Over the centuries, mollusks have eaten away at the ship's hull, which was constructed using the "on the shell" technique. University of UdineA 2,500-year-old shipwreck discovered off the coast of Sicily could offer new insights into ancient Greece, which colonized the Mediterranean island for hundreds of years.Underwater archaeologists discovered the shipwreck during a recent three-week excavation project off the southern tip of Sicily. It was buried beneath 20 feet of sand and rocks, according to a statement from Sicilys Superintendent of the Sea.Experts say the wreck likely dates to the fifth or sixth century B.C.E., during the period of Greek colonization. The ships hull was constructed using the on the shell technique, a method that involved connecting beam boards to create a self-supporting structure.Over the centuries, mollusks have eaten away at the hull, which has made it extremely fragile, according to astatement from Italys University of Udine.Using photogrammetry techniques, researchers were able to create a 3D model of the delicate wreck. They also plan to study samples gathered from the site to determine what materials were used to build the ship.Nearby, divers also unearthed several anchors. Two are made of iron and shaped like an upside-down T, and they likely date to the seventh century C.E. Four of the anchors are made of stone and likely date to the prehistoric era. One of the stone anchors is broken, though it appears to have been outfitted with two wooden flukes.The discovery of artifacts from such different periods in history highlights the regions robust seafaring heritage, as theGreek Reporters Abdul Moeed writes.Together, the finds could help shed more light on maritime history in the Mediterranean, including the relationship between the ancient Greeks andCarthaginians, perCBS News Emily Mae Czachor. For many years, the two groupsalong with the Romansbattled for control of the central Mediterranean.The Romans took control of Sicily in 241 B.C.E. at the end of theFirst Punic War with the Carthaginians. The team also found anchors from several different time periods, including two made of iron and shaped like an upside-down "T." University of UdineThe underwater excavations were part of theKaukana Project, which has been running since 2017 and seeks to explore the waters off the coast of Sicily. The project is led by the University of Udine in partnership with several other research institutions.The discovery of this wreck underscores the importance of Sicily as a strategic point in trade routes with ancient Greece, writes La Brjula Verdes Guillermo Carvajal. The materials and techniques found not only provide insight into the nautical skills of the time but also highlight the intense commercial and cultural activity that flourished in the Mediterranean.This is far from the only shipwreck discovered in the Mediterranean in recent years. In 2021, archaeologists exploring near Palermo, Sicily, announced the discovery of anancient Roman wreck filled with jars used for transporting wine and olive oil. The following year, an international team of researchers documentedRoman shipwrecks in the Skerki Banks, a channel between Sicily and Tunisia.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Archaeology, European History, History, Italy, Roman Empire, Ships, Shipwrecks, Water, Water Transportation

Netflix said players of its newly released Squid Game Unleashed game will be able to unlock in-game rewards for watching Squid Game Season 2.Read More

Ranked play is live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 multiplayer. And Activision has decided to explain how it works.Read More

Google, Salesforce, H&M and other brands have turned to unlikely allies to help them clean up their carbon pollution: sewage treatment plants and paper mills. The companies joined an $80 million plan to take CO2 out of the atmosphere, though the strategies theyre using have yet to show whether they can have a meaningful impact on climate change.Theyre paying $32.1 million to a startup called CREW that aims to trap carbon dioxide emissions produced at wastewater treatment facilities. And $48 million will go to another startup called CO280 that retrofits pulp and paper mills with controversial carbon capture technologies. The two agreements were facilitated by acarbon removal initiativecalled Frontier thats led by led by Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability on behalf of those founding companies and other brands trying to meet their own sustainability goals.Companies are increasingly looking for ways to try to cancel out the damage caused by their greenhouse gas emissionsCompanies are increasingly looking for ways to try to cancel out the damage caused by their greenhouse gas emissions. Theyve funneled millions into startups building new-fangled industrial plants that filter CO2 out of the ambient air or seawater. Frontiers latest announcement shows theyre also open to backing even more novel tactics for drawing down carbon dioxide.We do need to be looking at a lot of different kinds of approaches, says Wil Burns co-director of the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University, who is also part of an assessment committee for Frontier. Some of these approaches still remain extremely expensive, notably direct air capture, so were looking for approaches that potentially are less expensive.The first generation of industrial facilities built over the past decade or so to filter CO2 out of the air called direct air capture cost companies including