Latest News - Page 806

When Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra 2 alongside the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and Apple Watch Series 9 on September 12, it made it immediately available for preorder. And it seems that people have been getting those orders in double-quick because some configurations are very much not available for day-one delivery right now.

Ordering an Apple Watch Ultra 2 right now could see you having to wait a very long time before it arrives on your doorstep, depending on the configuration that you choose. MacRumors notes that some delivery windows are already stretching far beyond the September 22 launch date with some people set to wait almost two months before their new watch will arrive.

The worst-hit models seem to be those that come with the Trail Loop in Orange and Beige for both S/M and M/L sizes. Those Apple Watch Ultra 2 wearables won't arrive for anything up to seven weeks, it seems. Apple Watch Ultra 2 models that are ordered with an Alpine band could be waiting up to three weeks at the time of writing - and those delivery estimates are only going to get worse, too.

You might be forgiven for thinking that all Apple announced during its September 12 Wonderlust event was a set of new iPhones, but you'd be wrong. Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, not to mention an interesting pair of AirPods Pro 2.

We already had AirPods Pro 2 on the market, of course. But things are different with this new pair because they come with USB-C built in, ditching Lightning for the first time. The result is that the AirPods Pro 2 now have USB-C, which is cool, But while Apple didn't mention that there are new earbuds as well, there absolutely are. And they're causing some confusion thanks to a new feature that will offer so-called lossless sound when connected to Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset.

The USB-C AirPods Pro were thought to be identical to the previous model, bar that new connector. But Bloomberg's Mark Gurman confirmed with Apple that the new losses Vision Pro audio support is indeed limited to the new release, leaving older AirPods Pro 2 owners in the lurch.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are now official and as we expected, they're going to come with a new chip inside. That new chip is going to be called the A17 Pro and if these new Geekbench scores are any indication, it's going to be one fast big of silicon.

The new iPhones were announced during a streamed event on September 12, and they look mighty impressive. Apple said that we should expect GPU performance to be around 20% faster than the A16 Bionic, while the CPU should be around 10% faster than the same chip. And that's pretty much exactly what these early Geekbench scores show us.

These Geekbench scores were first spotted by MySmartPrice, and they're pretty good. In these tests the A17 Pro scores 2908 and 7238 points in the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. To put that into perspective, the iPhone 14 Pro scores 2642 and 6739 in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.

Apple announced iOS 17 way back on June 5 as part of the WWDC event that also saw the Vision Pro announced. But while it's been available in beta form ever since, we're somehow still learning about it. Like the fact that the update will offer more than 20 new ringtones when it arrives on September 18.

The news comes after Apple released the first Release Candidate version of iOS 17 to developers immediately following the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro unveiling earlier this week. And while Apple hasn't yet confirmed that the ringtones are coming, that beta does indeed have them available for people who have installed it.

The new ringtones were spotted by people on the X social network, while MacRumors detailed which new ringtones we can look forward to trying out. Those new ringtones include Arpeggio, Breaking, Canopy, Chalet, Chirp, Daybreak, Departure, Dollop, Journey, Kettle, Mercury, Milky Way, Quad, Radial, Scavenger, Seedling, Shelter, Sprinkles, Steps, Storytime, Tease, Tilt, Unfold, and Valley. However, the existing Reflection ringtone remains the default one.

Apple announcing that its next-generation iPhone 15 will feature a USB-C port in replacement of the Lighting Port opens up a world of new possibilities for iPhone users.

A new report from Mac Rumors, which dove through the specifications sheet released by Apple, has found the USB-C port in all iPhone 15 models comes with support for DisplayPort up to 4K HDR video mirroring, along with video output to external displays or TVs. This unlock in capabilities can be attributed to USB-C having support for DisplayPort connectivity, and means that all iPhone 15's will be able to output video at 4K/60Hz natively.

Users will need a USB-C to DisplayPort cable to achieve this, or Apple's $69 USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter that supports HDMI. However, this connection alternative doesn't come with HDR support. Comparatively, previous generations of iPhone that all featured Lightning Ports capped video output mirroring to 1080p. Furthermore, people wondering if the iPhone features extended display mode. It doesn't, per Mac Rumors.

