Xbox Cloud Gaming will come to Windows 10 PCs and Apple iOS devices in a limited beta tomorrow, April 20, the company announced today. For now, the beta will be available to 22 countries, with more being added at a later date.
This beta will be exclusive to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, so if you’re not a member, you won’t be able to participate in the beta. Even then, only “select” subscribers are being invited.
The service will be available at www.xbox.com/play on iPhones, iPads and PCs, where those who have been invited can play more than 100 Game Pas tittlies through Safari, Edge or Google Chrome.
To play those games, you’ll need a compatible Bluetooth or USB-connected controller. Touch controls will also be available for 50 of the 100 games and will work similarly to how they do with Android devices.
Microsoft and Apple previously had public disagreements about Game Pass, where Apple wanted each game to be to be run through the App Store, and Microsoft ultimately had to take to web browsers as a workaround.
If you don’t already have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can sign up for one month of gaming goodness for
just $1
. Otherwise, it is priced at $14.99 per month and provides access to over 100 games for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Windows 10. Recently, Microsoft and Electronic Arts teamed up to add EA Play to Xbox Game Pass as well.
Reddit unveiled its take on a Clubhouse-like social audio product on Monday, called Reddit Talk. The company is billing Monday’s announcement as a “sneak preview,” and if you want to try it out when it’s ready, you can put yourself on the waitlist.
Based on Reddit’s description and images shared by the company, Reddit Talk appears to look a lot like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, and other social audio products. Talks will “live” within subreddits, according to Reddit.
Reddit’s new Talk feature.Image: Reddit
During the initial tests, only subreddit moderators will be able to initiate a Talk, and Talk hosts will have the ability to invite, mute, and remove speakers. While only mods can kick off Talks in the beginning, anyone on iOS and Android can listen to one.
Reddit Talk mod tools.Image: Reddit
The company says it is “testing ways” for hosts to customize how Talks look with emojis and different background colors, and users will be able to change their avatar, too.
Reddit joins Twitter, Slack, Discord, LinkedIn, and Spotify in announcing a social audio feature. Mashable first broke word that Reddit was working on a social audio feature on April 9th.
Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) is officially arriving on iOS and PC tomorrow. The service will arrive on devices via browsers, allowing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to play Xbox games on iPhones, iPads, and PCs. Microsoft is keeping this beta rather limited though, and requiring players to be invited to participate in the testing phase.
The service will be accessible at www.xbox.com/play, where Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers that have been invited to the beta will be able to play Xbox games through Edge, Chrome, or Safari browsers. More than 100 games will be available, and testers will be able to use a compatible Bluetooth or USB-connected controller or simply use custom touch controls.
“The limited beta is our time to test and learn; we’ll send out more invites on a continuous basis to players in all 22 supported countries, evaluate feedback, continue to improve the experience, and add support for more devices,” says Catherine Gluckstein, Microsoft’s head of xCloud. “Our plan is to iterate quickly and open up to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in the coming months so more people have the opportunity to play Xbox in all-new ways.”
It’s the first time Xbox Game Streaming has been available on iOS devices after the service launched exclusively on Android phones and tablets last year. Microsoft wasn’t able to offer xCloud on iPhones or iPads during the initial launch phase of the service back in September, due to Apple’s restrictions on cloud gaming apps.
Both Apple and Microsoft got into a public war of words over xCloud, and Apple initially insisted that Microsoft would have to submit individual games for review. Apple eventually offered a compromise to allow cloud gaming apps to run on iOS with individually reviewed games, but Microsoft branded it a “bad experience for consumers.”
Rotel has announced sequels to some of its 14 and 15 Series integrated amplifiers. The A14MKII, RA-1572MKII and RA-1592MKII are second-generation models that leverage design elements from the brand’s high-end Michi Series, benefitting from upgraded circuitry and components.
The A14MKII (£1195, $1600) – the successor to the A14 – is the flagship integrated model in Rotel’s 14 Series, building upon its predecessor with a new 32-bit/384kHz-supporting Texas Instruments DAC. Rotel says it has made 25 component changes in the DAC output filters alone. That’s complemented by changes in the power supply, spurred by Rotel’s Tribute models. The new A14MKII is a well-equipped machine, too, featuring analogue and digital connections (including USB-type B and MM phono sockets), aptX Bluetooth, MQA decoding and rendering, and support for Roon. All of the MKII models feature Ethernet and RS232 connections for control system integration.
