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Devices like the Meta Ray Bans can be surprisingly good, but they're evolving fast, so you'll probably want to wait right now.

Trump signed executive orders setting updated tariff rates on more than 65 countries. And, more than 1,000 rabbis and Jewish leaders signed a public letter decrying starvation in Gaza.

(Image credit: AFP)

Gemini 2.5 Deep Think has scored well in math competitions, and a version of it is now available for those who fork over $250 a month.

I tested the Turboant R9 and while it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it does have shockingly good performance and a decent feature set for $550.

Commentary: Gemini has launched Android smartwatches into a new era of AI voice assistants, leaving the Apple Watch in the dust… for now.

Cyberpunk 2077 leads the pack but Fast Fusion and Bravely Default also make for interesting gameplay.

On April 25, 2025, Patrick Opet, CISO of JPMorgan Chase, issued an open letter to technology providers, urging the industry to address growing concerns about software supply chain security. His message emphasized the increasing operational and systemic risks associated with SaaS providers, particularly in highly regulated sectors like financial services.

To many across the SaaS and cyber security industries, this comes as no great surprise. For years, large businesses have been heavily investing in their own cyber security. However, in response, cyber criminals are moving down the supply chain to third party vendors as the new attack surface to bypass in-house security measures.

Instead of defensive posturing, we see this as an opportunity to demonstrate how purpose-built solutions can directly address these critical concerns. In particular, Opet’s call aligns with a wider industry shift—spurred by frameworks such as the EU’s DORA and the UK’s CTP regime—toward greater transparency, accountability, and operational resilience throughout the supply chain.

Supporting Resilience Through Deployment Choice

A key concern raised in the open letter is the industry’s growing reliance on single deployment models that can introduce concentration risk. Many SaaS providers operate solely in multi-tenant environments with shared IT infrastructure and common update cycles—an approach that can create efficiencies, but may not suit all customers’ control or compliance requirements.

One solution, and our own approach, is to offer deployment flexibility—whether that’s via public cloud, or on-premise. These technical capabilities support both single-tenant and hybrid models, giving clients greater control over how and where their data and workloads are managed.

For example, our asset management clients processing legacy data sets may choose an on-premise deployment for maximum control, while payment processors handling high transaction volumes might opt for our scalable cloud managed service solution.

This flexibility doesn’t need to come at the expense of innovation. Release cycles can be structured to give customers clarity and choice around when to adopt updates, with rigorous testing built into the process. In sectors where operational continuity is mission-critical, this control can be just as important as feature velocity.

Reducing Supply Chain Complexity

Opet’s letter also touches on the systemic risks posed by opaque third-party dependencies. In this regard, a conservative approach to supply chain design can help to minimize reliance on external services in the delivery of core applications.

When cloud infrastructure is relied on, robust business continuity and disaster recovery planning is required, including real-time replication across zones. We actively monitor our providers and maintain the transparency needed to support regulatory expectations around fourth-party oversight.

Resilience is about more than just technical architecture—it’s about building a culture of preparedness, and ensuring clients are confident in how their data is managed, stored, and protected.

Continuous Assurance, Not Annual Compliance

Another theme highlighted is the insufficiency of annual certifications as a stand-alone assurance model. Frameworks like ISO27001 and SOC 2 should be foundational—but not the end of the story.

Organizations must provide ongoing support for client audits and due diligence, and encourage proactive engagement between teams and clients’ governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) functions. Security and resilience aren’t one-off milestones—they are continuous, evolving responsibilities.

Enabling Secure, Governed Use of AI

The growing use of AI across the software landscape brings new opportunities—and new responsibilities. Vendors are integrating AI features in areas such as anomaly detection and process automation, always with clear governance and internal risk oversight.

For regulated firms, assurance around how AI is deployed, tested, and controlled is critical. Having said that, ensuring that any AI capabilities within platforms are developed with transparency, control, and compliance at the forefront, is essential.

Building Tomorrow's Security Standards Today

The message from JPMorgan Chase serves as an important reminder: as technology providers, we are an extension of our customers’ risk environments. Our role is not just to deliver functionality—it’s to help our clients operate safely, confidently, and compliantly in an increasingly complex world.

SaaS providers must commit to providing the flexibility, transparency, and resilience that financial services firms need to navigate today’s evolving regulatory expectations.

In return, the firms that will thrive are those that view security not as a compliance checkbox, but as a competitive advantage built through genuine partnership with their technology providers.

We've listed the best software asset management (SAM) tools.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Pixel Watch 4 pricing for the US has leaked
• The main models will stay at the same price
• We could get a price drop on the LTE models

The Pixel Watch 4 is expected to be unveiled on Wednesday, August 20 at the next Made by Google event – alongside the Pixel 10 phones and the Pixel Buds 2a – and a new leak gives us some idea about how much the new wearable is going to cost.

According to information obtained by Android Headlines, the starting price of the Pixel Watch 4 in the US will be the same as it was for the Pixel Watch 3 last year: $349. Presumably the international pricing of £349 / AU$579 will stay the same too.

That's for the 41mm model without LTE, but Android Headlines says the price for the Wi-Fi-only 45mm wearable is going to be the same as last year as well: $399 (or £399 / AU$669). In other words, Google seems to have avoided adding any price hikes.

In fact, the LTE variants are said to be cheaper: $399 vs $449 for 41 mm LTE and $449 vs $499 for 45 mm LTE. Internationally, the Pixel Watch 3 prices for those models were £449 / AU$749 and £499 / AU$839 respectively, so we'll have to see if there's any change there.

Promo packages

You might be able to get YouTube Premium with your Pixel Watch 4 (Image credit: Future)

We also have a few details about the promotional offers that are going to be available if you decide to pick up a Pixel Watch 4. Apparently everyone who buys the device will get six months of Fitbit Premium and a month of YouTube Premium included.

That gives you access to features such as extra fitness insights, instructor-led workouts, and meditation routines (with Fitbit Premium), as well as an ad-free YouTube experience, offline downloads, and YouTube Music Premium (with YouTube Premium).

These offers are now fairly typical with Google Pixel products, and certainly add to the appeal of the devices: Fitbit Premium will cost you $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$15.49 a month, and YouTube Premium $13.99 / £12.99 / AU$16.99 a month, if you decide to keep them on.

