New iPhones are here, but Apple Intelligence is MIA. The much-hyped AI features will start to ship with iOS 18.1 in October, and they’ll include things like notification summaries and generative AI-powered writing tools. It’s all pretty standard fare at this point, but more promising features will continue to roll out well into 2025 — at least, that’s what Apple says.
Technology
Arch-Function LLMs promise lightning-fast agentic AI for complex enterprise workflows
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Enterprises are bullish on agentic applications that can understand user instructions and intent to perform different tasks in digital environments. It’s the next wave in the age of generative AI, but many organizations still struggle with low throughputs with their models. Today, Katanemo, a startup building intelligent infrastructure for AI-native applications, took a step to solve this problem by open-sourcing Arch-Function. This is a collection of state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) promising ultra-fast speeds at function-calling tasks critical to agentic workflows.
But, just how fast are we talking about here? According to Salman Paracha, the founder and CEO of Katanemo, the new open models are nearly 12 times faster than OpenAI’s GPT-4. It even outperforms offerings from Anthropic all while delivering significant cost savings at the same time.
The move can easily pave the way for super-responsive agents that could handle domain-specific use cases without burning a hole in the businesses’ pockets. According to Gartner, by 2028, 33% of enterprise software tools will use agentic AI, up from less than 1% at present, enabling 15% of day-to-day work decisions to be made autonomously.
What exactly does Arch-Function bring to the table?
A week ago, Katanemo open-sourced Arch, an intelligent prompt gateway that uses specialized (sub-billion) LLMs to handle all critical tasks related to the handling and processing of prompts. This includes detecting and rejecting jailbreak attempts, intelligently calling “backend” APIs to fulfill the user’s request and managing the observability of prompts and LLM interactions in a centralized way.
The offering allows developers to build fast, secure and personalized gen AI apps at any scale. Now, as the next step in this work, the company has open-sourced some of the “intelligence” behind the gateway in the form of Arch-Function LLMs.
As the founder puts it, these new LLMs – built on top of Qwen 2.5 with 3B and 7B parameters – are designed to handle function calls, which essentially allows them to interact with external tools and systems for performing digital tasks and accessing up-to-date information.
Using a given set of natural language prompts, the Arch-Function models can understand complex function signatures, identify required parameters and produce accurate function call outputs. This allows it to execute any required task, be it an API interaction or an automated backend workflow. This, in turn, can enable enterprises to develop agentic applications.
“In simple terms, Arch-Function helps you personalize your LLM apps by calling application-specific operations triggered via user prompts. With Arch-Function, you can build fast ‘agentic’ workflows tailored to domain-specific use cases – from updating insurance claims to creating ad campaigns via prompts. Arch-Function analyzes prompts, extracts critical information from them, engages in lightweight conversations to gather missing parameters from the user, and makes API calls so that you can focus on writing business logic,” Paracha explained.
Speed and cost are the biggest highlights
While function calling is not a new capability (many models support it), how effectively Arch-Function LLMs handle is the highlight. According to details shared by Paracha on X, the models beat or match frontier models, including those from OpenAI and Anthropic, in terms of quality but deliver significant benefits in terms of speed and cost savings.
For instance, compared to GPT-4, Arch-Function-3B delivers approximately 12x throughput improvement and massive 44x cost savings. Similar results were also seen against GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet. The company has yet to share full benchmarks, but Paracha did note that the throughput and cost savings were seen when an L40S Nvidia GPU was used to host the 3B parameter model.
“The standard is using the V100 or A100 to run/benchmark LLMS, and the L40S is a cheaper instance than both. Of course, this is our quantized version, with similar quality performance,” he noted.
Another exciting day here Katanemo as we open source some of the "intelligence" behind Arch (https://t.co/9nwakOGPp0). Meet Katanemo Arch-Function, a collection of state-of-the-art (SOTA) LLMs designed for function calling tasks – that meet/beat frontier LLM performance, but… pic.twitter.com/IajF8w3syz— Salman Paracha (Building Intelligent Infra) (@salman_paracha) October 15, 2024
With this work, enterprises can have a faster and more affordable family of function-calling LLMs to power their agentic applications. The company has yet to share case studies of how these models are being utilized, but high-throughput performance with low costs makes an ideal combo for real-time, production use cases such as processing incoming data for campaign optimization or sending emails to clients.
