Kalakshar US

Apple’s latest 11- and 13-inch iPad Pros have arrived, and though they’re the first with the company’s all-new M5 chip, they’re otherwise largely identical to last year’s models. The main reason to buy one, then, would be for the extra performance over the M4 — something that may be worthwhile to content creators and other power users looking for a tablet instead of a laptop. 

Last year Apple decided to debut its M4 chip with the iPad Pro lineup and not its laptops. The reason? Only the entry-level M4 was ready (and not the M4 Pro and M4 Max), so Apple decided to wait before putting in its MacBooks so it could launch the entire lineup at once. With updated Magic Keyboards, It also showed that Apple was marketing the iPad Pro as a feasible MacBook replacement for power users. 

The same applies with the M5, except this time the company also launched its entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro at the same time. As before, the new M5 processor uses TSMC’s 3-nanometer process, as Apple reportedly decided against 2-nanometer chips due to cost considerations. The entry-level M5 comes in a couple of versions. The iPad Pro with either 256GB or 512GB of storage gets an M5 with a 9-core CPU (3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores), 10-core GPU and 12GB of RAM. The 1TB and 2TB models get a fourth performance core and 16GB of RAM.

The big upgrade here appears to be to the GPU; Apple says each of the 10 GPU cores have a Neural Accelerator on board, which will allow GPU-based AI processing to run significantly faster than on the M4. Apple claims it has more than four times the peak GPU compute performance of the M4 (which is only about 18 months old, mind you). Graphics performance should be about 45 percent higher than on the M4, as well. Overall multithreaded performance is 15 percent faster than the M4, and Apple says that video transcoding is six times faster than what the old M1 iPad Pro from 2021 delivered.

As for battery life, Apple claims the same 10 hours that basically every iPad has ever been rated at. But for the first time, the iPad Pro supports fast charging — you can get up to 50 percent in 30 minutes using a 60W USB-C power adaptor.

Apple is also using the C1X modem that it originally introduced last month in the iPhone Air; that’ll provide the optional 5G service that Apple has offered on iPads for a few years now. There’s also an N1 chip (also found in the iPhone Air), which is an Apple-designed networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread connectivity. Apple claims this new chip will make features like Personal Hotspot and Airdrop more reliable while also offering improved performance on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks.

As before, the 2025 iPad Airs are extremely thin and light. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and tips the scales at just under one pound, while the 13-incher is just 5.1mm thick weighs 1.29 pounds. Both feature “tandem” OLED Ultra Display XDR screens that hit up to 1,000 nits brightness and peak at 1,600 nits — so they’re perfect for viewing and editing HDR content. 

The new iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model with 256GB of storage ($1,199 with 5G) and $1,299 for the 13-inch ($1,499 with 5G). Those are the same prices as last year — still extremely expensive, but at least not more than before. You can pre-order the new iPad Pro now, and it’ll be available on October 22.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/apples-latest-ipad-pro-get-a-power-boost-with-the-new-m5-chip-131036435.html?src=rss 

In a change of strategy compared to last year (and as it teased earlier), Apple has announced its new entry-level 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro separately from the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max versions. The new model, starting at $1,599, arrives alongside the new 11- and 13-inch iPad Pros that share the same M5 processor. 

In the past, Apple has favored launching its entire MacBook Pro lineup at once, as it did in 2024 with the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max models. However, it may have decided to release the M5 model now so it could get a jump start on sales, since the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions are reportedly still several months away. Apple may have also decided on a low-key release since the M5 MacBook Pro is largely unchanged from the previous model. 

With that, the emphasis is squarely on the M5 chip and its extra performance. Reportedly due to cost reasons, Apple decided to use the same 3-nanometer fab process for the M5 as it did for the M4. The new chip has 10 GPU cores and 10 CPU cores.

