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Apple just launched new iPad Pro and Air models.
Isabel Fernandez Pujol/Business Insider
New iPad models aren't given simple numbers like the iPhone, which makes things a lot more confusing when talking about new and old iPads. You might be wondering what the latest option is between Apple's four tablet types, for instance, or how to distinguish between different generations.
With the release of the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air models, we're here to break down the latest iPad lineup for you. Currently, Apple officially sells six different tablets, listed here from newest to oldest:
Determining which iPad makes the most sense for your needs can be difficult, as many features and specs overlap. But it's important to understand the differences, especially if you want to make sure you're choosing the proper model when considering the best iPad Pro cases, best iPad Air cases, or best iPad cases.
Read on for a full breakdown of the latest iPads from the four current model types, and check out our guide to the best iPads for further assessment.
The new iPad Pro models
Apple's most premium tablet received a major update this month with the launch of the latest 13-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro models.
Apple debuted its new M4 processor on the iPad Pros alongside a slate of AI-focused enhancements that make the high-end tablets more powerful and tailored for productivity than ever before.
Apple's new iPad Pros are ideal for highly intensive tasks.
Apple
Dubbed Apple's "thinnest" products to date, the iPad Pros boast slim designs at depths of 5.3mm and 5.1mm for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively. Apple introduced a new "Tandem OLED" design for the iPad Pro displays that allows for enhanced brightness and clarity relative to the Pro line's previous LED and mini-LED displays.
Apple released a new Magic Keyboard for the 2024 iPad Pro models that features a function row and a larger trackpad, bringing the iPad Pro closer to a viable laptop replacement. The latest iPad Pros are compatible with the USB-C Apple Pencil and the new Apple Pencil Pro, which offers a "squeeze" sensor and a gyroscope that enable a suite of new features.
The generational improvements to the iPad Pro line resulted in higher prices. Where the previous iPad Pro line started at $799, the new 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999, and the new 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,299.
Apple upgraded the iPad Air models from the M1 processor to the newer M2 processor, which runs laptops like the 2022 MacBook Air and 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro, enabling smoother performance for intensive tasks relative to the previous-generation Air model.
The 13-inch iPad Air is a new form factor in Apple's tablet lineup.
Apple
Apple moved the front-facing camera on the new iPad Airs to the landscape position, which aligns with the new iPad Pro models and offers a more convenient position for video calling. The latest iPad Air models work with the USB-C Apple Pencil and the new Apple Pencil Pro.
Apple last released a standard iPad in October 2022, with the 10th-generation iPad.
The 10th-generation iPad adopted Apple's modern design language, with slim bezels around a larger 10.9-inch screen relative to the previous-generation model. It has a USB-C port instead of Lightning, and its Touch ID sensor is integrated into the power button. Its best upgrade was repositioning its ultra-wide FaceTime camera to the landscape position for a better angle of view during video calls.
Apple also released a new standard iPad in the fall of 2022.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
In terms of power, the 10th-generation iPad runs Apple's A14 Bionic chip, the same processor as the iPhone 12, which can still handle basic to moderately intensive tasks. Those looking for smoother and more powerful performance should opt for the new iPad Pro or iPad Air.
Following the launch of the new iPad Pro and Air models, the starting price of the 10th-generation iPad dropped to $349 from $449. Apple also discontinued the 9th-generation iPad, making the 10th-generation iPad the lone budget option in the current lineup.
The most recent iPad Mini model is the sixth-generation iPad Mini, which Apple released in September 2021.
Starting at $499, the 2021 iPad Mini is a mid-range option between the standard iPad and the new premium iPad Pro and Air models. If you're looking for the perfect balance between portability and performance, the iPad Mini could be calling your name.
It's been more than two years since we've seen a new iPad Mini.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
The 2021 iPad Mini marked a total redesign over previous generations, with narrower borders that resemble the iPad Air. The sixth-generation iPad Mini features a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina touch display with True Tone color technology versus the 7.9-inch screens of previous generations. It runs smoothly through basic to moderately intensive tasks on Apple's A15 Bionic processor, which runs the iPhone 13 series.
The latest iPad Mini supports the USB-C Apple Pencil and second-generation Apple Pencil. It has a USB-C port for charging and connecting accessories, an ultra-wide FaceTime camera with Apple's Center Stage, an improved 12-megapixel rear camera, and a Touch ID sensor built into the power button on the top edge.
All the latest iPads look similar now that each model has Apple's modern tablet design language.
If you're unsure which iPad model you own, you can find your iPad's model in the Settings app by tapping General > About. You can also look for the model number etched on the back of the iPad.
Read our comprehensive guide to identifying iPad generations for more detail.
Apple iPad Pro: 11 and 12.9 inches (2022)
New iPad Pros were a part of Apple's latest tablet release.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
Apple's most premium tablet got a minor update in October 2022 with the sixth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro and fourth-generation 11-inch iPad Pro. The 12.9-inch Pro is the largest tablet in Apple's lineup, and the only iPad to use Apple's mini-LED display that boasts improved brightness and contrast.
Among the updates from 2022 was Apple's computer-grade M2 processor, also in the 2022 MacBook Air, and support for the new Hover feature with the second-generation Apple Pencil, which offers better accuracy and new interactions.
Both tablets include optional 5G connectivity with support for mmWave 5G networks, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, Face ID, high-refresh-rate 120Hz ProMotion displays, dual-lens cameras, and a Center Stage feature that keeps the selfie camera centered on the subject despite movement.
Taken together, these changes make Apple's iPad Pro tablets more powerful and tailored for productivity than ever before. But they're still best suited for professional creatives and multimedia editors since multitasking for most other work is still easier on a desktop operating system like macOS or Windows.
Apple also released a new standard iPad in the fall of 2022.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
Apple released the 10th-generation iPad in October 2022. It starts at $449, a significantly higher price than the ninth-generation iPad that's still available for $329.
The 10th-gen iPad adopts Apple's modern design language with slim bezels around a larger 10.9-inch screen, and it can be easily mistaken for the fifth-gen iPad Air at a glance. It has a USB-C port instead of Lightning. The Touch ID sensor is now integrated into the power button, and the rear camera sees an upgrade from 8 megapixels to 12 megapixels. But the best upgrade is that the ultra-wide FaceTime camera has been repositioned in the landscape position for a better angle of yourself during video calls.
In terms of power, the 10th-gen iPad uses Apple's A14 Bionic chip, the same processor as the iPhone 12. It's worth noting that this new version of Apple's basic iPad only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, which requires an adapter to charge. The 10th-gen iPad also supports mouse input and a Magic Keyboard Folio designed exclusively for it.
Despite its positives and the fact that it's an exceptional tablet, the 10th-gen iPad's $449 price tag makes it a hard tablet to recommend when the $329 ninth-gen iPad is still in the lineup.
The most recent iPad Air model arrived in March 2022.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
While the 2022 basic iPad is powerful, the 2022 iPad Air, released in March 2022, steps it up a notch with Apple's computer-grade M1 processor that also powers the 2020 13-inch MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and 24-inch iMac. That's a significant bump in power compared to the A14 Bionic processor in the fourth-gen iPad Air.
In terms of design, the fifth-gen iPad Air shares many similarities with its predecessor, with the same 10.9-inch screen, USB-C port, and Touch ID integrated into the power button. The front camera was upgraded to 12 megapixels, with support for Center Stage, which automatically focuses the camera on you while you move around during a video call.
