Apple's Black Friday deals have started popping up, and this is your chance to grab a new iPad at a discount if you've been thinking of getting one. The 10th-gen iPad is currently on sale for $279 at Amazon, $70 less than what it usually costs. A few color options have an additional coupon that brings the final price down to $250. Apple released the tablet back in 2022, but it's still our best budget iPad option for 2024.
The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too — the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a bigger screen with smaller bezels.
The device is powered by Apple's A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge.
Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn't feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad's isn't bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-apple-ipad-deals-include-the-10th-gen-ipad-for-a-record-low-price-130005131.html?src=rss
These times are very trying and it’s understandable if someone goes a little off the deep end once in a while. Just like Norman Bates said in Psycho, “We all go a little mad sometimes.” However, a new Xbox ad campaign has us a little concerned.
Microsoft launched a new marketing campaign for its Xbox consoles and cloud gaming service called “This is an Xbox.” It features posters and commercials with a bunch of different objects like a laptop, a smartphone and a Meta Quest 3 that are all “an Xbox.”
We confirmed with a thorough fact check that all of those objects are not an Xbox. That may sound like overkill but when you live in a world where there’s a real chance that the goopy mass voiced by Tim Curry in FernGully might become Secretary of the Interior, we’re not taking any chances.
The commercial is even trippier. It zips between objects like a flat screen TV, an ROG Ally and a laptop while Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours” blasts in the background. This time though, it displays the simple sentence “This is an Xbox” with a secondary clause or imperative statement behind it. Is there some kind of malware virus in the AI software that runs our universe or something?
Microsoft, we know this is an ad campaign and that you don’t really believe these non-Xbox items are “an Xbox.” Of course, you want to talk up your cloud gaming service, which is available across all of the devices in the ads. But last I checked, I didn't need an expensive subscription to play games on a regular Xbox.
Also this is the internet, a gathering place for conspiracy weavers, liars and ne’er-do-wells. Reality is hard enough right now without having to debate the merit of what things are. This feels like the kind of stuff that Jobu would pull when she finished decorating the bagel in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Microsoft
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-new-xbox-ad-campaign-is-confused-about-what-an-xbox-is-231013374.html?src=rss
Did you think Teenage Engineering would go another entire year without dropping something both absurdly cool and outrageously expensive? Think again. The company just announced the long-rumored OP-XY groovebox. It looks like an OP-1 Field, but plays like the relatively-ancient OP-Z. It also costs $2,300.
The OP-XY is described by the company as an "all-in-one powerful synthesizer and composer with deep, direct sequencing capabilities.” That sounds about right. The primary workflow here is sequencing, as opposed to the faux tape recording found with its OP-1 siblings. The groovebox features a shrunken-down keyboard and a strip of 16 LED-equipped buttons to control the sequencer.
There’s a multisampler inside the box, in addition to some great-sounding synth engines, drum kits and a bevy of useful effects, including the punch-in effects from the original OP-Z. As for specs, this little beast ships with 512GB of RAM, a dual CPU system that’s "capable of ultrafast processing power and efficiency” and 8GB of internal storage.
Teenage Engineering boasts about the groovebox’s "brain chord progression.” This lets players program chord sequences by “letting your hands do the talking.” We don’t exactly know what that means, as hands are typically involved when programming any chord sequence. We’ll have to wait for a hands-on experience to get the gist. It does allow for live recording, which is nice.
Just like the OP-Z, there’s a built-in gyroscope that allows players to adjust parameters by simply moving the device around. As for connectivity, there’s a USB-C port, a 3.5mm stereo input, MIDI in, MIDI sync and a new multi-output port that can send MIDI, CV, gate or sync data. It even has Bluetooth MIDI.
Teenage Engineering
It’s also an absolute head-turner in the looks department. This thing is a stunner, dropping the toy-like OP-Z aesthetic for something that eerily resembles the OP-1 Field, albeit with a color swap to matte black. There’s a bright OLED display and many of the same multi-function buttons and knobs found with the original OP-1 and the Field. It looks very cool and I want it.
As previously mentioned, there’s a rub. The OP-XY costs $2,300. You read that right. That’s $300 more than the OP-1 Field. Heck. You could buy a brand new standard OP-1 and an OP-Z and still have some money leftover to buy cables and other accessories. Despite the price, I’m cautiously optimistic about this one. I absolutely love the OP-1 Field and I don’t care who knows it.
