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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 104 for Jan. 5.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #308) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Cold snap

NYT Strands today (game #308) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• WIND
• ZEST
• FURY
• SWEAT
• THESE
• SOFT

NYT Strands today (game #308) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Seasonal climate

NYT Strands today (game #308) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 1st column

Last side: bottom, 4th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #308) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #308, are…

• SNOW
• SLEET
• FROST
• BLIZZARD
• DRIZZLE
• FLURRY
• SPANGRAM: WINTER WEATHER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The two pairs of Zs in today’s puzzle (there’s another) made things a lot easier – although I had to stop myself thinking Freeze would be one of the words.

Mizzle is a particularly British type of WINTER WEATHER that could have joined the double-Z gang – it’s like drizzle with added mist and it’s very, erm, mizz-erable. In some parts of the UK they call it Scotch Mist, which sounds a lot more romantic.

I wondered if BLIZZARD could also have a misty variant – Mizzard? – but it doesn’t seem to have caught on. However, I did notice that on YouTube a nine-second video of a lizard wizard in a blizzard has 40,000 views.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 4 January, game #307)

• FURY
• SOUND
• CRIME
• PUNISHMENT
• PRIDE
• PREJUDICE
• SPANGRAM: BOOK TITLES

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1077) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1077) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1077) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. Two of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1077) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1077) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• J

• C

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1077) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1077, are…

• BORAX
• JUDGE
• CADET
• SALON

I surprised myself today by getting two words with tricky letters – BORAX and JUDGE – before the drawbridge went up. Although, having said that, if the drawbridge was on any kind of a timer I would definitely be on the wrong side of the moat.

In my defence I took my time to avoid my repeated mistake of forgetting letters and wasting lines and guesses that could never be right. Progress.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1077) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1077, are…

• TIMER
• MOOSE
• SWORD
• ETHOS

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC
• Quordle #1072, Tuesday 31 December: PLUMP, TUBER, IRATE, ICILY
• Quordle #1071, Monday 30 December: TODDY, GROIN, GROWN, VERVE
• Quordle #1070, Sunday 29 December: PURER, SPLAT, RABID, EMCEE
• Quordle #1069, Saturday 28 December: BUNCH, LABOR, TRIPE, BUNNY
• Quordle #1068, Friday 27 December: BRAWL, LYING, ORGAN, CRONY
• Quordle #1067, Thursday 26 December: TATTY, OVERT, FLOUR, SWEPT
• Quordle #1066, Wednesday 25 December: LIVER, CRIER, SHORE, MURKY
• Quordle #1065, Tuesday 24 December: TIPSY, SCALE, FLYER, VALVE
• Quordle #1064, Monday 23 December: SNAKE, SAVVY, ELBOW, TWEED
• Quordle #1063, Sunday 22 December: DOUBT, SLURP, PAPER, CIVIL
• Quordle #1062, Saturday 21 December: STRIP, BUDGE, SAPPY, SHELF
• Quordle #1061, Friday 20 December: PENAL, EAGLE, DILLY, QUITE
• Quordle #1060, Thursday 19 December: JEWEL, GNOME, TRAMP, IDLER
• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #574) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• STOP
• GROSS
• MAKE
• HOME
• YIELD
• VOLUME
• SLOW
• SNARE
• QUIET
• KETTLE
• NET
• MUTE
• EAR
• SLEEPY
• OIL
• CALM

NYT Connections today (game #574) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Totally chill
• GREEN: Get paid 
• BLUE: TV buttons
• PURPLE: Bang the ….

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #574) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: HARDLY BUSTLING
• GREEN: EARN 
• BLUE: REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS 
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "DRUM" 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #574) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #574, are…

• YELLOW: HARDLY BUSTLING CALM, QUIET, SLEEPY, SLOW
• GREEN: EARN GROSS, MAKE, NET, YIELD
• BLUE: REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS HOME, MUTE, STOP, VOLUME
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "DRUM" EAR, KETTLE, OIL, SNARE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

A very rare Connections for me today, as the first group I got was the purple collection of WORDS BEFORE “DRUM”. I got there after one mistake; I did initially think EAR was linked with VOLUME and MUTE, which both turned out to be REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS instead.