One more tidbit from this particular leak is that the Pixel Watch 4 is set to offer 25% faster charging than its predecessor, getting from zero to 50% of a charge in 15 minutes. We've already seen a leak of the redesigned charger that comes with the wearable.

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• Microsoft uncovers cyber espionage attacks targeting diplomats
• Embassies within Russia are being hit with malware
• The threat actors are using adversary-in-the-middle attacks

Foreign embassies in Moscow are being targeted by Russian state hackers, who are using custom malware tracked as ApolloShadow, disguised as Kaspersky antivirus software, new reports have claimed.

The attacks have the end goal of installing a TLS root certificate which allows the threat actor to ‘cryptographically impersonate’ trusted websites visited by the infected system inside the embassy, Microsoft Threat Intelligence reports.

“This campaign, which has been ongoing since at least 2024, poses a high risk to foreign embassies, diplomatic entities, and other sensitive organizations operating in Moscow, particularly to those entities who rely on local internet providers," the experts noted.

Secret Blizzard

This cyber espionage campaign targeting diplomats and embassies uses what's known as an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attack, which occurs when hackers intercept and alter communications between two parties without their knowledge.

These frequently leverage other attack vectors like social engineering emails or messages to create conditions in which an attacker can intercept and manipulate the communications between users and the legitimate services they use, then stealing credentials and authenticated access tokens.

The notorious threat actor, Secret Blizzard, has previously been observed hacking Ukrainian military tech by stealing points of entry from third-parties. The group is one of the most sophisticated and most prolific state-sponsored threat actors in the world.

Microsoft previously assessed with ‘low confidence’ that Secret Blizzard was conducting cyberespionage within Russian borders against its adversaries, but the company now confirms that they have the capability to carry these out on the Internet Service Provider (ISP) level.

This means diplomats using local ISP or telecommunications within Russia are ‘highly likely’ targets of Secret Blizzard’s AiTM position within those services.

“In our previous blog, we reported the actor likely leverages Russia’s domestic intercept systems such as the System for Operative Investigative Activities (SORM), which we assess may be integral in facilitating the actor’s current AiTM activity, judging from the large-scale nature of these operations,” Microsoft confirmed.

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The 10 finalists for the 20205 Reply AI Film Festival have just been announced. The festival, which launched last year, is designed specifically for films "written, enhanced or animated using AI".

The ten finalists for 2025 were selected for their ability to explore the theme of this year’s awards, which was "generation of emotions", and for “demonstrating how artificial intelligence can generate authentic and emotionally engaging experiences through cinematic language.”

AI artists, filmmakers, writers, animators, VFX artists, and enthusiasts from around the world, including Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States and Brazil took part in the contest.

I’ve watched most of the short films, and the amount of creativity on show is breathtaking. The films contain a wide range of styles, from anime to photorealistic to film noir.

In April the Oscars gave a tentative green light to the use of AI in films, but the topic continues to ruffle feathers amongst artists, the public and production studios alike.

Even the lovable popstar Nick Cave got into a spot of bother recently, for changing his mind about the use of AI in a post on his Red Hand Files blog. Cave had been gifted a new AI-created soundtrack film for the classic Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song Tupelo, created by the filmmaker Andrew Dominik, who is known for creating Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James, One More Time With Feeling, and Blonde, among others.

“As I watched Andrew’s surreal little film, I felt my view of AI as an artistic device soften. To some extent, my mind was changed", said Cave.

You can view the AI-generated movie yourself here: .

Cave’s unexpected about-face on AI has caused something of a reaction in the artists community, with his musician friend Amanda Palmer equating some of the scenes of AI recreating the deceased Elvis Presley as akin to “grave-robbing”.

Reply 2025

Like any tool, I believe it’s what you use AI for that matters. Rather than using AI to recreate the famous and dead, the finalists in the Reply AI Film Festival feature stunningly bold creative choices that might have been unfeasible without using AI.

For example, I was particularly struck by the short film Instinct by Marcello Costa Jr., a film-maker from Portugal – which features a neanderthal hunting a deer in the middle of a forest suddenly encountering a modern day skyscraper – and the mind-bending visual effects of the short film Meme, Myself and AI, by Private Island, a production studio from the UK.

Of course, the films in the Reply AI Film Festival are mostly less than five minutes long, but this is just the start of the AI movie revolution – I don’t think it’s going to be long now before the world gets its first full-length feature film, made entirely with AI.

The beauty of AI is that it can go as far as your imagination will allow.

“AI is not a replacement for human creativity, but a catalyst for innovation. It will enable filmmakers to explore new styles, genres, and narratives that were previously unimaginable.”, commented Gabriele Muccino, chair of the Reply jury.

Chosen from over 2,500 submissions across 67 countries, the Reply AI Film Festival winner will be awarded in a ceremony on Thursday, 4th September at the Mastercard Priceless Lounge, Hotel Excelsior, Venice.

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• The Battlefield 6 system requirements have been revealed
• A beefy CPU and graphics card are recommended
• Players should also use SSD storage for the best experience

EA has revealed the system requirements for Battlefield 6 and, if you're anything like me, it might be a sign that you need to upgrade your gaming PC.

Available via the official Battlefield 6 website, the game will require an Nvidia RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB graphics card at a minimum. This is in addition to Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor and 16GB of RAM.

As those specs are just a minimum requirement, however, I can't imagine that the experience will be very smooth.

You're recommended to have at least an Nvidia RTX 3060Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6700-XT graphics card, in addition to a newer Intel Core i7-10700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU and the same 16GB or RAM.

Although the game will run on a conventional HDD, an SSD is also recommended and should help keep loading times to a minimum.

You can see a full list of the requirements minimum below:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor(AMD): AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• Processor(Intel): Intel Core i5-8400
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics Card(AMD): AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB
• Graphics Card(Nvidia): Nvidia RTX 2060
• Direct X: DX12
• Online Connection Requirements: Yes
• Hard Drive Space: HDD - 55GiB

And the recommended requirements:

• OS: Windows 11
• Processor(AMD): AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• Processor(Intel): Intel Core i7-10700
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics Card(AMD): AMD Radeon RX 6700-XT
• Graphics Card(Nvidia): Nvidia RTX 3060Ti
• Direct X: DX12
• Online Connection Requirements: Yes
• Hard Drive Space: SSD - 80GiB

The reveal of these system requirements follows a comprehensive rundown of the game's explosive multiplayer mode.