This is really the first ultra-expensive instrument the company has released since the aforementioned OP-1 Field. Last year’s EP-133 and its medieval-flavored follow-up both cost $300. The OP-XY is available right now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/teenage-engineering-is-back-with-another-droolworthy-and-expensive-groovebox-183918448.html?src=rss
Apple devices are some of the most sought after this time of year and, believe it or not, you can find some decent Black Friday deals on them if you know where to look. At the moment, one such deal is on the Apple Watch Series 10: Apple’s newest wearable is on sale for $329, which is $70 off and a record low. That price is for the smaller 42mm model without LTE functionality, and the 46mm size is also $70 off and down to $359.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall, but it's probably best to look at other options if you're an Android user. After all, you'll need a compatible iPhone to set up the wearable and get the most out of it.
We gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a score of 90 in our review. Apple redesigned the smartwatch to offer a larger screen and thinner frame, both of which were plus points in our book. The wide-angle OLED panel offers better viewing angles. The wearable has in-depth fitness and health tracking too, with new functions including sleep apnea detection.
We found that there was a slight increase in battery life thanks to efficiency improvements, but some alternative smartwatches run for much longer on a single charge. Overall, this is a somewhat iterative update compared with the Series 9 and 8, but if you're upgrading from an older Apple Watch (or buying one for the first time), you may find the features, performance and charging speed to be impressive.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-series-10-is-70-off-during-amazons-black-friday-sale-180028994.html?src=rss
Amazon just unveiled a new line of Fire TVs, just ahead of Thanksgiving and, more importantly, Black Friday. The Fire TV Omni Mini-LED series is being advertised as “the most powerful and innovative Amazon-built TV yet.” Let’s take a look at some specs.
These TVs all include QLED Mini-LED panels that deliver up to 1,400 nits of peak brightness and up to 1,344 dimming zones. They offer support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, which should result in “more vibrant colors, deeper blacks, and richer contrast.”
Amazon says these sets include AI-assisted Intelligent Picture technology, which automatically enhances image quality to optimize scenes “in real-time.” The TV’s light and color sensor take the living space into account, making the appropriate brightness and color temperature settings as needed.
Amazon
They also allow access to Amazon’s Fire TV Ambient Experience, which turns the TVs into a display for art. It’s sort of like the well-regarded Samsung Frame series only, well, without the whole frame part. This software doesn’t just display static pieces of art, as it can also handle custom animations and various widgets.
This is the first Amazon-built TV with an AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification, for my beautiful gamers out there. This software suite combines a variable refresh rate, an automatic low latency mode and a new 144Hz refresh rate in gaming mode. It also offers support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, for some nice future-proofing. They all ship with two speakers, complete with two subwoofers, and allow access to Dolby Atmos audio.
These are Amazon TVs so, of course, they play nice with Alexa. The company says that users can “discover shows and movies, manage playback and control the Fire TV Ambient Experience hands-free” via voice control.
The Fire TV Omni Mini-LED boxes are available right now. Prices range from $820 to $2,100, with size options ranging from 55-inches all the way up to 85-inches.
Amazon
These aren’t the only entertainment products that Amazon released today. The company also dropped a new line of soundbars and a refresh for the pre-existing Fire TV 4 series.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/amazon-dropped-a-new-fire-tv-line-just-before-thanksgiving-174510455.html?src=rss
The 2024 iMac looks the same as ever, but there’s an update that promises to dramatically transform the lineup. It’s not the M4 processor, though that’s nice. No, I’m talking about the boost in base memory that finally lifts the entry-level models from a deplorable 8GB to 16GB. That, along with the new chips, promises to finally make the $1,299 iMac cost effective for most buyers.
There are a few other tweaks, like an optional nano-coated display, an updated 12-megapixel webcam and an assortment of new colors. Otherwise, things are much the same as last year, which may make you wonder if it’s worth the upgrade. After testing one for content creation, gaming and productivity, I can tell you that the answer is definitely yes.
What’s new with the latest iMac?
Side-by-side, the 2023 and 2024 iMacs look about the same. The 24-inch 4.5K 500-nit display and the computer itself are housed in the same slim 0.43-inch (11.5mm) thick frame. It still sits on an elegant stand that tilts but lacks an adjustable height setting. While tilt-only is a common setup on all-in-one PCs, at this point it would be nice to see Apple do even a simplified height adjustment like it did on the Studio Display. Elsewhere, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the base model and four on the more expensive versions, along with a magnetic power connector and 3.5mm headphone jack on the left side — all the same as before.
