Digital Audio Players, often abbreviated to DAPs, remain one of the most versatile ways to listen to music, offering a self contained alternative to dongle DACs, portable DAC amps, and desktop systems that keep you tethered to a desk. Modern DAPs are no longer just glorified iPods. Today’s models deliver real output power, capable processing, and designs that increasingly resemble mainstream smartphones rather than niche audio gear.

There are solid budget DAPs on the market, but meaningful value tends to thin out quickly as prices drop. That is where the FiiO JM21 becomes interesting. At $179, it lands in a price bracket where most players play it safe, trimming features and performance to hit a number rather than pushing the envelope.

Developed in collaboration with Jade Audio, FiiO’s value focused sub brand, the JM21 does not try to look expensive or pretend it belongs in a higher tier. It is compact, understated, and almost anonymous. Internally, however, FiiO appears to have packed in far more than this category normally allows, from power delivery to functionality and overall flexibility.

That leaves a more uncomfortable question for the competition. Is the JM21 simply good for the money, or did FiiO overdeliver just enough to make nearby alternatives feel needlessly compromised?

Specifications & Technology

At the heart of the JM21 is a dual DAC configuration built around Cirrus Logic CS43198 chips, paired with SGM8262 op amps handling the output stage. That is serious silicon for a budget friendly DAP, and the supporting numbers back it up. FiiO claims a signal to noise ratio of roughly 130dB, total harmonic distortion plus noise below 0.0006%, and support for sampling rates up to 768 kHz at 32-bit, along with DSD512 over USB.

Those figures are not just the result of good parts selection. Internally, the JM21 is laid out with the control section, DAC stage, and amplifier stage physically separated into distinct zones. Each section is further isolated with shielding, a design choice intended to reduce crosstalk and keep noise from creeping into the signal path.

Power delivery is treated with similar care. The JM21 uses a three section power supply, with dedicated regulation for the digital control circuitry, the DAC stage, and the current and voltage amplification stages. The goal is straightforward. Provide stable, uninterrupted power where it matters most, rather than letting everything fight over a single rail. In a player at this price, that level of internal discipline is notable and not something competitors can all claim with a straight face.

Add in extremely low jitter femtosecond crystal oscillators, SRC bypassing, and FiiO’s proprietary DAPS Digital Audio Purification System, and the JM21 starts to look like a player that has been engineered with real intent rather than assembled from leftovers. On paper, the focus is clearly on preserving signal integrity and extracting as much performance as possible from the hardware.

The obvious concern is whether all of this comes at the expense of usability. It does not appear to. The JM21 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor, backed by 4 GB of RAM and a customized Android 13 operating system. Performance is responsive, app support is broad, and the interface avoids the lag and stutter that still plague some entry level players.

Internal storage sits at 64 GB, with expansion supported up to 2 TB via a microSD card slot. Battery life is another quiet strength. Thanks to the JM21’s relatively low power consumption, FiiO rates it at up to 12.5 hours of playback, a figure that held up in real world use rather than collapsing the moment Wi-Fi and streaming entered the picture.

Design & Build Quality

Included with the JM21 is everything you need and nothing you do not. In the box you get a transparent plastic case, a basic black USB Type-C to A cable for charging and data transfer, and the usual documentation. No extras, no padding, no pretending this is a luxury experience.

The first thing that stands out when you pick up the JM21 is just how thin and light it is. At 13 mm thick, roughly 0.5 inches, and weighing 156g, about 5.5 ounces, it feels closer to a compact smartphone than a traditional DAP. Its overall dimensions are equally manageable at 120 mm tall and 68 mm wide, or approximately 4.7 by 2.7 inches, making it easy to operate comfortably with one hand.

The chassis is a mix of aluminium alloy and plastic. It does not scream premium, but it feels solid enough to handle everyday use without complaint. The textured underside is a nice touch, adding grip where it actually matters. My review unit was finished in black, though a more eye catching sky blue option is also available. No one is going to confuse this with a flagship build, but at this price point it is sturdy, practical, and frankly hard to fault.

The control layout is straightforward and sensibly arranged. On the left side you will find the power button, which incorporates a small indicator light, along with a volume up and down rocker. Everything falls easily under your thumb, even when using the player one handed.

The right side houses the physical media controls, including play and pause, track forward, and track back buttons. The microSD card slot is also located here, keeping all removable and frequently used controls in one place.

