Apple deal roundup: limited iPad discounts, notable savings on Air, Macs and accessories After a wave of deep discounts around Prime Day and other retailer events, iPad deals are thinner this week — a pre-Black Friday lull, essentially. That said, a handful of worthwhile discounts remain for shoppers who want to grab higher-capacity models or popular accessories. Highlights include a $50 discount on the 256GB iPad (A16), big markdowns on certain iPad Air configurations (including the 1TB 11" M3 Air for $949 and the 13" M3 512GB cellular Air for $1,000), and price drops on AirPods 4, AirTags (4-pack), the M4 Mac mini and the M4 MacBook Air. iPad (A16) 256GB: $50 off — a modest but useful saving if you want more storage without stepping up to the Air…

Nintendo Eyes 25 Million Switch 2 Units by March 2026 as Demand Surges Nintendo has asked suppliers to build 25 million Switch 2 consoles by the end of its fiscal year on March 30, 2026, signaling strong confidence in continued sales momentum through the upcoming holiday season. The company believes the new console could exceed its own forecast of 15 million units sold in the first fiscal year and may even outpace the original Switch’s record launch pace. Key details at a glance: Production request: 25 million Switch 2 units to be manufactured by March 2026. Nintendo’s forecast: 15 million units for the first fiscal year; outside estimates suggest around 20 million could be sold this year if momentum continues. Original Switch benchmark: 17.79 million units sold in its first…

OpenAI pauses Sora video generations of Martin Luther King Jr. after request from the King Estate OpenAI has temporarily suspended Sora's ability to generate videos of Martin Luther King Jr. following a request from The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. (King, Inc.). The pause comes after users created disrespectful AI depictions — including altered footage of King's "I Have a Dream" speech — that prompted public outcry and appeals from family members. OpenAI said it worked with the estate "to address how his likeness is represented in Sora generations" and is "strengthening guardrails for historical figures." The company also said representatives of other historical figures can ask that likenesses not be used in Sora videos. Users previously generated Sora videos of several deceased public figures, including Michael Jackson and…

Apple’s fall lineup goes M5: MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Vision Pro — GPU takes center stage Apple has announced a fall refresh across several flagship products powered by its new M5 chip: a 14-inch MacBook Pro, a refreshed iPad Pro, and an updated Vision Pro headset. Early reports and coverage from tech outlets suggest the headline improvement is the M5’s GPU upgrades — delivering higher graphics performance aimed at creative professionals and AR/VR workloads. Key points: Devices announced: 14" MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Vision Pro — all updated with the M5 chip. Main upgrade: significant GPU improvements in the M5 family, which Apple is emphasizing for pro graphics, video, and spatial computing tasks. Who benefits: users working in pro creative apps, 3D workflows, and developers building for AR/VR platforms.…

Apple M5 Refresh: Faster MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Vision Pro Apple has rolled out fall hardware updates across several major product lines powered by its new M5 chip. This isn’t a design overhaul, but Apple says the M5 brings measurable performance gains for the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and even the Vision Pro headset. The headline: Apple claims the M5 features a 10‑core CPU, 10‑core GPU and a 16‑core Neural Engine, built on the same 3‑nanometer process used for the M4. According to Apple, the M5’s single CPU core is the company’s fastest yet and can deliver up to ~20% faster multithreaded performance versus the M4. MacBook Pro: M5 model starts at $1,599 and retains the same chassis, weight and 70W adapter as the prior model. iPad Pro: Apple…

CNN launches All Access streaming tier — no full live feed CNN will launch its new "All Access" subscription on October 28, priced at $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. The tier promises a selection of live programming, access to 1,000 hours from CNN's Originals library, next‑day availability for new CNN Original Series and CNN Films, on‑demand programming, special features and exclusive live events. Subscribers also gain access to subscriber‑only content and articles on CNN.com. There are a few important caveats: the new All Access tier does not appear to include a continuous live feed of CNN, and the service will be free for existing pay TV subscribers (although they won’t receive the digital CNN.com content that All Access members get). CNN has rebranded its previous $3.99 digital subscription…

Meta adds parental controls to monitor kids' interactions with AI on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp Meta has announced new parental control tools that let parents see how their children interact with AI-powered features and characters across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. The controls are designed to give caregivers visibility into AI interactions and the option to limit or fully disable those interactions when needed. Shortly: these tools aim to address concerns about how teens engage with conversational AI in social apps and give parents more control over those experiences. View: Parents can get insight into the types of AI characters and conversations their teens are having. Control: Options to restrict or completely turn off AI interactions for a child account. Scope: Applies to AI features integrated into Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp…

Anthropic Claude Integrates with Microsoft 365 — Centralized Search Across Apps Anthropic has introduced new integrations that let its AI model Claude connect directly to Microsoft 365 services. The integration enables users to run targeted searches across linked applications, consolidating knowledge from tools like Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint to simplify workflows and speed up information discovery. Key points: Direct connection to Microsoft 365 lets Claude query data across apps and services. Designed to centralize access to existing documents, emails, and collaborative content. Aims to streamline workflows by reducing the need to switch between multiple apps for information. Potential advantages include faster knowledge retrieval, improved productivity for teams, and a more unified search experience across enterprise content. Organizations should weigh these benefits against privacy and access controls: integrating an LLM…

Meta adds parental controls to limit teens' access to AI chatbots on Instagram Meta is building new supervision tools that will let parents cut off their teens' access to user-made AI characters on its platforms, while still allowing access to the general Meta AI chatbot. Parents will also be able to block specific AI characters and receive insights into topics their children discuss with AI bots. Key details: Controls can remove one-on-one access to AI characters or block specific bots. Parents will get topic-level insights about teens' AI conversations. Rollout: Instagram, English-language, early next year in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. These measures come after leaked internal documents showed troubling interactions between Meta chatbots and minors, prompting scrutiny from 44 U.S. state attorneys general and inquiries from the Senate…

Germany proposes driving school reform: app-based theory & simulator training The German Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) has outlined a broad reform of driving school training aimed at making obtaining a driving licence cheaper, more modern and safer. Central to the proposal is a stronger opening to digital learning: theory lessons could be completed via apps, and parts of required special driving lessons could be done on simulators. Key elements of the proposal include: App-based theory lessons to replace or supplement classroom hours. Partial use of driving simulators for some "Sonderfahrten" (special/mandatory drives). An overall goal to lower costs, speed up training, and improve road safety through modern teaching methods. The ministry says the changes would modernize the training pipeline and broaden access to digital learning formats. Advocates argue that…