According to Markets and Markets, globally, the market for AI agents is expected to grow with a CAGR of nearly 45% to become a $47 billion opportunity by 2030.
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It all puts the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro in an unusual spot: even once 18.1 drops, Apple Intelligence will still be a work in progress. That adds another dimension to the perennial question: “Is this the year to upgrade?”
Despite all the fuss about AI, our usual advice about phone buying holds true: hang on to the one you got. If you’re not the type of person to get excited about a new camera button, updated photo processing options, or incremental performance upgrades, then there’s no reason to rush out and buy an iPhone 16.
But if you’re questioning whether it’s the year to replace your iPhone 11 or 12 (or maybe even older, in which case well done!), then I think the answer is an easy yes. There are real gains this year, especially in the basic iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, without even considering AI. And if Apple Intelligence turns out to be something special, well, you’ll be ready for it.
The best iPhone for most people
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$799
Apple’s baseline iPhone has a 6.1-inch screen, two rear cameras in a rearranged vertical layout, a customizable Action Button, and a new Camera Control button. It’s set to receive a score of AI software features as Apple rolls out Apple Intelligence.
Screen: 6.1-inch, 2556 x 1179 OLED, 60Hz refresh rate / Processor: A18 Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.6 main with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 27W wired, 25W wireless MagSafe, 15W Qi2, 7.5W Qi / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
Apple’s basic iPhone enjoyed a significant hardware boost this time around, playing an overdue game of catch-up to the Pro series. The iPhone 16 includes the Action Button from last year’s Pro models — handy if there’s an app in your life you want to access at the touch of a button — and the new Camera Control. So if buttons are anything to go by, this phone is two better than last year’s model.
There’s more going on under the hood, too. The A18 chipset is in the same generation as the processor on the Pro models, which hasn’t been the case for the past couple of years. That bodes well for the 16 series staying on the same update schedule. And there’s extra RAM in this year’s base model, which can only be a good thing.
The iPhone 16 became a much more interesting camera this time around, too. The Camera Control offers a quick way to launch the camera app and adjust settings like exposure compensation. But there’s also a new set of Photographic Style filters this time around, with options to adjust contrast, brightness, and undertones to dial in your preferred rendering of skin tones. You’ll get better low-light performance by stepping up to the 16 Pro models, and other cool tricks like 4K recording at 120 fps. But even without all that, it’s the most customizable camera Apple has offered yet.
Outside of camera performance, there are two major drawbacks to picking the regular 16 over a Pro model: no zoom lens, and no ProMotion screen. Only the Pro has a dedicated 5x lens, which is handy for creative framing. And the standard 60Hz screen on the iPhone 16 will likely only bother you if you’re used to a smoother 120Hz display, though it’s annoying on principle that Apple keeps this feature to its Pro phones when virtually every other high-end phone has one.
Best high-end iPhone
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$999
The iPhone 16 Pro sports a new 6.3-inch OLED panel with 120Hz refresh, all of which is powered by a new A18 Pro chip. Its triple camera array features a higher-res 48MP sensor for its ultrawide lens, and there’s a new physical Camera Control button for taking pictures and operating the camera app.
Screen: 6.3-inch, 2622 x 1206 OLED, 120Hz refresh rate / Processor: A18 Pro Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.8 with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS; 48-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 27W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2, 7.5W Qi / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
The iPhone 16 Pro gets a small but meaningful upgrade this time around: a bump up to a 5x zoom, which on the 15 series was reserved for the Pro Max. And while the change from a 3x to 5x zoom doesn’t look that impressive on paper, it goes a long way to making the smaller 16 Pro feel like an equal to the 16 Pro Max. For once, you don’t need to get the biggest phone to get the best phone.
The 16 Pro is roughly the same size as the 15 Pro, but it has a bigger screen: 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches. There’s also the new Camera Control, an upgraded 48-megapixel ultrawide on board, and naturally, a new chipset that’s ready and waiting for Apple Intelligence.
There’s nothing here that makes the 16 Pro an absolute must-upgrade. Still, plenty of people will want the latest device with all the bells and whistles, and the 16 Pro represents an opportunity to get all of those features without having to buy the biggest phone.
The iPhone with the best battery life
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$899
The iPhone 16 Plus is the larger version of the iPhone 16, with a jumbo-sized 6.7-inch screen and a bigger battery. Like the smaller model, it starts with 128GB of storage and is configurable with up to 512GB.
