Technologies

Is the iPhone Air a Klutz’s Worst Nightmare?

Commentary: It’s only 5.6mm thick! I can’t be the only one worried about breaking the new iPhone Air.

Maybe I’m just getting bent out of shape, but the new iPhone Air seems like it would be my worst nightmare. The slim and trim version of the brand new iPhone 17 was the star of Apple’s «awe dropping» September event, with Apple bragging they created a model that’s only 5.6 mm thick, about the size of three stacked credit cards. But I have to ask: Did anyone really ask for a super-thin iPhone?

Apple has loaded up the iPhone Air with better battery life and faster processing power via the A19 Pro chip. It’s also got a 48-megapixel fusion camera and a 12-megapixel 2x telephoto camera. Apple said this is the most power-efficient phone it’s ever made. It’s likely to be a value-packed iPhone — or at least it should be, since the prices start at $999 for 256GB. But none of that matters if the phone breaks, bends or shatters.

I’m not a total klutz, but I drop my phone occasionally. I throw it in my bag while running out the door, shove it in my pockets while on a run and toss it on the counter while cooking. I need a phone that can take a bit of jostling. I’m not convinced that Apple’s thinnest ever model is going to be able to withstand all that, despite the company calling it its «most durable design yet.»

I have precedent to back up my concerns. When Apple released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, previously the slimmest model Apple produced, early users reported that the device would bend when they kept it in their pockets — it became known as Bendgate. Apple said it only happened for a few iPhone owners at the time, but history tends to repeat itself.

Read More: iPhone Air: Preorders for Apple’s Thinnest Ever Phone Are Live. Save Up to $1,000

«The iPhone 17 Air is an impressive feat of engineering, and Apple went into detail about the device’s design. Given the challenges faced with the iPhone 6 Plus, which resulted in the ‘bendgate’ controversy, Apple clearly wants to put minds at rest,» said Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.

Maybe Apple’s presentation would’ve eased my worries about the durability of the iPhone Air if it had mentioned anything practical about its testing and development beyond marketing fluff. If the company wants us to spend a thousand bucks on a new iPhone in this economy, we deserve to know it won’t bend or break after a few uses. (Luckily for us, CNET plans to test it soon.)

I appreciate what Apple is trying to do, and I’m sure the iPhone Air will be appealing for some folks who want a lighter device. But thinner isn’t always better.

For more, check out everything Apple announced at the iPhone 17 event.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Nov. 5

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 5.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Some of the clues are tricky, but we have all the answers, so read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Fresh addition to a pasta sauce, perhaps
Answer: BASIL

6A clue: Log ___ (water park ride)
Answer: FLUME

7A clue: Group of ships
Answer: FLEET

8A clue: Some drinks from «streams»
Answer: SODAS

9A clue: Documentarian Burns
Answer: KEN

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Closest pals, for short
Answer: BFFS

2D clue: «No problems here!»
Answer: ALLOK

3D clue: Shoe material in an Elvis hit
Answer: SUEDE

4D clue: «That is to say …»
Answer: IMEAN

5D clue: Tennis do-overs
Answer: LETS

Technologies

Apple Reportedly Planning Cheaper Macs to Compete With Budget Chromebooks, PCs

Apple doesn’t market its machines as affordable, but that could be changing.

Apple may release more affordable Mac laptops to compete with Chromebooks and budget-friendly Windows laptops as early as 2026.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the company has plans to roll out a machine for «well under $1,000.» According to Gurman, the new laptop is already in early production under the codename J700. This matches earlier rumors that a low-cost MacBook Air was in the pipeline at around $599, which would allow Apple to directly compete with other cheap laptops, including Chromebooks and Windows PCs.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

According to the report, costs will be kept down by using a lower-end LCD that’s smaller than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air, potentially making the new affordable MacBook as small as 12 inches.

Another way Apple could reduce the cost is by using an A-series iPhone chip, which falls short of the top-tier performance offered by the MacBook Pro or the current M4 Air. The upcoming chip may be a variant of the A19 Pro chip that debuted with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, which Apple says is capable of MacBook-level performance.

As CNET senior editor Matt Elliott noted, the promise is a bold one. He speculates that the rumored $599 MacBook Air may get the same smartphone processor, or an M-series chip based on that architecture.

Bloomberg also reports that a MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro and M5 Max chip is in development, and Apple has completed work on a MacBook Air powered by the M5 chip, which is planned for release early next year.

The affordable laptop would be designed for casual users, students and businesses, specifically individuals who need a device for tasks such as web browsing, light media editing and document creation. The tech giant is also targeting the education market, as well as iPad buyers who may also want a traditional laptop.

«If this is strictly a move to entice consumers with a high-quality, lower-cost MacBook running MacOS in place of an iPad with a keyboard, then yes, Apple can likely take a chunk of that market,» said Josh Goldman, managing editor at CNET.

«Making inroads into the education market at this point, where Chromebooks have taken over since the pandemic, will prove challenging, though I’m sure it’s nothing that throwing billions of dollars at can’t fix,» CNET’s Goldman said.

This price range is ‘a big departure’

Price is likely to be key here. A $599 price tag would place the new Mac in the same range as more affordable Chromebooks and entry-level laptops, representing a significant change from Apple’s previous strategy.

«Apple potentially dipping into the Chromebook range of $300 to $500 with a new MacBook is a big departure,» said Goldman.

He notes that one of Apple’s most affordable MacBooks is the M4 MacBook Air, available new starting at $999 for the 13-inch model. Walmart still sells a new M1 MacBook Air, a 5-year-old laptop, for around $600.

By contrast, an iPad 11th Gen with a Magic Keyboard will run you around $600, making it clear that Apple’s target market for the rumored device is students and lighter users.

Apple typically hasn’t targeted the lower-priced segment of the market with its MacBooks. However, with consumer wallets under pressure from inflation, high tariffs and layoffs, an affordable MacBook could be imperative and timely.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 5, #408

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 5, No. 408.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is pretty diverse. The blue answers stuck out to me right away, because some of them are super famous and the others felt like they belonged with those names. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: How to see a game.

Green group hint: Soccer.

Blue group hint: Giddy up!

Purple group hint: Not a run play.