The 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro is now available for pre-order starting at $1,599 with 16GB memory and 512GB storage. Shipping will start October 22.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apples-first-m5-laptop-is-the-14-inch-macbook-pro-131314446.html?src=rss 

Apple has introduced an upgraded version of its Vision Pro headset that’s powered by the company’s M5 chip, its latest silicon that will also come with the new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. The first generation of the headset was equipped with Apple’s M2, so you can expect this device to be faster and come with more capabilities. Apple hasn’t budged the price from $3,499 with 256GB of storage, but at least it comes with a Dual Knit Band, which adds a top strap for extra security and comfort. (Existing Vision Pro users can also buy the Dual Knit Band separately for $99.)

As you’d expect, Apple claims the refreshed Vision Pro should be faster while loading apps, browsing the web and doing just about everything. The M5 chip also includes a new 10-core GPU, with better support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, “enabling developers to add remarkable detail to lighting, shadows, and reflections in games like Control,” according to Apple. The company also says the M5 Vision Pro renders 10 percent more pixels on its micro-OLED displays, which should make everything look a bit sharper. 

The M5 Vision Pro should last a bit longer than the original model, as well. Apple claims it supports up to two and a half hours of typical usage, and up to three hours of video playback. The previous model was rated for two hours of general usage and two and a half hours of video viewing. 

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported a few days ago that Apple was due for another wave of product announcements. He wrote back then that the new iPad Pro and Vision Pro are already being mass produced and that Apple is “gearing up for an imminent release.” Apple had originally wanted to launch a a lighter and cheaper version of the Vision Pro headset, as well, but it reportedly decided to shift its focus on the development of smart glasses. The company pulled people working on the lighter Vision Pro, Gurman said in another report, and moved them to its smart glasses project. 

Apple is reportedly working on a smart glasses model with no display and is meant to pair with iPhones, along with another model that’s equipped with a built-in screen and can directly compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban Display. The company is aiming to release the model with no screen in 2027 and the one with a screen in 2028, Gurman said.

“The Vision Pro is a flawed product, but it’s certainly not empty,” we noted in our review of the original headset. “It’s as if Apple has compiled everything it’s learned from building the Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods into a single device, all in a bid to avoid the Innovator’s Dilemma.” At first glance, the M5 Vision Pro doesn’t seem to change that conclusion much, not without more content and apps built around spatial computing. A price drop and more storage on the base model would certainly make the Vision Pro more compelling, until that happens it’ll remain more of a developer kit than a full-fledged consumer product.

The M5 Vision Pro is now ready to pre-order and will once again set you back $3,499. Apple will start shipping the device on October 22.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/apples-new-vision-pro-gets-an-m5-chip-and-dual-knit-band-but-its-still-3499-132123957.html?src=rss 

Japan’s government has asked OpenAI not to infringe on anime and manga content that it called “irreplaceable treasures,” according to a report from ITMedia seen by IGN. The request was made by a key minister in charge of AI and IP in response to numerous videos from OpenAI’s Sora 2 generator that use copyrighted material from Japanese studios. 

“We have requested OpenAI not to engage in any actions that could constitute copyright infringement,” said cabinet minister Minoru Kiuchi at a press conference last week. “Anime and manga are irreplaceable treasures that we can be proud of around the world.”

Launched on October 1, OpenAI’s Sora 2 can generate 1080p videos up to 20 seconds long with sound. The company also released the Sora app that uses Sora 2 to generate TikTok-style videos of nearly anything. Anime has been a key theme, with many short videos replicating copyrighted materials from franchises like DragonBall and Pokémon.  

Despite the demand, Japan has been one of the more progressive nations when it comes to artificial intelligence. The nation’s AI Promotion Act aims to boost the use of AI as an economic growth driver, while also outlining guidelines around copyright infringement. However, the topic of enforcement is still fuzzy so the government is trying to get a better grip on it. “Japan bears a responsibility to take the lead on making rules [around AI and copyright], precisely because we are a country… [that creates] anime, games, and music,” said parliament member Akihisa Shiozaki on his blog. 