We also learned that the game will launch on October 10 and be exclusive to current generation platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S. Pre-orders are available now.

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• I learned tai chi from a bear, fought a man named Chubby Brother, then caught the bubonic plague in Where Winds Meet – and now I’m downloading this free PS5 game on day one

When it comes to laptops, "good enough" isn't good enough: you need a system that's as smart as you are, with the stamina to handle the most demanding days and your passion projects too. And that means a PC with a Snapdragon X Series® processor.

Snapdragon X Series processors deliver an unrivalled balance of performance and battery life measured not in hours, but in days. It powers up all your favourite apps and takes care of even the most intensive tasks without breaking a sweat. And it does all of that on a single charge that lasts for days*.

The speed you need to ace everything

To say Snapdragon X Series processors are fast is like saying space is quite big. Snapdragon X Series delivers the kind of performance that makes jaws drop and eyes pop.

All Snapdragon X Series deliver exceptional speed, and the star of the family is the incredible Snapdragon X Elite. It comes with the new Qualcomm Oryon™ CPU, which is the leader in performance per watt. In plain English that means blisteringly fast performance and exceptional battery life too: it's available at processor speeds of up to 4.2GHz with up to 64GB of memory. Your PC may look like a laptop, but inside it's a supercomputer.

(Image credit: Qualcomm)Battery life that's twice as nice

Snapdragon X Elite isn't just speedy. It’s smart too. It intelligently distributes workloads across the entire system in order to deliver exceptional battery life: twice as long as typical laptops. With up to 22 hours of battery life* from a single charge, your PC powered by Snapdragon X Elite allows you to work or play for several days without needing to find a power outlet. That makes PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite particularly great for anyone who needs to work or study in multiple places that may, or may not have readily available outlets, and for anyone who loves going off grid or going on adventures.

AI like no other

AI's becoming an increasingly important tool for students, and PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite are the perfect partners for generative AI, large language models and other advanced technologies that lesser laptops just cannot cope with. The Snapdragon's incredible speed – it handles up to 45 trillion operations per second – meaning it outperforms rival laptops to bring you a turbo-charged AI experience. And because the Snapdragon X Elite is so efficient, it does it without draining the PC’s battery.

(Image credit: Qualcomm)Immersive entertainment

Snapdragon X Elite comes with Snapdragon Sound™ Technology Suite, the cutting-edge sonic system that elevates your audio to deliver high-quality streaming and sensational soundtracks in crystal-clear lossless audio. The premium integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU delivers stunning graphics and deliciously vibrant 5K video for immersive entertainment, delivering supercharged performance with ultra-low power consumption. And the Snapdragon X Elite [1] can make you look good too, with support for 4K HDR webcams that deliver super-sharp video calls and conferencing.

Comprehensive connectivity

When you have a laptop powered by Snapdragon X Elite, you’ll want to take full advantage of its impressive capabilities with incredibly fast wireless connections for both work and entertainment. Snapdragon X Elite delivers just that. With high-performance Wi-Fi 7 and the latest Bluetooth® wireless technologies, you get lightning-fast and incredibly stable wireless connectivity. Additionally, optional support for fast 5G mobile data connections, combined with the long battery life characteristic of Snapdragon processors, makes PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite ideal for travel.

(Image credit: Qualcomm)The perfect partner for you

One of our favorite things about PCs with Snapdragon X Series processors is that there’s one to suit every kind of student, and to suit every budget too. From the ultra-portable Acer Swift Go AI and Microsoft Surface 13 to the massive and massively powerful Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge 16 there are Snapdragon PCs of all sizes and specs – and if you want something even more flexible, there are all kinds of innovative designs such as Lenovo's brilliant IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1, which instantly and effortlessly converts from a laptop to a tablet and has ultra-fast Wi-Fi 7 to make it a perfect portable PC.

What we love most about PCs with Snapdragon X Series processors is that you don't have to compromise. You don't have to pick between high performance and long battery life, because Snapdragon X Series delivers both. And you don't have to settle for a PC that's less than perfect, because Snapdragon X Series powers amazing PCs of all shapes and sizes from all of your favorite names.

Click here to discover how your Snapdragon PC will help you rule the school.

* Battery life varies significantly based on device, settings, usage and other factors

Before you switch phone plan provider, check our top postpaid and prepaid plans from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Mint Mobile, US Mobile and others.

A panel organized by the FDA cast doubts on the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy — drawing ire from doctors who say SSRIs are a crucial treatment option for women with perinatal depression.

(Image credit: Mykola Sosiukin)

Substack has been a genuine surprise among blogging platforms in 2025, aimed for writers who want to ditch the search and monetize their content directly. Unlike some conventional options featured in our best blogging platforms roundup, Substack focuses on newsletter subscriptions and social discovery over traditional SEO. This unique publishing experience has gained significant traction among independent creators, especially journalists and influencers.

Our reviewers have spent thousands of hours testing 140+ of the best website builders and blogging tools, giving us deep insight into what makes platforms succeed or fail. While Wix remains our top pick for overall blogging excellence in 2025, Substack carves out its own niche with a distinctly different philosophy. It prioritizes simple publishing workflows and direct reader relationships over complex features and design flexibility.

Substack's growth trajectory has been remarkable, with writers building substantial audiences and generating significant revenue through paid subscriptions. Its success stems from its focus on quality content and genuine reader engagement, creating an environment where thoughtful writing thrives over algorithm-chasing tactics.

What is Substack?

You can think of Substack as a hybrid between a blog and an email newsletter service, designed specifically for writers who want to build direct relationships with their readers.

At its core, Substack is a content publishing platform where you can share newsletters and monetize your writing. Unlike traditional blogging platforms that rely heavily on search engine traffic, Substack delivers your content directly to subscribers' inboxes while also maintaining a web presence for broader discovery.

