Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to launch a new iPad Mini model this year with an OLED screen “by the middle of October”.
Apple has already upgraded the iPad Pro to an OLED screen in May 2024. However, the iPad Air and the entry-level iPad still have LCD screens. OLED would allow the iPad Mini to have a better image thanks to its richer colors, higher contrast ratio and true blacks.
OLED screens are more expensive in general than LCDs. Therefore, the price of the new iPad Mini could be higher compared to its current version.
Gurman didn’t provide any additional details today about the new iPad mini, but earlier he reported the device would get a different type of speaker and improved water resistance. Rumors also suggest that the next iPad mini will be powered by an A19 Pro, A20 or A20 chip. This is a step up from the A17 Pro in the current version.
Apple Intelligence will be enabled by the A17 Pro processor in this model, which was launched on October 20, 2024.
iPad Mini Related News
Tag: Mark Gurman
Don’t buy the iPad mini!

David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison and founder of Paramount Skydance Films, has only been in charge of the company for a little over a month. He has been trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery has been around for almost as long.
His latest obstacle, which is a group state attorneys general who are trying to block the deal, could be his most difficult yet. Antitrust issues and the resulting delay has left the CEO searching for ways to close the deal.
Delays in Paramount’s purchase of WBD may add significant costs to the proposed $110 billion price, at a moment when the media landscape is under immense pressure.
According to someone familiar with Ellison’s thinking who requested anonymity to be candid, Ellison is now more confident than ever that his deal will not only make sense but also get done.
Jeffrey Kessler, Paramount’s chief trial lawyer on CNBC said in July that the company “believes strongly” in the case. He added the company would be prepared to take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court.
Ellison is making no progress with California Attorney-General Rob Bonta who leads the state’s case in court. Both parties have stated that they want to settle their differences outside the courtroom.
Tom Rogers is a veteran media executive who is currently advising Versant Media Group as well as the Executive Chairman of Fountain 0, a film and television production company that produces AI films and shows.
Paramount’s spokesperson refused to provide comment on this article.
Watch Now
Final threat
Ellison began his pursuit of WBD last September, with three uninvited bids. The company includes the storied film studio and a portfolio pay-TV networks, as well as the HBO Max streaming service.
Ellison’s interest prompted a formal process of sale that overruled a WBD plan to divide in half. Warner Bros. Discovery declared Netflix as the winner of the bid war, and Ellison threatened to pay a premium for WBD shares.
Paramount and Netflix entered an agreement in February to purchase the entire WBD. All global regulators have approved the deal, including Antitrust Division of U.S. Department of Justice.
Bonta, along with the 11 other states that are suing each other, is the last threat to Ellison’s much-desired acquisition.
Bonta said that his goal is to pick up where the Trump administration falls short in terms of regulation. Bonta has claimed that Trump was “involved inappropriately” in mergers.
The ties between the Ellisons and Trump are also a source of criticism. Larry Ellison has been a supporter of Trump for a very long time, and the President publicly stated that he would like Warner Bros. Discovery’s CNN will be in Paramount hands.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, when speculation started in spring about a possible merger challenge by a number of states, focusing on the two major segments: the extensive portfolios they had of pay-TV networks and their powerhouse studios – Ellison’s Paramount began immediately to reach out to Bonta’s office. The person said that by mid-May, the company sent Bonta a list with potential concessions.
After a preliminary order granted by a California district court that halted all activity on the deal during the 14-day period, Paramount announced it would be willing to delay the transaction and go to trial in its fight for the merger.
Two people with knowledge of the situation say that the trial was held in March, which is later than the company’s executives had expected.
Paramount launched an offensive in the weeks that followed.
Paramount Playbook
Ellison published an op-ed in the New York Times shortly after mid-July’s lawsuit. This piece was followed by others written by industry leaders who argued both in favor and against the merger. The debate went beyond the legal documents.
Ellison also tried to gain Hollywood exhibitors by offering contracts that guaranteed a combined Paramount and WBD would release at least 30 films per year, with a 45-day window for theatrical releases, over a three-year period.
In response to Bonta’s challenge, there were reports that Paramount considered moving its studio and HQ outside of California. CNBC was told by a person familiar with the situation that relocating to Tennessee is on the table.
