All the way back at WWDC, Apple showed off a feature called Universal Control, which will let users control multiple Macs and iPads with a single mouse and keyboard or trackpad. When it released macOS Monterey in October, Apple said that feature and SharePlay would arrive on Macs later in the fall. Although SharePlay is now available on Mac, you'll need to wait a bit longer for Universal Control.
Apple quietly updated its website to state that Universal Control won't be available until spring 2022. The delay, which was spotted by 9to5 Mac, might come as a disappointment to those who were hoping for more seamless connectivity between their devices in the near future. Still, it's better to make sure the feature is working correctly instead of releasing a potentially buggy version.
When it does arrive, the feature will be available on MacBook and Macbook Pro (2016 and later), the 2019 Mac Pro, MacBook Air (2018 and later), iMac (2017 and later) and the 5K Retina 27-inch iMac from late 2015. As for supported tablets, you'll be able to use iPad Pro, iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad (6th generation and later) and iPad mini (5th generation and later) with Universal Control.
You'll need to be logged into iCloud with the same Apple ID on all devices. You can connect them over USB, or you can use Universal Control wirelessly as long as the devices are within 30 feet of each other.
Apple's latest Mac Mini is the most cost-effective way to get an M1 machine, and now you can get the desktop for even less. The base 256GB model is going for $570 on Amazon right now, which is a new record low. You'll get this price thanks to a $50 discount plus an additional coupon that knocks another $79 off at checkout. The 512GB version has also been discounted to $750, which is a price we've seen a handful of times in the past but remains a good deal.
The Mac Mini is the best option if a desktop fits better into your lifestyle than a laptop, and if you don't have a ton to spare a new computer. It packs a good amount of power into a compact device thanks to Apple's M1 chipset. While we haven't put the Mac Mini through its paces, we have tested out the MacBook Air M1 and the previous MacBook Pro M1 — both of which impressed us with their overall smooth performance and remarkable speed. It sports an eight-core CPU and an eight-core GPU, plus a 16-core Neural Engine that handles machine learning tasks. While the 256GB model is probably sufficient for most people, you'll future-proof the device a bit if you spring for the version with extra storage because you won't run out of space as quickly.
With all of the improvements being internal, the latest Mac Mini looks much the same as the previous version. The silver box has a seamless appearance on most sides, save for its back edge which holds all of its connectivity options including two Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A connectors, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Since we didn't get an updated Mac Mini this fall, there's currently no telling when Apple may introduce a new version of its small desktop. That makes a sale like this one a great opportunity to upgrade your home's computer without spending too much money. If you plan on gifting the device, just keep in mind that it may arrive after Christmas depending on which model you choose.
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Apple brought some design chops back to the iMac lineup with the 24-inch 2021 M1 models, and a pretty good dose of extra performance, too. If you've been looking at getting an 8-core model for productivity or creative chores but found the $1,500 price a tad much, there's good news. The 8GB version with 256GB of storage is now available at Amazon for $1,400, the lowest price we've seen yet.
The 2021 iMac M1 received an excellent Engadget review score for a variety of reason. With a new M1 chip also found on Apple's MacBooks, it delivers formidable performance for activities ranging from spreadsheets to video editing to gaming. It even loads quickly, waking up almost instantly from sleep mode and getting to the desktop in around 25 seconds from a cold start. On top of that, it's 50 percent quieter than past models.
It's also got a fresh new design, with slimmer bezels and a more refined look. The new 24-inch, 4.5K Retina display is also excellent, thanks to the full DCI-P3 color gamut coverage and 500-nit brightness. Another nice upgrade is the new 1080p FaceTime Camera with larger image sensors and AI tricks that improve exposure, color and noise levels.
The drawbacks are few, but they include a lack of HDR on the display, a port selection limited to USB-C and the Magic Mouse and Keyboard that can be uncomfortable to use. Also, if you were hoping to pick up a colorful version of the iMac, only the silver model is on sale, alas. Still, it's a nice little saving for deal hunters on a model we haven't seen discounted very often.
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Now's a good moment to buy if you've been chasing down the Apple Watch Series 7 as a gift — or as a treat for yourself. Amazon is selling the 41mm GPS model in blue aluminum for $350, a sizeable $50 below the usual price. Green and red models are also down to $380 if they're more your style. And if you'd rather save money with the Apple Watch SE, the gray 40mm model is down to $230 versus its usual $279.
The Apple Watch Series 7 is a subtle iteration of a familiar design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The large screen (even on the 41mm model) makes a big difference for readability, not to mention control. Dust resistance and a more crack-resistant screen will help for venturing outdoors, while the fast charging should keep you going if sleep tracking or a lengthy workout has chewed through the battery. Add a strong app ecosystem and solid health features and the Series 7 is strong both as a first-time watch and a solid upgrade for anyone coming from Series 4 or earlier.
