'Insane demand': some Mac mini and Mac Studio models are now out of stock at Apple, but it's not clear what the reasons are — RAM crisis or imminent refresh?

---

• Certain Mac minis and Mac Studio models are no longer available
• The shortage could be linked to RAM and storage issues
• An M5 chipset refresh for these Macs is also expected soon

---

A few days ago we reported that certain configurations of the Mac mini and the Mac Studio were showing extended delays on their shipping times if you ordered directly from Apple — and the stock situation now appears to be worse still.

As spotted by 9to5Mac, certain models in these lines are now completely out of stock at the Apple Store in the US. These include the M4 Mac mini with 32GB of RAM and the M3 Ultra Studio with 256GB of RAM, so the higher spec, more expensive options seem to have been hit the hardest.

We've checked on stock levels at Apple in the UK and Australia, and the same configurations are showing up as unavailable — you simply can't buy them right now. The models that are still available to purchase or pick up at an Apple Store are showing significant delays of several months in some cases.

This seems to be more than a 'mere' stock shortage, too: when Apple products become unavailable to buy like this, it usually means they're being discontinued entirely, which is what happened with the Apple Mac Pro at the end of last month.

M5 refresh incoming?

The Mac Pro has already been discontinued (Image credit: Brittany Hosea-Small/ AFP/ Getty Images)

With no official comment from Apple yet, we can only speculate on what's going on here — but it seems likely that the ongoing memory and storage shortage caused by AI data center demand is having an effect on Apple's production lines.

There's another angle here, though, which is that M5 chip refreshes for the Mac mini and the Mac Studio are thought to be around the corner. Apple might be running down stock to make room for new models that are about to be announced — or a combination of factors could all be having an influence.

Users on Reddit have pointed to "insane demand" for the current models — in part due to Macs being used to run local AIs — and the upcoming M5 refresh as the main reasons for the stock shortage. There are fewer mentions here of the RAM crisis, which until now Apple has been able to navigate fairly successfully.

What's certain is that due to Apple's 'unified memory' approach, where RAM is soldered directly on to the chipset, you can't upgrade the RAM on these machines afterwards — so bear that in mind if you're going to be putting any orders in.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, April 12 (game #770)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, April 11 (game #769).

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 #770) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Get ready

NYT Strands today (game #770) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SURE
• MIRTH 
• TRUE
• BRIAR
• MERGE
• THEME

NYT Strands today (game #770) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #770) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 3rd 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 #770) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #770, are…

• COMB
• BRUSH
• PREEN
• GROOM
• BEAUTIFY
• STYLE
• SPANGRAM: INTHEMIRROR

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

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You know when you get a word in the first second that you are in for an easy run and that was the case for me today after getting COMB the instant I looked at the board.

That’s not to say I didn't hit a couple of bumps in the road. 

For starters, I could see that the spangram began with I-N-T-H-E but it took me a while to complete INTHEMIRROR. Then, I got snagged on “beauty” coming back as a non-game word, not initially realizing we were looking for BEAUTIFY.

---

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, April 11, game #769)

• BERET
• SOMBRERO
• DERBY
• BOWLER
• FEDORA
• BEANIE
• TOQUE
• SPANGRAM: TOPGEAR

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, April 12 (game #1036)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, April 11 (game #1035).

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 Connections hints.

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 #1036) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FLY
• PAPER
• TAKE
• CAST
• TROLL
• PROJECT
• POCKET
• ANGLE
• SHED
• POSITION
• RUSSIAN
• CUFF
• RAG
• RADIATE
• STANCE
• BELT LOOP

NYT Connections today (game #1036) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Trouser elements
• GREEN: How one sees it
• BLUE: Let it shine
• PURPLE: Add the word for a humanoid toy

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 #1036) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PANTS FEATURES
• GREEN: PERSPECTIVE
• BLUE: EMIT
• PURPLE: _____DOLL

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

NYT Connections today (game #1036) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1036, are…

• YELLOW: PANTS FEATURES BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET
• GREEN: PERSPECTIVE ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE
• BLUE: EMIT CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED
• PURPLE: _____DOLL PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

I managed to make zero mistakes in this game, but I came close to putting together a couple of groups that didn’t make the final four.

