MacworldIn an ideal world, at least as far as Apple is concerned, wed all be using Apple Intelligence all the time. Cupertino came late to the AI party and urgently needs to catch up on both training data and mindshare. AI is in that mad reckless gold-rush phase right now and the big tech companies are all desperate to stake their claims before its too late and ChatGPT becomes a verb synonymous with AI searching.AI is such a priority for Apple that its affecting everything else it does. When it launched the iPhone 16e last month, the waiting world was shocked by the price tag: a resolutely mid-market $599, while the iPhone SE it replaced cost $429. (You can argue that it actually replaced the iPhone 14, but either way, the SE is gone and the range now starts at that higher point.) The 16e costs as much as it does because of the high-end processor Apple was determined to include so it can run Apple Intelligence. In other words, Apple abandoned the massive budget phone market for at least a year purely so it could get more people on its AI platform.Last week it was the cheapest iPads turn to be phased out, and I was worried that it would get the same AI-first treatment as the iPhone 16e. After all, Apple cant have people using iPads that arent powerful enough to run Apple Intelligence, can it? Better shove in a ludicrously overpowered A18 chip and crank up the price. (Yes, I will admit that I was getting mad in advance about something that hadnt even happened yet.)In the end, that didnt happen. Rather than making the ruinously expensive leap from the A14 to an A18, the new iPad hopped more cautiously from an A14 to the A16 from 2022. Surprisinglyno, shockinglythe 11th-gen iPad does not support Apple Intelligence, and equally surprisingly it still costs a very reasonable $349.This might not be what we expected, but I think its absolutely the right decision. Tablets arent like smartphones. Theyre bought for different purposes, with far less emphasis on specs and features and far more on looks, physical dimensions, battery life, and above all, price. in fact, when this iPad launched in 2022, it was poorly received due to its $449 price tag. After a $100 price cut last year, it became the consensus pick for basically anyone needing a new tablet.Beyond the small niche market for the high-end iPad Pro, the vast majority of iPads are going to be used for convenient, portable, instant-booting access to light computing tasks like email and surfing the web. If Apple pushed up the iPad range by $100 again and started marketing it on the basis of high processing speeds and AI, it might as well wave a white flag and hand the biggest market to er Samsung? I guess?Im sure its a source of frustration for Apple that a bunch of customers are going to buy A16 iPads and miss out on Apple Intelligence (though presumably quite a lot of them can use it on their iPhones or Macs). As iPad buyers tend to upgrade quite rarely, it might be four or five years before this generation of iPads gets replaced. But its worth bearing in mind that Apple Intelligence isnt actually that great just yet and might not be for a while.Ive been using it a lot while reviewing the iPhone 16e and at this stage, its more of a proof of concept than a useful set of tools. Every single feature I tested did at least one cool thing (such as identifying a Bichon) and at least one stupid thing (such as removing a car from a photo and leaving behind its shadow), and the interfaces are some of the least intuitive Ive ever used from Apple. If its not obvious that Apple Intelligence was rushed out the door before being properly polished, consider the news that dropped on Friday: Apple has officially delayed the anticipated next-gen Siri that was already delayed to iOS 18.5. Now it looks like it will launch with iOS 19, possibly even in 2026. So, its probably not the end of the world that this years budget iPad buyers dont get a flawed AI system shoved in their faces. And its certainly preferable to a price hike.Apple is trying, understandably and sensibly, to think about the future: skating to where the puck is going to be and all that. People wont buy iPhones forever, so a big priority is working out what comes next and making sure Apple is part of whatever that is. But you have to strike a balance between the future and the present, and its better to sell tablets that dont run Apple Intelligence than a tablet no one wants to buy.FoundryWelcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but its cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.Have your sayWe got too many emails to print following last weeks discussion of the iPhone 16e not supporting MagSafe. So Ill confine myself to summarizing a useful point made by multiple readers: that MagSafe may be a source of concern for those with a pacemaker or related medical device.Back in 2021 the American Heart Association said the technology posed a clinically identifiable risk to cardiac devices, and Apple itself was moved to issue a warning. The degree of risk is disputed, and Apple now says most consumer electronics, from laptops to wearables, contain components which could interfere with medical devices. But with the stakes so high, its probably best to play it safe.Thanks to those who raised this important point.Theres something in the airLike the week of Mac announcements at the end of October 2024, last week was dedicated to air-themed reveals. No actual event, just a series of press releases and new products appearing quietly on the website.In fact the air theme ended up looking a little tenuous. We got a new MacBook Air in a charming new color, and a rather less impressive new iPad Air. But the powerful new Mac Studio and the odd A16 iPad (which doesnt support Apple Intelligence, curiously) conspicuously do not have the word air in their names. Very poor, Apple. Very poor.Trending: Top storiesGo home, Apple, youre drunk: 5 recent decisions that make no sense.Apples new entry-level devices are the best possible trap, says Dan Moren.Why do analysts even bother to predict iPhone sales, the Macalope wonders.Forget the M4 Air, I want Apple to bring back the plain ol MacBook, says Roman Loyola.Apple begins legal battle to resist egregious iCloud backdoor demand.How Oscar-winning Anora director got his start shooting on an iPhone 5s.The iPhone 16e DOES work with MagSafe chargers kind of.Podcast of the weekApple released new versions of the MacBook Air, iPad Air, Mac Studio and iPad this week, and on the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we talk about whats new, whats not new, and whats totally confusing!You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify,Soundcloud, thePodcasts app, orour own site.Reviews cornerSync review: No-nonsense file sync across your devices.Alogic Ark Pro 27600mAh Power Bank review: Cable-carrying convenience.EcoFlow Rapid Magnetic Power Bank review: Rapid by name, rapid by nature.The rumor millReport: Folding iPhone will be ultra-thin, crease-free, and cost over $2,000.Apples next-gen Siri might be delayed until 2027.The M4 MacBook Air and Severance finale top Apples list of March releases.Software updates, bugs, and problemsiPhone 16e criticized for terrible design of USB-C port.Forget Siri, iOS 18.4 brings the iPhone emoji update everyone wants.iOS 18.4 beta 2 is out, supporting iPhone 16e and adding Visual Intelligence options.And with that, were done for this weeks Apple Breakfast. If youd like to get regular roundups, sign up forour newsletters, including our new email from The Macalopean irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow usonFacebook,Threads,Bluesky, orXfor discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.