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Apple Launches New iPad Mini with AI Features

A view of a signage outside an Apple store in London, Britain, October 11, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a signage outside an Apple store in London, Britain, October 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Apple Launches New iPad Mini with AI Features

A view of a signage outside an Apple store in London, Britain, October 11, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a signage outside an Apple store in London, Britain, October 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Apple on Tuesday launched its new generation of the iPad mini packed with AI features including writing tools and an improved Siri assistant, as the iPhone maker races to boost its devices with artificial-intelligence capabilities.

The new iPad mini is powered by Apple's A17 Pro chip, which is used in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. With a six-core central processing unit, the A17 Pro would boost CPU performance by 30% compared to the current generation iPad minis and is central to running Apple Intelligence, Apple's AI software.

Apple said it would roll out the first set of AI features in the US version of the English language this month through a software update with iPadOS 18.1.

The features will be available for iPads with A17 Pro or M1 chips and later generations, Apple said, adding it will roll out additional features including image-generation tools, Genmoji and ChatGPT-powered capabilities over the next several months.

Apple in September unveiled its long-awaited, AI-boosted iPhone 16 lineup, but with the AI features still in test mode, the company failed to excite some investors while early sales data raised some questions around demand.

Still, research firm Canalys on Monday said the iPhone 16 would help Apple's sales in the fourth quarter and drive momentum into the first half of 2025, after Apple reached a record high third-quarter shipments.

The iPad mini, starting at $499, is available for pre-orders starting on Tuesday and will begin arriving to customers and Apple store locations next week, Apple said.

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France, Germany, Sweden Urge EU Battery Sector Push to Avoid China Reliance

Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
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France, Germany, Sweden Urge EU Battery Sector Push to Avoid China Reliance

Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Ebba Busch addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo

France, Germany and Sweden called on the incoming European Commission on Thursday to ensure the future of battery production in Europe and avoid relying on China to meet its needs for the green transition.

In a paper released ahead of an EU ministers' meeting to discuss EU competitiveness on Thursday, the three EU members said European battery companies faced common challenges of scaling up in a global playing field that was not level.

The EU needs to cut red tape, speed up approval processes, create better routes to funding and markets for new companies in the sector and allocate more EU funding for the battery industry, they said.

"If we are to succeed with the green transition we need to get the European battery sector flying and taking a proper share of the market," Swedish Industry Minister Ebba Busch told reporters before the meeting in Brussels, Reuters reported.

The issue is acute for Sweden after Northvolt filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States last week. The Swedish government has repeatedly said it won't invest in Northvolt to save the company, which has been Europe's biggest hope for an electric vehicle battery champion.

Busch said a strong message from Brussels that European battery making had a solid future would increase the chances for Northvolt to secure new capital from other sources.

China has taken a huge lead in powering EVs, controlling 85% of global battery cell production, International Energy Agency data shows. Busch said the European Union needed to learn from its previous reliance on Russian gas and not become dependent again on an economic rival.

"The green transition might end up becoming a Chinese transition in Europe... Just look at solar cell or wind power sector, a lot of that has been taken over by third-country investment," she said.

The new European Commission, which takes over on Dec. 1, plans in its first 100 days to issue an outline of how the bloc can compete economically while meeting its climate targets.

Busch said the three countries behind the paper were calling for improved regulation to promote new projects and conditions to allow companies to scale up.

German state secretary Berhard Kluttig said the EU also needed to look to sources other than China for key raw material inputs.

"There are many options, Australia, Canada and even Europe, we have lithium projects, so it is also important that we focus on these alternative sources for battery materials," he said.