What is new is the higher-quality 12MP webcam that’s a massive leap up from past models. It finally delivers sharp and color-accurate video worthy of the rest of the computer, to help you look your best when on FaceTime or Zoom. It supports Apple’s Center Stage feature that auto-centers the subject during video calls, even if you’re moving around. The new webcam also works with the new Desk View feature that lets you show off objects below your screen.
Steve Dent for Engadget
You can now get the iMac with optional nano-textured display glass that blocks glare, even with a light pointing right at it. Though it does slightly reduce sharpness, I’d recommend it if you can afford the extra $200. Otherwise, it’s the same clear and colorful display with 500 nits of brightness, a wide P3 gamut and a resolution of 4,480 x 2,250, which are all the same as before. The 24-inch size may be too small for some, but I found it ample for most work, and I’m used to dual 32-inch screens. Still, given that the iMac is Apple’s only desktop model with an integrated display, it would be nice to see a 27- or even 32-inch option on future models, even if that makes it less compact and portable.
The iMac M4’s color palette also got a tiny refresh. Though it still comes in the same seven hues as before, they’re now in slightly paler shades that Apple calls “fresh.” Indeed, the model I tested is a very light green that is so subtle it’s hard to even see in dim light. I’m a fan of subdued hues, but anyone hoping for a shot of bright color may be disappointed.
The accessories have also been updated. Both the new Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard (with optional Touch ID) now charge via USB-C rather than Lightning like the iMac M3, negating a major complaint in our previous review. As usual, all the accessories, including the cables, match the color of your iMac — a cute touch.
Steve Dent for Engadget
I love the feel of Apple’s keyboard for speed typing, as I’m not a mechanical keyboard guy. The Magic Mouse is an acquired taste, but the slightly firm click pressure and accuracy suit my taste and I love the ability to scroll side-to-side as well as up and down. Yes, the charging port is on the bottom, which is a bit of a design fail, but it can go a month between charges — and you only need to plug it in for a few minutes to get enough power to last a workday.
The key updates are inside with the M4 processor, which is available in two variants. The base $1,299 model comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. All other versions have 10-core CPUs, 10-core GPUs and four Thunderbolt ports, starting at $1,499 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There’s no M4 Pro option, and therefore no Thunderbolt 5 ports on any 2024 iMac. Every version but the base model also has gigabit ethernet (on the power brick) and Touch ID on the Magic Keyboard.
The model I’m testing shows that Apple’s upgrades are still too expensive. It has a 10-core M4, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and four Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with the nano-textured screen. Those three options (the extra 8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and the updated screen) shoot the $1,299 price up to $2,299. The good news, though, is that not buying them won’t leave you with an unacceptable amount of memory as before.
In use: Outstanding performance and friendly features
Steve Dent for Engadget
Desktop PCs don’t get much more practical than the iMac M4. Installing it is as easy as placing it on a surface and plugging it in, then running through a relatively quick setup. With everything integrated in the display, you can install it on your desk, in a kid’s bedroom or anywhere else with a small amount of space. It’s easy to move, too, as there are no cables other than power and weighs just 9.74 pounds.
Performance was a pleasant surprise, better than I expected on tasks ranging from video editing to gaming. The key benchmarks show substantial gains over the iMac M3 in processing, graphics performance and AI, ranging from 20 percent on single CPU tests to over 30 percent on the GPU side.
The iMac M4 is actually a touch faster than the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4, but pokier than the 16-inch model with an M4 Pro chip, particularly when it comes to graphics. In fact, GPU performance is considerably lower than the Mac Mini and even the MacBook Pro M3 Pro models. Still, integrated graphics are far more powerful than they used to be, and the iMac M4 beats most rival Windows PCs in that regard, including the Surface with a Snapdragon X Elite chip. However, it sits well below PCs with discrete graphics from NVIDIA and AMD.
Computer
Geekbench 6
Geekbench 6 GPU
Cinebench 2024
Apple iMac (M4, 2024)
3,751/15,093
35,520
171/881 GPU 4,425
Apple iMac (M3, 2023)
3,125/11,818
25,922
137/659 GPU 3,340
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
3,925/22,456
70,197
178/1,689 GPU 9,295
Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite)
2,797/14,400
19,963
123/969 GPU N/A
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2024)
3,202/21,312
92,344
143/1,686 GPU 13,182
Gaming shows the iMac’s GPU deficiencies, with resolution limited to a maximum of 1080p for titles like Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and Baldur’s Gate 3 to have playable frame rates above 30 fps. Still, it’s not a bad gaming machine for an AIO that’s mostly designed to run Excel spreadsheets or make Zoom calls.