Other upgrades include 5G connectivity in the WiFi + Cellular models and an enhanced USB-C port for faster transfer of big files between the iPad Air and storage devices. Starting at $599, Apple's iPad Air sits in the current lineup as a step up from the basic iPad and iPad Mini and a worthy alternative to the iPad Pro.
The 2021 standard iPad remains an excellent option.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
While a new entry-level iPad is available, we think the 2021 ninth-generation iPad is still a great tablet for most people. At its $329 starting price, it's currently the most affordable iPad you can buy.
With a 10.2-inch touchscreen and A13 Bionic chip, the ninth-gen iPad offers enough power to get you through your basic needs. However, you may want to upgrade to the 256GB model for a bit more storage space if you're planning on using the iPad to download many videos, store many pictures, or play many games.
Like the 10th-gen iPad, the ninth-gen iPad supports the first-gen Apple Pencil, but it doesn't require an adapter as it can plug right into the iPad's Lightning port to recharge. The ultra-wide FaceTime camera supports the Center Stage feature that follows you as you move around on video calls or when recording a video, but it's in portrait position. The display also has Apple's True Tone feature that automatically adjusts the screen to the color temperature of the room you're in.
It's been more than two years since we've seen a new iPad Mini.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
The most recent iPad Mini model is the sixth-generation iPad Mini, which Apple released in September 2021. Starting at $499, the 2021 iPad Mini sits among more premium models like the iPad Air. If you're looking for the perfect balance between portability and performance, the iPad Air could be calling your name.
The 2021 iPad Mini marks a total redesign over previous generations, making for a look that's closer to the iPad Air with narrower borders. The 2021 iPad Mini features a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina touch display with True Tone color technology versus the 7.9-inch screens of previous generations. Apple's A15 Bionic processor that's running the iPhone 13 series is also present, and storage is available in 64GB or 256GB.
The latest iPad Mini supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, a USB-C port for charging and connecting accessories, an ultra-wide FaceTime camera with Apple's Center Stage, an improved 12-megapixel rear camera, and a Touch ID sensor built into the power button on the top edge. The WiFi + Cellular models also support 5G networks.
All the latest iPads look similar now that Apple has updated its basic iPad with its modern iPad design language. If you're not sure which iPad model you own, you can either find your iPad's model in the Settings app, or find the model number etched on the back of the iPad.
Google unveiled a revamped vision of its hallmark search product at I/O on Tuesday.
"Google will do the Googling for you," its head of search said of the AI-driven experience.
A lot of business models rely on SEO. These changes could shake those foundations.
"Google will do the Googling for you."
That's the vision head of search Liz Reid laid out onstage at Google I/O on Tuesday.
Google unveiled an AI-enhanced version of Search, along with a lot of promises.
Google's demos showed how Search can now find yoga studios in your city that have introductory deals, create meal plans for a family of picky eaters, and even troubleshoot what's wrong with your record player and suggest fixes just by reviewing video you take on your phone.
It's a dramatic shift in functionality for the world's biggest search engine as Google tries to take a lead in the AI race that's captivated tech companies.
In many ways, the new search box operates like a Gemini box — with AI-generated answers you can talk to like a chatbot.
Rolling out in the US today, AI Overviews will use "multi-step reasoning" to answer complex questions in a single search, Reid said.
"Research that might've taken you minutes or hours, Google can now do on your behalf in just seconds."
Google's Gemini-powered search features can even make suggestions that they didn't ask about. For instance, a query for a celebratory restaurant recommendation might turn up results that denote live music or rooftop availability.
These kinds of AI-organized searches will soon be available in categories like movies, music, books, hotels, and shopping, Reid said.
Google's new vision for search is not only a major shake-up for its own future, but could transform how the internet works more broadly.
A lot of the architecture of the internet is designed around business models that use SEO to drive hits — and advertising dollars. Turning search into a chatbot may affect how traffic is distributed.
After all, why click on a link when Google Search can now summarize the information you need?
But Reid appeared to address concerns that the changes could result in fewer website visits in a company blog post.
"We see that the links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query," she wrote. "As we expand this experience, we'll continue to focus on sending valuable traffic to publishers and creators."
Google has long dominated the search landscape, but its latest advances arrive amid increased competition from OpenAI.
On Monday, the AI giant unveiled GPT-4o — its next flagship AI large language model with improved voice and vision capabilities.
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The best soundbars with subwoofers include models from brands like Yamaha, Vizio, and Samsung.
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Bass makes everything better. Whether you're jamming to your favorite playlist or looking to add guttural punch to movies, authoritative bass is instrumental in bringing sonic impact to your room. And if you crave full and powerful bass, you'll want an audio system with a dedicated subwoofer. That's why we've rounded up the five best soundbars with subwoofers for various budgets.
We selected our picks based on hands-on testing and all our recommendations provide ample low-frequency kick. But the best soundbars with subwoofers do more than just pump up the bass. They offer detailed upper frequencies, conveniences like streaming support, and advanced connectivity options. The Yamaha YAS-209 is our favorite soundbar and sub combo thanks to its accessible price point and versatile features. But if you're willing to spend more, the Samsung HW-Q990C delivers thrilling Dolby Atmos performance across 11.1.4 channels of surround sound.
From entry-level models to room-blasting 3D audio setups, these are the best soundbars with subwoofers you can buy.
Our top picks for the best soundbars with subwoofers
Best high-end Dolby Atmos system: Samsung HW-Q990C – See at Amazon
Best midrange Atmos model: Vizio Elevate 5.1.4 – See at Amazon
Best for music: Klipsch Cinema 400 – See at Amazon
Best affordable surround sound: Vizio V-Series 5.1 – See at Best Buy
Best overall
Yamaha's YAS-209 is a soundbar Swiss Army knife that offers a versatile array of features and audio sound quality without breaking the bank. Finding a decent soundbar and sub combo at this price is difficult since many brands now favor selling modular systems with components you buy separately. Yamaha's YAS-209 bucks that trend with everything you need right in the box, making it the best soundbar for most needs.
You'll get great features like WiFi support for high-quality streaming, built-in Alexa voice control with an onboard microphone, and even an HDMI input, something the growing majority of entry and midlevel soundbars omit. The one caveat is that the extra input doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR, but it still comes in handy in a pinch. Other connection options include a digital optical port for older TVs and legacy devices, as well as Bluetooth for streaming.
The YAS-209's design is sleek and simple, with a rounded body wrapped in acoustic fabric. The system lacks a good visible display, but we never had much reason to adjust the sound significantly. The device's 2.1-channel playback offers a good balance across frequencies. You won't get Dolby Atmos support here, but Atmos isn't expected at this price, and the system does offer a DTS Virtual:X mode for simulating surround sound.
The 209's wireless subwoofer connects automatically, and its tall frame makes it easy to fit into various setups. Best of all, the bar and sub blend well together, moving seamlessly between registers to bring clarity to the high frequencies and a formidable punch down low. This provides a serious upgrade for virtually any TV's built-in speakers, and thanks to the HDMI ARC connection, you can control the bar with your TV remote.
You can spend a lot more on other soundbar and subwoofer combos, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal for this much good stuff. Yamaha's YAS-209 is a reliable set-it-and-forget-it option with great performance at a very accessible price.
Best high-end Dolby Atmos system
Samsung's HW-Q990C is more of a full-fledged home theater system than a typical soundbar. It is equipped with dual wireless satellite surrounds, a primary bar with up-firing and side-firing drivers, and, of course, a powerful subwoofer.
The system is fully loaded, with 22 individual drivers and support for virtually every major audio format, including Dolby Atmos and its primary rival, DTS:X. You also get plenty of connection options, from dual HDMI inputs to WiFi, with support for Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. We're disappointed that Google Chromecast isn't supported (an odd omission for a brand that makes Android phones), but Bluetooth is available as a backup.