Microsoft upwards of $600 per ton of captured carbon. The deals Frontier just brokered come out to around $447 per ton of CO2 removal by CREW (for a total of 71,878 tons), and $214 per ton for CO280s services (for a total of 224,500 tons). Thats still well above the $100 per ton that industry leaders often say theyre targeting. And for a company like Google that was responsible for 14.3 million metric tonsof carbon dioxide pollutionlast year, you can see how prohibitively expensive the technology still is. Carbon dioxide removal encompasses a suite of strategies to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. These technologies could potentially help slowclimate changeby trapping some of thepollutionfossil fuels have already released over the years. There are still concerns about itscosts,safety, and potential to delay a transition from fossil fuels to carbonpollution-freeenergy. Experts say carbon removal is no substitute for preventing greenhouse gasemissionsin the first place.While CREWs strategy is more expensive, Burns says hes particularly excited about its potential. The idea is to capture carbon dioxide that otherwise would have been released by microbes that break down organic waste in water treatment tanks. To do this, CREW adds alkaline mineralsto the tanks. Those minerals react with the CO2 microbes produce, trapping it in water as bicarbonate. Eventually, the bicarbonate travels with the treated wastewater out to oceans, which are natural sinks that keep CO2 out of the atmosphere.CO280, on the other hand uses technologies initially developed by the fossil fuel industry to capture CO2 emissions from smokestacks before they can escape into the atmosphere. These kinds of devices have been added to industrial facilities and power plants in the past, and can collect CO2 that companies might then shoot back into the ground to push out hard-to-reach oil reserves. CO280 takes a different approach by adding carbon capture devices to facilities that burn black liquor, a bi-product from pulp manufacturing thats used to generate heat and power. The devices are supposed to capture the CO2 from burning black liquor so that it can be permanently stored in underground wells. Since the fuel is made from trees, the process essentially sequesters CO2 that those trees drew in through photosynthesis during their lifetimes.To be sure, there are still major concerns about how effective carbon capture technologies are as a way to mitigate climate change. They use a lot of energy, which generates its own greenhouse gas emissions. There are also additional emissions from cutting down trees and transporting wood for paper mills, and it can be difficult to ensure that tree plantations are managed sustainably.Companies buying carbon removal services also get flak from environmentalists concerned that its a distraction from more critical efforts to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. At the end of the day, the only surefire way to stop climate change is to prevent the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels that are causing the crisis in the first place.

Asus teases a new RGB-outlined Rog Strix laptop coming next yearAsus teases a new RGB-outlined Rog Strix laptop coming next year / Rumors hint at new Rog Strix laptops with RTX 50-series GPUs coming January 6th.By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Dec 23, 2024, 7:47 PM UTCShare this story Image: AsusAsus is planning to launch a new Rog Strix laptop at CES on January 6th, 2025, the company confirmed in a post spotted by VideoCardz. The short teaser shared by Asus shows a laptop with RGB lighting that wraps all the way around the bottom of the device, likely making for an even more colorful underglow when compared to previous generations.Though Asus doesnt say which Rog Strix models it will introduce, leaked retail listings suggest Asus could reveal new Rog Strix 18 Scar and Rog Strix G16 laptops.While the Rog Strix Scar 18 is rumored to come with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285 HX processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics chip, the Rog Strix G16 could feature the same CPU options but with up to a GeForce RTX 5080, as noted by NotebookCheck.Asus may have more to share than just a pair of new Rog Strix laptops at CES, which is just a couple of weeks away. Recent leaks also indicate that Asus is getting ready to reveal an upgraded Rog Flow Z13 hybrid tablet / gaming laptop equipped with AMDs next-gen Strix Halo processor.Most PopularMost Popular

The widespread use of large-scale language models (LLMs) in safety-critical areas has brought forward a crucial challenge: how to ensure their adherence to clear ethical and safety guidelines. Existing alignment techniques, such as supervised fine-tuning (SFT) and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), have limitations. Models can still produce harmful content when manipulated, refuse legitimate requests, or struggle to handle unfamiliar scenarios. These issues often stem from the implicit nature of current safety training, where models infer standards indirectly from data rather than learning them explicitly. Additionally, models generally lack the ability to deliberate on complex prompts, which limits their effectiveness in nuanced or adversarial situations.OpenAI researchers have introduced Deliberative Alignment, a new approach that directly teaches models safety specifications and trains them to reason over these guidelines before generating responses. By integrating safety principles into the