Last month, OpenAI said it had contacted studios to give them the option of opting out of Sora 2 training on their materials, Reuters reported. The new process requires movie studios and other content owners to explicitly ask OpenAI to exclude their copyright material from videos generated by Sora. It’s not known which, if any, Japanese studios the company has contacted. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/japan-asks-openai-not-to-infringe-on-irreplaceable-manga-and-anime-content-120008580.html?src=rss 

Samsung is back with another event this fall, which it has dubbed Worlds Wide Open. The company said that it will use this opportunity to officially unveil its Android XR headset, internally known as Project Moohan. The livestreamed event will take place on Tuesday, October 21 at 10PM ET and you can watch either on Samsung’s website or on its YouTube channel. 

It’s possible that Samsung always anticipated having an event next week, but it’s also possible that the company’s hand was forced after a big leak last week disclosed several notable details about Project Moohan. According to the leaks, the headset’s official name will be Samsung Galaxy XR and it is the first commercial product to leverage the Android XR platform for augmented reality. We knew Samsung was aiming to release this headset sometime this year, so it’s very likely we’ll learn both the release date and the price during Worlds Wide Open. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-will-introduce-its-android-xr-headset-at-a-galaxy-event-on-october-21-230000605.html?src=rss 

Gregg Mayles, the director of Sea of Thieves and designer on Donkey Kong Country, has announced that he’s left Rare. News of Mayles’ exit was first reported in July 2025 during a rash of layoffs and game cancellations across Xbox Games Studios, but the short poem he shared on X today makes it official.

With a 36-year tenure at the studio, Mayles saw its transition from an exclusive Nintendo partner to a Microsoft subsidiary. He helped design games like Battletoads, created Banjo-Kazooie and when studio founders Tim and Chris Stamper left in 2007, stepped up and became Rare’s creative director. Mayles also led the team behind Sea of Thieves, one of Rare’s modern successes.

The studio has been supporting Sea of Thieves with new content since it was released in 2018, but was also working on a new project, Everwild, that was announced in 2019. The game went through a troubled development process over the last few years, and Rare reportedly started from scratch in 2021 with Mayles taking over as director. Microsoft’s decision to cancel the game and layoff staff at the studio this summer is likely one of the reasons he left.

Losing Mayles is just one example of Microsoft’s self-inflicted wounds from 2025. The company not only made cuts at Halo Studios and Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10, it also increased the prices of both Xbox consoles and Game Pass Ultimate. All of these changes are seemingly in service of shifting the Xbox business into something that’s more focused on subscriptions and game publishing, but the transition definitely seems like a painful one.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/banjo-kazooie-director-gregg-mayles-confirms-hes-left-rare-220828667.html?src=rss 

In order to avoid paying billions of dollars in fines for violating the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Google is considering changing how search results are displayed, Reuters reports. EU regulators first took issue with Google’s Search and Play Store businesses in March 2025, claiming it favored its own services in search results over third-party options and prevented developers from informing customers of alternative ways of accessing apps.

One of regulators main issues with Google Search was that Google appeared to favor results from services like Google Flights or Google Hotels over ones from “vertical search services,” providers that specialize in displaying search results from a specific industry, like Expedia or Hotels.com. To avoid fines, Google now wants Search to give VSS businesses equal treatment in results.

“We will create the opportunity for each VSS to show its own box on Search. A VSS box will be populated with results from that VSS inventory,” Google said in a proposal viewed by Reuters. Results from Google’s own services will exist with the same formatting alongside, and the winning VSS box will be displayed in search results based on “objective and non-discriminatory criteria.” Importantly, search results from actual airlines and car rental companies won’t be excluded, they’ll also appear in a box “above or below the VSS box depending on the relevance to the user’s query.”

Engadget has asked Google to comment on Reuters‘ report and to confirm the details of its proposed changes to Google Search. We’ll update this article if we hear back.

Like Apple, Google faces significant scrutiny from the EU because of its monopolistic control over its various platforms and services. The threat of fines from the DMA has forced Apple to open up its products to third-party app stores, among a host of other changes. Clearly, Google is willing to tweak what once seemed like untouchable pillars of its business to avoid fines, too. Whether these proposed changes will be enough for the regulators remains to be seen, though.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-reportedly-offers-to-tweak-search-results-to-avoid-eu-fine-193940005.html?src=rss