Along the bottom edge are the audio and data connections. The JM21 offers both 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm unbalanced headphone outputs. The 4.4mm jack can also function as a line out, while the 3.5mm output supports both line out and coaxial digital out. A USB Type-C port rounds things out, handling charging and data transfer duties.

User Experience

Power up the JM21 and you are greeted by a bright, vibrant 4.7-inch TFT touchscreen. While the resolution is a modest 1334×750, it is well matched to the screen size. In practice, text and artwork look clean, and I never found myself distracted by visible pixels.

Beyond its wired outputs, the JM21 also supports wireless listening via Bluetooth 5.0. It can both transmit to and receive from compatible devices, with LDAC support enabling high quality wireless playback at up to 96 kHz. Pairing was quick and stable, and performance was consistent during testing.

Versatility is clearly a priority here. The JM21 can operate in line out mode for use with active speakers or external power amplifiers, and it can also function as a USB DAC. In that configuration, connecting it to a laptop, desktop PC, or even a mobile device is straightforward, allowing the JM21 to bypass inferior onboard audio and handle digital conversion duties itself.

Most of my listening was done in standard Android mode, though FiiO also offers a Pure Music mode for those who want a more focused experience. This mode strips the interface back to the essentials, minimizing background processes and visual clutter so the player behaves more like a traditional, music only DAP. If you prefer fewer distractions and quicker access to your library, it is a sensible option.

Overall performance was stable, but not entirely flawless. I experienced occasional Spotify app crashes, particularly during the first few hours of use. The cause was not immediately clear, though the issue appeared to resolve itself over time and did not persist as testing continued. Outside of that early hiccup, day to day operation was smooth and predictable.

The Android 13 implementation feels familiar and largely hassle free, with no noticeable stuttering or performance limitations during typical day to day use. Navigation is smooth, app switching is responsive, and the overall experience feels appropriately tuned for a dedicated audio device.

I did spend some time with the Pure Music mode, which limits operation to the FiiO Music app. In this configuration, the JM21 behaves like a more traditional DAP, prioritizing local playback and simplicity. The app itself is well executed, offering straightforward access to local files, wireless file transfer to and from a connected phone or computer, and built-in EQ adjustment.

If you maintain a large locally stored music library, Pure Music mode makes a lot of sense. It is faster, cleaner, and avoids the overhead of Android apps you are not using, allowing the JM21 to focus on what it does best.

Listening Impressions and Headphone Synergy

Most of my listening impressions were formed using a mix of Spotify streams and hi res FLAC files stored on a microSD card. I paired the JM21 with a wide range of over ear headphones via the 4.4mm balanced output, including the HiFiMAN HE1000 Unveiled, Sendy Audio Egret, Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition 600 Ohm, and DALI IO-12. The DALI was also used wirelessly to evaluate Bluetooth performance.

In short, the JM21 presents a clean, neutral, and largely uncolored sound signature. It does not impose a strong personality of its own, instead allowing the character of the connected headphones to come through intact. Bass, midrange, and treble are evenly balanced and well integrated, provided the headphones themselves are similarly well tuned. This is not a player that sweetens, exaggerates, or smooths things over. What you hear is largely what your headphones are capable of delivering.

Despite its largely flat, neutral tuning, the JM21 never comes across as sterile or robotic. There is enough body and tonal weight to keep music sounding human rather than processed. On “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone, her vocal carries real heft and authority, sitting front and center with a natural sense of scale. The brass section has proper bite and presence, with trumpets cutting through cleanly and trombones sounding full and weighty rather than thin or splashy. The JM21 keeps these elements in balance, letting the track breathe without smoothing away its character.

That said, the JM21 is not a technical showpiece. Transient snap and large scale dynamics are a bit restrained compared to some similarly priced dongle DACs, which can sound more immediate and energetic in direct comparison. There is a trade off here, however. Those dongles do not give you a full Android experience, onboard storage, or a proper touchscreen interface. Viewed in that context, the JM21’s performance makes more sense. You are trading a bit of outright technical bite for versatility, convenience, and an all in one listening experience that dongles simply cannot offer.

Soundstage and imaging are fairly average, with limited spatial placement. Detail retrieval is solid, however. On “Chocolate Chip Trip” by TOOL, the JM21 still revealed subtle percussive hits and low level effects that many devices gloss over. The issue is scale. The track’s complex spatial placement and sense of movement felt flattened compared to higher quality sources. Everything was audible, but the presentation lacked the depth and dimensionality that make this track truly jaw dropping.