“Mute” is the kind of remote control function I only discover when I press it accidentally – usually by sitting on it and usually at some vital moment of the final episode of a tense drama – and have to scan the buttons to turn it off. I suffer similar issues with Netflix, which I think I’m watching with subtitles on because I’m thoughtful and don’t want to disturb anyone, but actually I’m watching with subtitles on because I can’t remember how to turn the subtitles off.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 4 January, game #573)

• YELLOW: CRUSH INTO A COMPACT SHAPE BALL, CRUMPLE, SCRUNCH, WAD
• GREEN: FASTENERS BUCKLE, CLIP, HOOK, SNAP
• BLUE: MARK AS COMPLETED CHECK, CROSS, STRIKE, TICK
• PURPLE: DEPICTED IN DALÍ'S "THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY" ANT, BRANCH, CLOCK, MELTING

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

• US semiconductor giant discloses HBM4 product launch in 2026, followed by HBM4E
• These are likely to be used by Nvidia's Rubin R100 GPU and AMD's successor to the Instinct MI400x
• Micron is a latecomer to a very crowded market that has SK Hynix at its helm

Micron has revealed further steps in its plan to capture a significant chunk of the rapidly expanding high-bandwidth memory market.

The US semiconductor giant revealed during its fiscal Q1 2025 earnings call it plans to introduce HBM4 memory products in 2026, followed by HBM4E in 2027/2028 with 64GB, 2TBps parts designed for advanced AI and data center applications.

Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron's President and CEO, stressed the growing importance of HBM in the company's plans, saying, "The HBM market will exhibit robust growth over the next few years. In 2028, we expect the HBM total addressable market (TAM) to grow four times from the $16 billion level in 2024 and to exceed $100 billion by 2030. Our TAM forecast for HBM in 2030 would be bigger than the size of the entire DRAM industry, including HBM, in calendar 2024."

(Image credit: Micron) Coming to a flagship GPU

Expressing excitement about its next generation HBM, Mehrotra added, "Leveraging the strong foundation and continued investments in proven 1β process technology, we expect Micron’s HBM4 will maintain time to market and power efficiency leadership while boosting performance by over 50% over HBM3E."

The HBM4E version, expected to arrive towards the end of 2027, will include a customizable logic base die using advanced manufacturing technology from TSMC. This design feature will allow certain customers to modify the logic layer to better suit their needs, with the goal of enhancing performance and efficiency.

The upcoming memory solutions are expected to be used in flagship GPUs such as Nvidia's Rubin R100 and AMD’s successor to the Instinct MI400x. Micron has already demonstrated traction in the market with its HBM3E technology. "We are proud to share that Micron's HBM3E 8H is designed into Nvidia’s Blackwell B200 and GB200 platforms," Mehrotra said, during the call.

While Micron is a relative newcomer to the HBM space, which is currently dominated by South Korean memory giant SK Hynix, and its neighbor and chief rival Samsung, the company remains optimistic about its competitive positioning.

"Based on our customer design wins and success in establishing deep partnerships with customers, industry enablers, and key technology partners like TSMC, we expect to be a leading supplier of HBM, with the most robust, trusted, and industry-leading technology roadmap and execution record," Mehrotra said.

You might also like

• SK Hynix has begun production of HBM3E for Blackwell Ultra GPUs
• Micron's DRAMless SSD could end low performance SATA drives
• A glimpse at what the future of memory and storage could look like

Apple's rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 and its predecessor aren't hugely discounted, but if your heart is set on one, we've found the best available prices.

Save 20% on Voltme's mini portable power bank, and never worry about losing a charge again.

Here are some highly rated series to check out, plus a look at what's new in January.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,296 for Sunday, Jan. 5.

The 166-million-year-old footprint tracks, found at a quarry in southern England, mark one of the largest discoveries in decades.