Moving over to Rotel’s 15 Series we have the all-new flagship RA-1592MKII (£2295, $3200), delivering 200 watts of Class AB power into 8 ohms and benefitting from “upgrades to all critical circuits”. The 32-bit/384kHz Texas Instruments DAC utilises 12 new coupling capacitors with improved frequency response and higher component tolerances, while other component changes include upgraded capacitors.
(Image credit: Rotel)
Connectivity expands upon the A14MKII’s with XLR balanced and front-panel USB (for iOS device) socketry, too.
Below that is the new RA-1572MKII (£1595, $2100), which too benefits from component changes – 33 this time! – in acoustic and filter capacitors and the power supply. The RA-1572 too has a comprehensive analogue- and digital-friendly connectivity list featuring aptX Bluetooth, USB and MM phono.
The Rotel A14MKII, RA-1572MKII and RA-1592MKII integrated amps are available to order now, with shipping expected to begin in May in the United States and Canada, with the rest of the world to follow.
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An upcoming feature in Chrome 90 will allow users to create a link to a section of a website that they’ve highlighted. First launched as a browser extension called Link to Text Fragment last year, Google has now added the feature within Chrome itself.
The new feature is still rolling out to users; I wasn’t able to get it to work even after I updated to Chrome 90. But the feature works just like the browser extension did, according to a blog post from Google product manager Kayce Hawkins: Visit a web page, highlight the text you want to create a link to, right click, and select “copy link to highlight.” A URL ending in a pound sign (#) is generated, which you can then share with others. When they open the link, they’ll be sent to the specific highlighted section instead of the beginning of the page.
Google
An example of what the end result looked like using the browser extension can be found here (but only in Chrome and Edge browsers).
Google said the “copy link to highlight” feature is already available on desktop and Android devices for some users. The feature is “coming soon” to iOS, the company added.
Apple has officially announced its “Spring Loaded” event for April 20th, its first major product announcement of 2021.
Unlike a lot of Apple’s events, its spring events tend to be a bit more scattershot: one year might see high-end iPads, another a more education-focused event, or a launch of a comprehensive service strategy. This year, rumors are pointing to a refreshed iPad Pro lineup, potentially with Apple’s first Mini LED panels — which would bring a big jump forward for the company’s tablet displays. But we could also see new AirPods, the company’s long-rumored AirTag trackers, a new iPad Mini, and more.
The proceeding should kick off at 1PM ET on Tuesday, but if you’re looking for an early preview, here’s what you can probably expect to show up.
iPad Pro
It’s been over a year since Apple’s last refresh of the iPad Pro, and the 2020 model — a fairly iterative update to the 2019 version — is starting to get a little long in the tooth, especially compared to the beefed-up specs on Apple’s latest iPhones and M1 Macs.
Like last year, Apple is expected to launch both 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models; but the larger iPad Pro is expected to make a big switch in screen technology to debut Apple’s first Mini LED display. Additional rumors indicate that supply of the Mini LED panels might be hard to come by, that stock of the larger model may be limited at launch, or that Apple might delay the release of the 12.9-inch version until availability is better.
Photo by Brennan King / The Verge
A report from Bloomberg sheds more light on what to expect, too: while the overall design of the two tablets is expected to stay largely the same as last year’s model, Apple is expected to swap out the A12Z chip for a newer processor that’s said to be on par with its more recent M1 chipset. The new iPads are also said to upgrade to a Thunderbolt port (with faster data speeds and a wider peripheral selection than the standard USB-C port) and feature upgraded cameras.
Apple could also potentially have a new Apple Pencil accessory in the works to go with the new iPad Pros. Images of a new, glossy version of the stylus have been circulating on Twitter, and the “spring forward” teaser could imply that Apple might offer a spring-loaded tip, similar to what Wacom offers on its pens.
AirTags
Image by Guilherme Rambo / 9to5Mac
One of Apple’s worst-kept secrets in years, Apple’s Tile-like AirTags have been rumored to make an appearance at nearly every Apple event and announcement since early 2019. Said to be small, circular tags with Bluetooth and ultra-wideband radio chips, AirTags would rely on Apple’s existing Find My app and network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs to allow users to track and find missing objects (similar to how users can currently track lost phones).
AirTags would also potentially work with recent iPhone models’ U1 chip to allow for AR-based ultra-wideband tracking in local areas — something that Samsung has recently also began to offer with its Galaxy SmartTag Plus.
