that wont run Apple Intelligence, so it is likely that Apple will bring it into line with those requirements in 2025. Read about Apples plans for the 11th gen iPad. Is now a good time to buy an iPad?Heres our breakdown of the four types of iPad that Apple currently sells, and in each case whether you should buy now or wait.iPad (10th gen, 10.9-inch): Buy now or wait?Best Prices Today: 0.01 at idealo398 at notebooksbilliger.de399 at AppleLast updated: October 2022Is now a good time to buy? NoThe current 10-inch iPad arrived in October 2022.This is the cheapest iPad, with a starting price of $349/329, and as such it is an easy model to recommend for those who dont care about the latest flashy innovations and instead want a reliable, mid-size tablet in fun colors, for general use. However, if size isnt important, you may be better off with the smaller iPad mini, which starts at $499/499, but offers double the storage at the entry level, 128GB rather than 64GB. Alternatively, wait until spring 2025 when we expect Apple will update the standard iPad model. Read our full Apple iPad (10th gen, A14, 2022) review iPad mini: Buy now or wait?Price When Reviewed:599 EuroBest Prices Today: 579 at Computeruniverse599 at Alternate599 at AppleLast updated: October 2024Is now a good time to buy? Yes, you can buy now: a new model was launched in October 2024 and its great! As we mentioned above, the 2024 iPad mini now offers 128GB storage at the entry level, rather than a measly 64GB. This is a definite point in its favor. In addition, the 2024 model features a chip compatible with Apple Intelligence features, so it will be nicely future-proofed for a while (and its likely to be a few years until Apple updates it). There is a choice of color options, as there are on the iPad and iPad Air. The iPad mini has pale blue, purple and starlight in contrast to the bolder color choices on the Air and standard iPad.Read our full Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) review iPad Air: Buy now or wait?Best Prices Today: 639 at notebooksbilliger.de659 at Alternate679 at Computeruniverse598,00 at amazon.deLast updated: March 2024Is now a good time to buy? We dont expect that Apple will update the iPad Air until 2026, so now is a great time to buy one. The iPad Air with M2 chip is a stunning machine at a comparatively affordable price. It has some competition from the iPad Pro (which has a more meaty M4 chip), and its no longer the thin, light offering it once was now that the iPad Pro is just as slim. Like the iPad Pro the iPad Air now comes in two sizes, so you can choose either a 11-inch or 14-inch display. Its the iPad Air that has the fun color palette though, available in blue, pink, yellow or silver, while the Pro has a more professional color scheme.It is unlikely that the iPad Air will be undated before 2026. So, if you want to buy one now is a good time.Read our full iPad Air 11 Zoll (2024) review iPad Pro: Buy now or wait?Price When Reviewed:1.449Best Prices Today: 1329 at Computeruniverse1359 at Alternate1.299,00 at amazon.deLast updated: March 2024Is now a good time to buy? We dont expect that Apple will update the iPad Air until 2026, so now is a great time to buy one. As the flagships of Apples tablet range, the iPad Pro 11-inch and 14-inch are highly desirable devices that boast incredible levels of performance. These features dont come cheap, though, so youll want to be careful when considering when to buy.The good news is that they were last updated in the spring of 2024, with Apple furnishing them with the M4 chip, which at that point hadnt even debuted on the Mac, means Apple is extremely unlikely to launch a new Pro in the immediate future. Read our full iPad Pro 11 Zoll M4 (2024) review

MacworldApple is expected to launch an extra-thin model when it unveils the iPhone 17 line-up next year. But exactly how thin are we talking? A new report appears to confirm the figure is 6mm, which would make the iPhone 17 Air/Slim the thinnest smartphone Apple has ever released.The analyst Jeff Pu put out a research note Monday supporting a recent rumor about the devices thickness. We agreed with the recent chatter of [a] 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model, he wrote in the note, seen by MacRumors.At 6mm, the Air would easily snatch the record previously held by the 6.9mm iPhone 6; the iPhone 16 is a comparatively chunky 7.8mm thick, while the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are a positively obese 8.25mm. Oddly enough, as MacRumors points out, you can get a thinner iPad: the 13- and 11-inch versions of the latest iPad Pro are just 5.1mm and 5.3mm respectively. And the final iPod nano came in under 6mm too, not that this is a fair comparison against a full smartphone.As ever with rumored Apple products, the iPhone 17 Air has come in for plenty of criticism long before its even