We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
The MacBook Air is the best laptop for most people, but not for everyone. While most of us will get more machine than we could possibly need out of a modern Air, the Pro offers both extra features and power that you simply can’t get with Apple’s cheaper computer. While I could certainly get by on an M1 MacBook Air, my daily driver is an M3 Pro MacBook Pro. If you’re in the same boat, and you’re in the market for a new pro-level MacBook, this deal on the M5 MacBook Pro is excellent. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better value in a pro laptop, especially one from Apple.
Apple’s M5 MacBook Pro is the company’s latest laptop, and the first Mac with the M5 chip. Right off the bat, this chip offers some modest performance gains over M4, which is the chip you’ll get in Apple’s newest MacBook Airs. But that’s to be expected from one Apple silicon generation to the next. Even if Apple’s MacBook Air also shipped with M5, the Pro would have it beat in sustained performance, thanks to a crucial hardware component: the fan. MacBook Airs are fanless, which keep them particularly thin and light. That’s great for aesthetics and portability, and, in many cases, you won’t really miss the fans. But if you push these machines with demanding tasks—especially concurrent demanding tasks—M5 may heat up, to the point where the machine may need to slow down its processing speeds to keep the temperature in check. A built-in fan can move hot air out, and keep the chip cooler for longer, extending the peak performance of the computer. That’s where the Pro shines.
Aside from the extra power boost, Apple’s modern MacBook Pro line sports some great features for enthusiasts and casual users alike. While the MacBook Air uses an LED display (a high quality one, no doubt), the Pro uses a mini-LED display. The latter offers a much greater contrast than LED, thanks to multiple “dimming zones,” versus LED’s one solid backlight. If you’re watch a dark scene on a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro side-by-side, you’ll notice how the dark areas are really gray on the Air, while on the Pro, they’re inky black. While I’d prefer an OLED display on the Pro, the mini-LED looks great, and is why I use my Pro for most of my streaming needs. Plus, the Pro adds an extra 0.6 inches of screen real estate, at least compared to the Air’s 13.6-inch display.
Apple also reserves the best port selection for the MacBook Pro. While the MacBook Air gets two USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe connector, the MacBook Pro adds a third USB-C port, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card slot. It’s a great I/O for professionals, but also for anyone who connects their computer to a TV or external monitor.
Most of these perks are not necessary, of course. The display on the Air is great; many of us can live with just two USB-C ports; and M4 is more than enough for most day-to-day tasks. You might even find you like the form factor of the Air better than the Pro: The Pro is considerably chunkier than the Air, and weighs more as well. Anyone looking for a thin and light machine will be content with the dimensions of a MacBook Air. And when you can pick up an M4 Air for as little as $749, the Pro can seem like overkill.
But if you’re someone who wants those extra features, or needs some additional power that the Air can’t quite provide, the current Black Friday deal on the Pro is amazing. $1,599 isn’t a bad price for what you get with the M5, but at $1,399, it’s a fantastic value. You’ll just need to be the judge as to whether all these extra perks are worth the additional $650.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Does Apple do Black Friday?
Yes, Apple participates in Black Friday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Black Friday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
At 22, I moved over 9,500 miles from my hometown of Ushuaia, Argentina—the southernmost city in the world—to Sweden to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. Mid-way through my studies, I learned my mom had cancer and would have to go through treatment. With her birthday coming up, I knew I needed to visit home. What I didn’t know was that a spontaneous purchase during an airport layover would lead to lasting memories.
My itinerary had three connections each way. While on a layover in Rome, I spotted a small, white box in a tech store: an Instax Mini Link printer. My scientist brain screamed “no” at an impulse buy, but my heart, which had already booked a transcontinental flight, made the decision, and I bought it. The idea of capturing a moment and immediately holding it felt like an antidote to the digital distance I’d been feeling. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you, and for most of us, that’s our phone.
An amazing weekend
After 24 hours in the sky, knocking on my parents’ door felt surreal. We all burst into joyful tears, and for the next 48 hours, our agenda was packed: birthday party preparations, driving around town, and signing up for a local 3K race.
The author and his mother at a race. Credit: Gérman Ceballos
That weekend became one of the most emotional of my life. And through it all, that little printer became my partner in crime. Without telling my mom, I just kept taking and printing pictures of every single moment together.