Commentary: Apple's current, ubiquitous phone design is rooted in the iPhone X and leaves some fans clamoring for a major upgrade. Meanwhile, other iPhone owners are switching to the Motorola Razr.

Miele Blizzard CX1: two-minute review Product note

The Miele Blizzard CX1 range is available in multiple territories, but in various different configurations. These have the same base model, but different tools and accessories. For this review, I tested the Blizzard CX1 Flex.

The Miele Blizzard CX1 is a bagless cylinder vacuum that plugs in via a power cable for endless vacuuming time. It offers four suction levels and four vacuuming accessories in addition to the main floorhead.

Miele is a German brand with a reputation for quality across many appliance categories. And since it's been making vacuums for around 100 years, it knows a thing or two about designing the best vacuum cleaners. Miele offers two distinct ranges of bagless plug-in cylinder vacuums, the Miele Blizzard CX1 range and the Miele Boost CX1 range.

There are a few different CX1 options which use the same base model but have different tools and accessories. For this review, I tested the CX1 Flex.

On the whole, its size, coupled with features like its large dust canister make it well suited to larger homes. And while performance was good, it's not the best I've tried on carpet and it isn't suited to homes with pets either. But it's quiet and easy to use, plus the super long flexible crevice nozzle allows you to clean those awkward, tight spaces between your large appliances and the wall.

(Image credit: Future) Miele Blizzard CX1 review: price & availability

• Various options in Blizzard CX1 range, depending on territory
• Price: $479-$999 / £429-£499 / AU$849

The Miele Blizzard CX1 range is available in multiple territories, but exactly which models you can get depends on where you live.

For this review, I tested the Miele Blizzard CX1 Flex, which is only available in the UK, and costs £429. It can be bought directly from Miele, or via large electrical retailers such as Currys or Hughes. In the UK there are four Miele Blizzard CX1 vacuums ranging from £429 to £499 and at the time of writing some of them were available at a discounted price, so it's worth shopping around, especially around the time of seasonal sales.

In the US there are three Miele Blizzard CX1 models, which have the same main vacuum as the one I tested, but different accessories and floorheads. They range in price from $479 to $999.

In Australia there's one model available, it's the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Powerline and it'll set you back AU$849. Take a look at the Miele website in your country, for more details on the models available.

No matter which model you go for, the Blizzard CX1 is in the premium price bracket, and while that's not unexpected for this brand, I think it's a little overpriced given the overall performance.

• Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Miele Blizzard CX1 specs Miele Blizzard CX1 review: design

• Big and bulky for a cylinder vacuum
• Not all tools stored on board
• Good size dust canister

When I first removed the Miele Blizzard CX1 Flex from its box I was surprised at how chunky it felt. And maybe that is in part because I've just reviewed the super compact Miele Boost CX1, nevertheless it's worth checking out the dimensions if you're short on storage space.

The cylinder itself measures 51.5 x 31 x 29cm/ 20.3 x 12.2 x 11.4 inches (h x w x d) when stood upright on its end. The advantage of a larger vacuum is usually a larger dust canister and the Miele Blizzard CX1 has an ample 2 liter bagless canister. Though I would argue that its 7.5 meter/ 24.6ft power cord is on the short side.

(Image credit: Future)

This particular model comes with an upholstery nozzle and crevice tool, both of which are stored on board the vacuum, at the back. There's also a dusting brush, which frustratingly isn't stored on the vacuum. And lastly, there's an extra long and bendy crevice nozzle that's ideal for reaching down the sides of large appliances such as a fridge or dryer.

The crevice nozzle is what makes this the Flex model, the standard UK Miele Blizzard CX1 is exactly the same but without the flexible crevice nozzle. Other models in the range include different floorhead types such as parquet floorhead for very delicate hard floors, or a motorized floorhead for optimized pet hair pickup.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The floorhead included with this model is called an EcoTeQ floorhead and Miele describes it as being designed for energy efficient vacuuming with maximum cleaning. For the best performance cleaning carpet and collecting pet hair, you'll need to fork out for the top-of-the-range Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog model which comes with the motorized floorhead.

