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Digital Trends Live: Voting by app, the new Razr, iPad anniversary, and more

On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Adrien Warner discuss the biggest-trending topics in tech, including voting by app, what to expect from the new Razr, a possible curved-glass iMac, the 10-year anniversary of the iPad, the latest on tracking the coronavirus, and more.

We then go live to Miami to talk about the upcoming Super Bowl with Caleb Denison and Riley Winn, who will be covering the big game live all week and providing behind-the-scenes coverage.

Drew Prindle, DT senior editor, stops by to talk about awesome tech you can’t buy yet. This week, we take a look at a new Moen shower head, turning a regular screen into a touchscreen using LiDAR, and a blackhead vacuum.

Shama Hyder

Shama Hyder, chief marketing officer for OneDine, talks about the changes technology is bringing to the restaurant industry, and how they are creating a seamless experience for both diners and restaurant workers.

Isaac Lee Morris

Nibler then speaks with Isaac Lee Morris, founder and chief executive officer of Threadbare and chief product officer of Thesis, about how fashion is looking to technology to improve sustainability.

Kashmir Hill

Finally, we are joined by Kashmir Hill, reporter for the New York Times, who discusses a company called Clearview AI, facial-recognition tech that has the ability to take any photograph and use machine learning to pair it to public social media content.

Todd Werkhoven
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Todd Werkhoven's work can be read at numerous publications and he co-authored a personal finance book called "Zombie…
Future Macs will borrow this awesome tech from the iPad Pro
Apple iPad Pro M1

Apple’s Spring Loaded event revealed a new iPad Pro with a mini-LED screen that Apple has dubbed the “Liquid Retina XDR” display. Packed with more than 10,000 LEDs, it could be a massive improvement over the previous iPad Pro. But it looks like Apple is not stopping there -- according to industry analyst TrendForce, Apple is going to bring the same tech to the MacBook later this year.

Specifically, TrendForce believes both the 14-inch MacBook Pro and its 16-inch sibling will be outfitted with this tech. That backs up earlier reports from DigiTimes and reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who have both claimed Apple has mini-LED MacBooks in its pipeline.

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Apple’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro has mini-LED backlighting. Here’s what that means
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) vs. iPad Pro 11 (2021)

Apple's latest and greatest iPad Pro is getting a feature that's only recently made its way into televisions and is already transforming that industry. Along with a new iMac, Apple TV 4K, and Air Tags announced at the Apple Spring Loaded event on April 20, 2021, the company debuted a new 12.9-inch version of its iPad Pro which comes with a new Liquid Retina XDR display powered by mini-LED technology. Here's what that means and how it will improve the iPad experience.

Backlight Basics
To better understand mini-LED backlighting tech, it helps to know how LCD-based screens like those used in phones and tablets have historically worked. Unlike OLED screens which have individual pixels that generate their own light (called an emissive display), LCD screens need a light source.

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Apple’s new iPad Pros boast MacBook-level M1 chip, XDR display, and 5G
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) vs. iPad Pro 11 (2021)

After months of rumors, Apple has taken the wraps off of a new iPad Pro at the Apple Spring Loaded 2021 event. The new iPad Pro models keep the overall design of previous-generation models, however, they get improved performance thanks to the inclusion of the same M1 chip that's found in Apple's recent Mac models.

The boost in performance means that the iPad Pro is even more suitable for things like video editing and audio production, at least for on-the-go workflows.
Liquid Retina XDR display
As rumored, the iPad Pro not only offers improved performance but also includes a radically improved display. The new display uses Mini LED technology, which means that it should be able to deliver much deeper black levels. It also offers 1,600-nit peak brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Apple calls the package as a whole the Liquid Retina XDR display. Unfortunately, it seems as though this tech is only available on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro -- not on the smaller 11-inch device. It's unclear if the 11-inch device gets any of the improvements on offer, or if it keeps the same display as the previous-generation iPad Pro.

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