It’s Friday. It’s five o’clock in London. That means it’s time to down tools, pour yourself a drink and look back at what A Prodigal Week it has been.
Glass in hand? Let me offer you some canapés of news and views.
CARS
All the car you’ll ever want
The Audi RS e-tron GT is the most desirable car on the planet. There, I’ve said it.
Scary quick, styled with glorious purpose and blessed with the best Audi interior ever made (and they’ve made all the best), the e-tron is nothing short of sensational.
This week, Engadget game me the perfect excuse to rave about it all over again by reviewing it:
While the vehicle shares the same platform and many of the same bits of technology as the Porsche Taycan, Audi has worked to make this vehicle its own.
I can’t think of a car on sale today that I crave more.
Also worth your time
Honda NSX Type S coming to Pebble Beach: “It’s the end of the line for Honda’s pioneering NSX, but it’s going out with a bang.”
GADGETS
The Samsung iPad
The Apple iPad is so ubiquitous that the very word ‘iPad’ is starting to supersede “tablet” as the generic term for such a device. And the reason is simple: the iPad just doesn’t have any credible competition. Most other brands have deserted the segment leaving Apple to play on its own.
If Apple was any other brand, that might lead it to rest on its laurels. With no competition nipping at your heels, where’s the motivation to pour money into R&D? Thankfully, Apple isn’t any other brand and the iPad has steadily been improved over the years. Indeed, I’d argue the device is now being held back by its software not its hardware.
But we’re not here to talk about Apple. This week, I want to celebrate Samsung because they at least still have the guts to take on Cupertino. As BGR reports, the company’s new Galaxy Tab S7 FE has the iPad Air squarely in its sights:
The Galaxy Tab S7 FE looks just like the Tab S7 flagship that launched last year. It also comes with an S Pen stylus in the box, which is an advantage over the iPad Air.
The Tab S7 FE is available in Wi-Fi and 5G versions, both of them sporting the same set of specs. We’re looking at a 12.4-inch WQXGA LCD, octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, micro SD support, 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel selfie camera, AKG 2-speaker system, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C connectivity, and 10,090 mAh battery.
Competition is always a good thing.
Also worth your time
Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID made available separately: “The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID costs $149, while a version with a number pad can be all yours for $179.”
Apple online store redesigned: “The Store tab now leads to a thoroughly redesigned store front, which lists all major Apple product categories, but also has an overview of deals and new items, as well as a few support links and documents.”
WATCHES
Memory lane
Those of you who endured the Persiflage episode in which I recount the story of my watch collecting will know that it all started with a Breitling Chronomat in the late 1980s and that one of my most prized pieces today is a 1960s Navitimer. In short, I’ve always had a thing for Breitling.
Recently though, that thing was mostly disgust. Over the last 20 years, the brand has badly lost its way. The majority of the collection is gauche and that’s to say nothing (which is the best thing to say about them) of the ill-judged Bentley models.
So it was with particular joy that I read Fratello’s excellent buying guide to the best 1980s Breitlings. And I wish the brand a speedy recovery to its former glory.
Also worth your time
IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 revealed: “All three dials are clean, very legible and feature details such as a 30-minute chronograph counter and small seconds subdial with a subtle contrasting ring and slender hour markers.”
IWC brand history highlighted: “For IWC everything began in 1868 with the American engineer and watchmaker, Florentine Ariosto Jones, who decided to leave the USA and travel to Switzerland to look for new and better business opportunities.”
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition reviewed: “Everything feels very solid and robust. It looks rather stealthy and tool-ish, is a more than capable dive watch and for once is not a limited edition likely to be sold out within minutes.”
Don’t miss…
🥰 Thank you. The reaction to the return of Talking Hands was overwhelming and, in this latest episode of Persiflage, we wanted to say thank you and give you some insight into why it’s been so long and, more importantly, what we’re planning next.
Have a listen >
🙌🏻 The return of Talking Hands. That’s right, it’s back. We found an unpublished episode on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo recorded way back in 2015.
Watch the best watch review show on the inter webs >
👀 A glimpse inside the watch industry with Robin Swithinbank. It’s a first for Persiflage: in this episode we have a guest, one who actually knows what he’s talking about. Which brands are responding well to digital? Should authorised dealers be worried? Who are the standout execs? What happens next?
Join us to find out >
Welcome to the weekend, folks. 🍸
Enjoyable start to the weekend as always Andrew.
Have to agree with you on the desirability of the Audi. However range anxiety and the relative lack of charging points in Ireland still means I will be driving diesel for a while longer.
Not a fan of Brietling (unless we are talking 1960’s Top Times). But we share an appreciation for IWC. For me the watch you buy when you don’t want Rolex’s more blingy connotations. They are the brand for me which have made the greatest strides in regaining brand authenticity recently.
Would love a talking hands on some of the newer models if you and Eric relaunch!