The first was linking FLY, CAST, ANGLE, and TROLL as all being terms connected with fishing and the other was a group about being mean to someone that would include RAG, TROLL and CUFF. Thankfully I didn’t have enough confidence to follow through on either idea.

Instead PANT FEATURES seemed an obvious selection, although I did waiver over CUFF and from here the other groups fell neatly into place — as they often do when you complete this game in difficulty order.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, April 11, game #1035)

• BLUE: STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS BEAM, BRACE, COLUMN, STRUT
• YELLOW: FOUND IN THE TRUNK OF A CAR ICE SCRAPER, JACK, JUMPER CABLES, SPARE TIRE
• GREEN: BENEFACTOR ANGEL, CHAMPION, PATRON, SPONSOR
• PURPLE: ENDING IN BODIES OF WATER BOMBAY, CHELSEA, SCREWDRIVER, SNOWFLAKE

---

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.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, April 11 (game #769)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, April 10 (game #768).

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 #769) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… You’re putting me on

NYT Strands today (game #769) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• RUDE
• QUOTE
• FADE
• PAGE
• TOWER
• ERODE

NYT Strands today (game #769) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #769) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #769) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #769, are…

• BERET
• SOMBRERO
• DERBY
• BOWLER
• FEDORA
• BEANIE
• TOQUE
• SPANGRAM: TOPGEAR

---

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

---

The theme “you’re putting me on” had me briefly searching for the phrase 'just kidding', which would have made the perfect spangram — but there wasn’t even a letter K.

It was at this point that I decided it must be something to do with clothes instead and after spotting BERET it appeared the clothes in question were hats.

I managed to spot most of the TOPGEAR in our search, but TOQUE I would not have found unless it was last — though I now know it's a variant of the humble BEANIE.

---

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, April 10, game #768)

• WILY
• CANNY
• SHREWD
• SLICK
• CRAFTY
• CUNNING
• SPANGRAM: LIKEAFOX

---

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, April 11 (game #1035)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 10 (game #1034).

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 Connections hints.

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 #1035) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ANGEL
• SNOWFLAKE
• JACK
• SCREWDRIVER
• BOMBAY
• STRUT
• PATRON
• BEAM
• CHAMPION
• CHELSEA
• COLUMN
• ICE SCRAPER
• SPARE TIRE
• BRACE
• SPONSOR
• JUMPER CABLES

NYT Connections today (game #1035) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• BLUE: They hold buildings up
• YELLOW: Always carried in a vehicle
• GREEN: One who funds a project
• PURPLE: Look for the H2O 

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 #1035) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• BLUE: STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS
• YELLOW: FOUND IN THE TRUNK OF A CAR
• GREEN: BENEFACTOR
• PURPLE: ENDING IN BODIES OF WATER

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

NYT Connections today (game #1035) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1035, are…

• BLUE: STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS BEAM, BRACE, COLUMN, STRUT
• YELLOW: FOUND IN THE TRUNK OF A CAR ICE SCRAPER, JACK, JUMPER CABLES, SPARE TIRE
• GREEN: BENEFACTOR ANGEL, CHAMPION, PATRON, SPONSOR
• PURPLE: ENDING IN BODIES OF WATER BOMBAY, CHELSEA, SCREWDRIVER, SNOWFLAKE

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

---

I came close to connecting JACK, BEAM, and BOMBAY as they are all part of alcohol brand names, while PATRON also has an alcohol connection as it’s a tequila brand. Fortunately, I resisted the temptation and noted that BEAM could instead go with the other STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS.

Instead, my mistake came because I put SCREWDRIVER instead of JACK in the group of four things FOUND IN THE TRUNK OF A CAR. I'd say you should have a screwdriver too, but I also should have taken more time to see the more obvious piece of car equipment.

