The Morning After: Our verdict on the iPad Mini 7
Plus, Amazon’s worried about Temu and the end of private jet watching.
For me, the iPad Mini is one of those devices I know I should like but can never quite bring myself to actually appreciate. Apple must feel similarly, given it only sporadically updates its smallest tablet, knowing its target market probably isn’t in need of blazing speed. But, with Apple Intelligence looming, Apple has launched the seventh-generation Mini. Naturally, we handed our review unit to tablet expert Nathan Ingraham for his opinion. Is the iPad Mini 7 worth the price?
On paper, Apple didn’t do a lot beyond cramming in a chip, the A17 Pro, capable of running the company’s new AI bells and whistles. But Nathan found that plenty of pain points from the older Minis — including the dreaded jelly scrolling — have been airbrushed out of the picture. You’ll also get support for the Apple Pencil Pro, helpfully streamlining the company’s presently messy stylus lineup. Ironically, what sold him on this device was neither of those features but that he found the iPad Mini the perfect device for Balatro. If you don’t know what that is, click through.
— Dan Cooper
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The biggest tech stories you missed
Qualcomm and Google team up to help carmakers create AI voice systems
Meta and GoFundMe team up to streamline social media donations
Amazon is reportedly working on a low-cost storefront to rival Temu
Hope you like crap!
Online junk stores offering ludicrous discounts for badly made tat shipped directly from China is not a new phenomenon on the internet. After all, it was only a few years ago everyone in the US was wringing their hands about the threat Wish posted to traditional retailers. Bear that in mind when you learn Amazon, nervous about Temu’s success, is considering its own low-cost online retailer.
Huawei appears to still be using TSMC chips despite US sanctions
TSMC says it alerted the US to the potential breach.
Despite being drowned in sanctions, Huawei may still be using chips made by TSMC for some of its products. A series of blockbuster reports suggests the Ascend 910B chip in a new AI accelerator was made by the Taiwanese chip giant. All we have right now are a lot of denials and pointed fingers, but this story is likely going to rattle on for a while until we know what happened.
NASA’s newest telescope can detect gravitational waves from colliding black holes
Cool.
NASA has shown off a prototype telescope that can detect gravitational waves to help better understand the building blocks of the universe. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is expected to launch in the mid-2030s, with three linked satellites orbiting Earth. The trio will keep track of each other’s precise location, monitoring when gravitational waves shift from their expected pattern. If successful, it could offer useful insights into black holes and the Big Bang, which are difficult to study using other means.
Meta bans private jet tracking accounts on Instagram and Threads
No more following TayTay’s jet across the skies.
Meta has shut down accounts tracking the movements of prominent public figures’ private jets, saying they risk the privacy and safety of those concerned. Accounts following the whereabouts of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg himself have all been axed.
Blade Runner 2049 producer sues Elon Musk for image used in Cybercab launch
The images are pretty similar if we’re honest.
They say the only two certainties in life are death and taxes, but, if you’re Elon Musk, that list has swelled to include lawsuits. Alcon Entertainment, which produced Blade Runner 2049, is suing Tesla after it used a Blade Runner 2049-esque image during the Cybercab launch. You could dismiss this as mere coincidence, but Alcon added it had previously denied a request by Tesla to use clips from the film during the event.
