I was all ready to write a story this week on the entry-level iPad finally getting support for Apple Intelligence. That story never happened because that iPad never happened. The iPad I tend to recommend for people, the one that’s the best purchase for families and kids, the one that’s actually called “iPad,” remains un-updated. Instead, in the past six months, Apple’s been upgrading its already more powerful and more expensive iPads.

The iPad Pro M5, released last fall, took an already fast and expensive iPad and made it even faster. To whose benefit, though? I do very much appreciate the iPad Pro’s wonderful OLED display and its thinner size in a keyboard case, but with a starting price of $999, it’ll cost you as much as or more than a MacBook Air for the privilege.

The new iPad Air, Apple’s Goldilocks-in-the-middle iPad of sorts, just got a new M4 chip and faster wireless internals. It’s a $599 and up proposition, which isn’t awful for its capabilities, but depending on how much storage and how many accessories you get, it’s more like a mitigated-cost pro iPad with a few extras cut out. No OLED screen, for instance.

But what about the basic iPad?

The regular iPad is the iPad that most needs an upgrade. The existing model, which costs $349, only has an A16 chip inside. That’s the same chip Apple debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, three and a half years ago.

That A16 chip is the only one in Apple’s current product lineup that can’t do Apple Intelligence. The iPad is cut off from Apple’s own heavily touted and heavily disappointing AI.

I’d say you won’t miss Apple Intelligence, but that’s right now. Things should change soon. Apple’s new deal with Google is going to knit Gemini into Siri, in ways that haven’t been explained but that should result in better AI on Apple products at last. And, again, as far as history suggests, this entry iPad won’t be able to access it.

The A16 chip is also another year older and comparatively slower. It’s still fine for everyday movie watching and games and basic things, but as an investment, it’s a dicier proposition. The base 128GB of storage is adequate, but Apple’s not doing any favors with storage space there.

Is this a stealth price bump in disguise?

The message seems clear: Apple wants you to spend up for a fancier iPad. And in this economy, that’s tougher than ever. It also makes me angrier that Apple still hasn’t found a way to truly turn iPads into Mac-compatible alternatives, even though iPadOS has gotten better at doing more things, and Apple is about to likely release an even more affordable MacBook. But it’s always made me feel that spending less on an iPad makes more sense, since it’s not a Mac replacement.

So I’m waiting. So are others, I bet. The iPad Air is fine, but it’s not a new everyday iPad. And for those of you who were hoping for a good family deal, I’m sorry: I guess Apple considers the Air the new basic iPad now. With better Pro and Air models, that basic iPad is looking, sadly, worse than ever.

Anthropic is bringing another paid feature to Claude’s free tier. The next time you chat with Claude, you’ll have the option to have it reference your previous conversation to inform its outputs. Anthropic first made its chatbot capable of remembering past interactions last August, before giving it the ability to compartmentalize memories in the fall. Making memory a free feature is well-timed; earlier today Anthropic made it easier for users to import their past conversations with a competing chatbot to Claude. If after enabling memory you decide to turn it off, you can either pause the feature, preserving Claude’s memories for use down the road, or completely delete them so they’re not saved on Anthropic’s servers.

Claude is enjoying new-found popularity, having recently jumped to the number one spot in the App Store’s free app charts. This comes while Anthropic is engaged in a high-stakes contract dispute with the US government over AI safeguards. On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a “supply chain risk” after it refused to sign a contract that would allow the Pentagon to use Anthropic models for mass surveillance against Americans and in fully autonomous weapons. Following Hegseth’s announcement, Anthropic vowed to challenge the designation. As of right now, we’re waiting to see how things play out, and what it might mean for Anthropic.

Scotland’s own Fyne Audio did not just show up at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show in 2026; it took over, trading polite reserve for a dose of bold Highland swagger. Claiming Bristol Suite 1, the event’s largest demonstration space, the Ayrshire-based loudspeaker specialist marked its biggest presence ever at the annual show while unveiling expanded color options and custom finishes across select models. The company also confirmed full UK availability of its S-Trax super tweeter, broadening access to its high-frequency enhancement platform.

Systems on demonstration ranged from the award-winning F500E series to the flagship F704SP floorstanders paired with the S-Trax, powered by reference electronics from Accuphase and spinning vinyl on a Linn LP12 — because if you’re going to bring Scottish loudspeakers to Bristol, you might as well show up properly dressed and louder than the bagpipes at Hogmanay.

Any Color You Like If You Happen to Live in the UK

Fyne Audio has expanded its color and customization program for the F500SP Series under the Any Color You Like banner, giving UK buyers far more than the usual black, white, or walnut routine.

At the show, attendees and press previewed an expanded range of standard finishes across the F500SP models, along with a fully bespoke option. Customers can now order any F500SP loudspeaker in any RAL Classic color, matt or gloss, for a 30 percent SRP premium over standard finishes. The program is available exclusively through authorized Fyne Audio dealers in the UK.

Once a color is selected and a deposit placed, customers receive a painted swatch for final approval before production begins. Each pair is then painted to order, with delivery typically taking six to eight weeks from confirmation.

Pro tip: The F500S builds on the F500SP platform, incorporating the latest evolution of Fyne’s IsoFlare point source driver technology for improved clarity and dispersion.

S-Trax Super Tweeter

In addition to the Any Color You Like debut, Fyne Audio confirmed full UK dealer availability of its previously introduced S Trax omnidirectional super tweeter system. First unveiled in late 2025, S Trax is now shipping through Fyne’s premium retail network and was demonstrated at the Bristol Hi Fi Show paired with the F502S, giving listeners a clear sense of the added spatial scale and high frequency air it brings to performance systems.

