Technology

Though tariffs are on everyone's mind, they may not be the driving force behind higher game prices.

• Siri is reportedly getting more AI later this year
• It's not clear if all the delayed features will be added
• Deeper app integrations are tipped to appear

Apple has got itself into quite the tangle with Siri and Apple Intelligence, with promised AI upgrades now officially delayed and the company taking plenty of criticism for it – but at least some of these delayed features could make an appearance later this year.

In a New York Times article recapping some of Apple's recent AI woes, including internal friction over future plans, there's a mention that Siri would get certain upgrades "in the fall" in the US – so probably September time, with the iPhone 17 and iOS 19.

"Apple hasn’t canceled its revamped Siri," the article states. "The company plans to release a virtual assistant in the fall capable of doing things like editing and sending a photo to a friend on request, three people with knowledge of its plans said."

That's not a whole lot to go off – are we just getting some extra photo editing capabilities, or the full suite of delayed features? Ultimately, Apple wants to get Siri on a par with ChatGPT or Gemini, but that may not happen in 2025.

Delayed features

Apple Intelligence has been a long time coming (Image credit: Apple)

The photo editing feature mentioned in the NYT article is one of the Apple Intelligence upgrades promised back in 2024: the ability for Siri to dig deeper into iPhone apps and take actions on behalf of users via voice commands (known as App Intents).

That's just part of the picture though. Apple has also said Siri will get much smarter in terms of context, understanding more about what's happening on your iPhone and more about you (by tapping into some of your personal data, in a private and secure way).

Once Siri gets those features, it'll be better able to compete with its AI chatbot rivals. Just this week, for example, ChatGPT added a memory upgrade that means it can tap into your full conversation history for answers, if needed.

Apple Intelligence features already added to Siri include support for more natural language in conversations, and improved tech help support for your devices. As for iOS 19, expect to hear more about the software update at the start of June.

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Reacher season 4: key information

- Renewed in October 2024
- Filming reportedly starting in mid-2025
- No release date revealed yet
- Reacher returns for another adaptation of Lee Child's novels
- Main cast predicted to return
- Speculation around plot and which book it will follow
- No official trailer yet
- Neagley spin-off officially commenced filming in February

Reacher season 4 is on the way. With season 3 done and dusted, it's time to really start talking about season 4, which was officially renewed back in October 2024.

Prime Video, one of the best streaming services, proudly revealed that Reacher season 3 has become Prime Video’s biggest returning show, thanks to 54.6 million viewers globally within the first 19 days. So, it's certainly one of the best Prime Video shows that's ready to return for more.

Based on the novels by Lee Child, action-packed thriller follows Jack Reacher, an ex-military police officer, who finds himself continuously embroiled in conspiracies and dangerous missions after being wrongly accused of murder.

Each season is filled with big fights and mystery-solving, and season 3 was no different. A tumultuous ending hints at much more to come, so here's everything we know about Reacher season 4 from a release date and trailer to plot rumors and more.

Full spoilers follow for Reacher season 3 and the previous seasons. Potential spoilers for Reacher season 4 will also appear.

Reacher season 4 release date prediction

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There’s no Reacher season 4 release date just yet, but we do know that the show was renewed back in October 2024.

Speaking to The Mirror in February, Child said: “So we’re ready to go on season four. Obviously, we can’t reveal anything yet, but it’s another good’un, I’ll tell you. It’s going to be great.” He added: “I’ll see you next year and we’ll talk about it,” possibly hinting that Reacher season 4 will premiere in 2026.

If we take previous seasons as a guide for season 4, season 1 came out in 2022, season 2 ran from 2023 to 2024, and season 3 in 2025. If Prime Video continues releasing annually, it could well be early 2026.

When Child discussed future seasons of Reacher in an exclusive chat with TechRadar, he revealed filming will commence sooner than you might think: “It’s written and it’s ready to go. It’s going to start shooting in the summer.”

Reacher season 4 trailer: is there one?

(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

Given the cast and crew haven’t started filming yet, there’s no trailer to share. Historically, trailers come out a lot nearer to the release of the show. So, for a Reacher season 4 trailer, we imagine a wait until at least late 2025, early 2026.

Reacher season 4 predicted cast

Alan Ritchson will surely reprise his role as the titular, Jack Reacher (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

Full spoilers follow for Reacher season 3.