There have been references to AirTags (or Apple Tags) in iOS code leaks, endless rumors, and even in an official support video that explicitly revealed the “AirTags” name as part of its offline finding feature last year. The only thing left is for Apple to officially announce them.
iPad Mini
Also long overdue for an update is Apple’s oft-neglected iPad Mini, which was last refreshed over two years ago in March 2019. (Given that that update came after a four-year drought for the iPad Mini, a refresh this year would actually be beating par.) The current model features the exact outdated design that Apple’s been using for nearly a decade, with an older A12 processor to boot, so there’s plenty of room for Apple to improve things, too.
Adding fuel to the fire is that both Bloomberg and noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have pointed at a larger iPad Mini (potentially with an 8.5-inch display, which could come from eliminating some of the chunky 2012-era bezels) for 2021.
AirPods 3
A third-generation version of Apple’s AirPods has been rumored for months, set to feature shorter stems and replaceable ear tips, similar to the current AirPods Pro design. The updated AirPods are also said to feature better battery life than their predecessors. Apple has also been rumored to be working on a refreshed AirPods Pro design that would eliminate the earbud stem entirely, but as Bloomberg’s report notes, that redesign is further out — so they’re unlikely to make an appearance here.
Apple TV
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Apple TV 4K sits at a strange place in Apple’s lineup. Released in 2017, it’s one of the oldest Apple products still being sold. At $180, its price has since been lapped by Roku, Amazon, and Google, all of which offer comparable 4K streaming boxes at a fraction of the price.
Apple is rumored to be working on a refreshed model for 2021, which would add a faster processor and a new remote to replace the infamous Siri Remote. Support for HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz refresh rates could also be in the cards. But more than new features, the Apple TV 4K is in dire need of a price cut — something that Apple is historically more reticent to provide.
iOS 14.5
Given the pace of both developer and public betas, it’s all but certain that Apple will officially release iOS 14.5 either at or immediately following the event (especially if it has new iPad hardware). The new software promises to add the ability to more easily unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask through an Apple Watch, new emoji, and Apple’s highly debated App Tracking Transparency feature that has drawn particular ire from Facebook.
MacBooks and iMacs and Mac Pros (oh my!)
After the shockingly great debut of Apple’s first wave of Apple Silicon-powered computers last fall with the M1 MacBook Air, Pro, and Mac Mini, all eyes are on Apple’s next steps in its ARM transition. The company is rumored to be working on plenty of new Macs as it looks to achieve its ambitious goal of switching fully from Intel’s chips within two years. That includes more powerful MacBook Pros that would ditch the Touch Bar, bring back MagSafe and additional ports, and feature an improved M-series chip. A new iMac and a smaller Mac Pro (also featuring M-series chips) are said to be in the works as well.
With WWDC around the corner, though, it’s likely that we won’t hear more about new Mac hardware until then, especially if Apple is planning on debuting more developer and professional-friendly Apple Silicon-powered laptops and desktops.
Something surprising
Of course, with Apple, you never quite know what to expect — which means that there’s always room for a surprise announcement or two at the Spring Loaded event that not even we saw coming. Could Apple tease its long-rumored VR headset? A refreshed iPhone SE? A first look at the Apple Car? Whatever happens, stay tuned to The Verge for all the details.
You’ve probably been caught off guard by videos that play automatically on Facebook, Twitter, or just across the internet in general. They begin playing as soon as you load a page or (if they’re more deviously implemented) when you start scrolling through a page.
Automatic video play is a feature that, while nice to have when it’s surfacing content that’s related to your interests, can be pretty annoying. Autoplay videos can be harmful, too, exposing you to violent, offensive, or otherwise unwanted content that you shouldn’t have to see by default.
Whether you just want to put an end to autoplay videos on social media platforms or are looking for a more comprehensive fix, we’ve got some tips. Keep in mind that you’ll need to adjust these settings for every device that you use, since your preferences on, say, your phone do not automatically push to your PC.
Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge
Facebook
If you’re using Facebook on your browser, you can turn off autoplay videos this way:
Go to the drop-down menu at the top right of the page.
Select “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings.”
Look for the “Videos” listing on the left-hand menu. Inside of that option is a toggle where you can turn off autoplaying videos.
Facebook has similar options available for its iOS and Android apps:
Using the iOS app
Click the menu button on the bottom of your screen.