Screen: 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED / Processor: A18 Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.6 main with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 27W wired, 25W wireless MagSafe, 15W Qi2, 7.5W Qi / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
The thing about a big phone is that it has a big battery. And while that’s easy enough to understand, it still feels surprising how much more performance you can eke out of the iPhone 16 Plus’ battery. It’ll stretch well into a second day of use, and even if you’re conditioned to charge your phone every night, you’ll be amazed how much you have left in the tank at the end of each day. It’s a solid antidote to battery anxiety.
Naturally, the 16 Plus’ big-ness comes with another bonus: a bigger screen. The benefits are obvious here, too. But something that stands out to me when I use the phone is just how light it feels for its size, especially if you’re comparing it to the 16 Pro Max. If you like a big display but don’t need all of the weight of the Max — metaphorically and physically speaking — then the Plus is the way to go.
Best inexpensive-ish iPhone
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$599
The iPhone 14 is equipped with Apple’s A15 Bionic CPU and a 6.1-inch display and is available with onboard storage ranging from 128GB to 512GB. Read our review.
Screen: 6.1-inch, 2532 x 1170 OLED, 60Hz refresh rate / Processor: A15 Bionic Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.5 main with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: Wired, 15W wireless MagSafe, 7.5W Qi / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
Technically, the iPhone 14 isn’t the cheapest new iPhone you can buy. That honor goes to 2022’s iPhone SE, which starts at $429. But the SE uses an older design that makes it feel like a different kind of iPhone entirely. In the meantime, the 2022 iPhone 14 has been marked down twice to $599, making it the best deal you can get on a new, modern iPhone.
The regular iPhone 14 didn’t come with a lot of upgrades; it felt more like an iPhone 13S. But it was in the first wave of iPhones to include Emergency SOS via satellite, which could be a literal lifesaver. And the 14 got some helpful camera improvements over the 13, including a larger main camera image sensor and better low-light image processing thanks to some processing pipeline updates.
On the other hand, the 14 was the last generation of iPhone to come without the Dynamic Island, which is the pill-shaped notch that houses time-sensitive updates and status indicators. You’ll still get that information as notifications, but it’s not quite as handy as having it available at a glance no matter what you’re doing on your phone.
Another thing to be aware of: iPhone 14 series owners have complained of premature battery rundown, with overall battery health falling much faster than it should. Most of the battery complaints I’ve seen center on the 14 Pro models; still, it’s something to keep an eye on. All that said, the 14 should receive software updates for another four years, and that’s a pretty good ROI considering its new price.
Best iPhone if you really want a home button
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$429
The 2022 iPhone SE is Apple’s least expensive phone, but its tiny 4.7-inch screen feels cramped now and may be tough to use in an age where apps and webpages are designed for bigger screens. Read our review.
Screen: 4.7-inch Retina LCD / Processor: A15 Bionic Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS, 7-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: Wired, 7.5W Qi / Weather-resistance rating: IP67
The third-gen iPhone SE, released in 2022, is the last of its kind. It’s Apple’s least expensive iPhone, but it’s also the last phone to use Touch ID with a dedicated home button. If you’re not a fan of gesture navigation, you want an inexpensive iPhone, or maybe — imagine! — you just want a small iPhone, then the SE is your best bet. Well, it’s your only bet.
This recommendation comes with some big caveats, starting with that screen. It’s small — at 4.7 inches, it’s significantly smaller than the iPhone 13 Mini’s display, even though the SE is slightly taller and wider than the Mini. The screen feels cramped, and the LCD technology looks dated.
There are a couple other low points: the camera system doesn’t have a night mode, and there’s only 64GB of storage on the base model. All that said, if you’re accustomed to a bigger phone screen, the SE’s 4.7-inch LCD might be the thing that’s hardest to live with. But if a small screen doesn’t bother you and you just need that home button, then it’s hard to argue with the SE’s price.
What about the iPhone 15?
Apple still sells the iPhone 15 new, cutting the price down to $699 with the introduction of the 16 series. If you’re paying for your phone out of pocket and want to save a bit of cash it’s a solid option — just know that it won’t be eligible for Apple Intelligence. The 15 Pro will be able to run Apple’s AI features when they arrive, but the standard 15 won’t.
There’s also a compelling argument for buying an iPhone 14 Plus at its twice-discounted rate of $699. Its big battery will go all day and then some, though you’ll miss out on the Dynamic Island, Action Button, and Camera Control. If you’re not fussed about getting the latest features and just want a big screen, then it’s a worthy candidate.