Bonta’s description of the relocation threat as “blackmail” was a major backfire.
In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, California AG stated that, while he was willing to talk outside the courtroom about a possible settlement, it would need “robust structural remedy.”
According to the spokesperson for Bonta, a meeting took place at his office on Monday. Bonta’s office stated that a meeting had been scheduled for Monday but media reports about the meeting, and the possible outcome, such as the divestiture of some pay-TV networks, led him to cancel the discussion.
A Bonta representative claimed on Monday that Paramount had been behind the “leaking” of discussions between the two parties, saying they were misrepresented and showed a “lack in good faith.”
Bonta stated, “My office will be happy to see Paramount again as soon as they stop playing games and start engaging sincerely.”
Paramount denied the claim of being the source later on Monday.
The company stated that it was “still hopeful” and ready to engage in good-faith discussions with the Attorneys General to settle the suit. It also said they were moving forward on their plans to increase competition and output for the entertainment and talent workers.
Negotiating at the table
The contents of Paramount’s concessions, as they were sent to Bonta’s office in May, remain unknown. However, it appears that the list is in stark contrast with what Bonta has raised concerns about.
“[Paramount] was interested in talking about anything but the case. The streaming market is what they want to discuss, but we have not made any allegations in our complaint. The complaint does not focus on CNN. They would like to discuss it. They are interested in talking about foreign regulators. Bonta stated in an interview last week with David Faber that he wanted to discuss the three markets we listed in our complaint where he believed there was antitrust violations.
Paramount declined to comment on what remedies they may have set up, except for the promises it made to the movie industry.
Kessler, a Paramount lawyer, said in a CNBC interview from July that the company was willing to commit to 30 movies per year. This validated an earlier promise by Ellison, which some deemed unrealistic, given Hollywood’s track record.
Kessler stated that if Paramount failed to meet this promise, they would be liable in court. This commitment was the basis for Paramount’s offer to contract with Hollywood exhibitors. According to a person familiar, one company accepted the offer.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the AGs of each state are seeking to divest some pay-TV networks from the merger. Paramount’s merger with WBD will create the largest portfolio of pay TV networks available in the market. The states claim that this scale, no matter how the business is doing, gives them a lot of power.
Bonta, speaking on CNBC the week before last, said that it was irrelevant whether or not there is a shrinking market. He added that a combination of Paramount and WBD would result in a “presumedly illegal market concentration” for film and television.
Ellison has pushed for a merger because of the challenges facing the industry, especially for the two companies. It may even be more convincing than Bonta admits.
More Together
Insiders, industry analysts and experts have repeatedly questioned the claims of the state that a merger between TV networks could lead to antitrust concerns.
The merger creates a bigger competitor but that does not prove market share. Bernstein analysts stated in a note that neither company had the size necessary to effectively compete against global streaming platforms or well-funded tech companies.
Recent earnings reports from media companies, including WBD and Paramount, have once again highlighted the continuing losses in pay-TV advertising and distribution revenues.
Paramount has chosen scale as its remedy.
The portfolios of both companies include dozens of television networks. Paramount owns channels such as Nickelodeon and MTV, while WBD has channels including TNT, CNN and TBS. Paramount owns CBS, a broadcasting network.
The economics of Pay-TV is dictated more by the consumer’s behavior than any consolidation. “The merger might change the size of one participant but does not alter the trajectory of the industry,” Bernstein analysts stated.
Paramount’s streaming portfolio and film offerings are similar.
Ellison said that after the completion of this merger, Paramount+ will become one single service. The combined company would include two of the biggest film studios. Yet neither of the companies dominates in any category.
The states claim that the combined firm would have a 27% share of US cinema releases, and 30 % of blockbuster distribution. These figures may be significant, but fall far short of creating a dominant position in the market. The Bernstein analysts noted that “theatrical market share depends on the annual slate of content.”
Profits from Pay-TV
The company’s executives believe that the decline in pay-TV is starting to slow down.
In a recent Paramount interview, Andy Gordon, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer, said that the rate of subscriber decline is beginning to slow down. We’re still not there, but we are on our way to seeing a steady increase in subscribers. I’d say we will see somewhere in the middle 30 million mark in this country.
