Huawei mimics Apple retail stores to peddle its iPhone knockoffs in China
Huawei is revamping its retail strategy and aggressively opening stores in China, with some nearby to the Apple retail stores… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Spotify hit with cease and desist from music publishers alleging ‘direct infringement’
Spotify is being accused of engaging in “direct infringement by hosting unlicensed musical works in its lyrics, videos and podcasts” by the National Music Publishers Association. In a new letter sent to the music streaming service this week, the NMPA alleges that Spotify “distributes music videos and podcasts using musical works without the consent of or compensation.” more…

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Today in Apple history: Apple reinvents the computer store
On May 15, 2001, Steve Jobs flipped the script on boring computer stores, unveiling an ambitious plan to open 25 innovative Apple stores. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple’s 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro now $250 off, upgraded iPad mini 6 $110 off, and more in today’s best deals
Happy iPad launch day folks! While much of the early pre-order deals we have tracked on the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air have faded (some are still live though!), today’s deals focus on Apple’s latest MacBooks and the venerable iPad mini 6. The 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro with 18GB of memory is nearly $250 off, the mid-range 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is $100 off, and you’ll find some solid deals on upgraded iPad mini 6 configurations too. Head below for a closer look at today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. more…

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Here’s how many years Apple users are keeping their iPads
Alongside the 2024 iPad Pro and Air launches, CIRP has a new report that sheds light on Apple customers’ tablet upgrade cycles. Here’s how many years iPad users are waiting before buying a new model. more…

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App Store emulator surge continues, this time for PlayStation Portable games
PPSSPP, a popular emulator for PlayStation Portable games, is now available for gamers to play their nostalgic favorites from years past.PPSSPP on the App StoreApple has officially welcomed PPSSPP, a popular PSP emulator (and not the sound to summon a cat), to the App Store. It's a significant development in the company's approach toward emulators.Users can download PPSSPP directly from the App Store. The app promises to deliver a high-fidelity gaming experience on iOS devices, supporting a wide range of PSP titles. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple showcases amazing new accessibility features like Eye Tracking
Apple touted cool new accessibility features coming to its devices, including Eye Tracking, Music Haptics and Vocal Shortcuts. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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iPad line streamlining is proceeding according to Apple's secret plan
Apple still has more plans for the iPad, and executives believe the new iPad Pro and iPad Air is getting the company close to its vision for the product line.Apple's iPad Pro has many changes for 2024The updates to the iPad Pro and Air make the top-end of the tablet catalog faster and more capable than previous generations. With the iPad Pro, the physical changes and better display help make it an even more useful productivity device.In a discussion with Fast Company, Apple SVP of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak and SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus explained what prompted the tablet changes for 2024. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple to bring Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, Music Haptics and more accessibility features to iPhone and iPad
Macworld Apple on Wednesday announced several new accessibility features that are coming to the iPhone and iPad. The company said the features are “coming later this year,” which likely indicates that they are part of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, which are expected to be previewed at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 10. “Each year, we break new ground when it comes to accessibility,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, in a press release. “These new features will make an impact in the lives of a wide range of users, providing new ways to communicate, control their devices, and move through the world.” Here is a summary of the upcoming features for the iPhone and/or iPad. Eye Tracking: gives the user the option to navigate the iPhone of iPad using just their eyes. It uses the front-facing camera and the on-device machine learning allows the data to be kept on the iPhone or iPad and not shared with Apple. Music Haptics: the iPhone’s Taptic