I did not have any similarly priced DAPs on hand, but I did compare the JM21 to the $500 Shanling M3 Plus. In terms of overall detail retrieval and tonal balance, the JM21 more than held its own. The differences came down to refinement. The Shanling sounded slightly more natural in timbre and more convincing dynamically, pulling ahead by a small but noticeable margin rather than a night and day difference.

700 mW is a heck of a lot of power for a sub-$200 device, and that kind of headroom proves useful when driving harder-to-run over-ear headphones like the HE1000 Unveiled. Just do not expect it to unlock the full potential of notoriously demanding models such as the HiFiMAN HE6se V2 or Modhouse Tungsten.

Furthermore, the JM21 doesn’t use tube amplification nor does it contain an R2R DAC, so it won’t do much to tame treble peaks on troublesome headphones. For that reason, the DT880 Edition 600 Ohm was quickly put to one side for the rest of the review process, as it can sound quite harsh on many solid-state devices.

The Bottom Line

The FiiO JM21 is not a giant killer, but it is a smartly engineered reality check. It has ample output power for the money, a clean and neutral sound, excellent versatility with full Android, strong connectivity, and hardware choices that feel deliberate rather than cheap. And it will comfortably drive the vast majority of headphones people actually own.

The trade offs are just as clear. Technical performance is competent rather than exciting, with average dynamics, soundstage, and spatial placement. It will not soften treble heavy headphones, nor will it extract the last ounce of performance from notoriously power hungry or temperamental designs. If you are chasing holographic imaging or tube like warmth, this is not the DAP for you.

Where the JM21 wins is value and usability. At $179, it offers a level of power, functionality, and polish that makes many alternatives feel compromised or redundant. If your priorities are flexibility, sensible tuning, and maximum bang for the buck, the JM21 makes a very strong case that you may not need anything more.

Pros:

• High quality DAC implementation with class leading measurements for the price
• Lightweight, slim design that is easy to operate one handed
• Smooth and familiar Android 13 experience with good overall responsiveness
• Excellent versatility with multiple operating modes, including USB DAC, line out, Bluetooth, and Pure Music mode
• Clean, neutral, and well balanced sound that avoids obvious coloration
• Strong output power for its class, capable of driving most real world headphones

Cons:

• Occasional app instability, particularly with streaming services early on
• Average dynamics, soundstage, and spatial placement compared to more technical sources
• Sonic presentation prioritizes balance and control over excitement
• Limited ability to tame treble heavy or difficult headphone pairings

Where to buy:

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As Valentine’s Day approaches at Stanford, some students may be gearing up for first dates — not with people they met on Tinder or Hinge, but with matches from a service called Date Drop, designed by Stanford graduate student Henry Weng. Date Drop pairs students with potential dates once per week based on their responses to a questionnaire.

A Stanford whiz kid is trying to disrupt an established industry from his Palo Alto dorm? Stop me if you’ve heard this one before! But young adults are deeply disillusioned with the frustrating, demoralizing state of online dating. Why not try something different?

Over 5,000 students at Stanford have given Date Drop a try since its launch in the fall. It has also rolled out at 10 more schools, including MIT, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania, and Weng says he wants to roll out Date Drop more broadly in some cities this summer.

“Our matches convert to actual dates at about 10x the rate of Tinder,” Weng told TechCrunch. “Instead of swiping, we get to know each person deeply and send them one compatible match per week.”

At first, Weng didn’t intend to turn Date Drop into the foundation of a startup. Then, a close friend of his met their partner via Date Drop. “That was when I got the sense that this was less of a project,” he said.

Now, Weng thinks of Date Drop as just the first service from his startup, the Relationship Company, which is a public benefit corporation — — a type of company legally required to consider social impact alongside profits.

“This started as something I just wanted to exist on campus, and it became a company because people kept on asking for it in their schools and I needed resources to do that,” he said.

Already, Weng has raised “a few million” from some angel investors, including Zynga founder and early Facebook backer Mark Pincus, who has taught business courses at Stanford (including to Weng). Andy Chen, a former partner at Coatue, and Elad Gil, an early backer of Airbnb, Stripe, and Pinterest, also invested in the Relationship Company.

“The long-term vision at The Relationship Company is about facilitating all meaningful relationships: friendships, professional connections, community, events,” he said.