The internet is ablaze with speculation for the next-generation Switch, a handheld console that is rumored to come with a substantial performance jump compared to its predecessor.

The rumors began swirling when it surfaced that Nintendo showcased Nintendo Switch 2 hardware to developers at Gamescom, revealing the system was capable of using DLSS to deliver PS5-level graphics. The rumors suggest that Nintendo held private backstage meetings with select developers, showing off a high-end Matrix Awakens tech demo and an upgraded version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The speculation pointed to the Nintendo Switch 2 being powered by NVIDIA's 8nm Orin-based T234 SoC that would come with ARM-based DLSS support that features Ray Tracing capabilities. Now, Nintendo has announced a new 40-minute Nintendo Direct that it says will deliver information on new Switch games releasing this coming Winter. However, there is a chance that Nintendo will drop a small teaser for the coming next-gen console.

The company wrote in a statement that it identified a cybersecurity threat in some of its systems that has resulted in its website being temporarily shut down.

MGM Resorts released a statement that confirmed its systems powering a selection of its casinos along the Las Vegas stripe detected a cybersecurity issue that caused some slot machines being taken offline, with other gambling systems also being temporarily shut down. The company said it took "prompt action to protect our systems and data," but isn't sure how widespread the vulnerability is and what systems have been affected by the attack.

The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group have claimed responsibility for the attack in a forum post, where it boasts that it was extremely easy to gain access to MGM Resort's systems. The ransomware group claims they used basic social engineering tactics to gain the necessary information to access the systems in order to obtain data that would force MGM Resorts to pay a ransom. However, MGM Resort refuses to pay the group.

Adobe Premiere Pro will be getting a new AI tool that is designed to remove the fat, background noise, or filler on audio, making for a much smoother listening experience depending on the content.

The new tool is called filler word detection, and according to Adobe, it's designed to remove any unnecessary sounds by deleting them from the audio timeline. For example, the new tool, officially called Enhance Speech, and will be able to convert any "recorded in a professional studio." For example, the new tool would be able to detect the "ums" and "hmms" in a conversation, say on a podcast, and automatically remove them.

The release of this new tool is part of Adobe's push to integrate AI-powered tools into its suite of products, as the company is planning on generative AI across Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Illustrator, which has been in beta since March. These new tools can be accessed via a "generative credits" subscription plan that allows users to "turn a text-based prompt into image and vector creations." Furthermore, the AI tools can be accessed through a Creative Cloud subscription plan.

An independent team of 16 researchers has been evaluating the evidence the US government has acquired on the unexplained flying objects detected in Earth's skies, and now the team is releasing a report this Thursday.

The NASA report is a highly anticipated study within the UFO community, or as recently renamed, the UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena), as it will likely reinforce the widely believed argument that systems should be put in place that are designed to detect and record valuable data on this phenomena to ultimately understand its capabilities and intention.

The team of researchers shared their preliminary takes on the evidence back in May, saying that much of the data, which includes eyewitnesses, isn't enough to be able to make firm conclusions about the object. The group of researchers simultaneously called for higher-quality data. The study is expected to be released this coming Thursday.

Starfield isn't even a month old, and we are already seeing a slew of different mods making their way to the public, and now one modder has decided to make taking off and landing just that much cooler.

The new mod is being developed by YouTuber "Bub" who posted a video to their channel showcasing the capabilities of the first-person takeoff/landing mod that enables players to view both through the first-person/third-person viewing options. The official modding tools for Starfield aren't out yet, but this coming mod seems to be working extremely smoothly with what appears to be zero problems.

Looking at how awesome it is to take off and land, particularly in the third-person perspective, it makes me wish this was an already option in vanilla Starfield. Bethesda certainly dropped the ball in this regard, as I believe the third-person perspective adds a degree of immersion to both sequences.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is cracking down on the owners of the world's largest search engine by accusing the company of using agreements with big tech companies as a way of cornering the market.