The Q990C includes a subwoofer (left) and rear speakers (right).
Ryan Waniata/Insider
The Q990C offers fantastic sound for TV content and music, with dynamic performance that auto-adjusts in real time using Samsung's Adaptive Sound feature. The system's 11.1.4-channel playback is spread effortlessly across components, moving between traditional surround sound and overhead effects with impressive fluidity. Even with all its speakers, the subwoofer stands out with a side-firing eight-inch cone that digs deep into the lowest frequencies. The Q990C's sub also provides improved clarity compared to the previous Q990B model.
System settings can be easily adjusted with the snazzy remote or via Samsung's SmartThings app. You also get Amazon Alexa or Bixby voice assistant control, as well as a few Samsung-only features, like Q-Symphony, which lets the bar work in concert with the onboard speakers on select Samsung TVs.
With each iteration, the Q990 series has seen modest upgrades, and buyers should note that Samsung now sells a slightly updated version of this system called the Q990D. The new model offers one notable feature the Q990C doesn't: HDMI 2.1 passthrough. This feature allows you to connect gaming consoles with support for outputting next-gen features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and 120Hz support. If that's important to you, it may be worth paying more for the Q990D.
Otherwise, we think the Q990C is the better value since it's often sold for hundreds of dollars less. If you're after top-notch Dolby Atmos performance, the Samsung Q990C is the best soundbar with a subwoofer to get.
Vizio's Elevate 5.1.4 soundbar (P514a-H6 5.1.4) was already one of the best value propositions in the soundbar market when it debuted in 2020, and its value has only grown over time. Despite its affordable price, it offers exhilarating Dolby Atmos immersion with separate satellite speakers and a potent punch from its hefty wireless subwoofer.
This soundbar's Elevate branding is a fitting moniker, dubbed for the device's rolling front speakers. The drivers direct sound forward when fed traditional audio formats and rotate upward to fire sound off your ceiling when listening to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio mixes. It's a unique design (or was until Vizio released its smaller M-Series version) that assures no speakers are wasted, helping the system provide detailed and immersive sound from any source.
The Elevate can rotate its drivers forward or upward depending on the source you're listening to
Steven Cohen/Insider
The Elevate is appropriately loaded for a bar of its stature, including dual HDMI inputs, Bluetooth and WiFi streaming with Chromecast support, and an increasingly rare analog input for plugging in legacy audio sources. We also appreciate its rugged construction with anodized aluminum components. Our only real complaint with the layout is the bar's wired satellite surround speakers, which must be plugged into the large subwoofer. It's also not as user-friendly as pricier systems like Samsung's Q990C, which have extra conveniences like voice assistants and auto-calibration to adjust the sound to your room.
While you've got to work a little more, the Elevate punches high above its price point, delivering cinematic sound with potent bass from its wireless subwoofer. It can get a little fresh and forward in the upper frequencies for music, but you can configure the settings to taste, including EQ adjustments and raising or lowering the height and center channels to lock in the perfect blend for your room.
With plenty of features, clear and immersive sound, and sledgehammer bass, the Elevate 5.1.4 is one of the best soundbar and subwoofer pairings on the market.
With real MDF cabinets, carefully tuned Tractrix horn drivers, and one of the baddest subwoofers this side of the $500 line, it's easy to see why Klipch's Cinema 400 is our pick for the most musical soundbar and subwoofer pairing.
This bar looks, feels, and sounds more like a traditional set of speakers than most models in its class because that's how it's built. It doesn't hurt that Klipsch has been designing traditional home theater speakers since the '40s. You'll get crisp, clear treble and dialogue, along with a smooth and refined midrange. And the Cinema 400's supercharged bass hits harder than anything we've tested at this price point, thanks to its eight-inch subwoofer cone packed into a cabinet that stands over 16 inches tall. Combined with the powerful two-channel bar, the sub provides stellar performance for everything from TV and movies to jazz and hip-hop.
As with previous models in this series, the Cinema 400 strives for sound quality over features. Missing here are extras like WiFi or smart assistants, opting for Bluetooth streaming only. There's just one HDMI connection, with no spare port for plugging in outboard devices, but that's pretty common at this price, as is the bar's lack of Dolby Atmos support.
But despite these omissions, if pure stereo sound quality is your main objective, Klipsch's Cinema 400 delivers outstanding performance.
Best surround sound on a budget
Vizio's 5.1-channel V-Series soundbar (V51-H6) offers fantastic surround sound value at a budget-friendly price. For well under $300, you get immersive and accessible audio performance, Bluetooth streaming, and easy-to-adjust settings wrapped in a slick, matte-black package with wired satellite speakers and a wireless subwoofer.
The V51-H6 provides clear and present dialogue for TV and movies, as well as solid sound quality for streaming music. The adorably pint-sized subwoofer isn't nearly as potent as what you'll find in pricier offerings on our list, but it drives home some good thump, serving as the foundation for the soundbar's cinematic skills. It also does a great job blending with the smaller speakers inside the bar for good balance and true immersion with surround sound sources.
The V-Series soundbar system includes satellite speakers, but they must be wired to the subwoofer using included cables.
Ryan Waniata/Business Insider
There's something of an old-school vibe in the V-Series V51-H6's design, starting with the wired surround speakers, which must be plugged into the subwoofer. This limits placement options to some degree, but the included cables are long enough for most setups, and you don't need to track down power outlets as you do for most wireless surround speakers.
A Casio-style digital face on the remote and small LEDs on the bar combine for clear settings adjustments like EQ and center-channel volume, while the HDMI ARC connection lets you use your TV remote to control power and volume. The bar skimps on advanced features like WiFi and digital assistants, and there's also no spare HDMI input or support for 3D sound formats like Dolby Atmos.
But good luck getting anywhere near a similar setup at this price elsewhere. If you're looking to dip your toes into surround sound at a serious bargain, this is the best soundbar with a subwoofer for your needs.
We put each soundbar we evaluate through a series of tests.
Ryan Waniata/Business Insider
To find the best soundbars with subwoofers, we tested multiple models for hours on end across various sources. Sound quality is our top priority, with a particular emphasis on potent and foundational bass. We also consider other factors, including supported audio formats, how easy each soundbar is to set up and use, and support for advanced features like WiFi streaming, smart assistants, and multiple HDMI inputs.
We assess each soundbar's design, considering its aesthetic qualities and how well it fits into the average TV room. We then spend multiple days with each bar we evaluate, putting them through various tests with familiar material, from movies and TV shows to specific music playlists. We test a variety of sound sources, from streaming services to physical media, as well as listening to both compressed and lossless audio via apps like Spotify and Amazon Music. We also use each bar for regular daily listening, striving to get a feel for how it is to own it from a buyer's perspective.
When testing sound quality, we look at many elements, from dynamics and dialogue clarity to tonal balance across the treble, midrange, and bass registers. To find the best soundbar with subwoofer combos in particular, we're looking for smooth, accurate, and musical bass, as well as good balance and fluidity between the subwoofer and soundbar. Any obvious difference between the tonal color of the subwoofer and the bar is grounds for dismissal.
Finally, we test parameters like WiFi and Bluetooth reliability, navigation of connected apps and settings, and the responsiveness and accuracy of smart assistants, where applicable.
What to look for in a soundbar with a subwoofer
Most soundbars have HDMI ARC or eARC ports to easily connect to modern TVs.