After getting the green group, BENEFACTOR, I still failed to see what connected the final four tiles — my obsession with alcohol was such that even to the end I thought the SCREWDRIVER in question must be a cocktail.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, April 10, game #1034)

• YELLOW: PEPPERS BELL PEPPER, CAROLINA REAPER, CHIPOTLE, PEPPERONCINO
• GREEN: THINGS THAT POP UP EJECTOR SEAT, JACK-IN-THE-BOX, POP-UP BOOK, TOASTER
• BLUE: DESCRIPTORS FOR SWISS CHEESE FIRM, HOLEY, NUTTY, SWISS
• PURPLE: BLUE CHARACTERS BLUE, GENIE, GONZO, SONIC

---

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.

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‘Computers are no longer a bicycle for the mind’: Frameworks founder says the Steve Jobs era is over and PCs are now a ‘self-driving car that takes you directly to the destination’

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• Framework just announced its next big product event
• The forever-upgradeable PC company's founder has some thoughts about AI and the cloud
• It's still committed to selling systems that you own and can change as needed

---

Framework, the computer company fixated on letting you define and endlessly update your PC, is now taking a stand against the cloud, AI, and the lack of PC ownership, doing so by invoking a quote from the man who arguably inspired the PC revolution: Steve Jobs.

Perhaps you haven't noticed, but the center of the computer universe has shifted. It happened so quickly, we barely had time to adjust. Whereas we once thought more about local computing power for processing work, answers, images, and play, we're now all fixated on compute delivered to us from the cloud and in the form of AI like ChatGPT and Gemini.

For Framework, which announced its upcoming April 21st product launch event in a new manifesto post by company founder Nirav Patel, this is a call to action.

Patel starts by explaining that the tectonic computing shift has put cloud demands in control, and that, to serve the needs of these services and the AI that runs on them, consumers will inevitably lose.

"We see this in the rapidly rising costs of silicon and all of the devices that depend on it, the shift from ownership to subscription, and the rise of closed black boxes over an open ecosystem. What does this all mean? The industry is asking you to own nothing and be happy."

That lack of ownership is, as Patel sees it, at odds with what Steve Jobs told us decades ago: "the computer is the bicycle of the mind."

Framework contends that's no longer so. Instead of bicycles, computers are now a ‘self-driving car that takes you directly to the destination.’

To understand the gravity of that statement, we need to look back at what Jobs really meant. Here's how he put it in a 1990 interview: "

“We humans are tool builders and we can fashion tools that amplify these inherent abilities that we have to spectacular magnitudes. So, for me, the computer has always been a bicycle of the mind, something that takes us far beyond our inherent capabilities.”

AI is, instead, the self-driving car, and instead of us using computers to expand our abilities, we've taken our hands off the wheel and let the AI do the driving.

It's a depressing thought.

A framework for reality

Framework, however, is not giving up. "As long as there is a person in the world who still wants to own their means of computation, we will be here to build the hardware that enables it," wrote Patel.

That sounds good, but I have to ask. To what end?

Sure, we liked the Framework Laptop 13 DIY Edition when we reviewed it last year, but despite the ability to easily swap out virtually all components, our reviewer noted the complexities of installing Windows. It works fine if you want to run Linux, but that will appeal to a far smaller set of users.

If this is sort of the Vox Populi system, then it has to be something for everybody. DIY is inherently limiting. While I think it's safe to say most consumers want easily repairable systems. They don't want to be the ones to build or repair them. People still like to buy finished products, even if they do lack some choice.

They may not notice slowly losing control of the system, software, and where the answers come from, but I'd wager most don't care. They aren't picky about who answers or, sadly, the quality of those answers. Look at how quickly they adopted ChatGPT, even when it was still hallucinating.

So, yes, I applaud Framework's integrity and know there's a market for their repairable DIY systems, but it's not a big one, and they alone will not stem the tide of AI-powered systems driving us to our next inevitable destination.

I'm not calling Framework's efforts Quixotic, but there's a fairly large chasm between owing nothing and building everything. Our computers, whether delivered complete and more or less non-upgradable or as a collection of endlessly swappable components, are still vehicles for expression and production. They're still the trusty two-wheelers for our minds.

