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Apple’s new Final Cut Camera app looks great for shooting video – but I’d still love a photography equivalent

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Buried in this week’s flurry of Apple announcements for the iPad Pro (2024), M4 chip and Apple Pencil Pro was some fascinating news for video shooters – an updated ‘Final Cut Pro for iPad 2’ app and an even more intriguing app, for both Apple’s tablets and the iPhone, called Final Cut Camera.

What’s particularly interesting about Final Cut Camera is that it’s designed to both work as a standalone app for shooting video, and also in tandem with that clunkily-named new Final Cut Pro editing app. When working with the latter, it introduces multi-cam capabilities when shooting video on iPads and iPhones.

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ICYMI: the week’s 8 biggest news stories from Amazon’s awful ad plans to Apple’s magnificent M4 iPad Pro reveal

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We’re getting into the busy tech season, folks. Apple had its massive 2024 iPad event this week, Google I/O 2024 is coming next week, and there are so many more announcements on the way.

But before we get into next week, we need to catch up on the week we’ve just had. So, to lend a hand, we’ve gathered the 8 biggest tech news stories of the week and bundled them here for you to read through them. This list includes Apple’s iPad news, Amazon‘s terrible ad plans, a new Superman suit, and another major Windows 11 bug that could slow down your PC.

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Every Model of Apple’s M1 iPad Air Drops to Record Low Prices on Amazon

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Today we’re tracking multiple record low prices across the M1 iPad Air on Amazon, with $150 off every configuration of these now-discontinued tablets. This comes just a few days after Apple announced the new M2 iPad Air, which start at $599.

iPad Air 150 Off FeatureNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Prices on the M1 models start at $449.00 for the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air, down from $599.00, and increase to $599.00 for the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Air, down from $749.00. Both of these have estimated delivery dates for May 14-16 for most residences in the United States.

For cellular models, you can get the 64GB cellular iPad Air for $599.00, down from $749.00, and the 256GB cellular iPad Air for $749.00, down from $899.00. With both Wi-Fi and cellular configurations, you’ll find all colors on sale at these record low prices.

There are numerous differences between the M1 and M2 iPad Air, mainly including display sizes and the various internal upgrades that the M2 chip introduced in the 2024 models. Our buyer’s guide has a more detailed breakdown of these two iPad Air models and should help make any buying decision a bit easier.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Popular Stories

Apple Announces New iPad Pro With M4 Chip, OLED Display, and More

Apple today unveiled redesigned iPad Pro models featuring the M4 chip, Ultra Retina XDR OLED displays, a nano-texture display option, and more. The new iPad Pro offers a considerably thinner design and slightly larger 11- and 13-inch display size options. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and weighs less than a pound, while the 13-inch model is just 5.1mm thick and weighs a quarter pound less …

Apple Event Live Blog: New iPad Pro, iPad Air, and More

Apple’s “Let Loose” event kicks off today at the unusual time of 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and we’re expecting to see an iPad-focused event with new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company’s TV app across various platforms. We…

Everything Announced at Today’s Apple Event

Apple today held the first event of 2024, debuting new iPad Air and iPad Pro models and accompanying accessories. While the event was faster than normal and took 40 minutes, we’ve condensed it down even further for those who want a quick overview of everything that was announced. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We’ve also got a full recap of all of the coverage…

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for New iPad Pro Starting at $299

Apple at its “Let Loose” event today announced a new Magic Keyboard for the latest iPad Pro models, with a thinner, lighter design. Apple says the Magic Keyboard has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter, while maintaing the same floating design. Two colors are available that match the new iPad Pro. New features include a function row with screen brightness controls, an aluminum…

Apple Says iOS 17.5 Coming ‘Soon’ With These New Features for iPhones

Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public “soon,” following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. “The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5,” said Apple, in its…

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Apple’s big AI rollout at WWDC will reportedly focus on making Siri suck less

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Apple will reportedly focus its first round of generative AI enhancements on beefing up Siri’s conversational chops. Sources speaking with The New York Times say company executives realized early last year that ChatGPT made Siri look antiquated. The company allegedly decided that the large language model (LLM) principles behind OpenAI’s chatbot could give the iPhone’s virtual assistant a much-needed shot in the arm. So Apple will reportedly roll out a new version of Siri powered by generative AI at its WWDC keynote on June 10.

