The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest. Although Nikkei declined to disclose the extent of the production cut or which suppliers will be affected, it says that the changes may be seen in Apple's supply chain in the coming months.
A new KeyBanc Capital Markets survey for investors reveals "virtually no demand for iPhone Air, and limited willingness to pay for a foldable." Demand for other iPhone 17 models is said to be healthy but measured, with the mix "continuing to shift toward Pro and Pro Max models." Moreover, AI features have yet to meaningfully influence buying decisions.
Last week, Japan's Mizuho Securities said that Apple will reduce iPhone Air production by one million units this year. Meanwhile, Apple apparently plans to increase production of iPhone 17 models by two million units. A separate report claimed that Samsung has canceled plans to release a successor to its own iPhone Air rival, the Galaxy S25 Edge, due to low sales.
Apple's new Vision Pro with the M5 chip and the Dual Knit headband are assembled in Vietnam, Bloomberg reports.
The original Vision Pro with the M2 chip was manufactured in China by Luxshare, which also makes some AirPods models. The move demonstrates Apple's increasing shift away from China. While it still makes most iPhones in the country, many of its other devices sold in the United States are being produced elsewhere.
Apple's upcoming wave of new smart home devices, including a smart home display, indoor security camera, and tabletop robot, will also be made in Vietnam, according to Bloomberg.
With the iPhone 17 lineup, most models sold in the United States are made in India. Most AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and HomePods are now made in Vietnam. An increasing number of Macs are now made in Thailand and Malaysia. Earlier this year, Apple announced plans to make the cover glass for all iPhones and Apple Watches in the United States.
Samsung today announced the launch of the Galaxy XR, a new mixed reality headset that will compete with the Apple Vision Pro. At $1,800, the Galaxy XR is $1,700 cheaper than the new M5 Vision Pro, but it is much more expensive than Meta's Quest VR devices.
Samsung says that its headset was created with a "human-centric design" that's meant to provide long-term comfort. The headset has a frame design that is supposed to distribute pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, providing support and minimizing facial discomfort. A detachable light shield offers deeper immersion by blocking out light, but the headset can be used without it. The headset weighs 545 grams (1.2 pounds) with the forehead cushion, so it is lighter than the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro with Dual Knit Band weighs between 750 and 800 grams.
Samsung included 4K micro-OLED screens with a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 and a 109-degree horizontal field of view. There are 29 million total pixels with a 6.3-micron pixel pitch and 96 percent DCI-P3. There's a 72Hz default refresh rate, with 60Hz and 90Hz also available. Included cameras and sensors add support for hand and eye tracking.
The XR is powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip from Qualcomm. There are two high-resolution passthrough cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, four eye-tracking cameras with iris recognition used for authentication, and a 6.5-megapixel camera for taking 3D photos and videos. The headset also includes five Inertial Measurement Units, a depth sensor, and a flicker sensor. Samsung is selling optical inserts for vision correction separately.
Other features include two 2-way speakers and a six microphone array, Wi-Fi 7 support, Bluetooth 5.4 integration, 16GB memory, and 256GB storage. Like the Vision Pro, the Galaxy XR has a separate battery pack with two hours of runtime (2.5 hours for video watching), but the headset can also be used while the battery is being charged.
The Galaxy XR headset runs the Android XR platform, which Samsung developed alongside Google and Qualcomm. Google's Gemini AI is integrated at a system level, so it can understand the user's surroundings with the Galaxy XR cameras and microphones. According to Samsung, Gemini in the Galaxy XR is designed to feel like a "new type of AI companion."
Here's some of what Samsung says the headset can do:
Gemini in Google Maps can be used to navigate to any location and users can ask for personalized suggestions about nearby places.
Users can use natural language to ask Gemini to find the content they want to see on YouTube and get more information about the video they're watching.
With a passthrough mode, users can see the physical world and draw a circle with their hand to search for information about any object in their field of view.
2D photos and videos can be auto-spatialized to add depth and dimension, similar to Apple's spatial photos and videos.
Shows can be streamed on a 4K screen that feels like a personal theater.
Sports fans can watch multiple games at the same time.
With XR games, Gemini offers real-time coaching and tips.