At her birthday party, I gave her the stack of photos. The printer wasn’t just a gadget, it was a tool for connection. In an age where our memories live on servers and are viewed through the cold glow of a screen, those small, tangible photos were a priceless gift. They were physical proof of our time together, something she could hold in her hand, put on her nightstand, or carry in her wallet.
That tiny printer taught me a powerful lesson: The value of a photograph is in its presence. That pocket-sized printer transformed digital moments into lasting, physical artifacts, leaving behind not just files, but living memories. It was some of the best money I’ve ever spent, and if you’re looking for a way to make memories with loved ones, consider packing this printer in your travel bag so you can turn photos you’re already taking on your phone into keepsakes you’ll continue to cherish.
My mom has been a master Chinese painter for over 40 years. I recently used AI to incorporate her art into physical gifts. If you want to achieve the same quality with a meaningful family photo, here’s how you can utilize Adobe’s new upscaling features to get the best results.
For this process, I used Adobe Firefly and Photoshop. Adobe Firefly is Adobe’s generative AI application, and the company released a phone app this summer to help you create on the go. If you’re a total newbie to Firefly, you can just ask the app for help along the way. Photoshop, which has long been the gold standard for image editing, recently added an AI upscaling feature that can improve scanned photos or images with the click of a button. Here’s how I did it.
How I used Adobe AI features to make gifts
I started by using Adobe Firefly to visualize my mom’s art on various products, including aprons, scarves, and even dresses. Seeing mockup options helped me decide on an apron as the perfect first piece.
Next, I brought an image of an original painting into Photoshop and used the AI upscaling feature. Wearables require a much larger print size, and this step ensures every detail stays crisp and vibrant. I then uploaded the file to Printful, a print-on-demand platform. You can also use Printify or a different print-on-demand provider, as the process is nearly identical.
In just a few clicks, the apron was ready to print and ship directly, and it was such a pleasure to see my mom wear her own artwork. With technology and AI, we’ve been able to take her creations beyond the canvas and share them with people everywhere, making every gift feel personal, meaningful, and timeless. If you want to tinker with AI this holiday season, this is one way to get some practice and make a thoughtful gift for a loved one along the way.
Video games aren’t just a leisurely pastime. For some, they’re a way to connect with loved ones and relive nostalgic memories from childhood. I am one of those people.
I pounced on the Nintendo Switch 2 when it came out earlier this year because I wanted something that felt familiar while living abroad. I’ve been a digital nomad for nearly ten years and currently live in Bangkok, Thailand, nearly 8,500 miles away from my six children and two grandchildren.
The Switch 2 lets me play the latest games with my kids, which I love to do, even when the time change makes schedules wonky. It reminds me of when I bought them a Wii many years ago and the hours of fun we had as a family playing Wii Sports in the living room. It also reminds me of a deeper, older memory – one that’s been on my mind more than ever before.
The gift that changed my life
I’m a first-generation American with a Kenyan mom and a stepfather from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Growing up, the emphasis in our home was on working hard, doing well in school, and not taking for granted the opportunities we had in America.
That meant things like video games were frowned upon. The idea of having a video game system in our home was unthinkable to my immigrant parents. My parents worked hard to afford our lives and support family members back in Africa, so there wasn’t a lot of spare money for gifts. Gifts were rare, even during the holidays; we were lucky to get a single gift.
I was fine with not getting as many gifts or the types of games and tech that my friends got. I understood early that not everyone’s life can be the same. When the PlayStation came out in 1994, however, that was the first time I really wanted a gift.
I begged my mom every day leading up to Christmas, did extra work around the house, and ran errands, all while pleading for my mom to make an exception and let us have a video game system in the house. I established a set of self-governing rules for my brothers and me to follow, ensuring the game wouldn’t interfere with our school work.
The author, right, and one of his brothers in an old family photo. Credit: Kimanzi Constable
That’s why I cried every ounce of liquid out of my body on Christmas morning when there was a PlayStation and some games.
My brother later had cancer, and my mom is battling late-stage cancer now. My mom can’t talk much these days, but I can still talk to her. I often share with her the core memory of that gift and what it meant to me.
The author and his mother. Credit: Kimanzi Constable
Giving a similar gift to my children
I wanted my kids to have the same kind of gaming console memory that I had when I was a kid. So in 2012, I gifted them a Nintendo Wii.
We spent every night playing Wii Sports as a family, creating memories that my kids, now adults, recall often. I had to teach them how to take turns playing the Wii and how to play against each other without it becoming an all-out war when they won or lost a game. There were more than a few incidents when a controller found itself flying across the room.
