TikTok is opening up a new way for creators to make money. The company plans to start sharing a cut of revenue with top creators when their videos run alongside certain ads. The program mirrors how YouTube pays out creators, and it could lead to more significant payouts from the platform, which has yet to offer a substantial way for creators to make money.

The new program, called TikTok Pulse, allows ads to be specifically run alongside “the top 4% of all videos on TikTok,” the company wrote in a blog post today. Creators and publishers with at least 100,000 followers are eligible to receive a cut of revenue when their videos are included. But for now, TikTok isn’t saying what that cut is or how many creators it’ll accept into the program.

Pulse will launch in June in the US, with additional markets coming sometime this fall, Sandie Hawkins, TikTok’s GM of North America global business solutions, told The Verge.

Until now, TikTok’s main way of compensating creators has been through its “Creator Fund,” which pays out select users based on the popularity of their videos. But creators have said the payouts from this program can be small and inconsistent, which means it hasn’t offered creators a sustainable revenue stream the way that YouTube’s ad program has for some video makers.

TikTok will start to share ad revenue with creators

Imagine buying PC parts to make a PC, only for the computer to not work properly or even start. Well, you are not alone. There are many people out there who make simple mistakes when building a PC, even the veterans in the field.

While it is true that making a computer is far easier these days than it was long ago, but in spite of that, mistakes happen. So let us explore common mistakes people make so that one can avoid them.

Plugging the HDMI cable into the motherboard instead of graphics card

Do not insert in here if you have bought a graphics card. Board: MSI-B450M-PRO-VDH. Credit: MSI.

Many people buy an expensive graphics card for gaming (this is especially the case due to the current prices), only to complain that their games are running really slow.

After a lot of troubleshooting, one comes to know that they inserted the HDMI cable (originating from their display monitor) into the HDMI slot of their motherboard rather than the HDMI slot in their graphics card.

It does not help the fact that some CPUs do come with a built-in, but low powered graphics processor. So many people cannot understand why their games are starting but still running so slow.

Additionally, unlike years ago, many boards do come with a built-in HDMI slot rather than just a VGA slot, causing further confusion, but that would be nitpicking.

Insert it here instead. Image credit: MSI.

Forgetting to power ON the PSU

Don’t forget to turn ON this switch. Image credit: Corsair.

Imagine. Building a PC. Installing everything correctly. Plugging all the wires properly. Then you press the power button, but nothing happens. You do everything to find out what’s causing it.

Whether the CPU is installed properly, whether the motherboard is working properly. Whether the RAM is inserted correctly. Everything looks fine. But it still does not work. Only for you to know that you have forgotten to press ON the power switch on the backside of the power supply unit (PSU).

As laughable as this maybe. It’s a very common mistake PC builders and computer repairers make after building a PC or repairing it. People either do not know or tend to forget that a power switch exists on the PSU on the back of their computer.

Cheaping out on the PSU

A simple PSU. Don’t go by looks alone. Check company and quality before buying. This was a top PSU of an era. Credit: SeaSonic.

A lot of people buy an expensive CPU and graphics card for their computer, with a good motherboard and RAM. But they do not pay enough attention to their PSU.

PSU is among the most important part of the computer. Yet hardly any attention is paid to it. A bad quality PSU can be made from cheap parts which can cause electrical jitter and noise which can damage the expensive parts inside the computer in the longer run.

Not only that, a bad quality PSU might not come with important features like overpower protection, over-voltage protection, under-voltage protection, over-current protection and others.

Though a bit outdated, some members at Tom’s Hardware have created a good list of PSU which one can buy and avoid depending on their needs. General rule of thumb is that Seasonic PSUs do not disappoint. But that is a personal opinion.

Putting too much or too little of thermal paste on CPU

Don’t do this.

Many people buy an aftermarket CPU cooler. While the CPU coolers that come with the processors sometimes have the thermal paste or thermal compound pre-installed on the aluminum heat sink of the CPU fan, aftermarket CPU coolers need manual application of the thermal paste.

While it’s true that it does not cause any major problems if one puts an extra amount of thermal paste on the CPU, it does become messy. Yes, many thermal pastes are not electrically conductive (which is a good thing as it won’t cause any short-circuit), but it will still make it really hard for one to clean it after it dries. Also, it can seep into the parts or pins, causing undesirable problems.

Another problem happens when people put too little of the thermal paste, fearing about applying too much of it. That’s wrong too. The problem with that is, CPU’s important parts that heat up too much do not get covered properly.

Ideally, one can put a pea sized blob of thermal paste on the CPU and be done with it. But that differs based on the CPU model and make.

Running RAM at slow speeds

A lot of CPUs and motherboards support fast RAM. But they do not work at fast speeds by default.

Many people buy a fast RAM, install it and find out that they are running at slower than intended speeds. That is because in order for RAM to work at higher speeds, one needs to change settings in the BIOS.

It is easy to fix the issue. Open the BIOS while booting, find the XMP settings of the RAM and enable it.

Not setting higher refresh rate for monitor

Low refresh rate can cause blurry graphics.

Many people buy a 144Hz or above display monitor and find no difference whatsoever when compared to their 60 Hz monitor.

They think the difference is not noticeable and continue to run it that way for a long time.

What they forget is to change the refresh rate in their display settings.

As simple as it sounds. People do not realize that the computer does not magically change the display refresh rate to the fastest one available. Instead, one needs to actually go into the display settings or graphics cards settings and change the refresh rate manually to the fastest one supported by the monitor.

One can check the refresh rate their monitor is running at on TestUFO site.

Installing RAM in wrong slots

RAM sticks installed correctly.

People buy two RAM sticks together, hoping that two RAM sticks might help them speed up the computer speed with a feature called dual channel memory.

Dual channel memory is a feature supported by many CPUs and motherboards. It allows two RAM sticks of the same make and model to run together and theoretically provide faster RAM speeds.

While their real world performance is controversial and subject to debate. People often forget to install their RAM sticks into their proper slots. The reason is, many motherboard makers allow RAM sticks to be installed only in a particular way. Like slot 1 and 3 or slot 2 and 4 for the RAM to work in dual-channel configuration.

One should check their motherboard manual to understand the correct method.

Forgetting to install standoff screws on the case

Standoff screws.

Standoff screws are tiny screws which one needs to install inside the computer case. They are inserted first, then the motherboard is installed on top of them. It prevents the motherboard’s solder points from touching the metal cabinet, hence preventing any shock circuit from happening.

Unfortunately. This small but important part is usually ignored by some, leading to many problems. We suggest everyone to install them the first, before installing anything else inside their PC case. They usually come with its accessories.

Forgetting to install I/O shield

Typical I/O Shield. Image credit: Michael Krawczyk.

I/O-Shield is a metal shield that comes with pre-cut shapes intended to be installed on the external ports of the motherboard on the back side of the computer case. They usually come with the motherboard accessories.

Some people forget to install them completely. Sometimes needing to fully open up the computer again in order to install it.

Incorrect case airflow

Ideal airflow looks like this.