Once you’re there, tap “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”
Scroll down until you find “Media and Contacts,” then tap “Videos and Photos.”
Finally, once you find “Autoplay,” you can turn off the feature.
Using the Android app
Click the menu button at the top right of your screen.
Once you’re there, scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”
Scroll down until you find “Media and Contacts” and tap on it.
Tap on “Autoplay” and set it to “Never Autoplay Videos.”
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Twitter
Click on “More” in the left-hand menu, and then on “Settings and privacy.”
Select “Accessibility, display, and languages” > “Data usage”
Click on the “Autoplay” setting. You can then switch off the autoplaying of videos on your feed.
Using the iOS and Android apps
Click the profile picture at the top of your phone screen.
Select “Settings and privacy” in the menu.
Navigate to “Data usage,” tap on “Video autoplay” and set it to “Never.”
Instagram
Instagram doesn’t allow for autoplay videos to be turned off, so you’ll have to tread carefully here. Videos won’t autoplay with sound if you use Instagram on your browser. Stopping autoplay on mobile devices is possible, but a little roundabout.
Using a mobile app
Go to your profile page and tap on the three lines in the upper right corner
Go to “Settings” > “Account” > “Cellular Data Use”
For Android: toggle the “Data Saver” on and tap on “High Resolution Media.” If you then select “Never,” then media such as videos won’t load in advance.
For iOS: toggle on “Use Less Data”
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Reddit
Reddit, like most sites that host video, autoplays videos by default. However, it’s pretty easy to turn it off.
Using the newest design
Click your username in the upper-right corner and select “User settings” in the menu.
Select the “Feed settings” tab at the top of the page, and toggle off the “Autoplay media” switch.
Using the legacy version
Click “Preferences” next to your username in the top right of the window.
Under “Media,” look for and uncheck “Autoplay Reddit videos on the desktop comments page.”
You’ll need to hit “save options” at the bottom of the screen to put the changes through.
Using the mobile app
Tap the icon next to the search bar, then hit “Settings.”
You’ll see “Autoplay” near the top of the page, and you can easily choose to turn it off.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Desktop browsers
There are a variety of desktop browsers out there — some of which let you turn off video autoplay and some of which don’t.
Using Google Chrome
If you use Google Chrome and want to turn off video autoplay — you can’t. There used to be an experimental command-line flag that allowed you to turn them off (you can find the flags by typing chrome://flags/ into Chrome’s address field), but it’s disappeared.
You can turn the sound off (which might help a bit):
Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner
Select “Settings” > “Site settings” > “Sound”
Toggle sound off. You can add exceptions for specific sites here.
Using Microsoft Edge
Interestingly, Microsoft’s Edge browser, which is also based on the Chromium open-source design, does let you turn off — well, at least, limit — video autoplay:
Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Settings.”
In the left-hand column, click on “Site Permissions,” and then scroll down to and select “Media autoplay.”
You can either allow audio and video to play automatically or limit it. According to the instructions, whether autoplay will work or not will depend on “how you’ve visited the page and whether you interacted with media in the past.”
Using Firefox
Firefox has a similar feature that lets you turn off autoplay, for the most part.
Click on the three lines in the upper right corner of the browser and select “Preferences.”
In the left-hand column, click on “Privacy & Security.”
Scroll down to the section headed “Permissions” and look for “Autoplay.” Click on the button marked “Settings.”
A drop-down menu will let you allow audio and video, block audio, or block audio and video. You can also specify sites that you want to differ from your defaults — for example, if you block audio and video as a default, but you want to allow it for, say, The Verge.
Using Safari
Safari makes it simple to disable autoplay. In fact, it assumes that you want the feature disabled to begin with. However, if it hasn’t been disabled — or if you want to make some exceptions to the rule — here’s what you do:
While in the app, go to Safari > Preferences in the top menu.
Click on “Websites” in the top menu.
Look for and select “Auto-Play” in the side menu.
Look for the drop-down menu at the bottom right of the window and select “Never Auto-Play.”
As with Firefox, you can whitelist any sites that you want to be an exception to the rule.
Update September 4th, 2020 5:11PM ET: This article was originally published on March 15th, 2019. Most of the entries have been updated.
Update April 15, 2021 5:30PM ET: Additional entries have been updated.
Windows 10 is officially losing its once-ambitious Timeline feature, Microsoft announced today. Timeline, first launched in 2017, was designed to make it easier for users to swap between multiple devices — transitioning seamlessly from a Windows 10 PC to an Android or iOS phone and back again.