It’s par for the course to use algorithms to predict if users of a dating service may be compatible with one another — that’s how dating apps work. But Weng says his model is more geared toward forging long-term connections, with 95% of Date Drop users saying they’re interested in relationships.

Weng explains that there are two core elements at play. First, the questionnaire needs to be thorough enough to capture a real picture of who someone is. “We do that through the questions, open-ended responses, a voice conversation, and other data that the users provide,” he said.

The next challenge is compatibility prediction. “Because we help people plan dates, we have data on which matches actually work out. So we have a model trained on real-world outcomes,” he said. “Once you have those two components, the actual matching is standard stuff from matching theory literature.”

Currently pursuing a computer science master’s degree at Stanford, Weng has oriented his education around the economic and mathematical concepts of matching. As a Stanford undergrad, he’d created his own major to study humans, matching, and incentives.

“I started to see how matching shapes so much of our lives,” Weng told TechCrunch. “Who your life partner is, who your friends are, what college you go to, which company you work for are all matching problems.”

Beyond his technical education, Weng found an unexpected class useful for learning to manage a startup: “Intro to Clown.”

“A core principle of clowning is that clowns are failures, and instead of fearing failure, they revel in it,” he said. “As a product builder, your entire journey is just repeatedly failing and getting back up. Clown class was a wonderful microcosm of that.”

So far, The Relationship Company has two employees besides Weng, along with 12 students who serve as campus ambassadors. Because their work revolves around forging matches, Weng has extended that mindset to how he manages the company. He offers employees a $100 monthly “relationship stipend,” which they can spend on dates, gifts, experiences, or anything that helps them deepen an important relationship of any sort.

“Relationships are the single most important factor in a person’s life,” Weng said. “There’s also great research showing that money spent on other people makes you happier than money spent on yourself.”

Weng’s fascination with how people form relationships has also informed how he goes about his day-to-day life.

“Date Drop has shown me how many interesting people are out there that you’d never encounter through your normal routines,” he said. “It’s made me more open to people I wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise.”

Bluetooth turntables have moved from novelty status into the mainstream of the vinyl market. Their growth is being driven less by traditional hi-fi ownership and more by changes in listening habits, particularly among younger buyers who already rely on wireless earbuds and headphones for most of their music. TEAC’s latest release, the $629.99 TN 400BT X/TB, reflects that shift by combining a conventional belt-drive design with built-in Bluetooth playback.

The TN 400BT X/TB is a limited-edition turquoise blue version of TEAC’s Bluetooth turntable platform, scheduled to arrive in Spring 2026. The finish is distinctive without being flashy, but the more important context is how products like this fit into the current vinyl ecosystem. Recent research indicates that roughly 40 percent of people purchasing vinyl today do not actually own a turntable. That reality may be good news for the record industry in the short term, but it raises longer-term questions for traditional turntable manufacturers if vinyl increasingly becomes a collectible rather than a regularly played format.

Bluetooth-enabled models like the TN 400BT X/TB are one way brands are attempting to bridge that gap, giving listeners who already own wireless headphones another practical way to engage with vinyl rather than letting records sit unused on a shelf.

At its foundation, the TN 400BT X/TB is a belt-drive turntable built around stable, no-nonsense engineering. A DC motor drives a high-inertia aluminum die-cast platter via a belt system designed to minimize vibration and speed irregularities. The table supports 33⅓, 45, and 78 rpm playback, making it compatible with modern pressings as well as older records. TEAC rates wow and flutter at 0.2 percent or less, keeping performance aligned with expectations at this price level.

Bluetooth Built In Because Nobody Wants Another Box

Bluetooth is where the TN 400BT X/TB clearly reflects modern listening habits. The turntable uses Bluetooth 5.2 and supports SBC, aptX, and aptX Adaptive codecs, allowing vinyl playback to be streamed wirelessly to compatible headphones and speakers.

Pairing is handled via a single button with an LED indicator, and the turntable can remember up to 8 paired devices. This kind of functionality explains the category’s momentum: it lets vinyl coexist comfortably with wireless lifestyles instead of fighting them.

For listeners who still prefer a wired signal path, TEAC includes a built-in phono EQ amplifier based on the NJM8080 op amp. This allows the turntable to connect directly to powered speakers or amplifiers that lack a dedicated phono input. A switchable line or phono output also keeps upgrade paths open for those who want to add an external phono stage later.

