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Apple's World Wide Developers Conference officially kicks off today at 10am PT in Cupertino, California, when its smiling CEO Tim Cook saunters on stage and says, "Welcome to WWDC 2023!" (That's 6pm BST / 1pm ET and 3am ACT (on June 6) for those of you not in California.)

As for what else he might say, well, we think we know quite a lot. Cook will briefly touch on all of Apple's major and critical platforms, including iOS 17, macOS 14, tvOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10. This being a developers' conference, he'll also mention Swift and Xcode.

Granted, Cook's job is not to dive deep into anything. He'll leave that to, in large part, Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, and a host of other development leads. By the way, if Apple follows the script from the last few years, even though this is an in-person event, much of the presentation may be pre-recorded.

No one is expecting sea changes across any of these platforms. watchOS with widgets is not a major deal. iOS 17 is about maintenance and spiffing up the entire iPhone OS without fundamentally altering it. macOS 14 might have even fewer changes.

Let's be frank, the real excitement here will be around the likely reveal of the Apple VR headset and the new xrOS. Cook will almost certainly unveil both during the keynote and may even don the headgear during the event. Okay, maybe he won't put on a vision-occluding VR headset and accidentally walk off stage (no one wants that). What's more likely is we get a glimpse of the new VR product on stage and then there'll be an opportunity for photos and maybe even hands-on in the ample space above Steve Jobs Theater.

WWDC has also been the launchpad for Apple Silicon and updates related to the company's own CPUs. Some expect the introduction of an M3 chip, and if Apple does that, there will be hardware. Maybe a new Mac Pro (the last Mac still running on Intel silicon). Others are anticipating a new big-screen 15-inch MacBook Air (likely on M2) and a new iMac (also M2). 

Granted, until Cook starts speaking, this is all guesswork. Buckle in folks, I will share all I can from my seat in the audience.

Good morning and welcome to our WWDC 2023 live blog. We'll be sharing all the last-minute rumors and news around all things Apple ahead of the event, then bringing you every announcement as it happens from 10am PT today. 

What will Apple tell us?

Here's a little secret: in the run-up to the big event, Apple will send invites to a series of post-keynote briefings. While Apple doesn't reveal the subject matter for any of those meetings prior to the end of what is expected to be a 90-minute keynote, we do use the number of meetings to glean potential topics.

Rarely do we have one meeting. In fact, three-to-five briefings are typical, with one usually per platform. What I'll be watching for are any extra meetings, ones that don't seem to align with macOS, iOS, or iPadOS (typical briefing candidates).

I also pay attention to the length of these background briefings. Long ones are usually for the big platforms (iOS). Short ones are for the second-tier players (maybe tvOS). Will I have a meeting about xrOS? 

I have no idea. Sadly, even once I know, I can't really tell you anything about them. But what I learn in those meetings will inform my reporting on all things WWDC 2023.

(Image credit: Ian Zelbo)

So, let's talk about what Apple is expected to unveil today. 

The big story is likely to be around the company's first proper foray into virtual reality. We don't know for sure what the Apple VR headset will be called, but the name Apple Reality Pro has been widely shared. And we also have quite a bit of info about what it might be like. 

For instance, the rumors suggest it will be expensive - maybe as much as $3,000 (£2,200 / AU$4,400) – and that it will support both VR and mixed reality. We also think it may ship without controllers, that it could have super-high-res displays and that it could well run on an Apple M2 chip of some kind.

We've pulled together everything we know about it so far in our Apple VR headset hub. 

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints - now with added Daily Sequence answers! 

Yes, that's right: the makers of Quordle have a new game, which sees you complete four Wordle puzzles consecutively. The twist is that the letters you've already used on the first game are repeated on the second and so on. 

It's good fun, but also difficult - so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle and the Daily Sequence too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #497 and the answers to the Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. 

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 14.