Parts inside a computer can get hot. In order to keep them cool, we install case and CPU fans. However, not everyone understands the correct way to install fans.

Ideally, a case should take in cool air from front and below and blow out hot air from back and top. This can be done by installing two fans in front and below and same sized fans in back and top.

A lot of people install fans incorrectly. Either too much of air or too little causes the case to heat up too much.

Let’s also not forget that case quality matters too. Some cases are better than others when it comes to the temperatures inside them. The guys at How-To Geek have made a good guide one can follow.

Buying incompatible parts

Choosing good parts is hard. Choosing correct parts is harder.

People buy computer parts only for them to be not compatible with each other. Most of the time it’s connected to the CPU not matching or working with the motherboard.

Those worried about buying incompatible parts should check out PCPartPicker. It has now become a gold standard of finding compatible CPU parts. Start with the System Builder, add a CPU and it will then recommend parts compatible with it.

Buying too powerful a PSU

PSU 80 Plus certification explained. Look at 50% of various voltages. Credit: CLEAResult.

Ideally, buying a PSU with higher wattage is future proofing it. Who knows how much of a powerful CPU or graphics card might release later.

However, what people do not understand is the PSU watt certifications. A lot of people have come to us with a wrong understanding about them. They think that 80 Plus PSU certification means that a PSU will provide only 80% of rated PSU power. Thinking that a 500W PSU will provide only around 400W. Which is completely wrong. Believing in this wrong information makes people buy higher watt PSU than what they actually require.

What 80 Plus certifications actually mean is that they provide 80% or more efficiency. Meaning that a 500W PSU will always provide 500W power to the computer (when required) while consuming 600W or less.

There is more to it, though. PSUs have the best peak efficiency at around 50% usage (check above image). Meaning, buying a higher watt PSU is not always bad if the intention is to save electricity on the long term. The problem happens when people have wrong definitions of it.

While PCPartPicker does provide an estimate of wattage required. It’s good to calculate from other sources too.

Conclusion

We have tried to include every common mistakes we have come across. Are we missing something? Have you made a mistake while building a PC that has not been mentioned in the article? Do let us know in the comments.

Title image credit: Bretwa.

Most Common Mistakes PC Builders Make When Making A PC

Like many other tech companies, Apple constantly patents various ideas and technologies, even though many never materialize in a consumer device. A device described in one of the recent Apple patents might also never see the light of day, but it shows that Apple considers all sorts of wild ideas, which often contradict what the company says publicly.

A patent discovered by Patently Apple shows an iPad with a dock station that suspiciously resembles the now-abandoned Microsoft Surface Book. It features a detachable keyboard with "electromechanical keys," a trackpad, and a coupling mechanism that enables different positions, such as tent mode, laptop mode, canvas mode, etc. The hinge in the dock station might also display brief information, contain a camera, microphone, or projector, and work as an Apple Pencil holder.

Another noteworthy aspect of the patent is that the iPad shown uses macOS instead of iPadOS. With Apple adding M1 processors to more iPads and Macs switching to ARM, many fans want to see a macOS-powered iPad or a tablet that can switch between macOS and iPadOS depending on connected accessories.

It is hard to say whether Apple would make such a device, especially with the company being resistant to making universal devices capable of replacing, for example, a laptop and a tablet (why sell one gadget if you can sell two). Also, Apple constantly reminds everyone that it wants to keep macOS separate from iPadOS and develop iPad and Mac side-by-side instead of fusing them into a single frankenlaptop.

Finally, it is worth noting that the Surface Studio was also a wild patented idea that turned into one of the craziest (although now slightly abandoned) Windows AIOs.

What do you think about the idea of a Surface Book-looking iPad?

Apple patents a Surface Book-like iPad with macOS

Samsung is able to achieve this massive speed increase thanks to UFS 4.0's 23.2 Gigabits per second (Gbps) per lane transfer rates paired up with its 7th generation V-NAND (vertical NAND) flash technology that consists of a whopping 176 layers. And in terms of capacity, Samsung says UFS 4.0 will be available in flavors of up to 1TB.

Interestingly, UFS 3.1 also boasted of similar capacities so it is possible that perhaps when the technology matures further, UFS 4.0 may allow for moving past 1TB capacities. But for now 1TB of super-fast internal storage should be enough for even the most expensive phones.

Moving over to its efficiency numbers, which is the biggest talking point for mobile devices, Samsung says UFS 4.0 is 46% more power efficient than UFS 3.1 as it is capable of delivering sequential read speed of up to 6.0 MB/s per milliampere (mA). All of this performance and efficiency will be made possible within a compact footprint of just 11mm x 13mm x 1mm.

In terms of availability, mass production of UFS 4.0 is planned for in Q3 of 2022 which means we will likely begin seeing phones with this standard in late 2022 or early 2023.

Source: Samsung Semiconductor (Twitter)

Samsung debuts all-new UFS 4.0 to enable speeds of up to 4,200MB/s or double that of UFS 3.1

The hardware survey for April 2022 shows that the amount of gamers using Linux has increased to 1.14%, which is still a modest percentage, but it’s up quite strongly on the previous month when Linux sat at exactly 1.0%.

While an increase of 0.14% means very little for Windows, it’s actually a big leap for Linux, and in fact represents the second-highest level of adoption the alternative platform has witnessed in recent times, going by Valve’s figures.

What was the best month ever for Linux, you may well wonder? That’d be November 2021 when Steam’s hardware survey reported an adoption level of 1.16%, as Gaming on Linux, which reported on this, pointed out. Interestingly, that adoption percentage had climbed to that peak quite speedily since July 2021, when the Steam Deck was first announced, but since hitting that high, the percentage has drifted slowly downward to 1% in March 2022.

So what’s quite remarkable here is that we’ve seen a large spike, relatively speaking, with a jump from 1% to 1.14% – the biggest leap in recent times in the space of just a month.

Analysis: Deck driving adoption – one way or another

As mentioned, while these are relatively small percentages of the overall Steam gaming landscape, this still looks like a promisingly large leap for Linux in April 2022. Is this a reflection of the popularity of the Steam Deck, then, helping to drive gamers to test the waters of Linux?

We believe so, although it doesn’t mean that a load of Steam Deck owners are suddenly showing up in Valve’s survey. There are a lot of Steam Decks out there now, of course – as many as Valve can possibly make and ship, though it’s not clear what that actual number might be.

What you may not realize is that it’s apparently the case that Steam Deck users only get invited to participate in the Steam hardware survey while in Desktop Mode (with the Steam client running), and most folks will spend almost all their time in Gaming Mode. So this likely means a lot of Steam Deck owners are not even getting a chance to be part of the survey.

What this current spike in adoption for last month is probably showing is simply the extra interest in Linux gaming which is being drummed up around the Steam Deck, and specifically Valve pushing forward with work on Proton to make it work better and be compatible with more Windows games.

In reality, if Steam Deck owners were fully included in the monthly hardware report, the Linux gaming percentage would likely be a fair bit higher still.

And when Valve addresses how the survey is implemented on Steam Deck so it comes to everyone (not just those hanging in Desktop Mode at the right time), we could see a much bigger uptick coming through (in relative terms – let’s temper expectations appropriately, of course).