It’s no surprise that Timeline is getting deprecated: it was a feature that heavily relied on Microsoft’s Cortana assistant, which would prompt users to resume tasks from device to device. Cortana was a particularly important part of building out the Timeline experience on iOS and Android devices, where Microsoft (obviously) had less control.
Given that Cortana’s prevalence in Windows has been heavily diminished and the mobile apps completely discontinued, it makes sense that Microsoft would sunset Timeline as well.
The news was announced as part of the changelog for the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21359:
If you have your activity history synced across your devices through your Microsoft account (MSA), you’ll no longer have the option to upload new activity in Timeline. AAD-connected accounts won’t be impacted. To view web history, Edge and other browsers have the option to look back at recent web activities. You can also view recently used files using OneDrive and Office.
Insider build users should already see the changes once they’ve installed the new update, while users on the standard update track should see the removal of Timeline in the coming weeks.
The FBI partnered with an Australian security firm called Azimuth Security to gain access to an iPhone linked to the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, a new report from The Washington Post reveals. Before now, the methods the FBI used to get into the iPhone were kept secret. It was only clear that Apple wasn’t involved, as the company had refused to build a backdoor into the phone, kicking off a legal battle that only ended after the FBI successfully hacked the phone.
The phone at the center of the fight was seized after its owner, Syed Rizwan Farook, perpetrated an attack that killed 14 people. The FBI attempted to get into the phone but was unable to due to the iOS 9 feature that would erase the phone after a certain number of failed password attempts. Apple attempted to help the FBI in other ways but refused to build a passcode bypass system for the bureau, saying that such a backdoor would permanently decrease the security of its phones.
After the FBI announced that it had gained access to the phone, there were concerns that Apple’s security could have been deeply compromised. But according to The Washington Post, the exploit was simple: Azimuth basically found a way to guess the passcode as many times as it wanted without erasing the phone, allowing the bureau to get into the phone in a matter of hours.
The technical details of how the auto-erase feature was bypassed are fascinating. The actual hacking was reportedly done by two Azimuth employees who gained access to the phone by exploiting a vulnerability in an upstream software module written by Mozilla. That code was reportedly used by Apple in iPhones to enable the use of accessories with the Lightning port. Once the hackers gained initial access, they were able to chain together two more exploits, which gave them full control over the main processor, allowing them to run their own code.
After they had this power, they were able to write and test software that guessed every passcode combination, ignoring any other systems that would lock out or erase the phone. The exploit chain, from Lightning port to processor control, was named Condor. As with many exploits, though, it didn’t last long. Mozilla reportedly fixed the Lightning port exploit a month or two later as part of a standard update, which was then adopted by the companies using the code, including Apple.
In the end, not much happened as a result of the effort. The FBI reportedly didn’t get any useful information from the phone, and the bureau never got to set a legal precedent about whether the government could compel companies to compromise the security of their devices. In 2017, a judge ruled that the FBI didn’t have to reveal how it had gotten into the iPhone, or who had helped it, due to concern that the mystery firm would face cybersecurity attacks as backlash for helping the FBI if its identity was made public.
Parallels is releasing an update to its Desktop virtual machine software that allows M1 Mac owners to install Windows 10 on Arm. Parallels Desktop 16.5 now includes the necessary native support to run the Arm version of Windows on M1 chips, following Apple’s decision not to support Boot Camp on M1 Macs.
The latest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac now allows M1 Mac owners to run Windows 10 on Arm apps or traditional x86 apps side by side with Mac or iOS apps on Big Sur. There will be some app limitations on the Windows 10 on Arm side, thanks to its own app emulation, but Windows 10 on Arm will soon support x64 app emulation, too.
Windows 10 running on an M1 MacBook Pro.Image: Corel
Parallels Desktop maker Corel says its latest update also results in some impressive performance and battery improvements over running the software on Intel-based Macs. According to Corel, the 16.5 update uses up to 250 percent less energy on an M1 Mac, compared to an Intel-based MacBook Air. There’s also a promise of up to 60 percent better DirectX 11 performance and up to 30 percent better overall virtual machine performance running the Arm version of Windows 10 on an M1 Mac instead of a Windows 10 VM on an Intel-based MacBook Pro.
