We’re in the heart of summer fun, but it’s already time for back-to-school planning, especially if that involves buying a new laptop. The dizzying number of different laptops and configurations can feel overwhelming, especially if you want something that doesn’t cost too much but will still last a long time. My general guidelines are to first pick the operating system you need (based on personal preference or class requirements), and then get the best specs you can afford. If your school has specific requirements or recommendations, they are likely found on the school website. A quality laptop should also have a good screen, keyboard, and trackpad — and preferably enough ports and some decent speakers. Unless you’re buying a Chromebook,…

The European Commission will not require Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta Platforms, or Microsoft to cover the costs of monitoring their compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the EU tech chief announced on Wednesday. Reuters: ‎ Germany and European Parliament lawmakers have lobbied for a supervisory fee to be levied on Big Tech to help EU antitrust regulators better enforce the Digital Markets Act. The European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who is responsible for the technology sector, said rules were always under review and she would monitor developments, but had no plans to make the companies pay despite the enormous volume of monitoring work. “So it’s always, of course, there is this possibility, but now we are not…

U.S. President Donald Trump President Donald Trump’s AI Action Plan aims to bolster U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence by unleashing American companies to innovate swiftly. The 23-page strategy emphasizes slashing federal regulations to remove barriers to rapid data center and energy infrastructure development, critical for AI advancement. States considering new regulations risk losing federal funding. Michael Shepard for Bloomberg News: ‎ The guidelines emerged after six months of deliberation led by White House AI czar David Sacks, a venture capitalist who was among Trump’s most vocal backers in Silicon Valley during the campaign. In the plan, Sacks and other officials highlight a sense of urgency to preserving the US edge in AI as China poses an increasing challenge. White House…

Nvidia’s market value surpassed $4 trillion for the first time at Thursday’s close, cementing the chipmaker’s role not only as the world’s most valuable company, but also as a key player in the Generative AI technology race. Reuters: ‎ Shares of Nvidia ended up 0.75% at $164.10, giving it a market value of $4.004 trillion and extending its lead over Apple and Microsoft as it benefits from a surge in demand for artificial-intelligence technologies. Nvidia is the most valuable public company in history, surpassing Apple’s peak from December. Nvidia’s stock market value briefly peaked above $4 trillion on Wednesday before closing at about $3.97 trillion. It is worth more than the combined value of all publicly listed companies in the…

The M4 MacBook Air is a cool $150 off. Amazon has solid discounts on laptops during its four-day Prime Day sales event. One of the nice things about shopping during Prime Day, even if you don’t have the requisite Prime subscription, is that Best Buy and others often follow suit with their own competing deals. We found deals on models The Verge swears by — ones that should treat you well for years to come. A laptop purchase is extra tricky because it’s usually a multipurpose machine for a wide range of people with specific needs. Best MacBook dealsBest Windows laptop dealsBest gaming laptop dealsBest Chromebook dealsBest laptop / computer accessory deals Best MacBook deals Amazon is a great place…

Apple, once the world’s most valuable company, was the first public company to hit valuations of $1 trillion (August 2, 2018), $2 trillion (August 19, 2020), and $3 trillion (January 3, 2022), but it looks like the current world’s most valuable company, Nvidia, is poised to be the first to $4 trillion. Top Three Market Caps: Nvidia – $3.853 trillion Microsoft – $3.697 trillion Apple – $3.064 trillion Martin Baccardax for Barron’s: ‎ Nvidia crossed the $1 trillion mark in June 2023, shortly after it effectively fired the starting gun on a race to benefit from demand linked to artificial intelligence with a revenue forecast for its powerful chips that obliterated Wall Street forecasts. It took another 262 days to…