Author: Trent Meikle

It seems like Apple has finally run out of products to announce this week, after it blew through a new iPhone 17e, iPad Air, M5-toting MacBook Pros, Studio Displays, and finally, the low-cost MacBook Neo. Starting at $600, we guessed that it would land locally at a similar price as the iPhone 17e, which also costs $600. Apparently not. You’re the one, Neo Instead, the MacBook Neo, with a paltry 8GB of RAM and a choice of 256/512GB storage, will start at R12,000 when it arrives in SA on 11 March. That’s for the 256GB variant, of course. Even doubling…

It’s long been theorised that WhatsApp would introduce a subscription plan. With the insertion of ads being a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, we assumed that a monthly fee would ride in like a knight in shining armour. That doesn’t appear to be the case for WhatsApp ‘Plus’, according to WABetaInfo. The service, currently under development for both Android and iOS, is more about customising the app, rather than ridding it of ads. Judging by Meta’s ‘no ads’ subscription for Instagram users in Europe, we imagine the Facebook company could entertain a similar idea for WhatsApp. As it stands,…

If you thought the 60c/l hike that befell diesel motorists in March was bad, then April is set to be truly catastrophic. After spending these last few years gradually chipping away at the excessively high fuel prices, all that work is about to be undone. The Central Energy Fund (CEF) predicts a major R3+ hike for diesel prices. That, if the CEF’s figures come to pass, would see diesel prices rise from the R18.50/l it currently costs to R22.29/l. We wish we could say that petrol drivers would escape unscathed, but that isn’t the case. The CEF’s latest fuel price…

The folks lucky enough to attend this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) may have seen Vivo’s upcoming X300 Ultra flagship making quite the splash. That’s got nothing to do with the device’s chipset or battery — which the company has yet to unveil — but rather the X300 Ultra’s stunning camera. Like you were here for anything else. How ultra is Ultra? The company also confirmed that it would be the first ‘Ultra’ in the X family to see a global launch, expected “later this year”. Even so, until we hear the words coming out of Vivo SA’s mouth, we’d…

The latest MacBook Neo, as Apple calls it, isn’t like other MacBooks. For starters, it ditches the M-based chipset that typically lives inside Apple’s laptops and swaps it out for one you’d usually find in an iPhone. We’re not talking about the iPhone 17 Pro, or even the base iPhone 17. We’re talking about the iPhone 16 (Pro, to be fair). That’s how Apple hopes to get its low-cost MacBook ambitions off the ground. Sticking a 2024 chipset inside a MacBook chassis, pairing it up with only 8GB of RAM, and calling it a day. We can’t blame ’em. Apple’s…

When Canal+ took over Multichoice and began implementing all manner of good ideas, we thought it was too good to be true. Turns out we were right after Variety reported that Showmax, South Africa’s homegrown streamer, is officially heading for the bin. Right after Die Kantoor got its start is a little harsh, if you ask us. Canal+ pulls the plug on Showmax It makes sense from a business standpoint, particularly if Showmax has consistently been a “loss-making and money-guzzling” service, as Variety calls it. The loss of much of its HBO content was certainly a blow for the streamer, and possibly one that was…

For every cool fire-starting smartphone or ultra-thin tablet shown off at MWC this year, there come at least five AI-heavy announcements sure to make you groan. HMD, makers of Nokia phones (remember those?), has taken the AI route this year, revealing that several modern features, like AI, are coming to its ‘dumb phone’ line-up. You know, the devices you buy to escape the onslaught of AI and social media prevalent on smartphones today. “At the heart of this announcement is HMD’s ambition to bring essential digital services to those who remain under-connected, while also delivering thoughtful innovation for mature markets, including…

Usually, we only recommend signing up for Audible if you can snag yourself a deal like this one from January. But after Amazon’s audiobook empire announced a new ‘Standard’ plan yesterday, we’re changing our tune. Currently rolling out to subscribers in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France, the plan is also available to any Saffas looking to get in on a good deal. They’ll just have to deal with the volatile Rand as they venture forth. The plan has, apparently, performed well in Audible’s initial test in the UK and Australia, prompting the company to roll it out everywhere.…

It’s been a busy week for Apple thus far, and it just got a little busier. Yesterday, the Fruit Company debuted a spate of new MacBooks, led by the MacBook Pro. There are technically two of those — each one repping one of the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chipsets, also dropped yesterday. Getting your hands on those won’t be easy, at least at first, seeing as they’re tied to the new hardware for the foreseeable future. And it won’t be cheap. When is it? The announcements didn’t end there. The Fruit Company also tried to slip the new…

A rugged smartphone may just be your dad’s favourite method of communication, but after you get a look at Oukitel’s new WP63 phone, which was just announced at MWC, it may become yours. The WP63 includes all the usual rugged smartphone tropes — a bulky upper body, gargantuan battery, and dodgy screen specs. But the bit that might interest newbies to the field is the built-in electric igniter that literally starts fires on the go. Anyone got a light? Mileage may vary, obviously. Smokers and campers (smoking campers are going to love this) will likely find the most uses that…