Month: May 2024
Review: Two Weeks With the M4 iPad Pro
It’s been just over two weeks since the M4 iPad Pro launched, which means it’s time for a longer term review of the updated OLED display, AI-focused processor, super thin design, and new accessories that include the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
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The design of the new iPad Pro is probably the best overall feature, and the drop in weight and thickness makes a difference whether you’re traveling or just using the iPad around the house. At 5.1mm, the 13-inch iPad Pro is Apple’s thinnest device to date, and a tablet of this size and thickness continues to be impressive. Two weeks on, there’s no hint of a “bendgate” thanks to the reinforced rib that Apple included under the hood. There’s an argument to be made that some people would have preferred a bigger battery to a slimmer design, of course.
Apple moved the front camera to the landscape side of the iPad Pro, and it’s a small but notable change. If you use your iPad with a keyboard in landscape orientation but have had to awkwardly turn it to portrait mode for a FaceTime call, this is a tweak you’ll appreciate. It’s much more natural than treating the iPad like a giant iPhone.
The iPad Pro’s OLED display has no competition. It is by far the best display that Apple has introduced in an iPad, and you won’t find a better tablet display available from competing products, either. Apple used tandem OLED technology (basically stacking two OLED displays on top of each other), and the brightness and contrast are unparalleled. Movies look amazing, the iPad does well in bright lighting, and the HDR makes images pop.
Compared to the prior-generation iPad Pro with mini-LED display, the OLED display is better, but not so much so that it’s worth upgrading for that alone. Coming from an LCD, though, the difference is much more notable.
The last iPad Pro with an M2 chip is incredibly fast, and the M4 is even quicker, based on benchmarks. You’re not going to find much that’s going to max out the M4 processor in day to day usage, but you’ll see bigger numbers on benchmarking tests comparing the M4 iPad Pro to the M2 iPad Pro. Editing videos and creating songs in Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro is super fast with the M4, but it was also super fast with the M2. Maybe the M4 chip will shine when iPadOS 18 is updated with a slew of new AI features, but for now, it’s overkill.
Apple nixed both the Ultra Wide camera and mmWave 5G in this version of the iPad Pro, and most people probably won’t miss these features. Whether a 13-inch tablet needs any kind of rear camera is up in the air, and mmWave 5G speeds are still fairly limited in availability. Sub 6GHz 5G remains, and that’s plenty fast enough for downloads, watching streaming content, and playing games.
As for accessories, the Apple Pencil Pro is basically the same as the Apple Pencil 2 but with a couple new tricks. You can squeeze to bring up menus so you don’t need to go hunting for settings to do things like change line thickness or color, and there’s a barrel roll feature that basically does things like vary line thickness when tilting the Apple Pencil so it behaves more like a real writing or drawing tool. Find My might be the most useful addition so you can track down the Apple Pencil if it goes missing, and Haptic Feedback is also nice to have.
The Magic Keyboard is way more Mac like thanks to that larger glass trackpad and the aluminum palm rest. The trackpad is more pleasant to use than before, and the function keys are also a big plus for controlling media, changing screen brightness, and more without having to dig into the Settings app or Control Center.
Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro is without a doubt Apple’s best iPad, and it’s probably the best tablet on the market. The major downside is the price, with the 11-inch model starting at $999 and the 13-inch model starting at $1299. Those are Mac prices, and while the iPad’s hardware is worth it, it’s a lot to pay for the limitations that you’re stuck with when using iPadOS. There are workflows out there that work with a tablet, but many people aren’t going to be able to replace a Mac with an iPad.
You also have to shell out for the 1TB+ iPad Pro if you want maximum performance, as the 1TB and 2TB models have an extra CPU core (10 cores vs. 9 cores) and 16GB RAM instead of 8GB.Related Roundup: iPad ProBuyer’s Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)This article, “Review: Two Weeks With the M4 iPad Pro” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
It’s been just over two weeks since the M4 iPad Pro launched, which means it’s time for a longer term review of the updated OLED display, AI-focused processor, super thin design, and new accessories that include the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
The design of the new iPad Pro is probably the best overall feature, and the drop in weight and thickness makes a difference whether you’re traveling or just using the iPad around the house. At 5.1mm, the 13-inch iPad Pro is Apple’s thinnest device to date, and a tablet of this size and thickness continues to be impressive. Two weeks on, there’s no hint of a “bendgate” thanks to the reinforced rib that Apple included under the hood. There’s an argument to be made that some people would have preferred a bigger battery to a slimmer design, of course.