Ryan Waniata/Insider
Once you've established that you want a soundbar with a subwoofer, there are a few primary things to target as you hone your search. First, you'll want to check for good connectivity options. Every modern soundbar should have HDMI ARC or eARC, which makes it simple to connect to an HDMI ARC-compatible TV and use its remote to control power and volume.
All of the best TVs sold today have this feature, but if your TV doesn't have HDMI ARC or eARC (it should be labeled in the inputs cubby), you can often use an optical connection as an alternative. However, HDMI ARC is required to play Dolby Atmos.
Virtually every modern soundbar includes Bluetooth support, but higher-quality systems also have WiFi for over-the-air updates and better streaming quality. Features like AirPlay 2 for iPhones, Chromecast for Android devices, and Spotify Connect are also relatively standard, making it handy to stream songs from the best music services. The more options your bar supports, the better.
Soundbars with WiFi support may also offer built-in voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. If you're interested in using your soundbar as a smart home hub or controller, you'll want to ensure the bar has built-in microphones for voice commands.
With a soundbar subwoofer combo, you'll be looking at a 2.1-channel configuration at the low end, while advanced systems with Dolby Atmos will generally offer multi-channel configurations like 5.1.2. The first number in the series represents the front-facing channels in the soundbar, the middle number represents the subwoofer (bass) channel, and the last number defines how many height or upfiring channels the bar supports (if any) for Dolby Atmos.
Speaking of Dolby Atmos, you'll usually pay a premium to get a soundbar that supports it or its primary rival DTS:X. Sometimes called 3D, spatial, or object-based audio, these advanced formats include traditional surround sound channels on the horizontal plane, as well as height channels to add a vertical element that creates a deeper sense of immersion. Check out our Dolby Atmos guide for more details.
FAQs
If you want the best bass performance, there's no substitute for a dedicated subwoofer.
Ryan Waniata/Business Insider
Why do I need a subwoofer?
The simple answer is physics. When it comes to producing true, authoritative bass, advanced acoustics and digital processing are no match for bigger speaker drivers. The larger drivers inside dedicated subwoofers can physically move more air than smaller speakers, which helps them properly recreate the low-frequency waveforms that eventually make their way to our ears with authenticity and accuracy. If you're looking for powerful explosions, floor-rattling thunder, and rich, low musical performance, a subwoofer is all but necessary.
Can I add a subwoofer to a soundbar later?
Some soundbars offer the option to add a subwoofer or surround sound speakers after the fact. These are commonly referred to as "modular" systems, allowing you to purchase extra components later. Some soundbars, including options from Klipsch and Sennheiser, even have a standard subwoofer output, letting you connect a traditional subwoofer from any brand.
That said, many companies charge a major premium for soundbar models that use modular designs. Adding a subwoofer made by a different brand may also make it harder to balance the two components tonally. If bass is an important factor for you, we recommend buying a soundbar and subwoofer combo from the start to get the best value.
What size soundbar and subwoofer should I get?
Size is always a determining factor when purchasing a soundbar. The first thing to consider is whether your entertainment console is long enough to support your soundbar of choice. Many soundbars range from 36 to 46 inches or longer, especially for high-performance bars with many drivers, such as those that support Dolby Atmos.
You'll also want to ensure your soundbar won't block your TV screen, especially if your TV sits on a stand rather than being mounted on a wall. Most soundbars are designed to sit around three inches tall or less, but you'll want to do some measurements so you don't run into an issue.
For the soundbars on this list, you'll also want to make sure you've got space for your subwoofer. Subwoofers can range from tall and skinny to short and stout, so again, do some measurements to ensure you've got good placement options. Most setups work well with the subwoofer placed on the ground to the left or right of the TV console, but it's best to have some room to experiment.
Finally, if you want to add a soundbar with surround sound (or satellite) speakers, make sure you've got stands or shelves that will allow you to properly place the speakers slightly behind and to the sides of the main listening position. Dolby offers some helpful speaker configuration guides for this purpose. You'll also want to make sure you've got power outlets in reach for wireless surround speakers or long enough cables to plug in wired options comfortably.
Niloofar Razi Howe of Capitol Meridian Partners speaks with Anne Neuberger, the US deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging tech, on Thursday.
Rosalie Chan
The US is strengthening its 5G infrastructure, according to a National Security Council official.
She said the US must improve its telecom infrastructure.
This article is part of "5G and Connectivity Playbook," a series exploring some of our time's most important tech innovations.
The US is bolstering its 5G infrastructure in the age of AI.
Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging tech, said that 5G and 6G were some of "the most strategic sectors," especially since telecom and data-center infrastructure houses the data required to train artificial-intelligence models.
On Thursday at the annual RSA Conference in San Francisco, she spoke at a fireside chat on cybersecurity and new technologies like 5G and AI, which was moderated by Niloofar Razi Howe, an operating partner at Capitol Meridian Partners.
Neuberger discussed the importance of the telecom sector, saying that one of the biggest challenges for the US was its lack of competitive technology in telecom infrastructure. She said the US needed to improve its hardware and encourage competition among vendors.
This is especially important, Neuberger said, as the US is engaged in a tech arms race with China and Chinese telecom companies, such as Huawei. As Chinese technology gets more embedded in the technology Americans use daily, whether it's 5G technology or connected vehicles, the US needs to consider national security risks in how data is collected, she added.
"We're at the point we can say, what's a thoughtful approach that protects Americans' sensitive data, that protects Americans' navigation data while also promoting innovation?" Neuberger said.
The telecommunications industry affects valuable information belonging to American companies and the government. It's also often managed and updated remotely, so it needs to be secure, Neuberger said.
"Telecom systems are so complex today," she said. "If you don't have confidence in those vendors, it's really hard to trust it."
Neuberger highlighted some of the government initiatives for investing in 5G, including the Biden administration's $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, which aims to bring open standards into telecommunications and advance innovation in the wireless industry.
"What we've been trying to do is bring in innovation to bring in new players to allow our traditional strength in software to come to bear," Neuberger said.
Grants from these these types of funds have helped US allies. They have allowed global telecom companies, including those from India, Japan, and Europe, to test new technology together and learn from each other. The US has also been building a telecom partnership with India, as it's one of the biggest telecom markets in the world, along with the US and China.
In November, the White House launched its National Spectrum Strategy to promote innovation in wireless technologies. Neuberger said this included industries such as connected vehicles and defense, adding that these technologies allowed the US to aid Ukraine when Russia struck down its electric lines.
"As we think about how we lead in these connected industries in the future, we have to think about creative ways to use spectrum more efficiently and differently," Neuberger said.
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The icebreaker SS Manhattan crushes through pack ice in the M'Clure Strait in the northwest territories of Canada.
Bettmann/Getty Images
The Order of the Blue Nose is a naval tradition given to sailors who cross the Arctic Circle.
The tradition involves a series of tests and obstacles to gain a visit from the King of the North.
The Blue Nose Ceremony is one of the rarest of naval traditions.
The Order of the Blue Nose is one of the most exclusive clubs among members of the US Navy.
The Order of the Blue Nose is a riff on the line-crossing ceremony many sailors experience when they cross the equatorial line.
What makes joining the Order of the Blue Nose harder is that sailors must be aboard a ship crossing the Arctic Circle at latitude 66°33' N — symbolizing that they entered the "realm" of Boreas Rex, King of the North.
Sailors who partake in the rare naval tradition must undergo a number of tasks in the frigid temperatures of the Arctic in order to earn the graces of the King and earn their blue nose.
An icy expedition
USRC Bear and SS Corwin in Alaska.
Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images
In 1851, a ship successfully crossed the Arctic Circle as part of what is now known as the First Grinnell Expedition.