The controls are very simple, there are just two buttons and a dial on the body of the vacuum. The power button and the cord rewind button can both be foot operated to avoid the need to bend down. But when you want to switch between the four suction levels you will have to bend down to adjust the dial.

The only other control is the foot pedal located on the floorhead. The position of this switch dictates the position of the brushes on the underside of the floorhead, and you have to adjust it depending on whether you're vacuuming carpet or hard floors.

(Image credit: Future)

Between the floorhead and the handle is a telescopic wand, which is an adjustable height tube. That means you can adjust it to suit your height, or, if you're trying to reach under furniture, you can extend it to lengthen the reach.

The dust canister lifts straight up and out of the vacuum simply by grabbing its handle and pulling upwards. Then it's easily emptied by pressing the bright yellow release button which flips open the bottom of the dust canister, allowing all the dirt and debris to fall directly into your bin.

(Image credit: Future)

Once the dust canister has been removed and emptied, there are two filters inside it that can be cleaned periodically. The filter frame slides out from inside the canister and the pre-filter can be found at the back of the canister. Both should be cleaned when obviously dirty by removing dust and rinsing.

The main fine dust filter can be removed and cleaned manually in water. But it also has a handy self clean function called ComfortClean. When it reaches a specified degree of soiling, the vacuum will switch off for around 20 seconds and carry out this cleaning process. Or, you can start the ComfortClean process simply by pressing the ComfortClean button.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Miele Blizzard CX1 review: performance

• Quiet in use
• Not effective at hair pick up on carpet
• Excellent edge cleaning

In general I found the suction to be effective on all hard floors and was particularly impressed when I tested the pickup at the sides of the floorhead. I did this by sprinkling flour along baseboards and no matter which side of the floorhead I vacuumed with, the results were flawless and no flour was left lingering at the edges of the room.

Due to there being no brushes at the front of the floorhead, it does feel like it clatters along on my uneven, rustic slate tiled floors as opposed to gliding smoothly. And if I had very expensive or delicate hard floors, this might concern me more. On my wood floors, which are flat and not uneven, it glides more smoothly.

(Image credit: Future)

To test the performance on very fine particles I dusted flour onto my hard floors and vacuumed it back up again. For the most part it collected the flour in one sweep. On wood floors it collected all the flour that had settled into the grooves between the boards but I could see that some flour was still embedded into the wood grain and this took a couple of sweeps to remove.

Depending on the direction I vacuumed towards the flour it did sometimes push a small pile of flour out in front of the floorhead. It was swiftly and easily sucked up by approaching it from a different angle, but I'd prefer this didn't happen in the first place.

(Image credit: Future)

Overall pickup on carpet was good, but it wasn't faultless. I've got both a wool carpet and a synthetic carpet. On the synthetic carpet the suction felt really strong and I had to turn it down in order to actually be able to vacuum the room. It left the floors looking very clean.

On the less fluffy wool carpet, suction was fairly decent and having just reviewed the Miele Boost CX1, I do think the Blizzard CX1 offers better suction on carpet. But it still didn't feel like it was giving the carpet a thorough clean; I'd much prefer a motorized floorhead.

Picking up hair was effortless on hard floors, but on carpet, the hair got dragged around and clumped up before eventually being sucked into the vacuum after several passes. If you've got pets and carpet, you'll find models better suited to your needs in TechRadar's guide to the best vacuums for pet hair.

(Image credit: Future)

The body of the vacuum could just about balance on a step when vacuuming stairs, but it hangs over the edge of the step. So in all honesty it's a bit too big, and I didn't feel confident that it wouldn't topple. I found it best to move it up with me one step at a time and position my body in front of it, so it could only tilt into me and not fall.

By attaching the main floorhead directly to the handle, I found vacuuming stairs to be pretty quick and easy. When needed I could grab the crevice tool from its position onboard the vacuum to easily get into corners and edges.