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'There will be things in GTA 5 that they have in GTA 6 that you look at and go, 'I should have seen that coming'' — Former Rockstar developer suggests the upcoming game will feature mechanics from previous titles like Red Dead Redemption 2

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• Former GTA 5 audio designer Rob Carr thinks GTA 6 will feature mechanics from Red Dead Redemption 2
• He points to the game's Dead Eye system, which was also borrowed from the first Red Dead in GTA 5
• He says, "I'll be surprised if they don't use something from Red Dead 2"

---

Former Rockstar Games developer Rob Carr believes that the studio will borrow mechanics from Red Dead Redemption 2 for Grand Theft Auto 6.

In a lengthy interview with the Kiwi Talkz podcast, Carr, who worked as an audio designer at the prolific studio for games like LA Noire and Grand Theft Auto 5, discussed GTA 6 and what he's interested in seeing, specifically the systems Rockstar will implement from previous games.

Carr recalls a mission from GTA 4, where all three characters connect in the middle for a mission, saying, "It's easy to see that that's the blueprint of the three-player system in GTA 5" with Trevor, Michael, and Franklin.

"I'm really, really quite keen to see what they do because there will be things in GTA 5 that they will have in GTA 6 that you look at and go, 'We should have seen that coming. That was, oh man, that's really clever,' because they're [Rockstar] very good at that, you know," Carr said.

He continued, saying, "There are things for sure I feel that they did in GTA 5 that they will definitely want to expand on and use as either a core mechanic or a main plot point in GTA 6. I'd be incredibly surprised if they don't do anything like that. I'd be very, very surprised."

Later in the podcast, Carr also pointed out Red Dead Redemption's Dead Eye system, which, if you recall, was used as a core combat feature for Michael in GTA 5 and was also featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.

"Even on GTA 5, they took the Dead Eye system," he said. "They used the Dead Eye as one of the perks for one of the characters. You've got the Dead Eye thing that Michael used, I think you've got the slow-mo driving thing for Franklin, and the basically berserker mode for Trevor."

According to Carr, these mechanics weren't simply thrown in at the last minute, but were intentional ways to expand each character's arsenal, so it's entirely possible they could make a return in some form in GTA 6.

"They're all things that, you know – key things have been used in previous titles that they wanted to expand upon," Carr explained. "So I'll be surprised if they don't use something from Red Dead 2."

GTA 6 was initially slated to launch next month, but will now release on November 19, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 10 (game #1034)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, April 9 (game #1033).

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 Connections hints.

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 #1034) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• GONZO
• NUTTY
• CAROLINA REAPER
• JACK-IN-THE-BOX
• SONIC
• FIRM
• TOASTER
• CHIPOTLE
• BELL PEPPER
• EJECTOR SEAT
• SWISS
• BLUE
• POP-UP BOOK
• GENIE
• HOLEY
• PEPPERONCINO

NYT Connections today (game #1034) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Capiscums
• GREEN: Springy things 
• BLUE: Words for fromage 
• PURPLE: A color in common

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 #1034) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PEPPERS 
• GREEN: THINGS THAT POP UP 
• BLUE: DESCRIPTORS FOR SWISS CHEESE 
• PURPLE: BLUE CHARACTERS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1034) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1034, are…

• YELLOW: PEPPERS BELL PEPPER, CAROLINA REAPER, CHIPOTLE, PEPPERONCINO
• GREEN: THINGS THAT POP UP EJECTOR SEAT, JACK-IN-THE-BOX, POP-UP BOOK, TOASTER
• BLUE: DESCRIPTORS FOR SWISS CHEESE FIRM, HOLEY, NUTTY, SWISS
• PURPLE: BLUE CHARACTERS BLUE, GENIE, GONZO, SONIC

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

I managed to get the yellow PEPPERS group quickly, but I submitted my foursome with some trepidation as, along the lines of CAROLINA REAPER, both JACK-IN-THE-BOX and EJECTOR SEAT sound as if they could be particular potent capiscums.