Apple Senior Vice Presidents Craig Federighi and John Giannandrea reportedly tested ChatGPT for weeks before the company realized that Siri looked outdated. (I would argue that the epiphany came about a decade late.) What followed was what The NYT describes as Apple’s “most significant reorganization in more than a decade.”

The company sees generative AI as a once-in-a-decade tentpole area worth shifting heaps of resources to address. You may recall the company canceled its $10 billion “Apple Car” project earlier this year. Apple reportedly reassigned many of those engineers to work on generative AI.

Apple executives allegedly fear AI models could eventually replace established software like iOS, turning the iPhone into “a dumb brick” by comparison. The clunky, awkward and overall unconvincing first wave of dedicated AI gadgets we’ve reviewed, like the Human AI Pin and Rabbit R1, aren’t good enough to pose a threat. But that could change as software evolves, other smartphone makers incorporate more AI into their operating systems and other hardware makers have a chance to innovate.

So, at least for now, it appears Apple isn’t launching direct competitors to generative AI stalwarts like ChatGPT (words), Midjourney (images) or ElevenLabs (voices). Instead, it will start with a new Siri and updated iPhone models with expanded memory to better handle local processing. In addition, the company will reportedly add a text-summarizing feature to the Messages app.

Apple’s John Ternus standing in front of a digital slide of the M4 chip.Apple’s John Ternus standing in front of a digital slide of the M4 chip.

Apple’s M4 chip (shown next to VP John Ternus) could help process local Siri requests. (Apple)

Apple’s first foray into generative AI, if The NYT’s sources are correct, sounds like less of an immediate threat to creators than some had imagined. At its May iPad event, the company ran a video plugging the new iPad Pro that showed various creative tools crushed by a hydraulic press. The clip accidentally served as the perfect metaphor for the (legitimate) fears of artists, musicians and other creators, whose work AI models have trained on — and who stand to be replaced by those same tools as they become more normalized for content creation.

On Thursday, Apple apologized for the ad and said it canceled plans to run it on TV.

Samsung and Google have already loaded their flagship phones with various generative AI features that go far beyond improving their virtual assistants. These include tools for editing photos, generating text and enhancing transcription (among other things). These features typically rely on cloud-based servers for processing, whereas Apple’s approach will allegedly prioritize privacy and handle requests locally. So Apple will apparently start with a more streamlined approach that sticks to improving what’s already there, as well as keeping most or all processing on-device.

The New York Times’ sources add that Apple’s culture of internal secrecy and privacy-focused marketing have stunted its AI progress. Former Siri engineer John Burkey told the paper that the company’s tendency to silo off the information various divisions share with each other has been another primary culprit in Siri’s inability to evolve far past where the assistant was when it launched a day before Steve Jobs died in 2011.

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Report: Revamped Siri to Be at the Core of Apple’s New AI Strategy

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Apple’s shift to develop its own AI technology to keep up with competitors was today detailed in a The New York Times report.

Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri 1
Citing sources familiar with Apple’s work, the report explains that the decision to revamp Siri was taken early last year by Apple’s most senior executives. Senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi and senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea are said to have spent several weeks testing OpenAI’s ChatGPT to understand the ways in which the competitor made ‌Siri‌ look antiquated. The ‌Siri‌ team purportedly failed to receive attention and resources compared to other groups inside Apple, and the company has struggled to recruit and retain leading AI researchers.

Apple executives are said to be concerned that AI threatens the iPhone‘s market share because it has the potential to become a more compelling operating system with an ecosystem of AI apps that undermine the App Store. Apple apparently fears the ‌iPhone‌ becoming a “dumb brick” compared with other technology.