This author with some of his children and children-in-law. Credit: Kimanzi Constable
Giving a similar gift to… myself
I started living abroad in 2021, and I’m fortunate that my family supports it. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I realized we wanted to live a more nomadic life and explore the world further. I had lost many family members to cancer, and I worried I might get cancer too, so I wanted to live life fully, both for myself and in memory of those I’ve lost.
With our kids all out of the home, attending college and living adult lives, it felt like the right time. We sold everything, including our cars and home, and began traveling with no fixed home base. We became full-time digital nomads.
I gave my adult children, who live together, my original Switch before I moved to Thailand, so they could play Switch Sports via Nintendo Online with me while I was in Thailand. I knew the Switch 2 was coming out before I moved, and that I would get one over here in Bangkok once I settled in.
We get to relive the fun every time we log on, and it’s a way to stay connected even though we’re physically 8,500 miles apart. We coordinate our playtime: nighttime for them and morning for me, since Thailand is either 11 or 12 hours ahead of the Central time zone.
Although the Switch 2 console is larger, I’ve still been able to fit it in my travel backpack and play it comfortably. I recently played Switch 2 on a three-hour car ride from Bangkok to Hua Hin, Thailand, and even played it on the beach at a resort in Hua Hin. I’ve used the built-in voice chat, the stable dock with a second USB-C port, and the larger, magnetically attaching Joy-Con 2s. Playing online is more fun with the upgraded Joy-Cons.
The author after purchasing a Switch 2. Credit: Kimanzi Constable
Tech gifts can rekindle old memories and create new ones
I enjoy the Nintendo Switch 2 so much that I’m buying a console for our two grandchildren, ages six and four. I know they’ll have a similar reaction to the one I had when my mom got us a PlayStation, as my granddaughter has been begging me for a Switch 2. I want my grandkids to experience the fun I experience every day.
Gaming consoles give me a way to channel nostalgia and nourish my soul, and what I’ve learned through travel is that I need a full soul to live sustainably as a digital nomad.
As we get ready for another holiday season, it’s okay for you to capture the nostalgia and buy yourself fun gifts, too. You no doubt have core memories of gifts you got as a child—perhaps there’s an equivalent gift you can buy yourself as an adult, or something you can get for your children to build upon your own meaningful memories.
Two coal plants in Mumbai (in India) that were scheduled to close last year continue operating after the state government of Maharashtra reversed shutdown decisions in late 2023 and extended the life of at least one facility by five years. The largest single factor the Indian conglomerate Tata cited in its petition for an extension was increased energy demand from data centers.
The Guardian reports that Amazon operated 16 data centers in Mumbai last year. The company’s official website lists three “availability zones” for the city. Amazon’s Mumbai colocation data centers consumed 624,518 megawatt hours of electricity in 2023. That amount could power over 400,000 Indian households for a year. Residents of Mahul live a few hundred metres from one coal plant. Earlier this year doctors found three tumours in the brain of a resident’s 54-year-old mother. Studies show people who live near coal plants are much more likely to develop cancer. By 2030 data centers will consume a third of Mumbai’s energy, according to Ankit Saraiya, chief executive of Techno & Electric Engineering. Amazon’s colocation data centers in Mumbai bought 41 diesel generators as backup. A report in August by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy identified diesel generators as a major source of air pollution in the region.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Black Friday 2025 is a good time to look for gaming accessories, and I think the best overall deal you can get right now is on the Xbox wireless controller. I started using it in 2021, when I got my Xbox Series X, and I think it’s probably the second-best controller for most people. I personally like the PS5’s DualSense a little more, but that’s not a dig on the Xbox controller at all. Especially when you look at the fact that the Xbox controller is about $15 cheaper than the PS5 alternative, it’s a really smart move to get the cheaper option—you can use both with devices other than their respective consoles.
The Xbox wireless controller works with your Xbox Series X|S, PC, and mobile devices. It uses a pair of AA batteries for power. If you don’t enjoy buying disposable batteries, you still have the option to buy rechargeable AA batteries or even pick long-lasting Lithium batteries. The controller also has a USB-C port and you can use it to connect the device to your console or PC to use it wired. I’ve had to use it as a wired controller a couple of times when the AA batteries ran out in the middle of a long online gaming session, and it worked fine. Do ensure that you use a good USB cable, though, or you risk frequent disconnections.