This platform operates on a simple premise: writers create content, readers subscribe to receive it via email, and successful creators can charge for premium subscriptions. Substack handles all the technical aspects — payment processing, email delivery, subscriber management — so writers can focus purely on creating content. This unique model has attracted everyone from independent journalists to niche experts who want to build sustainable businesses around their expertise, without dealing with complex website management or marketing automation tools.

Features

Substack's community features help writers discover audiences and build relationships with peers. (Image credit: Substack)

Substack offers a focused feature set that prioritizes writing and reader engagement over extensive customization options. The platform provides essential tools for content creation, email distribution, basic analytics, and monetization, making it particularly well-suited for writers who want to start publishing immediately without technical barriers. While feature-rich compared to basic newsletter services, Substack deliberately keeps things simpler than full-featured content management systems, which may disappoint users looking for advanced functionality.

The pricing structure reflects this streamlined approach. Core features like writing, publishing, email distribution, notes, videos, podcasts, and analytics are completely free. You only pay when you start earning through paid subscriptions, with Substack taking a 10% platform fee plus payment processing costs. This model makes it accessible for beginners while scaling costs with success, though the lack of advanced email marketing features like segmentation and automation may limit monetization potential for experienced marketers.

Writing and publishing tools

Substack's editor focuses on clean and distraction-free writing with basic formatting options that keep content readable and professional. The platform supports multimedia content including images, videos, and embedded podcasts, allowing creators to build rich publications without technical complexity. Publishing is instantaneous. You write, hit publish, and your content goes live on your profile page and optionally hits subscriber inboxes.

Email newsletter system

Email functionality forms Substack's backbone, automatically formatting your posts for inbox delivery with professional templates. Subscribers receive posts directly in their email, creating more intimate reader relationships than traditional blog followers. The system handles subscriber management, delivery optimization, and basic segmentation between free and paid subscribers. But it lacks advanced email marketing features like automated sequences or detailed subscriber tagging.

Monetization features

Substack's subscription system allows writers to offer free content alongside premium paid tiers, with flexible pricing for monthly, annual, and founding member subscriptions. The platform handles all payment processing through Stripe integration, manages subscriber access to paid content, and provides revenue analytics. Writers can experiment with different pricing strategies and offer various subscription benefits, though the system lacks sophisticated pricing experiments or advanced subscriber lifecycle management.

Community and discovery tools

Substack Notes functions as the platform's social layer, allowing writers to share shorter thoughts and engage with other creators' content. The Recommendations feature enables cross-promotion between compatible publications, creating organic growth opportunities within the Substack ecosystem. These community features help writers discover audiences and build relationships with peers, though discoverability remains challenging for new creators without existing audiences.

Analytics and insights

Basic analytics cover essential metrics like open rates, click-through rates, subscriber growth, and revenue tracking. The dashboard provides clear insights into content performance and audience engagement, helping writers understand what resonates with their readers. However, the analytics remain relatively simple compared to advanced email marketing platforms, lacking detailed subscriber behavior tracking or sophisticated conversion analysis.

Ease of use

Your writing experience feels natural and distraction-free, but the simplicity comes with trade-offs that some users find limiting. (Image credit: Substack)

Substack excels in simplicity, offering perhaps the most straightforward onboarding experience among content platforms. New users can create an account and publish their first post within minutes, with no technical setup required. The minimal interface eliminates the overwhelming array of options that plague traditional blogging platforms, allowing writers to focus on content creation rather than configuration.

Your writing experience feels natural and distraction-free, with a simple editor that handles formatting automatically while maintaining professional appearance. Publishing requires just a single click, the platform handles email distribution, web posting, and subscriber notifications seamlessly. This extends to subscriber management, where basic analytics and payment tracking remain accessible without complex dashboards or confusing metrics.

However, simplicity comes with trade-offs that some users find limiting. Customization options are minimal. You can adjust colors, add a logo, and choose from basic layouts, but advanced design control simply doesn't exist. Writers who want unique branding or complex page layouts will find Substack restrictive compared to platforms like WordPress or Ghost.

The platform occasionally suffers from performance issues too, with some users reporting unresponsive pages during editing sessions. While these technical hiccups don't affect the core publishing experience, they can frustrate users trying to customize their publications or manage subscriber settings. Despite these limitations, most writers appreciate the focus on content over complexity, finding it liberating rather than restrictive.

Pricing

Substack operates on a unique revenue-sharing model with no traditional subscription tiers. (Image credit: Substack)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Renewal rate (paid annually)

Free

$0/month

$0/month

Pro

10% of subscription revenue + processing fees

10% of subscription revenue + processing fees

Substack operates on a unique revenue-sharing model with no traditional subscription tiers. The platform is completely free to use for publishing free content, regardless of subscriber count.

Writers only pay when they enable paid subscriptions, at which point Substack takes a 10% platform fee plus payment processing costs through Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, plus 0.5% for recurring billing). You also pay a one-time fee of $50 if you’d like to connect your own domain, which can be purchased separately from a domain registrar.

This aligns Substack's success with creator success. It only profits when writers earn money. For a typical $50 annual subscription, total fees would amount to approximately $7.10, leaving writers with around $42.90. While a percentage-based model can become expensive for high-earning creators compared to flat-rate alternatives, it eliminates upfront costs and makes the platform accessible to writers just starting their monetization journey.

Customer support

Only about 10% of callers manage to speak with an actual person, with the average resolution rate being just 1%. (Image credit: Substack)

Substack's customer support has become a significant pain point for many users, with the platform heavily relying on AI-powered chatbots in 2024-25. The company launched an automated support system in early 2024, claiming it resolves over 90% of user inquiries. However, user experiences tell a different story, with many reporting frustrating interactions and difficulty reaching human representatives.

The primary support channel is a chatbot that appears on Substack's support page, though users can still email support@substack.com. While Substack claims there's a "seamless handoff" to human support when needed, many users report getting stuck in automated loops without receiving actual human assistance. The platform does provide a phone number (415-592-7299), but customer satisfaction ratings are extremely low at just 1.4 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot.

Real user experiences reveal significant issues with the support system. People report being charged multiple times for subscriptions, unable to cancel payments, and receiving only automated responses despite repeated attempts to reach human support. AI sometimes fabricates email addresses or provides incorrect information, leaving users without resolution for weeks or months. Only about 10% of callers manage to speak with an actual person, with the average resolution rate being just 1%.

