Technologies

Grab New and Refurbished Microsoft Surface Devices at Woot Starting at Just $100

Choose from 16 different refurbished Microsoft Surface two-in-one laptop deals during this sale.

There are some great benefits to having a laptop that can double as a tablet. These ultrathin and portable devices are touchscreen powerhouses that can do everything a regular laptop can do, but with greater flexibility. From now until March 8, you can choose between 16 different Microsoft Surface laptops, books and tablets for as low as $100 at Woot. Some of these products are refurbished and some are brand-new.

See at Woot

The 13-inch Microsoft Surface Pro 8 with a cover is now available starting at $590 for a refurbished model and $750 for a new one. This Surface comes with a kickstand and a detachable cover with built-in Slim Pen storage and charging. You can do great things with a larger 13-inch touchscreen, faster connections with Thunderbolt 4 ports and extra speed when you need it.

If you’re not picky about getting the latest model or version of the Surface Pro, consider grabbing the Microsoft Surface Book 2. It has an Intel Core i5 CPU, 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM and Windows 10. It’s new, has a 13.5-inch display and comes with a Microsoft Surface Pen and a shockproof protective sleeve. It’s down to just $600 for the 256GB model right now (save $250).

Another solid option is the Surface Pro 4 tablet with an Intel Core i5 CPU, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM and Windows 10. This open-box option is only $360. And for the absolute lowest price in this sale, there’s also a refurbished 10-inch Microsoft Surface 3 available starting at $100.

Be sure to check out all the offers here and choose whatever suits your needs the best.

Which tablets have the best price?

Use our CNET Shopping extension to compare top products or find coupon codes before buying your next tablet.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Feb. 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 25.

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.

I thought today’s Mini Crossword was a tough one! Read on for all the answers. 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: Computer function represented by a floppy disk icon
Answer: SAVE

5A clue: Want more than anything
Answer: CRAVE

7A clue: Enticed, with «in»
Answer: ROPED

8A clue: In the company of
Answer: AMONG

9A clue: Something to do «like it’s 1999»
Answer: PARTY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Something to do «like it’s 1999»
Answer: SCRAP

2D clue: Fragrance
Answer: AROMA

3D clue: What a humidifier emits
Answer: VAPOR

4D clue: Curling or speed skating, for the Winter Olympics
Answer: EVENT

6D clue: Risqué
Answer: EDGY

Technologies

Apple to Build the Mac Mini in the United States for the First Time

Apple will begin manufacturing the wee desktop computer in Houston later this year.

Houston, we have some production. Apple announced Tuesday that it will be making its Mac Mini desktop computer in the US for the first time, shifting some manufacturing from its Asian plants, and will also increase AI server production at its existing Houston facility.

The California-based tech giant also said it will open the Advanced Manufacturing Center, a 20,000-square-foot facility where students, supplier employees and businesses will receive hands-on training in making Apple products, in the same city.

In its statement, Apple said the new Mac Mini production and increased AI server production will create thousands of jobs.

The Mac Mini will be manufactured at a 220,000-square-foot facility in North Houston. The other main building at that site is where Apple makes AI servers. The new Advanced Manufacturing Center will also be built at that location. The buildings are owned by Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturing giant that Apple initially partnered with in 2000 to produce the iMac.

Sabih Khan, Apple’s chief operating officer, said there will still be Mac Mini production in Asia after the Houston plant is up and running, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

By beginning Mac Mini production in the US, Apple is furthering its pledge to invest $600 billion in the US over four years. That promise, made last August, was in response to pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration to increase manufacturing in the US and to avoid Trump-imposed tariffs.

Apple also said it is sourcing more than 20 billion chips from 24 US factories, and that, by the end of 2026, every new iPhone and Apple Watch will have cover glass made at Corning’s facility in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

CEO Tim Cook said his company is «deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing,» with production of the Mac Mini marking one step toward that commitment.

The Mac Mini, which initially went on sale in 2005 — CNET was there from the beginning — is the cheapest of the Apple desktops ($599 at the Apple store). It’s known as a BYODKM, an acronym coined by the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that stands for «Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, Mouse.» In other words, the Mac Mini — only 5 inches long and 5 inches wide — comes without those peripherals, making it cheaper for those who already have them.

«The Mini can fit in your hand and be everything from an everyday home office computer to a full-on professional content-creation machine,» CNET’s Joshua Goldman wrote in his review of the latest model in 2024.

Goldman also said the Mac Mini is a «perfect pairing» with Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI system that is integrated with iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Market research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that the Mini accounts for less than 5% of its global Mac sales, according to the WSJ report.

Apple will also ramp up production of its AI servers. The company said manufacturing is ahead of schedule, months after beginning production in October. The servers are used in Apple data centers around the US.