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

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

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #497) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• S

• Q

• B

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

Quordle today (game #497) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #497, are…

• STUNG
• SHAPE
• QUAIL
• BLURT

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #497) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #497, are…

• CHARM
• DROWN
• FRIED
• TOPAZ

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
• Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
• Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
• Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
• Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
• Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
• Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
• Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
• Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
• Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE
• Quordle #486, Thursday 25 May: ALARM, PAUSE, COLON, BURLY
• Quordle #485, Wednesday 24 May: WHINY, LUSTY, NOISE, BOOTH
• Quordle #484, Tuesday 23 May: WIDER, AWAIT, CROSS, MEATY
• Quordle #483, Monday 22 May: EAGLE, SLICK, SOLID, TAKEN
• Quordle #482, Sunday 21 May: DEVIL, EVOKE, GUISE, FUNNY
• Quordle #481, Saturday 20 May: LINGO, HOWDY, GRASP, THIRD
• Quordle #480, Friday 19 May: ARBOR, MEDAL, TRIAL, WOOZY
• Quordle #479, Thursday 18 May: ENNUI, SPRIG, LATER, SLUNK
• Quordle #478, Wednesday 17 May: SKIMP, GLEAN, PAYEE, BRAVO
• Quordle #477, Tuesday 16 May: HARRY, COLON, SHEAR, LARVA
• Quordle #476, Monday 15 May: ULCER, APNEA, CANDY, ADULT
• Quordle #475, Sunday 14 May: CLONE, SKUNK, SWEPT, SASSY

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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Diablo 4 players with early access are struggling to log in due to ongoing issues with Blizzard's authentication servers.

The problem first came to light on Diablo 4's subreddit, with players reporting problems with accessing the server. It seems that after selecting their character, players are told "queued for game – start game pending"... and then nothing happens. At all. 

In the last half hour, Blizzard has acknowledged the issue on its social media channels, stating: "Diablo 4: We're currently investigating an issue affecting our authentication servers, which may result in failed or slow login attempts."

[#Diablo4] We're currently investigating an issue affecting our authentication servers, which may result in failed or slow login attempts.June 3, 2023

See more

As yet there's been no further update, but at least we know that Blizzard is on the case, eh?

For the most part, it looks like Diablo 4 has gotten off to a refreshingly smooth early access launch period across most platforms… well, unless you're playing on PS5, that is.

Some players reported that, despite having purchased Diablo 4's Deluxe or Ultimate editions, they were struggling to get past the login phase for the four-day early access period. 

We awarded the action RPG an impressive five out of five stars, calling it "a meticulously crafted action RPG [that] sets a new standard for isometric, open-world adventures".

"Perhaps Diablo 4’s most adventurous quality is the move towards an open world in the 'modern' sense," we wrote in our Diablo 4 review.

"What could have been a featureless, bland expanse is, instead, a delight. Brimming with intrigue and danger, the open world of Sanctuary fits the Diablo formula like a glove, providing the space in which the game’s macabre aesthetic and bold mechanical design cohere beautifully."

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Struggling to access the extra content in your Street Fighter 6 deluxe and ultimate editions on PS5? You're not alone.

According to posts popping up on Reddit and social media, a number of fighting fans have been having issues with accessing their DLC since yesterday's launch. Despite having paid considerably more for the extra bells and whistles, such as the year one character pass and additional costumes, it seems it doesn't matter what game is listed in your PSN purchase history – you'll only be able to download the standard version.

"So, I bought the Deluxe Version for €95. But I only got the standard Version. I can still buy the Deluxe Version? Did I do something wrong? Or did PSN fk up?" asked one confused player.

SF6 [PSN] Bought the Deluxe Version and only got the Standard Version from r/StreetFighter

"I’m having the same problem on PS5 for the ultimate edition," added another. "I also don’t have the pre-order bonus (the extra color 10). Are other people also missing the colors as well as everything else?"

There's been no formal word from either Capcom or PlayStation on what's causing the issue, but thankfully some clever players think they've found a way to get around the issue while waiting for an official fix.

Some players have been able to fix the problem simply by restoring their PSN licenses, whilst others have had to resort to a more time-consuming fix, which you can see below:

• Turn on your PS5, and login to your account
• Download the "PS App" on a mobile device (if you haven't already)
• Open the app, and login to your PSN account
• On the main view, press the "Game Library" button at the bottom, and then select the SF6 icon
• On the SF6 view, there should be a "PS5 | Street Fighter 6 >" button - press that button
• You should be taken to a view with multiple versions of SF6. Scroll down to your Deluxe/Ultimate edition (should say "Purchased"), and select that version
• Once you selected it, press the "Play on Console" button

"Whether you’re just here to check out the globetrotting World Tour mode, or staying for online fun in the Battle Hub, there’s no part of Street Fighter 6’s package that feels particularly lacking," we said in our Street Fighter 6 review, awarding the fighting game an impressive five out of five stars. 

"Offline and on, there’s so much to sink your teeth into between its three standalone sectors. Street Fighter 6, above all else, is a fighting game that’s for everyone."