A recent report by S&P Global Ratings noted that, while cord-cutting rates have improved in the U.S. it does not see any improvement in leverage over the next two years. This means media companies will no longer be able to exert as much influence in discussions about distribution with pay TV operators.
These channels, even though they have lost subscribers, are profitable. They can be used to finance other aspects of the media business, like building streaming services, or paying off heavy debt.
Warner Bros. merged with Discovery in 2022. Since then, it has aggressively paid off the debts that were a result of that merger.
The combined debt of the company if Paramount were to acquire WBD would be nearly 80 billion dollars.
Paramount would incur more expenses if the delay went beyond September 30. The company will be responsible for the “ticking fees” due by WBD shareholders. Paramount wants the court to order the states suing to pay a $1.88billion bond to cover fees and expenses associated with this delay.
Sarah Whitten, a CNBC reporter, contributed to the report.

The tracking and ads have made TVs a privacy nightmare. These two issues are so common in smart TVs, that I wrote a guide to help you avoid them. In that guide, one of the recommendations is to use computer monitors. In recent years monitors are more capable than ever of tracking and pushing advertisements.
Monitors will become smart TV-like if vendors don’t take more direct approaches, like defining privacy policies that are easy to understand and avoid inappropriate advertising.
McAfee advertisements on LG monitors
LG has lost trust in the wake of a report that claimed some monitors were installing McAfee ads on computers connected to them. Some of these displays have installed the LG Monitor App installer on connected computers since at least 2024. This app was installed under Windows Update driver updates.
A LG representative told me the purpose of LG Monitor app Installer was to make “related software available for customers to access monitor-specific functionality and features.” However, in practice it had pushed ads on connected PCs.
The ads may be of interest to LG monitor users. It has been reported that the app shows users ads from LG for software like LG Switch or LG Dual Controller. Just because an application is relevant does not mean that a monitor will force it on a device connected to the screen.
Microsoft forced LG to take down the McAfee advertisements. However, the clandestine way in which LG monitors installed ad-pushing on third-party products is still very concerning.
The LG Monitor App Installer page in the Microsoft Store states that the app “can use all system resources,” and can “access your Internet connectivity.” As the outcry over the app reached its peak last month, LG’s privacy policy raised concerns about LG using the app to gather data and then share it with marketers. The Microsoft Store page for the app currently has a brief privacy statement that states that “the app and the monitor apps distributed through it” do not store, collect or share any personal information. This notice will be amended if future versions include features that require the processing of personally identifiable information.
The LG spokesperson confirms that this app does not “collect personal data from customer’s devices”. Its function, according to the LG spokesperson, is “to identify compatible monitors and show applications that are supported by these models.”
As a skeptic I am still worried that LG will eventually use the monitors it has already purchased to show more advertisements, just as they have already proven, or track users’ activities.
Smart Monitors
Smart monitors: they’re a bigger concern than the LG fiasco.
Smart monitors are connected to the Internet, and they run their own OS and applications. These monitors can perform tasks like videoconferencing, streaming a TV show, and managing your smart house without a computer.
LG and Samsung smart monitors are using the same OS for displaying ads as their smart TVs, which means they can use automatic content detection (ACR). The displays can track the activity of users, according to LG and Samsung’s smart monitors. This is confirmed by RTINGs as well as other review sites. If I receive any answers, I will update the article.
You have to be aware that a smart screen can not only track what you do, but it also tracks what third party app developers (such Netflix or Google) as well as the operating system provider (such Android for Android powered smart monitors). It’s hard to read through all the policy texts to figure out what your smart monitor tracks and how it may use that information.
The privacy policies of LG, Samsung and Acer, (Acer makes both smart monitors), all mention that they may share the data collected by their devices with advertisers.
Smart monitors are not just for tracking and ads. They’re also in demand by people who have limited space, or those looking for simple, shareable solutions.
Before the advertising industry began to flood them with advertisements, smart TVs had another purpose that was logical and consumer friendly.
