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We’re halfway though 2026, and this year has already delivered some of the best soundbars we’ve seen — or rather, heard. The standout amongst the models we’ve tested is the “phenomenal” Samsung HW-Q990H — one of a select group of 5-star products, thanks to its “powerful, engaging and detailed sound profile”, straightforward setup and strong connectivity options. Another winner was the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro. If you’re yearning for some “phenomenal rumbling bass”, this is the soundbar for you.

Those are both premium picks, but we also reviewed a couple of brilliant budget options. The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 comes in at a fraction of the price of that Samsung model, and while its soundscape is understandably less expansive, it still impressed us by delivering clear dialogue, strong bass, and a useful, responsive display.

JP Morgan increased the price target for Apple’s stock to $345, insisting that the RAM-driven hardware cost increases won’t impact long-term revenue gains.

Late in June, Apple finally gave in and raised the price of many products, in the face of the global memory crisis. In the view of JP Morgan, it’s not that big an issue for the company.

In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider on Tuesday, JP Morgan has increased its price target for Apple to $345. This is an increase of $20 from January, when it last raised the stock target price to $325.

The firm acknowledges the hefty price increases are going to be a short-term issue, with investors trying to judge how badly consumers will take the news. But even so, the news isn’t enough to dampen JP Morgan’s spirits.

Elastic pricing

In its reasoning, JP Morgan first says that the historical data for sales volumes covering iPhone, Mac, and iPad show a “limited relationship” to pricing across multiple years. Essentially, consumers are going to buy Apple products anyway, and pricing doesn’t seem to matter too much.

Mac sales are probably the most insulated in JP Morgan’s view, with more price point options and AI-led demand working in its favor.

The iPhone also benefits from limited elasticity on the premium end. Those with larger budgets are less affected by price changes, it seems.

That said, the budget end of iPhone and iPad sales is more significantly affected by price. However, even they are considered “modest revenue headwinds” when combined with premium model sales.

While it will be some time before anyone knows how Apple will weather the memory pricing storm, we will get an early indication from Apple’s Q3 results, released on July 30.

Since the price hikes, AAPL stock has been doing very well for itself. Following the price hike news on June 25, the company’s stock fell to $275.15. It closed on July 6 at $312.66.

Leda Stawnychko of Mount Royal University and Mehnaz Rafi of the University of Calgary discuss what is true and false about searching for a job in 2026.

Job searching has never been more accessible – or more confusing. Platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed and employer career pages let candidates submit applications with just a few clicks. What happens after they click ‘submit’, however, has become fertile ground for misinformation.

Social media is filled with ‘career influencers’, resume writers, recruiters and companies promising insider knowledge of how hiring really works. Much of this advice focuses on misinformed claims about applicant-tracking systems (ATS) and artificial intelligence.

These services profit from jobseekers’ uncertainty and convincing people they need specialised services, tools and products to ‘beat’ the ATS and secure interviews.

The result is that many job seekers spend time and money following advice that has no basis in evidence. Here are four common myths about the job application process and what the research actually says.

Myth 1: 75pc of resumes are rejected

Perhaps the most widely repeated claim online is that 75pc of resumes are automatically rejected by an ATS before a human recruiter ever sees them.

The statistic originated from a 2012 sales pitch by Preptel, a resume optimisation company that went out of business the following year. No methodology was ever published, yet the figure has spread widely.

In reality, an ATS is software that helps employers manage applications, and its capabilities vary widely. Some systems function as digital filing cabinets, simply storing and organising applications.

Others automatically screen for basic requirements, such as mandatory eligibility questions. At the most sophisticated end, systems use AI to rank applicants, recommend candidates and analyse asynchronous video interviews.

The advanced AI-powered tools are typically found in large organisations, including many Fortune 500 companies, which receive enormous volumes of applications. In Canada, most employers do not use AI in hiring, and small businesses – which employ more than 60pc of the workforce – are especially unlikely to rely on ATS.