We can expect last year’s high of an adoption percentage to be beaten, and possibly left behind by quite some margin, in the near future then – not just as more Deck owners are included in the survey, but as more and more units of the handheld ship, and Proton is continually refined to drive the additional interest (outside of the Deck) which is already causing upticks like the one seen for April. And while Linux is hardly going to be challenging Windows, maybe it will be looking to overtake macOS (currently on 2.55%) sooner than you might think…

Source

Square Enix is a Japanese game developer well known in Japan for its games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series.

Outside Japan, Square Enix is also known in the for its games like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and also Just Cause game series.

Just a year ago, Square Enix was in the news, with some reports suggesting that it was going to be sold. While the whole company didn’t get sold, Square Enix has decided to sell some of its studios in the west to the Embracer Group.

Embracer Group buys three Square Enix game studios

In a press release by the Embracer Group today, it has been announced that the Embracer Group has acquired game development studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal and a catalogue of IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain and more from Square Enix for just $300 million. Which is a very cheap price for such iconic gaming series.

Subject to regulator clearances, it hopes to complete the deal between July to September this year.

Studios sold

Square Enix has sold three of its major studios. They are:

Crystal Dynamics, known for Tomb Raider.

Square Enix Montreal, known for Lara Croft Go and other Go games.

Eidos Montréal, known for games like Deus Ex and Thief series.

Importantly, Crystal Dynamics is already working on the next Tomb Raider game.

Another important thing is that Square Enix isn’t selling everything. The list of gaming series still with them and hasn’t been sold includes Just Cause, Life is Strange and Outriders.

Who is the Embracer Group

The Embracer Group, formerly known as Nordic Games (might ring a bell to many) is a Swedish game company which has bought and owns a huge amount of game development studios.

It’s portfolio includes:

Coffee Stain Studios, known for games like Goat Simulator and Satisfactory.

Ghost Ship Games, known for Deep Rock Galactic.

Gearbox Entertainment, known for games like Borderlands series and also owns Duke Nukem series.

Koch Media and its subsidiary like Deep Silver, known for Saints Row series.

Saber Interactive, which now owns 3D Realms (Apogee).

THQ Nordic, which needs no introduction.

What this means for the gaming industry

Embracer Group, after its one acquisition after another, has no doubt become one of the largest gaming companies in the world. This is especially true after this acquisition. As explained by the press release:

After closing this transaction, the US will be Embracer’s #1 country by number of game developers and Canada will be #2. In total, post pending closings, Embracer will have more than 14,000 employees, 10,000 engaged game developers, and 124 internal studios. Embracer’s upcoming content pipeline includes more than 230 games with more than 30 AAA games.

Honestly. Embracer Group has become a gaming giant now. It will be interesting how things go. Whether Tomb Raider and Deus Ex will take another path in its storyline or development. We don’t know.

Some of us have grown up playing the Tomb Raider games. So it’s surprising to see its studios being sold, that too at such a cheap price.

But in the times when gaming studios are getting sold everywhere to the big players. This is another big purchase which is very interesting for the gaming industry.

Square Enix Sells Tomb Raider & Deus Ex’s Studios For $300M

The month of May is already here. New upcoming games excite us. So let us look which are the good ones.

Dinosaur Fossil Hunter

Dinosaur Fossil Hunter is a simulation game which allows the players to become an archeologist and work with the dinosaur era fossils. Like finding them, combining them, taking them to the museum, maintaining them and such. The game is made by small studio named Pyramid Games, which seems to be specializing in simulation games like to be released Occupy Mars: The Game, ZooKeeper and others.

Steam Description: Become a real paleontologist, explore various environments and search for dinosaur fossils. Dig for and study the remnants of these majestic creatures to learn about their evolution. Build your own museum and experience an immersive background story.

Steam Page.

Release date: 4 May, 2022.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is a fast-paced turn-based tactical RPG, Warhammer 40K, Strategy game. While strategy games are not liked by everyone, those who like it might prefer it’s “galaxy-spanning plague in a cinematic, story-driven campaign” as the game developers describe it. It is published by Frontier Developments. The same company which has published games like Planet Zoo, Planet Coaster, Elite Dangerous, Jurassic World Evolution 1 and 2.

Steam Description: Lead humanity’s greatest weapon, the Grey Knights, in this fast-paced turn-based tactical RPG. Root out and purge a galaxy-spanning plague in a cinematic, story-driven campaign, using the tactics and talents of your own personalised squad of Daemonhunters.

Steam Page.

Release date: 5 May, 2022.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

A lot of people might like this side-crolling action JRPG which is going to release on almost all the platforms together. The side-scrolling adventure game combined with JRPG elements is really refreshing to see.

Steam description: Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is an action RPG set in the same world as Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Features town-upgrading mechanics, fast-paced combat. A prequel to the world of the Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

Steam Page.

Release date: May 10, 2022

Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars

Neptunia games really need no introduction. This action, hack and slash, JRPG game is the latest entry to the series by game developer Idea Factory, known for other top-selling games in the series like Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation and Megadimension Neptunia VII. Not everyone’s cup of tea, though.

Steam Description: Neptunia and SENRAN KAGURA join forces in this hack ‘n slash RPG! Pair up 10 playable characters to slice through enemy hordes, channel the elements, and perform special character attacks. Then find your center with the Peaches & Cream Meditation minigame before taking on the post-game challenges of Yomi-Training!

Steam Page.

Release date: May 11, 2022.

Little Witch in the Woods

Little Witch in the Woods is a cute, top down, pixel graphics, 2D adventure game where you control a witch to help her with the magic. It’s made by a small-time South Korean developer SUNNY SIDE UP.

Steam description: Little Witch in the Woods tells the story of Ellie, an apprentice witch. Explore the mystical forest, help the charming residents, and experience the daily life of the witch.

Steam Page.

Release date: 17 May, 2022.

Dolmen

Dolmen is a futuristic souls-like action RPG by game developer Prime Matter, who is well known for games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Pathfinder: Kingmaker.

Steam description: Dolmen is a terrifying new action RPG that combines futuristic Sci-Fi and Cosmic Horror elements. Will your timeline be erased or will you defeat your enemies to survive and fulfil your mission?

Dolmen casts players onto a hostile alien world known as Revion Prime. Your job? Bring back samples of a crystal with particularly unique properties; the so-called “Dolmen”. These crystals are capable of allowing interaction between realities, revolutionising space exploration and changing the known world forever.

Steam Page.

Release Date: 20 May, 2022.

My Time at Sandrock

My Time at Sandrock is a cartoon-y sandbox style crafting and building simulator by Pathea Games, well known it’s game My Time At Portia.

Steam description: Travel to the desert community of Sandrock and take on the role of a fledgling Builder. Use your trusty toolset to gather resources, construct machines, and turn your run-down workshop into a well-oiled production facility to save the town from the jaws of economic ruin!

Steam Page.

Release Date: May 26, 2022.

Sniper Elite 5

Sniper Elite 5 is the latest addition in the famous Sniper Elite series, well known for its bullet shooting bone breaking x-ray graphics. This time, our hero is in France.