reasoning process, this method addresses key weaknesses in traditional alignment techniques. Deliberative Alignment focuses on teaching models to explicitly consider relevant policies, enabling them to handle complex scenarios more reliably. Unlike approaches that depend heavily on human-annotated data, this method uses model-generated data and chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning to achieve better safety outcomes. When applied to OpenAIs o-series models, it has demonstrated improved resistance to jailbreak attacks, fewer refusals of valid requests, and better generalization to unfamiliar situations.Technical Details and Benefits Deliberative Alignment involves a two-stage training process. First, supervised fine-tuning (SFT) trains models to reference and reason through safety specifications using datasets generated from base models. This step helps embed a clear understanding of safety principles. In the second stage, reinforcement learning (RL) refines the models reasoning using a reward model to evaluate performance against safety benchmarks. This training pipeline does not rely on human-annotated completions, which reduces the resource demands typically associated with safety training. By leveraging synthetic data and CoT reasoning, Deliberative Alignment equips models to address complex ethical scenarios with greater precision and efficiency.Results and Insights Deliberative Alignment has yielded notable improvements in the performance of OpenAIs o-series models. The o1 model, for instance, outperformed other leading models in resisting jailbreak prompts, achieving a 0.88 score on the StrongREJECT benchmark compared to GPT-4os 0.37. It also performed well in avoiding unnecessary refusals, with a 93% accuracy rate on benign prompts in the XSTest dataset. The method further improved adherence to style guidelines in responses to regulated advice and self-harm prompts. Ablation studies have shown that both SFT and RL stages are essential for achieving these results. Additionally, the approach has demonstrated strong generalization to out-of-distribution scenarios, such as multilingual and encoded prompts, highlighting its robustness.Conclusion Deliberative Alignment represents a significant advancement in aligning language models with safety principles. By teaching models to reason explicitly over safety policies, it offers a scalable and interpretable solution to complex ethical challenges. The success of the o1 series models illustrates the potential of this approach to improve safety and reliability in AI systems. As the capabilities of AI continue to evolve, methods like Deliberative Alignment will play a crucial role in ensuring that these systems remain aligned with human values and expectations.Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. [Download] Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities Report (Promoted)

They say the third times the charm, and thats definitely true for Sideshow Collectibles when it comes to the Green Lantern franchise. Their latest Green Lantern Premium Format Figure marks the third time the company has tackled iconic DC hero Hal Jordan, and its undoubtedly their best attempt yet.Sideshow kindly provided IGN with a review sample of the Green Lantern Premium Format Figure so we could get up close and personal with this massive and eye-catching collectible. Read on to see images of the piece and learn why its easily Sideshows best Green Lantern yet.Sideshow Collectibles: Green Lantern Premium Format Figure Photo GalleryAs mentioned, this is the third time Sideshow has included Hal Jordan in its Premium Format Figure line. This particular piece, however, is the first to be sculpted by Daniel Bel, one of the most popular artists in Sideshow's stable right now. This statue is designed in 1:4 scale. Because of the pose Bel went with, where Hal has one arm outstretched to the skies, the result is that he measures in at a towering 33.5 inches. That's definitely something to keep in mind, as you'll need plenty of vertical space when placing this statue in your collection. Fortunately, he doesn't take up an excessive amount of horizontal space, with a base diameter of around 12 inches.Bel is well-known for sculpting superheroes that are incredibly powerful and muscular and locked in dynamic poses. This statue captures those qualities well. This is anything but a grounded, realistic take on Hal Jordan. You can pinpoint practically every muscle on Hal's body as he reaches for the stars. It's a very exaggerated sculpt, but one that certainly has plenty of shelf presence. And one of the strengths of Bel's work is that his figures retain a certain sleek, lithe quality despite the exaggerated musculature. Hal's is well-toned, for sure, but he still has a certain leanness to his physique. He's sculpted more like a gymnast than a linebacker. That's a major point in this statue's favor compared to the original Green Lantern Premium Format Figure, where Hal's physique was too bulky and his pose lacked the simple elegance of this sculpt.The exaggerated anatomy is half the fun with this statue.The display base also contributes to the statue's shelf presence. It depicts a Green Lantern logo construct rising out of the ground, while the ground itself is basically exploding upward underneath Hal. Sideshow tends to get flak for releasing so many statues of characters standing atop rocky bases, but this one is dynamic and visually interesting enough to rise above the pack. It's certainly an improvement over the lackluster energy construct base