Small businesses typically lack both the application volumes that make ATS worthwhile and the procurement infrastructure to adopt and maintain them.

For most Canadian jobseekers, the better strategy is to focus on clearly communicating how their skills and experience match the role, and on building relationships within their profession.

Myth 2: AI can write a winning resume

A common message from career influencers is that AI can generate a tailored resume or cover letter that dramatically improves your chances of getting hired. While AI can help candidates prepare application materials more efficiently, it is not a shortcut to a stronger application.

As more candidates rely on the same tools and prompts, applications increasingly sound similar and recruiters take notice.

Far from providing a competitive advantage, AI-generated applications may have the opposite effect. 74 pc of hiring managers report identifying them, and 80pc view them unfavourably.

The best approach is to use AI to augment your own voice. That means using it to refine and sharpen your draft, not replace its substance.

Research on Canadian hiring suggests candidates secure more interviews when their applications contain more detail, clarity and structure. Since today’s recruiters review a myriad of applications that look and sound the same, they tend to respond to the ones that stand out by communicating qualifications in an authentic voice.

Myth 3: Use ‘ATS-friendly’ resume templates

Resume writers and career influencers claim that using an ‘ATS-friendly’ template is essential for ‘beating’ the ATS. Some even sell templates that promise to ‘optimise’ your resume to secure interviews.

In reality, there is no universal ATS-friendly resume because the software employers use varies widely from one company to another. Additionally, modern ATS can extract information from common resume layouts, including columns or tables.

Their main limitation is that they are designed to process text, not images, graphics or icons. That means a clean, readable resume should be the actual target, not a template bought online.

If ATS doesn’t automatically reject resumes the way the influencer economy claims, then optimising for a system that largely doesn’t work that way is solving the wrong problem. The real audience for your resume is a person, not an algorithm.

The better approach is to write for both systems and people. Use clear headings, relevant keywords and concrete examples that show how your experience matches the role.

Myth 4: More applications, more interviews

Another myth is that, with the right prompts, the job search can be fully automated, allowing candidates to submit hundreds of applications with little effort. More applications should lead to more interviews, the logic goes.

In practice, this approach often comes at the expense of thoughtful job-seeking, such as identifying positions and employers that genuinely match your skills and interests, and crafting applications that reflect that fit.

AI is most effective when it enhances, rather than replaces, a candidate’s work, helping to avoid what has become known as ‘workslop’ – a term for generic, AI-generated content.

Candidates are best served by using AI for brainstorming and polishing while ensuring the final version accurately and authentically reflects your experiences, accomplishments and voice.

The fundamentals haven’t changed

Today’s labour market may look different, but the fundamentals of a successful job search haven’t changed much. In that sense, the best thing job seekers can do may be to ignore most of what they’re being sold.

The strongest applications are those that clearly connect a candidate’s experiences to the role, provide concrete evidence of their abilities and communicate in an authentic voice.

Technology may help employers manage applications, but hiring decisions are ultimately made by people. That makes professional networks, trusted referrals, strong communication and leadership skills more valuable than ever.

Put the time you’d spend on template optimisation into one good conversation with someone in your field. The research suggests it’ll go further.

By Leda Stawnychko and Mehnaz Rafi 

Leda Stawnychko is an associate professor of strategy and organisational theory at Mount Royal University. She also holds adjunct academic appointments at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business and the Cumming School of Medicine. With more than two decades of leadership experience across international public, private and nonprofit sectors, she is dedicated to cultivating effective, adaptive and transformative leaders.

Mehnaz Rafi is a PhD candidate and sessional professor in the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Before pursuing her PhD in organisational behaviour, she received her MSc in management from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. She is passionate about leveraging her decade of research experience in quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method designs to create meaningful impact in the world. 