For urgent security issues, you can contact security@substackinc.com, which appears to receive more attention than general support requests. However, the overall support experience remains frustrating for most users, with many describing it as "nonexistent" and recommending alternative platforms partly due to these service limitations.

Alternatives

Substack occupies a unique position in the content publishing market as a hybrid newsletter-blog platform focused on direct reader monetization. While competitors like WordPress offer more customization and Ghost provides better technical control, Substack's strength lies in its social publishing features and built-in community elements. The platform combines traditional newsletter functionality with social media-style interactions through Notes, recommendations, and cross-promotion features that most competitors lack.

For writers seeking maximum customization and control, WordPress remains the strongest alternative, offering extensive themes, plugins, and the ability to sell various digital products beyond subscriptions. Ghost CMS appeals to technically-minded creators who want full ownership without revenue sharing, providing advanced analytics and automation features that Substack lacks. Beehiiv and ConvertKit serve writers focused purely on email marketing with sophisticated automation tools.

Substack works best for independent writers and journalists who prioritize simplicity over customization and want to build direct relationships with readers. It particularly suits creators who appreciate the social discovery aspects and don't need complex email marketing features. However, writers requiring advanced design control, detailed analytics, or diverse monetization options may find better fits elsewhere.

The competitive landscape shows Substack maintaining its lead through community features rather than technical superiority. While platforms like MailerLite offer more comprehensive email tools and Gumroad provides broader monetization options, none match Substack's combination of publishing simplicity and social discovery. This positioning makes Substack ideal for content creators who want to focus on writing rather than platform management.

Substack review: Summary

Substack succeeds as a streamlined publishing platform that removes technical barriers between writers and their audiences. The platform's greatest strength lies in its simplicity. Writers can start publishing and monetizing immediately without dealing with complex setup, payment processing, or email delivery systems. The built-in social features like Notes and recommendations create genuine discovery opportunities that traditional blogging platforms lack, while the direct subscription model aligns creator and platform incentives effectively.

However, Substack's limitations become apparent for creators seeking growth beyond basic newsletter publishing. The minimal customization options, basic analytics, limited SEO capabilities, and problematic customer support create significant constraints for serious content businesses. Writers who need advanced email marketing features, detailed subscriber insights, or professional design control will quickly outgrow what Substack offers, making it hard to recommend as a long-term publishing solution for ambitious creators.

Substack: FAQsCan I use my own domain with Substack?

Yes, Substack allows custom domains for your publication, giving you a more professional appearance and helping with branding. You can set up a custom domain through your Substack settings, though you'll need to purchase the domain separately and configure DNS settings. This feature helps maintain your brand identity and makes your publication look more established to potential subscribers.

How much does Substack cost for creators?

Substack is completely free to use for publishing free content with unlimited subscribers. You only pay when you enable paid subscriptions, at which point Substack takes a 10% platform fee plus payment processing costs (approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction through Stripe). This means for a typical $50 annual subscription, you'd pay around $7.10 in total fees, keeping roughly $42.90. There are no upfront costs or monthly subscription fees.

Can I export my subscriber list from Substack?

Yes, you own your subscriber list and can export it at any time through your Substack dashboard. This includes both free and paid subscriber information, ensuring you're not locked into the platform. The export feature gives you flexibility to move to other platforms if needed, though you'll need to handle the technical migration and payment processing setup elsewhere.

Does Substack help with content discovery?

Substack offers several discovery features including Notes (short-form social content), recommendations between publications, and curated lists that can boost visibility. However, discoverability remains challenging for new creators without existing audiences. The platform's algorithm-based discovery is limited compared to social media platforms, making it essential to bring your own audience or actively participate in the Substack community to gain traction.

What content formats does Substack support?

Substack supports various content formats including written posts, images, videos, podcasts, and embedded media. You can publish both long-form newsletter content and short-form Notes, create podcast series, and include multimedia elements in your posts. However, the platform lacks advanced formatting options and design flexibility compared to traditional blogging platforms, keeping the focus on clean, readable content rather than complex layouts.

• Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls just got its first gameplay deep dive
• This beginner's guide focuses on game mechanics and the tag system
• It seems wholly different to how tagging worked in the Marvel vs. Capcom series

PlayStation Studios and Arc System Works has released the official beginner's guide for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, an upcoming fighting game scheduled to release in 2026.

Uploaded via IGN's YouTube channel, the beginner's guide gives us our first comprehensive look at Fighting Souls' gameplay - including its overall style, button layout, and initially bizarre tag mechanics.

A 4v4 2D fighting game, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has you selecting a team of four heroes (or villains) from its character roster. You first is your 'leader' character, whom you'll assume control of in battle. The other three are your assists, and they'll perform different actions based on which slot they're in.

The beginner's guide makes it abundantly clear that you won't have access to your full team at the start of a match, however. You'll begin with just two, and you'll need to unlock your third and fourth through various actions. These include successfully throwing your opponent, performing a stage transition by knocking your opponent off the edge of the screen, or losing a round.

This certainly isn't what I was expecting, and is an incredibly novel take on the tag fighter formula. That said, Fighting Souls will still feel somewhat familiar to Arc System Works fans in other areas.

Like Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, each character has light, medium, and heavy buttons which can be strung together for a combo. With enough meter, these 'auto combos' can end in special or ultimate moves depending on the input string. Everyone also has a button dedicated to their unique skill, such as Iron Man's missiles or Doctor Doom's shield.

It's quite a lot to take in, but I think the real complexity will come into the placement of your assist characters. There are three types of assist - shooter, vertical, and assault - so picking the right character for the role will undoubtedly lead to hours upon hours of experimentation.

There's no release date for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls just yet, outside of its 2026 window. However, with Sony's large-scale EVO 2025 fighting game event happening over the weekend, I'm expecting even more news for the game. Perhaps some character trailers or a more concrete release date.