on the second Hal Jordan Premium Format Figure.In addition to the dynamic sculpting, this statue soars on the strength of its paint (based on prototype work by Casey Love). The combination of the deep black, stark white, and metallic green on Hal's uniform makes for a visually compelling contrast. There's also a liberal amount of shading to further highlight Hal's musculature. The only complaint in this area is that Hal's skin tone is unnaturally dark, as if he picked up a deep tan on some alien world. That's a pretty common issue with Sideshow's statues, in my experience.With a powerful, dynamic sculpt and colorful paint job, there's no denying that this Green Lantern statue has the potential to become a standout piece in anyone's collection. It's still not perfect, however, with a few niggles beyond the aforementioned skin tone complaint.The light-up effect begins to fade roughly midway through the Green Lantern logo.One is that the light-up feature is sadly underwhelming. The Green Lantern logo on the base and Hal's ring both light up when the statue is plugged into its accompanying charger. However, the light-up effect is far from uniform, losing its potency the higher up the base you look. It's also unfortunate that the statue doesn't come with any alternate, swap-out pieces or accessories. It's practically screaming for a swappable left hand holding a lantern or a right hand with another energy construct (though, to be fair, that would increase the height of an already extremely tall statue).Overall, though, this is an extremely impressive statue, and undoubtedly Sideshow's best effort with the character to date. I have to assume it won't be their last, though. The previous versions are long since sold out on Sideshow's website, and even this one is now waitlisted. Fans still hoping to add Hal to their collection will either have to jump on the waitlist and cross their fingers or hunt around on eBay or third-party sites. But it's certainly worth the trouble for anyone looking for a statement piece in their collection.PlayFor more collectibles fun, check out our impressions of Sideshow's Ahsoka Tano Premium Format figure and Hasbro's Chatter-Back Chopper figure.Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.

The most popular iPad deal of Black Friday is back. Amazon is currently offering the 10th gen Apple iPad (newest model) for $249.99 after you clip a coupon on the product page. Only the silver model is available with this discount. This is the best price we've seen ever since it was launched back in 2022 and matches the best deal I found during Black Friday.Apple iPad 10.9" 10th Gen for $249.99iPad 10th GenFor most people, the iPad (not the Air, Mini, or Pro) is the best model to get because it offers nearly all the benefits of the iOS operating system and snappy performance at an affordable price. This model has significant improvements over its predecessor. For starters, it boasts a larger 10.9" screen without adding to the overall dimensions thanks to a slimmer bezel. It also has a faster A14 Bionic chip, which is a 20% increase in CPU performance and a 10% increase in GPU performance over the A13. It's now compatible with the Magic Folio keyboard so you can convert it into a mini laptop for better workflow (making it one of the best iPads for students). Other practical upgrades include the transition to a universal USB Type-C port, a better camera, and an updated Wi-Fi 6 protocol.The model on sale right now is equipped with 64GB of internal storage and Wi-Fi (not LTE) connectivity. All color options (Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow) are discounted and ship out in November. Choosing a model with more storage or cellular connectivity will cost you a lot more. Value-wise, keep it simple and go with the base model.Looking for more iPad resources?If you're not sure which iPad is best for you, we have an iPad guide which details which iPad is ideal for which use case. If you intend want to get an iPad for schoolwork, we have an iPad guide for students as well. If you're looking for options outside of iOS, check out the best Android tablets of 2024.Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The following contains spoilers for Squid Game Season 1Its been three long years since Squid Games protagonist Seong Gi-Hun (also known as player 456) doubled back on an airplane jet bridge and decided to end the murderous competition once and for all. In the ensuing time, weve been left to wonder exactly how Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) would carry out his vendetta and if he would once again emerge victorious. Now Squid Game Season 2 is upon us, and if you havent watched the first season lately, weve got you covered. IGN recently sat down with Lee, Writer / Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and much of the cast to reveal which pivotal moments from Season 1 are essential to watch again. Squid Game Season 2 - First Look PhotosHwang Dong-hyuk (Writer / Director)Squid Games creator reveals two pivotal scenes from early in Season 1 he considers worth a rewatch. The first occurs just a few minutes into the premiere episode and sets up the truly dire circumstances that lead to Seong Gi-huns decision to join the game. The second ties a seemingly minor character into the main plot of Season 2. Hwang Dong-hyuk: Because I killed off nearly the entire cast and all of your favorite characters from Season 1, there aren't many characters that continue on from the first season to the next. But there are two, one being Jung-bae, Gi-hun's