2025-12-05 21:29:44
Netflix today announced that it will acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's vast studios and streaming operations for $82.7 billion.
The transaction will see Netflix acquire Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $72 billion in equity and $82.7 billion, including debt (via Reuters). The acquisition gives it control of major franchises, including DC, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, and the Warner Bros. film library, dramatically expanding the volume and diversity of content available under one streaming umbrella. The acquisition also gives Netflix the established HBO brand and its library of prestige television series such as The Sopranos, Succession, and The Wire.
Netflix said that it intends to maintain Warner Bros.' theatrical distribution, preserve HBO Max as a discrete service in the near term, and integrate HBO and Warner Bros. content into its own catalog.
Today, Netflix announced our acquisition of Warner Bros. Together, we’ll define the next century of storytelling, creating an extraordinary entertainment offering for audiences everywhere. https://t.co/rXPFMNIs1A pic.twitter.com/0pdsMUEob8
— Netflix (@netflix) December 5, 2025
2025-12-05 21:02:39
Apple's first foldable iPhone will reportedly drop the physical SIM card slot in favor of eSIM technology, according to a well-known Chinese leaker posting on Weibo today.
Apple is expected to introduce the device late next year or in early 2027, based on multiple reports. The so-called "iPhone Fold" is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch outer display and a book-style design that opens to reveal a roughly 7.8-inch inner screen reminiscent of an iPad mini.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has described the foldable as "super thin and a design achievement," comparing it to "two titanium iPhone Airs side by side." Internal volume will therefore be tightly constrained.
"It's highly likely that the foldable iPhone will come without a SIM card slot, supporting eSIM only," said leaker Instant Digital, echoing earlier expectations from Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Instant Digital also highlighted the current shortcomings of eSIM in mainland China, where users strongly prefer physical SIM activation and dual-SIM slots. China's fast-moving resale and device-trial culture makes quick SIM transfers essential, meaning an eSIM-only foldable would rely heavily on seamless carrier provisioning.
Apple is aware of the hurdles. The iPhone Air, which adopted an eSIM-only design for similar space-driven reasons, depends on dedicated support from China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom. It allows up to two active eSIMs, but activation still requires an in-store visit.
Globally, iPhone Air sales have undershot expectations, to say the least. Many consumers have focused less on its thin profile and more on the trade-offs it introduced, such as reduced battery life and a single rear camera. In China, the eSIM limitation will have surely added another layer of hesitation.
The foldable iPhone is rumored to introduce several new technologies, including a 24-megapixel under-display camera and a crease-free inner panel. Apple will be banking on these advances to overcome concerns about usability, especially in markets where eSIM adoption lags.
2025-12-05 08:12:50
The Ceramic Shield 2 material that Apple uses for the iPhone 17 display includes an anti-reflective coating that's designed to cut down on glare. It's a coating that prior-generation iPhone models didn't have, and it can make a difference in bright lighting conditions.
If you're someone who likes to use a screen protector with your iPhone, you might be nullifying the anti-reflective property of the iPhone 17 display, based on testing done by Astropad.
Compared to the iPhone 17, Astropad found that the anti-reflective coating reduces reflections by approximately 50 percent when compared to the iPhone 16, but applying a screen protector without an anti-reflective coating of its own makes the anti-reflective Ceramic Shield 2 coating less effective. According to Astropad, this is because AR coatings are created for direct contact with air, and covering them with an extra layer of material cancels the effect.
Astropad did screen protector testing because it sells Fresh Coat, a screen protector with an anti-reflective coating, and it is promoting Fresh Coat through its testing and report. Astropad says that Fresh Coat and other screen protectors with an anti-reflective coating can replace or even outperform the anti-reflective properties of the iPhone 17's display.
Fresh Coat by Astropad enhances AR clarity on any iPhone, creating a surface nearly 4x less reflective than the display on an iPhone 16 and 2x less reflective than iPhone 17's Ceramic Shield 2.
2025-12-05 06:03:03
Two senior Apple executives are leaving the company, Apple announced today. Apple's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kate Adams and Lisa Jackson, Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, are both retiring in 2026.
Adams will be replaced with Jennifer Newstead, who will join Apple as a senior vice president on January 1, and will become Apple's general counsel on March 1, 2026. Newstead is currently Meta's chief legal officer, and she was previously the Legal Adviser to the United States Department of State.
When Newstead takes over as general counsel, Adams will not immediately leave. She will instead oversee the Government Affairs organization after Jackson retires in late January 2026. Adams will remain at Apple until late 2026, at which point Newstead will take over. Newstead will ultimately oversee both Apple's Legal and Government Affairs organizations as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Government Affairs.
In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that he is pleased to merge Legal and Government Affairs because of increasing overlap between the two teams.
We couldn't be more pleased to have Jennifer join our team," said Cook. "She brings an extraordinary depth of experience and skill to the role, and will advance Apple's important work all over the world. We are also pleased that Jennifer will be overseeing both the Legal and Government Affairs organizations, given the increasing overlap between the work of both teams and her substantial background in international affairs. I know she will be an excellent leader going forward.
I am deeply appreciative of Lisa's contributions. She has been instrumental in helping us reduce our global greenhouse emissions by more than 60 percent compared to 2015 levels," said Cook. "She has also been a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world, advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics, as well as advancing our values, from education and accessibility to privacy and security.