been announced. Theres a sense among pundits that 6mm wouldnt be thin enough to warrant an Air or Slim branding or the likely high price tag; MacRumors itself wrote a story earlier this month complaining that the device may not be much thinner than the iPhone 6, as if being thinner than the thinnest ever iPhone, which incidentally had just a 4.7-inch screen and vastly inferior components and cameras, would not be an engineering feat worth celebrating.Conversely, most of the negative discussion on Reddit argues that slimming down to 6mm goes beyond usefulness. In this thread:Hard no for me. Gimme thicker with big battery.Does it really matter when most people will slap a massive case and screen protector on there? Give me a thicker phone with better battery life.I dont think thinness or lightness is a huge priority.Why the obsession to go thin?I never loved the thinness of my iPhone 6s. It was just too thin. [Editors note: the iPhone 6s was slightly thicker than the iPhone 6, at 7.1mm.]Were still a long way off the launch of the iPhone 17 series, and Apple may find ways between now and then to further slim down the Air modelperhaps even rivaling the iPad Pro. But with half of the community complaining that its too thick and the other half complaining that its too thin, it feels like Apple might have got the balance about right.Catch all the latest news and rumors in our regularly updated iPhone 17 superguide. Or, if you dont want to wait until next fall, pick up a bargain on the current range with our roundup of the best Black Friday iPhone deals.

Stop me if youve heard this one: Googles got two primary user-facing platforms, Android and ChromeOS and, if the latest rumors are to be believed, the company may be on the brink of bringing em together and combining em into a single, streamlined entity.If youre feeling a funny sense of dj vu, you arent alone. Weve been going through some version of this same exact scenario more or less nonstop since the advent of ChromeOS nearly a decade and a half ago.The buzz reached a boiling point around 2015, when a string of reports told us with no uncertainty that Google was, like, totally gonna merge Android and ChromeOS and that the long-predicted one-or-the-other duel was nearing its inevitable conclusion.The reality, of course, has thus far turned out to be far more nuanced and less dramatic. Instead of merging the two platforms into one, Googles spent the past several years working to align them and bring more Android-inspired elements into the ChromeOS environment. The result has been an experience that feels noticeably more consistent, complementary, and connected and thats turned Chromebooks into a much more versatile, capable, and broadly appealing computing product thats genuinely compelling for professional purposes.And yet, the notion of Android and ChromeOS coming together continues to come up. A fresh set of rumors about a pending platform merger is gaining steam this second, in fact. And while Im usually the first person to throw water on such possibilities and raise the curtain of skepticism around those claims, for the first time, Im actually thinking: You know, right now, this might make an awful lot of sense.Let me explain.[Get level-headed knowledge in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things to know and try every Friday!]Googles never-ending Android-ChromeOS sagaThese latest rumors, from known Android oracle Mishaal Rahman, stem from an unnamed source within Google. And they state, unequivocally, that Google is working on a multi-year project to fully turn ChromeOS into Android, with an intended end result of creating a single platform that finally bests the iPad.To better compete with the iPad as well as manage engineering resources more effectively, Google wants to unify its operating system efforts. Instead of merging Android and ChromeOS into a new operating system like rumors suggested in the past, however, a source told me that Google is instead working on fully migrating ChromeOS over to Android. While we dont know what this means for the ChromeOS or Chromebook brands, we did hear that Google wants future Chromebooks to ship with Android.While this specific suggestion may sound somewhat new, the idea behind it actually dates back to the first set of serious rumors around an Android-ChromeOS combo. Back then, in 2015, the theory was that Google would somehow fold ChromeOS into Android to create a single combined mega-platform.And that same basic scenario is almost exactly whats being proposed again today.Its a significant twist from the most recent set of Android-ChromeOS merger rumors, from 2018, which suggested that Google was cookin up an entirely new piece of software called Fuchsia thatd ultimately act as an all-purpose replacement for Android and ChromeOS alike. That rumor had echoes of a previous narrative (!) around a