Engine plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations that go along with the music that is playing. An API will be available for developers. Vocal Shortcuts: “custom utterances” can be used with Siri for interface shortcuts. Listen for Atypical Speech: an enhanced speech recognition feature that uses on-device machine learning to recognize a user’s speech patterns. It’s designed for users with conditions that affect speech. Vehicle Motion Cues: for people who read their device in a car, this feature is designed to reduce motion sickness. Dots appear on the screen and move with the vehicle to help reduce sensory conflict, which causes motion sickness. CarPlay updates coming soon CarPlay is also getting new features: Voice Control: navigate the CarPlay UI with voice commands. Sound Recognition: horn and siren alerts for deaf or hard of hearing drivers. Color Filters: for colorblind drivers on the CarPlay interface, which also includes bold and large text. CarPlay will get a new feature that offers a visual cue when a siren or horn is heard. Apple New visionOS accessibility features The Apple Vision Pro is getting new accessibility features, too: Live Captions: a system-wide feature that displays captions of spoken words in real time. Expanded Made for iPhone support: more hearing devices and cochlear hearing processors are being added. Reduce Transparency, Smart Invert, and Dim Flashing Light: visual adjustments to make using the Vision Pro more accessible. Updates to current accessibility features Apple also announced that these current features are getting the following updates (from Apple’s press release): For users who are blind or have low vision, VoiceOver will include new voices, a flexible Voice Rotor, custom volume control, and the ability to customize VoiceOver keyboard shortcuts on Mac. Magnifier will offer a new Reader Mode and the option to easily launch Detection Mode with the Action button. Braille users will get a new way to start and stay in Braille Screen Input for faster control and text editing; Japanese language availability for Braille Screen Input; support for multi-line braille with Dot Pad; and the option to choose different input and output tables. For users with low vision, Hover Typing shows larger text when typing in a text field, and in a user’s preferred font and color. For users at risk of losing their ability to speak, Personal Voice will be available in Mandarin Chinese. Users who have difficulty pronouncing or reading full sentences will be able to create a Personal Voice using shortened phrases. For users who are nonspeaking, Live Speech will include categories and simultaneous compatibility with Live Captions. For users with physical disabilities, Virtual Trackpad for AssistiveTouch allows users to control their device using a small region of the screen as a resizable trackpad. Switch Control will include the option to use the cameras in iPhone and iPad to recognize finger-tap gestures as switches. Voice Control will offer support for custom vocabularies and complex words. Apple is expected to release iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and a major update to visionOS throughout the fall of 2024. The new operating systems will be previewed at WWDC during the keynote on June 10. Apple Inc, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Virtual Reality

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Developer’s M1 Max MacBook Pro cranks out the work [Setups]
Our setups coverage often reveals clues to Apple hardware’s functional longevity. An iOS and macOS developer uses today’s setup. Even though two new generations of powerful Apple silicon chips have supercharged more recent MacBooks, he’s still cranking away on an M1 Max MacBook Pro run through an OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock. In fact, he just […] (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Apple says the majority of Mac users also own an iPad, which likely means macOS is never coming to the iPad
Today as part of M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air release day, Harry McCracken at Fast Company published an interview with Apple execs wherein Greg Joswiak shared an interesting detail about Apple’s customer base. That detail has big implications for the current debate about whether Apple might bring macOS to the iPad some day. more…

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Apple announces new accessibility features, including Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, and Vocal Shortcuts
Apple today announced new accessibility features coming later this year, including Eye Tracking, a way for users with physical… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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CarPlay in iOS 18 will add these new accessibility features
Apple today previewed a number of new accessibility features coming to the iPhone and iPad as part of iOS 18 this fall. Among improvements like Eye Tracking and upgrades to Vision Pro, Apple also has plans to bring some accessibility updates to CarPlay. more…

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There are a lot of new accessibility features coming in iOS 18 and visionOS 2.0
Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 16, 2024, Apple has revealed a huge amount of new features coming to iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2.0 coming in the fall of 2024.visionOS 2.0 is getting microphone transcriptionsAs it has before, Apple has promoted Global Accessibility Awareness Day by giving a sneak peek at iPhone accessibility features ahead of them being made available in iOS 18."We believe deeply in the transformative power of innovation to enrich lives," Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, said in a statement. "That's why for nearly 40 years, Apple has championed inclusive design by embedding accessibility at the core of our hardware and software." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Deleted images haunt iPhone users in Photos for iOS 17.5
Apple's update to iOS 17.5 may be causing problems for some users, with reports of photos deleted long ago resurfacing on devices.A Portrait Photo on an iPhone 15When users delete images from a device, they expect them to be inaccessible after a period of time. However, a bug in the iOS 17.5 update may be resurfacing older images that users may want to keep out of view.In posts to Reddit, users are complaining that shots they wanted deleted have suddenly become accessible again in Photos. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Vision Pro international rollout beckons as China approves release
We’re expecting the Vision Pro international rollout to happen not long after WWDC, and we’ve now seen another element of the plan fall into place. An “Apple wearable computer” has been granted the Chinese quality and safety accreditation it needs to be released for sale in the country … more…

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Vision Pro will soon be able to show live captions of everything being spoken around you
Today in advance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple outlined a variety of exciting new accessibility updates coming to its platforms later this year. From bringing the Vision Pro’s eye tracking tech to the iPad and iPhone, to music haptics, and more. One new accessibility feature coming to Vision Pro users is Live Captions. Built especially for the deaf or hard of hearing, Live Captions will—as the name implies—take everything being spoken around you and present it in written form, all in real-time. more…

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Apple published a new Press Release
Apple just published a new Press Release:Apple announces new accessibility features, including Eye Tracking

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Best iPad for students 2024
Macworld Preparing for student life can be exciting and stressful. To make things easier, it’s good to know that you’ve got the right tech to help you write your essays, take notes in lessons, and kick back with Netflix and games when the work is done. The iPad has evolved in recent years to something that can now act as a laptop replacement for many students, with accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil making it one of the most versatile devices you can buy.  Choosing the best iPad can be tricky, as Apple currently offers a wide range of models with different prices and features, including the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air models updated in May 2024. Can students get discounts on iPads? Students can save money on all sorts of Apple products by shopping at Apple’s education store in their country. Apple offers money off new iPad purchases to students in higher education all year round. In a separate article, you can read all about how to get an Apple Student Discount. Plus, if you’re a student and you buy an iPad (or a Mac) from Apple, you might be able to get a free gift such as a pair of AirPods or vouchers while the company’s “Back To Uni” event is running. (This usually runs from June to September in the U.S. and Canada, and from July to October in the U.K. and January to March in Australia, New Zealand and other southern hemisphere locations). Click on the following links for the Education stores in the countries where most of our readers reside: Apple’s U.S. Education Store Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the U.K. you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS). Apple’s Canada Education Store Apple’s Australian Education Store Another bonus if you’re a student: you can get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included. How much can students save on an iPad? Students can save as much as $100 in the U.S., £100 in the U.K., $170 in Australia, and $150 in Canada if they buy from the education store. ProductU.S.U.K.AustraliaCanadaiPad (10th gen) MSRP$349£349$599$499iPad (10th gen) Student Price$329£329$559$469iPad mini MSRP$499£499$829$679iPad mini Student Price$449£449$749$609iPad Air (11-inch, M2) MSRP$599£599$999$799iPad Air (11-inch, M2) Student Price$549£549$919$729iPad Air (13-inch, M2)MSRP$799£799$1,299$1,099iPad Air (13-inch, M2) Student Price$749£749$1,219$1,029iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) MSRP$999£999$1,699$1,399iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) Student Price$899£899$1,529$1,249iPad Pro (13-inch, M4) MSRP$1,299£1,299$2,199$1,799iPad Pro (13-inch, M4) Student Price$1,199£1,199$2,029$1,649Apple’s discounted price for students compared to the usual price. How to get an iPad student discount Apple offers a student discount via its country-specific education stores. To recap: Apple’s U.S. Education Store Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS). Apple’s Canada Education Store Apple’s Australian Education Store Depending on your location you may only need to sign up with details of your student status and course and prove your identity. Some countries have less stringent checks than others. In the U.K. you need to be registered with UNiDAYS in order to even see the student prices. We explain how to do this in our article How to get an Apple student discount. To qualify for a discount you also need to meet Apple’s conditions. You either need to be a student in higher education, or a teacher at a teaching institution. The only way to get a discount for a child still at school is to be home educating them or to be a teacher yourself. If you can’t get a student discount that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get money off a new iPad though. Read our round-up of the best iPad deals. You will also find links to the best deals for each iPad below. Best iPad for students 11-inch iPad Air (2024, M2): Best All-Rounder Pros M2 processor 128GB of storage in base model Lots of color options Cons It's not cheap Price When Reviewed: $599 (128GB, Wi-Fi only) Best Prices Today: $599 at Apple The 11-inch iPad Air (M2), with its 11-inch display, modern design, low weight (462g), great cameras, and hugely powerful processor, is a great choice for students. Unfortunately, it’s a bit on the pricey side for a tablet, with the current prices starting at $599/£599, but this does now include 128GB of storage, which is double that of the baseline iPad Air (2022, M1) it replaces. This makes it the perfect combination of power, storage and features, for a price that isn’t unreasonable, and one we can heartily recommend for those starting out on their studies.   The biggest feature of the 2024 model is the inclusion of the M2 processor. This is the same chip that powered the previous generation of iPad Pro models, not to mention several of the new Macs. In an iPad Air, it makes the device fly.  The camera is a 12MP Wide lens (also like on the iPad Pro), which can record video up to 4K/60fps, and as with other iPads on this list, the front-facing camera is a 12MP Ultra-Wide that allows for Center Stage and is now sensibly positioned on the longer side of the chassis to allow landscape views. Essentially, the 2024 iPad Air is a 2022 iPad Pro for a cheaper price. The only major feature it’s missing is the 120Hz ProMotion screen refresh rate, but that’s hardly something most people will even notice.  There are plenty of colors to choose from, and if you want to complete the Apple flavoured package then the 11-inch iPad Air supports the Magic Keyboard ($299/£299), Apple Pencil Pro ($129/£129) and Apple Pencil Pencil USB-C ($79/£79). If you prefer a larger display, then there is also the 13-inch iPad Air (M2) that comes with all the same specs and features, and starts at $799/£799. We highly recommend the 11-inch iPad Air (M2) for students who need premium performance and the best iPad you can buy without the Pro name. How much can students save on the iPad Air? MSRP: $599 / £599 / AU$999 / CA$799Student: $549 / £549 / AU$919 / CA$729 Students save: $50 / £50 / AU$80 / CA$70 Get the best deal on a new iPad Air. iPad (10th gen, 2022): Best Balance of Price and Power Pros Air-style design 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display Price reduced in May 2024 Cons 64GB storage on base model Requires dongle to power Apple Pencil (gen 1) Price When Reviewed: From $349 (64GB) | $499 (256GB) Best Prices Today: $334 at Amazon$349 at Adorama$349 at Apple Thanks to a recent price cut, and the retirement of the iPad 10.2-inch (9th gen), the iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) model that arrived in October 2022 is now the cheapest iPad available from Apple. But that doesn’t mean it’s a budget device, as it features the same design approach as the iPad mini and iPad Air. This means you don’t have the traditional Home button, which has been replaced with swipe gestures and the Touch ID sensor repositioned in the power button on the top edge. This makes room for a larger display than on its predecessor, and ensures that the Home button is now officially a thing of the past. On this iPad, the a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, unlike on the mini, Air or Pro models, is unlaminated. This means there’s a slight air gap between the glass and the digitizer beneath. You probably won’t notice it at all, but if you intend to use the Apple Pencil for notes (gen 1 and USB-C are supported) then you may experience slight delays in the tracking. One welcome addition (that arrived with this model, and is now a feature of the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air) is that the front-facing camera is located on the longer end of the panel, meaning it offers a true landscape view that’s centrally located. This is much better suited to FaceTime and other video calling apps. That new landscape 12MP Ultra Wide camera has a f/2.4 aperture that delivers a 122-degree view; it’s also compatible with the Center Stage feature that keeps you in the center of the frame even if you move about while on video calls. Apple bestows this iPad with a 12MP f/1.8 rear camera so you can get some great shots and shoot video 4K video at 60fps. If your course requires any kind of video content, then either the front or back optics of the iPad (10th gen) should prove more than sufficient, plus you can call home and look good doing so. An A14 Bionic processor is at the heart of the new iPad, which is the same chip that powered the iPhone 12 (including the Pros). So there’s more than enough power for word processing, note-taking, coding, and most other education apps, not to mention gaming and entertainment duties. The switch from a Lightning port to USB-C also opens up the ability to use various peripherals and even power an external display if you want the iPad to become more like a fully-fledged computer. Apple kits out the baseline model with 64GB, which feels a bit of a sore point in 2024. With this in mind, we’d recommend you opt for the 256GB version if you want to download plenty of movies and games or store all or your photos and videos on the device itself. Although this does push the price from $349/£349 (64GB) to $499/£499 (256GB). The extra space will serve you better in the long run, but if you don’t want to blow that extra cash, then there’s always the option of expanding your iCloud storage so that you can keep stuff safe in the cloud instead. There are four colors to choose from (Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Pink) so you should be able to find one that suits your personality, and for extra functionality, you could invest in the new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio, although the $249/£249 price tag does seem very high. Of course, a standard Bluetooth keyboard will get you the same results for a lot less money. As mentioned above, the new iPad supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, but as the charging port is now USB-C you’ll need an adaptor from Apple if you’ve already bought the Pencil. Otherwise, the dongle is now included in the box when you buy a new Apple Pencil (1st gen). Of course, there’s also the compatible Apple Pencil (USB-C) which gets around the dongle madness. As you can see, there are a few caveats, but with its modern design, solid processor, and larger display, the 10.9-inch iPad (10th gen) is a great all-rounder that would prove a wise investment for those heading off to pursue their studies. For more information, you can read our iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) guide. We expect to see an 11th-generation iPad at some point in 2024, more here: What you need to know about the 2024 iPad. How much can students save on the 10th gen iPad? MSRP: $349 / £349 / AU$599 / CA$499Students; $329 / £329 / AU$559 / CA$469 Students save: $20 / £20 / AU$40 / CA$30 Read our full 10th-gen 10.9-inch iPad (2022) review iPad mini (6th gen, 2021): Best for Note-Taking and Reading Pros Small and light Centre Stage for FaceTime calls Cons 64GB storage may be too limiting Price When Reviewed: From $499 (64GB) | $649 (256GB) Best Prices Today: $399.99 at Target $469 at Amazon$469 at Walmart If the most important factor to you is portability there’s one iPad in particular that you might want to consider. The iPad mini, last updated in September 2021 with an A15 Bionic and a brand-new design, is the smallest and lightest iPad you can buy, weighing in at 293g. Of course, the low weight is a result of the iPad itself being smaller, thanks to the 8.3-inch display (which is bigger than it used to be since Apple got rid of the Home button and relocated Touch ID to the power button on the top edge). The result is a compact but powerful device that doesn’t feel too small. We think this screen size is perfect for reading books or taking notes (especially with an Apple Pencil), so it may well be ideal if that’s how you intend to use your iPad. And don’t let the diminutive form fool you: the A15 Bionic chip is the same as that found in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so there’s no shortage of power on tap. Connectivity is top-notch too, with support for Wi-Fi 6 and LTE 5G networks available, depending on the model you choose.  