There are a few catches beyond the usual iPhone requirement. Apple's built-in sleep tracking won't compare to what you get from rivals like Fitbit and Samsung, and the S7 chip isn't a breakthrough in performance. There's not much to tempt an upgrade if you're using a Series 5 or 6. Beyond that, however, t's an easy choice at this reduced price.
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Microsoft wasn't the only big console maker hoping to bring its games to phones. The Verge said it has obtained a document from Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple indicating the iPhone maker had learned Sony was planning a "mobile extension" of PlayStation Now in 2017. The service would stream over 450 PS3 games at first, and follow up with PS4 titles.
Apple mentioned the PlayStation Now expansion as it was in the early stages of developing Apple Arcade, its answer to Sony's service as well as Xbox Game Pass. While Arcade didn't launch until 2019 and still doesn't include streaming, Apple saw PlayStation Now as indicative of a broader shift toward gaming subscriptions.
Provided Apple's scoop was accurate, it's unclear why Sony still isn't streaming games to smartphone owners. A hybrid of PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus is reportedly due in spring 2022, but the relevant rumor didn't make mention of mobile access. Sony has already declined to comment.
There may have been a few factors at work. Sony might not have wanted to test Apple policies effectively blocking cloud gaming apps — Microsoft had to use the web to get around that limitation. There are also familiar technical challenges, such as adapting gamepad-focused titles to touchscreens or ensuring reliable streams on cellular connections. Either way, this suggests Sony was at least considering a more ambitious version of PlayStation Now than the service you see today.
If you're still on the hunt for good tech gifts to give this year, you still have time to grab some that will arrive before the holidays. Apple's second-generation AirPods are on sale again for $100, while the Fitbit Charge 5 fitness tracker is back down to $130. Both Amazon's Kindle and a few Fire tablets are cheaper than usual, and the company's new smart thermostat is 20 percent off. On top of that, some of the best tech deals we saw for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still available. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Apple AirPods (2nd gen)
Chris Velazco / Engadget
The previous-generation AirPods are on sale for $100 right now. While not the latest models, these are still decent earbuds that we liked for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.
Apple's latest AirPods are down to $140 right now, or about $40 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 88 for their more comfortable design, much improved audio quality and longer battery life.
The latest Apple TV 4K is $30 off right now and down to $150, which is a new record low. It may be one of the more expensive streaming boxes out there, but it's worth it for Apple loyalists. We gave it a score of 90 for its speedy performance, Dolby Vision and Atmos support and much improved Siri remote.
The latest Apple Watch Series 7 is $20 cheaper right now, bringing it down to $380. It's the most comprehensive wearable Apple makes and it earned a score of 90 from us for its larger screen, faster charging and handy features in watchOS 8.
You can pick up the Fitbit Charge 5 for $130 right now, or $50 off and the same price as it was on Black Friday. This is Fitbit's most comprehensive fitness band and it earned a score of 82 from us for its full-color touchscreen, built-in GPS, onboard EDA sensors for stress tracking and multi-day battery life.
You can grab the standard Kindle for $55 and get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with it. We gave this e-reader a score of 91 for its improved contrast display, extra front lights and sleeker design.
A bunch of Fire tablets are on sale again — you can get the Fire 7 for only $35, the Fire HD 8 for $55 and the Fire HD 10 for $100. These are all close to Black Friday prices, so you're still getting a good deal even if you missed the sales a few weeks ago. We gave the Fire HD 8 a score of 81 for its refined design, good performance and new USB-C charging.
Amazon's new smart thermostat is down to $48 right now, or 20 percent off its normal price. Like similar gadgets, it's designed to save you money on your home heating and cooling by automating the process. it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that other, more expensive thermostats do, but it's Energy Star-certified and supports a feature called Hunches, which will automatically adjust the temperature based on your habits. You can also control it with Alexa if you have an Echo speaker or smart display in your home.
Walmart has an exclusive version of the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova for $59. That's nearly half off the price that the normal model is going for on Amazon right now. You'll get seven cooking modes along with additional one-touch programs that make it easy to prepare things like soups, stews, porridge and more.
Our favorite pair of Sony headphones, the WH-1000XM4, are down to $248 right now, which is just about $100 off their regular price. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
The Roomba 694 is $95 off, bringing it down to $179. This model came out earlier this year and works well on both hard and carpeted floors, supports WiFi connectivity for Alexa and Google Assistant commands and can be controlled via the iRobot mobile app.
