Technologies

Here’s the Mystery Flavor of McDonald’s New Pink and Blue Shake

The crazy-colorful shake is part of the McDonaldland Meal, which is like a (pricey) Happy Meal for adults. And now I know the flavor.

I tried the McDonaldland Meal at my local McD’s on Aug. 12, the day it came out. And I don’t want to say that I’ve been thinking about the mystery flavor of its pink-and-blue Mt. McDonaldland shake ever since, because that would make me sound truly bizarre, but…I have pondered it.

When I tasted the shake, I guessed it was maybe blue raspberry, maybe cotton candy, maybe mixed berry. It’s sweet but not sickeningly so, though I’d never order it again. (I’m a chocolate fan.)

But I kind of wanted to know what the mystery flavor was. And now I do: According to McDonald’s Canada’s own nutrition page for the shake, the blue beauty features a «mix of creamy vanilla soft serve and raspberry flavored syrup.» (I tried to confirm this on the US nutrition page, but it just spun and spun and never loaded. Get on that, Ronald.)

RASPBERRY! The Mt. McDonaldland shake is raspberry flavor! And it’s blue in color, so my guess of blue raspberry was correct! Raspberry is the hot fast-food flavor these days, as Starbucks just brought back its much-loved raspberry drink syrup in late July.

If you’re wondering what I’m even talking about, McDonald’s continues to capitalize on the love of its customers for the company’s goofy history. Recently, Happy Meals included McDonald’s-themed toys — such as drink machines, fryers and trays with food on them — delivered in mini-Happy Meal boxes. And the much-longed-for Snack Wraps finally returned after a viral fan campaign.

The McDonaldland Meal goes straight after that market of adults who have a nostalgic feeling for the Golden Arches. It’s not cheap — here in high-cost-of-living Seattle, the medium meal was $16.59 and the large was $18.29.

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You can choose from a Quarter Pounder with cheese or a 10-piece McNugget order. It also comes with the chain’s famous french fries and your choice of drink. But the specialty drink that’s made to go with the meal is called that mystery-until-now-flavored Mt. McDonaldland shake, and it’s a blazing blue color, topped with hot pink whipped cream. It’s supposed to look like a volcano, with the pink cream as lava, I guess.

You can order the shake without the meal if you just want to try it. If you don’t want to try it, you can choose a regular drink or another flavor of shake with your McDonaldland meal.

Read more: Review: McDonald’s Minecraft Meals Feature The Hottest Nugget Sauce Ever

I sampled the hot pink whipped cream by itself, and it seemed to have no flavor, so maybe they just took regular whipped cream and dyed it pink.

Instead of a simple toy, the McDonaldland Meal comes with a 5-by-7-inch tin with one of the McDonaldland mascot characters on it. I ended up with Hamburglar, who, after Grimace, would probably have been my choice.

Tins come embossed with Hamburglar, Grimace, Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Birdie the Early Bird and the Fry Guys. Honestly, I’m not sure what anyone would do with this tin, but it was definitely a classier included item than most of the Happy Meal toys.

Inside the tin is a card with a code you can scan to explore McDonaldland online, an ID card for your particular character, two postcards and four stickers. One of my stickers said «robble robble,» the Hamburglar’s favorite saying, and one read, «Keep up! Hamburglar and I are mid-heist.» I can’t really imagine anyone putting these on their water bottle or laptop, but to each their own.

Honestly, unless McDonald’s nostalgia is your thing, I’d recommend you just stick to ordering your usual at the Golden Arches and skipping the meal. But if you just don’t get enough blue and pink food in your life — and who does? — try the Mt. McDonaldland shake once, pass it around to let your friends make them guess the flavor before you smugly deliver the big reveal, and then go back to chocolate or another good old standard flavor.

Technologies

Nvidia GTC: All the AI and Robotics News We Expect to Hear at Today’s Keynote

Technologies

Apple AirPods Max 2 Headphones Are Here, Powered by the New H2 Chip

Apple’s premium over-ear headphones get their first update since 2020. Available for preorder on March 25, they ship in early April for $549.