Based on the Reacher season 3 finale, this is the cast we predict will return for Reacher season 4. Though, at time of writing, these characters are yet to be confirmed. Aside from Reacher himself:

• Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher
• Sonya Cassidy as Susan Duffy
• Anthony Michael Hall as Zachary Beck
• Maria Sten as Frances Neagley
• Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finlay
• Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin
• Brian Tee as Francis Xavier Quinn / Julius McCabe

Reacher season 4 plot rumors

Reacher season 3 ended with an almighty brawl (Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

Full spoilers follow for Reacher seasons 1-3. Plus, potential spoilers for Reacher season 4.

Jack Reacher is a man on a mission, or several missions if you take all seasons so far into consideration. He’s been repeatedly ensnared in conspiracies that put a lot of lives at risk, including his own.

From false murder accusations to going deep undercover to retrieve a lost DEA agent, following Lee Child's novels has given plenty of plot for the show to follow along with.

And season 3 saw Reacher’s feud with villains (new and old), Xavier Quinn and Zachary Beck, come to a head. The finale episode, titled ‘Unfinished Business’, saw Reacher's team break down a crime syndicate, run by Beck, by infiltrating his base. But, in order to do so, he had to come up against Beck's towering bodyguard, Paulie. And that led to an almighty brawl placing brains against brawn.

At the end of it all, he sat down with Neagley and talked about the real reason Reacher gets embroiled in so much trouble, because he hates the "big guy".

For season 4's plot then, the best place to turn is to the books. Season 1 was adapted from Killing Floor, Child’s debut novel, season 2 from Bad Luck and Trouble, his 11th novel, and season 3 from Persuader, his 7th novel. So, they're not going in book order, but they're certainly going from the books.

Neagley tells Reacher how it is (Image credit: Prime Video)

While there’s been speculation around Personal, book 19, being the basis of season 4 given how the flashbacks in Persuader and in season 3 line up with the plot, there's been no confirmation.

Speaking to The Independent though, Child revealed book 22 is one he’d love to adapt: “It was well received but The Midnight Line is one of my favourites because it was an opioid book, but it was written from the point of view of the addict with tremendous sympathy.” Adding: “I wonder if it will ever get made. We have to see whether we ever choose that one, but I’d love to see how it comes out.”

And Child supports that the show can jump around the book order, saying he: “very deliberately wrote the book series so you did not have any prior knowledge. I wanted people to be able to pick up any title anywhere and have a really satisfying story, so we can take the same approach.”

Which direction Reacher season 4 decides to go in is entirely down to Lee Child and showrunner Nick Santora, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Where to watch Reacher

All seasons of Reacher, exclusively on Prime Video (Image credit: Prime Video)

Reacher seasons 1 to 3 can be streamed exclusively on Prime Video. Finished them all and eager for more? Check out these 6 muscular thrillers to watch while you wait.

Will there be more seasons of Reacher?

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It's incredibly likely. Reacher season 4 was greenlit months before season 3 came out, and we wouldn't be surprised to hear about season 5 in a similar way. And, of course, there's all the books that Lee Child has written of the Jack Reacher series — currently totalling 29.

But, it's not just Reacher that'll be on the scene. In October 2024, Prime Video announced a spin-off series, focused on Frances Neagley, a recurring character in the Reacher series. And in February, the show officially went into production with Maria Sten pictured holding the clapperboard for episode one.

While we wait to hear news on more seasons of Reacher, we'll keep an ear to the ground and update you when we can.

For more Prime Video TV-based coverage, read our guides on The Boys season 5, Mr and Mrs Smith season 2, The Rings of Power season 3, and Fallout season 2.

Pep Guardiola's side look to climb back into the top five as they host the Eagles at the Etihad.

This week has been a wild ride with US tariff fears causing price hikes and panic-buying, but we've also been treated to some escapism from our existing dystopian to explore a series of new ones thansk to the release of Black Mirror Seaosn 7.

To catch up on all this and more scroll down for recaps of the week's seven biggest news stories.

When you're done be sure to check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend (April 11).

7. The tariffs sparked widespread iPhone panic-buying

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

It’s been hard to avoid tariff talk this week, even if you’re just looking for gadget news. The economic dance spooked iPhone buyers into panic-buying phones, according to Apple Store employees across the US – and that was before the tariffs on China went into the stratosphere.