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Phones from British tech startup Nothing have never failed to impress us with unique designs that set them apart amid the otherwise mundane landscape of similar-looking Android devices. The design of the Phone 4B, which Nothing announced on Tuesday alongside the Nothing Ear 3A, isn’t quite as distinctive as the company’s other handsets, but at first glance, there’s still plenty to recommend it.

Let’s start with the battery. In our review of the Phone 4A, which the company unveiled back in March, one of our few criticisms of the device was that the battery life could be better. The Phone 4B actually comes with the biggest ever battery of any Nothing phone, at 5,200 mAh, even though this model is significantly cheaper than the Phone 4A.

It’s still unlikely to rival the best phones on the market for battery life — Apple’s latest iPhones and the OnePlus 15 in our independent testing — but we’re talking about a budget phone here. But it’s great to see Nothing acknowledging that battery life is one area in need of improvement and taking action relatively quickly.

Nothing’s design language has always hinged on its deployment of transparent elements, and the Phone 4B, while largely opaque, nods to this with a transparent camera bump on the top rear side of the phone. Under this bump is a refined version of its light-up Glyph bar — a row of individually controlled mini-LEDs that provide notifications, charging progress, recording indicators and personalized alerts.

It’s touches like this that continue to set Nothing apart from its rivals — especially at the budget end of the phone spectrum. There’s no cost-cutting on the processor either, with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chip inside. That’s one model removed from the processor inside the 4A, but Nothing says the Phone 4B comes close to its older sibling in performance.

Again, like the Phone 4A, the 4B offers a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, but doesn’t have the 4A’s telephoto camera with optical zoom. Small compromises like this throughout have allowed the Nothing to keep the price low, which for many people in search of an affordable but fun phone, will be compromises worth making. 

The Nothing Phone 4B will be available in black, white and blue starting at £299 ($400), with drops happening in the company’s stores from July 11, before going on sale online on July 17.

RGB Mini-LED TVs have officially arrived, and Hisense’s UR9 was the first to hit the market, followed by Sony’s Bravia 7 Mark II and TCL’s RM9L. I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t jazzed to learn what the new display technology means, particularly if you were just getting used to terms like OLED, QLED, and art TV. Thankfully, understanding why the Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED is a step up in picture quality compared to its competitors is more about the experience it provides than knowing the technical terms.

Even so, the general function of mini RGB tech is not so difficult to understand: Traditional LED and QLED televisions achieve their bright and colorful images by shining white or blue LEDs through an LCD panel. The newer mini RGB works by emitting red, green, and blue lights, resulting in better color accuracy, excellent contrast and brightness, and finer control over color zones. LG and Samsung use new tech called micro RGB, claiming it to be more advanced than mini RGB thanks to smaller LEDs, although both achieve roughly the same result.

The UR9 is the flagship in Hisense’s lineup, but it isn’t priced that way at just $2,000 for the 65-inch model I tested. What you get with the UR9 is an improved picture quality compared to the brand’s other models, which are typically priced lower than sets from big names like Samsung, Sony, and LG. I’ve tested countless Hisense entry-level models over the years, including a few that had poor contrast and brightness, putting them more in line with TCL, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV bargain models that cost around $800.

Not the case with this gaming monster, with its unusual-but-welcome 180-Hz refresh rate (330-Hz variable) when you link a high-end computer to the DisplayPort connection on the side. Overall, I was impressed by the picture quality at this price point, even if the UR9 can’t quite compete with the latest (but pricey) Samsung and LG models that use micro RGB tech.

Standard Setup for a Unique Television

Photograph: John Brandon

The all-black, notably thin (only 1.8 inches!) UR9 comes with a stand that’s much easier to assemble than the Sony Bravia 7 Mark II RGB TV. Once in position on my stand, setting up the Google TV operating system was simple, save for dealing with a known bug with the Google Home app’s QR code that required manually entering my Gmail address and password. The UR9 uses Wi-Fi 6E, which is faster than Wi-Fi 6.