I like the long crevice nozzle that gave me the opportunity to vacuum some areas that I can't normally get to with most vacuums. Awkward thin gaps like down the sides of my washing machine were finally within reach. Admittedly, I couldn't easily see how well it was doing, but I could hear debris being sucked up the pipe so it's safe to assume these areas were left cleaner than they started.

(Image credit: Future)

The upholstery tool is a bit basic in my opinion and it's also very small. And I found it frustrating that unless I remembered to push it very firmly into place, it would end up falling off mid-use. Having said all that, it works fine for sprucing up sofas and chairs.

(Image credit: Future)

The dusting brush is good and effective. I like that by twisting it, the angle of the brush adjusts, so you can set it up perfectly for the job at hand. It made short work of dusting a huge shelving unit in my living room.

Overall, in my small home with its cottage proportions, this cylinder vacuum was quite simply too bulky. In tight spaces it can feel like the vacuum itself is always in the way. It was much more at home and user-friendly in larger, more open spaces.

(Image credit: Future)

In the car I was able to use the main floorhead to clean the boot, but had to switch to the upholstery tool for most other jobs including the seats, mats, and carpet. The issue is that it's a very basic and small upholstery tool, so this took a bit of time.

The crevice nozzle was able to reach down most of the awkward gaps. For the really hard-to-reach spots, I got out the long bendy nozzle and it managed to reach some areas down the sides of the seats that have long been neglected. The dusting brush was useful for the dashboard and other hard surfaces.

Even on maximum suction, this is a quiet vacuum. On carpet it averaged 70-75dB and it was slightly louder on hard floors at 75-80dB. The noise level decreases as you decrease the suction, so even though it's not particularly loud, you can still make it quieter.

(Image credit: Future)

In practice, emptying the dirt was straightforward, though when the base of the canister flipped open, it often didn't open up as wide as it could, and in these instances some dust and debris would settle on it and need a quick shake to remove.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Miele Blizzard CX1? Buy it if...

You live in a larger home

The two liter dust canister and longer power cord make the Miele Blizzard CX1 range more appropriate for larger homes than the Miele Boost CX1 range.

You want a vacuum that doesn't need charging

It might seem obvious, but a plug in vacuum offers you endless vacuuming time and removes the worry of running out of power, which is a common problem with cordless vacuums.

You want a straightforward vacuum

With just four power levels to choose from, this is a straightforward vacuum that's easy to operate and maintain, it won't befuddle you with unnecessary settings and controls.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget

If money is tight and you want a Miele canister vacuum, take a look at the cheaper Miele Boost CX1 range, the vacuums are smaller but much cheaper and still come with the Miele pedigree.View Deal

You've got pets

Due to the style of floorhead, this vacuum isn't designed for homes with pets. For effective and efficient pet hair pick up you'll need a vacuum with a motorised floorhead.

You lack storage space

This isn't the most compact canister vacuum you can buy from Miele, so if storage space is tight take a look at the Miele Boost CX1 range instead.

How I tested the Miele Blizzard CX1

In my career testing and reviewing home appliances I've tried out well in excess of a hundred vacuums. This gives me a pretty good understanding of what makes a good vacuum and what features and design details will quickly become annoying.

I set up this vacuum in my own home and used it for my regular cleaning tasks. Not only that, but I cleaned my car with it, and set up some tests to see how well it performed very specific tasks such as cleaning right up to the edges of a room.

I also checked the noise level, maneuverability and comfort in use. Furthermore I checked that any maintenance wouldn't be too complicated or overwhelming, and that emptying out the dirt would be easy and mess-free.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners.

• First reviewed November 2024

This weekend's storm is expected to impact 62 million Americans through Monday. Heavy snow, ice, rain and severe thunderstorms will be unleashed from the Plains to the East Coast.

(Image credit: NWS Weather Prediction Center)

The co-writer of I Heart Huckabees and director of The Little Hours was found dead at a Los Angeles residence on Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the case.

