That euphoria has spilled over to the electric vehicle charging space, with shares of Blink Charging surging nearly 200% in November as of Friday's close. Shares of Blink are up 1,118% year-to-date.
Blink Charging operates a network of nearly 15,000 electric vehicle charging stations as of December 31, according to the company.
One investor not buying into the hype is famed short-seller Andrew Left of Citron Research.
Left tweeted on Monday that Blink is "a $1 billion joke". The company, he says, has no brand, a commoditized product, and has made little progress in expanding its network over the years.
Blink Charging surged as much as 44% in Monday trades, reaching an intra-day market valuation of $1.05 billion.
Left said Blink Charging is "a total scheme" and expects the company to trade back down to $10 on a dilutive share offering. A move to $10 would represent potential downside of 56% from Friday's close.
"It is an insult to other EV makers to even mention Blink Charging as an EV stock," Left said.
For decades, planetary geologists have studied tiny chunks of lunar rock to unravel the moon's mysteries. The rocks have revealed how old the moon is, helped scientists estimate the age of other planets, and offered insight into how turbulent our solar system once was.
But nobody has collected any new moon rocks for more than 40 years.
China's National Space Administration is poised to change that. On Monday afternoon at 3:31 p.m. ET (4:31 a.m. Tuesday local time), China launched a spacecraft toward the moon. The mission, called Chang'e-5, aims to land a robot on the lunar surface to collect samples for the first time in China's history. A spacecraft will then return to Earth with the samples.
The mission is the sixth in a series of ambitious steps by the China to explore the moon, which could potentially lead to the building of a human settlement there.
"This is a really audacious mission," David S. Draper, the deputy chief scientist at NASA, told the New York Times. "They're going to move the ball down the field in a big way with respect to understanding a lot of things that are important about lunar history."
The Chang'e-5 spacecraft aims to collect 4 pounds of moon rock and dust from a previously unexplored region: a volcanic plain called Mons Rümker. The material could provide new information about the moon's past volcanic activity.
A successful mission would make China the third nation to bring moon-rock samples back to Earth, after the US and the Soviet Union.
A tricky mission
Chang'e-5 lifted off from China's Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island. It is expected to enter the moon's orbit within a week, though the Chinese government has not provided a detailed timeline. After that, it should split into two parts: an orbiter and a descender. The orbiter, as its name suggests, is designed to remain in orbit. The descender — which is itself comprised of an ascender and a lander — is programmed to land near the moon's Mons Rümker plain.
An illustration of Chang'e 5's descender on the lunar surface.
Assuming the landing is successful, the lander will then have just one lunar day — the equivalent of 14 Earth days — to collect the lunar samples. It can't stick around during the moon's harsh nighttime because extremely cold conditions could damage the spacecraft's electronics.
The robot is slated to drill more than 6 feet into the ground. After collecting the samples, the lander should transfer them to the ascender vehicle. That spacecraft is then expected to blast off from the moon's surface — the first time China has ever launched a vehicle from another planetary body — and re-enter the moon's orbit. Once there, it's expected to dock with the orbiter and transfer the sample into the orbiter's return capsule.
After the delicate, multi-step maneuver is complete, the orbiter is slated to remain in orbit for six days before beginning its journey back to Earth. The capsule is expected to parachute down into Inner Mongolia around mid-December.
The youngest region of the moon ever explored
Previous moon-rock samples collected by the US and Soviet Union have led scientists to conclude that volcanoes were active on the lunar surface about 3 billion years ago. But scientists estimate that regions like the Mons Rümker plain may have hosted volcanic activity as recently as 1.2 billion years ago, based on observations of the lunar surface.
The Mons Rümker area of the moon.
David Woods/NASA
If lunar volcanoes were indeed active that recently, "we will rewrite the history of the moon," Xiao Long, a planetary geologist at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, told Nature.
Analyzing lunar rocks could help planetary scientists understand how the moon was able to sustain volcanic activity for billions of years.
"The moon is small, so its heat engine should have run out a long time ago," Clive Neal, a geoscientist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, told Nature.
The rocks could also help scientists determine the age of regions on other planets, like Mars. Researchers investigate this by analyzing the ages of moon-rock samples, then counting the craters on the areas of the moon those samples came from. More craters on a region's surface indicates that it's older, since there has been more time for impacts to accumulate, and the early solar system was more violent than the present.
Scientists then can estimate how old other planets' regions are by comparing how many craters their surfaces have relative to the moon.
So far, scientists have only been able to study moon-rock samples from lunar regions that are 3 billion years old or more. Because the Mons Rümker plain appears to be far younger, samples from the region could help scientists more precisely estimate the region's age, and consequently the ages of younger regions on other planets, too.
President Donald Trump pets Peas after pardoning the turkey in the Rose Garden of the White House November 20, 2018 in Washington, DC.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
In a prescient aside, President Donald Trump laid out a concise summation of what would become his 2020 post-election legal strategy back in 2018.
At the annual White House turkey pardon, of all events, Trump described a familiar sounding playbook.
"This was a fair election," Trump said at the 2018 turkey pardon. "Unfortunately, Carrots refused to concede and demanded a recount."
"We're still fighting with Carrots. And I will tell you, we've come to a conclusion: Carrots, I'm sorry to tell you, the results did not change. Too bad for Carrots."
In a bizarre yet entirely prescient tangent back in 2018, President Donald Trump laid out the legal strategy he would pursue in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
It was the annual White House turkey pardon, and Trump riffed about sour grapes on behalf of the turkey whose life was not saved.
"The winner of this vote was decided by a fair and open election conducted on the White House website," Trump said. "This was a fair election."
"Unfortunately," he continued, "Carrots refused to concede and demanded a recount."
If that sounds familiar, it's because Trump has yet to concede the race two weeks after major US media projected Joe Biden had defeated him, and is demanding forms of recounts in several states.
After efforts at a recount failed in Pennsylvania, the Trump legal team moved on to Michigan, where they have once again struggled to provide enough evidence that would result in any substantial number of votes being thrown out to overturn the result. Trump is also requesting a recount of Georgia, which Biden won by 12,000 votes.
While those legal battles have not been going well so far, there's no indication Trump will concede any time soon. Compared to his defense as of late, he was less forgiving when it came to the objections of Carrots.
"We're still fighting with Carrots," Trump said.
"And I will tell you, we've come to a conclusion: Carrots, I'm sorry to tell you, the results did not change. Too bad for Carrots."
Now through December 31, popular e-learning platform Coursera is offering 100 free online courses, many of them taught by Ivy League schools or offered by companies like Google and Amazon.
Learners will get access to everything that's typically kept behind a paywall: graded homework, projects, and reading material, as well as a certificate of completion to add to their LinkedIn profiles or resumes.
The courses span a range of topics — from public health and COVID-19 to coding, guitar, mindfulness, and even resume writing.
To expand access to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning platform Coursera is offering 100 classes for free from now through December 31, 2020.
They can be great for those looking for an affordable alternative to traditional grad school, developing new skills for a career switch, or seeking personal improvement, and they cater to a range of demographics, from high school and college students to adults. Most are in partnership with universities, like Yale, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania, but a handful are offered by companies such as Google and Amazon.
Here's how to enroll in Coursera courses for free:
Click on the class you'd like to take below and make sure that there's a blue promo banner at the top of the page. If not, refresh the page and let it load fully.
Click the 'Enroll for Free' button.
Select "Purchase Course." If the promo has applied, it should say below it that "Your promotion will automatically be applied at checkout."
At checkout, the course should be free and state $0.
Usually, you can audit thousands of courses on Coursera without paying a dime. But when students audit, they don't get access to things like graded homework assignments or certificates of completion, which can be added to their LinkedIn page. Full access to courses can range from $50 to hundreds of dollars, depending on the topic.
As part of this limited-time offer, the courses below are entirely free until December 31, 2020, or until enrollment becomes too saturated. Coursera is giving learners access to all the stuff typically behind a paywall: a certificate, graded homework, projects, and unlimited access to a course's reading material. Of the list below, only 15 were free and didn't include a paid version originally, according to a company representative.
Below are 100 Coursera courses that will be free to enroll in until December 31, or until enrollment becomes too saturated:
Hershey's move into cocoa futures trading pushed the market into chaos this month and boosted prices to record highs.
The candy producer bought cocoa beans through the ICE Futures exchange in mid-November, Bloomberg reported Friday.
The trade allows Hershey to obtain cocoa at lower prices, as chocolate producers typically buy from physical suppliers who charge various premiums.
The trade was so big it lifted December-delivery contracts as much as 13.4% from November 13 to November 16. It also placed December contracts at a record-high premium over the next contract.
Hershey threw the cocoa market into chaos earlier this month after taking an unconventional approach to sourcing beans.
