Technologies

Apple Plans OLED iMac Upgrade, but the Wait Could Be Long

The new display could be 20% brighter than the current iMacs.

Let there be light — as in more light, as in a brighter screen for the iMac. Apple is reportedly working on outfitting its desktop computer with an OLED screen that will be 20% brighter than the current model.

South Korean newspaper The Elec reported that Apple sent its specs for the OLED version to both Samsung Display and LG Display for them to bid on the project. Apple reportedly wants a 24-inch display panel with 600 nits brightness, a 20% jump from the 500 nits currently used on iMacs. (A nit is a measure of brightness for screens — one nit equals one candela per square meter. The average candle produces about one candela.)

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In terms of other specifications, the screen size (24 inches) and resolution (218 pixels per inch) will remain the same as those on current iMacs, which utilize a liquid crystal display.

OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode and is a newer, more expensive screen technology that typically offers better image quality than LCD. We break down the differences in technology between LCD and OLED here.

A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The downside is that iMac fans will have to be patient to get a brighter screen. The Elec report says development of the iMac OLED panels won’t be complete until 2027 or even 2028, with launch expected sometime after that.

It’s all part of Apple’s movement toward OLED displays for its devices. The company has already done so with the Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad, and the MacBook Pro is reportedly going to be OLED in 2026.

YouTuber Austin Evans, who has 5.7 million subscribers on his channel where he reviews gadgets and cutting-edge tech, is excited about iMacs getting a brighter screen.

«I am very excited for this,» Evans said. «My main office computer is an iMac M3, it’s certainly not a perfect device, but I do think it fits a nice, albeit small, niche in the lineup. … Going OLED would absolutely be an improvement to image quality.»

Evans also disagrees with those who say the iMac isn’t robust enough.

«There’s an interesting thread, especially among creators, that the iMac isn’t powerful enough for pro uses, but I have to disagree,» he said. «It might not compete with the Mac Mini on price to performance, but with an OLED, it could be an incredibly well-rounded package.»

Technologies

The FCC Just Approved Charter’s $34.5B Cox Purchase. Here’s What It Means for 37M Customers

Technologies

Spotify Expands Into Audiobook Rankings With Weekly Charts

The feature is available to both free users and Premium subscribers. Wuthering Heights is reaching the heights on both the US and UK charts.

If you’re a Spotify user, you may be familiar with features like the year-end summary Wrapped, as well as your daily usage stats. Now, the service has a new popularity chart tracking audiobooks.

Spotify’s audiobook charts are now available to free and Premium users within the service’s Audiobooks hub. While only Premium users receive 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, the company offers a larger selection of titles you can buy.

US charts and UK charts are both available now.

Read more: Best Music Streaming Services for 2026

Spotify says that the audiobook charts will help customers discover new and popular titles in real time.

«As we’ve proven with Music and Podcasts Charts, when content is easier to access, discover, and enjoy, the demand grows,» said Duncan Bruce, Spotify’s director of audiobook partnerships and licensing, in a statement on Friday.

Spotify launched audiobooks in 2022, and has since added features such as the AI catchup tool Recaps and PageMatch, which lets you swap more easily between a printed book and the audio version.

Spotify Premium currently costs $13 a month and includes more than 100 million songs, as well as audiobooks. Spotify Premium is currently CNET’s Editors’ Choice for best music streaming service.

The current US audiobooks chart lists Emily Brontë’s romantic classic Wuthering Heights as the top listen, followed by James Clear’s self-help book Atomic Habits and Freida McFadden’s psychological thriller The Housemaid. Audiobook popularity is also broken down by genre, with charts for romance, mystery and thriller books, self-help, science fiction and fantasy, biography and memoir, business and careers, teen and young adult, religion and spirituality, history, and parenting and relationships.

Powered by its blockbuster movie adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, Wuthering Heights also leads the overall chart for the UK.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 28, #523

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle No. 523, for Saturday, Feb. 28.

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 a tough one. Chicagoans and southerners, you might have an advantage, at least with the blue and purple categories. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle 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 appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for 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: Fore!

Green group hint: Take me out to the ballgame.

Blue group hint: Alma mater.

Purple group hint: Bear down.