similarly all-new operating system called Andromeda from 2016, even down to the alleged Pixel-branded laptop being prepped to showcase the newly combined software.Spoiler alert: Neither possibility ended up playing out as predicted.At those times, I was adamant that a full-fledged merger of any sort with Android and ChromeOS seemed unlikely and that, just like early on in the platforms coexistence, more nuanced ongoing alignments seemed like the more logical progression. Those analyses have proven somewhat prophetic over time.But now, Im not nearly as convinced that that sort of sanity-seeking, perspective-drawing counternarrative needs to exist.Reconsidering an Android-ChromeOS comboTo be clear, Im not basing my conclusions here off any sort of inside info. Ive reached out to Google to ask for clarity around the latest Android-ChromeOS combo reports, and as of this writing, Ive yet to hear back with any official answers.My views are based entirely on my own observations, as someone whos both personally used and closely covered Android and ChromeOS since their earliest eras.And unlike with every past rumor along these lines, this one feels almost shockingly sensible from the perspective of Google, as a business, and also from the perspective of those of us who use and rely on devices across the Android-ChromeOS spectrum as part of our professional and/or personal lives.As Ive continued to contemplate this over the past few days, Ive realized I have a couple core reasons why this strikes me as being such a sensible shift from all perspectives at this point:1. The Google benefitFirst and foremost, we have to remember that Google is a business and so any move it makes has to be something thatd benefit it from a business perspective as well as, ideally, benefitting us as its users.And on that front, an Android-ChromeOS combo has never made more sense.For months now, weve been watching Google realign its business to cut costs and streamline, simplify, and eliminate areas that arent actively moving the organization forward in any measurable way. Part of that has even involved an ongoing shift in the teams responsible for Android and ChromeOS divisions that recently lost their longtime leaders and became part of a broader Google Platforms and Devices team under the same single executive previously responsible only for homemade hardware.At the same time, Googles been increasing its under-the-hood alignment of Android and ChromeOS in some eyebrow-raising ways. Most notably, this past summer, the company announced it would begin working on revamping the under-the-hood ChromeOS engine to use the same foundation as Android a nerdy-sounding pivot that, one could contend, sets the stage for something exactly like what were hearing about now to follow.On top of that, weve seen signs suggesting work is afoot on a new Android-based version of Chrome thatd support extensions and an effort to allow Linux access within Android just like we already have within ChromeOS. Lets not forget, too, about the new under-development desktop windowing system for Android tablets and even the decreased emphasis of the signature Chromebook Launcher/Search/Everything key. Considered under the umbrella of this latest rumor, it sure seems reasonable to see these once-disparate-seeming shifts as pieces thatd build toward that same broader puzzle.Factor in fresh questions around whether Google could one day be forced to sell off Chrome entirely as part of its ongoing U.S. monopoly investigation, and its easy to see why a move to Android as the underpinnings of a Chromebook could now add up in a way that didnt entirely come together in the past.But theres another side to the story, too, and its every bit as important.2. The user benefitAs someone who uses both Android and ChromeOS every single day, two truths about the platforms are undeniable:The Android touch experience is exceptional. When youre using Android on a phone or a tablet in an optimal Android environment, at least youre typically left wanting for nothing.At the same time, the Chromebook desktop experience is in a league of its own. Using a ChromeOS device as a computer is incredible and something that, despite all the ongoing progress over the years, Android in the same scenario simply cant match.Now, dont get me wrong: Android and ChromeOS both provide perfectly passable experiences in their alternate forms. A Chromebook in its tablet mode is fine, as is an Android device in its desktop environment. But neither holds a candle to what the other platform can offer in its more native-feeling default version of that same environment Android on the touch side and ChromeOS with a keyboard.So if Google managed to create a situation where you could essentially enjoy Android when a device is in a touch-centric form and then seamlessly switch to something that felt like a Chromebook when a keyboard