It’s surprisingly solid for content creation, too. That’s aided by the rapid storage speeds (2.94/5.14 GB/s read/write), integrated video decoding and faster processor. For instance, I don’t expect a lot of iMac users to edit 8K 24p clips on Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve, but you can totally do that. It also handled Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Lightroom Classic projects well. The only place it stuttered was on RAW 8K video playback, which is a very big ask for an all-in-one. My 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro can handle that thanks to the extra cores, but it’s nearly $1,000 more.
Steve Dent for Engadget
With that bright, sharp display, the iMac M4 is also great for entertainment. It can play 4K HDR content and supports Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio thanks to the six speaker setup with two force-canceling woofers. Of course it’s better to use high-quality headphones, but the sound straight out of speakers is better than any AIO I’ve used before. When watching movies and series on Netflix and Prime Video (The Diplomat and Don’t Look Up), the iMac M4 provided a colorful, immersive viewing experience.
Finally, AI was a big selling point of the M4 Macs at its unofficial Mac Week event. The iMac M4 fared well in that regard with a 51,421 Geekbench 6 quantized AI score, closely matching results from the M4 Pro and M4 Max (all M4 CPUs have 16 “Neural Engine” AI cores). As a more practical test, I transcribed a 69-minute Engadget podcast episode using the Whisper Transcription app, which took three minutes and four seconds. That was the same as the MacBook Pro M4, but a minute slower than the M4 Pro model.
Should you buy the iMac M4?
Steve Dent for Engadget
With an unchanged design, there might seem to be no justification to buy or upgrade to the iMac M4. I disagree for one reason: Apple’s change to 16GB of base memory allows you to do more than ever on an entry-level iMac, including taxing activities like 4K video editing and AAA gaming. In fact, I would only consider getting an M3 or older model if getting one with 16GB of RAM is cheaper than the iMac M4.
I would still avoid the base model if at all possible, though. For me, the sweet spot is now the $1,499 option that comes with 256GB of storage, four Thunderbolt 4 ports (to easily add extra storage) and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. That’s still not cheap, but gives you a very capable and expandable machine for $400 less than the minimum price we recommended last year.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-m4-imac-review-the-best-all-in-one-gets-a-lot-faster-173055294.html?src=rss
Black Friday is set to soak the world in glorious deals, but why wait until later in the month? Some of the best deals are already live. For instance, the M2 MacBook Air is available via Amazon for just $749. The regular price is $1,000, so this is a discount of 25 percent. It even boasts 16GB of RAM.
This model easily made our list of the best MacBooks, even with the presence of the newer M3 MacBook Air. Here are the takeaways. This laptop, obviously, includes Apple’s proprietary M2 8-core CPU, which is more than fast enough for basic tasks and fine for even many advanced tasks, like music-making. We called it "Apple's near-perfect Mac" in our official review.
This is not the bare-bones standard model, as it comes with 16GB of RAM. Most versions ship with 8GB of RAM. The multitasking bona-fides are strong with this one. The M2 MacBook Air also ships with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and support for the P3 wide color gamut.
It’s thin and light. It’s a MacBook Air. This thing weighs around 2.7 pounds. The battery life is solid, at around 18 hours of use per charge. The four-speaker sound system can get surprisingly loud, so headphones are not a requirement when watching random YouTube videos or listening to music.
So what’s the downside? There isn’t one. Not really. This isn’t the M3 MacBook Air, so those looking for the latest and greatest model may be let down. The model does only ship with a 256GB solid state drive, but it’s easy enough to plug in an external.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-macbook-black-friday-deals-include-the-m2-macbook-air-with-16gb-of-ram-for-749-161500152.html?src=rss
Google now offers a dedicated Gemini AI app on iPhone. First spotted by MacRumors, the free software is available to download in Australia, India, the US and the UK following a soft launch in the Philippines earlier this week.
Before today, iPhone users could access Gemini through the Google app, though there were some notable limitations. For instance, the dedicated app includes Google’s Gemini Live feature, which allows users to interact with the AI agent from their iPhone’s Dynamic Island and Lock Screen. As a result, you don’t need to have the app open on your phone’s screen to use Gemini. The software is free to download — though a Gemini Advanced subscription is necessary to use every available feature. Gemini Advanced is included in Google’s One AI Premium plan, which starts at $19 per month.