Samsung is working on multiple form factors for future products, including AI glasses. Alongside Google, Samsung has teamed up with Warby Parker for its future smart glasses products, and it is also working with South Korean glasses brand Gentle Monster.
Early adopters will receive 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass. Samsung is also selling a Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller for $250 each.
YouTube today began rolling out a new AI likeness detection feature, which lets creators detect, manage, and request the removal of unauthorized videos that use AI to generate or alter the creator's facial likeness.
According to YouTube, the feature is meant to safeguard identities and prevent audiences from being misled by deepfakes.
The likeness detection tool is available in YouTube Studio under a content detection tab. After completing an identity verification process that requires a photo ID and a selfie video, creators will be alerted if there are any AI-generated videos that use their likeness. YouTube Studio will show a list of videos with titles, channel, views, and dialogue, along with an option to request a removal.
The tool supports likeness removal requests for AI videos, and copyright removal requests in case someone has used copyright-protected content without permission.
YouTube creators that are members of the YouTube Partner Program will get access to the likeness detection tool over the next few months. In a statement to TheWrap, YouTube said that the first creators selected to use the feature are those that "may have the most immediate use for the tool." All monetized creators will have access by January 2026.
Aura, known for its digital photo frames, today announced the launch of the $499 Ink Frame. The Ink Frame is Aura's first color e-paper display, with all other models using LCD displays. According to Aura, the Ink Frame is meant to show photos with a softly lit, vintage look that more closely resembles a printed picture than a digital screen.
The 13.3-inch frame features an E Ink Spectra 6 display with a resolution of 1600 x 1200. Spectra 6 supports six colors, but Aura uses a dithering algorithm to create the appearance of millions of tones. Like Aura's other frames, the Ink Frame supports uploading an unlimited number of photos to Aura's cloud service. Aura users can also have friends and family members send photos directly to a frame with the Aura app.
Because the Ink Frame uses e-paper, it uses little battery, so this is also the first Aura frame that is cordless. The Ink Frame provides up to three months of battery before it needs to be recharged with the included USB-C port and cable. The Ink Frame does not have a backlight, and it instead includes a built-in front light that adjusts to the ambient lighting in the room and turns off in the dark.
Aura says that the Ink Frame automatically transitions to a new photo overnight to maximize battery life, and when rendering each photo, the frame rearranges millions of capsules, causing the screen to flash. It is meant to show just one photo per day, and more frequent updates will impact battery life. Photo transitions take approximately 30 seconds.
The 0.6-inch frame is much thinner than Aura's other frames. It has paper-textured matting and a glossy finish for the image that's displayed, which Aura says makes it look like a classic frame and not a piece of tech. Brightness adjusts automatically to match the ambient lighting of the room that the frame is in.
The Ink Frame can be positioned in portrait or landscape orientation, and it comes with hardware for tabletop or wall mounting. It features a graphite frame with a white paper-like mat.
Streaming prices for HBO are increasing for the third year in a row, with prices increasing by $1 to $2 per month depending on the plan.
The Basic with Ads plan is $1 more expensive at $10.99 per month, while the Standard plan is now $18.49 per month, a $1.50 increase. The Premium plan is $22.99 per month, up from $20.99 per month.
Yearly prices are also going up. The ad-free plan is $110 per year (up from $100), the Standard plan is $185 per year (up from $170), and the Premium plan is $230 per year (up from $210).
Price increases are effective immediately for new subscribers, and existing subscribers will see price hikes when their plans renew.
Warner Bros. Discovery previously increased the price of HBO Max in January 2023 and June 2024, back when the service was still called Max. Before all of the price increases, HBO Max had been priced at $14.99 per month for a Standard plan when it launched in 2020.
Along with the price increase, HBO Max is aggressively cracking down on password sharing. Starting in September, the streaming service began requiring a one-time code for logins from different locations, with users encouraged to pay $7.99 per month to add extra viewers.
HBO Max uses account information, IP address, device ID, and user activity to determine if accounts are used by people in more than one household.
Apple's updated M5 iPad Pro is set to launch tomorrow, and we were able to test out the new tablet ahead of its launch to provide some early first impressions for those thinking about upgrading.