Ever wondered which Street Fighter 6 is the right match for you? Here's the Street Fighter 6 personality quiz to help you pick your fighter and ideal control scheme.

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Amazon may eventually offer Amazon Prime customers cheap or even free cellular service, according to a report from Bloomberg (via Yahoo). If true, the company would buy network capabilities from T-Mobile, Verizon, or even Dish Network’s Boost Infinite network and act as its own mobile virtual network operator, a so-called MVNO strategy. Amazon denies that this is happening. 

Bloomberg says that Amazon could buy airtime and offer it for $10 per month or less to Amazon Prime customers. The company might even offer cellular service to customers who don’t subscribe to Prime. This pricing would significantly undercut even the most aggressive cellular plans in the US right now. Amazon Prime currently costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. 

Unlimited prepaid plans on the major US cellular networks run around $60/month for a single line of service, and restrictions often apply. Plans only get cheaper when you add more lines. Google Fi, an MVNO service run by Google, costs $50 per month for a single line, but can be reduced to $20 per month if you have four lines of service. It is unclear how Amazon would handle families under a possible Amazon Prime MVNO.

This is still a rumor even if it makes a lot of sense

Because of the enormous sensitivity that must be involved, no party will fess up to the possible deal. Amazon denies any mobile offering, telling Bloomberg that it is “exploring adding even more benefits for Prime members, but don’t have plans to add wireless at this time.” The mobile carriers that might sell airtime to Amazon also declined to comment.

That makes sense, because this deal would be very disruptive. Right now the US mobile market lacks competition among the carriers. Ever since T-Mobile engulfed Sprint, we’ve had three carriers offering very similar plans at similar price points.

You can get Disney from Verizon, but not Verizon from Disney (Image credit: Disney Plus)

There are occasionally unique deals on new phones. Carriers also make partnerships with streaming services and offer bundles, so you might get Disney or Apple TV or Paramount Plus with your mobile plan. Amazon Prime has even been offered as a bundle option on US carrier plans, including the now-defunct Sprint.

While numerous MVNO brands have come and gone over the years, none have offered serious competition to the larger nationwide networks that control the cell towers. Some of the largest brands, like Boost Mobile and Metro, have been swallowed up by nationwide networks and used as a prepaid brand.

Amazon would offer unique competition in many ways. It already has a built-in subscriber base paying for services. It already has a robust sales channel for products like connected mobile devices. It manages returns, service, and warranty partnerships. These are usually major roadblocks to entry in the mobile network space, but Amazon has almost every base covered.

One thing remains steadfast – the carriers are in control

That said, Amazon doesn’t own cellular towers. There have been talks of Amazon building out a constellation-type satellite network, which could theoretically drive a mobile network, but that hasn’t happened yet. If Amazon, or any company, wants to become a mobile network operator, it needs to buy airtime from a major nationwide provider. 

The carriers are not fans of giving up control, no matter how large the partner. When Verizon bundles Disney Plus with its monthly plan, you are still buying your cellular plan from Verizon. We don’t see Disney making the sale, offering you Verizon service if you subscribe to Disney Plus. 

Even Apple hasn’t tried to step a toe into the mobile network battle arena. If Amazon offers mobile service with Amazon Prime, the big shakeup would be wrestling control over US customers from the US carriers. The US carriers are incredibly powerful and don’t give up without a fight.

The iPhone 4 eventually came to Verizon and everywhere else (Image credit: Future)

Verizon refused to sell the iPhone for years because Apple wouldn’t give Verizon control over the software. Until the iPhone 4, every iPhone was an AT&T exclusive in the US because Apple wouldn’t load Verizon’s VZ Navigator or even a basic MyVerizon account app. Apple wouldn’t give Verizon any control, so Verizon simply refused to sell the hottest smartphone the world had ever seen. For years. And years.

Eventually, Apple beat a US carrier at its own game, and it never happened again. Every other phone company, from Samsung to Google to Motorola, all bend to the will of the US carriers. Every phone includes carrier software, and some are still locked down to a carrier network.

Amazon and the major networks will deny this is happening until the day it happens, but it makes a lot of sense, and though I’m wary of Amazon’s power, I’m also tired of the triopoly hold on US mobile networks. Three networks isn’t enough.

There hasn’t been enough competition on price or products. Amazon is already taking my money for Prime Video and free shipping. If it can offer a mobile plan for a bit more, the US carriers will need to fight very hard to win me back.

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