When you’re buying an Xbox wireless controller off Amazon, you have the option to choose the black color variant with a USB-C cable. The included USB-C cable is convenient, although other colors might not have one. Good cables are quite cheap and ubiquitous these days, so I’d rather get my favorite color rather than worry about which one ships with a cable. Still, it’s worth looking at all your options, since they do differ in price, landing between $40 and $50. The Pulse Red color looks quite tempting to me, but you should pick the color that calls to you.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Carbon spokes are nothing new. First introduced by German manufacturer Lightweight in 1994 with the first fully carbon wheel, carbon spokes claimed their first Tour de France win in 1997. From then until fairly recent times, they remained the reserve of niche carbon exotica.
Fast forward to today, and most major and premium road bike wheel manufacturers offer wheelsets with composite spokes. Even the traditionally conservative DT Swiss has now dipped its toe in the carbon-spoke world with its 1,174g ARC 1100 Spline 38 CS wheelset.
For lightweight wheelsets where every gram counts, the weight-to-stiffness properties of carbon spokes offer clear benefits, where they can shave more than 100g off a wheelset compared to conventional steel spokes.
But their fragility from side impacts, patent-protected production processes and minor aerodynamic deficiencies mean they’re likely to remain a premium alternative to steel, rather than a wholesale replacement – at least for now.
Unbonded carbon spokes are now increasingly common. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media
As their name suggests, carbon fibre spokes replace the standard steel spokes, but there are two different approaches – unbonded and bonded.
The former is similar to a standard wheel, with carbon spokes laced to the hub and rim like steel spokes.
The majority of unbonded carbon spokes feature a carbon shaft that is bonded to a steel or titanium head and threaded tip. This means that the carbon part isn’t actually in contact with the hub or rim body, so only minor alterations have to be made to the hub and rim to use them.
The latter is a one-piece design. Depending on the wheel construction, the rim, hubs and spokes can be separate components bonded together during the manufacturing process, or, as is the case with Syncros’ Capital SL-series wheels, all three components may be moulded as a single piece.
We spotted Team Visma-Lease a Bike trialling new carbon-spoked Reserve wheels with custom Tune hubs at the 2025 Tour de France. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media
Wheel manufacturers have adopted carbon fibre spokes primarily because of the weight savings on offer.
“They’re about half the weight of a steel spoke,” says Joel Smith, managing director of Reserve Wheels, explaining that the Vonoa carbon fibre spokes used by Reserve weigh 2.5g compared to Sapim CX-Ray’s 4.75g.
When laced to a 24-spoke rim, this enables Reserve to shave 108g per wheelset without sacrificing any of the rim or hubs’ properties. “We now have a lighter, deeper section wheel, without having to reduce the strength of our rims.”
But the performance benefits don’t end there. “With the same cross section of the spoke, you can build lighter wheels, or with the same weight, you can build much stiffer wheels,” explains Michael Hübner, Lightweight’s head of R&D.
Scope uses carbon spokes extensively. Charlie Allenby / Our Media
Scope Cycling’s co-founder Nieck Busser adds that you can feel the difference a carbon fibre spoke design makes from a lateral stiffness and ride quality perspective.
“The pivotal moment [for Reserve] has been this year, where Wout [van Aert] basically raced carbon spoke wheels the entire Tour de France,” says Smith.
“He kept saying they just felt way more planted with less movement in hard cornering situations where you’re going into an apex corner, hard on the brakes, and he noticed the snappiness of the wheel out of the corners as well on the rear.”
Easily damaged downsides
Carbon spokes aren’t quite as aerodynamic as their steel counterparts. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media
However, carbon spokes aren’t without their drawbacks.
From a performance perspective, the current crop of unbonded carbon fibre spokes isn’t as aerodynamically optimised as their steel counterparts. This means there is a marginal increase in drag to pay for the savings on the scales.
“If you want to build just aero wheels, you could have an advantage with a steel spoke because you can build it very thin, which is not possible… with a carbon spoke,” says Hübner.
While it’s possible to create carbon fibre spokes to the same profile and they would have enough lateral strength, he explains.
Bonded layouts mean the entire wheel can be at risk in the event of damage. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media
But the main downsides arise from the practical application of carbon fibre spokes during the cut-and-thrust nature of riding and racing.
“From a pull perspective, it’s a very strong product, and we hardly see any failure,” says Busser. “The difficulty is from a side impact – it’s a pretty sensitive product. Compared to steel spokes, it’s a huge difference.”