Technology
My favorite Apple TV Plus comedy Shrinking has been renewed for season 3, and it’s exactly what the doctor ordered for my Ted Lasso withdrawal
Just one day after Shrinking season 2 was released on Apple TV Plus, the critically acclaimed comedy has been renewed for a third season. It’s the perfect distraction while I wait for a possible Ted Lasso season 4 renewal.
The news was announced at New York Comic Con on Thursday (October 17), where creators Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein, along with other members of the Shrinking cast, appeared for a special discussion around the new season.
One of the best Apple TV Plus shows Shrinking is another creation from the mind of Ted Lasso co-creators Bill Lawrence and Goldstein. It stars Segel as grieving therapist Jimmy, who abandons his training and ethics and finds himself making huge, chaotic changes to his patients lives as well as his own.
Lawrence said in a statement to Variety: “I’m so lucky to work on Shrinking with actors, writers and a crew so talented that they all elevate the material. I’m even luckier that they are people I’d want to spend time with anyway. Huge thanks to to Apple TV+ and Warner Bros. for the amazing partnership and support. So grateful we get to keep making this show. Onward!”
What is Shrinking season 2 about?
Shrinking — Season 2 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ – YouTube
One of the best parts of Shrinking is Harrison Ford as Jimmy’s fellow colleague and gruff emotional confidant Dr. Paul Rhoades. Both of them try to help their clients deal with love and loss, all while battling their own personal struggles. As Jimmy continues to try and navigate the immense grief of losing his wife in Shrinking season 2, Paul faces his own hardships as he tries to accept his Parkinson’s diagnosis and what this means for the future of his practice.
Shrinking also stars Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley. Meanwhile, season two also features a guest appearance by Goldstein after his star turn as Roy Kent in Ted Lasso.
Despite sounding all doom and gloom, Shrinking is actually a light-hearted watch, handling poignant moments with a lot of humor and heart. The exciting announcement of a season 3 renewal is another reminder that I need to start watching Shrinking season 2 as soon as I get home.
The first two episodes of the latest season are now available to watch on one of the best streaming services, and new episodes premiere every Wednesday until December 25, so that’s Christmas sorted then! In the meantime, check out these 4 similar comedy dramas with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Choosing the right music streaming service can feel overwhelming given the many options vying for your attention. Spotify and YouTube Music are two of the biggest players, boasting massive libraries of over 100 million songs each and offering similar plans, from free ad-supported versions to premium tiers with extra perks. But which one comes out on top?
Spotify has earned its place as the world’s most popular music streaming service, and for good reason. It provides a polished user experience, boasts a vast music catalog, and offers additional content like podcasts and audiobooks. Spotify also edges out YouTube Music in regard to audio quality by delivering a slightly richer listening experience, although neither have yet to offer their music streams in hi-resolution or lossless quality.
YouTube Music, on the other hand, is deeply integrated with Google’s ecosystem. This is a major advantage for users already invested in Google services, as it allows for seamless transitions between apps and devices. Imagine effortlessly switching from listening to music on your phone to your Google Home speaker. Plus, YouTube Music leverages its video platform to offer a unique advantage: access to music videos, live performances, and rare remixes you won’t find anywhere else.
While Spotify might seem the obvious choice, YouTube Music offers compelling features that make it a serious contender. To make the best decision for your needs, it’s crucial to delve deeper into each platform’s specifics while considering factors like music discovery features, user interface, social sharing capabilities, and offline listening options.
User interface and devices
Launched in 2008, Spotify has had some time to get good at building a friendly user interface, and it continues to be one of the best. Spotify is available in various ways, including via a web browser and through mobile and desktop apps for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and Kindle. It’s harder to think of ways Spotify can’t be accessed. It’s compatible with many smartwatches and network speakers like Sonos, available in the car via CarPlay and Android Auto, on gaming consoles, smart TVs, and streaming devices such as Apple TV and Roku.
The UI has changed several times and continues to do so. But at its core, it’s separated into three main areas. Home is the hub of everything, with tabs for music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Its scrolling design combines recently played songs with suggested mixes and new releases (more below). Here, you can also access features such as Spotify’s new AI radio station-like feature called DJ and its new TikTok/Instagram-like interface that brings in animated album artwork, video clips, previews of songs, playlists, podcasts, and more in an excellent visual way. Your library organizes all your created, saved, and downloaded playlists, songs, albums, artists, podcasts, and more. Lastly, search is just that: a search field for finding what you’re looking for, but it also lists your recent searches, which is handy for going back to.