S Trax sits below the flagship SuperTrax super tweeter launched in 2024 and is designed as a more accessible option, while the SuperTrax remains the more natural partner for Fyne’s F700 and F700SP loudspeaker models.

Fyne Audio S-Trax Specifications

Fyne Audio Speaker Technology

Across three active demonstration systems, visitors and press experienced the full scope of Fyne Audio engineering, from accessible, high value pairings of F55E loudspeakers with WiiM streaming electronics to reference level IsoFlare point source designs driven by Accuphase amplification and a dedicated vinyl front end.

Fyne Audio’s presence at the Bristol Hi Fi Show focused on demonstrating the complete philosophy behind its point source loudspeaker technology. Through IsoFlare drivers, FyneFlute surrounds, and BassTrax porting, the systems highlighted the brand’s central objective: coherent, room filling musical realism achieved through engineering precision and purposeful design.

Comparison

The Bottom Line 

With its largest ever presence at the Bristol Hi Fi Show, Fyne Audio made it clear that engineering alone is no longer the whole story. The Any Color You Like program opens the door for UK customers to step outside the traditional safe finishes that have long defined British loudspeakers. For once, it is not just about walnut, black, or polite understatement. It is about matching serious acoustic performance with a cabinet that does not look like it was designed to apologize for itself.

Right now, that freedom belongs to UK buyers willing to pay the premium and wait for a made to order finish. If the response is strong, it would not be surprising to see the initiative expand. But as it stands, Fyne has handed its home market something rare in British hi fi: the chance to keep the stiff upper lip in the listening chair while letting the loudspeakers show a bit of personality.

Price & Availability

NOTE: Fyne Audio’s Any Color You Like option is only available in the UK. The regular color models are available at Upscale Audio in the U.S.

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TCL is taking another swing at making phone screens easier on the eyes. At MWC 2026, the company unveiled the next generation of its Nxtpaper display technology, this time built on an AMOLED panel.

It delivers the rich colors and contrast people expect from OLED displays while maintaining the paper-like viewing comfort that Nxtpaper screens are known for. TCL says this upgrade reduces eye fatigue during long reading, browsing, or streaming sessions on smartphones.

Inside TCL’s next-gen Nxtpaper AMOLED display

NXTPAPER began as TCL’s answer to the problem of screen fatigue. Earlier versions appeared mainly on LCD-based devices. But the new version moves the tech onto AMOLED, bringing deeper contrast and brighter visuals while keeping the comfort features intact.

According to TCL, there are three major upgrades this time. First, the display reaches a 90% circular polarization rate, reducing glare significantly. Second, blue light purification technology lowers blue light emissions by 15%, dropping them to as low as 2.9%.

The third element is adaptive display tuning. The screen automatically adjusts brightness and color temperature to match surrounding lighting conditions. It also follows natural light patterns through the day, which supports healthier circadian rhythms for users.

To keep the screen comfortable for long sessions, TCL layers several technologies on top of the AMOLED panel. The panel includes an anti flare coating and a light homogenizing film that improves the reading experience, especially in the e-reader mode. These layers help soften reflections and create a more paper-like visual texture.

The display can reach peak brightness of 3200 nits and supports 100% coverage of the P3 color gamut, so the images and videos appear more accurate and vibrant. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and animations. Color performance is another focus.

TCL plans to launch its first AMOLED Nxtpaper smartphone before the end of the year. Meanwhile, it has already introduced the NXTPAPER 70 Pro phone with a paper-like display and stylus support.

The housing doesn’t feel too cheap or too luxurious. It’s toylike, but not in a chintzy way. The unit can run on three AA batteries (a set is included) or on the included USB-A to DC adapter (you’ll need your own wall charger). The included instruction manual helps you make sense of what the heck all the knobs, levers, buttons, and lights mean.

You’ll start with the sequencer, which is where you’ll find a selection of hundreds of premade melodies with or without drum beats. Then you’ll use the other controls to manipulate this sound. The tempo lever controls the speed, the AMP(lifier) release controls how long or short each note is, and the filter lever adds or removes frequencies from the sounds you’re generating. There are also buttons for kick and snare drums to add percussion. An entire area of knobs and buttons is dedicated to sound modulation using either Low Frequency Oscillators or Modulation Envelopes.

That array already gives you a lot of control, but the BlipBlox After Dark also has two buttons that throw chance into the music-making mix: a Randomize button that resets everything (and saves the current settings, so you can press and hold it to go back to the most recent settings and parameters), and a Soundfreak button that adds a random sound or effect to whatever is currently playing. The latter button in particular is very entertaining to press.

It was fun sitting down and just winging it. I felt a little bit like Charli XCX at her Boiler Room set and a little bit like 8-year-old me trying to figure out how to make my church choir’s keyboard sound more like the chords in the background of Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U.” I tested this machine heavily during the week I quit nicotine, and it was a welcome distraction. I lost hours just fiddling with it, trying to see what sounds I could elicit.

I realized at one point that this must have been how my friends felt during quarantine. I might not have had patch cables or seven rows of modules or whatever spark makes Fred Again … himself, but I could make the womp … womp … womp … noise turn into different womps, and damn if that wasn’t the neatest thing in the entire world at that moment in time.

Button Mashing

The instruction manual does have some really good information that could answer all my burning questions, and there are YouTube videos galore that show you how to navigate the controls.

In the manual you’ll find a signal flow map, which helpfully shows exactly what the electrical signals are doing inside the unit, and how to manipulate them at any point. There are also detailed notes on what each button and component of synthesis does.