2025-12-05 05:23:58
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with a second release candidate version of tvOS 26.2 and HomePod Software 26.2, which is based on tvOS. The second RC comes one day after the first RC and has a build number of 23K53, up from 23K51.
tvOS 26.2 can be downloaded through the Software Update section of the Apple TV settings app.
With tvOS 26.2, Apple is adding support for creating a profile without an Apple Account, and there is a dedicated Apple TV app kids mode that's available for children's profiles.
Apple doesn't provide beta release notes, so it's not clear what's changed between the first RC and the second RC. Typically, release candidates are updated if there is a major bug discovered during the testing period. RCs represent the final version of the software that will be released to the public.
We're expecting tvOS 26.2 and HomePod Software 26.2 to come out next week.
This article, "Apple Seeds Second tvOS 26.2 Release Candidate" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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2025-12-05 05:17:52
Bluetti's Elite 30 V2 that came out earlier this year is a portable power station that's ideal for short trips, plus it works well as a temporary backup for powering small electronics in a power outage.
The Elite 30 V2 is one of many power stations that Bluetti offers, and it is on the smaller, more compact side with a 288-watt-hour capacity. This is the first Bluetti power station that I've reviewed, but I have experience with larger power banks from Jackery, DJI, Anker, and other companies. The Elite 30 V2 has a LiFePO4 battery, which Bluetti says will last for over 3,000 charging cycles and 10 years. There's a five-year warranty, which is solid.
Most power stations are utilitarian, with a black or gray plastic design, but the Elite 30 V2 comes in several fun colors. There's nothing wrong with a simple design for battery equipment, but colors make Bluetti's little power station stand out. The model I tested is green, but it also comes in blue, purple, pink, light gray, and dark gray.
Appearance isn't going to matter to most, but if you're going to have a battery out for people to use at the beach, on a camping trip, at the park, or during some other activity, it might as well have some pizazz. The power station is just about 9.5 pounds, and it measures 9.8 inches long, 7 inches wide and 6.6 inches tall. There's a handle for carrying it, and an LCD display shows you input, output, charge level, and an estimate of how long the power will last based on what's plugged in.
The Elite 30 V2 supports 600W charging, though it can handle up to 1500W temporarily as part of a Power Lifting mode. The Elite 30 V2 has more ports than you might even need on a power station this size, and it can charge up multiple devices at a time. There's a 140W USB-C port, a 100W USB-C port, two 15W USB-A ports, and two AC outlets. There are also AC and DC inputs for charging, a cigarette lighter port, a grounding terminal, and a pair of 12V/8A barrel ports. Both USB-C ports can be used at full power at the same time.
There's a power button, a button to turn on DC power to the USB-C/USB-A ports, and an AC button to turn on power to the AC outlets. When you plug something in, you have to turn on power to the appropriate port before charging will begin. It's also a good idea to turn it off when you're done to ensure there's no power drain when you're not charging anything. The power stations that I've tested in the past haven't had separate buttons for DC power (just AC power), but that's the way Bluetti's power stations are designed.
I've been using the Elite 30 V2 to charge my Apple devices for the last several weeks to get an idea of what it's useful for. Charging my iPhone 17 Pro Max from 0 to 80 percent drains the power station from 100 percent to 90 percent, and it's about the same for an iPhone 16 Pro Max and an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
I can charge my iPhone's battery between 9 and 10 times, though I do limit my charging to 80 percent. The variation is because the power station's battery level can drop slightly with nothing plugged in unless it's turned off. Over a four-hour period, the battery dropped around 10 percent with DC power on.
It charges my MacBook Air three and a half times. It was able to run my MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and two lights (my desk setup) for half of my work day (12:51 p.m. to right around 5:00 p.m.). It ranged from 60W to 110W depending on workload. Charging takes around an hour and 20 minutes to get to full, though it can get to an 85 percent charge in around 50 minutes. It can charge through a cigarette lighter port in a car, or with solar panels for off-grid connectivity.
The Elite 30 V2 isn't the power station you want to get to run something that's power hungry like an electric heater, but it's good for smaller things like computers, lights, speakers, and consoles. You could run a mini refrigerator for a few hours, a hair dryer or flat iron long enough to do your hair, or a lower power electric kettle or coffee maker. It is able to run my entire computer setup, plus it can power my Wi-Fi for a full work day. Some people use power stations as backups for medical devices. The Elite 30 V2 may be able to run a CPAP machine for a night's sleep, but that will depend on the individual machine. I wouldn't recommend this one for other devices like an oxygen concentrator, which would draw too much power and require a much larger battery for an extended power outage.
You can use the Elite 30 V2 as a backup in case of a power outage, plugging a device into it and then plugging the power station into an outlet. In that situation, the power station will kick on automatically in a power outage with no interruption in function (Bluetti says there's a super fast 10ms response time). It actually supports up to 980W of passthrough power.
Since the Elite 30 V2 is a smaller power station, it runs and charges quietly. It is nearly silent when charging and when powering things like iPhones and Macs. The fan inside will kick on under higher loads, but it's still not unreasonably loud. I can hear it, but it's a noise I could sleep through.
There is a Bluetti app, and you can connect to the power station via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to monitor it remotely. The app tells you what's drawing power and how much, how long the battery will last under the current load, and your energy usage statistics. You can also remotely turn the AC/DC power on or off, choose power modes, and enable the 1500W Power Lifting feature. You should also be able to upgrade the firmware, but it wasn't working properly for me in the app (the button to actually install firmware was blank).
