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We had a record number of new paid subscribers on The Shortcut last week writing about how much honest, human tech journalism matters. Welcome, and thank you!
Also, 107,000 of you read through the reactions on my X post regarding Apple’s controversial “crushing” ad. The responses? Surprisingly mixed in Story #2.
💻 What we’ll review
I plan to review the iPad Pro OLED 13-inch this week, and from what I’ve seen, it’ll be Apple’s best gaming device – and the thinnest. I have my iPod Nano (and an iPad 1) to measure that. Fun photos to come. I’ll also review the new Google Pixel 8a.
🗺️ Where The Shortcut is headed
Kevin and I will travel to Computex in Taipei soon, in between writing about Google I/O (Tuesday) and Apple’s WWDC 2024 (June 10). We’re also testing a bunch of new OLED and Mini LED TVs, some we can’t talk about just yet. 🤫
🔒 For paid subscribers only (bottom of the page)
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$100 PlayStation Gift Card for $84**
$50 Xbox Gift Card for $41
$50 to $100 Apple Gift Card
50% off Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $25.49 (MSRPP is $51)
➡️ I’ll put them at the very bottom of this page until they run out*
*If they run out, I’ll have more discount codes next weekend for subscribers
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Today’s 10-story newsletter continues below the calendar ⤵️
📆 Your Tech Calendar
🤖 May 13, Mon: New OpenAI (ChatGPT) demo at 1pm ET
🔍 May 14, Tues: Google I/O keynote at 1pm ET
📱 May 15, Wed: Apple’s iPad Pro and Air release
🟦 May 20, Mon: Discover Samsung Spring sale begins
⚔️ May 21, Tues: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox Game Pass)
💥 May 24, Fri: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters
🧸 May 31, Fri: Hypercharge: Unboxed on Game Pass
💻 June 3, Mon: Computex begins in Taipei (we’ll be there)
🍎 June 10, Mon: Apple WWDC 2024 keynote
⚽ June 14, Fri: UEFA Euro 2024 begins
🥇 July 26, Fri: Summer Olympic Games begin
1. Can iPad Pro OLED specs out-game the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra?
🟦 The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra has been my go-to Android tablet. It has a 14.6-inch OLED at a 120Hz refresh rate, microSD card slot, uses AI features (seen in my Galaxy S24 Ultra review), and comes with an S Pen stylus included for a little over $1,000 (at current discounts). The Tab S9+ ($899) and Tab S9 ($799) back off those “Ultra” specs just a little bit for even cheaper prices.
🍎 Apple’s advantage, as I see it, is its ecosystem, screen and chip, launching a bunch of firsts for the brand: it’s the first iPad with an OLED, the first tandem OLED I’ll have ever tested, and the first device with its M4 chip. But there’s a bit more under the hood.
🎮 Real games! When I reviewed the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I loved that hardware-accelerated ray tracing offered more realistic shadows and reflections in games. And not just any mobile games – I played Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village and Diablo Immortal. This year, we’ll get Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Death Stranding.
Now, what I experienced on the iPhone will be blown up to 13 inches, so it’ll instantly be Apple’s best gaming device – and Samsung’s fiercest competition.
📺 iPad Pro’s dual-layer ‘tandem OLED’ screen to outshine its competition
⚙️ New M4 chip offers hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI computing
🎮 Console-quality games at launch like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but at 13”
🖋️ The Apple Pencil Pro stylus has haptic feedback and new shortcuts for $129
🆚 But… Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is cheaper and comes with a stylus
🙇♂️ 2. Apple apologizes for its iPad Pro ‘Crush!’ ad, pulls it from TV. You react!
Apple’s usually on the money when it comes to its adverts, releasing iconic ads for the iPad and many of its other devices throughout the years. However, the company’s recent ‘Crush’ ad for the new iPad Pro has caused outrage from some creatives, leading to Apple issuing an apology and pulling the ad from future TV spots.
Among the critics was actor Hugh Grant, who summarized the negative feedback well: “Destruction of human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”
But, from you, via my X post that got 107,000 views and 62 responses, the reaction was more mixed. Some of you hated it.
Others didn’t see what the fuss was about. In either case, I appreciate the (mostly) civil responses. I’ll follow up with a full review of the iPad Pro soon.
Regardless of what we think, Apple weighed in with a rare marketing retraction and statement:
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing, told Ad Age in the statement. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
😡 Apple’s latest iPad ad has rubbed people up the wrong way
🎨 Its ad shows various creative instruments being crushed by a hydraulic press
🙇♂️ Apple has since apologized and pulled the ad
😔 It admitted it “missed the mark with this video”
💬 Your reaction to my X post was decidedly mixed
🎮 🔜 3. Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed soon
Nintendo has finally broken its silence on when its next home console, the Nintendo Switch 2, will be announced. In a surprisingly casual statement on X, Nintendo said: “This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015.
“We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”
The fiscal year for Nintendo ends in March 2025, which is when many expect the Switch 2 to be released. Nintendo may share all the details of its Switch successor in a dedicated Nintendo Direct in September, but as Furukawa said, don’t expect any new information in June.
😲 Nintendo has announced that Switch 2 will be revealed this fiscal year
🤷♂️ The company made a rather casual announcement on X
📆 The console will be revealed before March 2025
🔜 It’s likely a dedicated Nintendo Direct could be held in September
🤦♂️ 4. Microsoft shuts down four studios in a dark week for Xbox
It’s been a truly horrible week for Xbox fans as Microsoft announced it was shutting down three studios: Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and Alpha Dog Games, and consolidating Roundhouse Studios into ZeniMax Online Studios. The move has come as a shock to many players, as Tango Gameworks created The Evil Within, Ghostwire Tokyo, and the critically acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush. Meanwhile, Arkane Austin was responsible for Redfall, but previously released the cult-classic Prey.
Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty announced the news in an email to staff, which said: “These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.”
Microsoft purchased Bethesda for $7.5bn in 2020, with the promise that studios would be given creative freedom and deliver more high-quality titles to Xbox Game Pass. The decision to close these studios goes against that promise and has led to an outcry from commentators and fans alike. It’s also brought Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming Phil Spencer’s leadership into question, with Adam saying it’s time for a change at Xbox.
😖 Xbox has closed four Bethesda-owned studios
😢 The developers include Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin
🏆 Tango recently released Hi-Fi Rush, which won numerous awards
🪓 Further job cuts are expected, which could impact the future of more studios
🆕 🎮 5. Asus ROG Ally X announced – should you buy it?
Asus has revealed the next iteration of its popular ROG Ally handheld, and much like the Steam Deck OLED, it’s a refinement of the existing model as opposed to an entirely new device.
The Asus ROG Ally X retains the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and 48-120Hz VRR screen, but the battery has received a major upgrade and is 40% larger. The ROG Ally X will also support M.2 2280 SSD, which should make upgrading your storage easier, and more than the current 16GB of RAM. To separate the new handheld from the existing ROG Ally, the Ally X will have a black shell, be slightly heavier and it’s expected to cost more than the $699 launch price we’ve been accustomed to.
Whether these improvements are enough to encourage Ally owners to upgrade remains to be seen, but it’s clear the handheld has been successful enough to warrant a new version.
📆 The Asus ROG Ally X will be officially announced on June 2
👍 It improves the current ROG Ally in several ways
🔋 The battery is the major focus of this new model
💰 The handheld’s RAM will also be increased, but expect to pay more than $699
⚔️ 6. A new Lord of the Rings movie is due out in 2026
Peter Jackson is returning to the helm for a new Lord of the Rings movie, which is anticipated to release in 2026. The film will “explore storylines yet to be told” and will focus specifically on Gollum. The working title is ‘Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’, with Andy Serkis set to star and direct the feature.
Peter Jackson and his writing partners Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens “will be involved every step of the way”, with Serkis saying: “Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film-making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious… .”
🤯 Lord of the Rings is set to return in 2026
💍 A new movie is in development called Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
🎬 Andy Serkis is set to start and direct the feature
👏 Peter Jackson and his writing partners will be involved every step of the way
💻 🗺️ 7. We’re headed to Taipei to report on Computex 2024
Computex 2024 kicks off from June 4 to June 7 in Taipei, Taiwan. If you’ve never heard of Computex before, it’s a tech expo centered around computers and PC components. Every major PC manufacturer (except Apple) will be in attendance, including Asus, HP, Lenovo, Razer, MSI, and Acer, which will likely announce new laptops, desktops, and maybe even some new gaming handhelds.
🛩️ We’ll be at the show this year to give you our hands-on impressions of everything that catches our eye, so stay tuned for our ad-free coverage in the coming weeks.
💯 Oh, and Kevin and I will take our annual photo at the Taipei night market. We’ve been working together at The Shortcut (and TechRadar before that) for as long as Kevin’s hair has been growing!
📆 Computex takes place from June 4 to June 7
👋 All the major PC manufacturers will be in attendance
🆕 Expect to see new laptops, desktops and chipsets
🤲 We’ll be going hands-on with all the best devices
😖 8. Amazon Prime Video ads are about to get even more annoying
Amazon introduced ads for Prime Video in January, but it seems like it’s taking further steps to make them even more intrusive. Amazon announced that it will roll out an expanded suite of interactive and shoppable ad formats for Prime Video, along with interactive ads that appear when a video is paused.
Amazon says it has an average monthly ad-supported reach of over 200 million global customers, which will be great news for any businesses looking to flog their wares. If you’d like to escape the upcoming ad-pocalypse that’s about to hit Prime Video, you’ll need to pay $2.99 extra a month.
🫠 More ads are coming to Prime Video
✋ Interactive and shippable ad formats will soon be commonplace
🙈 You’ll even see ads when you pause your favorite shows
📆 Amazon introduced ads to Prime Video back in January
👔 9. Peacock is turning ‘The Office’ into a new spin-off series
The Office is set to be rebooted in the form of a new spin-off series that continues the mockumentary style of the hit comedy show but with an all-new cast. The plot details are as follows:
“The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters.”
Greg Daniels, who developed the American version of “The Office” for television, is co-creating the new series with Michael Koman. Daniels and Koman will both serve as executive producers along with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who created the original British version of the series.
🔮 My Bold Prediction: Whether the new show will be any good or not remains to be seen. BUT there have to be a crossover cameos of The Office characters selling (or trying to sell) this Midwestern newspaper company some paper. Right?!
🤔 The Office is returning after its final episode aired 10 years ago
🎭 It’ll star an all-new cast and focus on a daily newspaper
🎥 The mockumentary style will continue, similar to the original
📆 Production is scheduled to begin in July
💰 10. FTX says most customers will get all their money back
FTX has said that most customers who were affected by the cryptocurrency exchange’s surprise collapse will get all their money back. In a post on PR Newswire, FTX said it has collected between $14.5 and $16.3 billion, and that if its plan is approved by the Bankruptcy Court, the Debtors anticipate that 98% of the creditors of FTX by number will receive approximately 118% of the amount of their allowed claims.
That sounds like pretty great news, but some creditors feel they’re being shortchanged as they’re only getting dollars rather than their digital assets back, and not as many dollars as the digital assets are currently worth.
💰 FTX has promised most customers will receive their money back
⛓️💥 The cryptocurrency exchange collapsed in November 2022
📉 Some creditors believe they’re being shortchanged by the deal
🧑⚖️ FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison
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