Apple this week provided a glimpse into a feature that solves one of the biggest drawbacks of passkeys, the industry-wide standard for website and app authentication that isn't susceptible to credential phishing and other attacks targeting passwords.
The import/export feature, which Apple demonstrated at this weekβs Worldwide Developers Conference, will be available in the next major releases of iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and visionOS. It aims to solve one of the biggest shortcomings of passkeys as they have existed to date. Passkeys created on one operating system or credential manager are largely bound to those environments. A passkey created on a Mac, for instance, can sync easily enough with other Apple devices connected to the same iCloud account. Transferring them to a Windows device or even a dedicated credential manager installed on the same Apple device has been impossible.
Growing pains
That limitation has led to criticisms that passkeys are a power play by large companies to lock users into specific product ecosystems. Users have also rightly worried that the lack of transferability increases the risk of getting locked out of important accounts if a device storing passkeys is lost, stolen, or destroyed.
Spotlight and themes are in the limelight. | Screenshot: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
At WWDC, Apple announced its new Liquid Glass design language, which is coming to all of its devices, including Macs. I've been tinkering with the macOS Tahoe 26 developer beta on the M4 MacBook Air for about a day. So far, the aesthetic changes range from slick to slightly overwrought, but the new Spotlight search features are nifty and useful.
There are new touches of glassy transparency all over macOS 26, including the Dock, Finder, widgets, and built-in apps. It's more subtle than on the iPhone, mostly because the Mac's much larger screen real estate makes the Liquid Glass elements more like accents than whatever this mess is supposed to be. I'm not very fond of it just yet, but maybe it will grow on me, like UI changes tend to.
The Dock now has a frosted background that's more translucent than Sequoia's flatter design. The hazy, frozen glass aesthetic also extends to widgets, like the calendar and weather, and drop-down menus - though the latter have much higher opacity. The pop-ups for volume and brightness now use this distorted glass look as well, though they've moved to the top-right corner of the screen instead of being centered above the dock. Frankly, they're ugly, β¦
A recent AirPlay security analysis proved that Apple's ecosystem is not impregnable. Security experts tell us how you can avoid becoming the next victim.
COS is having a major moment. Lyst just named it one of the "hottest brands" of Q1.
The London-based fashion label, owned by H&M, is known for its high-quality basics.
Its menswear pieces and new fragrance line are boosting its appeal with shoppers.
I promise it's OK to be basic. In fact, it might even be cool.
A few months ago, I started hearing friends and colleagues regularly talk about the London-based fashion label COS, which is owned by H&M. Admittedly, I tuned them out. Its clothes looked a little too simple for me.
But I couldn't escape the brand.
Fashion influencers started raving about COS in interviews when I asked about their wardrobe staples. Then, I saw Lyst, a fashion search and shopping platform, name COS one of the "hottest brands" of Q1 this year, jumping 11 spots since its Q4 listing in 2024.
That's partially because COS is ideal for shoppers "seeking the 'quiet luxury' aesthetic without the luxury price tag," Turner Allen, a 32-year-old personal stylist, told Business Insider.
It's also because COS has done something many other brands haven't: created basic clothes that people actually want to wear.
A COS boutique in New York City.
Samantha Grindell/Business Insider
Men and perfume: two ingredients to success
Women have long been touting COS as the ultimate aspirational luxury line. BI reporter Sam Grindell Pettyjohn described the store as "H&M's more sophisticated, socially conscious, and luxurious older sister."
Men are now coming to the same conclusion. Alex Nicoll, 29, a former Fortune 500 employee turned fashion influencer, swears by COS.
"It's really slept on for men's fashion," he told BI. "It's a good place to play around with classic silhouettes, and pieces that are a little bit more playful and different."
COS has put in the effort to attract shoppers like Nicoll.
While it's long offered classic styles like trousers and blazers, the brand is now also selling utility bags, cropped polos, and tinted sunglasses specifically for men. This appeals to current trends while remaining timeless.
Allen said that mix of "clean, approachable, and still fashion-forward" styles is key.
"It's a winning formula for men who want to elevate their style without stepping too far outside their comfort zone," he added.