The tonearm follows a familiar and proven formula. It is an S-shaped, static-balanced design with adjustable counterweight and anti-skating, fitted with a universal headshell and gold-plated contacts. TEAC ships the TN 400BT X/TB ready to play with an Audio-Technica AT95E moving-magnet cartridge pre-installed, keeping setup simple while giving users room to experiment with cartridge upgrades in the future.

Visually, the limited-edition turquoise blue lacquer finish sets this model apart from the standard lineup. The plinth is constructed from high-density MDF for rigidity and vibration control, while machined aluminum knobs, aluminum feet, and gold-plated RCA terminals reinforce the sense that this is meant to be a finished product, not an entry-level toy.

Specifications:

• Drive type: Belt drive
• Motor: DC
• Speeds: 33⅓, 45, and 78 rpm
• Wow and flutter: 0.2 percent or less
• Signal to noise ratio: 67 dB A weighted or better
• Platter: High-inertia aluminum die-cast
• Bearing: Low-friction spindle with brass bearing
• Tonearm: S-shaped, static-balanced
• Effective length: 223 mm, approximately 8.8 inches
• Supported cartridge weight: 3 to 7 g, or 14 to 18 g including headshell
• Included cartridge: Audio-Technica AT95E moving magnet
• Cartridge frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• Bluetooth version: 5.2
• Supported codecs: SBC, aptX, aptX Adaptive
• Paired device memory: Up to 8 devices
• Analog output: Gold-plated RCA
• Output modes: Switchable line or phono
• Chassis material: High-density MDF
• Finish: Gloss turquoise blue lacquer
• Dimensions: 420 × 117 × 356 mm (16.5 × 4.6 × 14.0 inches)
• Weight: 4.9 kg (10.8 pounds)
• Included accessories: Felt mat, headshell with cartridge installed, counterweight, dust cover with hinges, RCA cable with ground wire, AC adapter, user manual

The Bottom Line

The TEAC TN 400BT X/TB isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel — it’s a solid, well-built Bluetooth turntable that recognizes how people actually listen today. It sits above entry-level jobbies like Lenco and many Victrola-branded models in both build quality and cartridge setup, and it brings a more complete Bluetooth implementation than Sony’s earlier PS-LX3BT and PS-LX5BT, which have leaned toward casual convenience over flexibility.

At the same time, it doesn’t step into true high-end territory like the semi-integrated Technics SL-40CBT, which pairs wireless convenience with noticeably more refined analog performance. It won’t satisfy purist analog obsessives chasing every last nuance, but for the growing share of buyers who are new to vinyl or want a no-nonsense all-in-one experience with modern connectivity, the TN 400BT X/TB makes sense.

Pricing & Availability

The TEAC TN 400BT X/TB in Limited Edition Turquoise Blue will be available in Spring 2026 for $629.99 USD in limited quantities. The walnut version of the same turntable is available now for $629.99 at TEAC USA.

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If you opened a tech newsletter or even the internet in early 2026 and thought you’d stepped into a dystopian screenplay, or you are the main character in one of Isaac Asimov’s writings, you wouldn’t be alone.

Headlines trumpet layoffs, companies blame “AI transformation,” and somewhere in the background, billionaires cheer hot-off-the-press artificial intelligence strategies. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: people are still losing their jobs, while AI gets most of the credit.

According to the most recent tracking data, the pace of layoffs in tech remains high in 2026. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that U.S. employers announced 108,435 job cuts in January 2026, the strongest January for layoffs since 2009, and more than double the total from the same month a year earlier

Let’s put some names to these numbers because real humans were behind them.

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In late January 2026, Amazon confirmed 16,000 corporate job cuts, part of a wider reduction that has already seen tens of thousands of roles eliminated since late 2025. Revenue was high, investment in AI infrastructure was soaring, and yet people were still shown the door. 

Salesforce, a company that frequently boasts about its AI products, quietly cut fewer than 1,000 jobs across teams, including marketing and product roles. These cuts even hit a division tied to their own AI products, which had been touted internally as strategic. 

Layoff reports also include giants like Meta and Block, financial institutions, and even non-tech conglomerates retrenching under cost pressures. 

Almost every layoff announcement seems to arrive with the same footnote: “This reflects our focus on AI and automation.” It’s catchy and convenient, and it shifts the conversation from “people lost their livelihoods” to “we are evolving.”

But there’s growing skepticism. Journalists and analysts have begun to use the term “AI-washing” to describe how companies attribute layoffs to artificial intelligence without clear evidence that AI systems replaced workers. They note that many organisations had no mature, scalable AI implementations capable of genuinely absorbing the tasks of entire teams before the cuts were announced. 