This conclusion triggered a significant reorganization at Apple amid determination to catch up in the race to develop AI tools. The company moved to reallocate employees and resources toward AI, and the change of strategy was a contributing factor in the decision to cancel its electric vehicle project. Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 models will supposedly feature more memory to support AI features.

Apple is expected to reveal a series of AI tools at its WWDC keynote on June 10, including an improved version of ‌Siri‌ that is more conversational and capable, with the ability to “chat” rather than merely respond to individual queries. The company is working on making ‌Siri‌ better at handling tasks such as setting timers, creating calendar appointments, adding items to Reminders, and summarizing text. Apple plans to market the new version of ‌Siri‌ as a more private alternative to rival AI services because most requests will be processed on-device rather than remotely in data centres. See the full The New York Times article for more information.

Popular Stories

Apple Announces New iPad Pro With M4 Chip, OLED Display, and More

Apple today unveiled redesigned iPad Pro models featuring the M4 chip, Ultra Retina XDR OLED displays, a nano-texture display option, and more. The new iPad Pro offers a considerably thinner design and slightly larger 11- and 13-inch display size options. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and weighs less than a pound, while the 13-inch model is just 5.1mm thick and weighs a quarter pound less …

Apple Event Live Blog: New iPad Pro, iPad Air, and More

Apple’s “Let Loose” event kicks off today at the unusual time of 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and we’re expecting to see an iPad-focused event with new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company’s TV app across various platforms. We…

Everything Announced at Today’s Apple Event

Apple today held the first event of 2024, debuting new iPad Air and iPad Pro models and accompanying accessories. While the event was faster than normal and took 40 minutes, we’ve condensed it down even further for those who want a quick overview of everything that was announced. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We’ve also got a full recap of all of the coverage…

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for New iPad Pro Starting at $299

Apple at its “Let Loose” event today announced a new Magic Keyboard for the latest iPad Pro models, with a thinner, lighter design. Apple says the Magic Keyboard has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter, while maintaing the same floating design. Two colors are available that match the new iPad Pro. New features include a function row with screen brightness controls, an aluminum…

Apple Says iOS 17.5 Coming ‘Soon’ With These New Features for iPhones

Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public “soon,” following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. “The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5,” said Apple, in its…

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Apple’s entire AirPods lineup is discounted, plus the rest of the week’s best tech deals

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The new iPad Pro and iPad Air — and the internet’s reaction to how they’ve been advertised — may have been the big Apple news of the week, but we’re turning our attention to AirPods for our latest deals roundup. More specifically, all four models in Apple’s wireless headphone lineup are currently on sale. The noise-canceling AirPods Pro and third-gen AirPods back down to lows of $180 and $140, respectively, while the entry-level earbuds and top-end AirPods Max are both cheaper than usual at $80 and $450. Beyond that, we’ve also found noteworthy discounts on Amazon’s Kindle, LG’s C3 OLED TV, Keychron’s budget-friendly C3 Pro keyboard and annual Paramount+ with Showtime subscriptions, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget

Apple’s AirPods Pro are back down to $180 at Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy. That’s just a dollar more than their all-time low. Apple sells the noise-canceling wireless earbuds for $249, though they’ve frequently sold between $190 and $200 for the past few months on Amazon.

We gave the second-gen AirPods Pro a score of 88 in our review. They continue to offer a number of perks when used with other Apple devices, from faster pairing and hands-free Siri to Find My tracking and an adaptive EQ. We specifically recommend them to iPhone owners in our guide to the best wireless earbuds as a result. The pair’s sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) remain above-average as well, though its call quality and battery life are just OK. Note that this deal applies to the latest model with a USB-C charging case; if you have the older Lightning version and just want the new case, you can buy that separately for $99.

$180 at Amazon

Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget

The rest of Apple’s AirPods lineup is also on sale at various retailers, with the second-gen AirPods down to $80, the third-gen AirPods available for $140 and the over-ear AirPods Max on sale for $450. That ties the lowest price to date for the third-gen AirPods, coming in $10 to $20 below the pair’s usual going rate. The other two aren’t quite all-time lows but still match the best prices we’ve seen for each over the past several months.