is attached, it could create a brilliant best-of-both-worlds mashup a scenario where you dont have to settle for passable and could instead have the best possible option for any given way youre using a device at any moment, whether its an Android tablet or a Chromebook in name.Its not far removed from my long-standing dream of owning a gadget thatd seamlessly switch to either Android or ChromeOS to match which arrangement would be most advantageous depending on how, exactly, youre using the thing. Perhaps not coincidentally, in fact, experiments around a system just like that showed up in some of Googles source code earlier this year.And speaking of such subjectsThe Android-ChromeOS combo path no ones consideringMy revelation about the two-pronged benefit of an Android-ChromeOS merger today took me back to something a ChromeOS executive said to me in an interview a couple years ago:Whats underneath doesnt really matter to the user. You could have 10 different operating systems, one for each form factor, if you wanted that. The important piece is what you present to the user.That, [Google Senior Director of Product Management Alexander] Kuscher says, is why Android and ChromeOS have continued to grow more consistent and connected over the years. In Googles view, the operating system is less important than the experience and increasingly, its working to present experiences that are so similar that they feel more like different branches of the same tree than completely separate forests.And that, in turn, reminded me of some musings I shared back in 2016 when the previous Android and ChromeOS coming together rumors were taking shape and everyone was convinced, again, that Google was on the brink of beginning an effort to fold ChromeOS into Android and create a single streamlined operating system.At that time, I raised this newly intriguing notion:What if [this] were essentially just a way to give Android devices a desktop mode a ChromeOS-like environment that appears when, say, a physical keyboard is present, with a more traditional Android interface remaining in place for touch-centric use? A ChromeOS-like environment wouldnt be ideal as a core part of the regular touch-centric Android experience, after all, but it sure could be valuable as an option for scenarios involving more productivity-oriented and laptop-like use.And what if this best-of-both-worlds, dual-purpose mentality applies not only to convertible systems but also to phones? Such a setup could effectively turn any compatible Android device into a versatile all-purpose computer that packs the strengths of Googles two platforms into a single superpowered package.Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.To be clear, the current state of these current rumors makes it sound like Googles moving toward a more full-fledged adoption of Android on the Chromebook front a full merger, as opposed to any sort of harmonious coexistence.But still: Perhaps there could be more nuance involved. Perhaps the Chromebook/Android desktop mode side of the equation could still look and feel largely like what we consider to be ChromeOS today, only with Android running as the foundation beneath it. Perhaps Android could be the base of the future Chromebook experience and not the entire experience itself, in any front-facing, user-visible way. And perhaps those Google-exec comments about whats underneath not mattering and the operating system being less important than the experience could come into play once more.If Google can manage to pull that off effectively without sacrificing too much of what makes ChromeOS special, this could be a very good thing for both the company and for those of us who rely on its platforms Android and ChromeOS alike.But that involves an awful lot of if-type questions. And right now, most of them remain vexingly unanswered.Android-ChromeOS combo caveats and a philosophical ponderingSo, yes: I see a lot of logic in the notion of an Android-ChromeOS combo now for Google and for us, as users of its software and devices. But I also have a lot of concerns about how this could play out, particularly as someone whos long been immersed in the Chromebook universe and appreciative of the unique advantages that platform offers for businesses, schools, and also regular ol individual computer owners.Specifically:ChromeOS has some significant security advantages in the way its software is structured. These are an important part of the Chromebook proposition, particularly for businesses and other organizations. If the ChromeOS base is replaced with Android, would these architectural advantages be lost?Chromebooks also offer some incredibly important advantages around updates, with fresh software showing up every few weeks quickly and reliably, regardless of who made a device or how old it may be. And most Chromebooks are now promised a minimum of 