For unbonded carbon fibre spokes, this could mean a broken spoke, whereas for bonded models, like those made by Lightweight and Syncros, it could mean a whole new wheel.
“Performance-wise, I would definitely go for the carbon spoke, but take into consideration the complete picture,” says Busser.
“If you’re an amateur racer and you want to race with it, and you are in the bunch, or you do a Spring Classics or a criterium, and you hit a pedal or a derailleur with your spoke, a steel spoke can survive that; [with] a carbon spoke, it’s going to be more difficult.”
Why now?
Brands such as Newmen (among many others) use Vonoa spokes. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
For a technology that has been around for more than three decades, why is it only now that we’re seeing a swathe of brands coming to market with a carbon fibre spoke wheelset?
The answer lies in the improved consistency in the unbonded carbon fibre spokes themselves, and the lower barriers to entry offered by this approach.
“For the past five years that we’ve been looking into it, there was super inconsistency in the actual spokes until we found the company that everybody is using these days – Vonoa – and we started seeing consistency in spoke pull tests,” says Smith.
This has given manufacturers confidence to start investing R&D time in producing an unbonded carbon fibre spoke wheel without having to rethink the hub and rim design as with a bonded approach.
Despite continued advances in shaving weight, rim designs are claimed to be about as advanced as they’re going to get. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
“We’ve kind of reached the design limitation [of the rim]. If you look at a cross-section, they’re so thin, so there wasn’t really a way for us to get a lighter wheelset without reducing strength. We didn’t want to do that. So [carbon spokes] was an opportunity to [reduce weight],” adds Smith.
There’s consumer demand too, with Busser saying that high-end, performance-focused customers expect carbon fibre spokes – as found on Scope’s Artech series – as standard, while Smith says that Reserve expects the technology to make up 10 to 15 per cent of its aftermarket wheel sales next year.
Bonded vs unbonded
Wout van Aert trialled bonded carbon spokes at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dirk Waem / Getty Images
The current trend is being driven by unbonded carbon fibre spokes, but there are pros and cons to each approach.
The unbonded path is a cheaper (albeit still more expensive than steel) approach for brands to invest in.
“We did the [bonded] front and rear for Wout [van Aert] at the Olympics last year, but that’s a long path for us. Those wheels have to be $5,500 to make them, especially consistently. I don’t know if we’re ready to go into those price points now,” says Smith.
But it also comes down to the end-user and how the product is going to be used.
Lightweight Meilenstein wheels are claimed to weigh just 1,109g a pair, with the brand considered leaders in full carbon layouts. Lightweight Carbovation GMBH
“We don’t see the benefit of making it a one-piece design for durability and maintenance reasons,” says Busser. “We see a huge benefit of being able to replace the product.
“If you have a €4,000 product, and something happens to your rim or your hub, and you’re not under warranty, we can still repair products for a reasonable amount. Whereas for [bonded] wheels like Syncros or Lightweight, if it’s not over the warranty, you literally have to throw out your wheels.”
Of course, cottage artisans, such as Lightwheels Repair Service, offer repairs to one-piece carbon wheels, though whether OEMs would advocate this is unclear.
Regardless, for Syncros and Lightweight, the additional performance benefits of a bonded design are worth the risks and even greater costs.
“We are always looking for the best performance, best quality, and also the best durability,” says Hübner. “It makes sense to bond it because for a fibre composite, you are always looking for a direct connection between the fibres, and if you bond the spokes directly or laminate it inside the rim, you can use the full properties of the material.
“If you use an unbonded one with nipples and a thread, then you will lose some of the properties.”
The Cadex Max 40 uses bladed carbon spokes bonded to deep hub flanges for strength. Russell Burton / Our Media
Hubner also claims that if you bond the spokes or laminate inside the wheel, the performance remans the same for the life of the wheel. “With an unbonded spoke, it loses some of the properties over the years.”
Nicolas Rondeau, head of Syncros’ product division, adds, “Quite simply, this construction delivers the best aerodynamic performance and the best stiffness to weight ratio, bar none. [The Silverton SL and Capital SL] were developed as a complete and unique system with a fully optimised structure, meaning the spokes are optimised to work perfectly with the rim and hubs.
“The unique construction allows a uniform spoke tension, tuned from the spoke prestaining patented construction, ensuring the best performance from the composite material. In addition, it is a design that has maximum reliability in the long term, as there are no components that can fail or loosen over time.”