We don’t recommend any of these as heartily as we do the AirPods Pro: The one-size-fits-all designs of the second- and third-gen AirPods won’t fit everyone comfortably, while the AirPods Max are still pricey and bulky next to the top picks in our wireless headphones buying guide. But each could make sense if you really want the usual spate of AirPods conveniences. The Max’s ANC and sound quality are still excellent, for one, while the third-gen AirPods remain one of the better-sounding options for those who prefer open-style earbuds that don’t dig into the ear canal. Just be aware that we may see updated versions of all three headphones later in 2024, according to past reports from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

$450 at Amazon

Paramount+

From now until July 14, new and returning subscribers can get a year of Paramount+ with Showtime for $60. That’s half off the usual price of an annual plan. This is the premium tier of Paramount’s streaming service. It’s hard to call it “essential” given the sheer glut of content out there these days, but if you’ve been meaning to catch up on recent buzzy shows like Yellowjackets, The Chi, and Nathan Fielder’s The Curse — or just binge old episodes of Twin Peaks, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dexter or Beavis and Butt-Head — here’s a good chance to save. (My mother is also a fan of that Halo adaptation, for whatever that’s worth, though she seems to be alone there.) Know that your subscription will be set to auto-renew by default, so you may want to set a reminder to cancel if you take the plunge. 

$60 at Paramount+

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

The top budget pick in our mechanical keyboard buying guide, the Keychron C3 Pro, is down to $27.47 on Amazon. That’s a new low. The tenkeyless keyboard technically has a list price of $50, though it’s more commonly available for $37, so you’re really saving about $10 here. 

Regardless, the C3 Pro delivers a superb typing experience for the price. Presses have a soft, springy feel and a pleasing, clacky tone. Its ABS keycaps aren’t as high-quality as our top picks, it only has a red backlight and the switches on these discounted models aren’t hot-swappable, but it should be a welcome upgrade for those looking to make their first leap away from a laptop-style membrane keyboard. This deal applies to the variants with Keychron’s tactile Brown switches and linear Red switches.

$27 at Amazon

Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget

Getting back to the Apple-related headphone deals, the Beats Fit Pro is on sale for $160 at various retailers, including Amazon, Target and Best Buy. While not an all-time low, that equals the best price we’ve seen for most of the past year. The earbuds have been available for this price in a few colorways for much of 2024, but this deal applies to a wider selection of finishes. For reference, Beats normally sells the earbuds for $200.

The Fit Pro is the top workout pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide, as it provides many of the features you’d get with a set of AirPods in a sportier and more secure design. It pairs with and switches between Apple devices quickly, it lets you call on Siri hands-free and it works with Apple’s Find My network if you ever misplace it. Its IPX4 water-resistance rating should be enough for all but the sweatiest gym sessions, and its punchy sound plays well with most popular music. That said, this pair’s ANC is a step behind that of the AirPods Pro, it doesn’t support wireless charging and, like Apple’s other earbuds, it can’t connect to two devices at once. But it should do the job for iPhone owners who need wireless earbuds for the gym first and foremost. We gave the Fit Pro a review score of 87 back in 2021.

$160 at Amazon

Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

The entry-level configuration of Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air is down to $1,150 at Amazon with a $49.01 on-page coupon. This notebook goes for $1,299 at Apple.com, though it’s generally sold for $50 to $100 less at Amazon since arriving in March. Either way, this is its best price to date.

The latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our laptop buying guide, and we gave this 15-inch version a score of 90 in our review. It ticks all the requisite design and performance boxes for a mainstream laptop, limited port selection aside. Apart from its more spacious display, the 15-inch model also has a robust speaker system than its 13-inch counterpart.