10 years of ongoing software support. This, suffice it to say, is quite a contrast from the update situation on Android, where the manufacturer- and carrier-dependent nature of that operating system creates a bit of a Wild West scenario (outside of Googles own closely controlled Pixel devices).On the same note, a big part of why Chromebooks can offer such a stable update experience is because of the consistency ChromeOS creates from one device to the next. Unlike Android, where device-makers and carriers alike are able to modify the software in all sorts of ways, every Chromebook is essentially identical in terms of its interface and software experience. And so Google can send out updates universally, without third-party companies needing to be involved (the variable that always leads to extended delays and irksome uncertainty on Android).Finally, on a less tangible but every bit as consequential consideration, using a Chromebook feels noticeably and meaningfully different from using Android in a desktop state. ChromeOS has always offered a true desktop-caliber experience in a way that Android has never managed to match. If Google isnt able to maintain that and if the Chromebook/Android desktop mode interface feels more like a traditional Android tablet experience instead of a true desktop-caliber, Chromebook-style setup thatd be a massive stumble in the wrong direction and a major devolution for the productivity-first focus the company has managed to create with ChromeOS.Googles got its work cut out for it, in other words. But unlike in the past, this possibility seems promising. And the more you think about it, the more sense it really makes again, if Google manages to get it right.A decade ago, I posed a philosophical question about the ever-overlapping future of Android and ChromeOS. At the time, the question represented my thinking about these platforms from a slightly different perspective, with the notion of ChromeOS potentially taking over for Android at some theoretical point down the road.The tables may have turned in the other direction, but the question itself feels freshly relevant today:If all Android apps can eventually run on ChromeOS and if ChromeOS evolves to look more like Android while web apps and Android apps grow increasingly similar in design would you notice the difference between a phone running Android and a phone running Chrome?Flip that question around, and youve got a fascinating slice of food for thought for this current situation. If all these factors come together and Google manages to make the surface-level Chromebook interface similar enough while maintaining each environments under-the-hood advantages a tall order, to be sure would you even realize if your Chromebook technically ran Android?We may not know the answer for some time yet. This project is said to be a multi-year effort, and thats providing all the still-unofficial details are accurate and the plans continue to push forward. (All tech companies test out ideas internally that never end up seeing the light of day, and Google in particular is notorious for developing concepts and then abandoning em before they ever turn into anything.)But this sure is an interesting notion to chew over. And for the first time, it feels like there could be something to it beyond just misguided excitement.Want even more Googley knowledge? Check out my free Android Intelligence newsletter to get next-level tips and insight delivered directly to your inbox starting with my Android Notification Power-Pack as a special welcome bonus!

Microsoft has introduced a newtool inMicrosoft 365Copilot toautomaterepetitive tasks, part of a drive to make the generative AI(genAI)assistant more useful to users.Copilot Actions, announced atMicrosofts Ignite conferenceTuesday,features a simple trigger-and-action interface that Microsoft hopeswill make the workflow automationsaccessibleto a wide range of workers.The company offered upa few examplesfor Copilot Actionsin ablog post.It can be set to create an automatic summary of important action points at the end of the workday, gather inputs from a team for a weekly newsletter, or summarize recent interactions with a client ahead of a meeting.The feature is now in private preview.A Gartnersurvey of digital workersindicatedthat 51% have customized and built their own workflows, apps and automations,so the demand is certainly there for business users (aka citizen developers) to build their own AI agents, said Jason Wong, vice president analyst at Gartner.Microsofts low-code and no-code tools,includingPower Apps and Power Automate, havealready paved the way for Copilot Studio for citizen development, Wong said.However, Copilot Studio is still an immature product, and organizations have only started to upskill their employees to understand how to build generative AI powered apps or agents.Other new features