With iPhones still mostly made in China, the theory is that Apple’s smartphones could see hefty price rises later this year. While that’s certainly possible, predicting what’s going to happen next week is hard enough right now, let alone five months in advance.

So while we understand some people pulling the trigger now, it’s also no time to be stockpiling expensive tech – particularly with the iPhone 17 now on the horizon.

• Read more: iPhone panic-buying hits Apple Stores, but tariff impacts may not be as bad as feared

6. Samsung One UI 7 rollout

(Image credit: Samsung / Future)

Older Samsung phones are finally starting to unlock Android 15 features via the One UI 7 update that’s rolling out – but some of you might be left waiting until June before you see any changes.

That’s according to Samsung itself, who explained on their Korean site that while the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6, and phones going back to the Galaxy S23 series devices would get the latest update this month, those of you relying on older, more budget-friendly phones and tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Galaxy A53, Galaxy Tab A9, and others will be waiting until June.

Considering we’re expecting to see Android 16 at Google I/O 2025 in May, that means Android will have lapped Samsung’s software update before its Android 15 port can land on all of its devices.

• Read more: You might be waiting until June to get One UI 7

5. Nothing teases its next CMF drop

The Nothing Phone 3a (Image credit: Nothing)

This week, Nothing teased that on April 28, 2025, at 9 am ET / 2 pm BST / 11 pm AEST, it’ll showcase the CMF Phone 2 Pro alongside the new CMF Buds 2, Buds 2a, and Buds 2 Plus.

There are two strange things about this reveal, though. For one, Nothing has yet again skipped the base model – like we just saw with the Phone 3a and 3a Pro being released before even announcing the regular Phone 3. Here, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is coming out before the CMF Phone 2 or CMF Phone 1 Pro.

Also, Nothing didn’t tease a new CMF Watch. The CMF Watch Pro 2 was showcased alongside its phone and earbuds last year, and while it wasn’t the perfect smartwatch, it was an excellent budget pick. Hopefully, a new CMF Watch will make an appearance later this year.

• Read more: Nothing announces new CMF Phone 2 Pro phone and earbuds

4. ChatGPT got a memory upgrade

(Image credit: OpenAI)

Sam Altman teased an exciting new feature for ChatGPT, and while that made it clear this wasn't going to be the debut of a new model – though that's still expected soon—it did end up being meaningful – at least, OpenAI thinks it is.

ChatGPT has received an improved memory function that will let the AI assistant and chatbot better reference previous conversations and remember things about you. This means it'll go beyond just what you like and dislike, but if you discuss things, it can also bring previous points or elements into the current flow.

Of course, not everyone might be on board with this memory function, so it is opt-in. OpenAI's other fix is a temporary mode, which ensures the AI doesn't add the information contained in the history.

• Read more: OpenAI just upgraded memory for ChatGPT – here's everything you need to know

3. We reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

(Image credit: Future)

This week, we finally tested the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, and it’s the most confusing smartwatch we’ve tested – especially since the much better Galaxy Watch 6 still exists.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is meant to be Samsung's answer to the Apple Watch SE. Yet Samsung has failed to emulate its rival, and the result left us “bewildered.”

Whether it's sluggish performance, poor battery life, or a disappointing design, unless you pick this smartwatch up for literally $100/£100, you might as well opt for a discounted Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 7.

• Read more: The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is one of the most confusing smartwatches I've ever tested

2. Black Mirror Season 7 landed

(Image credit: Netflix)

Black Mirror season 7 has landed on Netflix just in time for a weekend binge-watch. But is it any good, and is the show’s first-ever sequel worth your time?

We’ve ranked the newest episodes from worst to best, giving some pretty honest thoughts about what we made of this installment. There are highs, lows, and big surprises, too, and we’ve predicted this season will seriously divide fans as it’s something of a mixed bag – though that’s perhaps to be expected from an anthology series.

All six episodes of Black Mirror season 7 are streaming on Netflix now, along with all the previous seasons. Check out our streaming coverage for even more from the much-loved anthology show.

• Read more: I ranked Black Mirror season 7's episodes

1. Pico gave us new VR motion trackers

(Image credit: Pico)

The Pico 4 Ultra might not be the best VR headset out there, but one way it trounces the Meta Quest 3 is its motion trackers, which have allowed it to bring accurate and easy foot tracking to supported VR games.