Steam description: The award-winning series returns as Karl Fairburne fights to uncover Project Kraken in 1944 France. The genre-defining authentic sniping, with enhanced kill cam, has never looked or felt better as you fight across immersive maps to stop the Nazi war machine in its tracks.

Steam Page.

Release Date: May 26th 2022.

Flight Of Nova

Flight Of Nova is a futuristic, Sci-fi, space simulator which allows you to fly, land and dock your spaceship among other things. It is going to release as an Early Access game while the demo is already available. It seems to be made by first time developers named Aerovery Lab. Yes, games like Elite Dangerous exist, but it’s too complex and grinding of a game. In this, we really liked from what we have seen from it.

Steam description: Flight of Nova is a space and atmospheric flight simulator in which you control spacecraft on and around NVA-31, a full-scale planet. You will fly an assortment of craft doing transport and research missions in an environment with realistic aerodynamics and orbital physics.

Steam Page.

Release Date: May 2022.

Conclusion

Did we miss any good Steam game? Is there any game you are anticipating in this month which is not in this list? Do let us know about it in the commends.

Image credits: All images except title image taken from Steam. Credits for all the images go to the respective developers and publishers of these games.

Top PC Games To Release This Month In May 2022

The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), the organization behind Wikipedia, has announced that it will no longer accept donations in cryptocurrency, as first reported by Web3 Is Going Just Great. In an update, the WMF says it “has decided to discontinue direct acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of donating.” It also says it will close its Bitpay account, preventing any future contributions in crypto.

After a lengthy discussion with almost 400 members of the WMF community, the majority voted to do away with crypto contributions 234 to 94. Some of the main arguments concerned the environmental implications of Bitcoin, the risk of scams, as well as the fact that the WMF gets such a low amount of donations in cryptocurrency compared to other forms of payment. The WMF says it received $130,100.94 worth of cryptocurrency donations in 2021, making up just 0.08 percent of the total contributions it received. Following the community’s vote, the WMF held an internal discussion and made the final call to discontinue cryptocurrency donations.

The WMF first began accepting Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ether donations in 2014, but a number of issues prompted the organization to reevaluate this policy. Molly White, a longtime Wikipedia editor and the creator of Web3 Is Going Just Great, proposed the WMF stop taking cryptocurrency donations in January, arguing that it contradicts the organization’s commitment to environmental sustainability and also signals that the Wikimedia Foundation supports “inherently predatory” investments.

White (who goes by the username GorillaWarfare on Wikipedia) also cited Mozilla’s reevaluation of its involvement in the crypto space. Mozilla ultimately decided to cease cryptocurrency donations in April after receiving backlash from users, developers, and one of its founders, Jamie Zawinski, for posting a tweet reminding users that it accepts donations in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

“I’m really happy that the Wikimedia Foundation implemented the request from its community, and I’m really proud of my community for making what I feel was the ethical decision after a lot of thoughtful discussion,” White said in a statement to The Verge. “There are just too many issues with crypto for any potential donation revenue to be worth the cost of helping to legitimize it.”

The WMF concluded its update by saying it “will continue to monitor this issue” and will “remain flexible and responsive to the needs of volunteers and donors.”

The Wikimedia Foundation has stopped accepting cryptocurrency donations

A colorful Task Manager in a Windows 11 build

This week, Microsoft held a Windows Insider webcast to talk about Task Manager in Windows 11. Although its focus was on the new functionalities on the backend such as Efficiency mode, what really piqued our interest was the support for accent colors in Task Manager. Rather than relying on the shades of mustard in Task Manager, the app will now update according to your OS' accent colors, which would bring some decent consistency. Oh, and not that it matters much - consider that Microsoft engineers obviously test features on a variety of development builds -, but the demo in the webcast was apparently running on a 7th gen Intel CPU, which is supposed to be unsupported for Windows 11.

Microsoft didn't wait too long to release the colorful Task Manager either. Windows 11 build 22610 just landed in the Dev Channel yesterday with the updated app, new icons for context menu in File Explorer, fixes to the Start menu, and updates to the Family Safety widget. Microsoft is also fielding interest from IT admins and organizations about whether they would like to see Windows Server preview builds flighted to them in the same manner as Windows Insider builds.

Microsoft also rolled out an optional update for Windows 11 in the form of build 22000.652 (KB5012643). It fixes a bunch of issues, including one which causes an OS startup delay of about 40 minutes, but it reportedly also introduces a new one causing screen flickering in Safe Mode.

The Redmond tech firm rolled out a bunch of improvements to Auto HDR for gamers on Windows 11 too. New capabilities include an intensity slider, multi-GPU support, and customization of notifications. Some of these are available via the latest version of the Xbox Game Bar app. Oh, and while we are on the topic of Microsoft apps, it turns out that default apps in Windows 11 take up 1.5GB of space. Personally, I don't think that's a lot but it has sparked a lively debate in our comments section of that article.

On the Surface side of things, the Surface Book 3 received some "storage stability" in a firmware update while Windows Insiders on the Surface Laptop Studio can now refresh Dynamic Refresh Rate. The capability will help your Surface Laptop Studio save battery life and avoid wasting energy on an unnecessary 120Hz refresh all the time. Lastly, Surface Go 3 also received its first firmware update since its launch, mainly packing security and stability improvements.

A very strong Microsoft quarter

Microsoft posted its results for fiscal year 2022 quarter 3 (FY22Q3) this week too. This was an exceptionally strong quarter with a revenue of $49.4 billion, which is up by a significant 18% in the same period last year. Similarly, operating income was 18% at $20.4 billion too and so was net income at $16.7 billion (+8% GAAP and +13% non-GAAP).

The firm reported positive trends across all its business segments including Productivity and Business Processes (Office, Dynamics), Intelligent Cloud (Windows Server, Azure), and Personal Computing (Windows, gaming, search and news advertising, and Surface). That said, the firm expects revenue to be in the single digits in the next quarter due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and supply chain difficulties in China.

Microsoft had some more specifics to reveal about the usage of its other products and services too. Did you know that Xbox Cloud Gaming has now been used by 10 million players? Or that Microsoft Start now has 500 million daily active users? Or that the Xbox Series X and Series S were the market leaders this quarter in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Western Europe? If not, check out our dedicated piece on usage stats here.

Edge 101

Although we had a lot of news related to Microsoft's Edge browser this week, the highlight has to be the release of version 101 to the Stable Channel. Most notably, Edge contains a new PWA hub accessible from the toolbar, default profile policies, and a certificate picker that allows you to forget and switch certificates on a website without quitting the browser first.

Edge Dev received version 102.0.1235.1 too. That release contains changes to the user experience to make it easier to access tabs from other devices, reliability improvements, and a bunch of bug fixes. That said, there is a significant list of known issues too so if you use Edge Dev, it's probably best to check out our dedicated piece here.