The Spotify interface’s web and desktop versions are similar. Since the YouTube Music app has no desktop version (just the web player), the Spotify app is superior if the desktop is your main usage point.
YouTube Music’s UI is similar to Spotify’s in that it is well-designed, visually appealing, and utilizes a scrolling architecture. While YouTube Music can be accessed in several ways, it’s not quite as broad as Spotify, but it still casts a wide net. Tied into a user’s Google account, the dedicated YouTube Music app is available for iOS and Android devices (including CarPlay and Android Auto), compatible smartwatches, Sonos speakers, and Chromecast. Its web player can be accessed through any browser or the smart TV YouTube app. You can also cast the web player to other compatible devices from the web player or apps for another level of convenience.
Whether you’re using YouTube Music’s app or the web player, the UI is broken into several main sections, just like Spotify. Along the bottom (or top in a web browser), you’ll find the Home section, an array of usage-based content, including your top artists, mixes, radio streams, playlists, new releases, trending music, and more. Explore is a more focused section of new releases, charts, and trending songs that you can parse out by mood and genre if desired. Like in Spotify, the library is where all your playlists and liked songs, albums, and artists can be found. There’s also a search magnifying glass icon up top, where you’ll find your familiar Google user and cast icons.
Spotify and YouTube Music have very similar UI designs and offer many of the same organization and discovery tools. However, with Spotify, you feel like the well is much deeper, as the app gives you seemingly endless suggestions and categorizations in more visually appealing and creative ways. Plus, it nudges ahead of YouTube Music with slightly more connectivity options.
Winner: Spotify
Library and discovery
Today, many music streaming services offer vast music libraries with over 100 million tracks, including Spotify and YouTube Music. Therefore, the number of tracks is no longer a key deciding factor when choosing between these services. Let’s examine other aspects that differentiate them.
Spotify’s vast library is just the beginning of its offerings. With over five million titles in its podcast library, it has become a leader in the realm, and it now offers audiobooks as well.
However, Spotify excels in the numerous ways users can find and discover its content. It has pioneered many of these features. The “Made for [your name here]” category is a constantly changing space for users who prefer to let the algorithm do the work. Playlists like Discover Weekly, Daily Mixes, and Release Radar are go-to’s when you don’t have a particular album or artist in mind. You can also find endless mixes, playlists, and radio station recommendations that are auto-generated based on your most listened-to genres, moods, and artists. New episodes of your favorite podcasts and audiobooks are front and center.
In the Search section, you can browse through categories such as “Made for You,” “Spotify Classics,” “Live Events,” “Charts,” and “Decades.” Like TikTok and Instagram stories, you can also scroll through videos and music previews. Spotify frequently adds discovery features, although some of them are hit-and-miss, such as the AI DJ feature that creates a radio station hosted by an AI version of Xavier “X” Jernigan.
However, it’s nice that Spotify always adds new things. Smart Shuffle and Daylists are relatively new features. Smart Shuffle optimizes song order, while Daylists offer a constantly refreshing feed of music recommendations. Additionally, it just brought its new AI Playlist creation feature to the U.S. and Canada in September, 2024, allowing you to use text prompts to create playlists. This is just a fraction of what you can find on the platform.
YouTube Music’s library is just as vast as Spotify’s, with almost everything you can think of at your fingertips. And while it’s not doing the audiobook thing yet, just last year, the service started adding podcasts to the platform’s home screen for U.S. users only now. But how does YouTube Music stack up against Spotify in terms of finding things to play? Like every streaming service, the more you use it, the more it learns your tastes and makes better suggestions.
And while the Home section does deliver some great generated playlists like its ever-evolving Discover Mix, the excellent My Super Mix, a New Release Mix, and a load of “Similar To” lists based on artists you might like, it’s just not as vast as Spotify’s. The Explore section does a decent job at offering up new albums and singles, trending tracks, and mood and genre-based music, and the integration of YouTube videos adds a unique element. But overall, it’s hard to compete with Spotify’s experience with discovery — it just feels like you’re getting more, especially when you consider they’re priced almost the same.