The brand also reflects those styles in its marketing, from prominently displaying men on its Instagram page to making menswear a huge part of its Spring/Summer 2025 runway collection.
A model wears linen and wool pieces from COS at the brand's Spring/Summer 2025 runway show.
Victor Virgile/Getty Images
All the while, COS is still equally catering to the rest of its customers.
The brand's $99 barrel-leg trousers for women became an instant success this year, and most sizes are now sold out. Lyst has cited the pants as the sixth most-popular garment of Q1.
In mid-April, the brand also launched COS Perfumery, a unisex line of fragrances and candles retailing between $49 and $99.
Lyst said the scents are another factor in the brand's 44% increase in demand this year.
After all, COS shoppers no longer have to turn to brands like Byredo and Le Labo for luxury fragrances. They can buy their favorite clothes and perfume in the same online order.
Luxury clothes without high price tags
New tariffs and a potential recession are changing how people shop, and luxury lifestyle brands are already being affected.
COS, however, holds a unique spot.
It's technically a runway brand that sells luxury-adjacent garments, many of which lean into the old-money aesthetic. Its products retail between $15 for small items like socks and $1,390 for shearling-lined coats.
However, they aren't as expensive as those from retailers like The Row, Bottega Veneta, and Loewe.
COS also boasts brand ambassadors like Adrien Brody and celebrity fans like Jodie Turner-Smith. If the brand is good enough for Hollywood actors, it's golden for fashion fans.
Mannequins inside a COS store.
Jessica Tyler/Business Insider
COS clothes look and feel good, plain and simple
Nicoll said he loves COS because the brand "keeps up with trends like a fast-fashion brand would" without compromising on "materials or construction." Fashion fans on social media have said the same.
"This is like Skims but for men," TikToker @stefffanoswrote about COS T-shirts after trying them in April. Skims does sell menswear, including T-shirts.
Andrea Cheong, a fashion writer and influencer, also applauded the brand's stitching, fabric reinforcements, and thick materials in a video.
The clothing is made with a variety of classic materials like linen, denim, and wool, many of which are said to be sustainably sourced. COS also publicly shares a list of its current suppliers on its website.
That craftsmanship completes the COS fashion puzzle. With its reputation for high-quality pieces β as well as reasonable prices, coveted menswear, and timeless styles β there's nothing the brand doesn't have.
COS is trendy, unisex, and feels rich, though you don't need to be to shop the brand.
"It's a great option for shoppers who want to step off the fast-fashion hamster wheel, but still look current and put-together," Allen said.
Apple is known for prioritizing privacy and security, but there are additional measures you can turn to if you feel you need them. iPhones, iPads, and Macs have what's known as a Lockdown Mode that takes protecting your data to a whole new level.
It's clear that this isn't for everyone: Apple describes it as being for those who feel they might be attacked by "the most sophisticated threats." Think journalists working in dangerous regions, activists under threat from surveillance or censorship, or politicians with access to top secret information.
Anyone can turn it on and off as needed - you don't need any special status or any particular kind of Apple account. It only takes a few taps or clicks, and you'll have the highest level of security protection that Apple offers.
How Lockdown Mode protects you
It's worth bearing in mind that there are some tradeoffs when using Lockdown Mode. The software you use will be limited in some of its functionality to give would-be hackers fewer ways to get at you and your data.
You'll find most attachments in Messages blocked, while FaceTime calls are only permitted with people you've had contact with in the last month. In Photos, you can't c β¦
By the time Apple releases M5-powered iPads, using iPadOS may feel closer to working on a Mac, according to BloombergΓ’ΒΒs Mark Gurman in todayΓ’ΒΒs Power On newsletter. It wonΓ’ΒΒt be macOS running on a tablet, but he writes that the changes will be significant enough to make people who want such a thing happy.
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Elon Muskβs Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to host a hackathon next week focused on the creation of a βmega APIβ that will provide access to taxpayer data, according to Wired. Wired says the hackathon is being organized by two DOGE staffers at the Internal Revenue Service β Gavin Kliger and Sam Corcos, whoβs [β¦]
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