The 2025 iPad Pro comes in 11-inch and 13-inch size options, with no changes to the design. Updates are purely internal, with Apple adding an M5 chip and faster SSDs. Base model iPad Pro options with 256GB or 512GB storage have an M5 chip with a 9-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 12GB RAM, while the higher-end 1TB and 2TB models feature a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16GB RAM.
We tested the 13-inch model with a 512GB SSD, so it has a 9-core CPU and 12GB RAM. Multithreaded CPU performance is up about 15 percent compared to the M4 model, and GPU performance is up to 30 percent faster. SSD performance is up to 2x faster.
Other features include the N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the C1X modem that offers 5G speeds 2x faster than Apple's C1 modem.
If you have an M4 iPad Pro, there's no reason to upgrade, because all you'll get is a modest performance boost. For those with an older iPad Pro or who are thinking about getting an iPad to replace a Mac, the M5 iPad Pro is going to be able to do almost anything.
In July, Apple filed a lawsuit against Jon Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti over alleged theft of the company's trade secrets. The complaint alleged the pair coordinated to break into former Apple software engineer Ethan Lipnik's development iPhone, in order to access and profit off details about iOS 19, which ended up being called iOS 26.
Prosser leaked various details about what is now known as iOS 26, in videos shared on his YouTube channel Front Page Tech. The videos revealed some details about iOS 26's new translucent design, which Apple ended up calling Liquid Glass, months before Apple announced the software update at WWDC 2025 in June.
Earlier this month, Apple's lawyers said Prosser missed his deadline to respond to the complaint. As a result, they filed a request for a default judgment against Prosser, which was entered by the court last week. Apple is seeking monetary damages, and an injunction to prevent Prosser and Ramacciotti from further disclosing any of the company's confidential information that was allegedly illegally obtained.
Prosser has since provided an update on the matter — he said he is not ignoring Apple.
"All I can tell you is that regardless of what is being reported, and regardless of what the court documents say — I have, in fact, been in active communications with Apple since the beginning stages of this case," said Prosser, in a statement published by The Verge. "The notion that I'm ignoring the case is incorrect. That's all I am able to say."
The first reviews of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. Apple began accepting pre-orders last week.
Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro already surfaced prior to today, revealing that the M5 chip is up to around 20% faster in the laptop, compared to the equivalent previous-generation model with the M4 chip.
GPU improvements are more substantial, with the M5 chip offering up to 35% faster graphics compared to the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results.
Beyond the M5 chip, there is only one notable change. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro supports PCIe 5.0 storage technology, and Apple says this results in up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model.
The Verge's Antonio G. Di Benedetto ran the AmorphousDiskMark benchmark tool on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the results he shared in the chart below confirm that SSD read and write speeds are actually a little more than twice as fast compared to the equivalent previous-generation model. However, the speeds are roughly on par with the higher-end 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip.
Apple's large-screened foldable iPad could be delayed due to development issues, reports Bloomberg. Apple wanted to launch the device in 2028, but problems with weight and display technology may cause it to be pushed back until 2029.
Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a large foldable device, though information has diverged on whether it will be positioned as an iPad or a Mac. The product is expected to have an 18-inch display created by Samsung, with Apple focusing on minimizing the display crease.
A large foldable OLED display is expensive, and the foldable device could be up to three times as expensive as the 13-inch iPad Pro. Apple charges $1,299 for the 13-inch iPad Pro, so if prices doesn't come down for components over the next few years, the foldable iPad could cost as much as $3,900.
When the iPad is closed, it looks like a Mac, with an aluminum shell and no exterior display. When open, it is similar in size to the 13-inch MacBook Air, but there is no physical keyboard. Because of the large screen size and the aluminum chassis, prototypes weigh around 3.5 pounds, making it significantly heavier than the current iPad Pro models.
According to Bloomberg, the foldable iPad is apparently similar in design to the Huawei MateBook Fold, which is an 18-inch foldable tablet priced at $3,400.
Huawei's MateBook Fold
Apple's first foldable device, an iPhone, could come out as soon as next year. Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple wants to introduce it as part of the iPhone 18 lineup, though some recent information indicates that it too might be delayed.
The first reviews of the Vision Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday.
The updated Vision Pro ships with a more comfortable Dual Knit Band in the box. Plus, the headset now supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in reduced motion blur and a smoother experience while using the Mac Virtual Display feature.
In my five days with the Vision Pro (M5), I've had significantly more consistent performance across various workflows. In situations where the M2 Vision Pro would start to lag and stutter, the M5 Vision Pro keeps up. The fans still kick in, but overall performance is more sustainable and consistent, even as my windows began to pile up.
There are a few places where the speed of the M5 processor is readily apparent, most notably when the system is churning to build a new Spatial Persona. It's funny, but generally, I have never found myself feeling that the pure processing speed of the Vision Pro is letting me down. It feels fast, even the M2 model. Clearly, the real power is being expended to maintain the illusion of reality on those OLED displays, and that's why most of the benefits in this chip upgrade are in rendering.
Snell is referring to the Vision Pro's foveated rendering, which means that content directly in front of you appears sharper and more in focus, while peripheral content appears slightly more blurry. With the M5 chip, Apple says the updated Vision Pro can render 10% more pixels compared to the original model with the M2 chip.
Reviewers found the combination of 10% more pixels being rendered, and 120Hz support, results in content appearing more crisp and smooth on visionOS.
However, CNET's Scott Stein said that while the updated Vision Pro does offer an improved viewing experience, it is not dramatically better:
I'd say the changes aren't dramatic, and that most key parts of the experience are unchanged. It still has a narrower field of view compared with other VR headsets, giving more of a goggle-eyed view of things, and the hand tracking and eye tracking are still the same -- great, but not better.
A common complaint with the original Vision Pro, when used with the Solo Knit Band, is that it becomes uncomfortable to wear during prolonged usage. To mitigate this problem, Apple has released the Dual Knit Band, which has both a lower strap that goes across the back of the head, along with an upper strap that goes across the top of the head.
More importantly, the Dual Knit Band's lower strap is embedded with tungsten inserts that provide a counterweight for additional comfort and balance.
There's now an included and fully-redesigned Dual Knit headband that finally spreads out and balances the headset's 600 grams of weight (most of which lives in the goggles) across your whole noggin. I can now wear the Vision Pro for two hours, and, when I remove it, not feel like my face is going to slide off my skull. It's a vast improvement.
I will say that the Vision Pro is comfier to wear for longer sessions. I felt less pressure by eyes after 30 minutes and no neck strain, which is an improvement.
The weight is more balanced and the headset doesn't feel like it's falling down on my cheeks so much. […]
The Vision Pro's still heavy, and in fact it's heavier than the original by 5 ounces, thanks to the new strap's woven counterweights in the back. The Vision Pro weighs 1.6 pounds without the battery pack, versus the Meta Quest 3's 1.1 pounds with battery onboard.
Apple hasn't made any strides to lessen how big and it feels to wear the Vision Pro.
We have not seen any reviews that include in-depth battery life testing, but Spoonauer did share this brief yet promising remark:
After using the Vision Pro for an hour and a half I was down to 55%, which is pretty decent.
Apple says the updated Vision Pro now offers up to 2.5 hours of battery life overall, and up to three hours for video playback, per charge. That is an extra 30 minutes in each category compared to the previous model.
Most reviews concluded that the Vision Pro has received some nice quality-of-life improvements, but they are not game-changing upgrades. Ultimately, the Vision Pro remains a niche, expensive product, and there are no major reasons for owners of the existing model to upgrade. This may be the last Vision Pro model released for quite some time, as Apple has reportedly shifted its focus to augmented reality glasses.
The Ivory Solo Buds have been available for about a month through exclusive retail partners in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, but availability has now expanded to Walmart in the United States, where they are priced at $69.00 and are available for delivery within just a few days.
Notably, Walmart is also the retail partner in Canada and the earbuds are still listed with pre-order status and estimated availability of mid-November there even though the listing went live and they were supposed to be available a month ago.
The Drenched Gray Solo4 headphones have also been listed through Walmart in Canada since last month, and availability recently expanded to Walmart in the United States as well. It does not appear that this color will come to retail partners in other countries, and similar to the Solo Buds, the September listing in Canada still shows a pre-order status with mid-November availability, while the U.S. is showing quick delivery times.