Microsoft also seems to be working on a redesign for Edge, as is evident in the latest Canary builds. New bits introduced to the UX include rounded corners from Windows 11 and the Mica effect. You can try them out right now from Edge flags but there's no word yet on when these will hit the Stable Channel. The company is seemingly also developing an integrated VPN in Edge powered by Cloudflare and you can find all the details here.

Finally, this is not Edge-specific but is significant nonetheless: you can finally switch accounts on several Microsoft 365 services on the web without having to sign out first. This capability will hit several Microsoft 365 apps and services over the next couple of months.

Dev Channel

• Microsoft shows how to disassemble and repair its Surface Laptop Studio

• The beta version of Microsoft Teams is now optimized for Apple Silicon

• Teams has new integrations geared towards professional broadcasting

• Here are Microsoft's recommendations for managing IoT security

• Microsoft and Mastercard have announced a "next-gen" identity solution

• Office for iOS will soon let you listen to documents even when the screen is locked

• Registrations for Build 2022 are now open

• There is a new OS update for Xbox consoles in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring

• Microsoft Purview is getting new classifiers to detect corporate sabotage, collusion, sexual harassment, and more in Teams, emails, and Yammer

• Audacity has arrived in the Microsoft Store

• Skype Insider Preview has hit version 8.84

Under the spotlight

This week, our very own Neowin co-founder Steven Parker talked about his feelings regarding Microsoft reminding everyone of what a great job it did building the Start menu in Windows 11. Of course, its reminder conveniently ignores all the things people are complaining about in the Feedback Hub. It's a pretty tone-deaf move from Microsoft, to say the least.

Meanwhile, News Reporter Taras Buria wrote a very detailed guide about how you can customize the touchpad gestures in Windows 11. If you have a Windows 11 device, you should probably check out all the things you can do with it here.

And for our readers out there who play video games, News Editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe has highlighted that May's Games with Gold includes Yoku’s Island Express, The Inner World – The Last Wind Monk, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, and Viva Piñata Party Animals. Be sure to grab them during the dates noted in the graphic above if you have a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Logging off

Have you ever wondered how long it would take to boot Windows XP on a 1MHz processor, considering that the OS required a minimum clock speed of 233MHz? Regardless of whether this question has crossed your mind or not, we think it's worth finding out the answer here.

Microsoft Weekly: A colorful Task Manager, an exceptional quarter, and Edge 101

The 92 TFLOP number is reached using a 3GHz boost clock for next-gen flagship Navi 31 GPU, which might be the Radeon RX 7900 XT. Navi 31 is rumored to feature a total of 120 Workgroup Processors (WGPs) or 240 Compute Units (CUs) for a total of 15,360 Stream Processors. This is how the rumored specifications compares with the RX 6900 XT:

Additionally, earlier today, a driver leak suggested that AMD's RDNA 3 architecture is moving to a four SIMD32 design per CU up from two SIMD32. Hence, the total final performance of the 7900 XT may even end up being more than four times that of the RX 6900 XT.

Source: Greymon55 (Twitter)

AMD's RX 7900 XT could be more than four times faster than the current flagship RX 6900 XT

EDIT: Title changed from "...more than four times faster..." to "...four times as fast..." to correct this mathematically challenged journo. (92 - 23 = 69 faster = three times faster)

AMD introduced the WGP with RDNA 1 and each WGP consists of two CUs. Hence RDNA 3 appears to have twice the SIMD32 capabilities compared to RDNA 1 (RX 5000 series) and RDNA 2 (RX 6000) GPUs.

The new WGP approach allows AMD to execute a single instruction in a single clock cycle whereas in previous Graphics Core Next (GCN) architectures, ie, Vega, Polaris, and older, it took four clock cycles to complete one instruction. This is why, the GCN designs were often far more inefficient compared to Nvidia counterparts, at least in terms of gaming.

Therefore, due to this change, RDNA 3 can theoretically execute a single instruction within half a clock cycle compared to one cycle by RDNA 1 and 2. This could potentially lead to a doubling of instructions per clock cycle (IPC) for RDNA 3 in totality if the rest of the architecture also undergoes similar overhauls wherever necessary. And paired with higher clocks and more CUs, the end-product could be more than double the performance of what the current best Radeon RX 6900 XT offers.

Earlier rumors have pointed towards RDNA 2 being very powerful indeed and the company is purportedly working on a "smarter" Ray Tracing IP 2 to better compete with Nvidia's RTX graphics cards. According to most recent reports, AMD will be launching RDNA 3 alongside Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 series CPUs starting off with Navi 33.

Source: Kepler (Twitter)

AMD RDNA 3 (RX 7000) GPUs could have up to double the IPC compared to RDNA 2 (RX 6000)

On Friday, Musk disclosed that he has offloaded more than 9.6 million shares of Tesla worth $8.5 billion. According to the SEC filing, Musk sold shares in tranches throughout the week and the sale represented roughly 17% of Tesla's total trading. While, the sale happened in pieces, it did make a dent on the company's stock price as it lost over 11% in a week and closed at $870.7 on Friday, down from $979.2 on Monday. On Tuesday, Tesla saw a 12% drop, its biggest since September 2020. This also prompted a selling spree as 45 million Tesla shares traded hands in a day.

On Friday Elon Musk tweeted that he does not plan to sell any more Tesla shares.

The sale is in line with Musk's current plans of completing the Twitter's acquisition. According to The Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk plans to put up $21 billion in cash and will be taking a $13 billion buyout loan from companies like Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, while the remaining $12.5 billion will come from a margin loan against Tesla.

As of June 30, 2021, Musk had pledged over 88.3 million of his Tesla shares as collateral to secure loans but there are limits to how much can he raise just by pledging Tesla shares and we may see him sell more Tesla shares in the future.

Elon Musk offloads $8.5 billion of Tesla shares to buy Twitter

Gigabyte's in-house overclocking guru HiCookie achieved this feat using a single stick of DDR5 AORUS RGB memory on Gigabyte Z690 AORUS TACHYON motherboard. In terms of the CPU used, the Intel Core i9-12900K was in the socket during this overclocking run.

Here is the CPU-Z validation of the overclocking record:

Meanwhile MSI achieved the previous record using Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 memory on a MEG Z690 UNIFY-X motherboard. Unlike Gigabyte, MSI was using the flagship Intel Core i9-12900KS Alder Lake-S SKU.

While these extreme overclocks are likely going to be unusable for everyday use cases, last year a Chinese firm called Netac did announce that it was working on such high-speed kits. More widely known manufactures like Adata have also revealed plans for making DDR5-12600 kits sometime in the near future.

Source: HWBOT

Gigabyte breaks MSI's DDR5 overclocking record just two days later reaching 10,022 MT/s

Commenting on the crisis, Gelsinger said:

“We believe the overall semiconductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the shortages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged.”

Aside from being used in computers and phones, people are demanding smart home goods and vehicles with infotainment systems, all of which rely on semiconductors, meaning factories must churn out more semiconductors. The demand for some of these more tertiary goods grew during the pandemic so it’s taking time for the market to adjust.

