This week has proven to be a surprisingly important week in the tech world.
Apple released several new cars with M5 engines in its line, Samsung announced the launch date of its headset, and Windows 10 was buried.
For all this and more, you can scroll down to see quick summaries of the seven biggest tech news stories of the week, as well as links to the full articles if you need to read more.
7. Windows 10 support has officially ended.
This week the guillotine officially arrived in Windows 10. October 14, operating system used by millions has entered its end-of-life phase, meaning it will no longer receive features, bug fixes or security patches.
Is this the end of the story? Definitely not. The decision was extremely controversial, with many criticizing the security implications given that many were unable to switch to Windows 11 (or don't want to buy a new car).
However, if you're in this boat, you have a few options – from subscription to free extended updates To Let's turn your Windows 10 laptop into a Chromebook or try stripped down version of Windows 11. Alternatively, you can also read our complete guide below at MicrosoftLatest version of Windows clanger.
6. Windows 11 has more artificial intelligence capabilities
In the same week that Windows 10 was shut down, Microsoft added several new features to Windows 11, and of course, they all revolve around artificial intelligence and co-pilot.
Interestingly, these updates are not intended for Copilot+ PCs. Instead, Microsoft is promising “a new wave of updates that will make every Windows 11 PC an AI-powered PC—with Copilot at the center of it all.”
The big change is the new voice control. If you agree, just say “Hey, co-pilot” (and definitely not “Hey, Cortana”) and you can start issuing commands when the co-pilot's microphone appears on your screen. Say “Goodbye” or close the panel to end the conversation.
There is also a global rollout Co-pilot's visionwhich is currently only available in the US. It analyzes the content on your screen to tell you how to complete a task and suggests troubleshooting if something goes wrong.
5. The Pokémon mega-series has evolved
In recent years, this world-famous franchise has been accused of being outdated and having lost its way in the 3D era, but with the debut of this world-famous franchise, those accusations can be put to rest. Pokemon Legends: ZA.
We had a chance to review the game before launch and thought it was great. The new combat mechanics feel closer to the anime than ever before in the series, the exploration is great – even if Lumiose may start to feel a little cramped after many hours – and the story may be the most fun we've ever had – with hints of the excellent Gamecube duo XD: Storm of Darkness And Coliseum.
That's not to say the game is perfect—there's some clunkiness to the combat at times, and it's not always the most challenging—but Legends: ZA proves that sometimes you can reinvent the wheel to create something gloriously fresh yet familiar.
4. Samsung has set a release date for the XR
Samsung announced this week that it will unveil its consumer XR headset running Android XR on October 21st at an event called World Open Championship.
While we don't know the full specs of this headset, Samsung has been showing off Moohan, the predecessor to its upcoming headset, for a while now, and our demos with the headset have been generally positive.
If you are interested in the Android XR headset, you can register to buy the headset now and get a little bonus for your faith – a $100 credit toward other Samsung gear when you complete your purchase.
That's a nice bonus if you end up buying the headset, but it also means the Moohan won't be the cheapest option at launch if Samsung offers $100 free.
3. We reviewed the Xbox handheld
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X (and its non-X sibling) is finally released, and we've been testing it to see if this so-called Xbox portable can reignite our interest after the recent SNAFU from Xbox Game Pass.
After careful examination, our review revealed that this is not exactly a portable version of the Xbox console; instead, it's an impressive gaming portable running Windows 11. While it doesn't completely solve all the problems of Windows 11 portable devices, it does boast some innovative hardware and software solutions that feel like a major step in the right direction.
As our review puts it: “While it's probably the best premium handheld on the market, the high price tag and the feeling that the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X still fails to offer a true console experience means it's a niche product in an increasingly competitive market, and being tied to Xbox won't be enough to make it stand out.”
2. The new MacBook Pro marks the beginning of the Apple M5 era
It doesn't come as much of a shock to those who have been following the rumors, but this week Apple updated its 14-inch MacBook Pro with a powerful new M5 processor.
This was good news for anyone waiting to upgrade their creaky old Pro machine. But fans of the larger 16-inch model will have to fight a little longer – the more powerful M5 Pro and Max chips don't seem to be quite ready yet.
However, with a new chip, faster SSD storage, and the same rugged design as before, the MacBook Pro M5 could be the secure choice creatives have been waiting for.
1. Apple introduced the iPad M5
As many expected, Apple unveiled its most advanced and fastest Apple Silicon processor yet, the M5 chip, and as with the M4, one of the recipients of this faster SoC is Apple's powerful and ultra-thin iPad Pro.
What's different this time is the strong focus on artificial intelligence and how a faster Neural Engine and neural accelerators in each GPU core will drive generative AI operations, largely by supporting local operation of third-party models.
Apart from this big brain swap, there don't appear to be any other changes to the 11- or 13-inch iPad Pro models. Even the prices are the same, which might be the best news.