announced atIgniteinclude an update to Copilot Pages,the recently-launched document editor tool connected to M365 Copilot. Microsoft will add rich artifacts to Copilot Pages, which lets users share a wider variety of information generated in Copilot, such as blocks of code or flow charts, and share them to a Pages document.Copilot Pages is due tobe generally available in early 2025, Microsoft said.Copilot in Teams will soon be able to analyze visual content shared on-screen during a video call, and users can ask the assistant for a quick summary of files shared in Teams Chat. Both features will be in public preview early next year.Theres also an interpreter function coming to Teams that Microsoft claims will translate meeting participantsspeech in real-time during a video call. Available in public preview in early 2025, Microsoft said it will also be possible simulate a users voice in the translated audio.The feature, currently in private preview,isone of several examples of AI agents coming to M365 Copilot and M365 apps.Microsoft alsoannouncedAI agents for M365 Copilot includingthe general availability of the previously announced agent builder functionality in SharePoint; the latteressentially lets users created a tailored chatbottorespond to queries related to a specific set of files stored in the content management application. To help manage and secure data accessed by M365 Copilot, Microsoft will make the SharePoint Advanced Management add-on (which previously cost $3 per user a month) available at no extra cost starting early next year.Theres an Employee Self-Service Agent for BizChatthe chat interface for M365 Copilot whereemployees can ask HR and IT-related questions, such asrequesting a new laptop. The agent, now in a private preview, can be customized in Microsofts Copilot Studio app.Theres an agent to automate project management processes in Microsofts Planner app (in public preview now),with plans in place toopenupaccess to third-party agents from the likes of ServiceNow in the coming months.Microsoft hasstruggled to convinceMicrosoft 365customersthat its worth investing inits various genAI tools,many of whichlaunched last year.The latest updates provide an opportunity to show the business value of the genAI assistant, which costs $30 per user each month.While MicrosoftsWave 2of M365 Copilotfeaturesannouncedin Septembercan be viewed as an attempt to win overundecided buyers, Wong said the new agentic capabilitiesannounced at Ignitearereally more for their current M365 Copilot customers to extend the business value of generative AI beyond individual productivity to show greater ROI.Copilot customers[dont]just want content creation and summarization, he said.They want Copilot to replace manual work, impact team workflows and drive process improvements.

Growing up, I knew I wanted to get married, but wasn't sure I'd have kids.When I met my husband, he had a daughter already, and I was surprised by my connection to her.I found that I love being a stepmom.In seventh grade, we were tasked with writing an autobiography. My sunflower-fabric-adorned masterpiece still lives at my parents' house, tucked away in a cabinet among photo albums and newspaper clippings.I pulled it out not long ago and flipped through the pages. Twelve-year-old me imagined I'd go to grad school and become a journalist (check and check). I was surprised by how accurately I saw myself, even at a young age.Then I came to my projections page, where I mused, "I don't know if I would like to have children, but I hope to get married."It's now 27 years later, and not much has changed. As I prepare to enter my 40s, I've had moments of the proverbial "baby fever," but it always fades. I'm an introvert who's solidly protective of my solo time, and I always assumed that meant that all manner of parenting would be a no-go for me.So you can imagine my surprise when I met my now-stepdaughter a few years ago and discovered I thoroughly enjoy being a parent figure in her life.I never expected to become a stepmom, but I'm glad I didI stumbled into all of it and met my husband, Davey, on a dating app while attempting to make platonic guy friends. It quickly became romantic, and I felt an internal push-pull. I wanted to grow our relationship, but I was also terrified to meet his daughter, and he was rightfully concerned about introducing any romantic partners to his child.But when I did meet her the summer after she finished kindergarten, it went well. We all hung out a couple more times, and she started asking about me and inviting me to things. I felt a connection with her; she's curious, inquisitive, and fun. I often get compliments now from strangers on her "bright energy," and that stood out to me back then, too.Davey and I got engaged, and we moved in together. We were married a year later. I officially became a stepmom, and though I told my