In partnership with

Good morning. If you feel a sudden urge to buy an iPhone today, that’s not peer pressure—it’s tariff trauma. Also in today’s issue: Reggie throws nostalgic shade, Tim Cook’s got tunnel vision (literally), and Joel from The Last of Us is working through it in therapy like the rest of us.

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

Reggie’s throwing subtle shade at Switch 2’s “paid demo”

Wii Sports walked so Welcome Tour could…charge you $40 for a glorified tutorial? That’s the vibe many fans (and possibly a certain retired Nintendo exec) are picking up. As the Switch 2’s June 5 launch approaches, Welcome Tour is drawing fire for essentially being a paid onboarding experience - think Astro’s Playroom meets PlayStation Home, but with a price tag.

Enter Reggie Fils-Aimé, former Nintendo of America president and bringer of good vibes. He’s been reminiscing online about free pack-in classics like Wii Sports and Wii Play. He didn’t mention Welcome Tour by name, but let’s be real - the timing isn’t exactly subtle.

What’s got everyone side-eyeing Nintendo?

• Welcome Tour walks players through the Switch 2 experience…but costs extra.

• Wii Sports was free with Wii consoles (except in Japan), instantly iconic.

• Astro’s Playroom was bundled with PS5 - also free, also beloved.

• Reggie’s nostalgic thread about free pack-ins hit social media just as fans started grumbling.

Is Reggie low-key dragging Nintendo’s new direction? Hard to say. But fans seem to think so - and many are already budgeting their Switch 2 cash away from Welcome Tour.

Apple dodges a tariff bullet…for now

Tariff talk is back on the menu - and it’s spicier than ever. The Trump administration just dropped a temporary exemption for smartphones, laptops, and chips from a new 125% “reciprocal tariff” on Chinese imports. That’s on top of a 10% global baseline tariff and a special 20% “fentanyl tariff” aimed squarely at China. TL;DR: Apple narrowly avoided a potential 145% hit…for now.

Here’s where it gets messy:

• The 125% reciprocal tariff doesn’t apply - yet - but only temporarily.

• Apple products still face a 20% “fentanyl tariff.”

• Commerce Secretary says a “special focus” tech tariff is coming soon, likely hitting iPhones and semiconductors.

• Trump hinted that the entire electronics supply chain is under review for future tariff targets.

Apple might dodge some of this by shifting production to India and Vietnam, where devices like the M4 MacBook Air are already rolling off the line. Still, the clock’s ticking. If you’ve been eyeing that shiny new iPhone - buy it before tariffs make it pricier.

Tim Cook is laser-focused on AR glasses

Tim Cook has tunnel vision - and it’s not from wearing prototype AR glasses. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s CEO is “hell-bent” on building industry-leading augmented reality specs. One Apple engineer even claimed Cook “cares about nothing else.” Well…maybe tariffs, but we covered that already.

While full-blown AR glasses are still years away due to some wild tech hurdles (tiny batteries! retina-melting displays! global scale production!), Apple isn’t sitting idle. Gurman says the company is working on interim smart glasses - think Meta Ray-Bans, but with more Siri and less surveillance.

So what’s Apple cooking up in the meantime?

• A lightweight glasses product with cameras, mics, and deep Siri integration.

• Heavy emphasis on “Visual Intelligence” as part of Apple’s AI strategy.

• Apple’s version likely won’t auto-upload your life - privacy concerns are baked in.

• It’s a stepping stone while Apple perfects the tech for true AR glasses.

Meta’s already in the smart specs game, and Apple doesn’t want to be late to the future. But real AR glasses? Still a moonshot - Cook just really, really wants to plant that flag first.

The Last of Us is back—and Joel’s in therapy now

Season two of The Last of Us (spoilers!) kicked off with a heavy, introspective premiere that reminded us this show is really about two things: heartbreak and mushroom monsters. Episode one, Future Days, fast-forwards five years from the Firefly hospital massacre and dives into the strained, silent rift between Joel and Ellie - who barely share screen time, and even less warmth.

Joel, now seeing a therapist (played to perfection by Catherine O’Hara), is still reeling from his decision to lie to Ellie about why he saved her life. And Ellie? She’s sulking, distant, and clearly not buying the story - but she’s not confronting it either.

What went down in episode one:

• Joel opens up in therapy and admits he “saved” Ellie, while haunted by guilt.

• Catherine O’Hara’s therapist character Gail drops a bomb: Joel once killed her husband.

• Dina is introduced and serves as a bridge between the estranged Joel and Ellie.

• Ellie and Dina kiss at a town party, only to be interrupted by a bigoted drunk and Joel’s awkward, dad-level intervention.

• Abby enters the scene early - her revenge arc is officially in motion.

• Ellie and Dina face down a Clicker and a terrifying Stalker in a tense action sequence.

We’re clearly in for a season of slow-burning trauma, confrontation, and yes - more Infected. While the episode was light on action, the introduction of Abby, new monsters, and Joel’s emotional unraveling laid some grim groundwork.

⚡ Quick Bits

Google lays off hundreds in hardware and Android teams: As part of restructuring, Google has reduced its workforce in the Platforms and Devices division, impacting Android, Pixel, and Chrome teams. 

Motorola teases new Razr foldable phone: Motorola announced an upcoming Razr 2025 model, featuring a 4-inch cover display and Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, set to launch on April 24. 

OpenAI’s GPT-5 launch set for May: OpenAI plans to release GPT-5 in May, featuring 1.5 trillion parameters and introducing Canvas, a feature for rendering React/HTML code.