The over-dependence on supplying chips from a few Asian nations is not helping matters either, for this reason, Intel is diversifying geographically. In January, the company announced that it was bringing semiconductor plants to Ohio which will also create thousands of well-paying jobs in the area.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says semiconductor shortages could drag on for another two years

Years ago, internet as we know it used to run on dial-up connections going through previously laid copper wires.

Connecting to the internet on dial-up was neither quick nor easy. One had to dial a special number of their internet service provider (ISP) to connect to the internet.

Depending on the telephone line quality, the number of users on the network and the quality of equipments the service provider used, it could take minutes to get connected to the internet.

Even after connecting, stable connection wasn’t guaranteed. If the telephone line had any disturbance, it could get disconnected very easily.

Mind you, the telephone line disturbance problem could originate from anywhere.

From bad wires on service provider’s buildings, to wires inside the road going bad due to rainwater seeping into them, to the telephone box outside one’s house going bad, to a simple wiring problem inside the user’s house. Any problem in any wiring could cause noise and disturbances in the line and cause the internet to disconnect easily.

Also, if someone called on your telephone, then forget about it. Immediate disconnection. Try to reconnect and go through the same procedure again.

All this lasted till a new technology in the world of internet connections came. That technology was known as DSL.

DSL became common

DSL and its upgraded version ADSL ran on the same copper telephone wires. However, depending on the technology one’s ISP used, it didn’t necessarily need a person to dial the ISP as the internet connection was ideally always connected. It however, needed an external modem to be able to transmit the data through the internet.

Compared to dial-up, DSL also provided higher internet speeds. Due to all that, slowly DSL replaced dial-up almost everywhere. Especially in commonwealth countries, who picked up DSL instead of cable internet.

However, DSL too suffers from some of the connection stability problems which dial-up did. This was because it too ran on the outdated copper telephone wires installed decades or a century ago.

The DSL internet isn’t necessarily stable. It could get disconnected frequently. Takes time to reconnect again. All due to the line quality. Its speeds too are limited depending on how far one stays from their internet service provider.

Really, the younger generations on their mobile internet have no idea what some of us faced just to connect to the internet.

This continued till fiber internet came.

Rise of fiber internet

Fiber internet is a relatively newer player in the world of internet connectivity. It sends information using light, hence it’s extremely quick. It also doesn’t get disconnected easily, unless the wire gets cut somehow or the ISP’s equipment breaks. Fiber has been a huge level up in the field of internet.

So as fiber optics internet has started becoming more and more common in households and businesses, it has given a huge boost to the average internet speeds worldwide.

However, the question is. Is fiber everywhere. Is it even possible to lay it everywhere. The answer is simply no. Unlike the copper wires that are basically installed in most corners of the world, fiber isn’t found everywhere. Installing fiber optics cables is an expensive process and not found everywhere.

DSL coverage

Many countries in the world still rely on aged DSL connection. There are many parts of the world where fiber hasn’t reached and likely might not reach for a very long time.

As per the June 2021 report by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a France based organisation), a huge part of Europe – forget about the rest of the world, is still using DSL internet. Countries like Greece, United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey are still heavily reliant on DSL internet.

Fibre, DSL and cable subscriptions in total fixed broadband, June 2021. Credit: OECD.
 

Not only that, this list includes only countries part of OECD. Imagine the countries which are not as rich or as well connected as above.

Yes, mobile internet exists, but that too depends on how far the mobile towers are and 5G like speeds are not available or affordable everywhere.

So would it be fair that we let a huge part of the world suffer with the slow speeds of DSL, which almost never goes above 100 Mbps, till the fiber internet reaches them years or even decades later.

Surely we need some sort of innovation in the copper based internet too. Looks like there’s a good possibility that we have found one.

Innovative research on copper based telephone wires

As per New Scientist, researchers at University of Cambridge have made new findings mentioned in their peer-reviewed research paper published at the Nature Communications.

As per them, since the time Alexander Graham Bell invented these telephone cables, no one actually looked at the theoretical limits of these copper wires.

The researchers say that till now, telephone wires ran below 1 GHz of electrical current. This limited the ability of these wires to transmit data at higher speeds, as no one looked above the 1 GHz range.

They then went onto test telephone wires at various electric currents and what they found was that twisted telephone wires are theoretically very capable of reaching up to 5 GHz without affecting its quality till that range. They said the above can be easily done with a type of a cheap electrical transformer called balun.

Ergin Dinc, the project lead, says that five-fold increase in current might not translate into five-fold increase in speeds, but it’s very much possible for the telephone wires to be able to reach theoretical speeds of 3 Gbps.

The research paper then also suggests that when combined with emerging technologies like G.fast and MGFAST, both of which run below 1 GHz until now, this can give speeds well above 10 Gbps. Remember we are talking about twisted copper telephone lines.

Future of copper and fiber internet

Alexander Graham Bell would have never imagined what his innovation can be used for and what limits it can reach. This research shows there’s still a lot left in the humble twisted copper telephone wire.

Fiber internet has surely given a huge upgrade and is always welcomed. It is also slowly replacing DSL and other forms of wired connections.

But when fiber is not possible to reach, either due to technical problems or financial costs, this innovation, if implemented, can of a huge help to those still on telephone line based internet.

Forget Fiber, Copper Wires Can Be Made To Support 3 Gbps

Apple has made nearly $100 billion so far this year

YouTuber Red Gaming Tech (RGT) alleges however that it has received information related to the entire release schedule for next gen AMD products, both its Ryzen CPUs as well as Radeon GPUs.

According to the new report, AMD will start off with the Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 series desktop CPUs first, codenamed Raphael, followed by the APUs (codenamed Phoenix). This is pretty much standard AMD stuff like we talked about before. Phoenix is rumored to feature up to 24 CUs and be faster than the GTX 1060. RGT also adds that the Phoenix APUs may be released around CES of 2023.

Now coming over to the RDNA 3 side, this is where things get more interesting. Apparently, AMD will release Navi 33 first alongside the Ryzen 7000 processors. This will be followed by the flagship Navi 31 later. Finally, there will be Navi 32, which will perform in the middle of the two. Navi 32 will reportedly be the last to be released which means it may land sometime around Spring of 2023.

via blue nugroho (Twitter)

Meanwhile, the Navi 31 and Navi 32 will be using a mix of the old 6nm tech as well as some new 5nm too.

The alleged release schedule for entire Zen 4 (Ryzen 7000) and RDNA 3 (RX 7000) lineup leaks

Qualcomm’s M1-class laptop chips will be ready for PCs in “late 2023”

Mark Zuckerberg told the world last October that he was all in on the metaverse, and that the endeavor that would only get more expensive over time. Now that his company’s stock price has been hammered in recent months, he is dialing back that rhetoric.

Meta will “slow the pace of some of our investments” due to “our current business growth levels,” Zuckerberg said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Meta’s profits for the first quarter were $7.5 billion, down 21 percent from the year-ago period. Revenue rose 7 percent to $27.9 billion, the slowest growth rate since the company went public a decade ago. Its target expense range for 2022 was lowered by $3 billion.