Funded by Henry Grinnell, an American merchant from New York, and carried out by US Navy officers, the mission aimed to find the lost expedition of English explorer Sir John Franklin, who led a team of Royal Navy sailors to the Arctic six years prior and never returned.
The First Grinnell Expedition marked the first time the US Navy successfully navigated the Arctic and returned to the US. It was soon followed by the second Grinnell Expedition, which reached the highest recorded latitude in the Western Hemisphere at the time.
With the knowledge gained about land masses, sailing techniques, and maritime paths in the Arctic, many expeditions north would follow.
A journey plagued with danger
The US Navy icebreaker USS Burton Island is shown is Arctic waters as a helicopter prepares to land on its deck during an expedition to the far north.
Bettmann/Getty Images
Despite a growing understanding of the area from repeat expeditions, it would be decades before the journey became less perilous. Many who explored the Arctic would not return after succumbing to the cold temperatures or damage sustained by ships from the ice.
For 19th-century ships, the ice pack could become so dense that sailors would get stuck for months at a time, having to wait until the summer months for the ice to thaw and melt to pass through successfully.
One of the most famous instances of the danger of the Arctic is the Jeannette, a ship that was stuck in ice for two years before it was eventually crushed by ice. Members aboard the Jeannette escaped the boat but eventually froze to death in the Arctic winter.
A well-earned achievement
This is a Royal Air Force certificate, typical of the 1940s, to be filled out for sailors who cross into the Arctic Circle.
AP
There are myriad unofficial honors granted to members of the US Navy by tradition. Plank owners, Shellbacks, and even Golden Dragons all require certain parameters to be met before the certificates can be handed out.
A number of requirements need to be met to join the Order of the Blue Nose. But only recently have US Navy ships started returning to the Arctic Circle. The region has seen increased activity amid growing great power competition there. In late 2018, USS Harry Truman sailed to the Arctic Circle to participate in military exercises with other NATO forces — the first aircraft carrier to venture into the Arctic since the early 1990s.
And not all Navy vessels make their way to the Arctic. Ships stationed on the East Coast of the US are more likely to make their way to the Arctic compared to their West Coast counterparts. But even if a sailor is on the right ship and sailing out of the right port, they still may not actually make it to the Arctic Circle if the commanding officer deems it a waste of fuel or it doesn't make sense for the trip.
Morale booster
Crew members on board the US Navy Attack Submarine USS Pogy sport blue noses after returning from Operation Scientific Exercise.
PO2 Felix Garza/National Archives
Going through various naval ceremonies serves as a morale booster for sailors, marking a significant moment in their career traversing the ocean.
As US Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton wrote in 1997, "these activities, if properly supervised, can be effective leadership tools to instill esprit de corps, unit cohesion, and respect for an accomplishment of another Sailor or Marine."
"'Crossing the line' ceremonies, and others, are only meant to celebrate and recognize the achievements of individual Sailors or Marines or those of entire units," Dalton continued.
Different ceremonies, same core principles
Culinary Specialist Senior Chief Petty Officer Aneuris Robles plays the role of Boreas Rex, the King of the North, and initiates Sailors into the "Order of the Blue Nose" during a line-crossing ceremony aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sara Eshleman/Released
Because there is no formalized ceremony or certificate, the actual Blue Nose ceremony can vary from ship to ship. However, there are some commonalities among them.
All ceremonies include a visit from Boreas Rex, the King of the North whose domain the sailors enter upon crossing the Arctic Circle. To be accepted into his realm, sailors must go through a series of challenges designed by captains and crews.
Naval ceremonies around the world
Sailors are welcomed into the "Order of the Blue Nose" during an Arctic Circle ceremony on the flight deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino
The tradition to mark the feat of crossing some of the harshest waters in the world is practiced beyond the US Navy.
Britain's military also has a long-standing tradition for sailors who cross into the Arctic Circle to become members of the Royal Order of the Blue Nose, upon which the US rite of passage could be based.
The crew of Canadian tanker, Nikolay Yevgenov, did their homework on crossing traditions online and discovered the Blue Nose ceremony. In an effort to boost morale and reward the crew for their hard work during their perilous journey, Captain Denis O'Donnell put together his spin on the Blue Nose Ceremony for his crew.
"The ceremonies differ ship to ship depending on time trade and willingness of the people onboard to take part. However, the ceremonies may differ, and the feeling is shared upon completion," O'Donnell wrote in a blog post of the experience. "These rituals help to form a common bond on board through the good times and especially the tough times."
The potential rise of Blue Nose members
Ensign Sehoon Kim is welcomed into the "Order of the Blue Nose" during an Arctic Circle ceremony on the flight deck of USS Arlington.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino
Though US Navy submarines frequently visit the Arctic, larger naval ships have been absent for roughly the past 20 years. The Navy only started again sending ships to the Arctic within the last five to six years.
The climate crisis is opening up new passageways in the Arctic, creating more opportunities for competition among countries like the US, Russia, and China. Increased assertiveness by some US rivals is leading the US military to look more closely at the region.
The Blue Nose ceremony might become much more common than it has been in the past 20 years while the US Navy keeps an eye on escalating tensions in the Arctic.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the British military's "Royal Order of the Blue Nose" traditions, including clarifying that a certificate came from the Royal Air Force.
Donald Trump sits next to his attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove during the former president's criminal hush-money trial in Manhattan.
Craig Ruttle – Pool/Getty Images
Donald Trump's lead attorney Todd Blanche began his cross-examination of Michael Cohen Tuesday.
Blanche came out of the gate swinging, questioning Cohen about social media posts bashing Trump.
"You referred to President Trump as a 'dictator douchebag,' didn't you?" Blanche demanded of Cohen.
Donald Trump's lead attorney Todd Blanche came out of the gate swinging on Tuesday as he began his cross-examination of the former president's ex-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.
Blanche grilled Cohen — the prosecution's star witness in Trump's New York criminal hush-money trial — about the many times that Cohen insulted both Trump and himself on social media.
"You referred to President Trump as a 'dictator douchebag,' didn't you?" Blanche said as he questioned Cohen about an April 23 TikTok Cohen made just days after the historic trial began.
Cohen deadpanned from the witness stand, "Sounds like something I would say."
Journalists and members of the public watching the trial on video screens in the court's overflow room erupted in laughter.
Blanche also went after Cohen about him ranting in the recent TikTok video that Trump "belongs in a fucking cage."
"You said, 'he goes back into that little cage, which is where he belongs, in a fucking cage, like an animal.' Did you say that?" Blanche demanded of Cohen, who responded, "I recall saying that."
Michael Cohen, the ex-lawyer for former President Donald Trump, departs his home in Manhattan to testify in Trump's criminal hush-money trial.
REUTERS/Mike Segar
Cohen's roasts of his former boss were revisited
Just moments into his fiery cross-examination of Cohen, Blanche said, "In fact, on April 23rd, you went on TikTok and called me a crying little shit, didn't you?"
"Sounds like something I would say," Cohen said to an earlier wave of laughter in the downtown Manhattan court's overflow room — a second courtroom in the building where members of the public and press are able to watch the trial on screens.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan swiftly sustained an objection from the prosecution, striking the question from the record.
Later in the cross-examination, Blanche brought up more occasions where Cohen roasted Trump. He asked about a T-shirt depicting an illustration of Trump in an orange jumpsuit and behind bars, which Cohen wore on his April 23 TikTok video.
"It's part of the merch store," Cohen said, touting items sold by the MeidasTouch Network, the left-leaning media company where he hosts one of his anti-Trump podcasts.