The front-facing camera is an Ultra-Wide lens, so it can track you and keep you in the center of the frame on video calls thanks to Center Stage, while the 12MP Wide camera on the back can capture great photos and videos that could be used in presentations or for media-based assignments.  There are two storage options available (64GB and 256GB) and, as with the 10.9in (10th gen) iPad, we’d recommend the larger of the two as it allows you to store more apps, music, movies, photos, and videos.  One disadvantage is that the mini only works with Bluetooth keyboards, rather than Apple’s range of iPad-specific keyboard, but whether that’s a significant disadvantage is debatable. It will definitely save you money. Prices start at $499/£499 for the 64GB model, with the 256GB option raising the cost to $649/£649. The good news is that in May 2024 Apple reduced the price of the mini outside the U.S., having increased it a couple of years back.    We hope to see a new iPad mini at some point in 2024, more here: iPad mini 7, what’s next? How much can students save on the iPad mini? MSRP: $499 / £499 / AU$829 / CA$679Students: $449 / £449 / AU$749 / CA $609 Students save: $50 / £50 / AU$80 / CA$70 Get the best deal on a new iPad mini. Read our full Apple iPad mini (6th gen, A15, 2021) review 11-inch iPad Pro (2024): Best for Power and Performance Pros M4 Processor OLED display Stupidly light and thin Cons Expensive Probably overkill for students Price When Reviewed: $999 (Wi-Fi only) Best Prices Today: $999 at Apple The Pro iPads are the pinnacle of Apple’s tablet range, and as such they feel like the power and price are probably overkill for your average student. That being said, if you want the best, then this is where you’ll find it. The 11-inch iPad Pro (M4), was introduced in May 2024, boasting incredibly light and thin construction, but with a stupid amount of power inside. In an unprecedented step, Apple introduced the new M4 processor in the iPad before the Mac, making the 11-inch iPad Pro and 13-inch iPad Pro the most up-to-date devices in the Apple catalog. The question really, is do you need all that grunt? If you’re after an iPad for taking notes, writing essays, watching Netflix, playing some games and using it for video calls home, then the iPad Air is a better balance of power and price. But, for those with money burning a hole in their pockets, and those planning to do a lot of gaming when they should be studying, the 11-inch iPad Pro comes with a new Ultra Retina XDR OLED display that has two layers (Apple calls this Tandem OLED) to produce the brightest panel they’re ever made, kicking out up to 1600 nits. It’s also ProMotion, with an ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Cameras are 12Mp sensors, with the rear unit a Wide lens that can record video up to 4K/60fps, plus ProRes capabilities which would be of interest to video content creators. The front-facing lens also has the TrueDepth array, allowing Face ID, which remains a Pro-only features on iPads. You get Centre Stage for video calls, and the placement of the camera on the longer edge means you get landscape view. The two size variants offer the same capabilities, with 256GB of storage the baseline, and prices starting at $999/£999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299/£1,299 for the 13-inch variant. As we’ve said, the iPad Pros are probably too much for your typical student, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t excellent products for those who can afford them and take advantage of all the power on offer. How much can students save on the 11-inch iPad Pro? MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 / CA$1,399Students: $899 / £899 / AU$1,529 / CA$1,249 Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$170 / CA$150 Get the best deal on a new iPad Pro. iPad 10.2in (9th gen, 2021): Best Bargain Hunt iPad Pros Cheap Centre Stage support for FaceTime Compatible with any Bluetooth keyboard Cons No longer in production 64GB storage may be too little Price When Reviewed: $329 (64GB) | $479 (256GB) Best Prices Today: $249 at Amazon$249.99 at Best Buy$249.99 at Target Since we expect that students are likely to be looking to save money where they can, we’d suggest that the 10.2in iPad (9th gen) is the closest you can get to a bargain iPad. True, it is no longer in production, being discontinued in 2024 by Apple, but there should still be stock available from third-party sellers out there, and refurbished models could make the ticket price even lower. If you want an iPad to cover the basics, it offers enough performance and features to make it an excellent choice for many students. The final 2021 model featured the more than adequate A13 that previously powered the iPhone 11 range, plus the FaceTime cameras has an Ultra-Wide lens and support for Center Stage, making video calls home a lot better looking than on previous iPads. It can happily run the Microsoft Office apps for iPad if that is what you want to use, but there are free productivity apps from Apple and others that will make note-taking and working on assignments a doddle. Add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you have a very workable laptop that should cope with most coursework demands. Support for Apple Pencil (gen 1) means you can annotate documents, sketch, and of course practice your handwriting.  The iPad 10.2-inch is still a great pick if you can find one and your demands aren’t too onerous. It will handle academic life with ease, and provide plenty of entertainment when lessons are over. One word of caution, though. The base model comes with only 64GB of storage, which in this day and age seems pretty mean. With that in mind, we’d recommend opting for the 256GB version as it would be more practical, albeit more expensive. As a rough guide, here’s the prices for the iPad (9th Gen) when it was still available from Apple – $329 / £369 / AU$549 / CA$449. Get the best deal on a new 10.2-inch iPad Read our full Apple iPad 10.2in (2021) review Should students buy an iPad or a laptop? Before you go ahead and buy your iPad you may want to consider its suitability for your purpose. As a student you probably have a few requirements: Low price Great apps for things like note-taking, recording lectures and revision Light enough to carry around all day Keyboard and stylus support Suitable for making video calls home You might be wondering whether a tablet or a laptop would be better for those needs, and if you lean towards the latter, take a look at our guide to the best Macs for students. We think, however, that an iPad is a great choice. It runs many of the apps you’ll find on a laptop, including Office apps like Word and PowerPoint and the Apple equivalents, and in some cases, an iPad is actually more powerful than a laptop thanks to the super-fast processors Apple uses. Another benefit is that you can have all the books you need for your course on your iPad and carry them with you to lectures and tutorials. You could even photograph pages from books in the library and use optical character recognition to save the text to your iPad. Not only do you not need to lug all your books around with you, but an iPad is also far lighter than even the lightest laptop, so you won’t get backache from carrying it to lectures and the library. With battery life of 10 hours–plenty for a day on campus–you aren’t going to need to find a space beside a plug socket in order to get through a day at uni. Think that having an iPad will mean you have to type on an on-screen keyboard. No! You could sync any Bluetooth keyboard or plug in one of Apple’s own iPad keyboards and effectively turn your iPad into a laptop. There’s also the Apple Pencil, which could come in useful if you wanted to jot down some notes on your iPad screen in a lecture. See Best stylus for iPad. And when you’ve finished studying there are loads of games, and apps for video calling your parents. Still not sure? We have more information comparing a MacBook laptop and an iPad. Are iPads good for students? The next question you might want some reassurance on is whether the iPad is the best option for a student. There are a lot of other tablets available, many of which are cheaper than an iPad. So you might be thinking of saving some money. We think if you do so you will regret it. There are many reasons why Apple’s iPads are so popular: The App Store is heaving with great apps designed specifically for the iPad. Many of those apps will be ideal for students: note-taking apps, apps for converting handwriting to text, apps for recording lectures, timetable management, and of course video calling (so you can stay in touch with mum and dad). There is an ecosystem of great accessories designed to work with the iPad. Apple’s iPadOS is stable and easy to use, especially if you already have an iPhone. If you’ve got a Mac you can use an iPad as a second screen, provided you’re running Big Sur or later.  Further reading That’s all of our student-related buying advice, but if you’re buying for someone younger, check out our guide to the best iPad for Kids. iPad

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Apple previews iOS 18 accessibility features including eye tracking and music haptics
Apple today announced new accessibility features that will debut later this year in iOS 18 and its other operating systems (although as usual, Apple does not specifically refer to ‘iOS 18’ prematurely). The headline addition is Eye Tracking, which will allow iPhone and iPad users with physical disabilities to control their devices just by looking at it with their eyes, with a new iOS gaze system somewhat similar to Vision Pro. Other new features include music haptics, Vehicle Motion Cues, Live Captions coming to visionOS, and more … more…

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