Winners and Losers: iPad gets even better while Xbox shutters studios

If you haven’t had a chance to catch up on the biggest stories in tech this week then we’ve got you covered with Winners and Losers.

Even though it was a short working week for folks in the UK, the tech world didn’t slow down in the slightest as things kicked off with Apple’s iPad-centric event which featured the first proper updates for the iPad range since 2022.

There were plenty more tech launches besides Apple’s, including the TicWatch 5 Pro Enduro, the super sleek (and surprisingly small) Pixel 8a, and the futuristic Huawei Watch 4 Pro Space Edition.

You can always check out our news coverage for a deep dive into all that took place but to see which stories stood out above the pack, just keep on reading.

Winner: Apple

It’s no secret that Apple has all but conquered the tablet market with its range of iPads, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.

The previous crop of iPads was hardly lacking in power or efficiency but Apple has found a way to raise the bar yet again, allowing the new iPad Pro to leapfrog the M3 series of chips completely by launching with the even more powerful M4 processor.

It seems a little absurd to provide a tablet with that level of processing power, but it’ll no doubt cement the iPad Pro 2024 as the most powerful tablet available by a wide margin. The iPad Air 6 won’t be mistaken for a slouch either as that’s being given the M2 chip to play with.

In addition to a new Magic Keyboard as the impressive Apple Pencil Pro, there was also a notable price drop for the iPad 10th Gen, making it a much better buy given that its launch price of £499 had us all raising our eyebrows. Whether you like Apple or not, you can’t deny that the company is crushing the tablet game right now.

Loser: Xbox

The games industry is very much in a state of flux, as reports of layoffs seem to be a neverending occurrence in the current news cycle. Unfortunately, Xbox has only added more fuel to that fire after shutting down a total of four games studios that came under its wing as part of the Bethesda acquisition some years ago.

Two of the studios in question were responsible for Redfall and the critically acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush which was recently ported to PS5. As part of a company-wide email from the head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, he detailed:

“These changes are grounded in prioritising high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.”

From the email, it seems as though Xbox is pivoting its focus towards top-tier franchises, with less room for smaller indie titles. To make matters worse, there are rumblings that even more closures could be on the way from Xbox, indicating above all that the games industry is in dire need of a rethink when job security is so tenuous.