Apple moved the front camera to the landscape side of the iPad Pro, and it’s a small but notable change. If you use your iPad with a keyboard in landscape orientation but have had to awkwardly turn it to portrait mode for a FaceTime call, this is a tweak you’ll appreciate. It’s much more natural than treating the iPad like a giant iPhone.
The iPad Pro’s OLED display has no competition. It is by far the best display that Apple has introduced in an iPad, and you won’t find a better tablet display available from competing products, either. Apple used tandem OLED technology (basically stacking two OLED displays on top of each other), and the brightness and contrast are unparalleled. Movies look amazing, the iPad does well in bright lighting, and the HDR makes images pop.
Compared to the prior-generation iPad Pro with mini-LED display, the OLED display is better, but not so much so that it’s worth upgrading for that alone. Coming from an LCD, though, the difference is much more notable.
The last iPad Pro with an M2 chip is incredibly fast, and the M4 is even quicker, based on benchmarks. You’re not going to find much that’s going to max out the M4 processor in day to day usage, but you’ll see bigger numbers on benchmarking tests comparing the M4 iPad Pro to the M2 iPad Pro. Editing videos and creating songs in Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro is super fast with the M4, but it was also super fast with the M2. Maybe the M4 chip will shine when iPadOS 18 is updated with a slew of new AI features, but for now, it’s overkill.
Apple nixed both the Ultra Wide camera and mmWave 5G in this version of the iPad Pro, and most people probably won’t miss these features. Whether a 13-inch tablet needs any kind of rear camera is up in the air, and mmWave 5G speeds are still fairly limited in availability. Sub 6GHz 5G remains, and that’s plenty fast enough for downloads, watching streaming content, and playing games.
As for accessories, the Apple Pencil Pro is basically the same as the Apple Pencil 2 but with a couple new tricks. You can squeeze to bring up menus so you don’t need to go hunting for settings to do things like change line thickness or color, and there’s a barrel roll feature that basically does things like vary line thickness when tilting the Apple Pencil so it behaves more like a real writing or drawing tool. Find My might be the most useful addition so you can track down the Apple Pencil if it goes missing, and Haptic Feedback is also nice to have.
The Magic Keyboard is way more Mac like thanks to that larger glass trackpad and the aluminum palm rest. The trackpad is more pleasant to use than before, and the function keys are also a big plus for controlling media, changing screen brightness, and more without having to dig into the Settings app or Control Center.
Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro is without a doubt Apple’s best iPad, and it’s probably the best tablet on the market. The major downside is the price, with the 11-inch model starting at $999 and the 13-inch model starting at $1299. Those are Mac prices, and while the iPad’s hardware is worth it, it’s a lot to pay for the limitations that you’re stuck with when using iPadOS. There are workflows out there that work with a tablet, but many people aren’t going to be able to replace a Mac with an iPad.
You also have to shell out for the 1TB+ iPad Pro if you want maximum performance, as the 1TB and 2TB models have an extra CPU core (10 cores vs. 9 cores) and 16GB RAM instead of 8GB.
This article, “Review: Two Weeks With the M4 iPad Pro” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Vista Equity Writes Off IT Education Platform PluralSight Value, After $3.5 Billion Buyout
Vista Equity Partners has written off the entire equity value of its investment in tech learning platform Pluralsight, three years after taking it private for $3.5 billion, Axios reported Friday. From the report: One source says that the Utah-based company’s financials have improved, with around 26% EBITDA growth in 2023, but not enough to service nearly $1.3 billion of debt that was issued when interest rates were lower. It’s also a company whose future could be dimmed by advances in artificial intelligence, since some of the developer skills it teaches are becoming automated. Vista agreed to buy the company in late 2020 for $20.26 per share, representing a 25% premium to its 30-day trading average, despite a lack of profits.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Vista Equity Partners has written off the entire equity value of its investment in tech learning platform Pluralsight, three years after taking it private for $3.5 billion, Axios reported Friday. From the report: One source says that the Utah-based company’s financials have improved, with around 26% EBITDA growth in 2023, but not enough to service nearly $1.3 billion of debt that was issued when interest rates were lower. It’s also a company whose future could be dimmed by advances in artificial intelligence, since some of the developer skills it teaches are becoming automated. Vista agreed to buy the company in late 2020 for $20.26 per share, representing a 25% premium to its 30-day trading average, despite a lack of profits.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Spacetop G1 is an AR laptop with no screen
The Apple Vision Pro is heavy and would most certainly become an annoying anchor on your face if you tried to use it for an entire eight-hour workday. That’s because all of the tech is stuffed into the headset itself. A company called Sightful is addressing this issue with its Spacetop G1 system. It’s a laptop with no screen paired with AR glasses that runs custom OS and not Windows. All of the heavy stuff is inside of the laptop, so the glasses weigh, you know, about as much as a pair of glasses.
The company’s calling it “the laptop for the spatial computing era”, lifting a bit of Apple’s marketing language. It’s basically a pair of customized AR glasses from Xreal connected to something resembling the bottom section of a laptop, complete with a keyboard and trackpad. Sightful says this allows for a 100-inch virtual screen that floats over the real world. The device actually predates the Vision Pro, as it was released one year ago as an early-access product, though now its available for preorder to everyone.
As for the hardware, it’s not going to be breaking any speed records. The Spacetop G1 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon QCS8550 processor, which is typically found in mobile devices, along with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The specs are fine, more or less, especially when considering the product’s focus on work and not play.
The glasses include a pair of 1920×1080 OLED displays with 90Hz refresh rates, a 50 degree field of view and 42 PPD (pixels per degree), with support for custom prescription lenses. They also include Xreal’s 6W open-ear speaker system. I’ve used Xreal glasses before and they are decent, but that promise of a 100-inch virtual screen is severely hampered by the abysmal field of view.
You can skip the virtual screen entirely. The device has two USB-C ports, which connect to peripherals like standalone monitors. This does call up a unique use-case scenario. You can work with a real monitor while at the office and then continue working with a full setup while on a plane or something. That would be kind of neat for the workaholics out there.
Sightful
The wireless connectivity options reinforce this idea, as the G1 supports WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, SIM cards, 5G and 4G. However, the battery will run out after just eight hours, so domestic flights may be the best bet here.
The system also comes with a proprietary OS to take advantage of the AR capabilities. It’s built on top of ChromiumOS and is designed for navigation via a selection of gestures. Testers have dinged the operating system by calling it “Android-like” and, due to being custom software, it doesn’t offer support for every app out there. It does, however, work fine with Google’s entire suite of productivity software. Finally, the G1 ships with a built-in 5MP camera for video calls.
The Spacetop G1 laptop may lack a physical display, but it’s priced as if it has the best OLED around. It costs $1,900. You can get a fancy new MacBook Air or a Copilot+ PC and a pair of AR glasses for around $1,400. Just something to think about.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-spacetop-g1-is-an-ar-laptop-with-no-screen-153752138.html?src=rss
The Apple Vision Pro is heavy and would most certainly become an annoying anchor on your face if you tried to use it for an entire eight-hour workday. That’s because all of the tech is stuffed into the headset itself. A company called Sightful is addressing this issue with its Spacetop G1 system. It’s a laptop with no screen paired with AR glasses that runs custom OS and not Windows. All of the heavy stuff is inside of the laptop, so the glasses weigh, you know, about as much as a pair of glasses.
The company’s calling it “the laptop for the spatial computing era”, lifting a bit of Apple’s marketing language. It’s basically a pair of customized AR glasses from Xreal connected to something resembling the bottom section of a laptop, complete with a keyboard and trackpad. Sightful says this allows for a 100-inch virtual screen that floats over the real world. The device actually predates the Vision Pro, as it was released one year ago as an early-access product, though now its available for preorder to everyone.
As for the hardware, it’s not going to be breaking any speed records. The Spacetop G1 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon QCS8550 processor, which is typically found in mobile devices, along with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The specs are fine, more or less, especially when considering the product’s focus on work and not play.
The glasses include a pair of 1920×1080 OLED displays with 90Hz refresh rates, a 50 degree field of view and 42 PPD (pixels per degree), with support for custom prescription lenses. They also include Xreal’s 6W open-ear speaker system. I’ve used Xreal glasses before and they are decent, but that promise of a 100-inch virtual screen is severely hampered by the abysmal field of view.
You can skip the virtual screen entirely. The device has two USB-C ports, which connect to peripherals like standalone monitors. This does call up a unique use-case scenario. You can work with a real monitor while at the office and then continue working with a full setup while on a plane or something. That would be kind of neat for the workaholics out there.
The wireless connectivity options reinforce this idea, as the G1 supports WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, SIM cards, 5G and 4G. However, the battery will run out after just eight hours, so domestic flights may be the best bet here.