Detecting a cheese group with SWISS and BLUE among the remaining tiles, I was tempted to include JACK-IN-THE-BOX here too, but in the end the connection to TOASTER and the other THINGS THAT POP was too strong.

Meanwhile, I am sure I am not the only European cheese snob who would have preferred if the group containing FIRM, HOLEY, NUTTY, and SWISS had been called descriptors for Emmental cheese rather than DESCRIPTORS FOR SWISS CHEESE, seeing as there are dozens of Swiss cheeses and most of them don’t contain holes. Although to be fair maybe the cheeseheads at Connections HQ were thinking about Appenzeller.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, April 9, game #1033)

• YELLOW: GLOOMY BLUE, DARK, DOWN, LOW
• GREEN: OINTMENT BALM, CREAM, PASTE, RUB
• BLUE: ZODIAC SYMBOLS ARCHER, FISH, GOAT, RAM
• PURPLE: MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND JACK, RIP, SHRED, YOKE

---

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.

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Quordle hints and answers for Friday, April 10 (game #1537)

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, April 9 (game #1536).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 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 #1537) - 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 #1537) - 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 2.

Quordle today (game #1537) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1537) - 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 #1537) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• T

• B

• K

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

Quordle today (game #1537) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1537, are…

• PUPPY
• TRADE
• BRAND
• KNOCK

I had two moments during this game where things could have gone in a different direction — guessing PUPPY instead of “pulpy” and BRAND instead of “grand”.

By the time I got to my final word I had enough guesses left to risk KNOCK but happily I didn’t need another.

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Daily Sequence today (game #1537) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1537, are…

• FROWN
• BLIMP
• THREE
• MIGHT

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1536, Thursday, 9 April: SKIMP, BAWDY, WHERE, DECOR
• Quordle #1535, Wednesday, 8 April: IDEAL, PULPY, HUMPH, RETCH
• Quordle #1534, Tuesday, 7 April: FIFTY, SHUSH, HELLO, ZEBRA
• Quordle #1533, Monday, 6 April: CHIEF, IDLER, PASTA, BRIAR
• Quordle #1532, Sunday, 5 April: PLUSH, GRATE, DEALT, LABEL
• Quordle #1531, Saturday, 4 April: MOTEL, COVEN, DRIER, SCOLD
• Quordle #1530, Friday, 3 April: PINEY, TRUSS, HALVE, SPOOF
• Quordle #1529, Thursday, 2 April: LEAPT, MECCA, TRAIT, REFER
• Quordle #1528, Wednesday, 1 April: SEVEN, PRIOR, ADAGE, AUDIO
• Quordle #1527, Tuesday, 31 March: SMACK, HAPPY, LYING, PULPY
• Quordle #1526, Monday, 30 March: CHESS, ALLOT, SCONE, DITTY
• Quordle #1525, Sunday, 29 March: DELAY, STONY, MONTH, PARTY
• Quordle #1524, Saturday, 28 March: BRAWN, FELLA, SCALY, BRUNT
• Quordle #1523, Friday, 27 March: GROIN, WRONG, SKUNK, SHALL
• Quordle #1522, Thursday, 26 March: HOBBY, COULD, MORPH, LEDGE
• Quordle #1521, Wednesday, 25 March: BLUSH, GRIND, AWASH, SCALP
• Quordle #1520, Tuesday, 24 March: MADAM, BLACK, USING, VOICE
• Quordle #1519, Monday, 23 March: BAGEL, HOARD, AUGUR, TANGY
• Quordle #1518, Sunday, 22 March: SPLAT, BACON, CAIRN, AWFUL
• Quordle #1517, Saturday, 21 March: LEVEL, MAPLE, BRAID, CORAL

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The Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light has been delayed until 'later this summer'

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• 007 First Light has been delayed for the Nintendo Switch 2
• IOI says the game will now launch "later this summer"
• The PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions are still on track for its May 27 release

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IO Interactive has announced that the Nintendo Switch 2 version of 007 First Light has been delayed to this summer (northern hemisphere summer, that is).