Winner: Spotify
Features and functions
Spotify and YouTube Music share many of the same basic features and functions, including everything from how you play, pause, shuffle, and skip tracks to adding things to your library and liking things to help organize what you’re listening to. Both services even offer lyrics when available and easily connect to speakers and devices in your home. The play window is more or less the same, displaying album art and very similar options in the dropdown menus, including the ability to download (more on premium tiers in a bit), share, launch “radio” stations based on your selection, view the artist or album, create playlists, and more. Spotify does offer the option of creating collaborative playlists with friends, and even though YouTube Music does offer its year-end Recap, it pales in comparison to the frivolity of Spotify’s highly anticipated Wrapped event. Still, we don’t think that’s a deal breaker. Functionally, both Spotify and YouTube Music are very similar.
Winner: Tie
Sound quality
We’ve pitted Spotify and YouTube Music against each other for many reasons. Still, one of the main ones is that they are among the only music streaming services that have yet to offer an option or plan tier for lossless or high-resolution (hi-res) formats like competitors such as Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Unlimited do. Spotify has long teased a hi-fi option but has yet to deliver, and so far, YouTube Music hasn’t mentioned it. In the meantime, these two services remain very similar in their sound quality offerings.
Technically speaking, Spotify offers better sound quality than YouTube Music. For their free versions, YouTube Music’s maximum streaming quality is 128kbp, while Spotify’s is 160kbps (it maxes out at 128kbps if using the web player).
Graduating to the premium tiers of both services, if playing Spotify Premium in the browser with the web player, you get 256kbps. Using Spotify’s apps, you get a range from 24kbps to its peak at 320kbps. YouTube Music Premium is the same no matter where it’s played, ranging from 48kbps to its peak at 256kbps.
So, which one is better? On paper, Spotify. But unless you’re an audiophile (in which case you’s be considering a service like Tidal or Qobuz), most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference or wouldn’t care. Spotify wins on a technicality.
Winner: Spotify
The price
This brings us to the exciting conclusion: price. To start, both Spotify and YouTube Music offer free tiers of their services that give you access to their entire libraries. Still, you’ll have to contend with ads popping up between songs, and you can’t download anything for offline listening. Spotify’s free tier only lets you listen to music on shuffle, except for certain playlists, and you can only skip six tracks per hour. Spotify has a range of premium plans that unlock all of these restrictions, allowing for downloads, doing away with the ads, and letting you have the whole experience.
Spotify’s Premium plans include:
- Individual: $12 per month
- Duo: $17 per month (good for couples or two people in the same household)
- Family: $20 per month (for up to 6 accounts)
- Student: $6 per month
YouTube Music free lets you skip tracks as many times as you like after 5 seconds, but the ads are arguably worse and more intrusive than on Spotify. Happily, though, the YouTube Music app now lets you play music in the background when your lock screen is active or when you’re using other apps, a feature that wasn’t possible before. Upgrading to YouTube Music Premium, as with Spotify, removes all the ads, allows downloads, and gives you full-service features. Plans include:
- Individual: $11 per month (or $3 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
- Family: $17 per month (or $6 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
- Student: $5.50 per month (or $2.50 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
Spotify and YouTube Music are pretty equally matched in their pricing, with their Individual plans coming in at under just over $10. So, we’re calling this one a tie because while Spotify offers an additional convenient Duo tier for that demographic, YouTube Premium customers get to leverage their memberships to get a great add-on, which is something Spotify can’t offer.
Winner: Tie
Verdict
Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming service, with over 600 million users, 236 million of whom are paying subscribers. While YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have over 100 million subscribers, a good number, it is still not enough to beat Spotify’s beautifully designed big green wall of music discovery, podcasts, and new features.
Although YouTube Music and Spotify have comparable library sizes and music quality, Spotify’s experience is more refined and offers more extras for the same price. If you are already a YouTube Premium subscriber, adding music for a few extra dollars is a good idea. However, if you do not care about the flashier UI or podcasts, YouTube Music might be more suitable for you.
Winner: Spotify
Razer makes a plethora of peripherals for gaming PCs and consoles and it’s one of the most popular gaming brands on the planet, so when it releases something like the Viper Mini Signature Edition gaming mouse, which now comes in White, you can expect it’ll be a hot-ticket item that won’t be available for long. With the original Viper Mini Signature Edition, availability was hyper-limited as Razer only made so many of them.