Samsung’s EVO Select microSDXC card in 128GB is down to $16, or 20 percent off its normal price. This is the latest model and while you can find microSD cards for less, EVO is a reliable brand and you're getting a full-sized adapter with this one.
This Ninja 10-in-1 multi-cooker remains 41 percent off, bringing it down to $119. In addition to pressure cooking, slow cooking and steaming, this machine can air fry, broil, dehydrate and more. It also has a 6.5-quart capacity, which should be big enough to make food for a mid-sized family or a holiday gathering.
The Chromecast with Google TV has dropped to $40, which is $10 cheaper than usual. We gave the device a score of 86 for its 4K HDR streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision and Atmos support plus its much needed and very handy new remote.
Bose's new QuietComfort 45 headphones remain on sale for $279 right now, or $50 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 86 for their clear, balanced audio, improved ANC and long battery life.
Sony's excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds are down to $248. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, powerful ANC and improved battery life.
Bose's QuietComfort earbuds have been discounted to $199, which is $80 off their regular rate. These are some of the company's best true wireless earbuds and they earned a score of 87 from us for their clear sound, powerful ANC and comfortable size.
The second-generation Echo Buds are on sale for $70 right now. Amazon massively improved its wireless earbuds this time around and we gave them a score of 80 for their better sound quality, good ANC and smaller design.
iRobot's latest vacuum, the Roomba j7+, has dropped to $649 while the robot without the clean base is down to $449. This is one of the higher-end robo-vacs the company makes and it has new AI-driven computer vision technology that can detect objects and move around them as it cleans. That means it'll better avoid things like chairs and table legs, as well as unexpected obstacles like pet poop. The j7+ also comes with a clean base into which the robot will empty debris at the end of every cleaning job.
Samsung's 980 Pro is one of the best internal SSDs you can get right now and a 1TB model is on sale for $170 right now. It has sequential read speeds up to 7,000MB/s and it'll work with the PS5 as long as you have a heatsink attached.
Crucial’s P5 NAND NVMe SSD in 1TB is on sale for $145 right now, or 19 percent off its regular rate. This drive can reach sequential read speeds of up to 3,400MB/s and its M.2 format makes it a good option for both desktop and laptop users.
Razer's mainstream notebook, the Razer Book, has fallen to $1,500, or 25 percent off its usual price. The model on sale is specced out: it runs on an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 13.4-inch UHD+ touchscreen. This laptop includes a generous array of ports, eGPU compatibility and Chroma keyboard lighting.
Razer's Wolverine Ultimate gaming controller is down to $100, or $60 off its normal price. The controller that comes with your Xbox is pretty good, but sometimes you might need a little more features from your gamepad. The Wolverine Ultimate may be wired, but it also has interchangeable thumbtacks and d-pads, so you can actually tweak the controller’s layout according to the games you play and your own personal preferences.
Amazon's Echo smart speaker is on sale for $60 right now. We gave it a score of 89 for its solid audio quality, attractive design and inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack.
The tiny Echo Dot has dropped to $30, and you can grab the Echo Dot with Clock for only $35. We gave it a score of 88 for its good audio quality for the price, compact design and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Nest Mini is down to $25. It's the affordable speaker to get if you want to put the Google Assistant in your home without dropping too much money, or taking up too much space.
One of our favorite VPNs, Tunnelbear, is having a holiday sale that knocks 50 percent off a one-year plan, so you'll pay just under $60 for the service. Tunnelbear supports most devices, including Windows, Android and iOS, and the plan comes with support for up to five devices and 256-bit AES encryption.
NordVPN is offering up a two-year subscription for $89, or 68 percent off its normal price. We like this service for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.
Sonos has discounted a number of its refurbished products, including the Sonos One, which is down to $150, and the Beam soundbar, which is on sale for $259. The company has a pretty good refurbishment program and these prices are hard to come by on any Sonos devices, refurb or not. We gave the Sonos One speaker a score of 90 for its attractive design, excellent audio quality, compatibility with a wide range of music services and multi-room audio support.
The Nest Doorbell Battery is $50 off as part of Best Buy's most recent flash sale. This model doesn't require as much hardwiring installation as other smart doorbells since it runs on a rechargeable battery. It works with the Google Home app to send you alerts when people, packages and other things show up at your door, and you can set specific Activity Zones to narrow down which areas you want to keep a close eye on.
TCL has temporarily stopped selling its Google TV-powered televisions over performance and software issues. It plans to bring the 5-series and 6-series TVs back to Best Buy in the coming weeks, per 9to5 Google.