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Editor's Note

• Original review date: July 2024
• New 'Special Edition' P100 made its debut August 1, 2025
• P100 SE launch price: $299 / £249 (AU$510 approx.) – so $20 / £20 more
• New blue colorway, DynamEQ toggle and cushier headband

Update: August 2025. The Melomania P100 have had a refresh a year after their launch, in a new SE – or 'Special Edition' – model. This adds DynamEQ software (a toggle in the Melomania app to automatically adjust bass and treble, to "maintain a full and natural sound at low volumes"), a slightly cushier headband and a new blue finish.
Beyond that and a minor change to the font on the headband, the two models are identical.
The newer set is also $20 / £20 more than the excellent originals were at launch, although we've seen the originals on sale for $239 / £199 at the time of writing. Our in-depth experiential on the P100 SE is the place to go for more on the relatively minor refresh. For us, the smart money still goes on these splendid originals. The rest of this review remains unchanged.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100: Two-minute review

The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones enter a sector of the market as cutthroat as they come – that of best noise-cancelling headphones. It’s a category that’s been ruled (at least in the under-$350 sub-sector) by Sony's XM-suffixed cans for some time now, but Cambridge Audio reckons it’s got what it takes to snatch the crown.

And, on paper at least, it’s off to a great start. Specification, from Class AB amplification to aptX Lossless compatibility, is impressive. Battery life, at up to 100 hours if you leave the ANC alone (not a typo, we mean one hundred), is the best around. Having Matt Berry as one of your options for ‘audible feedback’ is nothing less than a stroke of genius.

And the good news keeps coming. The P100 are flawlessly built and finished, from materials that are both tactile and reasonably up-market. Comfort is good. Ignore the relative size of the travel case and there’s nothing to take issue with here.

To seal the deal, the sound they make is endlessly listenable. There’s a stack of detail, a wide-open soundstaging, vaulting dynamic potency and an engaging, lively overall attitude that will keep you coming back for more. And with that epic battery life, of course, there’s plenty of ‘more’ to enjoy.

'Southwark' is the one you want, on the right there… (Image credit: Cambridge Audio )Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Price & release date

• Released on July 15, 2024
• Priced $279 / £229 / AU$479

The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 wireless over-ear headphones have been available via Cambridge's website since they were announced on July 3, 2024, but every other stockist has had to wait until July 15 to offer them for sale.

At $279 / £229 / AU$479 they’re keenly priced when you consider how extensively they’re specified, that’s for sure – but don’t go thinking that there aren’t impressively specified alternatives from equally well-regarded brands at very, very similar money. Chief of those would be the Sony WH-1000XM5, which can be yours for a little more than the P100 these days (rather than a lot more, which is what they were when they launched), at around $329 / £319 / AU$549.

Then, there's the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, which arrived in August 2022 and can be found for even closer to the Cambridge Audio P100's price, at around $299 / £269 / AU$450 in today's money.

However, at the risk of stating the blinkin' obvious, the P100 are brand new July 2024 cans. And a quick glance at our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review proves that Cambridge has priced them ever-so aggressively; Bose's top-tier October 2023-issue over-ears arrived with a price tag of $429 / £449 / AU$649. Food for thought, then.

Striking wooden ear cups in an otherwise so-very-Grado build (Image credit: Future)Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Specs

Drivers

40mm Dynamic (closed back)

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Weight

330g

Battery life

100 hours (ANC off); 60 hours (ANC on)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless; USB-C to USB-C audio, USB-C to 3.5mm (cables supplied)

(Image credit: Future)Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Features

• Class AB amplification
• Up to 100 hours of battery life
• Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless compatibility

No matter what else happens during the course of this review, there’s no arguing with the way Cambridge Audio has specified the Melomania P100. And just because the company has plenty of previous where the features-per-pound ratio is concerned, that’s no reason to take it for granted – instead, let’s just take a moment to marvel at what these headphones offer relative to the money they cost.

Battery life is as good a place as any to start. I won’t pretend I wasn’t mildly sceptical about the quoted figures when these headphones first arrived, but having lived with them for a good while, and on a number of different continents, I can’t disagree. The P100 will run for 60 hours with active noise-cancellation switched on, and an epic 100 hours if it’s switched off. Yes, you have to be listening at unremarkable volume levels – but the fact remains, these numbers are achievable. And they’re way beyond what the vast majority of price-comparable rivals can offer. And should you be negligent enough to allow the worst to happen, five minutes on the power is good for a couple of ANC-enabled playback or four hours with it switched off.

The technology taking advantage of this prodigious battery life is equally impressive. Wireless connectivity, for example, is taken care of by Bluetooth 5.3 and there’s multipoint connectivity along with aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless codec compatibility – so as well as lossy 24bit/96kHz file-streaming, there’s lossless 16bit/44.1kHz resolution available to those with an appropriate source player.

Unlike most Class D-toting alternatives, the Melomania P100 use hi-fi-tastic Class AB amplification – the same sort of technology deployed in its hugely successful CX range of full-size stereo amplifiers. This is used to power a couple of 40mm full-range dynamic drivers made from a three-layer composite arrangement of polyurethane sandwiched between polyether ether ketone.

A total of six mics take care of active noise-cancellation, voice-assistant interaction and telephony – Cambridge Audio has deployed Qualcomm cVc echo-cancelling and noise suppression technology in an effort to maximise call quality. The ANC itself is a hybrid system, with ‘low’, ‘mid’ and ‘high’ settings available alongside a ‘transparency’ mode.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Sound quality

• Lively, detailed and confident presentation
• Nice tonal balance
• ‘Very good’ ANC = ‘not class-leading’ ANC

Some wireless headphones at this sort of money like to make it obvious that certain things are beneath them. Some wireless headphones will take a 320kbps MP3 file from Spotify’s free tier and basically hold it up for ridicule. The Melomania P100 are not those headphones.

Obviously they prefer some 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC file action from Qobuz or Tidal. Obviously they prefer being hard-wired to a DAC/headphone amp churning out the 24bit/192kHz stuff even more. But they don’t judge – give them what you’ve got and they’ll do their best with it.

And ‘their best’ turns out to be very agreeable indeed. During the course of this test I listened to (for example) Jersey Girl by Tom Waits as a 320kbps MP3, Salt in the Wound by boygenius as a 16bt/44.1kHz FLAC file and a 24bit/192kHz FLAC file of David Bowie’s Sound and Vision – and the Melomania P100 are never less than entertaining and quite often impressively insightful.

