As you might have heard, there are new iPads in town. However, when one enters, another must exit. While the spotlight is currently on the first iPad with the M4 chip, the 9^th-generation iPad is taking its final bow. Apple has quietly discontinued the entry-level tablet from its lineup.

Released in 2021, the 9^th-generation iPad is one of the last tablets to have a Home button. It is also the last iPad to rock a headphone jack. Since Apple is no longer producing the dated model, the entire tablet lineup is now headphone-jack-free. Pour one out to a once-beloved feature. (Of course, if you still want to grab one of the last units of this generation, third-party retailers should still carry them.)

In addition to retiring the 9^th-generation iPad, Apple has also slashed US$ 100 from the price of the 10^th-generation model. Now, the price cut is a welcome sight for entry-level consumers. When the 10^th-generation model launched, it carried a price tag that was much more expensive from other entry-level models of previous generations. With today’s price cut, the model moves to a price that fits its current position in the lineup.

While the older end of the lineup is getting a shakeup, the newer end is in a world of its own. The new iPad Pro come with the M4 chip, the thinnest display, and the new Apple Pencil Pro.

SEE ALSO: iPad Pro with M4 chip now official

Smart has launched its new Smart Phone Protect service in partnership with Igloo to give mobile users some sort of insurance for their devices. The annual rates start at just PhP 125 for Phone Protect and PhP 180 for Phone Protect+.

Phone Protect provides basic protection coverage such as screen repair, accidental damage, and liquid damage. The annual fee ranges from PhP 125 to PhP 2,500, depending on the device value. For a more advanced level of protection, Phone Protect+ also covers theft or loss from fire for fee ranging from PhP 180 to PhP 3,600.

Device coverage for the respective services ranges from PhP 5,000 to PhP 100,000, depending on the Smart plan availed. Once subscribed to Phone Protect, users may get their devices repaired in as fast as 24 hours.

Smart’s new phone protection service covers both old and new devices, as long as they are in good functioning condition. Phone Protect (and Protect+) also applies to devices not only purchased from Smart but also the open market, so it is open to everyone, regardless of whether they are subscribed to prepaid or postpaid services.

To sign up for a Smart Phone Protect Plan, visit the service’s link here: smrt.ph/phoneprotect

In the portal, subscribers only need to fill in their name, mobile number, email address, and phone details. They will then be redirected to choose their preferred Smart Phone Protect Plan and payment terms. The service accepts different payment options, including mobile wallet, Debit, and Credit card. Users will receive their policy via email once the registration is complete.

Leave it to Nintendo to confirm the Switch successor in the most Nintendo way possible. After months of nonstop speculation surrounding the upcoming console, the company has officially confirmed that the Switch 2 (or whatever it’s called) will make its debut sometime within this fiscal year.

Since the rise of handheld consoles from the PC world, everyone started speculating when Nintendo was going to respond in kind. After all, the current Switch lineup is already seven years old (and nine years since its announcement). Other consoles have passed the Switch by, in terms of pure hardware.

Today, Nintendo’s Shuntaro Furukawa has confirmed that an announcement about the Switch successor will come this fiscal year. For reference, Nintendo’s fiscal year ends in March 2025.

Nintendo leaves it at that. As always, it’s the most casual way to announce a potentially groundbreaking console. No specs, teases, or details.

If anything, it’s heavily rumored (and expected) that the next Switch will come with a much-needed slate of upgrades for the dated hardware. However, despite the upgrade, the company promises that current-gen Joy-Cons and games will still play well on the successor.

As a last word, Furukawa says that Nintendo will hold a Nintendo Direct in June for the upcoming slate of Switch software and games. Then, he coyly says that “there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”

SEE ALSO: Nintendo might have quashed rumors of the Switch 2 in 2024