MacworldBlack Friday may be over, but the deals arent going anywhere (well, some of them anyway). While some of the best deals are completely sold out or wont arrive until January, there are still some great bargains remainingsome of our favorites, in fact. Here are the top 5 Apple deals still on sale, in stock, and ready to ship.AppleM3 MacBook Air for $844The MacBook Air is probably getting a new chip in just a few short months, but the current model is about as perfect of a aptop as youre going to get. It has a great display, design, and keyboard, and it now comes with 16GB of RAM standard, all for under $850. That same laptop wouldve cost you $1,299 just a few months ago, a savings of over $450.Get the M3 MacBook Air for $844Macwelt/Apple/Amazon10th-gen iPad for $259Earlier this year, the 10th-gen iPad went from a somewhat overpriced budget model to a killer entry-level bargain tablet with a $100 price cut. But its Black Friday price of $259 is a downright steal. Yes, its the only iPad Apple sells that isnt able to run Apple Intelligence, but at this price, who cares? Youre getting a gorgeous 10.9-inch display, 64GB of storage, a 12MP Center Stage FaceTime camera, and all-day battery life for less than the price of a HomePod.Get the 10th-gen iPad for $259Amazon4-pack of AirTags for $73AirTags are absolutely the unsung hero of Apples accessory lineup, turning your non-Apple devices into smart trackable items that seamlessly hook into the same network that keeps tabs on our MacBooks and iPhones. Apple usually sells a 4-pack for $99, which is a decent price, but you can get four for just $73 at Amazon, bringing the per-AirTag price down to just $18.25, the best price weve ever seen.Get a 4-pack of AirTags for $73AppleStudio Display for $1,300Apples Studio Display isnt cheap, and even at this incredible sale price of $1,300, its more expensive than most laptops. But the $300 Black Friday discount brings it down to a reasonable, even attractive price. Youre not just getting a tremendous 5K Retina display, a 12MP camera with Center Stage, a trio of studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound system with spatial audio, along with one Thunderbolt 3 port and three USB-C ports. For $1,300, thats hard to beat.Get the Studio Display for $1,300AppleAirPods Pro 2 for $154With the ANC AirPods 4 available for $165, it would normally be hard to recommend the AirPods Pro 2, which have a five-year-old design and havent had a proper update and two years. But Apple keeps them fresh with new features, most recently an incredible Hearing Protection feature that uses a clinical-grade hearing test to turn the AirPods Pro into a bona fide hearing aid. And at nearly $100 off, its hard to recommend anything else.AirPods Pro 2 for $154

If youve read this column for long, you probably know that when it comes to tech purchases and tech decisions in general, really Im typically not one to be hasty.Its practically in my blood at this point. Ive spent so many years studying, researching, and obsessing over this stuff (both personally and professionally!) that its tough for me to commit to buying a new product or even using a new service without really digging in and thinking through the implications.Plain and simple, I like to feel confident that whatever Im using is not only the best in some broad, general sense but is, critically, the best for me and my specific work purposes. Its the same thing I encourage everyone else to do, too, when considering new tech twists and turns (whether via my own recommendations or any other source).Thats why I really surprised myself when I happened to be walking through a Best Buy the other day and ended up walking out with a brand spankin new $600 laptop a Chromebook, to be specific.But Goog almighty, am I ever glad I made that uncharacteristically fast decision.[Get fresh Googley insight in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things to know and try each Friday!]Googles Pixelbook and my ChromeOS journeyBefore I get to the specific Chromebook I purchased and why, let me back up real quick for a pertinent bit of perspective.Ive been both using and writing about Googles ChromeOS platform since its very earliest days back before the devices around it were even called Chromebooks.Ive personally owned and relied on Googles precious Pixelbook since that devices debut in 2017. While Id had plenty of other ChromeOS vessels before it, the Pixelbook was the first Chromebook I truly fell for thanks to its rare combination of power, practicality, and design. The devices sleek and minimalist form and in-a-league-of-its-own keyboard made it a singular treat to use and served as the perfect match for the more-than-capable computing power inside.The Google Pixelbook Chromebook, released in 2017.GoogleFor years, the Pixelbook left me with little to ask for. But despite the fact that the laptop is still technically being supported with regular ongoing ChromeOS updates and will continue to be all the way through August of 2027 (!) the system has more recently started showing its age.Ive been thinking about a replacement for it for a while now. But while Ive tried out tons of perfectly capable and decent Chromebook options, Ive yet to find one that really speaks to me and stands out in the same way.The reason, Ive come to realize, is that more and more, current Chromebooks are mostly