A new report from the AP has dived into the relationship between the Department of Justice and Google regarding the company's agreements with tech giants such as Apple, Samsung, and Mozilla Firefox to make Google the default search engine across a large range of devices. The DOJ lawyers argue that these agreements were viewed by Google as "powerful tools" that kept the search engine market away from any competitors.

As you can probably already imagine, Google's lawyers denied any illegal use of its agreements, saying the company didn't use the agreements as a way to dominate the market, and that Google's market share is a result of the company creating superior products compared to its competitors. The DOJ lawyers accuse the goliath platform of using anticompetitive methods to prevent any potential competition from challenging Google's position.

Continuing on previous observations conducted by the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA and the European Space Agency's James Webb Space Telescope, the world's most powerful space telescope, has gained results that indicate a relatively close exoplanet may have an ocean surface.

That planet is K2-18 b and has become a prime location for observations since its discovery, with Webb pointing its highly sensitive instruments at an exoplanet that is located just 120 light-years away from Earth. The results of scanning the atmosphere of the exoplanet were promising, with the analysis indicating that K2-18 b's atmosphere contains traces of carbon dioxide and methane, yet not ammonia, which, according to NASA, may indicate the surface of the planet contains oceans of water.

K2-18 b has a mass approximately 8.6 times that of Earth and is orbiting a star in what astronomers like to refer to as the "habitable zone," which is not too close to the star where the planet will be burned and not too far away where it will be frozen. Both situations for planet position relative to their local star dramatically reduce the chances of life existing, hence the decision by many astronomers to search planets that are residing in habitable zones.

SpaceX is gearing up for Starship's second orbital attempt, and it seems there isn't much more to stop the 394-foot rocket from taking flight again, with Elon Musk announcing that SpaceX has checked off many of the requirements preventing Starship from getting launch approval.

It wasn't long ago that Elon Musk announced that SpaceX had completed all development of Starship, which was followed by SpaceX issuing a press release that explained the team has implemented what they learned from the first orbital test flight onto the new Starship.

The first orbital launch attempt occurred on April 20 this year. Starship took to the skies before a fire severed communications with on-ground teams, resulting in the booster failing to separate and Starship beginning to tumble. SpaceX detonated the rocket in mid-air.

Intel has officially announced the capabilities of the Thunderbolt 5 standard that comes with massive upgrades. For example, 120 Gbps bandwidth, 240W charging, and many other impressive performance leaps.

The company took to its website to share a press release that reveals what we can expect out of Thunderbolt 5, and according to Intel, "deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth benefits". Jason Ziller, the general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel, said that Thunderbolt 5 will be aimed at providing high-speed connectivity to demanding users looking to take advantage of monitors, docks, storage options, and more.

The next-generation connectivity standard will deliver 80 gigabits per second (Gbps) of bi-directional bandwidth, with the Bandwidth Boost technology pushing its capabilities up to 120 Gbps. This jump in bandwidth is three times the currently most powerful connectivity solution. For comparison, Thunderbolt 3/4 is capped at 40 Gbps, which may not be enough for creators running multiple high-resolution monitors. However, with the extra headroom in Thunderbolt 5 (120 Gbps), users will be able to connect multiple 8K displays.

After several delays due to worker shortages and equipment hurdles, mass production at TSMC's US-based semiconductor foundry is now on track for 2025. But, according to a new report (via TrendForce), the company is planning to begin small-scale production in Q1 2024 - with an estimated monthly capacity of around 4,000 to 5,000 wafers.

The production size might be small, but it will mean that the Fab 21 facility in Arizona will produce Made in the U.S.A. chips for some of its customers - including AMD, Apple, and NVIDIA. With the AI boom, TSMC's capacity to produce chips at its Taiwanese facilities could be fully booked for 2024, so even as a pilot line for production in the U.S., companies will most likely greet this news positively.

TSMC's Fab 21 Phase 1 construction began in April 2021 with a production target of early 2024 set by the company - which has since been pushed to 2025, a one-year delay. Some reasons for the delay cited in the article include the aforementioned worker and skill shortage, equipment installation issues, local union protests, and even the different safety regulations in the U.S. compared to Taiwan.

