The latest version of the Google Chrome browser designed for Macs includes optimizations that are designed to preserve battery life. In a blog post shared today, Google says that with a single full charge, a 13-inch M2MacBook Pro running Chrome can be used to browse the internet for 17 hours or watch YouTube for 18 hours.
With improvements to Energy Saver mode, browsing time is extended for another 30 minutes by reducing unnecessary background tasks, and while Google uses the M2 MacBook Pro as an example, the company says that those using older Macs will also see performance gains.
To boost battery life, Google made changes that include tuning iframes to consume less energy, tweaking JavaScript timers to wake the CPU less often, streamlining data structures to optimize access, and eliminating unnecessary redraws.
Google plans to continue to optimize Energy Saver mode in the future. The Chrome browser for Macs can be downloaded from Google's website, with the 110 version released last week.
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:07 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the AirPods Max 2 received more attention, Apple also released a second pair of headphones last month: Nike Powerbeats Pro 2.
Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 are the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro 2, except they have a two-tone design consisting of black and Nike's signature Volt neon green-yellow color. The headphones were released on March 20 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and a ...
Tuesday March 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by Juli Clover
Google is bringing Personal Intelligence to all Google Gemini users starting today, after testing the feature with its paid plans. Personal Intelligence allows Gemini AI to provide personalized responses based on information pulled from connected Google apps like Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and more.
Personal Intelligence is expanding in the U.S. across AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app,...
Thursday March 19, 2026 1:03 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Google is developing a native Gemini app for the Mac, reports Bloomberg. Right now, Mac users who want to use Google's Gemini AI have to use a web browser, but that will change with a dedicated Mac app.
Google competitors like Anthropic and OpenAI have dedicated Mac apps for their chatbots, potentially making Claude and ChatGPT more convenient to use than Gemini.
Google shared an early...
Wednesday March 25, 2026 9:53 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple has full access to Gemini to customize the model for Siri and other AI features, reports The Information. Google gave Apple "complete access" to the Gemini model in its own data centers, and Apple can use the access for distillation, or creating smaller models for specific tasks. Apple is able to design models that are built to run on Apple devices without the need to connect to the...
