I can’t remember a recent instance in which I didn’t bawl my eyes out in shock at the final amount owed, whether it was for a hotel reservation or a concert ticket. Now, a new rule from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should limit these bait-and-switch pricing strategies.
The FTC has announced the Junk Fee Rule, which requires live-event ticketing and short-term lodging businesses to be transparent about the total price owed. Other companies will continue to be monitored on a case-by-case basis for deceptive pricing.
The new rule, proposed for the first time in 2023, should get rid of all those extra “resort” and “service” fees levied at checkout that often seem arbitrary. Companies can still technically include them, but they must be included in the initial price shown. The required disclosure means that the first amount you see on displays, advertising and the like should also be the total amount you pay.
The junk fee rule also requires businesses to display that final amount “more prominently” than any other information. So you can’t say it’s going to be very expensive for one thing and then add in very small print that there are a lot of fees on top of it. “People should know upfront what they’re being asked to pay — without worrying about later being hit with a mystery fee they haven’t budgeted for and can’t avoid,” said FTC Chairwoman Lina M. Khan.
“I urge enforcement officials to crack down on these unlawful fees and encourage state and federal policymakers to build on this success with legislation that bans unfair and deceptive junk fees that plague the economy.” The FTC claims the junk fee rule will save people an estimated 53 million hours each year and more than $11 billion over the next decade. The rule will take effect 120 days after it is published in the federal Register.
It’s hard to improve on a laptop we previously considered nearly perfect, but a new chip certainly helps. The M3 processor is about 20 percent faster than the M2 for both single-core and multi-core tasks, and it offers a significant GPU bump, along with support for real-time ray tracing. Battery life remains best in class, with enough power to last several work days without a charger.
It has one of the best keyboards we’ve ever seen in a laptop — it’s surprisingly tactile and responsive — and the trackpad is huge and smooth to the touch. Even the speakers are much better than other systems. The only major drawback against the MacBook Air is that it only has a MagSafe charging port and two USB-C connectors on its left side. Charging becomes a little more difficult if your plug only reaches the right side of the machine. But, at least there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find in ultra-thin notebooks these days.
If you need more screen space, the 15-inch MacBook Air is a good choice. It’s half a pound heavier, but its larger display makes it more useful for media editing. It also has a six-speaker array for more booming sound.