friend. The second one (is) Kim, who's the loan shark. And so (there are) two scenes I recommend watching again before going into the second season. The first one (is) in the bathroom when Kim is beating Gi-hun up. And then the second scene (is) where Gi-hun goes and tries to borrow money from Jung-bae outside of his pub that he runs. I think it'd be really fun for you to check them out before you go into the second season. Where to watch it: Season 1, Episode 1: Red Light, Green Light (Gi-hun gets beat up by the loan shark)Season 1, Episode 2: Hell (Gi-hun asks to borrow money from Jung-bae)Lee Jung-jae (Player 456 / Seong Gi-hun) & Lee Seo-hwan (Player 390 / Park Jung-bae) Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun and Lee Seo-hwan as Park Jung-bae in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix 2024Both Lee Jung-jae and Lee Seo-hwan agree with Hwang Dong-hyuk that the scene in which Seong Gi-hun asks his friend, Park Jung-bae, for money is key to understanding Season 2. Jung-bae only appears briefly in Season 1, but fully enters the game in upcoming episodes. Lee Jung-jae: So it just really naturally progresses from Season 1 to Season 2, but one thing to keep in mind is the character of Jung-bae. He is going to appear more in Season 2, so look out for him. Lee Seo-hwan: I would have to talk about my character Jung-bae. In Season 1, there is a scene where Gi-hun tries to get money from the ATM. He forgot the birthday of his mom, so he's struggling to get that money out of the ATM. And I was cursing at him standing behind him, how can you not know the birthday of your mother? And I used a very strong curse word then. So I was at home in my bathroom trying to figure out which curse word would really fit my situation and I was practicing the curse word. And when I met with Gi-hun again in Season 2, I kind of wanted to use the same curse, but its quite a strong word in Korean, so I decided to use a more common curse word that we usually use with our friends. Where to watch it:Season 1, Episode 2: Hell Lee Byung-hun (Front Man / Hwang In-ho)Lee Byung-hun as Front Man in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix 2024At the end of Season 1 Lee Byung-huns Front Man, the masked mastermind charged with overseeing the game, is revealed to be the long-lost brother of Detective Hwang Jun-ho. Front Man is back in Season 2, and Lee insists that his character's unmasking is key to what comes next. Lee Byung-hun: For me, I would have to say the scene on top of the cliff when the mask comes off Front Man and he's standing face to face with his younger brother. I think in that scene not a lot of people probably relate to or even understand the kind of emotions that hes going through. You might have (been) left wondering why is he making that face?" and what's with the hand gesture? And I feel like after you watch the entire second season, you will get to understand a little bit more as to what went on inside his head and what emotions he was going through. Where to watch it:Season 1, Episode 8: Front Man Jo Yu-ri (Player 222 / Kim Jun-hee) & Yim Si-wan (Player 333 / Lee Myung-gi)Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee and Yim Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix 2024In addition to returning castmembers, Squid Game Season 2 is full of new faces. Yim Si-Wan plays a young man who gets caught up in a disastrous crypto scheme that affects numerous other players, including his ex-girlfriend played by Jo Yu-Ri. Jo Yu-ri: First of all, I was a big fan of Season 1. That's why I was so happy and also feel honored to join Season 2. And from Season 1, I would say if the fans remember the relationships or the dynamics that were built between Gi-Hun and other characters, that would help them understand why (he developed) such anger (and) resentment. So much so that he decided to go back to the game. Yim Si-wan: I think the key from Season 1 is of course this protagonist character Gi-Hun. So the fans can explore the reason for Gi-Hun not (getting) on the plane, which was the end of Season 1, to understand his ultimate motive (to go) back into another round of Squid Game in Season 2. Where to watch it:Season 1, Episode 9: One Lucky DayKang Ae-sim (Player 149 / Jang Geum-ja) & Yang Dong-geun (Player 007 / Park Yong-sik) Yang Dong-guen as Park Yong-sik and Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix 2024Also new to Season 2 are mother / son contestants played by Kang Ae-sim and Yang Dong-geun. Both were fans of Season 1 and think the key to understanding upcoming episodes is diving back into scenes featuring the repulsive VIPs who bankroll the game. Kang Ae-sim: There's so many great scenes in Season 1, but one that comes to mind is a scene where we see the VIPs and their approach and their understanding of the game. And I think if the audience thinks about that scene, they'll be very curious and interested to see what happens in Season 2. Yang Dong-geun I would say that it's the same scene, where the VIPs are talking. In-ho's brother (Detective Hwang Jun-ho) is able to sneak in and kind of see what is happening here. And I think this is a really interesting scene because it's Director Hwang shedding light into this world that most of us may not have access to or really can even imagine. And as an audience you realize, wow, this is really how the upper echelon of the world operates. And I think this is important context to have (while) watching Season 2.Where to watch it:Season 1, Episode 7: VIPsThese quotes have been edited for clarity.