(Image credit: Mark Davis)

The Washington Post , shown above, was rejected by the paper's editorial page editor.'/>

Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned after an editor rejected her sketch satirizing tech chiefs, including the Post's owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

• Broadcom reportedly secures large HBM order from SK Hynix
• These chips will likely be used in AI hardware for at least one major CSP
• This is part of a broader trend to reduce reliance on Nvidia

Hyperscalers such as Google, Meta, and TikTok owner ByteDance are increasingly seeking to diversify their AI hardware supply chains, reducing their reliance on Nvidia, which has long dominated the sector.

Broadcom is playing a growing role in this shift, and in its recent earnings conference call, CEO Hock Tan told investors the company has three hyperscale customers who are each planning to deploy one million XPU clusters by 2027, and that it has been approached by two additional hyperscalers who are also in advanced development for their own AI XPUs.

Although Broadcom hasn’t named names, it is widely believed to be working with Google, Meta, ByteDance, and OpenAI on custom AI chips. The firm is also thought to be collaborating with Apple to develop the iPhone maker’s first artificial intelligence server chip, codenamed “Baltra,” providing the advanced networking technologies essential for AI processing.

Bad news for Nvidia

According to TheElec, Broadcom has now approached South Korean memory giant SK Hynix to provide the HBM it plans to use in custom AI chips for a "major" (but predictably unnamed) tech company.

TheElec’s sources say that Broadcom actively pursued SK Hynix to supply its verified HBM solutions and has secured a large order of the in-demand memory, with shipments expected to begin in the second half of 2025.

SK Hynix, Samsung’s biggest memory rival, is a key supplier of HBM to Nvidia, which likely won’t be thrilled with this latest news.

To meet the increased demand from Broadcom, SK Hynix is reportedly adjusting its production capacity. TheElec says the company will boost its 1b DRAM wafer output (used as the core die in its HBM) from 140,000–150,000 units to 160,000–170,000 units in 2025. There is a knock on with this expansion however, which is that it could delay the rollout of SK Hynix’s next-generation 1c DRAM as the company prioritizes its immediate production needs.

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• Broadcom is making some major changes to stop VMware exodus
• OpenAI is talking to Broadcom to produce AI chip capable of rivaling Nvidia
• Broadcom says three hyperscalers want to deploy 1,000,000 GPUs by 2027

• Apple Intelligence needs 7GB now, up from 4GB
• The increase is due to new features in iOS 18.2
• Expect the requirements to go up even further

Over the last year or so we've heard plenty about Apple Intelligence and how it's going to transform the way we use our Apple devices – and it seems the AI tech is also going to take up more internal storage on those devices too.

As spotted by 9to5Mac, the recently launched iOS 18.2 update needs 7GB of free local storage to install Apple Intelligence, according to Apple's website. When the AI features started appearing in iOS 18.1, the requirement was 4GB.

It's no surprise that the iOS 18.2 update requires so much more space on your device: it includes a wealth of new AI tricks, including the integration of ChatGPT with the Siri smart assistant, Genmoji, and Visual Intelligence.

The first batch of Apple Intelligence features that showed up with iOS 18.1 back in October included Writing Tools and Notification Summaries. These upgrades are going to continue to show up gradually as we make our way towards iOS 19 next year.

More to come

Apple Intelligence is an optional extra (Image credit: Apple)

Apple likes as much of its AI to run locally as possible: not relying on the cloud means faster response times and improved user privacy. As we're now seeing though, there is a cost in terms of storage space.

You can turn off Apple Intelligence if you want to: the setting is under Apple Intelligence & Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can also choose to not install it in the first place, because it's not enabled by default on these devices.

However, you can't pick and choose the AI features you want: It's all or nothing. If you're running low on storage space on your device, then you may have to think twice about having Apple Intelligence enabled (or buy some more iCloud storage space, of course).

And it's likely that Apple Intelligence will demand even more storage space as we go through 2025: it's expected that iOS 18.4 will bring with it a host of new AI updates, including smarter features for Siri.

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