Dynamic headroom, for instance, is considerable – so where the broad strokes of ‘quiet’ modulating to ‘loud’ are concerned, the Cambridge Audio are more than capable of keeping up. It doesn’t matter the increase in intensity, the P100 can track it without discernible stress. And the more subtle harmonic variations apparent in a voice or an instrument from note to note are picked up on just as readily. But while the P100 extract and contextualise a huge amount of detail from any given recording, they’re not analytical for the sake of it. More than anything, they’re an energetic and thoroughly engaging listen.

(Image credit: Future)

From the top of the frequency range to the bottom, the Cambridge Audio are convincingly integrated and unwilling have any favorites. The bottom end is substantial, and it packs a punch – but there’s control to go along with the presence, and attack is so straight-edged that rhythms are expressed with real confidence. The opposite end has plenty of bite, but it’s not in any way thin or undernourished. There’s substance to treble sounds (as well as a whole lot of variation) to balance out their brilliance. And in between, the midrange manages to secure a little pocket of space in which to operate without sounding estranged from the rest of the frequency information – and has an eloquent, revealing way with a vocalist that allows character and attitude full expression.

Soundstaging is good, both in the simple size and impressive definition of the area. And despite the amount of room that’s available, there’s a tight unity and togetherness about the way the P100 present a recording. Tonally, the sound is fractionally warmer than ‘neutral’ – but this is a characteristic much more than it is a shortcoming.

Really, it’s only where active noise-cancellation is concerned that the Cambridge Audio are anything less than fully and quite aggressively competitive. The ANC here is very acceptable, don’t get me wrong – it will do a job on external distractions of all types, and without leaving a counter-signal or shift in tonality in its wake. But there continues to be no two ways about it: if you want the best noise-cancellation available at a given price (and you don’t mind some sacrifices in other areas) you buy a pair of Bose.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Design

• Vegan leather earpads and headband
• Black or white finishes
• Physical, rather than touch, controls

Sensibly, there are no shocks to be had where the design of the Melomania P100 is concerned. They look, and feel, like a reasonably upmarket pair of wireless over-ear headphones. Although personally, I much prefer the black finish to the white – it’s more harmonious, somehow.

Anyway, the P100 are very agreeably built and finished, from a nice mixture of memory foam and vegan leather for the (detachable) earpads, more vegan leather on the outside of the headband with sturdy, nicely padded fabric on the inside. The adjustment mechanism is concealed inside the headband, and the arms, yokes and outer portion of the earcups are all of aluminium. An all-in weight of 330g is pretty ordinary by prevailing standards, and the nicely judged clamping force means the headphones are comfortable on the head for a good long time. Certainly for longer than it takes for the earpads to heat your ears up, that’s for sure.

There are a few physical controls distributed around the edges of each earcup. On the left there’s a slider that covers ‘power on/off’ and ‘Bluetooth pairing’, and a button that allows you to cycle through your ANC options (‘off’, ‘on’ or ‘transparency’) or summon your voice assistant. There’s also a USB-C socket for charging the battery, and it can also be used for data transfer – Cambridge Audio supplies nice USB-C / USB-C and USB-C / 3.5mm cables in the P100’s robust, but not especially compact, travel case. On the right earcup is the usual three-button strip, dealing with ‘play/pause’, ‘skip forwards/backwards’ and ‘volume up/down’.

Other functionality is accessed via the ‘Melomania Connect’ app that’s free for iOS and Android. Here’s where you check for firmware updates, check on battery life, and select the level of noise-cancellation you’d prefer. It has a seven-band equaliser with half-a-dozen presets and the facility to save plenty of your own custom settings. It’s where you can switch ‘automatic play/pause’ on or off and enable ‘gaming mode’ (which will reduce latency to less than 80m/s). And it’s where you get to select the sort of audible feedback you’d like – switch it off, have tones tell you what’s what, or choose from one of nine different languages.

Actually, there’s no difference in the language if you select ‘English’ or ‘Southwark’, but the latter, as with the Melomania M100 true wireless earbuds, is voiced by actor Matt Berry. This is as worthwhile a unique selling point as I think I’ve ever encountered – I’ve been using these headphones for quite a while now and am still nowhere near bored of hearing “device one… disconnected” delivered in the fruitiest voice imaginable.

It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate Cambridge Audio’s commitment to ‘circularity’ of design here. The P100 packaging is plastic-free and 100 percent recyclable. The battery and the earpads are replaceable by the end user, using standard tools. 50% of the plastics used in the construction of the headphones, and 100 percent of the rare earth neodymium in the drivers, are recycled. None of which is to be sniffed at.

• Design score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Value

• Remarkably thorough specification
• Frankly staggering battery life
• Great across-the-board sound quality

When you line the Melomania P100 up against pretty much any price-comparable competitor (and quite a few that cost a bit more), the value for money they represent can’t really be argued with.

Specification is ahead of the curve, battery life is as good as it currently gets, build quality and the standard of finish can’t be argued with. And the sound they make – detailed, direct and endlessly listenable – is profoundly competitive too.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100?

Section

Notes

Score

Features

User-replaceable batteries, a 100-hour battery and Matt Berry are just three excellent USPs here

5/5

Sound quality

Lovely tonal balance, detail and energy – good ANC (rather than amazing)

4.5/5

Design

Very well built and comfortable; the case is just a touch big

4.5/5

Value

So aggressively priced for what they are; remarkable

5/5

Buy them if...

You enjoy unusual specification
Class AB amplification is most certainly the path less travelled for wireless headphones.

You’re a frequent flyer
The battery life that’s available here should be enough to last you for the longest of long-haul journeys.

You like an in-depth app
There’s plenty to involve yourself with here, not least a very effective seven-band EQ.

Don't buy them if...

You want class-leading ANC
The best the Melomania P100 can offer is ‘very good indeed’...

You like capacitive touch controls
So voice control, physical buttons and a nice app aren’t enough for you?