Now, Pico has launched a new version you can wear around your waist to create a more full-body setup that sounds perfect for VR dancing. Best of all, it only costs £39.99 (around $50 / AU$85).

We haven’t been able to test the tracker for ourselves, but given how impressive the foot trackers were during our Pico 4 Ultra review, we expect Pico’s new waist trackers will be solid, too, when used in supported titles such as VRChat and compatible PCVR titles through the Pico Connect feature.

• Read more: Pico just updated its best VR headset feature

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 12.

Evidence is mounting that the newest version of GPT will be released soon.

I’ve watched enough robot videos online to know that slapping an AI model into a hunk of hardware doesn’t automatically make it useful. I remember one clip in particular where someone had wired ChatGPT into a robot dog, and the results were mixed.

Sure, the robot could suddenly answer your questions with confidence. But asking it to open a door or pick something up was still the same clumsy creature as before. The intelligence was in the voice, not the motion.

So, when Samsung announced that its long-awaited Ballie robot would come preloaded with Google’s Gemini AI, my first thought was to wonder what exactly Gemini brings to the table that Ballie hadn’t already promised.

Gemini is capable of understanding language and images and performing complex reasoning. Ballie is supposed to be a rolling companion packed with cameras, projectors, sensors, and the ability to navigate your home. I can see why some might be eager to see what a combination of the two could do.

Samsung and Google have suggested that Ballie plus Gemini would enable the robot to suggest activities to raise your energy or give you outfit tips using its onboard camera and a Gemini-powered sense of style. But looking at it more, I'm not really sure anything the companies describe is either already something Ballie would be able to do or something Gemini can already do without needing to be connected to Ballie.

Ballie can adjust smart home devices and project videos or ambient lighting onto your walls, but does it need Gemini to do so? Gemini can answer questions, analyze photos and fashion, and organize your whole day, but does being embedded in a ball-shaped robot enhance those features much?

You may as well open Gemini on a tablet and tape it to a skateboard. Gemini gives Ballie better language understanding and smarter suggestions, but those don’t require a robot body that can roll across your living room.

Robot AI necessity

(Image credit: Samsung)

Ballie is an impressive piece of hardware. It has dual projectors, depth sensors, LiDAR, multiple microphones, and a high-end camera setup. It can follow you, return to its charger, and even record or stream footage. But all of those things were innate to the hardware.

Gemini doesn’t make Ballie project in higher resolution or roll faster. It doesn’t give Ballie arms or the ability to interact physically with objects. It just gives it better words – and while words matter, they don’t necessarily translate into a robot that’s more useful.

AI can make a chatbot smarter and mimic your tone or finish your sentences in an email. But when it comes to hardware, intelligence without capability hits a wall. If Ballie can’t do more things because it has Gemini, then it's just a more articulate version of itself. If Gemini brings a lot of useful features to Ballie that it wouldn't have had before but that Gemini couldn't do on its own, then that's a different question.

It's not that Gemini brings nothing to the table. Talking to Ballie about your schedule and getting a visual summary projected on the wall is a pleasing idea. And Gemini’s ability to integrate multi-modal inputs could make those interactions smarter. But again, the robot’s physical role in that process is still fuzzy.

There’s a reason people still get excited by videos of robots folding laundry or climbing stairs. It’s because movement and manipulating the environment are still rare and impressive feats. No matter how smart the AI becomes, if the hardware can’t meet it halfway, the result will always feel like a demo missing its payoff.

Making more conversational, more responsive, and more human in its communication is a leap for Samsung. But that leap is only meaningful if the robot itself can deliver something you couldn’t already get from a screen.

Otherwise, you may as well open Gemini in a browser tab on a tablet, duct-tape it to a Roomba, and call it a day.

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OpenAI just rolled out a major memory upgrade for ChatGPT. Though subtle in a way, I think it could mark a significant shift in how people engage with AI, certainly in the long term.

Before now, ChatGPT's memory was limited to the current session unless ChatGPT decided some bit of it should be added to long-term memory or if you manually did so. Otherwise, every new conversation was a clean slate.

Now, ChatGPT can pull from your entire chat history across every session to respond to your latest query. It knows your vibe and can track your projects. It will remember things from your discussions even if you might have forgotten.