Make no mistake: Zuckerberg is still spending billions a year on building devices and software for the metaverse, a concept he thinks will eventually be as big as the mobile internet. The Reality Labs division of Meta, which makes the Quest VR headset and future AR glasses, has about 17,000 employees and lost almost $3 billion last quarter alone. The problem is that Meta’s investors are uncomfortable right now with that level of spending, especially when the payoff is years away.

Sometimes a stock price tells the story. In the case of Meta, its price has plummeted nearly 50 percent, evaporating the last five years of growth, since it rebranded from Facebook last October. That was when Zuckerberg revealed he was already spending $10 billion a year on Reality Labs, and that he expected the investment to grow despite not seeing a return until at least the latter half of this decade.

If his core business of ad-driven social media was growing like it was in years past, investors might have responded positively to the Meta pivot. But the timing couldn’t have been worse: Facebook is growing slower than ever, thanks in large part to younger users fleeing the service. TikTok is eating into time spent on both Facebook and Instagram. And Apple’s ad tracking changes have already cost Meta more than $10 billion in lost revenue. Meanwhile, regulators have blocked Zuckerberg’s ability to make big, transformative acquisitions in social media that could jumpstart growth again.

Facebook is still growing, but slower than ever. After reporting its first-ever drop in daily users for the fourth quarter of 2021, the blue app managed to grow daily users by just 4 percent to 1.96 billion last quarter, while daily users across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook ticked up slightly from 2.82 billion to 2.87 billion. With expectations already set low by Wall Street, Meta’s stock price shot up more than 15 percent after it reported better-than-expected earnings per share in the first quarter.

“Meta’s ad business continues to face some very real challenges,” said Jasmine Enberg, a principal analyst at Insider Intelligence. “Facebook, of course, is no stranger to obstacles, but the iOS changes are the first direct threat to its ad business. Combined with the rise of TikTok, brand safety concerns, and a shift in social media user behavior, there’s a perfect storm heading straight for Meta’s ad revenues.”

It’s clear that, in the short term, Zuckerberg believes that copying TikTok will revive its growth. He said Wednesday that the company’s short-form video product, Reels, accounted for 20 percent of time spent on Instagram, and that video consumption was already more than half the time spent on Facebook. Meta is early in monetizing Reels with ads, but it is following the same playbook Zuckerberg used to successfully copy Snapchat’s Stories feature.

For Reality Labs, Zuckerberg said the next major hardware product would be a high-end mixed reality headset codenamed Cambria later this year. He said Cambria will focus on “work use cases and eventually replacing your laptop or work setup.” (Apple has its own mixed reality headset coming soon that, if I had to guess, Zuckerberg wants to get out ahead of.)

Outside of new hardware, Meta is readying a web version of its Horizon social platform that currently only exists on the Quest headset. That will put Horizon in more direct competition with 3D gaming-meets-social apps like Fortnite, Roblox, and Rec Room. Zuckerberg said Horizon would also be integrated more tightly with the Quest in a coming software update, solidifying it as a lynchpin bet. Meta takes a healthy percentage of virtual goods sold in Horizon but has yet to introduce an ads system.

Mark Zuckerberg wants to spend big on the metaverse, but investors are skeptical

With the Bethesda.net launcher shutdown coming soon, the company has begun offering a migration plan for users to move all owned games, addons, and wallet funds over to Steam. Saves from many titles will also make the jump automatically, though some require manual transfers. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an exception for some reason though, with save transfers being completely unavailable. Doom Eternal is also an outlier, but a separate process is available to do the transfer.

With new information on this transfer process now available, here's how it's going to work for most games:

Users can either log in with their account to the Bethesda Launcher or Bethesda.net web portal and find the games, DLC, and currencies available for transfer.

Link a Steam account if one is not already attached, and a handy "Start Steam Transfer" button will appear, which will do most of the work for the owned content. Make sure the correct Steam profile is selected, as this is a one-time transfer. Once initiated, the transferred content and funds will show up on the attached Steam library within minutes. Though as announced previously, offline saved games or configurations won't be a part of this automatic process.

Anyone facing issues with transfers is encouraged to reach out to Bethesda customer support team here.

While the launcher is sunsetting, the Bethesda.net account functionality will remain a part of games, ensuring continued access to DLC, purchased items, skins, mods, and other elements. Considering the company is now a part of Xbox Games Studios, it is surprising to see the transfer available only to Steam and not to the Microsoft Store even as an option. However, the decision will be a popular one among many PC gamers due to Steam's popularity.

The migration feature will remain available even after the launcher is shut down on May 11 as well, ensuring users who may be out of the loop don't lose access to their purchased products.

This article has been updated with new information on the Bethesda.net to Steam transfer process.

Bethesda Launcher shuts down on May 11, Steam transfer process is now available

Games

• Fixed an issue where some users encounter graphical issues when opening the Guide while playing a game.

Guide

• Fixed an issue where Groups would sometimes fail to load in the Guide.

Profile

• Fixed an issue where the online status of a user may incorrectly show as being in a game.

System

• Various updates to properly reflect local languages across the console. Note: Users participating in Preview may see “odd” text across the console, for more information go here.

Like with Windows and Edge, testing the earliest updates for Xbox consoles is not for the faint of heart. These updates are unstable and often come with a hefty list of known issues. Here is the one for today's release:

Audio:

• Some users have reported that audio stops working and drops out randomly while using the console. If you encounter the behavior, make sure and submit feedback before performing the workaround below.
  • Workaround: Restart the console and audio should begin working normally again.

Controllers:

• We’ve received some reports that users’ controllers are randomly losing sync or disconnecting from the console. If you encounter this behavior please make sure and report this issue after reconnecting.
• Some users have reported that the Xbox button on the Razer Turret is not working to access the Guide.
  • Workaround: Either the Windows key or even Windows key + X can be used instead of the Xbox button to access the Guide.

Guide:

• We are investigating reports of the audio mixer being unable to adjust chat/game audio levels.

HDMI-CEC:

• We’ve received some reports that HDMI-CEC is not working correctly.
  • Note: Ensure that your TV supports HDMI-CEC and is also enabled before filing feedback.

Home:

• Some users have reported that the icon for a disc-based title is not appearing on the dashboard.

My Games & Apps:

• Titles in collection may incorrectly appear with a “trial” tag.

Store:

• Some users have reported seeing a “flicker” when navigating/browsing the Store catalog.
• We’ve received reports that trailers are not playing on product pages.

TV/Display:

• Some users have reported that the console is displaying at the incorrect resolution on boot. We are aware and investigating.
  • Note: If you encounter this behavior, please ensure that you submit feedback via Report a Problem immediately. Please include the make/model of you TV/Display in the description.
  • Workaround: Restarting the console via the Power menu (Holding down the Xbox button displays the power menu) should resolve the behavior. If not, ensure you are looking at the troubleshooting here, specifically the section about ensuring your TV firmware is up to date.

It is worth noting that unlike Windows and Edge, getting into the earliest "ring" of preview updates on Xbox is not an easy task. The Alpha Skip-Ahead channel is invite-only, and Microsoft grants access to active Xbox Insiders who have been testing preview updates in other channels. Major changes from the Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring usually land in the stable channel after a couple of months since the initial announcement.