Making sure monitors don’t become like smart TVs
As with TVs, ads and operating systems could help to drive the price down of monitors in the future. However, I would prefer to see monitor makers focus on bringing new audio or display technologies, as well as other features.
Vendors should not use driver updates as a way to install unwanted applications or advertisements on any device.
The companies that make smart monitors should also be forthcoming with information about tracking, since they are a relatively new product. Most smart monitors let users disable tracking. It would be nice if these options and settings were presented to users during the setup process instead of having them dig through menus. Apple TV, for example, makes it simple to learn about privacy settings and disable them right after plugging it in. LG monitors could be configured to install unwanted apps during the setup process.
Monitors that are available in the same way as they do now should be widely accessible. It would be absurd if one day dumb monitors became as scarce as dumb televisions.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta pulled out abruptly of the planned Monday mediation session to try to find a solution to Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Bonta accused Paramount in a written statement of misrepresenting and leaking information that the two parties had exchanged during Friday’s preliminary meeting. Paramount, he said, was “playing a game.”
Late last week, representatives of Bonta Skydance and Paramount Skydance met to establish ground rules for the meeting on Monday. The Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison was expected to attend.
The confidentiality of the mediation process was one of the rules. Over the weekend there were a number of stories that contained details about the summit.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday that Bonta had prepared to make a deal with Paramount for the dropping of his lawsuit. The terms included asking that the company sell certain basic cable television channels, as the merged entity will control over 50 channels, including CNN.com, Comedy Central. Cartoon Network.HGTV.com and MTV.
Bonta was also going to demand that Warner Bros. separate itself from Paramount Pictures, which is a no-go for Ellison who wants to build a Hollywood Super Studio.
Bonta stated on Monday that Paramount had not only leaked the substance of settlement talks, but also misrepresented them, showing a lack in good faith. “I’ve pulled this meeting down.”
Paramount has declined to make a comment.
Bonta’s fight has gotten worse since Ellison threatened that he would pull Paramount, a landmark on Melrose Avenue, out of California. Tennessee is wooing Paramount and Ellison’s father Larry Ellison moved Oracle, his software giant, to Nashville in 2012.
Governor. Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, Los Angeles’ mayor, as well as Xavier Becerra (the Democratic Party nominee for governor) have asked Bonta not to go to court next spring, but to resolve the case.
Bonta faced criticism on Monday for failing to shield Hollywood’s Jewish leadership from antisemitism.
Bonta did not completely shut the door to mediation that had been ordered by a judge in the Antitrust Case.
He said, “My office will be happy to see you again as soon Paramount ceases playing games and starts engaging sincerely.”
After Paramount accused actor Mark Ruffalo, a leading deal critic, of using “antisemitic stereotypes” in his efforts to sabotage the deal that would reshape the film industry on Friday.
Leading Jewish groups, such as the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Anti-Defamation League defended Paramount, and criticized the Emmy-winning Hulk actor for his outspoken politics and being a political progressive.
Ruffalo recirculating a video clip from two years ago of Safra Catz. Oracle’s ex-chief executive, and current Paramount Board member. She said that she could not discuss Oracle’s relationship with Israel’s army, but she did say, “we’ve got some terrifying technology here at Oracle, and we want to ensure it’s available to Israel” after Oct. 7, 20,23 terror attacks from Hamas.
Ruffalo described in his blog post the Gaza war as “genocide”, which “was built upon an Apartheid-style system of oppression, powered by Oracle.”
Paramount stated: “Words such as ‘genocide,’ or ‘apartheid’, applied to corporate transactions, aren’t just incorrect — they’re also a bridge that’s too far.”
Mark Goldfeder of the National Jewish Advocacy Center slammed Bonta Sunday, claiming that the top California law enforcement official had done Ruffalo’s bidding in filing an antitrust suit against Paramount and Warner Bros.
Your friend @MarkRuffalo spoke the silent part loudly. Goldfeder said in a message directed to Bonta that his campaign against the Jewish Ellisons was about Israel, “genocide,” and “apartheid.”
Goldfeder then asked Bonta, “Didn’t you also hear that before you filed?” The reference was to the message of the State Attorney General, who, at the time, had responded to Ruffalo’s disappointment after Paramount beat Netflix in the bid war to win Warner Bros.
Bonta said in that post from nearly six months ago: “Mark I hear you. In a conversation with my AG co-workers, I bring up the issue of Paramount/Warner Bros. California is the epicenter for the entertainment industry and has an interest in protecting the competition.
Bonta, along with 11 other attorneys general from states in the United States, sued Ellison for allegedly violating antitrust laws.
Some Jewish leaders had questioned Bonta on Monday about his commitment to combating antisemitism – or protecting Hollywood’s Jewish leaders including the Ellisons.
In a press release, Rabbi Noah Farkas said that Attorney General Bonta had told Mark Ruffalo he heard him, and added California’s’special interest’ in protecting the competition because it is the epicenter for the entertainment industry.
We agree with California’s special duty to protect Hollywood from any anticompetitive behavior, but we also believe that it has an obligation to do so. Farkas added that the state must protect those who are driving this industry against antisemitism, racism and other forms of hatred.
Bonta, he said, “has a mixed record with Jewish Californians.”
Farkas stated that “in some crucial moments, he failed to speak up with the urgency and clarity our community deserved.” It is important for Bonta to clarify the meaning of ‘Mark I hear you.’ Listening to legitimate concerns about antitrust does not mean ignoring rhetoric that uses old tropes such as Jewish wealth, control of the media and sinister powers.”
Ruffalo has defended himself at the weekend.
Ruffalo said on X that the accusation of being antisemitic was “appalling” and “fundamentally dishonest.” Criticizing an Israeli Prime Minister, a contract for military technology, or executives that supply the contract is not the equivalent of criticizing Jewish people.
Uncertain is the date of the rescheduled mediation session between Ellison and the attorneys general from the various states. Judge in this case scheduled an hearing for late September.
Bonta stated in a statement that he prefers to settle disputes outside of courtrooms, in boardrooms. As I have said before, if the other party wants to come to a meeting in good faith and make an honest effort to settle the case, then we will meet.

Nvidia has announced that the Groq 3 rack, the largest technology acquisition in the history of the company, is now fully produced.
Dion Harris, Nvidia’s senior director, told reporters that the Groq rack would be used alongside Vera central processing units and Rubin graphic processors in neocloud Nebius and it will go online this year.
Nvidia’s rush to produce Groq’s chip, and to make it available for customers, highlights the importance of low latency inference. This is needed for artificial intelligence agents to feel responsive to users without long delays. Nvidia claims that cloud companies could charge more money for tokens of this type.
Harris explained that “for folks serving tokens it opens the door to premium service tiers for users and customers who demand service agreements with the highest latency” levels.
Nvidia’s biggest purchase was a $20 billion acquisition of assets by Groq, a chip company, in December.
Groq’s architecture features 500 Megabytes of SRAM, which is a fast memory on the die. This reduces bottlenecks in memory. Samsung manufactures Groq chips, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. produces Nvidia GPUs.
Nvidia packs 256 Groq 3 individual chips into its LPX Racks. Nvidia’s Groq 3 rack is capable of delivering 3,400 tokens every second. It cites a benchmark by Artificial Analysis.
This is a highly competitive market. Advanced Micro Devices, a smaller GPU manufacturer, announced in January that it was integrating its rack-scale system with Cerebras chips, recently made public. The focus of the integration is low-latency, or “inference” inference. OpenAI’s recently announced Ultrafast Mode promises to process 750 tokens every second and is “powered by Cerebras.”
Low-latency processors don’t substitute the GPU. The GPU is the mainstay of AI, capable of both training and inference, and flexible enough to adjust to new models and technologies. Low-latency processors like Groq focus primarily on the decoding phase of models.
Harris explained that this is not about replacing GPUs. It’s all about choosing the best processor at the right price for the job.
Nvidia has begun shipping its Vera Rubin system, which was first produced earlier this year. Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang predicted $1 trillion of cumulative sales for the Blackwell chip generation and new Vera Rubin system between March and 2027.
Huang stated at that time he was going to allocate one quarter of the datacenter space for Groq chip coding.
Huang stated that the rest of his datacenter was 100% Vera Rubin.
Nvidia will report its earnings this Wednesday.