iPad Air 5 early reviews: 👌

Italian blogger Federico Viticci is one of the world's leading experts on iPad.

He's a hardcore iPad user. He's best known for creating and evangelizing complex workflows.

Normally Viticci uses a high-end iPad Pro, but after testing the new iPad Air for a week, he's thinking of switching.

"It's the most balanced iPad in Apple's lineup, now with iPad Pro performance," he wrote on Twitter. "If iPadOS 16 doesn't bring any new pro features, I may switch to this."

Now that's an endorsement!

In other news:

  • Leaked CAD images confirm iPhone 14's new hole punch screen design, according to a blog.

  • Say sayonara to cables. A clever new battery pack can charge wirelessly -- and can itself be charged wirelessly.

  • Ian Zelbo is known for creating beautiful renders of upcoming Apple products, but as our 'Setups' post reveals, he has a shocking secret.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

The iPad Air 5 reaches customers on Friday, and the first reviews describe it as a moderately improved version of the already excellent fourth-generation model.

iPad users will soon be able to work with applications in floating windows, if an unconfirmed report is correct. This is a highly requested feature from those who want Apple’s tablet to function more like a Mac.

New renders are said to be based on leaked factory CAD images of the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro. They support leaks and rumors indicating that a hole-punch design will replace the notch, among other changes.

The OtterBox Wireless Power Bank for MagSafe doubles down on wireless charging. It clings magnetically to your iPhone while charging it, and the external battery also magnetically attaches to MagSafe chargers to receive power. And it can do both at the same time.

How often do you clean your AirPods? If your answer is simply, “I don’t,” then rather than start worrying about all the dirt which has accumulated in your buds over time, you can set your sights on this AirPod Cleaning Pen. It’s on sale for just $14.99 — a 40% discount off the regular price.

Foxconn, Apple’s primary assembly partner for iPhones, has resumed production in its assembly plant in Shenzhen, China, as the city’s COVID-19 lockdown has partially lifted.

The Mac Studio is scheduled to start reaching customers on March 18. But a fortunate Frenchman got his Tuesday, three days early! Seems a store in France missed the note from Apple about not shipping until later in the week.

It’s now possible to set your iPad’s volume buttons to reflect that you are holding the tablet in landscape rather than portrait. It’s an optional change, but one many iPad users have been asking for.

We last wrote about the computer setup of 17-year-old concept creator and render artist Ian Zelbo back in May 2021. As then, the young New Yorker’s 3D renderings of Macs and other leaked tech products continue to amaze viewers online. But he recently switched things up a bit with the gear he needs to get the job done. Along with a big step up from a 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro to a 14-inch M1 Pro version, he custom-built a PC to do a lot of the heavy lifting in his resource-intensive work.

Tweetz o' the day

One more thing ...

"The only purpose for me in building a company is so that it can make products. Of course, building a very strong company and a foundation of talent and culture is essential over the long run to keep making great products. On the other hand, to me, the company is one of humanity's most amazing inventions. It's totally abstract. Sure, you have to build something with bricks and mortar to put the people in, but basically a company is this abstract construct we've invented, and it's incredibly powerful." -- Steve Jobs.

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