TCL Nxtpaper 14

Ignoring AI is like leaving the VCR to your kids

I was brilliant at maths as a child.

The A-List

The best products on the market, as picked by our editors

Readers’ comments

Your views and feedback from email and the web

Star letter

The answer isn’t 42 It was so sad

Readers’ poll

Looking ahead to 2025, do you feel positive, negative or “meh” about the next year in technology?

Next month

ON SALE On sale 8 January 2025

When travelling, there’s one item that Jon Honeyball never leaves behind

It was one of those three-pintsdown discussions, when

Microsoft makes funeral plans for Windows 10

Background and analysis on all the important news stories

Apple still making life hard for rival browsers

EU browser engine choice not working, says rival

Mobile merger turnaround

Exclusive investigations into technology practices. Email probe@pcpro.co.uk if you have a story

In praise of the mighty PDF

The PDF is a brilliant format even after all these years, and a long search for the perfect app to read them on has finally paid off

Forget sci-fi: I want tech realism

Fitting believable technology into movies isn’t easy, but it’s high time we acknowledged the reality of our world

An even longer trip on the M1

Apple silicon has completely ripped up my laptop replacement cycle, which is bad news for family members waiting for cast-offs

GIFTS FOR GEEKS 2024

IN OUR ANNUAL ROUNDUP OF GIFT IDEAS FOR PEOPLE IMPOSSIBLE TO BUY FOR, WE COVER EVERYTHING FROM CHESS SETS TO PORTABLE BLUETOOTH TURNTABLES

BOOKS FOR GEEKS

OUR PICK OF FICTION AND NON-FICTION THAT MAY JUST BE OF INTEREST TO PC PRO READERS AND THEIR FELLOW TECH LOVERS

INSTANT EXPERT PHOTOPEA

Touch up and transform images on any device, with nothing to install – Nik Rawlinson dives into the browser-based image editor

UPGRADE TO BUSINESS-CLASS WI-FI

A HOME OFFICE DESERVES A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK. DARIEN GRAHAM-SMITH MAKES THE SWITCH

Are delivery drones finally ready for take-off?

More than a decade in the making, Amazon is again set to run a trial of its delivery drone in the UK. But there are better uses for delivery drones, explains Nicole Kobie

Apple Mac mini

The biggest, best, most exciting products in technology – reviewed and rated

Apple M4 series

Don’t expect revolution, but this is a notable all-round upgrade in performance for all members of the series

Apple iMac M4

A minor and unexciting upgrade, but when so much was already right about the iMac it’s hard to complain

Apple MacBook Pro M4

The difficult choice isn’t whether the M4 MacBook Pro is right for you, but which size and spec to choose

Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7

A creative workstation that can take on almost any workload thanks to great cooling and pro graphics

Panasonic Toughbook 40 MK2

The outside stays the same, but a welcome upgrade to Core Ultra chips means it keeps up with the times

LG gram SuperSlim 15.6in (15Z90ST)

The 512GB version of this 2024 update is great value, with a stunning screen, light weight and slim design

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Core Ultra 200K series

AMD’s gaming chip is the clear winner of this battle, but don’t write off the 200K series just yet

An elegant and quiet system packed with powerful components, but look out for discounts

SCORE PRICE As reviewed, £1,500 (£1,800 inc VAT)

CyberPowerPC Ultra BFD R57

An Nvidia RTX 4060 PC that CyberPowerPC put together for Black Friday, and value is its biggest selling point

PCSpecialist Zircon Supreme

An understated PC in terms of looks and noise, but when you need to turn on the power it’s ready

Bag a software bargain

Don’t pay full price for software when we can offer you huge reductions on everything from security software to Windows 11 Pro

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus (2024)

Sleek, stylish and packing a superb OLED panel, this is the best high-end Chromebook since the Pixelbook

Your bonus software

We scour the globe to negotiate the best software deals for our readers, from extended licences to full programs you don’t need to pay a penny for. Here’s this month’s lineup

Apple ipad mini(2024)

Not a major update, but the speedy A17 Pro chip and supremely portable design make this a fine choice