You try to travel light
The P100 don’t fold all that small, so their travel case will take up a chunk of your hand-baggage allowance

(Image credit: Future)Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: Also consider

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Price

$279 / £229 / AU$479

$429 / £449 / AU$649

$349.95 / £300 / AU$549

Drivers

40mm dynamic

35mm dynamic

40mm dynamic

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Quoted battery life

100 hours (ANC off); 60 hours (ANC on)

24 hours (ANC on)

60 hours (ANC on)

Weight

0.73lb / 330g

0.6 lb / 250g

0.65 lb / 293g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3; aptX Lossless; USB-C audio; USB-C to 3.5mm also supplied

Bluetooth 5.3, Snapdragon Sound, 2.5mm audio jack, USB-C for charging

Bluetooth 5.2, aptX Adaptive, 3.5mm jack, USB-C

Frequency range

Not listed

Not listed

6Hz - 22kHz

Other features

Melomania app support, Matt Berry, user replaceable batteries

Immersive Audio spatial audio, Bose Music app support, wear detection, multi-point connectivity

Sennheiser app support, USB-C audio, multi-point connectivity

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
These can also offer aptX and USB-C audio support, and a the 60-hour battery life is long – if not as long as the Cambridge Audio P100. We love them, they're excellent for the money – but you won't get Matt Berry on voice prompts.
Here's our full Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
If you want the best ANC in the business, plus proprietary spatial audio profiles to mix right into it, Bose's flagship over-ear proposition could be for you. You'll need to pay quite a bit more, take a big hit on battery life and forego USB-C audio though…
See our in-depth Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review for more info.

How I tested the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100

• Using iOS and Android devices
• Using a variety of Bluetooth codecs
• With music of many types

During well over a week of pretty much constant use, the Melomania P100 were connected to a MacBook Pro, an iPhone 14 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy S23 in order to listen to as many different codecs and sources of music as realistically possible. The music, naturally, was of many different file types, sizes and styles. Active noise-cancellation was tested by taking the Cambridge Audio with me on several journeys on public transport – which also helped me test the claims for battery life.

• First reviewed: July 2024
• Read more about how we test

• The average UK SMB now invests 36% of its annual revenue in new tech
• Finances and payments are common use cases
• Only 1% of companies remain non-tech-users

Britain's small and medium-sized businesses are investing more than a third (36%) of their annual revenue in new tools and technology, new Worldpay data has said, with most (90%) also agreeing tech investments have already significantly boosted efficiency.

Among the most popular areas for new tech investments across all type of UK SMBs are financial management (54%), marketing and sales (49%) and payment processing (47%), with employee management, inventory control and CRM also seeing a healthy boost.

On the flip side, only 1% of SMBs are now not using any technology, compared with one in five (20%) a decade ago, marking a huge departure from old ways.

UK SMBs are mostly tech-first

"This digital transformation is not just a trend - it's a vital evolution that enhances productivity, efficiency, and customer satisfaction," Worldpay GM for SMB International Chris Wood explained.

A number of factors could have contributed to the rise in spend on digital platforms, but the post-pandemic behavioral shift could lead them. Customers now expect contactless and omnichannel services that are fast and instant.

Then, there are the regulatory hurdles, for example HMRC's Making Tax Digital mandate which requires bookkeeping to be completed using certain reporting software.

"Worldpay is on a mission provide SMBs with the right technology, empowering independent businesses to compete on a level playing field and thrive," Wood added.

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• CMA says UK cloud market is uncompetitive
• AWS and Microsoft account for 30-40% of the UK market each
• The two companies disagree with the CMA's findings

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has determined Britain's cloud market shows too many anticompetitive traits, with Microsoft and AWS each holding around 30-40% of the UK market in 2024 and hyperscaler concentration especially high in infrastructure-as-a-service.

At the same time, fewer than 1% of customers switch providers annually and multicloud usage is rare (particularly among SMEs with more limited budgets).

The CMA has blamed high egress fees, incompatible interfaces, latency and skills gaps for widespread vendor lock-in, which is ultimately weakening competition.

CMA worried about AWS and Microsoft cloud market dominance

Behind the two hyperscalers, Google accounts for just 5-10% of the market, with others like IBM and Oracle having even smaller shares. Although AI capabilities are yet to change market dynamics drastically, existing positions are likely to be amplified, thus the CMA has stepped in to ensure competition remains healthy.

In its Final Decision ruling, the CMA took the biggest hits at Microsoft over its unfair licensing practices, which make it costlier to run Microsoft software on rival cloud providers.

A Microsoft spokesperson told TechRadar Pro: "The CMA Panel’s most recent publication misses the mark again, ignoring that the cloud market has never been so dynamic and competitive, with record investment, and rapid, AI-driven changes. Its recommendations fail to cover Google, one of the fastest-growing cloud market participants."

"Microsoft looks forward to working with the Digital Markets Unit toward an outcome that more accurately reflects the current competition in cloud that benefits UK customers," they continued.

"The action proposed by the Inquiry Group is unwarranted and undermines the substantial investment and innovation that have already benefited hundreds of thousands of UK businesses," an AWS spokesperson added.

On the flip side, Google supported the CMA's findings: "The conclusive finding that restrictive licensing harms cloud customers and competition is a watershed moment for the UK."

Elsewhere in the industry, the CMA has been criticized for not acting fast enough and addressing persistent issues like cloud credits, lock-in and procurement bias.

"We urge the CMA to use the powers at its disposal now to address these harms, rather than embark upon a new investigation that may not give customers relief for years to come," Coalition for Fair Software Licensing Executive Director Ryan Triplette shared.

Looking ahead, the CMA's next step is to designate Microsoft and AWS with strategic market status (SMS) under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act, allowing it to impose legally binding, targeted conduct requirements on the two giants.

"A significant driver of high cloud computing bills is the consolidation of the market into a handful of players. Until recently, these companies have been the only game in town, so they’ve been able to set the rules of the market, for example, including egress fees for switching, long lock-in periods, and more. In fact, Gartner has observed that most customers spend 10% to 15% of their cloud bill on egress charges," noted Akamai's John Bradshaw.

"UK businesses are under huge cost pressures. We need to make it easier for them to switch cloud computing providers and find pricing options that better fit their balance sheets."

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Kids play on old playground equipment during recess in Sleetmute, Alaska. The Legislature has largely ignored rural school districts' repair requests.'/>

Alaska has long ignored warning signs of a budget crisis. Now, it has no money to fix something that is posing serious health and safety risks to students and staff: crumbling rural schools.

(Image credit: Emily Schwing/KYUK)