The main drawback is that you’ll need to run a preview version of Windows to make this all work. Microsoft only currently licenses the Arm version of Windows 10 to PC makers, so there’s no official way to buy a copy yet. The software maker does provide a Windows 10 on Arm preview build, which can be downloaded from Microsoft’s Windows Insider website.
Alongside the Windows 10 on Arm support, Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac also supports Linux distros like Ubuntu 20.04, Kali Linux 2021.1, Debian 10.7, and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2.
Google will soon be removing its Google Play Movies & TV app from Roku streaming devices, as well as LG, Samsung and Vizio smart TVs. The tech giant is pulling the plug from 15th June 2021, after which users will have to rely on YouTube to access their purchased content and to buy new movies.
The shut down was prompted by the announcement of the new Google TV app, which will eventually replace Google Play Movies & TV entirely. Indeed, the Google TV app has already replaced its predecessor on Android phones and tablets.
The good news is that most of the best TVs from Samsung, LG and Vizio support the YouTube app. That said, a handful of older model TVs don’t, which would seem to leave those Play Movies & TV customers snookered.
For most, though, any previous Google Play Movies store purchases will be available in YouTube’s ‘Library’ tab under the ‘Your movies and shows’ section. You’ll need to log in using the same account you used on the outgoing app, according to AndroidAuthority.
Google has also confirmed that Google Play credits can still be used in the YouTube app, and has offered some customers a free movie credit to thank them for their loyalty. However, while Family Library content will continue to be available, any new YouTube purchases won’t be available for family sharing (you’ll have to buy through the Google Play website instead).
The Google TV app was announced last year alongside the new Chromecast with Google TV video streamer. You can download the app on Chromecast and Android mobile devices – but not iOS devices. There’s also no word on whether the app will ever land on smart platforms not operated by Google.
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SiFive on Tuesday said that that its OpenFive division has successfully taped out the company’s first system-on-chip (SoC) on TSMC’s N5 process technology. The SoC can be used for AI and HPC applications and can be further customized by SiFive customers to meet their needs. Meanwhile, elements from this SoC can be licensed and used for other N5 designs without any significant effort.
The SoC contains the SiFive E76 32-bit CPU core(s) for AI, microcontrollers, edge-computing, and other relatively simplistic applications that do not require full precision. It uses OpenFive’s D2D (die-to-die) interface for 2.5D packages as well as OpenFive’s High Bandwidth Memory (HBM3) IP subsystem, which includes a controller and PHY that supports data transfer rates of up to 7.2 Gbps.
The announcement represents a milestone for SiFive and OpenFive, as the SoC is the first RISC-V-based device to be made using a 5nm node. Meanwhile, the announcement also contains two interesting facts. The first one is of course OpenFive’s implementation of an HBM3 solution and its rather bold data transfer rate expectation (2X compared to the fastest HBM2E available today). The second one is OpenFive’s D2D interface for chiplets that uses 16 Gbps NRZ signals with clock forwarding architecture, comprised of 40 IOs per channel, and provides throughput of up to ~1.75Tbps/mm.
(Image credit: OpenFive)
The current design will hardly ever be used ‘as is’, but parties interested in building a high-performance 5nm RISC-V SoC for AI or HPC applications can take it as a the base design and equip it with their own or third-party IP (e.g., custom accelerators, high-performance FP64-capable cores, etc.).
Alternatively, all three key components of the SoC implemented using TSMC’s N5 node — the E76 core, the D2D interface and its physical implementation (which includes built-in PLL, programmable output drivers, and link training state machines), and the HBM3 memory solution (controller, I/O, PHY) — can be licensed separately.
The tape out means that the documentation for the chip has been submitted for manufacturing to TSMC, which essentially means that the SoC has been successfully simulated. The silicon is expected to be obtained in Q2 2021.
Apple’s next event will take place on April 20th, the company announced today, with an invite teasing the upcoming event with a “Spring Loaded.” tagline. The official confirmation came just hours after the company’s voice assistant revealed the date early when asked “When is the next Apple event?”
As is typical, there’s not much to go by from the invitation, although the squiggly Apple logo and “spring-loaded” tagline could hint at a new Apple Pencil stylus — perhaps one with some sort of clickable button.
