This Week at Mark Ellis Reviews

👋 Hello all, it’s great to have you with me again this Friday! I’ve been thinking long and hard about the future of the iPad recently. Not any specific model, but just the iPad in general and the potential of waning interest. Will people still be buying it in 2035? That’s what I’m discussing in this week’s Tech Diary video and I’d appreciate your thoughts! Elsewhere, I’ve been comparing two very expensive TVs and debating which keyboard is best for the iPad.

Just a quick reminder to enter our giveaway! You could win a MacBook Air, iPad or AirPods Max and there are only a few weeks left. Right, on with the newsletter!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The problem with the iPad (on YouTube)

This week, I found myself struggling to settle on a topic for my The Tech Diary YouTube channel. I lie, actually - I had an idea, but I wasn’t sure if it was something people would be particularly interested in. Worse, I thought I’d covered it multiple times before.

So, I asked the team what they thought I should talk about. And they suggested the exact thing that was on my mind - which proves that it’s always worth double-checking before you consign your ideas to the bin.

I’m glad they did, because what ensued was a rather deep and meaningful (hopefully) monologue during an aimless drive around my home town of Leamington. The subject was the iPad and the rise of the finally-usable foldable smartphone (at the moment, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7). More specifically, my concern is that as popular as the iPad undoubtedly still is from a consumer standpoint, interest appears to be waning in tech content land.

It feels like we’ve all made more than enough videos about the iPad, and that viewer interest is slowing. Certainly, the iPad videos we’ve published this year haven’t performed as strongly as they have in the past; the lion’s share of the audience appears to be heading the way of the Z Fold7. This doesn’t mean that the iPad is doomed, but it does mean that I need a helping hand from you lovely lot in terms of where we go from here. Please give this week's Tech Diary a watch and get involved in the comments!

BYTE-SIZED NEWS

This Week’s Top Tech Headlines

🪟 Windows 10 Support Is Ending: This Is Why You Should Switch to the Mac
Look, I know I’m not impartial on this matter, but it’s never been a better time…

💰 Apple May Acquire AI Startup to Fix Siri Faster
Tim Cook is making it clear that Apple desperately needs help with Apple Intelligence.

HAVE YOUR SAY

You’ve seen my opinions on the iPad, now it’s time to hear yours! Where do you think iPads and tablets in general are heading? Is there a future for the form factor, or are they going to become irrelevant at some point? I’m thinking about their place in the market here. Is there room for a device like a tablet when laptops are getting lighter and foldables better?

ICYMI

The BEST iPad keyboard for iPadOS 26? Magic Keyboard vs Logitech Showdown!

I caused quite the stir a few weeks ago when I said just how much I liked the Logitech Flip Folio. Half of my audience thought it looked rubbish because it has no trackpad, and the other half thought it was a brilliant idea. So I thought it would be a good idea to do a straight comparison and see if I’m missing something.

In this video, I compare Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad (which I also really like) with Logitech’s offerings: the Flip Folio and the more common Combo Touch. The main difference between these options is price, so is the Magic Keyboard worth it?

OLED Battle! LG C5 vs Panasonic Z95B (no jargon review!)

The world of TVs is awash with a load of very complicated and, to most people, frankly meaningless specs. Colour gamuts, four-layer structures and adaptive HDR are all gibberish terms unless you’re really into TVs. If you know my content, then you’ll know I also don’t really care about the nitty-gritty details.

When you buy a TV, you want to know the resolution, if the colours are vibrant, if the blacks are dark enough, and if it has a high enough refresh rate for gaming. I did just that with two of the best TVs you can buy to see which came out on top. Check it out and see which is your pick!

TIP OF THE WEEK

iOS Tip 👉 Ending a call abruptly by hanging up may come across as rude, even if you're tempted to do so. However, turning on Airplane mode during a call will disconnect it as if the signal was lost, making it seem unintentional and sparing you from taking the blame.

TOP FINDS

What I Watched On YouTube This Week

🎁 I Surprised My Brother With His DREAM Car (Mrwhosetheboss) - I met Arun recently, and he seemed like a nice bloke. This  is a rather nice story, too.

🫠 Nothing CEO reacts to Headphone (1) reviews (Nothing) - I didn’t make the cut (AGAIN!), but I do like these reaction videos from Nothing (and my industry pal, ASBYT, does make an appearance).

🙌 The Truth About Galaxy Z Fold 7 Nobody Tells You (Lover Of Tech) - shot in 8K. Ben doesn’t do things by halves.

ELSEWHERE

How Rob accidentally bought a Samsung Z Fold7

Last week, we relaunched our tech podcast ‘Not PC with Mark and Rob’. This was by far my favourite clip from the episode where we discussed topics ranging from the recent Samsung releases to the ‘new’ Commodore 64. Here Rob tells us how he accidentally (no, really) bought a Z Fold7 for less than $1000/£1000. Have a listen, it’s a good laugh!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter, and I’ll see you next Friday. Make sure to enter the giveaway whilst you still can!

~ Mark