about being good enough. For most people and purposes whether businesses, schools, or just budget-conscious individual device-buyers thats perfectly fine and probably makes a lot of sense. But for those of us who place an emphasis on design and device quality both inside and out, the options have been a little lackluster lately. And so despite my motivation to find a suitable replacement for my rapidly aging Pixelbook, nothing Ive considered had quite fit the bill.At least, that was the case until an alluring new digital vixen caught my eye. And, as youve no doubt realized by now, it didnt take long to realize it was the one Id been waiting for.ChromeOS, take 2: My next Chromebook chapterId been intrigued by the new Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus since I first heard about it ahead of its arrival this autumn. But it wasnt until I spent several minutes with the system in a physical store that I realized just how special it actually was and how much it filled the void Id been seeking to satisfy since my poor Pixelbook started growing a little rusty.So, first things first: The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is far less clunky than its awkward name suggests. Its sleek and almost shockingly minimal in its design with an eye-catchingly subtle blue casing and an understated Samsung logo on the outer cover but no branding of any sort on the inside. (One of my biggest tech-nerd pet peeves is paying hundreds of dollars for a device and then being forced to stare at an ugly company tramp stamp right atop or beneath the screen for every second that I use the damn thing.)Samsungs Galaxy Chromebook Plus is refreshingly sleek and free from over-the-top branding.SamsungThat alluring appearance is definitely what drew me in. But the way the Chromebook feels is what ultimately won me over.No two ways around it: The Galaxy Chromebook Plus is a skinny fella. This thing is thin in a way I havent experienced on a laptop since well, the Pixelbook.Thin is in with Samsungs Galaxy Chromebook Plus.JR Raphael, IDGIn a sharp-as-can-be contrast to the typical utilitarian Chromebook of our current moment, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus feels light and luxurious. Its a body that makes you want to carry and, dare I say, caress it constantly. All over-the-top tenderness aside, its a premium computer through and through and the closest thing Ive seen to a spiritual successor to Googles fading Pixelbook star.Now, do all those surface-level superficialities matter, you might ask? As with so many things in the tech decision-making matrix, the answer depends entirely on you. Some people are perfectly satisfied with a utilitarian tech approach and knowing that their laptop has what counts on the inside and hey, thats okay! But some of us also appreciate the design and form and how those factors affect the overall experience of carrying and using a device.And my goodness, when it comes to the Galaxy Chromebook Plus, is that experience ever exceptional.The sweet surprise of Samsungs Galaxy Chromebook PlusNo exaggeration: Samsungs Galaxy Chromebook Plus is just a delight to work on a true treat that makes you want to carry it everywhere and never put it down. The display is an AMOLED panel, which results in richer colors and deeper blacks than most standard laptop screens, and the 15.6 display size is such a pleasant change after years of squeezing into smaller laptop dimensions. That arrangement also includes the side perk of a larger, less cramped keyboard, complete with a number pad at the right.Even the keyboard is unusually roomy on the Galaxy Chromebook Plus.SamsungAll in all, the Galaxy Chromebook feels lavishly spacious, and the slim frame keeps it from seeming at all bulky or even the least bit unwieldy. The whole thin race can slide into silly territory quickly, but Im tellin ya: This laptops slimness is such a sweet surprise and something you really do appreciate. Its an absolute pleasure to use and, provided your budget can support it, adding that pinch of pleasure into your workday can make a world of difference when it comes both quality of life and productivity.Im also happy to share that the qualities of the Galaxy Chromebook that gave me pause early on havent proven to be particularly problematic in real-world use:I worried that the systems 8GB of RAM might be insufficient for my multitasking-heavy, resource-intensive style of work but so far, at least, the computers been quite capable of handling anything I throw at it.As reported, Samsung has been permitted to preload some of its own apps on the Chromebook something that hasnt traditionally been permitted in the ChromeOS ecosystem but outside of the presence of a single preinstalled Samsung Notes app (which, thankfully, can easily be removed), there hasnt been anything out of the ordinary or concerning.And while Googles move to replace the signature ChromeOS Launcher/Search/Everything key with a weird new Gemini-connected Quick Insert key still strikes me as misguided, its an easy enough change to work around for anyone in the know. In fact, a quick tweak of the system keyboard settings is all it takes to restore the Launcher key to its proper position and to bump Quick Insert down to the keyboards bottom row, in a newly added G key that seems like a much more sensible spot.The Search/Launcher/Everything key can