A ubiquitous alternative? Not for now
Hunt even fits carbon spokes to some of its rim brake wheelsets. Hunt wheels
Given carbon fibre spokes have been around for more than 30 years and are still eye-wateringly expensive compared to their steel alternatives, the chances of prices falling and accessibility increasing might seem slim.
But a carbon-spoked future might be edging closer for those with moderately deep pockets.
“I think there will be more suppliers in the future for the ‘classic’ [unbonded] carbon spokes, and so the price in these segments will be falling,” says Hübner.
“I do see that carbon spokes are going to become ubiquitous,” agrees Smith, before conceding that because of the patents surrounding the tech, price falls will be modest.
“There are only one or two companies that are going to be able to produce them, because there’s so much intellectual property on the carbon spokes. This is going to be bad because I don’t think we’re going to be able to drive down pricing [because of it].”
Lightweight’s ART rim design has internal ribs that add strength. The carbon spokes are anchored at the tyre bed and bonded to the ribs. Lightweight Carbovation GMBH
However, for bonded wheels like Lightweight, expect price points to remain prohibitively expensive.
“Our engineering and production is based in Friedrichshafen, Germany. There’s no way to make it cheaper if you decide to produce it in Germany, and that’s obviously the reason why we have such a high price point,” concludes Lightweight’s marketing manager, Marco Hinzer.
“There are people out there who appreciate that we’re not going to China for production, so they’re willing to pay the price for it.”
In the immediate future, carbon fibre spokes are likely to remain the preserve of premium, range-topping, performance-focused wheelsets.
If prices do come down, or the aerodynamic and side-impact properties of unbonded spokes are improved to match steel, then they may become a viable and practical alternative for those seeking moderate weight savings without sacrificing durability.
Until then, carbon fibre spokes are likely to remain a niche product, albeit one where consumers with big enough bank balances have a greater choice than ever before.
RealPage has agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit raised by the Department of Justice, alleging that landlords used its tools to coordinate efforts to artificially raise rental prices across the US.
In a press release, the DOJ promised the proposed settlement “would help restore free market competition in rental markets for millions of American renters.”
For years since the pandemic started, rental prices outpaced inflation, and the DOJ suspected that RealPage was the dominant force driving a market that never favored renters. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data covering a 12-month period ending this September showed rents are still rising by 3.5 percent amid an affordability crisis, leaving some US renters in fear of housing instability.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
I like to joke that my sainted father was the second-worst carpenter in New Jersey, and he raised me to be the worst. That’s a slight exaggeration, but it’s true that the old advice to measure twice and cut once doesn’t work for me. I measure twice, and somehow I am often still wrong when I go to make the cut.
This has led to a certain level of paranoia when it comes to my home DIY projects, which has led to the purchase of many tape measures in my life as I try to convince myself that it’s the tool’s fault, not mine, that everything comes out wonky. As a result, I’ve used a lot of tape measures, both mechanical and digital. Both have their advantages—a mechanical tape measure can take a beating and still be used, while a digital tape measure can give you measurements a physical tape can’t easily provide.
For a while, I had both, and used them as needed. And then I found this: The Fanttik A10, which is 42% off for Black Friday.
The A10’s physical tape isn’t very long—just under 10 feet. But that’s long enough for any close-up detail work where a digital tape might have problems due to space limitations, and it’s good enough for most DIY project work—plus it lets my muscle memory kick in, because I’m so used to snapping out a physical tape.
But for longer distances that can be difficult to measure with a physical tape because of sagging and twisting (and those moments when the hook fails and the whole thing snaps back), the A10 is an accurate laser measure that can measure up to 165 feet. I don’t know about your house, but I will never need to measure anything longer than 165 feet in my life. Having both kinds of measuring tools in one is incredibly convenient.
The A10 is a thoughtfully designed tool. It has multiple measuring modes, including area and volume (I’ve never needed to measure the volume of a room, but it’s nice to know it’s there if I need it). It can also be used as a level, and although I still grab my trusty spirit level for most jobs, the A10 has been reliable as a level in the few tests I’ve done.
You can buy a stand for the A10 if you want, which could be useful if you don’t have a convenient spot to place the laser level—any stand that works with a 1/4” threaded mount should work. It charges via a standard USB C port, and the battery life is great.
