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Apple’s new ‘free’ iCloud upgrades are designed to get more of your money

Read the fine print

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Every year, storage solutions grow faster than we can fill them. Despite the industry’s steadfast progress, cloud storage is still woefully catching up. Sadly, for some brands, progress hovers precariously out of reach.

Particularly, Apple’s latest efforts focuses more on sales rather than the actual product. Besides 5GB of free cloud storage, Apple now offers one month of free upgrades to more substantial storage plans.

For Apple users, the free 5GB of iCloud storage is part and parcel of every iPhone package. However, every smartphone photographer can tell you that five gigabytes pale in comparison to what everyday usage is like now.

Most users deplete this within a few months (if not, weeks). To increase this, Apple usually offers 50GB, 200GB, and 2TB upgrades on monthly subscription prices. Easily outclassed by their rivals, these upgrades don’t find much of an audience even from the most hardcore of users.

Now, Apple is offering free one-month trials for these upgrades. When users deplete their 5GB allocation, a new pop-up notifies users that they are entitled for a month of more iCloud storage.

However, this enticing offer hides a dastardly trap for unsuspecting subscribers. As with most online subscriptions, Apple will not automatically opt you out when your free month expires. After you finish the month, Apple will charge its users the regular rates for these upgrades.

Regardless, the internet has entertained this scheme for as long as online subscriptions have existed. The system hopes that users are either too ignorant to notice the fine print or too reliant on the upgrade to back out.

While internet-savvy users can detect the ploy immediately, Apple’s massive reach ensures that even casual users will receive the offer.

Unfortunately for Apple, competing cloud services still edge out iCloud handily. Most notably, Google Photos offers unlimited storage on the cloud for free.

Also, iCloud remains one of the weakest names in cyber security. Just a few years ago, hackers breached and obtained extremely sensitive material from the iCloud accounts of famous Hollywood celebrities.

SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between RAM and internal storage?

Gaming

The Steam Controller is coming out on May 4

It will cost $99.

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The best part of the Steam Deck is its portability. However, an underrated aspect of the handheld console is its button layout. Unlike its contemporaries, the Steam Deck has two trackpads on either side of the device. Now, that same layout is coming to the Steam Controller.

The Steam Controller was part of the trio of innovative devices that Valve announced late last year. While the spotlight is on the Steam Machine, the Controller is also enough to whet any gamer’s appetite.

Besides the convenient layout, the Steam Controller offers easy integration with Steam. The peripheral can communicate with any device — PC or mobile — that has Steam or the Steam Link app installed. As such, it’s easy to take control of your gaming library straight from the controller.

The only catch, though, is that it works solely on Steam. Any other game that has its own separate launcher, such as Genshin Impact, cannot be used with the Steam Controller unless they’re added directly to Steam.

The Steam Controller is launching on May 4 globally. It will retail for US$ 99.

On the flip side, Valve has not announced when the rest of its hardware will launch. Both the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame have not made appearances yet, reportedly because of the ongoing issues with RAM production all over the world. However, the company is still optimistic about releasing these devices within the year.

SEE ALSO: Valve announces its own console called the Steam Machine

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Samsung Galaxy Glasses revealed in leaked images

It’s out first glimpse since getting teased by Samsung.

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Image: Glasses from TECNO

Samsung’s next major project is now making its first peek from the shadows. The upcoming Galaxy Glasses recently surfaced in a major leak.

Being an unannounced device, Samsung has not revealed anything substantial about the new glasses yet. We know it exists, though. Months ago, the company made direct allusions to “next-generation AR glasses.” Now, for the first time, the so-called Galaxy Glasses are real, albeit via a leak.

Revealed by Android Headlines, the Galaxy Glasses look like a standard set of frames but with some tech built inside. It’s not a complete package yet, though. Codenamed “Jinju,” the first iteration of the wearable will not have a display. Instead, it will have a built-in camera, which users can interface with via Android XR.

Image source: Android Headlines

It’s not the only thing, too. Though the leak depicts the Jinju, Samsung is reportedly working on a second iteration already. Codenamed “Haean,” the second generation will have a micro-LED display. That pair might debut in 2027.

In the meantime, the Jinju is expected to launch later this year at an undisclosed date. The likeliest candidate is the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked in a few months.

Though undisclosed, this might not be the only time we’ll hear about the Galaxy Glasses. Next month, Google is hosting its annual I/O event. Android XR will likely make an appearance, so expect Samsung’s wearable to be bandied around even if it’s just a mention.

Additionally, Samsung won’t be the only player. Google is also expected to launch its own pair of glasses soon.

SEE ALSO: Samsung is teasing smart glasses again

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This rumored iPhone 18 color will make you switch phones

The rumored Dark Cherry color looks so premium.

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Image source: Macworld

(Cosmic) orange is the new black. With the iPhone 17 series, Apple introduced the color as the next fashion statement for the ubiquitous phone. If you see an orange phone today, chances are that it’s an all-new iPhone 17 Pro Max. This year, the series might get another new statement color: Dark Cherry.

Though the usual suspects of colors will always be there, Apple often leaves a bit of room for more experimental options for those who want to stand out with their new phone. As you can probably tell from the ongoing deluge of orange, the strategy is working well for Apple.

According to Macworld, Apple is working on a Dark Cherry option for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

Red isn’t a color foreign to the iPhone. In the past, several generations included a limited red colorway option. If the reports are true, red might be a standard option, rather than a limited edition.

But, of course, Dark Cherry is different from the red that we’re used to. Instead of the bright red, the new option will be more similar to the color of wine.

Besides Dark Cherry, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will also have Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver as options. Though Light Blue also looks great, the wine-like color looks like a personal highlight for me. I didn’t know I wanted a wine-colored iPhone until I saw the renders for this.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 18 may have lower specs and a delayed launch, rumor says

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