It still has the user-saved memory that you deliberately ask it to store, but now, every little comment and question will also be part of how ChatGPT processes conversations with you, like a polite robot intern who’s secretly keeping a journal. If you want to find out what ChatGPT's image of you is, you can just ask it to "Describe me based on all our chats."

You might not think this is such a big change, but as someone who's become a regular user of ChatGPT, I can easily imagine how it will benefit me. When I ask for a recipe idea, ChatGPT will now pull up previous recipes it's provided and ask if I liked the result, coming up with new meal ideas based on my opinion of the earlier one.

The same goes for brainstorming bedtime story ideas. I almost never want to write one entirely, but I do get some inspiration from the premises ChatGPT suggests, and now it will be better at riffing on suggestions I've said before.

While new features and improvements to AI chatbots can sometimes feel like a lot of noise for something that isn't that big a deal, persistent memory feels like real progress just by being a feature built for the long term. Maintaining context across interactions makes it easier for the overall 'relationship' to feel more meaningful.

It also opens the door to new use cases. Imagine tutoring that adapts to your learning style across weeks. Or therapy journaling with an AI that remembers what you said three sessions ago. Or productivity planning that doesn’t need to be re-explained every Monday morning. You don’t need the AI to be sentient as long as it's consistent.

Memorable moves

ChatGPT's memory improvement isn't without complications, though. Having an AI remember you across time inevitably raises questions about privacy, autonomy, and, frankly, how much information you want your AI companion to have.

Yes, it’s helpful that it remembers you’re kosher and like a bit of spice in your dishes, but you don't want it to assume too much.

This is pretty specific to just me, but I do a lot of tests of ChatGPT and its features, and not every test is built around my real life. I'm not traveling to Japan next week; I just wanted to see how ChatGPT would do at devising an itinerary. I then have to either delete that session or explain to the AI that it shouldn't use that question when formulating answers to other questions.

There’s also a philosophical element. The more AI mimics memory, the easier it becomes to anthropomorphize. If it remembers your favorite sports team, your pet’s name, or your dislike of semicolons, it starts to feel like a person, and it's vital to not ascribe self-awareness to an algorithm that is far from attaining it. It’s easy to trust a tool that remembers you. Maybe too easy in this case.

Nonetheless, for good or ill, I maintain that ChatGPT's comprehensive memory is one of the most consequential AI upgrades this year so far and will likely still be so when 2025 is over.

Memory is a potent trick, even if it doesn't let you make a Ghibli Studio version of yourself. Memory is the thing that turns an inert tool into a long-term assistant. Even if your assistant is just a digital emulation of a brain floating in a cloud, it's nice that it will remember the little things.

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• In a December 2024 meeting, China privately took responsibility for cyber offensives
• These include attacks on US infrastructure, like communications and energy
• The state warned that US increasing support for Taiwan was a key factor

Amid a serious escalation of hostilities between the two nations, senior Chinese officials have apparently acknowledged behind closed doors that Beijing was involved in a series of cyberattacks on US critical infrastructure.

These attacks saw Chinese Volt Typhoon hackers infiltrate US critical infrastructure systems for years, including compromising energy, communications, transportation, and water industries.

China had previously denied any involvement in these attacks, but the Wall Street Journal now reports Beijing officials admitted involvement in an “indirect and somewhat ambiguous” way, interpreted by US officials as a “warning to the U.S. about Taiwan.”

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Escalating tensions

News about increasing reciprocal tariffs between the two nations is pretty unavoidable, but the trade war is not the only stage for offensives, with US officials reportedly considering pursuing cyber strikes against China and security experts warning that China is poised to retaliate against tariffs with a “Typhoon” attack - referring to hacking groups Salt and Volt Typhoon.

This news comes after the Trump administration has implemented mass federal layoffs, which a former NSA cybersecurity director has warned will have a “devastating impact on cybersecurity”.

These admissions are, of course, likely to be a tactical move from China to underscore its own capabilities and willingness to use them.

For example, the Salt Typhoon attack into telecoms networks is considered a “historic counterintelligence failure”, and some officials even believe the group still lurks on US networks.

Previously, the US state department had opposed Taiwanese independence, but under Trump this seems to be much more uncertain, and escalating tensions between China and the US could lead to cyber offensives on both sides.

Taiwan has a strong economy, and crucially, is home to manufacturers of semiconductors - computer chips which are essential to almost all modern technology, and are used in satellite systems, phones, laptops, and AI.

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