ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from Apple's 50th celebrations to the Artemis II launch | Tech Radar

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ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from Apple's 50th celebrations to the Artemis II launch

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The week that was (Image credit: Future/NASA/Joel Kowsky)

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Every week we put together our ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) round-up of the top stories that have hit the Tech Radar website over the last seven days — just in case you did miss any of the big happenings in the world of tech since last week.

The ICYMI series has been running for a long time at this point, and we've yet to have a quiet week. However, even by the standards of this feature, we're coming to the end of a particularly packed seven days in tech-land.

We've had NASA launches, 50 years of Apple, Samsung TVs, controversial changes to Netflix apps, and more besides. Get comfortable and dive in.

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories for March 21, 2026

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for March 14, 2026

Deals are being done at Sony (Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Two of the biggest names in TVs are teaming up: Sony and TCL this week announced a new partnership under the name 'Bravia, Inc'. While TCL will have a (slightly) bigger stake in the enterprise, the TVs themselves will continue to have Sony Bravia branding, and we can apparently look forward to the same "premium" experience that Bravias are known for.

Also included in the deal are the Sony home theater projectors that have also been a hit with consumers serious about their living room setup. We're hoping the deal means better value TV sets at lower prices, although it's not clear exactly what this will mean for future models — particularly the high-end OLED TVs that Sony is currently so well known for.

Read more: It's official — TCL will make Sony's future TVs in a new joint venture, so say hello to 'Bravia, Inc'

6. Samsung gave its watches a big health upgrade

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (Image credit: Future)

It's not quite as simple as strapping a Galaxy Watch to your wrist and pressing a button though, because the smartwatch will still need calibrating with a proper blood pressure cuff every 28 days (this makes sure the readings you're getting on your wrist match up with your actual blood pressure). You'll need the Samsung Health Monitor app installed too.

Read more: Got a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or later? You'll be able to 'monitor your blood pressure right from the wrist' very soon

The Air Pods Max 2 are here (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

The wait for the Air Pods Max 2 was a long five years after the original headphones launched, but they're here now — and Tech Radar editor Jacob Krol has been thoroughly testing them out. If you want to know whether they're worth the upgrade, and how much difference the updated H2 chipset makes to audio quality, this is where to find out.

As well as that new chipset, the Air Pods Max 2 headphones bring with them improved active noise cancellation technology and a new Adaptive Audio mode that really impresses. However, there's also a lot that's the same here, including 40mm drivers in each earcup, the colors you can buy them in, and battery life (said to be up to 20 hours).

Read more: I tried the Air Pods Max 2, and they're an upgrade worth waiting five years for — it’s the smarter, more immersive listening experience that stands out

Netflix now looks a bit different on the Apple TV (Image credit: Netflix / Studio Babelsburg / Indian Paintbrush / Searchlight Pictures)

Netflix rolled out a pretty major change to its app for the Apple TV streaming boxes this week, and it's not a change that's gone down well with viewers. The app now uses Netflix's own on-screen control system rather than the standard one baked into tv OS, which means certain playback features that have been there for years are now no longer available.

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for January 31, 2026

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Chat GPT to OLED TVs

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for February 14, 2026.

Buttons on the Apple TV remote that previously did one action now do another, for example, and online reactions to the inconvenient changes have been rather negative to say the least — for some it's even a move worth unsubscribing over, especially as Netflix recently bumped up its monthly fees again. Maybe it's time to go back to physical media...

Read more: 'Time to unsubscribe' — Netflix made a big change to its Apple TV app, removing a ton of useful functions

We have lift-off... (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA launched its first mission to the moon in over 50 years this week, and while the crew of the Artemis II mission will be going around our nearest celestial neighbor rather than landing on its surface, records will be broken: this is the furthest human beings will have been from Earth ever, as the Orion spacecraft passes the moon and then slingshots back.

So what's the tech angle? Well, in addition to all the sophisticated instruments NASA has put on board Orion and is using to monitor its progress, astronauts have been allowed to take i Phones into orbit for the first time. We're looking forward to seeing the photos and videos that get captured, even if some of the same tech bugs happen up in space too.

Read more: Smartphones in space — the Artemis II crew are throwing an i Phone around in zero gravity

Apple as a company turned 50 years old this week, and it's no exaggeration to say it's responsible for some of the most important and iconic gadgets in history. To celebrate the milestone, we've been running a host of different features and retrospectives, including a look back at the best Apple devices in history (as voted for by you, the Tech Radar readers).

We've also got some rare personal insights from Apple CEO Tim Cook, a rundown of the best retro Apple accessories you can buy, a look at how Apple and the i Pod impacted the music industry forever, and a huge quiz on all things Apple. It's not been a completely smooth ride for Apple though: we've also covered some of the company's biggest fails.

Read more: 50 years of Apple — all our coverage in one place

Hopes are high for the Samsung S99H/S95H OLED TV leading Samsung's television lineup for 2026, and after Tech Radar's John Archer spent a week in the company of the 77-inch version of this model, our anticipation levels just went up a few more notches. He describes it as having "the potential to be seriously special" when it arrives in stores.

The predecessor to this model — the Samsung S95F — was crowned the Tech Radar TV of the Year in 2025, and this 2026 model comes with a refreshed design, a notable boost in screen brightness, and improved HDR performance, among other upgrades. There's also the option to cut down on cabling by picking up a Wireless One Connect box as well.

Read more: I've lived with Samsung’s new flagship OLED TV — and I've never seen anything quite like it

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on Tech Radar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, Pop Sci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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• ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from Apple's 50th celebrations to the Artemis II launch