The key thing to note with this config, though, is that it only includes 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Both are meager, so you shouldn’t count on this model for media editing and more involved workloads. If you can afford to at least double memory and storage, it’s worth doing so — those models are $150 off and down to $1,550 with a coupon as well. But if you’ll stick to more casual tasks, either option gives a decent chance to save.

Save $149 with $49.01 coupon

$1,150 at Amazon

Amazon

The Amazon Kindle is available for $80 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy, a $20 discount that represents the best price we’ve seen since last October. The base Kindle is the top budget pick in our guide to the best ereaders. Its 6-inch display is just as crisp as the screen on the pricier Kindle Paperwhite, it gets you access to the same giant ebook library and it’s all comfortable to hold. There are still trade-offs: It’s not waterproof, unlike the Paperwhite, and its front light isn’t as robust. You’ll also have to deal with lock screen ads unless you pay an extra fee. But if you just want a competent ereader for less than $100, this is a solid deal.

The Paperwhite, meanwhile, is also on sale for $115 this week. That’s not an all-time low, but it’s $35 below the device’s usual rate and the lowest price we’ve seen in 2024. That model has a more spacious 6.8-inch display and an adjustable warm light feature on top of the aforementioned waterproofing and improved brightness. We call the Kobo Clara 2E a better choice for around the same price in our buying guide, however.

$80 at Amazon

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

The Astro A40 TR is our favorite gaming headset, and right now it’s on sale for $100 at Amazon, Logitech and B&H. That’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen, but it’s still $30 off the pair’s usual street price. The A40 is a wired model that’s been around since 2019, but it continues to deliver a more spacious and enveloping sound profile than most dedicated gaming headsets we’ve tested. As an open-back headphone, it lets in and leaks outside noise fairly easily, so it’s not the best choice if you often play in a noisy room. Its built-in mic isn’t especially high-quality, either, and its design is largely plastic. But it’s comfy, and it sounds much less closed-off and boomy than most headsets specifically marketed for gaming. If you need a mic and audio quality is your chief concern, it’s a nice value.

$100 at Amazon

Photo by Malak Saleh / Engadget

If you and a friend happen to be in the market for an Android smartwatch, Samsung is running a rare BOGO (buy one, get one free) deal on its Galaxy Watch 6. Just scroll down and select the prompt that says “Get a second Galaxy Watch 6 on us” to see the deal at checkout. The offer applies to the 40mm and 44mm models in both LTE and non-cellular configurations, which cost between $300 and $380. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic — which is built with stainless steel instead of aluminum and can be controlled with a rotating bezel mechanism — is not included in the deal, however.

The Galaxy Watch 6 is the top pick for Android users in our smartwatch buying guide. It offers a robust list of health-tracking features, and it does well to auto-detect and log your workouts accurately. Its OLED display is sharp and bright, its rounded design is understated but not ugly and its Wear OS software gives access to a fairly wide selection of apps. It’ll still work best with a Samsung phone, but it’s not nearly as closed off to other devices as an Apple Watch. This is only a deal if you need a second watch, though; other retailers currently have the device for as low as $230 on its own. Samsung, for its part, is angling the promo toward Mother’s Day. 

$300 at Samsung

LG

The 48-inch version of LG’s C3 OLED TV is down to $847.44 at eBay with the checkout code SPRING15OFF. That’s not its lowest-ever price, but it’s roughly $150 off the TV’s typical going rate over the last few months. This discount comes via Electronic Express, which LG lists as an authorized dealer on its website. eBay says the coupon will expire on May 12.

The C3 is a midrange OLED model from 2023, so it’s currently being phased out in order to make room for recently-launched C4. However, the 48-inch version of that newer set is going for $1,497 as of this writing and doesn’t look to be a night-and-day upgrade in practice. For most, the older model should be a better value when it’s discounted to this extent.