This limited availability was amplified by the method Razer used for release, which was a series of drops that would offer a small number of units of the mouse at a time. If you weren’t able to score the original version that came in Black, you might have better luck with Razer’s new White model. The company officially announced the color on October 17, and it’ll be available for pre-order starting next week.
The Razer Viper Mini Signature Edition in White is available for pre-order on Oct. 21
As mentioned this new White model of the mouse will be limited, so you’ll want to act fast if you want one for yourself.
Razer says there will only be 13,337 units, which isn’t a lot compared to all of its non-limited accessories. That being said, the original only had 1,337 made. There are quite a few more of this White model, and that means better chances. Razer does confirm that it will be released using the same drop method. The first drop will begin on October 21 at 8AM Pacific Standard Time. So, get some rest the night before and up early ready to buy if you’re looking to snag one of these.
That being said, there will be more drops. So if you miss out on the first one, try your hand at the others. This will also be a Razer exclusive. Worth mentioning is that this is the same release day for the Analogue 3D, at the same time no less. If you want one of those as well, you will have to be quick.
The mouse retails for $299.99
Razer’s peripherals often lean towards the pricier side of the spectrum, and that isn’t changing here. It’s Razer’s most expensive mouse, and part of that is due to the materials used. The Viper Mini Signature Edition in White uses the same Magnesium Alloy Exoskeleton shell. It also uses the same Corning Gorilla Glass 3 mouse feet. And to top the whole thing off, Razer serves the mouse up on a platter with its swanky leather box.
The mouse also comes with some alcohol prep pads for applying the included Razer Grip Tape, a matching White Razer HyperPolling wireless dongle, a USB-A to USB-C cable, extra mouse feet, and a microfiber cloth. The mouse weighs a strikingly light 49 grams. So it’s perfect for anyone who prefers ultralight gaming mice. Additionally, it features true 8,000Hz polling. As well as a 30K optical sensor and Razer optical switches.
YouTube is testing a revamp of its Premium Lite subscription tier. User made the rounds on social media this week, and today a Google rep later confirmed to multiple other outlets that the plan is being tested in Australia, Germany and Thailand. This new version would have “limited ads,” which the fine print describes as most videos being ad-free, “but you may see video ads on music content and Shorts, and non-interruptive ads when you search and browse.”
The original Premium Lite subscription began in Europe in 2021, but it only lasted a few years, with the video platform the option in October 2023. The plan’s only benefit was removing all ads; it didn’t offer the offline or background viewing options of the regular Premium offering.
We were able to confirm that the pricing model in Australia is $9 a month for Premium Lite, compared with $17 a month for full Premium access. That’s in line with the costs from the original Lite, which were about half the rate of a regular plan. With the current costs of a YouTube subscription — for an individual or for the family option — having a mid-tier choice could certainly be appealing.
Remedy drew back the curtain on its multiplayer title, formerly codenamed Condor, at today’s Xbox Partner Preview event. FBC Firebreak is a first-person shooter, set in the same location as Remedy’s single-player hit Control, but is not, the studio insists, a sequel. Firebreak is Remedy’s first venture into the world of multiplayer, and the studio plans to launch it on PC and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025.
The trailer shows some of FBC Firebreak’s gameplay: It’s a horde mode shooter with co-op for up to three players. The player characters are first responders at the Federal Bureau of Control, who are called upon to handle the supernatural threats that crop up within The Old House, the FBC’s eldritch office space. FBC Firebreak loses some of Control’s visceral horror elements, opting instead for brighter colors and more action-style gameplay.
FBC Firebreak does integrate some elements of the Old House shown in Control into its own gameplay — for example, players can obtain Altered Items, Control’s mysterious objects of power, in order to clear out the hordes. Game director Mike Kayatta told Xbox Wire, “[You] will see more of Control’s world. More of the Federal Bureau of Control. Meet more of the people who work there. Explore more of the Oldest House. Run into more weird stuff. And importantly, experience this world, old and new, from a completely different perspective.”
Remedy teased a multiplayer spin-off for Control in 2021, with 505 Games publishing at the time. Remedy has since acquired the rights to Control and its sequels and spin-offs from 505 Games earlier this year for $18 million. The company told investors at the time that it was seeking potential partners for Control 2 and Condor — the former of which is still in development. In addition to Firebreak, Remedy also showed a gameplay trailer for its upcoming expansion of Alan Wake 2, called The Lake House.
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