Writing the intro for the Week in Review can be hard for me, because I’m usually more excited about what’s ahead than what’s passed. This week, though, I get to have my cake and eat it, as many of us were busy writing about the future.
Next week, Apple will finally unveil a collection of new iPads and, while the company is keeping mum about details of its Let Loose event on Tuesday, it did promise a “different kind of event”, and during a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised that iPad revenue was about to double, so there’s that. In that same call, Cook talked about how Apple’s hardware gives it an advantage in the generative AI stakes – a nod to its big developer event in June, one that should be stuffed with AI goodness.
In computing, meanwhile, we’re looking towards an imminent Windows 12 reveal, one that will further integrate Microsoft’s Copilot AI, and wondering if Windows 11’s travails could hurt the big update’s chances for success.
Even the future of AI devices is now in question, as not one but two personal AI devices have all but face-planted in recent reviews and hands-ons. Startups are learning the hard way that AI is best as a feature, and not a standalone product.
And when we look to the future of Netflix, we realize that, yes, it’s going to cost some of us even more – again. Is there a ceiling to streaming pricing? Apparently not.
See? I can talk about the big stories of the week while still focusing on the future. I’m also adept at walking and chewing gum at the same time. Yay me… and enjoy the rest of this week’s top stories.
We know Apple has an event scheduled for Tuesday, and we think that new iPads (and a new Apple Pencil) are on the agenda – but what's puzzling us is what Apple means when it says this will be a "different kind of Apple event". We have some theories though.
Here's a development we're intrigued by: Samsung Good Lock, the excellent customization app that works exclusively with Galaxy phones, has now made an appearance on the Google Play Store, perhaps pointing to a wider release.
We've been spending some time interacting with Nvidia's Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), designed to improve user interactions with NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) in video games – and in our experience, these virtual characters are impressively smart.
With bugs continuing to appear in the latest Windows 11 updates, and Windows 10 continuing to beat it in terms of market share, TechRadar's Allisa James makes a persuasive case for Microsoft putting all of its efforts into Windows 12 from now on.
Wondering what to watch this weekend? Our latest crop of recommendations includes Unfrosted on Netflix – a star-studded look at the making of… Pop Tarts? – while The Idea of You and The Veil begin streaming on Prime Video and Hulu, respectively.