The C3 itself isn’t as bright or color-rich as a good QD-OLED panel from Samsung or Sony, so it’s not class-leading in any one regard. Still, if you’ve never owned an OLED set, its high contrast, deep black tones, wide viewing angles and smooth motion should delight. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports that can output up to 120Hz, which is the fastest refresh rate the PS5 or Xbox Series X will allow, and it supports Dolby Vision HDR, unlike rival sets from Samsung. Just be aware that 48 inches is on the smaller side for a modern TV, so this model may work best in a smaller room or on a desktop.

$847 at eBay

Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget

Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is down to $100 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. We’ve seen this discount multiple times since the 8-inch smart display was released last September; it’s not an all-time low, but it’s $50 off Amazon’s MSRP, and it equals the best price we’ve seen in a couple of months.

The Echo Show 8 itself is generally the best blend of price, size and functionality in Amazon’s smart display lineup. It has a more spacious screen, faster processor and better camera than the Echo Show 5, but it’s far more affordable than the Echo Show 10. It can work with other smart home devices through Matter, Zigbee and Thread, plus it has a dedicated camera cover and mic mute button. (Though no smart device like this is especially privacy-conscious.) Google’s Nest Hub is a better choice if you heavily use Google services like Gmail and Google Calendar — or if you don’t just want another camera in your home — but if you prefer Alexa and want a display for video calls, recipes and the like, this is your best bet.

If you don’t need a display at all, meanwhile, the most recent Echo Dot is also on sale for $28. Again, we’ve seen better deals in the past, but this is a larger discount than usual, taking $15 or so off the smart speaker’s average street price over the last few months. We call the Echo Dot the best option for less than $50 in our guide to the best smart speakers.

$100 at Amazon

Adobe

Up until May 13, Adobe is offering a year of its individual Creative Cloud All Apps subscription for $36 per month, or $396 if you pay for the full 12 months upfront. Normally, Adobe says an annual plan would set you back $60 per month or $660 upfront, so this is a 40 percent discount. The offer is only available for first-time subscribers, though. As a refresher, this plan gives access to more than 20 Adobe apps, including Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, After Effects and Lightroom. It also includes 100GB of cloud storage, among other perks. It’s far from a must for the vast majority of people, but this a relatively rare discount if you work in the visual arts professionally and have been eyeing a subscription. Just note that the plan will auto-renew at its standard rate after the discounted year.

$35.99/month at Adobe

Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Google took the wraps off its new Pixel 8a phone this week, and to sweeten pre-orders it’s bundling the handset with a $100 gift card at Amazon, Best Buy and its own online store. This deal applies to the base model, which costs $499 and has 128GB of storage, or a new 256GB variant, which costs $559. At Best Buy, the offers also include a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (for some reason). The phone starts shipping on May 14.

We’ll have to fully review the Pixel 8a before we can truly say if it’s worth buying, but at first blush it appears to be a fairly straightforward upgrade over last year’s Pixel 7a, which we recommend in our guide to the best smartphones. You can read my colleague Sam Rutherford’s hands-on preview for a rundown of what to expect, but the highlights include a newer Tensor G3 chip, a faster 120Hz display and a promised seven years of software updates, the same as Google’s flagship phones. Again, we’d advise most people to wait for our full review before pulling the trigger, but if you’re already sold and you know you’ll use the Amazon, Best Buy or Google Store cash anyway, this isn’t the worst pre-order deal we’ve seen.

$499 at Amazon

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.



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Apple’s AirPods Max are $100 off and close to a record low

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Most headphones don’t last forever, especially wireless ones as the battery life will inevitably dwindle. If you’re ready for an upgrade and you’re willing to splash a little cash, are worth considering. Those headphones are currently on sale at Amazon. The price has , putting it at just $20 above the lowest price we’ve seen for the cans to date. The offer applies to all colorways.

Apple

Apple’s AirPods Max overear headphones are currently $100 off. 

$450 at Amazon

The price was one of our major drawbacks when back in 2020 so the sale mitigates that a bit. We gave the headphones a score of 84, with the audio quality and aesthetics proving to be major plus points.

We felt that the AirPods Max had great balanced sound and capable active noise cancellation (ANC). With both spatial audio and ANC enabled, we had no trouble getting 20 hours of use out of the headphones on a single charge, just as Apple pledged.