Next years iPhone purchase decision will be especially tough for a lot of users. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max both have a lot going for them, but so too will the new iPhone 17 Air. Here are four advantages the iPhone 17 Air will have over the iPhone 17 Pro.Radically ultra-thin new designThis is the big advantage that will define many shoppers debate between iPhone 17 models.The iPhone 17 Air is expected to slim down significantly and be Apples thinnest iPhone ever.Precise measurements arent yet known, but reports point to a 25% thinner body than Apples current Pro models.Apples previous thinnest iPhone was the iPhone 6 at 6.9mm. The 17 Air will be even thinner, likely between 6mm and 6.5mm.Heres Apples current lineup for comparison:iPhone 16: 7.8mmiPhone 16 Plus: 7.8mmiPhone 16 Pro: 8.25mmiPhone 16 Pro Max: 8.25mmThis thinness will come with compromises, such as battery life and camera reductions. But the new, ultra-thin design will feel like the future.Screen size that could be the best of both ProsThe iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively. Next years 17 Pro models are expected to stick with these same sizes.But the iPhone 17 Air is poised to offer potentially a perfect middle ground.The 17 Air will have a 6.6-inch display, fitting neatly between the two Pro options. The size may be just large enough to win over Pro Max users, but still small enough for Pro usersparticularly when the thinner body is accounted for.Ive historically favored smaller iPhones, but if the 17 Airs thinness means it can offer comfortable one-handed use and more screen real estate, it will be a huge win.More budget-friendly price pointFor the longest time, the most confusing detail about the iPhone 17 Air was its price. The earliest rumors pointed to a high-end iPhone Ultra type device. But when we started learning about the devices shortcomings, that premium price no longer made sense.Now, the latest rumors indicate the iPhone 17 Air will slot into the same place in the lineup as the Plus model its replacing. Theres a decent chance it will be more expensive than the Plus, but still more affordable than the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.So if cost is an important factor to you, the 17 Air may be the way to go.Apples in-house 5G modemThis ones a little more debatable, Ill admit. It all depends on your preference of modem.The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to retain the existing 5G modem supplied by Qualcomm, while the iPhone 17 Air will feature Apples long awaited in-house modem.This first 5G modem from Apple will in some ways be worse than Qualcomms, but it also carries the potential for unique benefits.For example, Mark Gurman mentions that it will be tightly integrated with Apple-designed main processors to use less power, scan for cellular service more efficiently and better support on-device features for connecting to satellite networks.If the iPhone 17 Air were the first device to get the Apple modem, it might be a bit risky. But fortunately, the new iPhone SE 4also sporting Apples modemwill be out roughly six months ahead of the 17 Airs debut. Thus providing Apple plenty of time to test the new capabilities and issue any software fixes to correct early bugs.iPhone 17 Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro: wrap-upI keep going back and forth on which iPhone 17 model I think Ill buy next year. And I suspect that will keep happening until Apple officially unveils the new models in September.Having the best iPhone is important to me, but after years of minor iterative updates, the iPhone 17 Airs fresh, future-forward design will prove very tempting.Which iPhone 17 model do you expect to buy? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel