OPINION: Spring has sprung and Google has freshened up its mid-ranger. Meanwhile, ’tis the season for Apple to take another hit from Europe. Here are this week’s winners and losers.
Hey look, Pebble is back! The smartwatch pioneer has risen from the ashes almost ten years after its last major smartwatch release. The Pebble Core 2 Duo and Pebble Core Time 2 offer e-paper screens, long 30-day battery life and access to thousands of apps that have been kept alive by the enthusiast community.
The Meta Quest 3S headset is now a steal
The entry-level Meta Quest 3S is now even more affordable thanks to Argos’ gaming sale, making this your chance to get on the VR bandwagon.
- Argos
- Use code GAMING10
- Now just £261
The Core Time 2 is the pick of the array. It has a colour 1.5-inch display and is the first Pebble device to feature a touchscreen. It also has a IPX8 certification for water resistance and a heart rate monitor. Very cool.
There was interesting news in the Xbox realm with Microsoft apparently leaking plans to offer the Steam store for PC games on future Xbox consoles. In a roundabout way, that could bring PlayStation games to Xbox.
In the mobile realm analysts made an eye-opening iPhone Fold price estimate, there was discussion of a port-free iPhone model in the future, and news of a big forthcoming update for Samsung Galaxy S24 owners. In foldables, Huawei revealed the Pura X, which might combine the best of flip-style and book-style foldables.
Apple’s ongoing efforts to bring an AI revamp of Siri to iPhone users took a new twist, with the company reportedly bringing the Vision Pro guy in to sort out the mess.
In less positive news, Roku began showing TV viewers ads when they turned on the set and Amazon decided that Alexa requests can no longer stay private. There are plenty of winners and losers among that bunch, but here’s who takes the Grand Slam and the Wooden Spoon this week.
Winner: Google Pixel 9a
The Pixel 9a from Google looks like it might be the best ever sub-£500 phone from Google and it makes the standard Pixel 9 look like a bad investment on paper.
The new mid-range Android king arrived on the scene this week packing some very familiar specs, with the display, cameras and processors barely falling short of the Pixel 9.
However, considering the Pixel 9 – which has an RRP £300 north of the Android 15-based Pixel 9a – it makes the standard edition a very tough sell, especially considering the 9a has the largest battery ever featured within a Pixel phone.
“…there are very few reasons to opt for the £799/$799 Pixel 9 at this point. Sorry, Google, you might’ve shot yourself in the foot with this one,” wrote our mobile editor Lewis Painter.
The phone also puts one over on Apple (it’s been another rough week in Cupertino, but more on that later). Our editor in chief Max Parker reckons the Pixel 9a is what the iPhone 16e should have been. You can compare the iPhone 16e vs Pixel 9a here.
The only downside, it seems, is a potential delay to availability. Google says it is looking into a component quality issue affecting a small number of phones and is yet to put the Pixel 9a up for pre-order. Let’s hope it’s not too long before the Pixel 9a is available.
Loser: Apple’s EU blow
It does feel like Apple is swimming against a tide at the moment. You can be the strongest swimmer on Earth, but if those waves keep crashing over you, it’s gonna knock you off course at some point.
This week, the European Union’s zealous technology policymaking took a sledgehammer to the remnants of the walled garden Apple has erected in the iPhone age.
After ending the App Store monopoly and forcing Apple to offer third party stores and payment methods, the EU is now going after the exclusive inter-device operability that Apple fans love.
In a new legally binding decree under the remit of the Digital Markets Act, the EU says Apple must open up nine iOS connectivity features.
Among other things, it’s set to ensure Apple can’t keep things like easy pairing and device-switching between AirPods and other Apple devices. Third-party headphone makers must have that capability too.
The same goes for smartwatches, with the EU demanding Apple open up iOS to ensure the experience Apple Watch owners receive from hooking up to an iPhone can be experienced by owners of third-party smartphones too.
Furthermore, the bloc wants Apple to open up tech like AirPlay and AirDrop enabling third-party manufacturers to get in on the action, or build their own versions of the tech to use with Apple products.
The ruling threatens to dismantle a longstanding status quo where iPhone users will buy AirPods, an Apple Watch, an Apple TV, a Mac and so forth, because they work so much better with the companion smartphone thanks to some bespoke, exclusive tools.
I think it’s a terrible idea to take this away because once third-parties get involved you risk the seamlessness of these Apple-to-Apple device perks being compromised. And I’m not convinced it’s the best idea from a privacy standpoint either.