Given that it’s been a few years since the AirPods Max debuted and the fact Apple is in the midst of switching out the Lightning charging port for a USB-C one across all of its devices, a new version of the headphones may be on the way. That may result in Apple bringing the price of the original model down even further to clear out the stock. That said, if you don’t want to wait, this is a solid deal on a good set of headphones, particularly if you’re already entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.



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Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air M2 drops to a new low of $829

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It’s no secret that MacBooks can cost you a pretty penny, which is why we’re excited to see that our favorite budget Macbook has dropped to a new all-time low price. Apple’s 2022 Macbook Air is currently available for $829, down from $999 – $20 lower than ever before. The deal is running the 256GB model in all colors but doesn’t include AppleCare+.

Apple

We’ve been a huge fan of Apple’s 2022 MacBook Air from the start, calling it a “near-perfect Mac” when it first launched, and, despite new arrivals since, it’s still an excellent option for a well-made, everyday laptop. We gave it a 96 in our review thanks to its thinner look and an impressive 13.6-inch high-quality screen. The MacBook Air also comes with an M2 chip, and despite Apple’s new foray into an M4 chip with the iPad Pro, it’s still a fast-performing, great option.

This model was also the first MacBook Air to get rid of the wedge design and get the more uniform, sleek look of its more expensive sibling, the MacBook Pro. Other perks include a great quad-speaker system that works with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio and a three-mic array for better sound quality during video chats.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.



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Unraveling Apple’s messy Pencil lineup

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Earlier this week, Apple introduced a new top-end stylus, the Pencil Pro, but didn’t discontinue any older model. That means there are now four styluses to choose from, channeling the chaotic lineup energy of Apple Watch and iPad families over the years. Because not every Pencil works with every iPad, we explain the best choices.

TMATMA

Apple

Just… don’t buy the first-gen one.

— Mat Smith

Everything announced at Apple’s Let Loose iPad event

The best budget Android phone

US revokes Intel and Qualcomm’s licenses for chip sales to Huawei

Oh no, I think I want an iPad Pro now

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OpenAI is reportedly working on a search feature for ChatGPT that could make the chatbot capable of things you’d normally use Google Search for. According to Bloomberg, it’ll be able to scour the web for answers to your queries and spit out results, complete with sourcing. ChatGPT could take information from Wikipedia or blog posts, for instance, and link to their original pages when you ask it questions.

Earlier this month, DataChaz on X, reported that OpenAI had created a new subdomain with the address search.chatgpt.com. It apparently briefly rerouted to the main ChatGPT page over the weekend.

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TMATMA

Disney

Marvel and Industrial Light & Magic just announced an Apple Vision Pro title based on Marvel’s What If…?, the current Disney+ show that just finished its second season. It’ll be an hour-long experience with interactive story elements where you choose the story’s direction. Imagine that: an alternate cinematic universe where I was a Vision Pro early adopter.

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Buying a new phone is slightly easier if you’ve already determined you only want an iPhone. (And even then, Apple’s lineup offers more options than ever.) However, if you’re looking for an Android device, there are even more options — and likely more questions. Do you want a camera that can zoom into extremely far-away subjects (Samsung’s Galaxy S series)? Or do you want intuitive AI to screen incoming calls for you? (May I interest you in Google’s Pixel series?) Or maybe it’s time to get into foldables…

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Logic Pro 2 is a reminder that Apple’s AI ambitions aren’t just about chatbots

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While the focus of Apple’s May 7 special event was mostly hardware — four new iPads, a new Apple Pencil, and a new Magic Keyboard — there were mentions of AI with the M2 and M4 chips as well as new versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the tablets. 

The latter is all about new AI-infused or powered features that let you create a drum beat or a piano riff or even add a warmer, more distorted feel to a recorded element. Even neater, Logic Pro for iPad 2 can now take a single recording and split it into individual tracks based on the instruments in a matter of seconds. 

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