Todd Blanche just entered an image of this shirt, sold by the Medias Touch network, into evidence.
The website also sells a mug depicting Trump's signature coiffure with the phrase "Send him to the big house, not the White House," as Blanche pointed out to the jury.
Cohen's cross-examination comes after he spent the last day and a half on the witness stand, being questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.
Cohen testified that Trump was the one who directed him to make a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election.
Prosecutors allege Trump illegally disguised records reimbursing Cohen for a $130,000 hush-money payment made to Daniels ahead of 2016 election.
The payment, prosecutors say, was to buy Daniels' silence over a one-time sexual encounter the porn star says she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel suite in 2006 during a celebrity golf tournament.
Trump has denied having sex with Daniels.
Prosecutors hope Cohen's testimony will bolster their argument that Trump orchestrated the payment to Daniels as part of an illegal conspiracy to influence the election.
"He wasn't thinking about Melania," Cohen testified of Trump. "This was all about the campaign."
Russia can't stave off an economic crisis forever, think tank researcher Alexander Kolyandr writes.
Moscow is becoming more susceptible to major shocks the longer the war goes on.
"The Kremlin, as a result, is in a three-way bind of its own making," Kolyandr said.
Russia's economy is fragile and policymakers won't be able to stave off a crisis for very long, a think tank researcher argued in a post on Tuesday.
Alexander Kolyandr, a Russian economy expert and researcher for the Centre for European Policy Analysis, pointed to mounting challenges faced by the Kremlin as its war in Ukraine drags on through its third year.
Central bankers and policymakers in Russia have so far managed to keep the economy afloat, but their good luck is bound to run out, Kolyandr warned.
"Putin used to know that the economy was best left to professionals. Indeed, the men and women running the country's central bank, finance ministry, and ministry of economic development remain highly skilled and saved the country from economic collapse in 2022," Kolyandr wrote in a recent note. "Two years on, they clearly understand the longer-term impossibility of the task they've been set. The question is, do they dare tell the boss? And if they do, will he listen?"
Russia's economy has flashed key signs of weaknesses since the West first began imposing sanctions on the nation in 2022. Trade restrictions, like a ban on energy imports to Europe and $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil, have delivered a major blow to the Kremlin's war chest, with Russia's energy revenue plunging 24% last year.
Russia is also reeling from the growing costs of its war, in both its finances and its human capital. The nation is now slammed with a severe worker shortage, which has pushed up wages and inflation.
Prices in Russia are growing at a pace of around 8%, double the central bank's official price target. Interest rates have also soared to 16% as policymakers try to stem the inflationary tide, which poses another burden to consumers.
"The Kremlin, as a result, is in a three-way bind of its own making. The government can't cut spending as long as the war continues. The war, however, saps the labor force, fueling inflation and diminishing both welfare and public sentiment. And high interest rates, necessitated by all that inflation, stifle investment in productivity and further distort the economy," Kolyandr said.
Other experts have noted that Russia faces a dilemma as it juggles managing its economy and prolonging its war against Ukraine. According to one European economist, the nation has become dependent on war for economic growth, and it can't afford to win or lose the war.
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, is one of Tech's highest-paid execs.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is one of the world's highest-paid execs, earning $226 million in 2022.
Pichai has been at Google since 2004, becoming its CEO in 2015 and Alphabet's CEO in 2019.
In the role, Pichai has reorganized Google's workforce, issued mass layoffs, and emphasized AI.
Sundar Pichai has had a meteoric rise since joining Google as a 31-year-old product manager in 2004.
In the 11 years that followed his first steps on the Googleplex, Pichai was promoted four times, eventually becoming the CEO of Google in 2015.
In that role, he was responsible for the company's core businesses and cash cow — and did a good enough job that, in December 2019, he was promoted one more time, replacing Google cofounder Larry Page as the CEO of Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Since then, he has led the almost-$2-trillion company through the pandemic, layoffs, and the AI renaissance that's taken Silicon Valley by storm.
So, who is Pichai, and how did he scale the ranks to get one of the most important jobs at one of the most important companies in the world? Here's his story.
Jillian D'Onfro, Avery Hartmans, and Mary Meisenzahl contributed to an earlier version of this article.
Pichai, whose full name is actually Pichai Sundararajan, grew up in Chennai, India.
Pichai grew up in a two-room apartment in Chennai, India, and moved to the United States after winning a scholarship to Stanford University.
Babu Babu/Reuters
Pichai's father was an electrical engineer, and his mother worked as a stenographer before having him and his younger brother. The family wasn't wealthy, and the boys slept together in the living room of their two-room apartment.
Early on, Pichai's family realized he had a talent for remembering numbers after noticing he could recall every phone number he had ever dialed on their rotary phone. He has been known to sometimes show off his memorization skills at meetings, Bloomberg said in 2014.
After becoming interested in computers — the first software program he wrote was a chess game — Pichai studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur. His success there won him a scholarship to Stanford University.
Pichai earned a master's degree from Stanford and later attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School for his MBA.
Pichai has said that moving to California was a huge leap.
"I always loved technology growing up," Pichai said in a 2014 interview at Delhi University. "I used to read about what was happening in Silicon Valley, and I wanted to be a part of it."
When Pichai got to America in 1993, he couldn't believe how expensive everything was.
Sundar and Anjali Pichai married after moving to the US, and now have two children together.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
He "was in an absolute state of shock" about the price of a backpack — $60 — he told Bloomberg.
He also missed his girlfriend, Anjali. The two eventually married and now have a son, Kiran, and daughter, Kavya.
Before Google, he had stints at semiconductor manufacturer Applied Materials and consulting firm McKinsey.
Pichai had his first interview at Google on April Fools' Day in 2004 — the same day it launched Gmail.
Pichai helped convince Google execs to create Google Chrome — now the world's most popular browser.
Stephen Lam/Reuters
Pichai has said he initially thought the free email service Gmail was one of Google's famous pranks.
Pichai got his start working as a VP of product management, focused on Google's Toolbar, a web-search feature on Internet Explorer and Firefox.
One of his early achievements: convincing Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin that Google should build its own web browser.
In 2006, Microsoft created a "doomsday" scenario for Google by making Bing the new default search engine on Internet Explorer. To mitigate the effect of this change, Pichai helped convince Google execs to create its own browser, Google Chrome.
Chrome is now the world's most popular browser.
As a leader at Google, Pichai was known to be well-liked and focused on results, which resulted in more responsibility.
Pichai is known for bringing a "substance over overt style" attitude to Google.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
Pichai's "substance over overt style" approach was, in part, what led to Pichai taking over the Android division in 2013.
He spearheaded Android One, Google's push to "make high-quality smartphones accessible to as many people as possible," and was also instrumental in ensuring Android was better integrated with Google.
Pichai was also behind Chrome OS, the operating system that powers Google's inexpensive Chromebook laptops, and was reportedly instrumental in helping put together Google's $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest in 2014.
His success garnered attention, and he was reportedly approached for a leadership role at Twitter.
When Pichai turned down Twitter, he was rewarded for his allegiance, getting $50 million and a promotion.
As he rose through the ranks, Pichai became the right-hand man of Google cofounder and former CEO Larry Page.
"He's like the Aaron to Larry's Moses," a source told Business Insider in 2014, referring to the biblical prophet's brother.
That relationship and his success led to Pichai's next important promotion in late 2014 when Page put him in charge of the company's core products.
After proving himself with Chrome and Android, Pichai added Google+, Maps, Search, commerce and ads, and infrastructure to his portfolio. The move cemented Pichai's move as Page's second-in-command.