All in all, the A10 is a terrific tool. The main reason I love it, though, is definitely the combination of mechanical and digital measuring in one pocket-sized tool. For someone who has always been detail-challenged, this has been a tremendous help, especially because I can switch back and forth and double-check myself any time I need to without needing to grab another tool. Anyone who does work around the house will find this to be incredibly useful.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Nvidia pushed back against investor concerns about Google’s competitive positioning in AI on Tuesday after the chipmaker’s shares tumbled 4.4% and erased nearly $200 billion in market cap on fears that Alphabet’s tensor processing units were gaining ground against its dominance in AI computing. The company said it was “delighted by Google’s success” but asserted that it continues to supply chips to Google.
Nvidia said it remains “a generation ahead of the industry” as the only platform that runs every AI model and operates everywhere computing is done. The statement came after investors reacted to the release of Google’s Gemini 3 large language model last week. The model was trained using TPUs rather than Nvidia chips. A report in The Information on Monday said Google was pitching potential clients including Meta on using TPUs in their data centers rather than Nvidia’s chips.
Nvidia said its platform offers “greater performance, versatility, and fungibility than ASICs,” referring to application-specific integrated circuits like Google’s TPUs that are designed for specific AI frameworks or functions. Google’s TPUs have until now only been available for customers to rent through its cloud computing service. Nvidia has lost more than $800 billion in market value since it peaked above $5 trillion less than a month ago.
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Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Of all the gaming controllers I’ve used, I like Sony’s DualSense controller the most. I like its heft, ergonomics, and the fact that I don’t have to keep replacing AA batteries to use it. And while the DualSense works best with the PS5, it’s also a great controller for your PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android devices. If you’ve been eyeing one, then Black Friday 2025 is a great time to buy the PS5’s DualSense controller.
During the Black Friday 2025 sale on Amazon, the PS5’s DualSense controller is going for $54 to $59 (25% to 32% off), depending on which color you choose. That’s a great price for a fuss-free controller that works with multiple devices. I’ve used my DualSense controller with my PS5, my PC, and my iPhone, and enjoyed it on all devices. I have a tendency to get sucked into long, story-driven games, and as a result, I used the DualSense for my second 120-hour playthrough of Persona 5 Royal. The controller worked flawlessly, and I never felt tired holding it during these playthroughs.
The DualSense controller has a USB-C port for charging, which is quite convenient to use, but do note that you don’t get a cable with this device. Still, if you have any other device that uses USB-C for charging, then you can reuse the same cable to charge this controller. If you couldn’t tell from the name, the DualSense’s haptic feedback is especially well-done, as it’s a lot more than some mild or intense vibrations. The feedback changes subtly based on what you’re doing in-game—try playing the PS5’s free Astro’s Playroom game to get an idea of the DualSense’s capabilities.
The controller also has an integrated touch pad, accelerometer, and gyroscope, which means that it can also be used for motion controls. Don’t forget that you get a built-in microphone in the DualSense controller, but if you don’t want to accidentally record yourself, you can turn off the mic in your PS5’s settings.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Cycling journeys in London are up 43 per cent compared with 2019 levels, according to new data published by Transport for London.
TfL’s 2025 Travel in London report shows that the number of daily cycling journeys has increased in 2025 to an estimated 1.5 million journeys per day, up by 12.7 per cent from 1.33 million last year.
The growth was biggest in inner London, with daily journeys increasing by 14.8 per cent, from 650,000 in 2024 to 747,000 in 2025. Daily cycle journeys in central London increased by 12.8 per cent and by 9.9 per cent in outer London.
A Transport for London Cycleway. Transport for London
TfL says the growth in cycling journeys demonstrates the capital’s “continued investment in high-quality infrastructure”.
The transport authority has worked with London boroughs to increase the length of its cycle network from 90km in 2016 to over 431km in 2025.
“In 2024/25 alone, TfL launched 17 new Cycleways routes, and since September 2025, 29 per cent of Londoners live within 400 metres of the cycle network,” TfL said in a statement.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has set a target of 40 per cent of Londoners living within 400m of a Cycleway by 2030.
TfL continues to expand the network with construction next year starting in Southwark, Newham, Harrow and Waltham Forest.
How safe do people feel cycling in London?
76 per cent of people said they felt safe on designated cycle routes Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Included in the Travel in London report are results from the London Travel Demand Survey.
The survey revealed that among those who cycled at least once a month and had used a Cycle in the last year, 76 per cent reported feeling safe on designated cycle routes. But only 40 per cent felt safe when cycling on other roads or paths.