Users have complained about the sets on Best Buy product pages andelsewhere, with one noting the OS is "very slow and buggy." TCL says owners will see "marked improvements in the weeks to come" via software updates. A support site notes that the TVs should update automatically, though it provides customers guidance on how to make sure they have the most recent version of the system software.
"We are sorry to hear that some are facing challenges with the stability of the user interface featured on TCL sets with Google TV," a statement on TCL's support site reads. "Our high-performance TVs are constantly evolving and recent software updates have allowed us to make significant progress, but we will continue to refine our products featuring Google TV."
TCL announced its first Google TV models back at CES 2021. The company's Android TV-powered 3-Series and 4-Series sets are still available.
The Epic Games vs. Apple trials brought to light how Microsoft tried to conjure up solutions on how to make Xbox games available from the App Store. Apple revised its guidelines last year so that companies like Microsoft and Google can make their games available on iOS. That said, they can only do so by releasing each game as an app that users can download. Microsoft previously said that forcing users to download hundreds of game apps is "a bad experience," but it would've reportedly done so if Apple had agreed to its proposal.
According to private emails seen byThe Verge, the Xbox head of business development Lori Wright laid out a proposal for Apple, which would allow Microsoft to put individual game apps on the iOS store without taking up all of a user's storage space. Wright asked Apple to allow Microsoft to put its streaming tech inside the Gaming Pass app alone. That would give the company a way to make the game apps themselves around 30 MB in size instead of the 150 MB that they would be if its streaming tech was incorporated into each of them.
Instead of using the device's processing power, the games would stream out of remote servers powered by Xbox One and Xbox Series X processors. Wright also apparently offered to make Xbox-exclusives available for iOS users in an effort to convince Apple. "This would be an incredibly exciting opportunity for iOS users to get access to these exclusive AAA titles in addition to the Game Pass games," she wrote in an email.
Microsoft told The Verge that Apple rejected its solution and wanted the company to incorporate its streaming tech into every game application. As for Apple, it told the publication that Microsoft's proposal didn't adhere to its App Store Review Guidelines, "specifically the requirement to use in-app purchase to unlock additional features or functionality within an app." Microsoft denied that in-app purchases factored into Apple's rejection.
In the end, Microsoft eventually shifted its development focus and gave iOS users access to xCloud via Safari. Xbox Cloud Gaming CVP Kareem Choudhry told The Verge, however, that the company "will continue to look for viable resolutions that [will] allow [its games] into the App Store."
Despite big improvements, particularly with the Siri remote, the 2021 Apple TV 4K is still a pretty expensive set-top streaming device at $179. If you've been waiting for a sale to pick one up, you can grab one right now for $150 at Amazon — the lowest price we've seen yet.
With an Engadget review score of 90, the 2021 Apple TV 4K is one of the best high-end streaming boxes available, especially if you're in the Apple ecosystem. The A12 Bionic processor delivers performance that's faster than ever, and it supports Dolby Atmos sound, 60 fps Dolby Vision, AirPlay 3 and screen mirroring. With HomeKit support, you can also ask Siri to do things like show you video feeds or open your smart lock.
The biggest improvement over the last model is the redesigned Siri remote. It's larger and less fiddly to use, but also touch sensitive so you can easily swipe between options. Better still, Apple's Siri voice assistant actually works well with Apple TV 4K, ably handling commands like "Play 'The Morning Show'" or "Show me some new horror films."
As mentioned, the biggest drawback is the price. Most rival products are cheaper, even high-end models like the Roku Ultra that's currently on sale for $66. Other options are considerably less, like Google's Chromecast with Google TV that finally comes with a remote ($39 right now), or Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K, on sale right now for $35. Still, Apple TV 4K is loaded with useful features, particularly for Apple users, and today's deal is the best we've seen so far.
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The Game Awards are in-person once again, but you'll still have an opportunity to tune in online. The games industry ceremony is streaming live at 8PM Eastern, and you can watch it here through YouTube as well as through multiple other services that include Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook Live, Steam and even in VR (albeit 2D) through Oculus Venues.
You can expect sizzle from the awards themselves, with frontrunner nominees like Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank vying for attention alongside indie darlings and odd choices like Cyberpunk 2077. You'll also likely see a surprise or two among the many game premieres and updates that define the show. That's not including simultaneous launches like the Unreal Engine 5-based The Matrix Awakensdemo.
However, this year's event may be as notable for the surrounding drama as the actual presentation. Activision Blizzard will be a no-show (beyond the advisory board, that is), and the company's sexual harassment scandal may cast a shadow over some nominees. You can also be sure the organizers will make full use of a real-world venue, with performances from the likes of Sting and Imagine Dragons. In that light, the 2021 gala still won't represent business as usual.