The long wait is over for Apple’s next-generation AirPods Max headphones, which were first released in 2020. Apple announced today that the AirPods Max 2 will be powered by the H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4. They offer 1.5x more effective noise canceling and «a new high-dynamic range amplifier for even cleaner audio.» The new AirPods Max will cost $549, the same as the original model.

Read more: Best Headphones of 2026

While the design of the headphones doesn’t appear to have changed, this new version brings the Max up to date with other AirPods models in the line. It’ll offer features supported by the H2 chip, including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Live Translation and Siri Interactions. They also support studio-quality audio recording and camera remote.

The more powerful chip (the original AirPods Max were powered by the H1 chip) should also help in improved voice-calling performance as it allows for more advanced AI filtering of background noise while isolating your voice. Apple also say the transparency mode sounds even more natural.

It was hard to call Apple’s updated USB-C version of the original AirPods Max a true 2.0 product, but it did have some small updates along with additional color options. The AirPods Max 2 has some things in common with it: It also supports 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio when connected with the included USB-C cable. And playing iOS, MacOS and iPadOS games in Game Mode reduces audio latency when using the AirPods Max 2.

There was no mention about Apple changing the protective carrying case for the AirPods Max 2. Until I hear otherwise, I’ll assume they come with the same case, which is more minimalist in style. Not everybody loves it, though, due to its purse-like aesthetic.

The AirPods Max 2 will be available to order starting March 25 in midnight, starlight, orange, purple and blue, with availability beginning in early April.

I’ll have a full review once I get my hands on a pair.

Technologies

The Galaxy Watch Ultra Is Due for an Update. Here’s When It Could Arrive

Rumors point to new Galaxy Watches on the way, but the rugged Ultra may steal the spotlight this year.

We’re only two months into the year, and Samsung has already dropped two major debuts, including a surprise trifold reveal and a new lineup of flagship Galaxy phones. Now, a fresh wave of Galaxy Watch rumors is starting to take shape.

Last year, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 debuted a slightly controversial redesign, making the return of the Galaxy Watch Classic and its physical rotating bezel all the more satisfying. This year, a new Classic model doesn’t seem likely (though another redesign isn’t completely off the table). But there may be another headliner ready to steal attention from the flagship once again.

A report from GalaxyClub cited by Android Authority suggests Samsung may launch a new Galaxy Watch Ultra alongside the Galaxy Watch 9, likely in the summer of 2026.

The rugged smartwatch, which debuted in summer 2024, received a few updates in the last cycle, such as larger storage (up to 64GB) and a new color, but otherwise remained the same.

This year’s version, likely to be called the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, may keep a similar design. At 47mm, the Ultra is already pushing the limits of wrist real estate. While a rotating bezel borrowed from the Classic line would be interesting, it feels like a tough sell for a rugged, adventure-focused watch.

Unlocking new health metrics

More realistically, the Ultra 2 could bring a new processor and upgraded sensors focused on deeper health tracking. Last year’s most notable addition was Samsung’s antioxidant index, which can detect nutrition-related signals through the skin’s surface. This year, Samsung could go deeper into skin-based detection, with broader nutrition insights and potentially even noninvasive glucose monitoring — one of the long-standing «holy grails» of wearable health tech that may finally be showing progress.

Battery and processor

One of the original Ultra’s biggest advantages was battery life, which lasted roughly 2.5 days on a charge, compared to the 30 to 40 hours of the flagship Galaxy Watch 8. Both the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 are expected to get a brand-new processor, which could mean better efficiency, longer battery life, or possibly a dual-chip architecture that separates high-performance tasks from low-power background processes, similar to what we’ve seen on the OnePlus Watch 3. If Samsung pulls that off, it could bring its lineup closer to the multiday endurance of competitors like the Huawei Watch 5 and OnePlus Watch 3.

More AI and less reliance on the phone

Improved processing power could also unlock more on-device AI features, especially as health coaching and AI-powered insights continue to evolve in wearables. Satellite connectivity is another possibility, following similar additions on the Apple Watch Ultra and Pixel Watch.

All of this is speculation for now, but it’s exciting to see the next Galaxy Watch lineup start to take shape based on early industry signals.