The system also comes with a proprietary OS to take advantage of the AR capabilities. It’s built on top of ChromiumOS and is designed for navigation via a selection of gestures. Testers have dinged the operating system by calling it “Android-like” and, due to being custom software, it doesn’t offer support for every app out there. It does, however, work fine with Google’s entire suite of productivity software. Finally, the G1 ships with a built-in 5MP camera for video calls.
The Spacetop G1 laptop may lack a physical display, but it’s priced as if it has the best OLED around. It costs $1,900. You can get a fancy new MacBook Air or a Copilot+ PC and a pair of AR glasses for around $1,400. Just something to think about.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-spacetop-g1-is-an-ar-laptop-with-no-screen-153752138.html?src=rss
Gurman: iOS 18 to Feature ‘Updates’ to Control Center
The upcoming iOS 18 update for the iPhone will include unspecified “updates” to Control Center, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
If that sounds familiar, it is because Control Center was rumored to be revamped on both iOS 15 and iOS 17, but neither update ended up introducing any significant changes to the feature, which provides quick access to system functions like Wi-Fi, display brightness, volume, and more. However, both of those rumors proved to be from unreliable sources for Apple leaks, whereas Gurman is a more reputable source.
MacRumors has learned that Apple has internally tested a redesigned Control Center for iOS 18, but we cannot confirm if these changes have been finalized.
Apple will unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after the presentation. The first public beta of iOS 18 will likely follow in July, and the update should be widely released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.Related Roundup: iOS 18Tags: Control Center, Mark GurmanThis article, “Gurman: iOS 18 to Feature ‘Updates’ to Control Center” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
The upcoming iOS 18 update for the iPhone will include unspecified “updates” to Control Center, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
If that sounds familiar, it is because Control Center was rumored to be revamped on both iOS 15 and iOS 17, but neither update ended up introducing any significant changes to the feature, which provides quick access to system functions like Wi-Fi, display brightness, volume, and more. However, both of those rumors proved to be from unreliable sources for Apple leaks, whereas Gurman is a more reputable source.
MacRumors has learned that Apple has internally tested a redesigned Control Center for iOS 18, but we cannot confirm if these changes have been finalized.
Apple will unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after the presentation. The first public beta of iOS 18 will likely follow in July, and the update should be widely released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.
This article, “Gurman: iOS 18 to Feature ‘Updates’ to Control Center” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
College Football 25 goes deeper into gameplay
When you’re a series coming back after an 11-year layoff, spanning two console generations, of course there’s going to be… Continue reading College Football 25 goes deeper into gameplay
The post College Football 25 goes deeper into gameplay appeared first on ReadWrite.
When you’re a series coming back after an 11-year layoff, spanning two console generations, of course there’s going to be a lot to share. It’s hard to condense everything that awaits college football fans when EA Sports College Football 25 launches July 19. But the developers at EA Orlando have tried anyway, with a deep dive video and blog post touching all corners of the game.
The most important point here is that all 134 schools in the United States’ top division of collegiate football are represented, with all of their traditions, songs, stadiums, and more. Whether you’re a fan of Ohio University or The Ohio State University, you’ll get a warm embrace of your alma mater.
But going deeper, the playbooks are well differentiated and more experimental than you’d find in professional football. “One of our primary objectives was to capture the authenticity and wide open gameplay of college football,” said developer Scott O’Gallagher.
“We studied and tried to recreate the explosiveness of current and former College Football legends. The result is a game that allows you to not only play North and South, but also East and West.” Here he means using the whole field, not just deep bombs thrown by classic dropback passers, but also spread-field antics like reverses, end-arounds, and of course, the triple option.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who appears in the game alongside real-life booth partner Chris Fowler, narrates this exploration of what College Football 25 has to offer. I can remember sitting on my bed in 2003 with a copy of NCAA Football 2004, watching and rewatching the tutorial videos he narrated, just learning where the buttons were on my phat Xbox controller to know how to pitch the ball or pull back and spear the flanker running a streak route. It’s good to have Herbie, a Buckeye quarterback from 1989 to 1992, back in the facility.
What else can we expect from College Football 25?
Elsewhere, O’Gallagher explains the new Wear and Tear progression system, whereby a player subjected to continual hits (or a long day throwing the ball) is going to break down, not only in the current game, but probably in the next one too. It reminds me of the old condition system in Tecmo Super Bowl, where your stud running back turns up lame in the third quarter, forcing all kinds of strategic adjustments, if not an outright substitution. Pay attention to the Wear and Tear on your athletes, especially if your porous offensive line is allowing multiple unabated-to-the-quarterback hits in the backfield.
EA Sports College Football 25 launches July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
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