be returned to its proper place with a couple quick clicks in the ChromeOS settings.JR Raphael, IDGAfter growing accustomed to having a convertible Chromebook that sports a touchscreen, Id also been hesitant to go with a model thats more of a traditional clamshell form without any touch capabilities. But over the past year or so, Ive added a Pixel Tablet into my personal tech lineup and started relying on that for more casual video-watching and other such lean-back-style activity. This has pushed the laptop back into a more narrowly defined role of active keyboard-involving work for me, and consequently, I dont find myself missing the touch and converting factors much at all certainly nowhere near what I wouldve expected if Id considered this same shift a couple years ago.The only big question lingering in my mind now is whats in the cards for ChromeOS from a longer-term perspective. As you may have read, rumors suggest Google could be looking at essentially replacing ChromeOS with Android yes, again or at least replacing it with some future version of Android thats designed to provide a similar sort of desktop-friendly computing experience.While I have my doubts about how effectively Google can pull such a feat off, Im cautiously optimistic that a ChromeOS-Android combo could actually be a good thing at this point and, potentially, could even be less of a drastic front-facing change than most of us might expect.But regardless, if such a move ends up happening and to be clear, thats still a hefty if at this point its almost certainly still years away. For now, I very much enjoy using ChromeOS in its current form. This laptop is guaranteed ongoing operating system updates through June of 2032, at a minimum, and one has to imagine that if Google were to start bringing a future Android version into Chromebooks down the line, itd phase that change in gradually and avoid or at least make optional any sort of dramatic switch in how existing devices operate.Long story short, Im not too worried about what ChromeOS (or whatever were calling it) might look like a decade from now. If it stays the current course hey, cool. Im content! If an enticing option comes along to shift over to a more Chromebook-like version of Android in the future, maybe that could be interesting, too. For the moment, though, I couldnt be happier with the laptop Im using.And, remember: This is coming from someone who had been stubbornly hanging onto his aging Pixelbook and refusing to accept any of the alternatives that had come along in the years since.For now, this Chromebook is the one to beat. And this is the first time in a long time Ive felt fully confident saying that confident enough to pick up this system myself and happily head home with it the very same day I touched it for the first time.Want even more Googley goodness? Come check out my free weekly newsletter to get next-level tips and insights delivered directly to your inbox.

The Competition Bureau of Canada has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominant position in the online advertising technology market to stifle competition and harm advertisers, publishers, and consumers.The case, filed with the Competition Tribunal, is the latest in a series of global legal challenges targeting Googles advertising practices.The Bureau announced on Thursday that it had filed an application with the Competition Tribunal, seeking an order that would compel Google to sell two of its advertising technology tools and impose a penalty to ensure compliance with Canadian competition laws.The Competition Bureau conducted an extensive investigation that found that Google has abused its dominant position in online advertising in Canada by engaging in conduct that locks market participants into using its own ad tech tools, excluding competitors, and distorting the competitive process, Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell said in a statement.According to the watchdog, Google holds the largest market share across Canadas ad tech stack and has abused its dominant position to entrench its market power.Allegations of market abuseThe Bureaus investigation alleges that Google has entrenched its dominance across the ad tech stack a suite of tools that facilitates the buying and selling digital ad inventory. The Bureau asserts that Google unlawfully tied its ad tech tools together and leveraged its dominant position to distort auction dynamics. These actions reportedly forced market participants to rely on Googles ecosystem, excluded competitors, and disrupted fair competition.Googles conduct has prevented rivals from being able to compete on the merits of what they have to offer, to the detriment of Canadian advertisers, publishers, and consumers. We are taking our case to the Tribunal to stop this conduct and its harmful effects in Canada, Boswell added.The Bureau further claims that Google gave its own tools preferential access to advertising inventory, manipulated pricing to disadvantage rivals, and imposed restrictive terms on publishers transacting with competing platforms.The Competition Bureau has asked the Tribunal to order Google to divest two of its ad tech tools, impose penalties to ensure compliance with Canadas Competition Act and prohibit the company from continuing anti-competitive practices.The Bureaus investigation, which began in 2013, initially focused on Googles search engine practices but expanded earlier this year to include its advertising technology services.Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers, said Dan Taylor, VP of Global Ads at Google. Google remains committed to creating value for our publisher and advertiser partners in this highly competitive sector. The CCBs complaint ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice and we look forward to making our case in court.Parallel cases in the US and IndiaThe Canadian lawsuit echoes similar antitrust challenges Google is facing globally, including in the US. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently concluded closing arguments in its antitrust case against Google, accusing the company of illegally dominating the online advertising market.In its trial, the DOJ alleged that Google monopolized key ad tech markets, including publisher ad servers and advertiser ad networks, and sought to dominate ad exchanges. Prosecutors argued that Googles practices rigged the rules of the road, preventing fair competition. Google countered by emphasizing the competitiveness of the online ad market and dismissed the DOJs claims as mischaracterizations of legitimate business decisions.Meanwhile, in India, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Thursday ordered a probe into Googles restrictive policies for real-money gaming apps. The investigation follows a complaint from the gaming platform WinZO, which accused Google of discriminatory practices by excluding it from the Google Play Store while allowing competitors.In 2022, the Indian authority imposed a monetary penalty of around $300 million on the search engine major for various anti-competitive practices.A global spotlight on Googles practicesEarlier this month the US DOJ has recommended extensive measures to limit Googles dominance, including the potential breakup of its Chrome browser and Android operating system. These products are pivotal distribution platforms for Google Search, which was deemed an illegal monopoly in Federal Judge Amit Mehtas August ruling.These cases collectively highlight the increasing scrutiny of Googles practices worldwide as regulators seek to address concerns about its dominance across various markets, including online advertising, app ecosystems, and gaming platforms.For Google, the stakes remain high, as these lawsuits could lead to significant penalties, structural changes to its business, and a precedent for regulating Big Tech. With competition watchdogs ramping up their efforts globally, the outcomes of these cases could reshape the digital advertising landscape for years to come.

If NASA establishes a permanent presence on the moon, its astronauts homes could be made of a new 3D-printable, waterless concrete. Someday, so might yours. By accelerating the curing process for more rapid construction, this sulfur-based compound could become just as applicable on our home terrain as it is on lunar soil.Artemis IIIset to launch no earlier than September 2026will not only mark humanitys return to the moon after more than 50 years, but also be the first mission to explore the lunar South Pole, the proposed site of NASAs base camp.Building a home base on the moon will demand a steep supply of moon-based infrastructure: launch pads, shelter, and radiation blockers. But shipping Earth-based concrete to the lunar surface bears a hefty price tag. Sending just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of material to the moon costs roughly $1.2 million, says Ali Kazemian, a robotic construction researcher at Louisiana State University (LSU). Instead, NASA hopes to create new materials from lunar soil and eventually adapt the same techniques for building on Mars.Traditional concrete requires large amounts of water, a commodity that will be in short supply on the moon and critically important for life support or scientific research, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. While prior NASA projects have tested compounds that could be used to make lunarcrete, theyre still working to craft the right waterless material.So LSU researchers are refining the formula, developing a new cement based on sulfur, which they heat until its molten to bind material without the need for water. In recent work, the team mixed their waterless cement with simulated lunar and Martian soil to create a 3D-printable concrete, which they used to assemble walls and beams. We need automated construction, and NASA thinks 3D printing is one of the few viable technologies for building lunar infrastructure, says Kazemian.A curved wall is 3D printed from waterless concrete.COURTESY OF ALI KAZEMIANBeyond circumventing the need for water, the cement can handle wider temperature extremes and cures faster than traditional methods. The group used a pre-made powder for their experiments, but on the moon and Mars, astronauts might extract sulfur from surface soil.To test whether the concrete can stand up to the moons harsh environment, the team placed its structures in a vacuum chamber for weeks, analyzing the materials stability at different temperatures. Originally, researchers worried that cold conditions on the dark side of the moon might cause the compound to turn into a gas through a process called sublimation, like when dry ice skips its liquid phase and evaporates directly. Ultimately, they found that