husband I didn't want to be expected to do hands-on parenting if I didn't want to I embraced my new role.Parenting has expanded my lifeI enjoy so many things about parenting. I'm more present in my life because I don't want to miss her excitement during new experiences. I'm more involved in my community because I want to make sure she's exposed to as many things as possible. I'm more patient and thoughtful because I want to be a good example.It's been amazing to watch my family welcome her and see my parents become grandparents for the first time. I've developed new friendships with moms that I wouldn't have otherwise; as much as we want to believe that friendships can transcend circumstance, it's just a fact that you're more exposed to people in the same season of life as you.Recently, a friend asked me what my childcare responsibilities are, and I rattled off some things: I pack school lunches, plan playdates and sleepovers, figure out our travel schedule, and help her pick outfits. I do homework with her after school and create quizzes to help her master key concepts. I helped teach her to ride a bike, and I manage her extracurricular activities.That's all the logistical stuff, but I also talk to her about big topics like God and spirituality and feelings like pride and humility. We make gratitude lists together and talk about everything she wants to do in the future (so far, she wants to be a baker and maybe adopt a kid someday).Being a stepmom is the best of both worldsNot long ago, Davey and I questioned whether we should expand our family. My stepdaughter asks for a sibling, and sometimes I think, "I'm already parenting, right?"Yet I can't deny that as much as I love our family, I also love the built-in breaks that come with split custody. We have our downtime, and we each get to have our own interests without sacrificing family time or arranging childcare. It's the best of both worlds, and it's working for me right now.This past summer, we went to the beach. My stepdaughter followed me into the ocean and wrapped her arms around me. "Everything's better when I'm with you and my dad," she said, and my heart exploded. It's moments like those that make me feel so lucky to have this opportunity.Yes, I may have always seen myself as child-free, but I don't anymore. I am a stepmom a bonus parent, but still a parent, and a role that feels right for me.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, co-heads of DOGE, are working out how to cut the federal government.Javier Milei, the Argentine leader who both men have praised, advised cutting to 'the very limit.'Milei closed nine ministries, firing thousands of officials, and cut spending by an estimated 31%.Argentina's president says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy should all go "all the way" in cutting US federal spending.Javier Milei made the comments in an episode of the Lex Fridman podcast released on Tuesday."My advice would be for them to go all the way, to push it to the very limit, and do not give up," he said. "Do not let down their guard."Milei has presided over sweeping spending cuts in Argentina, firing tens of thousands of public employees, shutting down half the country's 18 ministries, and cutting state spending by an estimated 31% in his first 10 months in office.The measures have helped bring inflation down from 25.5% when he took office in December 2023 to 2.7% in October.But they have also ignited a recession and mass civil unrest, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets and unions holding regular strikes across the country."Just cut to the chase. Cut to the chase," Milei told Fridman when asked what advice he had for Musk and Ramaswamy.Both Musk and Ramaswamy have repeatedly praised Milei and taken inspiration from him for their Department of Government Efficiency.On Wednesday, Musk said Argentina had made "impressive progress,'" while Ramaswamy said on Monday that the US needed "Milei-style cuts on steroids."On Sunday, Ramaswamy told Fox News that he expected the wholesale closure of some federal agencies a measure that mirrors that taken by Milei in Argentina.Milei and Musk have long spoken admiringly of one another and were together at President-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort last week.The two men met for the first time in April at Musk's Tesla plant in Austin, where they discussed free markets and their opposition to bureaucracy, according to a statement from Milei's office.In an X post in September, Musk said his companies were "actively" looking for ways to invest in and support Argentina after the two men met on the sidelines of a United Nations summit in New York held at the time.While Milei has achieved most of his sweeping cuts via executive decree, US spending cuts would likely involve working with Congress, where Republicans will hold just a slim majority.