This matters because real evidence of AI displacing large numbers of workers in the sense of robots doing jobs humans used to do is still limited. A recent firm-level study suggests that the use of AI tools can substitute some contracted labour over time, but the magnitude of this substitution remains modest and gradual rather than explosive. 

So when a corporate press release asserts “AI is transforming our workforce,” match that upbeat line with the more prosaic reality: financial pressures, slower markets, and the legacy of pandemic hiring adjustments still account for a large share of job losses. Analysts have pointed out that many layoffs associated with AI could be driven as much by economic necessity or managerial optics as by genuine automation. 

Europe is part of the story, too.

Tech layoffs aren’t an American story alone. In Europe, companies from telecommunications to manufacturing have either frozen hiring or cut jobs in response to slowing markets and external pressures.

The semiconductor maker ASML announced cuts of about 1,700 positions, while Ericsson is trimming around 1,600 roles in Sweden to adapt to a prolonged downturn in 5G spending. The consumer goods sector, banks, and industrial firms also announced job reductions in late 2025 and early 2026, reflecting a broader economic slowdown that goes far beyond a single technology trend. 

In many of these cases, AI barely enters the conversation, but the human impact certainly does.

Biggest layoffs ever? Not quite. But it feels like it.

Putting it bluntly, 2026 isn’t yet the year robots suddenly outperformed entire industries and made humanity redundant. Historical layoffs like IBM’s roughly 60,000 job cuts in the 1990s or massive reductions during economic downturns like 2008  still rank among the largest single events in corporate labour history.

But what is different now is the narrative that accompanies it. Unlike blunt economic downturns, today’s layoffs are often framed as strategic transformations, a necessary step to embrace the shiny promise of artificial intelligence. 

That frame protects executives and investors, but offers little consolation to the people whose positions are eliminated in the name of “efficiency.” 

So, where are we headed?

Let’s call it what it is. People are losing valuable jobs, and many of the reasons offered for those losses are wrapped in tech buzzwords. AI has the potential to change how work is done; no reasonable person denies that, but conflating investment in algorithms with wholesale human job replacement is an oversimplification that does a disservice to anyone trying to make sense of this moment.

If 2026 teaches us anything, it’s this: layoffs are real, painful, and often rooted in economic and strategic decisions that have little to do with machines spontaneously deciding they need fewer humans. 

And the rush to blame AI as a convenient scapegoat obscures the deeper, harder questions we should be asking about how we value people, work, and community in a world that is increasingly enamoured with the idea of automation.

So yes, layoffs are sweeping across companies large and small. No, there isn’t clear evidence that AI has replaced humans en masse. And if we continue to let that narrative dominate, we risk forgetting that behind every data point is a human life, someone whose value isn’t measured in lines of code or the future earning potential of a machine.

Where we go from here depends on whether we treat people as assets to optimize away or as the very reason innovation should serve society in the first place.

Anthropic has upgraded Claude’s free tier, adding features previously reserved for paying users. The timing comes as OpenAI prepares to introduce ads into ChatGPT, highlighting the different paths the two AI rivals are taking.

To start off, free Claude users can now create and edit files directly in the chatbot. Yes, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, and PDFs are now real, supported formats in the free platform. The feature runs on Anthropic’s Sonnet 4.5 model, which is known to power Claude’s productivity tools.

What’s more is that connectors are now also available without charge. This integration links Claude to third‑party services such as Canva, Slack, Notion, Zapier, and PayPal. Free users can now automate workflows and connect conversations with external platforms.

Running with wet feet, in wet socks, in wet shoes is the perfect recipe for blisters. It’s also a fast track to low morale. Nothing dampens spirits quicker than soaked socks. On ultra runs, I always carry spares. And when faced with wet, or even snowy, mid-winter miles, the lure of weatherproof shoes is strong. Anything that can stem the soggy tide is worth a go, right?

This isn’t as simple an answer as it sounds. In the past, a lot of runners—that includes me—felt waterproof shoes came with too many trade-offs, like thicker, heavier uppers that change the feel of your shoes or a tendency to run hot and sweaty. In general, weatherproof shoes are less comfortable.