Walmart is currently selling the Drenched Gray Solo4 headphones for $129.00, a significant discount from the full Solo4 retail price of $199.95 and even the $149.95 pricing Walmart, Amazon, and select other retailers are currently offering on other colors.
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OpenAI today introduced ChatGPT Atlas, a dedicated AI browser that includes ChatGPT integration. OpenAI says that the browser was designed around the question "What if you could chat with your web browser?"
There is a dedicated "Ask ChatGPT" sidebar, allowing users to ask the chatbot questions directly from the browser without having to go to the ChatGPT website or app. ChatGPT will be able to do things like provide page summaries, compare products, answer questions about content on a website, edit and check code, and more, because it can see what the user is looking at. Browser memory is included for personalization purposes, and Atlas will learn more about the user over time.
For searches, the browser opens with a ChatGPT-based response, but there are quick access tabs to get to traditional search results, images, and other options. The ChatGPT sidebar is meant to stay open while browsing takes place, providing a browsing companion.
The new browser includes OpenAI's Operator AI agent that can take actions and complete web-based tasks like booking restaurant reservations, ordering groceries, creating purchase lists from online recipes, and filling out online forms. There is a "Cursor Chat" tool for editing writing inline in the browser.
All of the standard browser features are also included, like tabs, bookmarks, history, and password integration. The design is simple and familiar, featuring a standard search window like Safari or Chrome.
ChatGPT Atlas is launching on the Mac to begin with, and versions for iOS, Android, and Windows will be coming in the near future.
OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas browser will compete with Apple's Safari browser and Google's Chrome browser. Safari does not have AI integration as of yet, but Chrome does. With OpenAI, Google, and also Perplexity offering AI browsers, Apple may need to integrate Siri and other AI tools into Safari in the future to keep up with the competition.
ChatGPT Atlas is available on macOS starting today, but agent mode is only available to Plus and Pro users at the current time.
Nomad today announced the launch of its latest Apple Watch accessory, the Stratos Band. Priced at $179, the Stratos Band is a titanium and FKM hybrid band that combines the benefits of titanium with the comfort of fluoroelastomer.
The band has outer links made from metal injection molded Grade 4 titanium, with compression molded FKM on the interior. The FKM is used to link the titanium pieces together, providing flexibility that's not available with traditional metal bands. The FKM material peeks through the rounded titanium links, adding visual interest, plus it offers space for ventilation to help with moisture evaporation and breathability.
Nomad's Stratos Band is available in silver or carbide (black) titanium options, with black, volt, or ultra orange FKM inside. A custom magnetic clasp keeps the band secure on the wrist, and there is an included tool and two half-sized links to adjust the length for a custom fit.
While the band is designed for the Apple Watch Ultra models, it is also compatible with all other Apple Watch models, including those dating back to the original Apple Watch.
Apple's newly introduced M5 chip takes Apple silicon to the next level, delivering meaningful gains across CPU, GPU, and AI workloads, but how does it compare to the M4?
Compared to the M4 chip that Apple launched in May 2024, the M5 delivers:
Up to 15% faster multithreaded CPU performance
Up to 30% faster overall graphics performance
Up to 45% faster ray tracing performance
27.5% higher unified memory bandwidth
In addition to general performance claims, Apple published a set of specific real-world workload results showing measurable gains in AI-driven applications:
4×+ peak GPU compute performance for AI
3.6× faster time to first token (LLM)
1.8× faster Topaz Video Enhance AI processing
1.7× faster Blender ray-traced rendering
2.9× faster AI speech enhancement in Premiere Pro
With the M5, Apple is heavily emphasizing an AI-centric design. The company says the new GPU architecture includes a dedicated Neural Accelerator within every GPU core, and that the chip delivers more than six times the peak GPU compute performance for AI compared to the M1. Apple also cites improvements to the Neural Engine, memory bandwidth, and developer-facing APIs to support on-device AI models. Other hardware changes compared to the M4 include:
M4 Chip
M5 Chip
Made with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process (N3E)
Metal 4 developer APIs with Tensor APIs to program GPU Neural Accelerators
Second-generation ray tracing engine
Third-generation ray tracing engine
First-generation dynamic caching
Second-generation dynamic caching
Shader cores
Enhanced shader cores
120 GB/s unified memory bandwidth
153 GB/s unified memory bandwidth
For users whose workloads include on-device AI inference, complex 3D rendering, or other GPU-bound or memory-intensive tasks, the jump from M4 to M5 is material. The combination of per-core Neural Accelerators, higher memory bandwidth, and new GPU architecture produces multi-fold speed-ups in certain AI operations. In environments where time-to-result directly affects workflow, such as local LLMs, diffusion models, video enhancement, or ray-traced production or gaming, the M5 represents a meaningful step-change rather than a minor iteration.