The candy producer bought cocoa beans through ICE Futures exchange in mid-November, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The move marks a shift from the deals with physical sellers commonly used to supply beans. While deals with middlemen make up the bulk of global cocoa purchases, procuring beans through futures trades allows Hershey to avoid typical premiums.
Hershey's trade was so big it required special permission from the exchange to execute, according to the report. The size of the trade lifted December-delivery contracts as much as 13.4% from November 13 to November 16 and placed the futures at a record-high premium over the next contract.
Prices have continued to rise after December-delivery futures expired. Contracts for March delivery jumped as much as 2.3%, to $2,774 per ton, on Monday, the commodity's highest level since late February.
Hershey's move to futures trading comes just before two major cocoa exporters implement a new premium on beans. Ghana and Ivory Coast placed a $400-per-ton premium — known as the Living Income Differential — on their beans starting in October. Other premiums for sustainability and quality can also be levied on cocoa depending on several factors.
Several chocolate producers agreed to pay such charges to improve living conditions for cocoa farmers, but the coronavirus pandemic and its hit to chocolate demand has since left companies looking to cut costs. By turning to the futures market, Hershey can avoid the premiums and buy cocoa at lower prices.
Still, a Hershey spokesperson told Bloomberg the company continues its "substantial cocoa sustainability work" to combat poverty and deforestation. Hershey continues to pay the Living Income Differential and invest in training for farmers to diversify their crops, the spokesperson added.
Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:
Danish researcher Lennert Woulters found two easy loopholes in Tesla's computer system that could theoretically allow someone to gain access and steal a Model X.
He made the discovery with just a few hundred dollars worth of supplies, including a Bluetooth radio and Tesla computer from eBay.
Tesla says its rolling out fixes to prevent actual attacks.
All a Belgian researcher needed to break into and effectively steal a Tesla Model X: a $300 bluetooth kit, and some luck.
According to Wired, Lennert Woulters, who studies security at the university KU Leuven, found a way to exploit two vulnerabilities by simply reading the car's VIN number and lifting a code from the owner's key fob (which requires being within about 15 feet).
Armed with that information and a bluetooth radio, Woulters was able to unlock the car by spoofing the signal that would usually come from the owner's key fob or phone.
Once inside, things got trickier. Woulters was able to use a separate Model X body control module from eBay plugged into the a computer port in the car that was easily accessible, and pair the car with his own "key" — something the Tesla computer system didn't verify.
"Basically a combination of two vulnerabilities allows a hacker to steal a Model X in a few minutes time," he told the magazine. "When you combine them, you get a much more powerful attack."
Tesla, which did not respond to a request for comment, plans to roll out a software update to patch the problem, Wired reported.
The automaker, like many tech firms, makes use of a "bug bounty" program, in which researchers and hacktivists are rewarded for helping discover flaws that could be exploited by would-be attackers. In the past it's offered cash rewards and even Tesla vehicles.
When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.
Crystal Cox/Business Insider
Black Friday is coming soon, but some Apple device deals are already popping up in early Black Friday deals.
We're seeing early deals for iPhones, AirPods, iPads, Apple Watches, and even the latest Mac Mini running on Apple's new M1 chip.
Most notable are the $250 AirPods Pro wireless noise cancelling earbuds, which can be had for a great deal now on Woot ($190) and will get an even better deal from Walmart closer to Black Friday ($169)
Black Friday is close approaching, and that means earlyBlack Friday deals for Apple devices — some of the most expensive and coveted tech products on the market.
Apple devices don't usually get Black Friday deals from Apple itself, but stores that sell Apple devices like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Best Buy, and others often offer Apple devices likes AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, Mac computers, Beats headphones, and even iPhones with discounts during big sale events, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Notable is the AirPods Pro. Woot is currently selling Apple's wireless noise cancelling earbuds for the lowest we've seen so far, but Walmart will soon sell them for even less at $169, which is incredible for one of the best accessories you can get if you're in the Apple ecosystem.
Also worth a look are the Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones that are going for $175 on Target at the moment, a 50% from the full $350 price tag. It's a good time to get Apple headphones right now.
Apple Black Friday: Early AirPods deals
Airpods with Wired Charging Case (Newest model) (medium, Preferred: Amazon)AirPods with Wireless Charging Case (medium, Preferred: Amazon)
You can also find this price on Apple AirPods with a Wireless Charging Case at Walmart and Best Buy.
Apple Black Friday: Early iPhone deals
iPhone 12 Mini (medium, Preferred: Walmart (AT&T))iPhone 12 (medium, Preferred: Walmart (Verizon))iPhone 12 Pro (medium, Preferred: Walmart (AT&T))iPhone 12 Pro Max (medium, Preferred: Walmart (Verizon))
You can also find this price on the Apple Watch Series 6 at Walmart.
Watch SE (40mm, GPS) (medium, Preferred: Best Buy)Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) (medium, Preferred: Target)Watch Series 3 (GPS + 38mm) (medium, Preferred: Walmart)Watch Series 3 (GPS, 42mm) (medium, Preferred: Best Buy)Watch Series 3 + LTE (42mm) (medium, Preferred: Best Buy)
Apple Black Friday: Early Beats headphones deals
Studio 3 Wireless Headphones (medium, Preferred: Target)Solo Pro (medium, Preferred: Best Buy)Powerbeats Pro (medium, Preferred: Best Buy)
You can also find this price on the Powerbeats Pro at Target and Amazon.
Apple Black Friday deals FAQs
Does Apple offer deals on Black Friday?
Apple rarely offers its own deals on Black Friday, but in years past it's offered gift cards when purchasing select products. Last year, for example, Apple's promotion included gift cards up to $200 on select purchases. Apple has not yet said whether it plans to offer a similar deal in 2020. But, last year it made the announcement on November 25, so we may hear more about upcoming gift card promotions in the coming days.
Should I buy from Amazon, Target, Best Buy, or Walmart?
Many of these retailers offer very similar deals on products like the AirPods and the Apple Watch, which means you'll have a couple of options should one retailer go out of stock. In instances where multiple retailers offer the same product at the same price, consider which retailer is most convenient for you in terms of shipping options. If you have an Amazon Prime membership and want to get the product as fast as possible, it might make more sense to purchase through Amazon. But, if you'd rather pick up the item at your nearby Target or Best Buy, you should consider ordering from your preferred brick-and-mortar retailer.
Do these stores offer curbside pickup?
Yes, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart all offer curbside pickup. But, you should check with your local retailer since the rules may vary by location and items purchased. Walmart, for example, says that not all stores offer curbside pickup for Black Friday deals.
How do we choose the best Apple deals?
We select products that meet our high standard of coverage based on testing and research. This includes testing Apple's products as well similar devices from its main competitors.
We also research prices across retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy and compare them against Apple's prices to find the deals that are worth paying attention to.
Losing any kind of important data on your Android can be gut-wrenching. Accidentally deleting text messages is especially onerous because your phone has no trash can or temporary storage for deleted texts; as soon as you delete them, they're gone – at least, mostly gone.
Here's what you can do to try to recover deleted messages and how to prevent catastrophe in the future. A word of warning, though: Your options are limited, and there's an excellent chance you will not be able to recover deleted text messages.
How to recover deleted messages on Android with recovery software
The fact that your messages aren't truly erased from your phone immediately gives you a narrow window of opportunity. In a worst-case scenario, you may be able to use data recovery software to find deleted text messages as long as they haven't yet been overwritten with new data. Here's what to do:
1. As soon as you realize your text was deleted, stop using the phone. Anything you do could potentially overwrite or corrupt the deleted text message, so at a minimum, put the phone in airplane mode.
2. For the safest results, turn your phone off entirely.
3. Install and run a data recovery program and see if it can recover your messages. There are a number of programs you can try, but Android Data Recovery is a well-reviewed option that stands a good chance of success. This $49.95 app needs to be installed on your PC or Mac, which you connect to your phone. Apps that offer to recover data from the phone itself — without involving your computer — are much less likely to be effective because they run the risk of overwriting the data they are trying to recover.
You can try a commercial data recovery program like Android Data Recovery, but it might not find the text messages you are looking for.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
How to recover deleted messages from a Google backup
Many Android phones are configured to automatically back up to Google Drive. If your phone creates automatic Google backups, you might be able to restore your phone to retrieve the lost text messages.
Unfortunately, even if you had a recent backup before you deleted the text, keep in mind that this is very much a "nuclear" option: You'll need to reset the phone to its original factory settings and then restore the entire backup; there's no way to pick or choose. This is a time-consuming option and can result in the loss of other data that was created after the backup you are restoring.
Here's how to see if you have a backup:
1. Start the Google Drive app on your phone.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (the hamburger menu) at the top left of the screen. In the meu, tap "Backups."
3. If you see a section labeled "This device," tap your backup.
4. On the details page, find the entry for SMS and check the date of the last backup. If it's before the date you deleted the text message, you can consider resetting your phone and restoring from this backup.
If you have a current backup that predates the text message loss, reset your phone and restore your Google Drive backup.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
Other ways to recover text messages
If you're not ready to invest money in recovery software that might not yield effective results or you didn't back up your phone on Google Drive, there are some other things you can consider. None of these are ideal, but they can be helpful:
Contact the person you were messaging with. Your contact might be able to supply the deleted information from his or her end of the conversation.
Check for other apps that might have automatically captured the important aspects of the text message. For example, photos and videos might be automatically downloaded to your gallery. If you were invited to a meeting, that might have already been placed on your calendar, reducing the need for the actual message.
How to prevent lost messages in the future
There are few genuinely good options at your disposal if you need to recover deleted text messages. Here are your best options to prevent catastrophe in the future:
You might get in the habit of taking screenshots of important messages when you receive them. These images, stored in your phone's gallery, are insurance against accidental deletions.
Turn on Google Drive's device backup option. Follow the instructions above on how to recover deleted messages from a Google backup, and if you don't see a backup listed, tap "Backup Settings" and configure Google to start creating regular backups of your phone.
The best advice is to make sure your phone is regularly being backed up in Google Drive.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
What happens to deleted text messages
The reason text messages are so difficult to recover is that there's no recycle bin for this kind of data. As soon as you delete a text, your phone's operating system marks it as deleted. The text isn't actually deleted, though — the text is marked as eligible to be overwritten with new data.
When it comes to studying, working, or even playing, using one of the best laptops is essential if you want maximum power, efficiency, look and feel, or even value. That's because a laptop that doesn't work well is immediately noticeable, while one that's sufficient for your needs just works.
With all of the various makes, models, and product types out there, buying the best laptop that suits your needs has become an awfully involved process. After all, laptops are complex machines, with differences even within the same line of product. We break down how to shop for a laptop later on in this guide.
Although the very best laptops will cost you $1,000 or more, we've tried to offer a variety of laptops in different price ranges in this guide. You can also check out the best college laptops you can buy, the best Chromebooks to date, and the best budget laptops if money is tight. If you prefer Macs, we also have a guide on the best MacBooks.
We've spent about a decade covering technology, including laptops. We've tested and reviewed hundreds of laptops and tablets running Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Google Chrome OS. This testing is both anecdotal and supported by benchmarks.
Updated on 11/23/2020 by Lisa Eadicicco: Added the latest MacBook Air with Apple's new M1 chip as the best Apple laptop right now. Read on to see why.
The best laptop overall
Dell
The Dell XPS 13 strikes an incredible balance between the most powerful mobile hardware to date in an attractive, thin, and light chassis for a reasonable high-end price.
Pros: Excellent design, long battery life, latest hardware, lots of ports
Cons: Webcam should be 1080p, certain colors locked to higher specs
Dell's flagship 13-incher has been the overall best laptop for years, and this year is no different. Why? It's because the Dell XPS continues to be the best cross between power, portability, and looks for general users, making it the best laptop for most people.
This year marks the Dell XPS 13 adopting the latest in Intel CPU technology: the 10th-generation Core chips built on the 10-nanometer (nm) process. This means exponentially more transistors on the same CPU die space, leading to even more power and longer battery life. The result is more than 19 hours of battery life from the Full HD (1080p) model, by Dell's claim.
Dell's late 2019 update also carries over its most important change to the early 2019 model: moving the webcam back to the top of the display. The webcam remains 720p, but it comes equipped with far-field microphones for stronger smart-assistant performance. Better yet, Dell crammed not only two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C versatility at 40Gbps speeds) ports in the XPS 13, but managed to keep a microSD card slot.
The base configuration Dell XPS 13 starts with an Intel Core i3 CPU, a 13.3-inch 1080p display, 4GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD — starting at $949.99. It comes in Platinum Silver with a black carbon-fiber palm rest — weighing just 2.7 pounds and measuring merely 0.3 inches thin. With several options in between, the laptop maxes out with an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a 4K Ultra-High-Definition (UHD at 2160p) touchscreen with Rose Gold and Alpine White color options for $2,349.99 list price.
The best 13-inch laptop
HP
The HP Envy 13t brings flagship performance, look, feel, and features to a more affordable price point.
Pros: Lots of power for the price, nifty webcam privacy shutter, fast-charging battery
Cons: Upgrades get pricey quickly
HP's Envy 13t is our pick for the best 13-inch laptop, bringing high-end hardware and decent looks to an approachable price point — and more so in some areas than our best overall pick, the Dell XPS 13. It's also even lighter than the laptop that tops this list, and has the option for dedicated graphics at higher-end configurations.
The most affordable version of this laptop features Intel's eighth-generation CPUs, but that's still plenty of power for general users. Where the HP Envy 13t truly shines is in its additional features that few other laptops in its price range offer and help set it apart.
Those features include a built-in webcam privacy shutter for when you're not using it, as well as a fingerprint reader integrated into the laptop for biometric login via Windows Hello. And, for the audio lovers out there, top-firing quad speakers beneath a geometric pattern speaker grill are tuned by Bang & Olufsen for premium sound. Oh, and its battery can charge up to 50% in just 45 minutes, lasting more than nine hours in many reviewers' tests.
The cheapest HP Envy 13t model is surprisingly powerful, packing an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD — all behind a 13.3-inch, 1080p display — for a $999.99 list price but can often be found as low as $799.99. Options from there bump up the price quickly, but include options for Nvidia MX250 graphics, more RAM and storage, a touchscreen, as well more updated makes with 10th-gen Intel Core CPUs. All HP Envy 13t models come featuring two USB 3.1 ports, one USB-C 3.1 port, and an SD card reader, coming in "Natural Silver" and "Pale Gold" colors.
The best MacBook
Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
Apple's M1 chip brings major improvements to the MacBook Air's performance, battery life, and camera quality for the same price, making it the best choice for Mac fans.
Pros: Fast performance, super-long battery life, much-improved camera
Cons: Lacks some features of similarly priced Windows devices like facial recognition and a borderless screen, iPhone apps don't add much to the experience yet especially without touch screens
Apple is finally bringing its own chip to the Mac. Called the M1, Apple's homemade processor introduces serious benefits to the latest MacBook Air compared to its Intel-powered predecessor, such as longer battery life, faster performance, and a super-silent fanless design.
The new MacBook Air's battery life may be its biggest upgrade. I was able to get about 12 hours of use out of the M1-powered MacBook Air, a noticeable jump from the roughly seven hours of battery life I have experienced on the Intel version. In addition to speedier performance and longer battery life, the webcam in the M1-equipped MacBook Air takes advantage of Apple's image signal processor, resulting in clearer and sharper images.
Apple's M1 chip can also be found in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the Air is a better deal since it's $300 cheaper and there are barely any differences between the two.
Entry-level models of both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro come with 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, Apple's 8-core M1 processor, and two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports. The biggest discrepancies between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are that the latter has Apple's Touch Bar and slightly longer battery life.
But, there is one important change you should be aware of when considering an M1-powered MacBook laptop. Since the M1 chip is based on a different architecture than Intel's processors, desktop apps have to be optimized to work natively with the new processor.
Popular apps like Microsoft Word, Slack, Adobe Lightroom, and Cisco WebEx are working just fine, but some have reported compatibility issues with other Adobe programs and other services.
You'll also have to keep in mind that Apple laptops lack some features found on Windows devices, like touch screens, facial recognition for logging in, and flexible 2-in-1 designs. All of these omitted features would have been especially helpful on M1 Apple laptops like the MacBook Air since they're capable of running iPhone apps.
All told, Apple's M1 chip is a leap forward for the Mac when it comes to the areas that matter most. But, if there are niche programs you rely on for your daily workflow, you might want to make sure they're compatible with Apple's new chip before buying.
The Google Pixelbook Go offers the ultimate Chromebook experience in its most affordable form to date, with an incredible keyboard and long battery life.
Pros: Incredible keyboard, long battery life, 1080p webcam, decent display
Cons: No biometric login option, pricey upgrade options
Google's follow-up to its original 2-in-1 Chromebook, the Pixelbook, is frankly the most comfortable and premium laptop of its kind that we've ever used. It's known simply as the Pixelbook Go, and it's a more affordable distillation of Google's previous flagship.
While the Pixelbook Go loses the 2-in-1 functionality of the straight Pixelbook that preceded it, the clamshell laptop maintains a 13.3-inch, 1080p touchscreen. However, what's even easier to appreciate is the improvement here on Google's "Hush" keyboard, being one of the quietest and most comfortable laptop keyboards to date. You might also appreciate the 1080p webcam here, a feature largely unheard of in a laptop of this price — Chromebook or otherwise.
Couple all of that with a battery life rated for up to 12 hours, like that of the newest MacBook Air (not to mention a battery that can charge two hours of use in 20 minutes), and you have a strong mobile companion. It also helps that the Pixelbook Go's magnesium build weighs just 2 pounds and measures 0.5 inches thin, featuring two USB-C ports.
Google starts the Pixelbook Go asking price at $649.00, which includes a fanless, dual-core 8th-generation Intel Core m3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD in either "Just Black" or "Not Pink" colors. That's plenty to run Google's lightweight Chrome OS, but can be configured with fanless Intel Core CPUs up to the i7, twice as much RAM, up to 256GB of SSD space, and even a 2160p display — all maxing out at $1,399.00, which we don't recommend splurging for unless you're a mega fan.
Simply put, the LG Gram 17 fits a 17-inch display into a 15-inch laptop with some of the smallest display bezels in the industry. It's also incredibly thin and light without sacrificing power.
Pros: 17-inch display in 15-inch body, built-in fingerprint reader, long battery life
Cons: No top-firing speakers, small trackpad
You might be wondering why a laptop with a 17-inch display is our favorite pick for 15-inch laptops. That's because the LG Gram 17 crams that large of a display into a chassis that's just 15 inches wide, making it a 15-inch laptop with a 17-inch display — just wild.
The laptop's silver-colored, nano carbon magnesium body also weighs far less than most 15-inch laptops at just 2.95 pounds to start, and it measures a mere 0.7 inches thin. This discrepancy between screen size and frame size is due to incredibly thin display bezels, particularly on its sides.
LG's Gram 17 also features a fingerprint reader built into its power button, making login super fast through Windows Hello. Finally, the LG Gram 17's light weight doesn't necessarily mean it's light on power: it offers up a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) display driven by a quad-core, fan-cooled 8th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, and the laptop is equipped with a Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI, three USB 3.0 ports, and a microSD card reader.
There is only one configuration for the LG Gram 17, and it's a doozy: $1,699.99, which is a lot for even this marvel of engineering. In addition to that CPU, the laptop includes 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a battery inside that can last up to 19 hours and 30 minutes, by LG's measure. Altogether, this makes the LG Gram 17 a 15-inch laptop that's tough to beat.
The best budget laptop
Acer
The Acer Chromebook 15 nails the basics commonly found in laptops twice its price, offering the most serious value we've seen in a budget laptop.
Pros: Large 1080p display, long battery life, top-firing speakers, plenty of ports
Cons: No biometric login, small local storage
If you're looking for everything you can squeeze out of little money as possible, then we recommend Acer's Chromebook 15. This Chrome OS laptop gets you plenty of features found in more expensive laptops for a lot less, like a 1080p display, top-firing speakers and USB-C connectivity.
This not only allows you to watch movies and other videos — as well as do web-based work and other tasks — at native resolution on a relatively large display, but also enjoy the fuller stereo audio made possible by top-firing speakers. As for the USB-C connectivity, that runs on the USB 3.1 standard, meaning data transfer speeds up to 5 Gigabits per second, as well as DisplayPort support for connecting additional screens and device charging.
The Acer Chromebook 15 also sports a webcam with high dynamic range, or HDR, for deeper color support in video chats, and an 802.11ac Wi-Fi radio — the most widely used standard today. Suffice it to say that you're getting the niceties of a $600 laptop for almost half the price.
As for that price, Acer lists this particular Chromebook 15 model at $349.99, which includes a dual-core Intel Celeron CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, two USB-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a full-sized SD card reader, and a battery that's rated to last for up to 12 hours. You can't really ask for much more from a $350 laptop.
The best 2-in-1 laptop
Best Buy
The Lenovo Yoga C940 is a fantastic iteration on its long-running series of flagship 2-in-1 laptops, making it a multimedia monster in every sense.
Lenovo's Yoga C940 2-in-1 laptop is the company's latest iteration on the foldable laptop trend that it helped kickstart in earnest so many years ago. This model improves the innovative speaker hinge of the previous generation, allowing for bigger sound from larger audio drivers, while moving onto 10nm Intel Core processing.
Better yet, this model will be a bit easier for users to open, thanks to a small lip added to its lid just above the webcam. The keyboard luckily remains unchanged, carrying on the IBM ThinkPad legacy that Lenovo acquired years ago in stylish fashion. Speaking of style, the Yoga C940 comes in the same slick "Iron Gray" and "Mica" colors as last year.
Lenovo has truly leaned into crafting its flagship Yoga laptop into a multimedia powerhouse, adding bottom-firing speakers into the laptop's base for even more sound channels. Likewise, the stowaway stylus that charges when stored returns this year.
All of this comes at a $1,249.99 list price, which includes inside a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, a 1080p touchscreen, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB 3.1 port, a fingerprint reader, and a webcam privacy shutter — with several upgrade options available. Powering all of this is a battery that's rated to last for up to 15 hours, according to Lenovo, and can drum up 80% charge in just one hour. With that, Lenovo retains its lead in 2-in-1 laptops.
The best Microsoft laptop
Best Buy
Microsoft's 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 marks a long-overdue debut for AMD CPUs in flagship laptops, allowing for one of the strongest showings in integrated graphics to date.
Pros: New AMD CPU inside, long battery life, excellent keyboard
Cons: Too few ports, no top-firing speakers, on the pricey side
Microsoft has iterated on its Surface Laptop three times now, and the most recent third crack brings with it a new model: a 15-inch variant that runs on an AMD CPU rather than Intel. It's one of Microsoft's longest-lasting laptops to date in terms of battery life — longer even than Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro.
This new take on the Surface Laptop 3 also brings with it an absolutely welcome new look and feel, opting for an entirely aluminum frame that comes in black or platinum colors. As for the feel, the keyboard performs excellently, being both quiet and forceful in its feedback.
The display on this new model maintains the expected 3:2 aspect ratio that's all but exclusive to Microsoft laptops, with a 2,496 x 1,664 pixel resolution and multi-touch control. The unique aspect ratio allows for more vertical space, which displays more text content than traditional 16:9 displays — allowing for a larger workable space.
Microsoft starts the 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 at $1,199.00, which features an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU specially designed by Microsoft with a custom integrated Vega 9 graphics processor that can even handle mild PC gaming. In addition, the laptop contains 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, along with one USB-C port and one USB 3.0 port. All of this is driven by a battery rated to last for up to 11 hours and 30 minutes on a charge.
The Razer Blade 15 strikes the ultimate balance between gaming and general performance as well as look, feel, and design — this is the best gaming laptop for gamers that still want a laptop for everything else.
Pros: Excellent display, lots of power and storage, fantastic keyboard
Cons: Definitely pricey, not the best battery life
Razer has long been the leader in gaming laptop design, and this year is no different. Offering power on the level of entry-grade gaming PCs from a design that rivals even Apple's MacBook Pro line, the Razer Blade 15 certainly charges a premium but backs it up with quality hardware.
From the excellent 1080p display that can be configured up to a 144Hz refresh rate to support frame rates of up to 144 frames per second with 100% fidelity, to the alluring Chroma lighting beneath its keyboard, the Blade 15 treats you well for the steep cost. Throw in 9th-generation, 6-core CPUs and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti dedicated graphics to start, and you have a mobile PC gaming powerhouse that looks great while doing it.
The keyboard in use is also just as effective for typing as it is for gaming, helping the Blade 15 serve as a truly catch-all device for users that would like to be able to work and learn on the same laptop on which they play games in their free time. Plus, if even more graphical power is needed, the Thunderbolt 3 port can connect to an external graphics processor box for full desktop performance (at an additional cost).
Razer wants $1,599.99 list price to start for its 15-inch gaming laptop, which is no doubt a lot of money. That includes 16GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and a 1TB hard drive, which should last you a long while in terms of storing games. If it's the absolute best gaming laptop you want, one that well serves as both a straight laptop and one that can play with the best, this should be your first stop.
What else we considered
Hollis Johnson
Having covered consumer technology for more than a decade now, I've tested countless laptops in every major category and with every major operating system. With that, here are the laptops that were considered for this guide, but didn't make the cut. You may want to consider one of these for a specific need:
MacBook Pro (13-or-15-inch) ($1,299.00 or $2,399.00 to start): We've used probably a dozen different MacBooks over the years, and at times the MacBook Pro was the one to beat. But, today, the latest MacBook Air model is the best version of the MacBook for most people. Also, the 2019 MacBook Pro was superseded late last year by the 16-inch model when it comes to Pro devices specifically.
Huawei MateBook 13 ($929.99 to start): This could easily be our best laptop overall, offering way more than most flagship laptops for way less in a gorgeous design. However, signs that it will be supported in the US for much longer — if it hasn't been dropped already — aren't exactly great, thanks to the US government's big Huawei product ban looming.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 ($749.99 to start): The Surface Pro line of 2-in-1 Windows tablets has always been a leader in design for the category. Unfortunately, Microsoft appears to have begun resting on its laurels, with several products eclipsing the Surface Pro 7 of 2019 in terms of hardware and features.
Dell XPS 15 ($979.99 to start): Dell's 15-inch powerhouse could have been a shoo-in for our best 15-inch laptop, but this is another case of growing stale amid numerous developments in the 15-inch scene in terms of design. We're going to need to see a deeper design revision before we reconsider this one for a top pick.
Alienware m15 ($1,274.99 to start): While we love Dell's latest flagship 15-inch gaming laptop for its design and power profile, it's just not the best gaming laptop for most people. Regardless of its new style, it still screams "gamer" in look and feel, which isn't something that most people who play PC games want.
How to choose a laptop
Here are the three key aspects to consider when buying that best laptop:
Operating system
A laptop's operating system (OS) is the interface through which you access everything in the computer, from work apps to games and more. The most popular OS worldwide is Windows 10, found in hundreds of different laptops from Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and more. It's a widely adaptable OS and most supported by third-party app makers. Apple's macOS is exclusive to MacBooks, and is the most compatible with Apple's other products, like iPhones, but it is a popular and full-featured OS in itself. Finally, all Chromebooks run Chrome OS — the newest of the three — Google's Chrome browser-focused OS that works mainly off the cloud (online), particularly through Google's own suite of apps and services, like Google Drive and Gmail.
Specs
The internal hardware that powers a laptop is considered the "specs," and will dictate how effective your laptop is at various tasks. The processor (CPU) and memory (RAM) impact the laptop's raw power or speed and multitasking capacity, respectively. The storage (hard disk drive or HDD, or solid-state drive or SSD) will determine how much space for files the laptop has. The graphics processor (GPU) dictates how effective the laptop is at rendering video and 3D visuals for games; many laptops, particularly in the low-to-midrange, utilize what's called internal graphics, which shares RAM with the CPU rather than a dedicated GPU. The laptop's display sharpness is determined by pixel density, with 1080p (or Full HD) being the generally desirable target.
Finally, all of these factors contribute to the laptop's battery life, with eight hours generally being the minimum acceptable number — unless it's a gaming laptop.
Size
Another thing you'll want to think about is how big the laptop is. A smaller laptop will ultimately be more portable, but a larger one will have a larger display, which is better for watching movies, photo editing, video production, and playing games. Common sizes for laptops are 13 inches and 15 inches, though 11 inches and 17 inches also appear every now and then.
In addition to the specs, you'll want to think about the price.
Working from home? Check out our other home office guides
So many jobs involve sitting at a desk for hours each day, and it can be hard to break away to incorporate more standing without sacrificing productivity. If you have a standing desk, you can convert your space to a much more active one, improving your health and energy levels. These are the best standing desks.
Active seating promotes movement, improves posture, and activates your core while sitting, and some models can work in tandem with a standing desk, so you can find the perfect combination of sitting and standing throughout the day. These are our top picks for the best active seating.
If you spend the majority of your day parked in your office chair, you owe it to your body to choose a chair that gets an A+ for ergonomics. Our top picks will help improve your posture and may even help relieve back pain.
If you have a home office, it's important to have good lighting so you don't strain your eyes while typing away on your computer or going over documents. There are dozens of different desk lamps to choose from in all kinds of styles. These are the best desk lamps you can buy to light up your workspace in style.
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston is moving to Austin, according to a report from The Information.
Houston's departure from Silicon Valley is the latest in a string of high-profile moves during the pandemic.
Investor Keith Rabois is moving to Miami, Palantir cofounder and venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale is also moving to Austin, Brex's cofounders are decamping for Los Angeles, and Palantir is moving the company headquarters to Denver.
The pandemic has shifted how many tech companies value in-office work, leading to an exodus from the Bay Area and a migration toward more affordable cities.
A spokesperson for Dropbox did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on Houston's plans.
Houston's move to Austin would put him in good company — the city has become home to several Silicon Valley expats: Douglas Merritt, the CEO of software company Splunk, is also moving to Austin, The Information reported. Joe Lonsdale, the cofounder of Palantir who currently runs venture capital firm 8VC, already lives in Austin with his family and confirmed earlier this month that he is moving his firm there as well.
In addition to the new arrivals, Dell founder Michael Dell has long been based in the Austin region, and Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk will be spending more time there as Tesla builds a new Cybertruck factory in Austin.
Austin isn't the only city seeing an influx of Silicon Valley's elite. Los Angeles appears to be another destination for tech executives, with Brex founders Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi moving to Los Angeles, which is also home to venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
And in August, Palantir moved its headquarters from Palo Alto to Denver after its CEO, Alex Karp, described Silicon Valley as a "monoculture." While the company still has a Bay Area office, Denver is Palantir's official hub, a move that had been in the works for a while.
Startup investor Keith Rabois seems to have had similar motivations for leaving Silicon Valley. Rabois recently announced that he's "moving imminently" to Miami, telling Fortune that "San Francisco is just so massively improperly run and managed" that "it's impossible to stay here." Rabois also cited Florida's lack of a state income tax and Miami's "interesting mix of New Yorkers, Latin Americans, and Europeans" as factors in his decision to move there.
"It's very clear right now, people are shifting their preferences pretty massively," Rabois told Fortune.
While the tech industry had typically required its employees to live within commuting distance in years past — Facebook even used to give a bonus the closer employees lived to the office — the pandemic has shifted how many companies value in-office work. Now, companies like Twitter, Square, and Slack have said employees make work remotely on a permanent basis, while others, like Facebook, are allowing employees to relocate with manager approval. The result has been an exodus from the Bay Area and a migration toward more affordable locations throughout the US.
Cyber Monday 2020 falls on November 30 this year, and Kohl's is expected to offer deals on all kinds of merchandise, from electronics to toys to home goods.
Kohl's Cash lets you earn more money off on future purchases. For Black Friday, you'll earn $15 for each $50 you spend.
Leading up to Cyber Monday, we'll list all the best deals Kohl's has on offer.
Check out our roundup of the best Cyber Monday deals from a whole bunch of retailers, not just Kohl's.
Table of Contents: Masthead Sticky
Cyber Monday has traditionally been the online sibling of Black Friday. With the coronavirus pandemic happening, people are even more likely to skip in-store shopping and do it all online. For Cyber Monday, Kohl's is likely to offer deals on tech, apparel, cookware, home goods, and more.
Leading up to Cyber Monday, some items can be further reduced with the promo code THANKS. We'll continue to update as the retailer releases more bargains.
Best early Kohl's Cyber Monday deals
KSM150FB Artisan Series Bundle - 5-qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Fresh Prep Slicer/Shredder Attachment (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Nest Hub with Google Assistant (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Echo Show 8 (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Charge 4 (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Studio 3 Wireless Headphones (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fryer, Roast, Bake & Dehydrate (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)CBK110P1 Automatic Breadmaker (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)All-New Echo Dot (4th Generation) (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Sonicare DiamondClean Classic Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Fire TV Stick 4K (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)
How do we choose the best deals from Kohl's?
The products we choose must meet our coverage standards and come from brands we've tested and trust.
We compare the prices against Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other retailers. The deals we include are the same or better (not including promotional discounts from using certain credit cards).
We consider products' price histories to evaluate how significant the savings are.
When is Cyber Monday 2020?
Cyber Monday 2020 falls on November 30. Deals often start promptly at 12:00 a.m. CT. Unlike Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales are typically only available online, while some Black Friday discounts are available in stores.
Can I order online and pick up in a Kohl's store?
Yes. Kohl's began offering curbside pickup because of the coronavirus pandemic. Certain products can be purchased online and delivered at the store's curb two hours later. More products are also available online to be shipped to your home.
What should I buy from Kohl's during Cyber Monday?
Kohl's has a range of products, so expect to find deals in every category, including bakeware, jewelry, shoes, gaming, kitchen appliances, beauty, toys, and more.
While Kohl's has deals on items like towels, boots, and pajamas, don't forget about its other sections. For last year's Black Friday event, Kohl's had deals on an Xbox One S bundle, Roombas, Beats headphones, and Instant Pots. Expect similar deals to extend to Cyber Monday this year.
Should I enroll in Kohl's Rewards?
Kohl's Rewards is a free program that gives members 5% Kohl's Cash every day (not just during promotional events) on all purchases. Members also get additional rewards, like a birthday gift.
Kohl's Cash you receive through the rewards program becomes available on the first day of the following month, and you have 30 days to use it. If you earn a lot of Kohl's Cash on Cyber Monday, it should be available on December 1. Unless you're shopping at Kohl's again before Christmas, however, you'll lose that bonus cash at the end of the year.
What is Kohl's Cash?
Even non-Kohl's Rewards members receive $10 of Kohl's Cash for every $50 they spend during promotional events, including Cyber Monday 2020. Kohl's Cash is a bit like a coupon you can use on future purchases. Kohl's Cash does expire, and how long you have to use it can vary.
For Cyber Monday purchases, you'll receive an email with your Kohl's Cash, and you'll be able to use it on any purchases before its expiration date. The limit on Kohl's Cash for a single purchase is $1,500.
Which is better, Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
In 2020, there will be less of a contrast between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Most people will shop online to avoid crowds, and retailers are less likely to offer in-store-only deals.
The good news is that Kohl's has a pretty generous return policy, so you can always take back your purchase if you find a better deal elsewhere. Usually, Kohl's has a 30-day return window for electronics, but because so many people give these items as gifts, it's extended until January 31, 2021.
In the past few years, we've seen more stores stay open on Thanksgiving to start Black Friday deals early. This year, the pandemic is changing many aspects of the annual shopping bonanza. Kohl's is one of the retailers that will stay closed on Thursday, November 26. Stores reopen at 5:00 a.m. on Black Friday, November 27.
However, Kohl's will start its Black Friday deals earlier in the week. Many deals begin on November 22. It's also starting to offer lower prices well before the Thanksgiving holiday. Some items can be further discounted by 15% with the code THANKS. You'll also receive Kohl's Cash, which must be used between November 28 and December 9.
Table of Contents: Masthead Sticky
Best Black Friday 2020
KSM150FB Artisan Series Bundle - 5-qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Fresh Prep Slicer/Shredder Attachment (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)CBK110P1 Automatic Breadmaker (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)K-Supreme Single-Serve Coffee Maker (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Deluxe Multi-Vehicle Activity Rug (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker 11 in 1 with Air Fryer (8 Qt) (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Super Heroes Batman, Batwing and The Riddler Heist Set (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Nest Hub with Google Assistant (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Sonicare DiamondClean Classic Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fryer, Roast, Bake & Dehydrate (medium, Preferred: Kohl's)
How do we select the best deals at Kohl's?
The products we choose must meet our coverage standards and come from brands we've tested and trust.
We compare the prices against Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other retailers. The deals we include are the same or better (not including promotional discounts from using certain credit cards).
We consider products' price histories to evaluate how significant the savings are.
When does Kohl's Black Friday sale start?
Black Friday 2020 is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30, but many retailers already started their sales. Kohl's usually begins its Black Friday deals the week of Thanksgiving.
What should I buy from Kohl's on Black Friday?
If clothes and home goods are what mainly come to mind when you think of Kohl's, you'll be pleasantly surprised to hear what else the retailer usually offers for Black Friday. Last year, it had great deals on smart speakers, fitness trackers, kitchen appliances, and even an Xbox bundle. This year, expect to find similar deals on vacuums, cookware, pajamas, air fryers, and more.
Kohl's Rewards is a relatively new program that replaces Yes2You Rewards. The new, free program gives members 5% Kohl's Cash every day (not just during promotional events) on all purchases, as well as additional rewards, like a birthday gift.
Any Kohl's Cash received through the rewards program will be available on the first day of the following month and must be used within 30 days. So, if you earn a lot on Black Friday, it should be available on December 1. If you think you'll be shopping at Kohl's again before Christmas, it might be worthwhile to take advantage of the extra Kohl's Cash savings.
What is Kohl's cash?
Even if you're not a Kohl's Rewards member, you'll still get $10 of Kohl's Cash for every $50 you spend during promotional periods. For Black Friday, the amount increases to $15 in Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent between November 22 to 27. You can then use that Kohl's Cash like a coupon on future purchases.
If you make purchases in-store, you'll receive a coupon for your Kohl's Cash. If you buy online, Kohl's will send an email with your Kohl's Cash. You'll have to pay attention to expiration dates, because Kohl's Cash doesn't last forever.
Keep in mind that there's a limit to how much Kohl's Cash you can earn: $1,500 on a single purchase.
Can I order online and pick up in a Kohl's store?
Kohl's will be closed on Thanksgiving Day but plans to open its stores at 5:00 a.m. on Black Friday. The retailer's CEO has touted the chain stores' massive sizes as useful for social distancing when shopping.
Due to the pandemic, Kohl's also began offering curbside pickup this year. Many products are available for purchase online, and you can have it delivered to your car two hours later.
How does Kohl's compare to other stores on Black Friday?
Like Best Buy, Kohl's will likely have lots of tech deals. The retailer also sells cookware, vacuums, clothes, toys, and home goods that will also be on sale, similar to Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Often, these stores will all offer very similar deals on the same products, so if you have your eye on something that goes out of stock, you may still find it at a competitor.
Kohl's does sometimes win out over other stores' deals because of Kohl's Cash, but that's really only a draw if you plan on shopping there again before the end of 2020.
UBS said that investors will benefit from buying fintech, healthtech, greentech, and 5G stocks as these 4 sectors will disrupt the technology industry and become the dominant investment themes throughout the next decade.
These themes will dominate the market as last decade's leaders—technology and consumer discretionary—lag behind.
UBS added that the coronavirus pandemic triggered a permanent shift towards telemedicine and contactless payments, two investment themes with upside ahead.
If the last decade was about investing in technology, the "Next Big Thing" in the 10 years ahead will be investing in "disruptors" in sectors ripe for technological transformation, according to UBS. In its "Year Ahead 2021" outlook note released last week, the world's largest wealth manager said that investments in fintech, healthtech, greentech, and 5G will dominate the market as broader technology stocks lag behind.
"Since 1973, if a US equity sector was a top two performer over the previous 10 years, it had only an 8% chance of staying there over the next 10 years, and a 25% chance of fall- ing into the bottom two," UBS said. "This pattern suggests that 'the Next Big Thing' probably won't come from the top two sectors of the last decade: technology and consumer discretionary."
Here are four up-and-coming investment themes that UBS says have massive upside in the next decade.
Fintech
The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a shift towards contactless and mobile payments and e-commerce that UBS says will lead to a permanent shift in consumer spending habits. At the beginning of 2020, cash and checks still accounted for 39% of payment flows around the world, indicating the fintech space has further growth ahead.
"We expect fintech firms to enjoy earnings growth rates in the mid-to- high teens over the next decade, making the industry one of the fastest-growing globally. We think the industry has the potential to expand to USD 500 billion by 2030 from USD 150 billion in 2018," said UBS.
Healthtech
UBS said the pandemic has simultaneously increased patient focus on health while reducing people's ability to access health care. Because of this, telemedicine will gain rapidly in the next decade. UBS added that investors should seek out stocks in advanced diagnostics as well.
"We think health technology will play a critical role in improving the efficiency and quality of healthcare in the decade ahead," UBS said.
Investors should be on the lookout for opportunities in renewable energy, especially as more major economies of the world like the EU and Japan pledge to go carbon neutral in the next 30 years, UBS says. Today, only around 8% of global electric power is generated by solar and wind, but that figure will need to rise to around 30% to meet sustainability goals, indicating strong growth prospects for renewable energy. UBS also sees investment opportunities in batteries for electric vehicles and hydrogen energy.
5G
Following Apple's launch of its first 5G-enabled iPhone, UBS expects a wave of interest in the technology in a wide range of industries including real-time automation, video services, highly-connected smart cities, and connected vehicles.
Trelawny Bundridge: Release seat belts. Leave everything! Bad exit! Go back!
Hillis: You could have no obstruction, no fire, no water, go to open your exit, and it doesn't work. It's jammed. A lot of the times, I think the perception is that we're waitresses in the sky.
Bundridge: First and foremost, we are safety professionals. Anything that can happen on the ground can happen in the air. Come this way, leave everything!
Hillis: My name's Patres Hillis.
Bundridge: And my name is Trelawny Bundridge, my nickname is Trel. We're here to show you what it takes to be a Delta Air Lines flight attendant.
Hillis: A lot of magic happens down here in the training center.
Bundridge: Over 195,000 applications come into Delta Air Lines, and of those, 3,000, for this year alone, will get to come through these doors and be a Delta Air Lines flight attendant. Initial flight-attendant training is six weeks of intense training. They start here in week one, and they learn about the foundations of Delta Air Lines. And then we go to week three, and those are non-phase-specific things, like security, emergency management, medical situations that can happen on board the aircraft. And then week six is all about customer service. And so, within those six weeks, we have a fully rounded Delta Air Lines flight attendant who is ready to go out there on any aircraft.
This area is what we call our mock-up areas. And these are aircraft that have been cut out from the desert. They've shipped them here, and our flight attendants go into these mock-ups, and they practice different types of scenarios.
Hillis: A lot of what we do is very customer-service-driven.
Bundridge: Flight attendants are able to balance that customer-service piece as well as being mindful of any type of emergency situation that could happen on board the aircraft. Stewdio is where we have all of our doors. Windows, tail, cone, exits.
Hillis: I'll talk through an evacuation here. After we've boarded the aircraft and we're ready to go, Trel is gonna arm this door, which means if we open the door armed, we're going to get slide deployment. When we practice our evacuation, we want the door to be armed. All right, Trel, you ready?
Bundridge: No pressure.
Hillis: Ah, no pressure. Here we go.
Recording: Brace for landing.
Bundridge: Bend over. Stay down. Stay seated. Stay seated.
Hillis: She's thinking about her commands, where her exits are. She's thinking about how to operate those exits, where her emergency equipment is. She's also thinking about people that got on board that could help her in an emergency.
Bundridge: You, help at the bottom. You, help at the bottom.
Hillis: And she's also gonna think about the people that got on who might need her assistance. We do want thinking flight attendants. We do operate with a lot of checklists. But in the end, sometimes things come down to a judgment call. We travel to different time zones, different countries. And maybe we can't sleep. And then you're expected to make good judgment calls, and you're expected to remember all your training and respond to emergencies and be Delta gracious and patient and all of that on lack of sleep as well sometimes.
We are gonna head to our motion-based trainer. It is our one and only trainer that does shake, does move.
Bundridge: Our flight attendants have a week of training for emergencies that could happen on board the aircraft and learning our different types of commands. This is one of them.
Recording: Evacuate. Evacuate.
Bundridge: Release seat belts! Leave everything! Bad exit, go back!
Hillis: Come this way, leave everything! Jump and slide!
Bundridge: If you don't stay calm, then your anxiety will feed off of that person. It's definitely important to make sure you stay calm.
Now, welcome to our ditching mock-up. We have a 767 mock-up, and the flight attendants have on their life vest, and they jump right in, and they work together as a team to handle ditching, getting into a raft, helping each other stay warm while they're waiting for rescue.
Hillis: We like to take flight attendants, train them in these particular scenarios with the hope that they can take that knowledge and transfer it out to a real, live aircraft, and when those situations happen in real life, their training kicks in.
One of our most common emergencies is medical emergencies.
Bundridge: When there's someone who has a heart attack in the aisle, I know where the medical equipment is on board the aircraft, and I'm fully able to handle those types of situations.
Hillis: Are you OK? Are you OK? I'm Patres, I'm a flight attendant, I can help.
Typically on the aircraft, there would be three of us involved in this scenario. There would be an assessor, a collector, and a communicator. I was the assessor. Trel was my collector. She brought me my equipment, and then she stayed with me the whole time. The third person that we would usually have is our communicator. Communicator's gonna be talking to the flight deck. They're gonna be paging for medical assistance. They're gonna be trying to get in touch with stat MD. They're gonna be filling out our medical assistance form or helping us do that in some way.
Clear, clear.
Recording: Stop now. Do not touch the patient.
Bundridge: Anything that can happen on the ground can happen in the air. So, we have to be mindful of always being gracious, but in the back of our mind, always thinking of the other things that could possibly happen on board the aircraft and knowing that we're fully trained to handle any type of situation.
Flight attendants have to maintain a 90% average within the six assessments that they take.
Hillis: But once a flight attendant leaves and graduates and is a flight attendant flying out there on the line, their training isn't over. We have something called continuing qualification, and that is where flight attendants that are qualified and out there flying have to re-qualify every 18 months. They come back to training, and they do have to be proficient in their door evacuations, in their EMV scenarios, CPR, security. We do hold them to a pretty high standard.
Bundridge: And so being calm, being patient is something that we learn and we also give feedback on so that when they are on the line as an active flight attendant, they're able to handle any situation.
Instructor: Y'all like that now, don't you?
[trainees applaud]
Instructor: Y'all feel good about that. All right, good. Close the door.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in April 2020.
While you could always audit the class for free, Coursera's Black Friday deal gives you full access to the course for free. It lets you get grades and a certificate of completion to add to your LinkedIn profile or resume, both of which can motivate you to finish the class.
Below is everything you need to know about the course, as well as similar positive psychology courses you can take for free on Coursera, now through December 4.
While the wildly successful positive psychology course has always been free to audit, you can now get full access to the course through Coursera's Black Friday deal. Aka, you'll receive grades and a certificate of completion (normally $49) if you enroll by December 4.
The Science of Well-Being is one of the Insider Reviews Team's most recommended online courses because of its approachability and tangible advice on how to be happier. Insider Reviews senior reporter Mara Leighton found the lectures easy to watch and the overall course "immediately and concretely useful." (You can read the full review here). And journalist Justin Maiman said that his "happiness improved greatly in a short amount of time" upon finishing the course.
Learners fill out questionnaires at the beginning of the course so they can track their emotional progress along the way. One nice benefit of doing the limited-time, full access route is you have 180 days to complete the course if you want the certification at the end. That way, you might be more incentivized to finish the course (and gain valuable insight on if you actually feel happier by the end). And since many of the tips apply to common misconceptions of happiness (such as indulging in Netflix binges or social media scrolling), it can be an especially crucial course to improve your mental health while stuck at home during the pandemic.
If you liked The Science of Well-Being, here are similar Coursera courses and Specializations you can get full access to for free through Dec 4:
Away is a luggage and travel accessory brand popular with millennials thanks to its chic, hard-sided suitcases that feature removable, TSA-compliant battery packs for charging phones on the go. You've likely seen at least one of your favorite influencers sporting one of these bags in an eye-catching color like Cherry, Blush, or Nightfall Ombre.
I've personally owned an Away luggage set for over six years and found that, overall, the bags have held up remarkably well. With carry-ons typically starting at $225, an Away bag is certainly an investment.
Away has only ever had one sale in the company's history, so it's not often that you find its luggage discounted. However, for Black Friday 2020 the company has opted to offer luggage bundles up to $125 off full price. Sets range from offering multiple bags and packing cubes to simple travel accessory sets.
The best Black Friday Away luggage deals:
Find more great early Black Friday deals by store:
Even as the pandemic upends norms of the holiday shopping season, retailers will top last years' sales according to a new forecast.
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
The National Retail Federation, a trade group, said Monday that it's expecting holiday sales to grow by up to 5.2% over 2019.
The pandemic-fueled boom in e-commerce will be a massive boon to holiday sales, with non-store sales climbing by 20% to 30% this year by the NRF's estimates.
The organization cites rising home prices, record personal savings, and a strong stock market as factors that could increase spending throughout November and December.
Retailers may closeout 2020 with a bang even as the ongoing pandemic batters small stores and keeps shoppers out of brick-and-mortar locations, according to a new holiday sales forecast from a retail trade group.
The National Retail Federation announced Monday that it projects November and December holiday sales to jump 3.6% to 5.2%, as compared with the same period last year. The organization expects total holiday sales in the neighborhood of $755.3 billion to $766.7 billion, excluding car dealers, gas stations, and restaurants.
The NRF said it takes into account factors including wages, employment, previous retail sales, weather, disposable income, and consumer credit when making predictions about the upcoming holiday season. According to its model, a strong stock market, record personal savings, and rising home values may all boost retail spending, while a drop in spending on travel, entertainment, and other services severely impacted by the pandemic pads peoples' disposable income.
"Given the pandemic, there is uncertainty about consumers' willingness to spend, but with the economy improving most have the ability to spend," said Jack Kleinhenz, NRF's chief economist, in a statement. "Consumers have experienced a difficult year but will likely spend more than anyone would have expected just a few months ago."
Holiday sales in 2020 will also get a major lift from e-commerce, which has seen an unprecedented boom during the pandemic. Online sales saw a nearly 37% year-over-year growth in the third quarter, according to the NRF, and the organization expects shoppers will continue to rely on online shopping throughout the holidays.
It forecasts that online and other non-store sales will jump by 20% to 30% over 2019, to a total of between $202.5 billion and $218.4 billion.
Overall holiday sales grew 4% in 2019, and an average of 3.5% over the last five holiday seasons.
The optimistic forecast comes as retailers enter a holiday shopping season that's set to be more spread out than in years past. Many companies — including Walmart — are encouraging online shopping and spreading deals out over days and weeks in an effort to prevent overcrowding in stores.
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Hungryroot
Hungryroot is a combination of meal kit delivery service and online grocery store.
It recommends plant-based groceries and snacks based on your preferences (nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan, or none of the above) along with recipes on how to use them together — or you can go rogue and cook them however you want.
I loved the service because meals were nutritious, delicious, and took me far less time to make than other meal delivery services.
Shipments come weekly and prices start at around $59 depending on how much your order is. You can pause, hold, or cancel at any time.
When it comes to eating healthy, my biggest hurdle is convenience.
I love neither grocery shopping nor cooking, and I don't want to spend my limited free time deep-diving into (often contentious) online nutritional resources to construct balanced meals each week. But I do want to eat healthy foods that are good for me. So when I heard about Hungryroot through a colleague, I was intrigued.
What is Hungryroot?
Hungryroot is a plant-based service that's equal parts grocery store and meal kit service. After you take a short quiz to determine your food preferences and how many servings of food you want, you'll get a grocery list of food and snacks, along with recipes on how to use them together. Or not — one of the benefits of the service not being a traditional meal kit is that you can mix up ingredients however you want.
Prices start around $59 for six servings or three recipes a week, but each plan is personalized so prices will definitely vary. The one constant is that each takes less than than 10 minutes to prepare.
The foods are plant-centric and free from artificial ingredients, including preservatives, trans fats, or refined sugars. The meals are packed with nutrients, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, cashews, almonds, and avocados. Together, healthy fats and complex carbs like sweet potatoes, cauliflower, quinoa, beans, and oats can help keep you energized and satisfied without the pitfalls of "bad" fats and carbs, which can help raise your cholesterol and spike your blood sugar.
Generally, I'm willing to spend a bit more than I would on the ingredients for convenience. Hungryroot is more expensive than buying these ingredients in bulk, but you could make the argument that anyone buying single-person groceries may find that it's not altogether that much more expensive.
What I appreciate about Hungryroot is that it aims to make truly healthy foods convenient and inexpensive, since affordability and convenience are what make people (myself included) settle for unhealthy options packed with trans fats, sodium, and preservatives.
How it works
Sign up and take the quiz to note dietary preferences, amount of servings, and more. Your orders come with free shipping, and shipments are weekly but you can pause, hold, or cancel at any time. After your account is set up, you can customize your shipment and delivery dates, and even change up the groceries you'll get for an even more customized grocery list.
Since it's all fresh food, you may get an email prior to shipment that one meal has been altered due to stock (not enough high-quality cauliflower one week, for instance).
Shipping was fast and my box arrived as scheduled. I was happy to find the shipping boxes are made of 100% recycled paper and are 100% recyclable. Ice packs are filled with a non-toxic gel, and thermal liners are made of 100% recyclable poly film and post-industrial/pre-consumer 100% recycled cotton. Check Hungryroot's FAQ section for how to recycle ice packs and liners.
I was surprised by how much I liked what Hungryroot sent. I let the company auto-generate the first shipment without any dietary restrictions marked, and my box of six to eight meals for the week included the following:
Asian Salad Mix
Butternut Squash Noodles
Spinach Garlic Chicken Sausage
Kale Pesto
Red Lentil Fusilli
Braised Lemongrass Tofu Nuggets
Garlic Parm
Hot Smoked Roasted Salmon
Garlicky Herb Chickpea Duo
Coconut Curry
Cultured Coconut Cream
Oatmeal Spice Cookie Dough
Black Bean Brownie Batter
I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian and I balance an interest in taste over an interest in strictly healthy food, but I enjoyed the meals. It didn't feel like I was eating "healthy" in the sense that I was making compromises. And while I do eat meat, I enjoyed the tofu nuggets in my shipment. If you really wanted to, though, you could easily substitute and make the recipe with your own choice of meat.
I typically wind up eating more than one serving for other meal plans that I've tried, but Hungryroot delivered enough ingredients and variety so I ended up making most entrees last for dinner and for lunch. Having said that, the number of ingredients initially seemed small when unpacking.
I also ended up with a lot of leftover sauces, so I organized some meals for the following week around getting rid of the Hungryroot sauces.
The standouts were the delicious entrees of Butternut Squash Tofu Curry, Salmon Pesto Lentil Pasta, and Spinach Garlic Chicken Sausage, as well as the ridiculously tasty black bean brownie batter (which was okay to eat as is or baked).
True to promise, each meal took under 10 minutes to make — and that's probably the only reason I finished the fresh food before it went bad and ate healthy meals all week. I don't like cooking, and my schedule usually allows only 30 minutes to cook and eat. For me, Hungryroot succeeded in making it possible to eat healthy in a convenient, fast, and pretty affordable way.
The bottom line
If you like the sound of healthy, tasty food you can make in under 10 minutes, you're probably going to like Hungryroot. It's more expensive than buying the ingredients yourself, but I probably wouldn't do the research and grocery shopping if left to my own devices. If you want convenience and consistency, this is a good tool. You can also learn more about nutrition on the site should you choose to.
If you don't have a reliable way to pick up packages day-of, you may want to steer clear. The food is fresh and doesn't include preservatives, so it likely won't keep for longer than a day or so.
Motorists during a drive-by rally to certify the presidential election results near the Capitol building in Lansing.
Paul Sancya/AP
Michigan's four-member Board of State Canvassers voted on Monday to formally certify the state's 16 Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
Democrats Jeannette Bradshaw and Julie Matuzak and Republican Aaron Van Langevelde voted to certify, while Republican Norman Shinkle abstained.
The board heard more than three hours of testimony and public comments from current and former election officials, party officials, and members of the public before taking a vote on certification.
Michigan's statewide certification marks the president's latest failure in overturning his electoral defeat.
Michigan's four-member Board of State Canvassers voted on Monday to formally certify the state's 16 Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, marking President Donald Trump's latest failure overturn election results in key states.
After they heard over three hours of testimony from election and campaign officials and members of the public, three members of the board — the minimum threshold required — voted to certify the results.
Both Democratic board members, Chairwoman Jeannette Bradshaw and Julie Matuzak, and Aaron Van Langevelde, a Republican, voted in favor of certification. Norman Shinkle, another Republican, abstained.
If the board had deadlocked along partisan lines, the matter would have immediately gone to the courts, which could then have ordered the board to certify the results, CNN reported.
A number of current and former election officials, including former state Elections Director Chris Thomas, former Detroit Elections Director Daniel Baxter, and the former Board of State Canvassers member Jeff Timmer, testified in support of the board certifying the election.
Current officials who were in favor of the move included Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, and Livonia City Clerk Susan Nash.
Laura Cox, who represents the state Republican Party, and former GOP Senate candidate John James' attorney Charles Spies testified in opposition and asked the board to delay certification pending further review of what they described as abnormalities in reporting of votes and exclusion of Republican poll observers.
Van Langevelde appeared skeptical of arguments from GOP lawyers that the law gives the Board of State Canvassers authority to independently request audits and further review the results of the election before certification. A candidate can request a recount only after certification.
"We can agree to disagree, but I think the law is on my side here," Van Langevelde told Spies. "Our duty is very simple, and it's a duty. We have no authority to request an audit, to delay or block certification, or to review inaccuracies that happened at the local level. Those results have been certified. Our duty is to look at the certified results, look at the math, and then certify. The statute couldn't be more clear."
Trump and his allies lost or withdrew all four of the major lawsuits they filed in Michigan seeking to halt the counting of ballots or stop certification, Insider's Jacob Shamsian reported.
With the Trump campaign's legal challenges failing in court, Trump and his allies have attempted to directly compel local and state election officials to draw out the process further by declining to certify election results. Michigan's certification of its statewide election results is a major setback for the Trump campaign.
States have already certified presidential-election results in 13 states, including the battleground states of Florida, Georgia, and New Hampshire, according to the Cook Political Report.
US stocks gained on Monday amid reports that President-elect Joe Biden would select former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to be his treasury secretary.
Earlier, investors cheered results from trials of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate, this time from AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated an average efficacy rate of 70%, making it the third company to have announced vaccine data surpassing the Food and Drug Administration's requirement of 50% effectiveness.
US stocks jumped on Monday afternoon amid reports that President-elect Joe Biden would select former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to be his treasury secretary.
The news that a familiar face for investors would run the Treasury Department likely helped to remove some uncertainty from the market as investors weigh who else will fill Biden's Cabinet.
Earlier, investors received news that a third COVID-19 vaccine candidate demonstrated an efficacy rate above the 50% threshold set by the Food and Drug Administration.
AstraZeneca said on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, demonstrated an average efficacy rate of 70%. It said that while one dosing regimen was found to have an efficacy rate of 90%, another demonstrated an efficacy rate of 62%.
Here's where US indexes stood at the 4 p.m. ET market close on Monday:
Americans could begin receiving COVID-19 vaccines as early as December 11, an advisor to the White House's Operation Warp Speed initiative said, adding that about 70% of the population could be immunized by the summer.