"Sundar has a tremendous ability to see what's ahead and mobilize teams around the super important stuff," Page wrote in a memo announcing Pichai's promotion. "We very much see eye-to-eye when it comes to product, which makes him the perfect fit for this role."
Less than a year later, he was named CEO of Google.
Pichai, who became CEO of Google in 2015, is well-liked among the company's employees.
"He is literally worshipped inside Google. Engineers love him. Product Managers love him. Business people love him," one Googler wrote on Quora around that time.
"Sundar has been doing a great job as Google's CEO, driving strong growth, partnerships, and tremendous product innovation. I really enjoy working with him, and I'm excited that he is joining the Alphabet board," Page said at the time.
Two years later came his final promotion at the company. Alphabet's CEO, Page, and president, Sergey Brin, announced that they were stepping down, and Pichai would become Alphabet's CEO.
Page and Brin cofounded Google in 1998. They announced the change in a letter saying that Alphabet and Google "no longer need two CEOs and a President."
Pichai is well-compensated for his work.
Google reported in April 2023 that Pichai earned a total of $226 million in 2022, mostly in stock awards, making him one of America's best-paid CEOs.
But the top job at Alphabet also comes with increased public and internal scrutiny.
Pichai has testified in front of the US government multiple times.
Google has also dealt with internal turmoil after letting go of one of its top AI ethicists.
In December 2020, Google fired Timnit Gebru. Her exit came weeks after she was asked to retract a paper on the dangers of large language models and spoke out against the company's treatment of minority employees.
Google employees were "seriously pissed" over how the firing was handled, one told BI at the time, and Gebru said that Pichai and other managers helped create "hostile work environments."
"I want to say how sorry I am for that, and I accept the responsibility of working to restore your trust," he wrote.
Also in 2020, Pichai was at the forefront of Google's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, Google launched initiatives to help search users find accurate, useful information about the coronavirus.
And like many large tech companies, Alphabet recruited rapidly at the start of the pandemic. Alphabet hired nearly 37,000 new workers in the 12 months leading up to October 2022.
But from late 2022, Pichai had to oversee an era of cost-cutting at the company.
That culminated in job losses in January 2023, when Google layoffs affected 12,000 employees or 6% of its global workforce. Pichai said he took "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here."
Over 1,400 Google employees wrote an open letter to Pichai about how the layoffs were handled.
"Don't be evil," it read, a reference to the company's original motto.
Googlers also criticized Pichai's big payday in the face of the job cuts, accusing him of "destroying morale and culture" at Google.
Google also laid off hundreds more workers in its central engineering division and hardware team in early 2024.
Pichai has also had to deal with European regulatory issues. French regulators hit Google with a roughly $270 million fine in March 2024, accusing the company of using news outlet articles to train its Gemini AI model.
Pichai has also pushed Google forward in the AI arms race that's preoccupying Silicon Valley.
In 2016, Pichai said that Google will one day become an "AI-first" company.
Getty Images
Google issued a "code red" in December 2022 after the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT sparked concerns about the future of its search engine and whether chatbots might replace it. Pichai redirected resources to focus on building Google's AI products.
It wasn't the first time Pichai expressed interest in the technology, though. In 2016, Pichai announced that Google would be an "AI-first" company. Two years later, he said it's "one of the most important things that humanity is working on" and "more profound" than "electricity or fire."
Google's AI efforts have resulted in its own chatbot.
In February 2023, Google demoed the AI chatbot Bard for the first time. But the demo, which included the bot making a factual error, wasn't massively well-received internally and was called "rushed, botched, myopic" by one employee. Google made Bard available to the public over a month later.
In December 2023, Google's Gemini launched. Gemini is a multimodal AI model that can process images, text, audio, video, and coding languages. And in February 2024, the company merged the two, saying:
"Our mission with Bard has always been to give you direct access to our AI models, and Gemini represents our most capable family of models. To reflect this, Bard will now simply be known as Gemini."
Pichai has also shifted Google's focus to integrating AI into its other products.
At the 2023 Google I/O conference, the CEO announced that Google would add AI features across Google Workspace, including in Search, Gmail, Docs, and other products.
Still, Gemini has had issues. In 2024, Google had to suspend its image generator after people complained that the model produced historically inaccurate photos of US presidents.
Pichai later sent a memo to employees acknowledging the AI controversy.
"I know that some of its responses have offended our users and shown bias — to be clear, that's completely unacceptable, and we got it wrong."
The problems led to a growing chorus of voices calling for Pichai to step down from his leadership role.
When Pichai isn't spending his time leading Google, the CEO meets with influential world leaders.
Pichai met with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the 2022 CEO Summit of the Americas.
Jose Luis Magana/AP; Pavel Golovkin/AP
In early June 2022, Pichai attended the CEO Summit of the Americas — hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Department of State — where business leaders from private sectors across countries in North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, come together in Los Angeles to discuss how they can work together to stimulate economic growth in their countries.
During the three-day summit, Pichai met with Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, to discuss Google's investments in Canada and how the company can work with the government to spur innovation in the country.
The Alphabet CEO also announced his $1.2 billion commitment to Latin America.
While Pichai is quite private, he is known to start his day with a cup of tea and an omelet — plus a copy of The Wall Street Journal.
"I read the physical paper every single morning," he told Recode in 2016, adding that he reads The New York Times online.
The Pichai's morning routine also includes scrolling through TechMeme, a niche tech news website that aggregates the latest stories in tech published by media outlets.
Although he's private, Pichai has spoken out about certain causes since he became a public figure.
In 2015, he responded to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's suggestion that Muslims be barred from immigrating to the US.
"Let's not let fear defeat our values. We must support Muslim and other minority communities in the US and around the world," he wrote.
In his home country, Pichai is seen as something of a hero.
Pichai pledged $10 billion to India's tech sector in 2020.
Saumya Khandelwal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
"You are what they would like to be, an Indian who studied here, went overseas, and did what everyone would dream of doing," interviewer Harsha Bhogle said in a conversation with Pichai for students at Delhi University.
In 2020, Pichai announced that Google would invest $10 billion into India's tech sector over the next five to seven years to make the internet "affordable and useful" to everyone living in the country.
Meta's instant forms can help advertisers drive quality leads and new sales.
Meta
For businesses that need to build a customer pipeline by responding to or creating demand, social environments like Meta's apps can offer what traditional lead generation methods like direct mail or search can't: personalized connection with people open to discovery who are not searching for a specific product or service.1 In fact, two in three online shoppers agree that social media makes them likely to try new brands and products. Businesses can create and respond to demand with Meta's lead generation products.
Meta's lead generation solutions are focused on helping advertisers find customers that are most likely to engage, convert, and remain loyal to the brand. Most recently, they're evolving to help advertisers drive a high volume of quality leads. In a 2023 study, Meta's instant forms product delivered a 20% lower cost-per-qualified lead (CPQL) when compared to website forms.2 This means that with native lead generation products, many advertisers can focus their attention on their highest value potential customers at a lower cost.
Take Panoramic Doors, a high-end windows and sliding doors retailer based in Dallas, Texas. They use instant forms that allow customers to share simple information like name, email, and budget to generate quality leads that drive sales. The brand recently closed a $24,000 sale in six days with an instant form lead.
To make the most of Meta's lead generation solutions, consider these four tips.
1. Take advantage of seasonal trends
New Year's resolutions, spring cleaning, and summer vacation are all prime moments when potential customers will be more likely to be interested in your services. Last spring, between the months of April and June, there was 19% year-on-year growth in Meta lead ad submissions.3 Take advantage of these peak seasons to find new customers to grow your business.
