It’s so rough out there in the tech world at the moment we’ve considered dropping the first two words of this column and just calling it Losers. Such as it is, we stride on into the future expecting tech happiness to rain down any day now.
Let’s scrape together some good news first! Apple might get Google Gemini integration in iOS 19, which would certainly bolster Apple Intelligence and give those averse to ChatGPT a new option within Siri.
The iPad 11 is now a bargain Apple tablet
Unless you’re set on using an iPad for animation or high-end video editing, the iPad 11 can get the job done just fine, and it’s been made even more of a bargain thanks to this $50 price cut.
Apple isn’t raising the prices of its phones for now, but questions remain about the favoured nation deal it seems to be getting on tariffs after Tim Cook cosied up to you-know-who.
Oh and there was some rare good news in the gaming realm too, as it was confirmed Borderlands 4 will arrive earlier than planned, which is unheard of in recent times. A shame about GTA 6 though, that won’t be here for another twelve months. And staying with gaming, it’s a damn shame that EA Sports is killing its rally driving franchise that dates all the way back to Colin McRae for the original PlayStation. See! I knew we couldn’t keep the good vibes going for long.
Meanwhile, Android seems to be fading from the limelight too. The almighty operating system just isn’t making the same headlines anymore so the Android 16 updates will be an undercard event ahead of Google I/O as Geminimania continues to run wild. Whatchagonna do, Android BROTHER?!
Speaking of Gemini, did you see Google’s Little Language Lessons experiments that are powered by AI? This seems like a really useful application that could help you with a) finding the words for tricky situations abroad, b) helping you learn more specific descriptive words, and c) help you learn the local slang. Bosh!
In Samsung land there was news of a possible design refresh for the Galaxy Watch, along with a cheaper ‘FE’ version of a foldable. Concerns remain over the potentially shorter battery life for the Galaxy S25 Edge too, which should be confirmed in a couple of weeks.
Let’s check out this week’s big (and only) winner
Winner: OnePlus
It’s not so much a win, but a recovery from a loss here. Having added 52% to the price of the OnePlus Watch 3 earlier in April, thankfully the company has seen that people have been institutionalised for less than that. The price is back to an almost normal level, albeit $20 higher than originally planned (sneaky!). If you were fool enough for fork over the $500, then you can get a $150 rebate from OnePlus.
We’re glad the company has come to its sense because the OnePlus Watch 3 is ace. Probably our favourite Wear OS watch of 2025 thus far.
In handing out a 4.5 star score from a possible five, our own Lewis Painter concluded: “The OnePlus Watch 3 not only fixes the few complaints we had about last year’s Watch 2, but adds a swathe of new features and functionality, including a more durable design, improved tracking, multiband GPS and a boosted 120-hour battery life that perfects the Wear OS 5 experience on offer.”
Sadly it wasn’t all amazing news on the OnePlus front. The company is stubbornly refusing to launch the compact flagship OnePlus 13T phone in Europe or the US. Perhaps we can bully them into another reversal?
Loser: Xbox
Busting out the Ace Ventura “La-Hoo-Sa-Her” gif for Microsoft this week after it decided to hike the prices on the Xbox Series S/X consoles, and put AAA game prices up to $80 (thanks for setting that precedent, Nintendo!) five years into a generation where it has absolutely failed to deliver a compelling product.
To do it on a day where its stock skyrocketed because it made SO… MUCH… MONEY adds insult to injury. What possible motivation is there to buy a Series S for £50 more at this point, if you haven’t already? Where are all the AAA exclusives coming down the pipeline? Why would you buy hardware when most of the first-party games are on Game Pass, which is pretty much ubiquitous these days?
Go sit in the corner and take your ‘L’ on the chin, Microsoft. And don’t come out until you’re sorry. If you’re as angry as I am, you can hear me sound off in more detail here.