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025, a 900-page opus of conservative policy recommendations published by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. But he has nominated two of the documents co-authors to Cabinet-level positions, and many others served in his first administration, which suggests the document may be a window into what the next four years could bring. On Monday, Trump nominated Brendan Carr, who wrote Project 2025s chapter on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to head the agency. He has also appointed Tom Homan, a Heritage Foundation fellow named as a contributor to Project 2025, as his so-called border czar. Eighteen of the 40 co-authors and editors of the report served in the first Trump administration. Among them are Ken Cuccinelli, former acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security; Christopher Miller, former acting Defense secretary; and Russell T. Vought, former director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought is reportedly being considered for another top post in the coming administration. During the 2024 campaign, Democrats sought to tie Trump to Project 2025 a policy agenda they decried as dangerous and shockingly radical framing it as a blueprint for his second term that is much more detailed than the GOPs 28-page platform. The document focuses on proposals to expand presidential power, gut the federal bureaucracy, enact the priorities of the religious right, deregulate, and more. Related:The roadmap: Where Project 2025 might take AmericaTrump at one point claimed to have no idea who is behind it and denied any connection with it when asked about it at the September presidential debate: I have nothing to do with Project 2025. I havent read it. I dont want to read it purposely. Im not going to read it.However, since Trumps reelection, some of his allies have suggested that the document was always intended to be the playbook for his second term. Trumps nominations of Carr and Homan seem to support that idea. Neither will require additional Senate confirmation to take on their roles; through them, they will be in a position to advocate for Project 2025s ideas on communications and immigration, respectively. Heres what we know about Carr and Homan and the ideas relevant to their posts outlined in Project 2025. Brendan CarrCarr, a pick approved by Trumps billionaire backer Elon Musk, currently serves as the senior Republican on the FCC and was previously its general counsel. Now, he is set to take the helm, steering the commission toward a hardline stance against Big Tech and what he describes in Project 2025 as its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square. Among his key proposals in Project 2025 is ending legal immunities for internet platforms hosting user-generated content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That would require stricter content moderation on the part of these platforms or cutbacks to the degree to which users can contribute content, fundamentally changing the way people interact online. At the same time, he wrote in Project 2025 that he wants to ensure that Internet companies no longer have carte blanche to censor protected speech. That echoes some of Trumps other Cabinet picks who are seeking to crack down on wokeness in their respective agencies. Carr also supports efforts to block TikTok in the US, identifying it, along with the Chinese smartphone producer Huawei, as a national security threat. He claims in Project 2025 that TikTok is part of a Chinese foreign influence campaign by determining the news and information that the app feeds to millions of Americans. However, there are reasons to believe that a TikTok ban would, as Vox previously reported, have serious consequences for online expression, which include shutting down what has proved a hub for activism.Carr may have some difficulty enacting his agenda initially, however. The commission will have a 3-2 Democratic majority until next June when Trump will be able to nominate a new member. Tom HomanHoman isnt named as an author of a particular chapter of Project 2025 but as an overall contributor and some of his stated hardline views on immigration and the border are reflected in the report.He started out as a Border Patrol agent in the 1980s and worked his way up through the immigration agencies, becoming the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcements removal operations arm under former President Barack Obama. There, he presided over the most immigrants ever deported in a single year, exceeding 400,000. Under Trump, Homan served as acting director of ICE but was never confirmed to the position permanently by the Senate.Homans new role as border czar appears to involve far-reaching responsibilities. Those include overseeing the implementation of Trumps mass deportations policy the centerpiece of the former presidents immigration agenda. That means Homans responsibilities will likely intersect with many of the numerous immigration priorities outlined in Project 2025. Here is a non-exhaustive list of whats included:Expanding the use of a legal authority known as expedited removal to quickly deport immigrants who crossed the border without authorization.Deporting immigrants even in currently protected, sensitive zones like churches.Ending large-scale parole programs that the Biden administration has relied upon as a deportation shield for individuals from certain countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Ending programs like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has protected hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation.Creating a new legal authority akin to the Title 42 policy, which was implemented by Trump and maintained by Biden to rapidly expel immigrants arriving on the US southern border on the dubious public health grounds of stopping the spread of Covid-19. Homan has yet to indicate whether he or Trump fully endorses these policies. But unlike Trump, who claims to have never read Project 2025, Homan put his name to the document, and could draw from it in his new role. Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: