Lots has happened this past week in the tech world! With Meta partnering with Hollywood’s Blumhouse productions, Apple announcing a new iPad Mini, and more, there’s much to catch up on. So, let’s get started!
Meta Partners With Blumhouse Productions
Meta, the tech owner of Facebook, announced on Thursday a collaboration with Blumhouse Productions, the Hollywood studio known for hit horror films like “The Purge” and “Get Out,” to test its new generative AI video model, Movie Gen. This partnership follows Meta’s recent unveiling of Movie Gen, a tool designed to generate realistic video and audio clips based on user prompts. Meta claims that Movie Gen has the potential to compete with top media generation platforms like OpenAI and ElevenLabs.
Apple Announces New iPad Mini
Apple introduced a new iPad mini on Tuesday, marking the first update to its smallest tech tablet since 2021. The latest iPad mini is powered by the faster A17 Pro processor, the same chip featured in last year’s iPhone 15 Pro. With this upgrade, the device now supports Apple Intelligence, the company’s new suite of artificial intelligence features, which will gradually be available to users starting this month.
Uber Discusses Bid With Expedia
Uber has explored a potential bid for travel booking company Expedia in a move that could expand the ride-hailing giant into markets beyond transportation and food delivery. According to a source familiar with the matter, the discussions are still in the early stages and remain confidential, with no certainty that an acquisition will occur. Expedia is a familiar tech company for Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who led the travel group as CEO from 2005 to 2017 and continues to serve as a non-executive board member.
Amazon Announces New Kindle E-Reader
On Wednesday, Amazon unveiled its first Kindle e-reader with a color display. Since its introduction in 2007, every Kindle model has featured a black-and-white screen—until now. The new Kindle, named Kindle Colorsoft, is designed to display vibrant colors without appearing washed out or pixelated, even when users zoom in on images. Priced at $279, the Kindle Colorsoft offers “weeks of battery life,” according to Amazon. It is available for preorder and will begin shipping on October 30.
Xpeng Committed to Europe EV Growth
Xpeng, the Chinese electric vehicle tech manufacturer, remains committed to its long-term plans for Europe, despite the challenges posed by the European Union’s tariffs, according to a senior company official. “Our plan for Europe is a very long-term one,” said Brian Gu, Xpeng’s vice chairman and co-president, in an interview with CNBC’s Charlotte Reed on Monday at the Paris Motor Show. Gu acknowledged that the EU’s recent decision to impose higher tariffs on Chinese EV imports has placed “a lot of pressure” on Xpeng’s business model.