Alongside its analysis, LCC launched a new email campaign directed at Sadiq Khan to highlight its campaign for faster action to reduce risks at known dangerous junctions.
TfL revealed in May that the provisional number of people killed or seriously injured on London roads fell from 3,710 in 2023 to 3,696 in 2024.
Nine people were killed while cycling in the capital last year. While this is higher than the eight people killed while cycling in 2023, it is a third lower than the 2010-2014 baseline.
Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “There’s no doubt that London is fast becoming a cycling city. Of course, there is more to do. The Mayor and I will keep working closely with TfL and the boroughs, investing in more high-quality routes to enable even more people to walk and cycle, building a better, greener London for all.”
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and strategy officer, added: “Every extra journey by bike or on foot helps reduce congestion, improve air quality and make our streets safer and more welcoming.”
The rise of Lime bikes
The Travel in London report also estimates that approximately 10 per cent of the total daily cycle journeys could have been on dockless cycle hires, such as Lime bikes.
Londoners made 16 million journeys by Lime during commuting hours in 2024, while the company saw an 85 per cent increase in total journeys.
The summer’s tube strikes led to a spike in Lime bike usage. Lime saw a 50 per cent increase in rentals on Tuesday 9 September compared to the same day in 2024 due to the strikes, according to the Financial Times.
Cycling in the City of London increased by 50 per cent from 2022 to 2024, the City of London Corporation revealed in April. It said “dockless cycles have quadrupled since 2022 and now account for one-in-six bikes on City streets.”
Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime for the UK and Ireland, said: “It has been incredible to see London’s cycling transformation over the past few years.
“Our capital has set a bar for cycling globally, and we’re proud of the role we’re playing. Rental ebikes are helping reduce car trips and congestion and support the Mayor’s ambitious active travel goals.”
Forest Bikes is another dockless bike hire provider in the capital. It announced a new pay structure in November to reduce its bikes from clogging up London’s streets, where users are offered free minutes if they choose to ride a bike that’s parked in an overcrowded area.
After Valve announced its upcoming Steam Machine living room box earlier this month, some analysts suggested to Ars that Valve could and should aggressively subsidize that hardware with “loss leader” pricing that leads to more revenue from improved Steam software sales. In a new interview with YouTube channel Skill Up, though, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais ruled out that kind of console-style pricing model, saying that the Steam Machine will be “more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market.”
Griffais said the AMD Zen 4 CPU and RDNA3 GPU in the Steam Machine were designed to outperform the bottom 70 percent of machines that opt-in to Valve’s regular hardware survey. And Steam Machine owners should expect to pay roughly what they would for desktop hardware with similar specs, he added.
“If you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that’s the general price window that we aim to be at,” Griffais said.
Microsoft just released a spate of software updates for ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld consoles. Perhaps the most notable feature is the introduction of default game profiles, which are available in a beta mode starting today.
These are performance profiles tailored to specific games so they run perfectly on the handhelds. Once enabled, the software will automatically balance the frame rate and power consumption to strike the perfect balance. This means that players won’t have to head into the settings to make manual adjustments.
These profiles are currently available for 40 of the more popular games on the platform, including Fortnite, Gears of War: Reloaded and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Microsoft says that using the default game profile while playing Silksong, for instance, will add an hour of battery life. To that end, the profiles are only used when playing on battery. I hope this becomes a regular part of the Ally experience and comes to many more titles.
There’s a new search filter that lists games by how they perform on the device, which is sort of a riff on Valve’s “Steam Deck Verified” badge. Microsoft also boasts that gamepad responsiveness has been improved and that game libraries will now load quicker. The company says this is especially noticeable for “players with large game libraries.”
The cloud gaming page should now load quicker and be more responsive. Finally, there’s the usual array of bug fixes and performance enhancements. This is a nice little batch of upgrades, just in time for the holidays.
For the uninitiated, the ROG Ally and Ally X are handheld gaming consoles that run an Xbox-adjacent version of Windows 11 and can play pretty much any Xbox game. We praised the “top-notch performance” in our official review. These handhelds are the real deal, and consumers agree. Sales have been so robust that ASUS recently began ramping up production.
The success of these consoles should ensure more software updates down the line. Microsoft has already committed to adding game save indicators for crossplay. It also plans on improving sleep and wake reliability and upgrading the formatting options for microSD cards. The more powerful Ally X is getting AI upscaling next year.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-just-released-a-bunch-of-software-updates-for-the-rog-xbox-ally-164802697.html?src=rss