But waterproofing technology has evolved, and it might be time for a rethink. Winterized shoes can now be as light as the regular models, breathability is better, and the comfort levels have improved. Brands are also starting to add extra puddle protection to some of the most popular shoes. So it’s time to ask the questions again: Just how much difference does a bit of Gore-Tex really make? Are there still trade-offs for that extra protection? And is it really worth paying the premium?

I spoke to the waterproofing pros, an elite ultra runner who has braved brutal conditions, and some expert running shoe testers. Here’s everything you need to know about waterproof running shoes in 2026. Need more information? Check out our guide to the Best Running Shoes, our guide to weatherproof fabrics, and our guide to the Best Rain Jackets.

How Do Waterproof Running Shoes Work?

On a basic level, waterproof shoes add extra barriers between your nice dry socks and the wet world outside. If you’re running through puddles deep enough to breach your heel collars, you’re still going to get wet feet. But waterproof shoes can protect against rain, wet grass, snow, and smaller puddles.

Gore-Tex is probably the most common waterproofing tech in footwear, but it’s not the only solution in town. Some brands have proprietary tech, or you might come across alternative systems like eVent and Sympatex. That GTX stamp is definitely the one you’re most likely to encounter, so here’s how GTX works.

The water resistance comes from a layered system that is composed of a durable water repellent (DWR) coating to the uppers with an internal membrane, along with other details like taped seams, more sealed uppers with tighter woven mesh, gusseted tongues, and higher, gaiter-style heel collars.

As the top AI labs like Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI chase enterprise adoption, Canadian AI startup Cohere has been quietly cleaning up.

The startup told investors in a memo that it surpassed its $200 million annual recurring revenue target in 2025, hitting $240 million with quarter-over-quarter growth of more than 50% throughout the year, per CNBC.

Cohere was founded in 2019 and has the backing of enterprise tech investors like Nvidia, AMD, and Salesforce. The startup’s core tech is its Command family of generative AI models, which Cohere says are efficient enough to be deployed on limited GPUs — an attractive promise for enterprises looking to get a handle on cost and resource management. 

Last summer, Cohere launched North, a higher-level enterprise platform and AI workspace for secure, custom AI agents and workflows built on Cohere’s models. 

Cohere’s CEO Aidan Gomez said last October that the startup may IPO “soon.” If “soon” means in 2026, Cohere may be contending against OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX/xAI, which are all reportedly weighing their own public debuts.

You feel that? The butterflies in your gut? The clenched butt? Of course you do — because today is an Apple event day.

If you’re intrigued about what the company is potentially going to announce, we’ve got you. If you want to know how to watch it, friend, we’ve got you.

In this piece though, we’re looking at the possibility that today’s event isn’t a standalone extravaganza. Instead, it’s most likely one of a pair of events.

Excuse me while I button up my trenchcoat, find my magnifying glass, and kick-off a drinking problem. It’s detective time, pals. Here’s our first clue that today’s Apple event may be part of a pair:

There will be two events, and I’d expect the latter to be Mac + iPad. iPhone/Watch Tuesday. https://t.co/xfAjhUkigC

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 12, 2021

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Okay, yeah, this isn’t exactly a bit of Sherlockian analysis, but a clue is still a clue — even if it just gives us the answer straight away.

Thankfully though, this adventure doesn’t end there. We’ve got some more evidence to comb through.

A look at last year’s Apple events

If we stretch our minds back to 2020 (OH GOD NO), you’ll remember there were three Apple events at the rear end of the year. There was the September 15 one where the company announced new Apple Watches and iPads.

Next up was the October 13 Apple event. This is where the company announced the iPhone 12 range. Finally, we have the Apple event which took place on November 10. This was where the company launched its new Macs with the M1 chip.

Don’t worry, there is a point to listing all these events: Apple has recent history of spreading its product announcements over several events. This means that having a follow-up show after this one has precedence.

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced of what a good idea it is.

Let’s ponder this it from Apple’s perspective. Now the events are fully digital, there’s no need to worry about getting people in a room. For the public, it’s also much easier to understand a couple of products being updated, rather than dozens.

Then you have the media. Basically, every damn media outlet will cover the ins-and-outs of each event, meaning Apple will receive huge amounts of coverage for just… splitting up a video? Sending out some RSVPs?

It’s really a genius bit of PR and marketing.

I’d say then it’s pretty likely we’ll be getting at least one more Apple event after today. It’s tough to know the precise product split — or whether it’ll be in October or November — but Gurman is probably right: one event that’s Apple Watch and iPhone, then another that’s iPad and Macs.

And lord, I can’t wait.