The new ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 BTF is the first GPU to sport a power-cable-free design as part of the BTF (Back To The Future) collaboration between ASUS, Thermaltake, and SilverStone - and it'll be released in China on September 15. This means it will be available this weekend in the region for those looking to create a unique build.

The cable-free GeForce RTX 4070 requires a BTF "hidden-connector motherboard" that hides all of its connectors on the underside for clean cable management and a new form of power delivery to components like the GPU. To house the new GeForce RTX 4070, ASUS is also launching the new TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI motherboard for Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th-generation processors.

Under the motherboard, you'll find ASUS's new GC-HPWR connector capable of PCI Express power delivery from 75W up to 600W. On the GPU side, this means an additional connector next to the PCI interface for the extra power delivery - which should be able to support everything from a GeForce RTX 4060 to a GeForce RTX 4090.

Apple has lifted the lid on the latest iPhone 15 generation. Regarding the flagship iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, there are some major upgrades on the way, most notably in the form of the 3nm A17 Pro chip that Apple claims can play modern AAA games with hardware ray-tracing.

Yeah, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will see versions of Assassin's Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, and Death Stranding arrive - which is remarkable when you factor in that we're talking about smartphones. However, there will be a big difference in the capabilities between the Pro variants and the baseline iPhone 15.

In addition to the non-Pro iPhone 15 featuring the last-gen A16 Bionic chip, its USB capabilities will be limited to USB 2 versus the USB 3 on the Pro and Pro Max. And before you conclude that this sounds like a ploy to get customers to shell out for the more expensive and premium models, the USB limitation looks to be due to the last-gen chip.

Last week, we reported on multiple sources claiming that Nintendo was demonstrating Nintendo Switch 2 hardware to developers at Gamescom. Showcasing an upgraded version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the visually stunning The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 tech demo for PlayStation 5, the internet is abuzz with speculation on what the Switch 2 will be capable of.

According to sources, the Nintendo Switch 2 demos also included ray-tracing and NVIDIA DLSS, pointing to a serious upgrade compared to the current Switch hardware - which first hit the scene in 2017. The existing Switch is powered by a custom Tegra X1 chip using NVIDIA's 20nm Maxwell architecture from 2014, so it's definitely starting to show its age.

And with that, we've got sources outlining what NVIDIA chip (heavily customized and optimized) will be found at the heart of the Nintendo Switch 2 - NVIDIA's T239 Ampere APU (via @Kepler_L2).

Bethesda has outlined its plans for updating Starfield, with the first batch of updates to the game set to focus on community-requested features - which includes official DLSS support for the game on PC. With Starfield currently being restricted to AMD's FSR 2 upscaling, this has led to modders releasing DLSS 2 Super Resolution and even DLSS 3 Frame Generation to meet the demand for NVIDIA's popular tech.

"First, an enormous thank you to all of you playing Starfield and your support," Bethesda writes. "We are absolutely blown away by the response and all you love about the game. We're also reading all your great feedback on what you'd like to see improved or added to the game."

Adding, "Our priority initially is making sure any top blocker bugs or stability issues are addressed and adding quality-of-life features that many are asking for." The post doesn't put a timeline on when we can expect updates or which quality-of-life features will come first - but the initial list is very welcome news and will definitely please the Starfield community. And yes, DLSS is officially coming - though no word on whether this will also include Frame Generation.

A senior developer over at CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the upcoming 2.0 update and Phantom Libery expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 will greatly increase CPU utilization for multi-core processors. The developer in question, Filip Pierściński, took to Twitter/X to confirm that those with 8-Core CPUs could see utilization hover at around 90%.

And with that, he warns players to "please check" the "cooling systems" in their PCs by running a CPU-intensive benchmark like Cinebench to ensure stability. And avoid a situation where Cyberpunk 2077 crashes their PC because the CPU has hit a thermal threshold.

The good news is that this multi-core support will make better use of Ryzen CPUs - where currently, players with AMD CPUs are resorting to using mods that better utilize Ryzen's multithreading capabilities. This should also lead to better Ryzen X3D performance, as 3D V-Cache is about leveraging multi-core performance.