In a new social media post, the developer confirmed that while the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions are still on track to launch next month on May 27, Switch 2 users will have to wait a little longer to play.

"007 First Light comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on May 27th, 2026, and Nintendo Switch 2 later this summer," IOI said. "We're excited to see players discovering James Bond's reimagined origin story, and we are looking forward to bringing you the best game experience possible across all platforms."

IOI delayed First Light for all platforms earlier this year from its original March 26 release date, citing the need for additional development time to focus on extra polish and refinement.

While the Hitman studio didn't provide a reason for the latest delay, it's likely the team needs more time to polish the Switch 2 edition.

007 First Light follows the story of a young James Bond, played by actor Patrick Gibson, in a re-imagined origin story that led him to become M16's best agent.

TechRadar Gaming had the chance to preview 007 First Light back in September, with managing editor Rob Dwiar writing how the game "looks very much like the James Bond video game that we’ve all been waiting for" and "seems to have Hitman’s distinct DNA running through its veins".

Elsewhere in the run-up to the game's launch, Sony has revealed a new limited edition PS5 controller inspired by James Bond and the upcoming game, with pre-orders starting next week, on April 17.

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'The whole world doesn't look like that. You focus on the areas of the trailer' — Former Rockstar environmental artist says what fans see in GTA 6 trailers has been 'madly polished' but 'everything that's not in that view' won't be as refined yet

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• A former GTA 6 environmental artist has expressed excitement for the third trailer
• He says that the city he worked on has been "all fleshed out so much more than when I'd last wandered it"
• He adds that trailers are more polished than what is not captured by cameras

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As we wait for the next Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer to drop, a former Rockstar Games developer has also shared his excitement, but says what you see in trailers has been polished more than anything off-camera.

Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, and as spotted by GamesRadar+, environmental artist David O'Reilly, who has credits on GTA 5, GTA 6, and Red Dead Redemption 2, teased the game's cityscape, which he had a hand in creating.

"I can't wait for the next trailer too, all that stuff I have no idea about, the characterization, seeing that city all fleshed out so much more than when I'd last wandered it," said O'Reilly.

With that being said, the developer suggested that everything fans see in these grand trailers has been more refined than what isn't captured by the camera.

"When you make a trailer, they look at where the camera's going to be, and that view is getting madly polished," he explained.

"Whereas everything that's not in that view is not getting madly polished yet. The whole world doesn't look like that. You focus on the areas of the trailer."

When the last GTA 6 trailer was released, Rockstar confirmed that the footage was captured on the base PlayStation 5, and while we don't know what frame rate the game was running at, what we saw does look incredible.

However, as O'Reilly said, that was just what Rockstar wanted us to see at the time, so there's a high likelihood that the team is still hard at work polishing up everything else behind the scenes.

When asked further about the game, O'Reilly couldn't provide any story details because he was in the art department, despite working on it for five years, which suggests portions of the game are even kept under wraps from members of the Rockstar development team.

"With GTA 6, people are like, 'What's the story?'. And I'm like, 'I've no idea, dude, I don't know.' Because I worked on it for five years, but I have no idea about the storyline, other than I knew it had two characters, and that was the extent of my knowledge," he said.

As for when we can expect to see the third GTA 6 trailer, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has confirmed that marketing will kick off in the next few months, meaning it could arrive this summer.

GTA 6 was initially set to launch on May 26, 2026, but is now slated to arrive on November 19, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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Bizarre bug in macOS is a 'ticking time bomb' that takes out networking capabilities if a Mac is left on for too long

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• A very strange bug in macOS has just been found
• If a Mac is left on for (just over) 49 days, its networking functionality will completely fail
• The only cure is a reboot, apparently, but presumably Apple will now be working on an official fix

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Ever wondered what would happen if you left your Mac on for a couple of months solid? Probably not, but you might be interested to learn that if you did, the networking side of the OS would fall over.