the concrete can handle the lunar South Poles frigid forecast without losing its form.Some conditions, like reduced gravity, could even work toward the concretes advantage. The experiment tested structures like walls and small circular towers, each made by stacking many layers of concrete. One of the main challenges in larger-scale 3D printing is a distortion of these thick, heavy layers, says Kazemian But when you have lower gravity, that can actually help keep the layers from deforming.Kazemian and his colleagues recently transferred the technology to NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to implement their design on a larger-scale robotic system and test construction in larger vacuum chambers. If adopted, the concrete will most likely be used for taller lunar structures like habitats and radiation shields. Flatter designs, like a landing pad, will probably use laser-based technologies to melt down lunar soil into a ceramic structure.There may only be so much testing we can do on Earth, however. According to Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at University of Central Florida who recently retired from NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the concretes efficacy may falter with the shift from simulant to real soil. Theres chemistry in the samples of these planets that the simulants cannot perfectly replicate, he says. When we send missions to these planetary bodies to test the technology using the real soil, we may find that we need to further improve the technology to get it to work in that environment.But Metzger still sees the sulfur-based concrete as a vital foundation for the tall orders of upcoming planetary projects. Future missions to Mars could demand roads to drive back and forth from ice-mining sites and pavement around habitats to create dust-free work zones. This new concrete brings these distant goals a touch closer to reality.It could benefit construction on Earth, too. Kazemian sees the new material as a potential alternative for traditional concrete, especially in areas with water scarcity or a surplus of sulfur. Parts of the Middle East, for example, have abundant sulfur as a result of oil and gas production.The technology could become especially useful in disaster areas with broken supply chains, according to Metzger. It could also have military applications for rapid construction of structures like storage buildings. This is great for people out there working on another planet who dont have a lot of support, Metzger says. But there are already plenty of analogs to that here on Earth.

Amazon's official Cyber Monday sale is going on now and we have live coverage of today's best Apple deals, including price cuts of up to $500 off Macs. Plus, grab AirPods Pro for $154 and an Apple Watch for $149.Cyber Monday Apple deals drive prices down to just $11.Cyber Monday 2024 is happening now at Amazon, while Best Buy has extended its Black Friday doorbusters for one more day. We're monitoring the Apple space closely so you can save the most money on your holiday purchases.Shop Amazon's CM Sale Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Save $200 when you buy a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and 1TB of storage from B&H, and save even more with Payboo.$200 off a 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro at B&H - Image credit: AppleIf you wanted to upgrade to the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro, now's a great opportunity to do so. Thanks to the Black Friday sales on B&H Photo, you can get a tasty $200 discount on this configuration.Buy for $1,999 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Forest House Oostvoorne, designed by Kumiki on the outskirts of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is a sustainable home built with CLT to blend into its beautiful natural settinghttps://www.e-architect.com/rotterdam/forest-house-oostvoorne-rotterdam-property#forest #house #rotterdam #thenetherlands #architectureForest House Oostvoorne, designed by Kumiki on the outskirts of Rotterdam, is a sustainable home built with CLT to blend into its setting

Groove Heaven, Istanbul, is a space designed by architects Salon Alper Derinbogaz, to recreate those elusive moments when we become wholly immersed in musichttps://www.e-architect.com/istanbul/groove-heaven-shop-istanbul-western-turkey#architects #shopdesign #architecture #istanbul #turkeyGroove Heaven is a space designed by Salon Alper Derinbogaz, to recreate those elusive moments when we become wholly immersed in music

The Intuit Dome isnt just the Clippers new homeits a sustainability icon! Its grid shell is a marvel of design, inspired by a basketball net, using 100% outdoor air and glowing with LED magic. Learn more about its groundbreaking features here https://bit.ly/3Of9h5JThe Intuit Dome is one of the sporting worlds most sustainable facilities, thanks in large part to its translucent, breathable shell.

Cool innovation! Ultra-thin vacuum insulation is transforming refrigeration and sustainable design. Discover its potential! #Sustainability #Innovation #GreenBuilding #EnergyEfficiency #DesignTech https://bit.ly/4fAilhBFrom transforming home appliances to reshaping building design, Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) promise unprecedented energy efficiency, space savings, and climate-conscious innovation