2. Make it easy with instant forms
Using tools that eliminate friction for your potential leads and don't require your customer to click off site – such as auto-filling user info or quick loading on mobile – can prevent leads dropoff. According to Aly Gomez, a Capacity Interactive Consultant, clients are finding instant form leads to be stickier than the leads generated from their website. She recommends focusing on making the form as short as possible by only requesting the user's name and email address.
Meta's instant forms make it easy for customers to fill out.
Meta
3. Use Meta's advanced AI to find your target campaign audience
For small business advertisers, ad sets that use Advantage+ audience with instant forms had 8% lower cost-per-lead, on average, compared to ad sets that used the original audience experience.4
4. Improve performance and lead quality with new features
Generating more valuable leads is easier than ever with new features like conditional logic, which can help qualify leads by creating an instant form containing multiple questions within a question flow. John Wai Martial Arts sought to elevate the quality of its leads while minimizing cost-per-quality lead. Leveraging conditional logic, the team streamlined lead submissions by instantly pre-filling prospective customers' details from their Facebook profiles after clicking on an ad. This enabled quick follow-up by the John Wai team and increased the conversion rate from lead to customer by 62% compared to using the instant forms alone.
For lead generation advertisers, integrate your CRM with Conversions API, which can enable a business to leverage their CRM data to drive performance. This works by creating a direct connection between a business' marketing data and Meta's ads delivery systems. A recent analysis of instant forms campaigns found those that had a CRM optimized for conversion leads and connected to the Conversions API cut cost-per-quality lead by 15% and increased those quality lead conversions by 44% on average.5 To support businesses of all sizes with CRM integration, Meta has expanded the roster of low friction Meta Business Partners to include Hubspot and Zoho. And for smaller businesses that aren't ready to integrate their CRM, Meta Business Suite (MBS) now includes a free, lightweight CRM system, available to all businesses on Meta, that's designed to simplify lead management from instant forms or click-to-message ads.
Watch the video to hear more tips from advertisers who are driving quality leads at scale with Meta's instant forms, or learn more here.
1 "Discovery-Led Shopping Study" by GFK (Meta-commissioned online survey of 12,000+ respondents ages 18 – 74 in the AU, BR, CA, FR, DE, IN, ID, MX, SK, JP, UK, US, Q2 2022. Qualifying respondents shop online at least twice a month and made an online purchase of beauty, furniture, electronics and/or apparel in the past 3 months at the time of the study.
2Analysis of 15 global 3-cell A/B tests run from Nov 2022-Feb 2023 where advertisers self-reported results and used website forms that were similar to their Meta forms. 86% confidence level. Test compared instant forms campaigns using the conversion leads performance goal against website forms campaigns optimized for website conversions.
3 Year-over-year analysis of over 500M global lead ads submissions across all verticals between April 1, 2022 – June 30, 2022 and April 1, 2023 – June 30, 2023
4Analysis based on 9K randomly sampled observations of ad sets from small business group advertisers using Advantage+ audience or the original audience experience that were optimizing for lead generation and quality leads; Oct – Nov 2023.
5 Results based on A/B tests on 273 advertisers, with ads delivered globally from Jan 11-28, 2024, and included incentives. Results were statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. Performance may vary. Conversion from lead to quality lead occurs when a user takes a qualifying, lower funnel action identified by the business, which moves them into a "quality lead" status. Qualifying actions or events vary by business, based on their individual sales funnel event stages.
At Google IO conference, CEO Sundar Pichai teased where AI is headed next.
It's going to be all about agents that are better at reasoning and can act on our behalf.
What if Google did the searching for you?
What if the Google Assistant was actually… an assistant?
It's a question the company finally started answering at the 2024 Google IO conference on Tuesday, where the search giant fired off AI announcements by the dozen.
With Google and other AI companies making advances in how these systems can ingest images, videos, sound, and text, we're beginning to see how these systems are evolving from smart chatbots to more sophisticated tools that can do more of the hard work.
It's something Google CEO Sundar Pichai is thinking a lot about right now.
"I think about AI agents as intelligent systems that show reasoning planning and memory," Pichai said in a roundtable with reporters ahead of the developer show this week.
"They're able to think multiple steps ahead and work across software and systems all to get something done on your behalf and most importantly, with your supervision."
In short: AI agents are what have the best shot at taking this technology from "nice to have" to "need to have."
Project Astra
Pichai said Google is "in the very early days" of developing this, but promised we'd see glimpses of "agentic direction" across Google's products at IO. And there were several, but the big one people will be talking about is Project Astra.
Astra is a vision of what the Google Assistant should have been all along. You can also think of it a smarter version of Google Lens, one that uses real-time computer-vision capabilities to let you ask it questions about what you can see and hear around you.
"We've always wanted to build a universal agent that will be useful in everyday life," Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis said. "Imagine agents that can see and hear what we do better, understand the context we're in and respond quickly in conversation making the pace and quality of interaction feel much more natural."
Google showed a demo of someone holding their phone up with the camera on and asking the AI voice assistant questions about what it was seeing. For example, they pointed it out the window and asked "What neighborhood do you think I'm in?" Correctly, it located Google's King's Cross office in London.
Hassabis stressed that this demo video was recorded in "real time." Google got a lot of blowback in December after a Gemini AI model demo turned out to be edited, so Google needed to emphasize it can really do this — especially after OpenAI showed off a similar demo on Monday.
If there really is no manipulation here, Astra is certainly impressive, and will probably be the big takeaway of the show. But there are other ways these AI agents will emerge in the nearer term.
Google teased a combination of updates that will soon make its Gemini AI chatbot more capable and proactive. Some of this is being unlocked as Google continues to increase the context window, which is the amount of information a large language model can ingest at a time.
Say you want to know something buried deep in a series of very long documents that you don't want to spend hours sifting through. With a large context window, you can share all the documents with Gemini and then ask questions. The model can answer quickly, based on all the information it just ingested.
Tentacles and tailoring
But it's in its legacy products that Google really has an edge when it comes to enabling agent-like qualities.
With its tentacles already in many aspects of our lives, from email to search to maps, Google can synthesize all its knowledge about users and the world around them to not just answer queries, but tailor responses.
"My Gemini should really be different than your Gemini," said Sissie Hsiao, head of Gemini and Google Assistant.
Later this year, Gemini will be able to plan your vacation with a much more granular level of detail, according to Hsiao. The idea is you'll be able to plug in all your specific demands (you like to hike, you hate it when it's too hot, and you're allergic to shellfish) and Gemini will return a detailed itinerary. Chatbots can already do this type of thing, but, if permitted, Gemini will have access to your flight information, travel confirmations in Gmail, and perhaps your hotel, and can use this to inform its answers.
"An AI assistant should be able to solve complex problems, should be able to take actions for you, and also feel very natural and fluid when you engage with it," Hsiao said.
Google
Much of what agents will do is remove steps and shorten tasks. Google is also thinking about this when it comes to Search, as the company evolves its most precious product to spit out answers made using generative AI.
It's rolling out a custom version of Gemini built specifically for Search, combining its knowledge of the web with the AI model's multimodal abilities and giant context window.
Liz Reid, Google's head of Search, showed an example of Google Lens being used to take a video of a record player. The user asks Gemini why the arm isn't staying in place. Google responds with exact instructions for that specific turntable.
As ever, Google has some confusing branding to solve: Lens, Assistant, Gemini, Astra. Ultimately, though, a lot of this eventually merges together. On Tuesday, Google gave us clues on what this logical conclusion will look like.
Or, as Reid put it: "This is a way for Google to do the searching for you."