By contrast, for typical day-to-day usage, browsing, office work, media playback, basic editing, and general responsiveness, the difference is unlikely to be perceptible. The M4 was already a high-performance chip that routinely exceeded the demands of normal Mac and iPad workloads, leaving little visible headroom to exploit with the M5. In non-specialist scenarios, devices equipped with the M4 remain effectively indistinguishable in experience from those running with an M5.
As a result, average users should not be dissuaded from buying or keeping an M4 machine. That being said, if you plan to keep your device for many years, M5 devices will be more future-proof and better equipped to handle increasingly popular AI-based utilities.
The M5 chip is currently available only in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the latest iPad Pro, and the Apple Vision Pro. Higher-end M5 Pro and M5 Max variants are expected to follow in future Mac models.
The first reviews of the iPad Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday.
The new iPad Pro has up to a 15% faster CPU, and up to a 35% faster GPU, compared to the previous generation. Models with 256GB and 512GB of storage have a 9-core CPU, while 1TB and 2TB configurations have a full 10-core CPU.
If you're coming from, say, an M1-powered iPad Pro, you'll notice the performance improvement right away. Things that used to load and buffer now just render and save almost instantly. The leap from the M4, though, will only really appear if you're moving huge amounts of video or 3D renderings through the machine. For all but the most aggressive, creative-professional workflows, the M4 was and is more than enough processor.
Here are six other upgrades beyond a faster processor:
An increased 12GB of RAM for models with 256GB or 512GB of storage. 1TB and 2TB configurations still have 16GB of RAM.
Apple's custom N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. However, the chip only supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the standard's 320 MHz maximum. Apple says the chip also improves the overall performance and reliability of features like AirDrop and Personal Hotspot.
Apple's custom C1X chip for cellular configurations. With this modem, Apple says the new iPad Pro achieves up to 50% faster cellular data performance than its predecessor, and power efficiency is also improved.
Apple says the new iPad Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous generation.
The new iPad Pro can drive external displays at up to a 120Hz refresh rate, and Adaptive Sync is now supported, resulting in smoother scrolling and gameplay with lower latency on the external display.
The new iPad Pro supports fast charging. Apple says up to a 50% charge can be reached in around 30 minutes for the 11-inch model, and in around 35 minutes for the 13-inch model. Apple has not shared similar figures for previous iPad Pro models, so it is unclear how much of an improvement this is.
As for the C1X chip, Snell said he saw slightly slower 5G download speeds on the AT&T network in the U.S., but significantly faster upload speeds:
I did my testing across two days on AT&T's 5G network, and while speeds were all over the place, on average, the M5 iPad Pro was a little slower at download and a whole lot faster at upload. Obviously, your mileage will vary depending on your carrier and geography. It's certainly a viable chip, and that 6.8× improvement in upstream speed was especially surprising.
I own a 27" 4K OLED monitor that refreshes at 240Hz and is G-Sync compatible, so I was keen to see if this change would be supported (a) on non-Apple displays and (b) with USB-C cables instead of Thunderbolt ones. […]
As soon as I connected the iPad Pro to my ASUS monitor, the resolution stayed at 4K, and the refresh rate was immediately bumped to 120Hz, resulting in faster and smoother animations out of the box with my existing USB4-certified cable. This is an excellent change; when I connect the M5 iPad Pro to my desk setup, I no longer have to sacrifice the quality of the iPad’s internal ProMotion display, and I can enjoy the same, smooth iPadOS animations on the ASUS monitor as well.