Netgear Orbi 770

The cheapest Wi-Fi 7 mesh so far is simple but speedy – if you’re ready for next-gen wireless, it’s a strong choice

Moto G75 5G Business Edition

A tempting and well-priced choice for business rollouts thanks to easy remote management

TABLETS FOR PROS & CREATIVES

We put the world’s best tablets to the test to find the top choice for demanding users

Buyer’s guide: seven steps to a great slate

Looking for your perfect tablet? Here’s what to think about before you buy

Apple iPad Air 11in

The best tablet for most people, with desktop-class performance and an excellent screen

Apple iPad Pro 11in

It’s expensive, but no other tablet has this much capability and all-round class

Honor MagicPad2

Flagship power and a great OLED screen at a bargain price, and it fits snugly into the Honor ecosystem

Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2

Superb hardware, including a gorgeous OLED panel, but Huawei’s software won’t be for everyone

OnePlus Pad 2

With strong performance and stellar battery life, this is a superb mid-range Android slate

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+

The best of the premium Android tablets, with superb performance and a stunning screen

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

If screen size matters for your applications, this 14.6in monster is the premium tablet to buy

Battle of the ecosystems

There’s no disputing that Apple is the king of the ecosystems, but its rivals are battling hard to catch up

Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024)

A solid budget option for family use, but it feels as basic as its price suggests

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)

Good value for entertainment and basic tasks, but it’s worth spending more

Amazon Fire Max 11

Easily Amazon’s best tablet, but the software and performance hold it back

Apple iPad

An excellent tablet, and now more affordable, even if the spec has started to date

Google Pixel Tablet

A strong all-rounder, but the mid-range competition is too fierce

Huawei MatePad 12x

More great hardware, but you lose out on performance and Google’s services

Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display

The paper-like screen is lovely, but the spec doesn’t match rivals at this price

How we test

W e ran each tablet through a fearsome

View from the Labs

As top-end devices edge closer to laptops, is it time to rethink the tablet?

Videoconferencing buyer’s guide 2024

Practical buying and strategic advice for IT managers and decision makers

Biamp Parlé VBC 2800

Ideal for big meeting rooms, the VBC 2800 combines top video and audio quality with innovative speaker tracking

Logitech MeetUp 2

An affordable VC bar for small rooms with great video quality and excellent cloud management services

Owl Labs Medium Room Solution

This team of products is perfect for larger meeting rooms and delivers astonishingly good visuals

Ricoh Meeting 360

A clever panoramic meeting hub with good image quality, fast speaker tracking and a big choice of views

D-Link DWP-1010

A little pricey, but this solidly built 5G/LTE router delivers mobile internet access to the great outdoors

Firewalla Gold Pro

Bursting with features, the Gold Pro delivers enterprise-class 10GbE performance at a small business price

How can I make my IT truly sustainable?

It’s not just about setting computers to sleep overnight; Nik Rawlinson finds out how to minimise your overall environmental impact

What is NUI?

Forget cryptic buttons and fiddly menus – Steve Cassidy explores a more intuitive approach to user interactions

“When the idea was first mooted, I stupidly said that I had all the kit necessary to do the recording”

Jon reveals how we recorded the live PC Pro podcast, yet another reason why Microsoft Office makes him moan and his thoughts on Tesla’s Robotaxi

“At our end of the retail tech world, most customers don’t yet give a hoot about Copilot”

Caution: the following pages contain imagery of a ripped PC Pro writer. Those of a delicate disposition should look away now

“My old mum, who thinks ‘cloud’ means rain, started worrying about supply chain vulnerabilities”

Move over resilience, there’s a new buzzword in town – and if you aren’t already taking the supply chain seriously, now is the time to take action

“I like to dip into my spam folder when I’m feeling down and need a good fall-on-floor laugh”

Wasps aren’t the only despicable creatures that can sting you – beware the AI-generated Google support guy and SQL injection attacks

“You can’t create a set of rules and expect them to work forever”

It may be tempting to adopt a scorched-earth approach to buying new hardware for your business, but that won’t solve your security problems

Sony PlayStation: the game changer

David Crookes looks at how the first PlayStation turned the gaming world on its head, impacting rival console manufacturers, videogame developers and the perception of games themselves