Apple’s in-house chip development has accelerated the pace of innovation, leading to rapid product cycles. Just under two years after introducing the M2-powered iPad Air, the company has already launched its third generation, now equipped with the M4 chip—identical to the one found in the 2024 iPad Pro.
This evolution highlights the performance capabilities of 2025’s iPad Air, which continues to outperform the base iPad model in most aspects. Despite this, there are notable areas where Apple could improve. The display remains unchanged from the 2020 iteration, as noted by Nathan Ingraham in his 2026 review. This same screen is still in use today, raising questions about Apple's design strategy. Additionally, the absence of Face ID remains a puzzling oversight, especially given the advancements in biometric authentication across the industry.
– Mat Smith
The other big stories (and deals) this morning
Anthropic sues US government over supply chain risk designation
You can (sort of) block Grok from editing your uploaded photos
OpenAI's robotics hardware lead resigns following deal with the Department of Defense
Qualcomm's new Arduino Ventuno Q goes all-in on AI and robotics
It’s a more sophisticated board.
Following its acquisition of Arduino, Qualcomm has unveiled the Ventuno Q, an advanced single-board computer that integrates AI and robotics capabilities. Powered by the Dragonwing IQ8 processor, it features an 8-core ARM Cortex CPU, an Adreno Arm Cortex A623 GPU, and a Hexagon Tensor NPU capable of up to 40 TOPS. The board also includes Arduino App Lab with pre-trained AI models such as LLMs, VLMs, gesture recognition, and object tracking, all designed for offline operation.
Apple may delay its smart display launch until fall
Siri's ongoing AI overhaul could be to blame for the wait.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple may push back the release of its smart home display until late 2026, potentially in September. While the hardware is reportedly complete, the AI-driven transformation of Siri remains incomplete, contributing to the delay. Apple typically introduces major products during this time of year, making it a likely window for the launch.
Dell XPS 14 (2026) laptop review
That one flaw...
Dell’s updated XPS 14 delivers exceptional performance and a stunning OLED display. The XPS line has consistently been a top pick at Engadget, and this model is no exception, offering a sleek design and impressive power. However, a critical issue persists with the keyboard, which seems to hinder typing speed. According to Dell, this problem affects only a small batch of early units, and they claim the issue has been resolved in current shipments. A firmware update is expected to address the concern once deployed.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111539860.html?src=rss