The app is compatible with iPhones running iOS 16 and later, meaning people with older devices such as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X can use the AI agent. I’ll note here that the oldest iPhone that can run Apple Intelligence is the iPhone 15 Pro. Of course, that’s not exactly a fair comparison; Apple designed its suite of AI features to rely primarily on on-device processing, and when a query requires more computational horsepower, it goes through the company’s Private Cloud Compute framework.
Either way, it’s not surprising to see Google bring a dedicated Gemini app to iPhone. Ahead of WWDC 2024, Apple had reportedly been in talks with the company to integrate the AI agent directly into its devices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-now-offers-a-standalone-gemini-app-on-iphone-160025513.html?src=rss
One of the Gemini AI-powered features Google introduced at I/O this year was a solution for never-ending scam calls. It has the capability to detect whether a call is suspicious while it's still ongoing and can alert you so that you could drop the call as soon as possible. That live scam detection feature for phone calls is now available for Pixel 6 and newer devices, as long as you're part of the Phone by Google public beta program in the English language.
"[S]cam calls are evolving, becoming increasingly more sophisticated, damaging and harder to identify," the company said in its announcement. Scam Detection uses on-device AI to determine whether a call is a potential scam in real time. For instance, if the caller tells you it's your bank and asks you to transfer funds to another account because yours had allegedly been breached — a common scam tactic — you'll get an audio and a haptic alert. When you look at your phone, you'll see a visual warning, along with a button to easily end the call. If the AI ends up making a mistake, you can tap on the "Not a scam" button instead.
Google
Scam Detection is off by default, and it's up to you whether you want to activate it. Google says it doesn't send your calls or their transcripts to a remote server, because the feature processes phone calls on-device. On the Pixel 9 series, it's powered by Gemini Nano, which Google describes as its "most efficient model for on-device tasks." On Pixel devices older than the Pixel 9, it's powered by the company's other machine learning models.
Google didn't say when live scam detection will make it out of beta, but it promised that it's coming soon to more Android devices. In October, the company also rolled out enhanced scam detection for Messages, which also uses on-device machine learning models to identify scam texts.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/googles-live-scam-detection-for-phone-calls-is-now-out-for-pixel-devices-143017096.html?src=rss
With its biggest update to Final Cut Pro (FCP) in years, Apple may be re-embracing the professional video creator crowd it has neglected since the launch of FCP X in 2011. The company finally unveiled its successor, Final Cut Pro 11 (FCP 11), an update that leans heavily on AI tools. At the same time, it introduced spatial video editing to produce content for the Vision Pro headset.
The key AI feature is Magnetic Mask, which lets you cut out people and other moving subjects, then stylize them or put them in another location altogether. "This powerful and precise automatic analysis provides additional flexibility to customize backgrounds and environments," Apple wrote. "Editors can also combine Magnetic Mask with color correction and video effects, allowing them to precisely control and stylize each project."
Apple
The other key new AI feature is Transcribe to Captions, which automatically analyzes interviews and other timeline audio, transcribes it and places the captions directly on the timeline — effectively automating the entire process. That feature uses an Apple-trained large language model (LLM) designed to transcribe spoken audio, the company said.
Final Cut Pro 11 also joins other pro editing apps like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve in offering VR/AR video editing. "Spatial video editing" allows users to import and edit AR/VR video directly in the app, while adding effects, color correction and more. Footage can be captured from an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 models, along with Canon's R7 mirrorless camera paired with the new RF-S 7.8mm F/4 lens. Users can choose from different viewing modes to preview left- and right-eye angles, or bring their edit directly in to Apple Vision Pro to get a 3D preview.
Apple also unveiled Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1, further optimizing it for Apple silicon. The app also offers enhancements to the "light and color" feature that let you quickly improve the color, contrast and overall look of your video. And finally, the company released a new version of Final Cut Camera, which includes the ability to shoot in compact but high-quality HEVC files with Apple Log, rather than using storage-gobbling ProRes.
As a professional tool, Final Cut Pro 11 is still missing features found in Resolve and Premiere Pro like text-based editing and certain advanced color correction tools. Still, the new version and features will no doubt be welcomed by FCP diehards. It's now available to download for $299 for new users (following a free 90-day trial) and is free to existing Final Cut Pro owners.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apples-ai-infused-final-cut-pro-11-is-now-available-140030992.html?src=rss