The timing of the event does favor an announcement of new iPad Pros, too. Although the new 11- and 12.9-inch tablets are expected to have a similar design to last year’s models, the larger version will reportedly be Apple’s first with a Mini LED display. Other rumored improvements include a faster processor with performance in line with the M1 chip Apple used in its recent Macs, upgraded USB-C ports, and better cameras. A new iPad mini with a larger 8.5- to 9-inch screen (up from 7.9 inches last time around) is also reportedly coming in the first half of this year.
Another contender to appear at the event is Apple’s AirTags, Apple’s long-rumored Tile competitor. References to the trackers, which are thought to make use of the ultra-wideband technology that debuted in the iPhone 11, appeared in iOS as early as 2019. But despite reportedly entering mass production last year, they’ve yet to be officially announced.
Beyond the devices Apple is rumored to be announcing imminently, there are a couple of others that are believed to be on the way for this year, which also have a chance of making an appearance next week.
Apple is reportedly planning a revamp of its iMac lineup this year, as it transitions the Macs to its own Apple Silicon processors. Rumored changes include slimmer bezels and a design that resembles the Pro Display XDR. Last month, Apple confirmed it would stop selling the current base model of the iMac Pro once supplies run out, suggesting Apple is poised to announce new models sooner rather than later.
There have also been reports that new MacBook Pros and a new MacBook Air are coming this year. The laptops are rumored to see a return of fan-favorite features like MagSafe charging and SD card slots, while the MacBook Pro’s divisive Touch Bar could be on the way out.
Then there’s Apple’s AirPods. A new version of the true wireless earbuds are reportedly on the way and could arrive as early as the first half of 2021. That’s according to a report from Bloomberg last year, which said the new AirPods will come with AirPods Pro-style elements like shorter stems and replaceable ear tips. There are also new AirPods Pro earbuds on the way, which could ditch the stem entirely.
Finally, Bloomberg also reported last year that Apple could release an upgraded Apple TV in 2021. Reportedly, this year’s model will be focused on gaming and will feature a new remote, updated processor, and 120Hz support.
Android’s Google Photos app is being updated with the improved video editing tools that were previously exclusive to iOS. Android Police spotted the rollout, and reports that it appears to be available for both Google Pixel devices and other Android phones. The tools appear to have arrived with a server-side update, though you can try updating to the latest version of Google Photos if they’re not yet live in your app.
As Google explained back in February, the new video editing tools include over 30 controls, covering everything from cropping, filters, and color grading options like adjusting contrast, saturation, and brightness.
The video editing tools are arriving on Android as Google’s Photos service is going through some big changes. As part of its February announcement, the company said it would be bringing some machine-learning powered editing tools previously exclusive to Pixel devices to other Android phones, but only for Google One subscribers. Next, in June, Google Photos will end its unlimited free photo storage, and will ask users to pay for storage beyond 15GB. The app is getting more powerful, but increasingly you’re having to pay for more advanced features.
As well as announcing that the iOS video editing tools would be coming to Android, in February Google also said Android’s new photo editing tools would be making their way to iOS. Google announced they’d be arriving “in the coming months,” but as of this writing they don’t appear to be live.
The desktop Google Photos website seems to be getting the ability to scan for text in an image and turn it into copy-and-pasteable text, thanks to Google’s Lens technology (via 9to5Google). Lens has been available in many places on Android for a while, but its optical character recognition (OCR) feature coming to the desktop could make Google Photos an easy and free way to get real-life text onto your computer.
According to 9to5Google, the feature seems to be rolling out widely, but a writer at XDA-Developers didn’t have it show up for them. I was able to use it, though. To use it (or to check if you have it yet), load up the Google Photos site and go to a photo where you’ve captured some text (such as a page of a book, a sign, a receipt, etc). If Google detects words, a “Copy text from image” button should pop up, and clicking that will open a pane that lets you read the text that Google found.
The Copy text from image button will show up on images that Google finds text in.
One practical application of having Lens on desktop could be scanning written text documents and pasting that into something you’re writing on a desktop computer. To test this, I took this picture of an open book, and the results were nearly flawless:
You can select the text directly on the photo or use the sidebar.
Lens even managed to interpret an “æ” correctly.
Google Lens has many more abilities on Android (and in the iOS Google Photos app), but it seems that text-copying is the only one that’s made it to the desktop so far. The browser version of Google Photos didn’t offer to translate a picture with Spanish text (though it did let me copy the text), and it doesn’t look like it can identify things like animals or plants.
Still, it’s nice to see one of Lens’ most useful features coming to the desktop version of Google Photos, and hopefully it’s an indication that more are on the way.
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