Viticci on fast charging:
I tested fast charging with this 160W UGreen power adapter and a 100W-certified USB4 cable, and I could indeed charge up to 50% in 30 minutes with the iPad’s display turned off on the Lock Screen.
While multiple reviews confirmed the new iPad Pro uses the latest PCIe 5.0 storage technology, we could not find any that tested SSD speeds.
With Halloween just around the corner, Best Buy this week is detailing its sale plans for the holiday, as well as the rest of the year. This includes a special event on Friday, October 31, and the usual month-long discounts leading up to Black Friday on Friday, November 28.
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Best Buy will kick off its holiday sales with "DoorBOOsters" on Halloween day, with additional doorbusters dropping on select tech products every Friday of the holiday season. My Best Buy Plus and Total members can expect to get up to $25 in bonus rewards on select doorbusters this season as well.
Afterwards, Best Buy's Black Friday sale will officially start on Thursday, November 20 and run through Saturday, November 29. Cyber Monday deals will then appear on Sunday, November 30 and run through Monday, December 1. There will also be a week of last-minute savings from December 15 through December 24.
Deals Available Now
Ahead of these events, there are also a few notable discounts happening at Best Buy this week, including great deals on TVs, Apple products, and more. This event is available to all customers and doesn't require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership.
If you're shopping for the M5 iPad Pro and you're a My Best Buy Plus or Total member, you can get $50 off the new tablet at Best Buy this week. The retailer also has special trade-in offers on the M5 14-inch MacBook Pro, with Plus/Total members getting an extra 10 percent trade-in value.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Apple today opened its broadest legal attack yet on the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), telling the EU's second-highest court that the new competition regime unlawfully compels changes to the iPhone, the App Store, and iMessage (via Bloomberg).
Apple's arguments were delivered before the General Court in Luxembourg. The company claims that the DMA, which came into effect in 2023, imposes obligations that are incompatible with protections of security, privacy, and property rights under EU law. Apple told the court that the law places "hugely onerous and intrusive burdens" on designated gatekeepers, which include Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, ByteDance, and Booking. Apple is the first U.S. company to mount a full-scale merits challenge to the framework after TikTok's earlier defeat.
The DMA requires big tech companies like Apple to make core services interoperable with rivals and to loosen business model restrictions, with the aim of preventing firms from leveraging dominance in one market to entrench power in another. In its filing, Apple contests three designations or decisions linked to that law.
Firstly, it challenges obligations that would require iPhone hardware and services to interoperate with competing devices such as earbuds or smartwatches. Apple argues that mandated interoperability with unknown or unvetted hardware classes could undermine user security safeguards, violate intellectual property protections, and diminish privacy controls that are central to iOS's security architecture.
Secondly, Apple disputes the inclusion of the App Store as a covered service under the DMA. EU regulators previously found that Apple's control over app distribution confers structural gatekeeper power, and in April they issued a €500 million fine for violating anti-steering provisions relating to purchases outside Apple's system. Apple is challenging both the designation and the penalty in separate cases. The company says that the App Store should not be treated as a single unified service for the purposes of the DMA and therefore should fall outside the statute's scope.
Thirdly, Apple challenges the Commission's move to probe whether iMessage should have been deemed a covered service. The Commission ultimately decided not to subject iMessage to full DMA obligations because the service does not directly produce revenue for Apple. Apple maintains that initiating that inquiry was itself procedurally improper.
Commission lawyer Paul-John Loewenthal argued that Apple has constructed an exclusionary position by maintaining unilateral control over the iPhone platform. He told judges that Apple's "absolute control" allows it to extract "supernormal profits in complimentary markets where its competitors are handicapped," adding:
Only Apple has the keys to that walled garden. It decides who gets it and who can offer their products and services to iPhone users. And through such control, Apple has locked in more than a third of European smartphone users.
Apple's latest case marks the first time the company has asked EU judges to limit the legal reach of the DMA before the law is fully implemented at scale across its ecosystem. A final ruling could determine the extent to which the EU may compel Apple to unlock technical layers of the iPhone, restructure App Store rules, or subject iMessage to regulatory requirements.
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Huawei's MateBook Fold
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