Tom's Hardware reports that Photon wrote a blog post on how it "found a ticking time bomb in macOS TCP networking", an explosive element in the code that "detonates after exactly 49 days."

Well, 49 days, 17 hours, two minutes, and 47 seconds to be precise. When macOS has been running continuously for that exact length of time, the operating system will experience an 'integer overflow' that "freezes the internal TCP timestamp clock".

When that happens, existing TCP network connections won't expire as they should, remaining frozen in place, and eventually, as Photon explains: "Ephemeral ports slowly exhaust, and eventually no new TCP connections can be established at all. ICMP (ping) keeps working. Everything else dies."

In short, networking on the Mac goes completely kaput, and the only cure is to reboot the machine. Yes, the old 'turn it off and turn it on again' solution.

Photon — a company that facilitates building AI agents — found this bug on the Macs it uses to monitor Apple's Messages service, and the company successfully reproduced the glitch on two systems.

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Analysis: Apple following in Microsoft's footsteps

(Image credit: Future)

Obviously, this isn't a problem that most of you — assuming that you own a Mac — will have to worry about. No everyday user leaves their machine on for 50 days solid; but in case you're ever inclined to do so, at least you're now forewarned. This is, of course, more of a glitch that'll hit servers (which do run continuously for long periods), and one which businesses like Photon need to be aware of.

The root cause of the issue is, as mentioned, integer overflow. This is where macOS assumes a counter is only going to go up in numerical value, when in fact, it wraps back round to zero after 50 days of ticking up – and this is something that's caught out Microsoft in the past, too. Photon reminds us that Windows 95 suffered a similar 49.7-day crash where the kernel's 32-bit millisecond tick counter overflowed, in this case causing the PC to completely freeze up.

Apparently Photon is working on a solution to avoid having to reboot in order to fix the Mac, but presumably now that this bug has been brought to Apple's attention we should see an official fix before long.

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'Buyer beware' — Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller shopper reportedly finds old model inside the box in nasty repeat of common RAM scam

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• A Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller buyer claims that they were sent an original Switch 1 Pro Controller in the box
• The item appears to have been previously processed as a return, suggesting the controllers were swapped up by an unscrupulous customer
• They say they were able to return it for a refund

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You might need to be extra careful if you are thinking of buying a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller online, as one shopper claims they were sent an original Nintendo Switch Pro Controller instead.

"Buyer beware" warned user 'OutcastKatarn02' in a post to the r/gaming subreddit. "People are returning the box with Switch 1 controllers inside."

The post contains a photo of a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller box and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller that they purportedly found inside.

"I bought what I thought was a new Switch 2 Pro Controller from Amazon to give to a family member for their birthday," the user explained. "They opened it today only to find someone packed a Switch 1 Pro Controller inside."

Buyer beware when buying Switch 2 pro controllers. People are returning the box with Switch 1 controllers inside. from r/gaming

The white 'LPN' sticker visible on the product's box in the photo is used as part of the online retailer's returns process, giving some credence to the idea that this was a returned item that an unscrupulous customer swapped out.

The two controllers do look very similar, so it seems plausible that the substitution would be able to make its way through the returns process.

The Switch 2 modelFuture

The original Pro ControllerFuture

This kind of returns scam is relatively common in online retail, especially with pricey tech goods. Corsair recently made headlines by changing the packaging of its DDR5 RAM to a clear clamshell design with a 'tamper-evident' label in order to try to combat it.

Despite the visual similarities, the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is more expensive than its predecessor, with an asking price of $84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95. It also has some exclusive Nintendo Switch 2 features, including remappable rear inputs, a dedicated GameChat button, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Thankfully, the story does have a happy ending, with the user adding that "Thankfully Amazon let me return it for a refund."

Of course, as believable as the story is, this post should be taken with a grain of salt, as there's no guarantee that events played out as the user says.

I also haven't been able to find credible evidence that this is part of a wider trend rather than just an isolated incident. Still, if you do pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller in the coming weeks, it's worth giving a thorough inspection to make sure that you're getting what you paid for.

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