Microsoft released new OS update for Xbox consoles in the Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring

Some other interesting stats about the usage of Microsoft products and services were revealed too and we have summarized them below by aggregating data points from a handy Twitter thread initiated by Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Communications Frank X. Shaw. Check out the figures below:

• The number of $100 million+ Azure deals with customers more than doubled year-over-year (YoY)
• Cosmos DB transactions and data volume increased over 100% YoY for the third consecutive quarter
• Synapse data volume more than doubled YoY
• Visual Studio now has more than 31 million monthly active users and includes most of the Fortune 500 companies
• GitHub's usage increased among startups and independent developers, 90% of Fortune 100 companies use the platform
• Power Platform is now one of Microsoft's fastest growing business at scale, surpassing $2 billion in revenue - which is an uptick of 72% YoY
• Power BI has over 200,000 customers
• Overall, Dynamics 365 is growing faster than the business applications market
• LinkedIn saw record engagement, 830 million people used the platform for learning, growth, connecting, and hiring. The number of companies using skill filters on LinkedIn to fill vacancies also doubled YoY. Similarly, confirmed hires on LinkedIn increase 88% while Talent Solutions revenue was up by 43%
• 28 million LinkedIn users are now subscribed to at least one newsletter, this is a 51% increase over the previous quarter
• Teams usage has "never been higher" with smaller businesses using the affordable Teams Essentials solution too
• There are over 1,000 third-party apps available in the Teams app store
• Organizations which sign up for Microsoft 365 can save as much as 60%, compared to a patchwork of single point identity, productivity, collaboration, and meeting solutions
• Viva has over 10 million monthly active users now
• The amount of time people spend on their PCs is increasing
• More than 100 million PCs shipped in each of the last eight quarters
• Microsoft Start now has 500 million monthly active users
• Edge is gaining market share
• Azure Active Directory (AAD) has 550 million monthly active users
• The number of customers who trust Microsoft's security solutions is at 785,000. This is a 50% YoY increase
• Microsoft has 15,000 security partners in its ecosystem, which is more than any competitor
• Xbox Series X and Series S were the market leaders this quarter in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Western Europe
• 10 million people have now streamed games via Xbox Cloud Gaming and the service has expanded to four more countries
• Game Pass subscribers have played "billions of hours" in the past 12 months, a 45% YoY increase
• Azure gaming revenue to date in this fiscal year grew by 66%

All of these stats certainly paint a very healthy picture about the usage of Microsoft apps, products, and services. The company experienced growth across all of its flagship products including Azure, Visual Studio, GitHub, LinkedIn, Xbox, AAD, Teams, and Microsoft 365. It will be interesting to see if the Redmond tech firm is able to maintain this growth going into the next quarter.

That said, it has cautioned that it expects single-digit revenue increase in the next quarterly results compared to the double-digit rise it experienced in this one.

Here are some interesting stats about the usage of Microsoft products and services

This 900W TGP card is said to be the full fat AD102 GPU featuring 48GB of 24Gbps GDDR6X memory with the unit being powered by dual 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power connectors. Each such 16-pin connector is capable of delivering 600W of power. Therefore, with two of these on-board, there should be some more wiggle room for this alleged 900W card. The leakster believes this GPU can be a real possibility as the test boards of the AD102 reportedly pack more than two 16-pin PCIe power cables.

Kopite7kimi has also revealed alleged specifications of RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 GPUs. The RTX 4080 will reportedly be based on the AD103 die and feature 16GB GDDR6X memory while the RTX 4070 will purportedly be based on AD104 with 12GB GDDR6 memory. The 4070 will reportedly have a TGP of 300W while the RTX 4080 will have a TGP close to those of AD102 GPUs.

Source: Kopite7kimi on Twitter (1, 2)

Nvidia reportedly testing an insane 900W Ada Lovelace GPU with dual 16-pin connectors

Microsoft's revenue for this quarter was $49.4 billion, a major uptick of 18% from the same period in the last fiscal year. Similarly, operating income was up by 19% at $20.4 billion, with net income at $16.7 billion - which is an 8% GAAP increase (13% non-GAAP).

Going down to the specifics, revenue for Productivity and Business Processes was $15.8 billion, which is a 17% increase. This was driven by a 12% incease in Office Commercial offerings and an 11% uptick in Office Consumer products and cloud services. Subscribers to Microsoft 365 Consumer offerings now stand at 58.4 million in total too, which is no small feat. LinkedIn revenue was up by 34% and Dynamics products and related cloud services showed an increase of 22% too.

On the Intelligent Cloud side of things, revenue stood at $19.1, which is a 26% increase. This was primarily due to Windows Server products and Azure services being up by 29% and 46%, respectively.

Finally, in the Personal Computing domain, Microsoft reported a revenue of $14.5 billion, this is a increase of 11%. This was fueled by revenue growth across Windows OEMs (11%), Windows Commercial (14%), Xbox content and services (4%), Search and news advertising (23%), and even Surface (13%) - which has historically struggled.

Overall, diluted earnings per share was $2.22, which is an uptick of 9% (GAAP). Similarly, $12.4 billion was returned to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

In terms of forward-looking statements, Microsoft expects single-digit revenue growth in the next quarter due to impacts from the ongoing war in Ukraine and difficulties with production in China. The company expects its gaming revenue to decline due to hardware supply issues as well.

Microsoft posts strong quarter with $49.4 billion in revenue thanks to cloud and Windows

After a record-breaking 2021 with annual revenue of $257 billion — the first time it has gone over $200 billion for a year — Google’s parent company reports in a filing (pdf) that it has started off 2022 with Q1 revenue that’s up 23 percent from the same period last year, reaching $68 billion.

However, with expenses up compared to 2021, its net profit actually dropped to $16.4 billion compared to last year’s $17.9 billion. Research and development costs for the quarter rose by over $1 billion compared to Q1 2021, going from $7.485 billion to $9.1 billion. As the New York Times notes, last year the company had a $4.8 billion gain in its stock holdings, and in Q1 2022 it recorded a $1.07 billion loss.

Google’s search business brought in $39 billion, up significantly over the Q1 2021 result of $31 billion. The overall advertising business, including Search, YouTube, and its various ad networks, managed to pull in $54 billion in the first quarter alone.

YouTube advertising revenue was also up, reaching $6.86 billion, but showed slower growth than it has over the last couple of years during the pandemic. Last year, it had grown by about 30 percent but only went up 20 percent this year as competition from TikTok continued to heat up. YouTube has responded by expanding its support of Shorts for creators and viewers, but the growth fell short of analyst expectations, and prices of its shares dropped by about 7 percent in after-hours trading.

In an accompanying statement, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said, “Q1 saw strong growth in Search and Cloud, in particular, which are both helping people and businesses as the digital transformation continues. We’ll keep investing in great products and services, and creating opportunities for partners and local communities around the world.”

On a call with investors, Pichai called out the investments in YouTube Shorts, where daily views have reached 30 billion, four times higher than a year ago, and that the company is focusing on building a great experience first. He specifically brought up plans for a redesigned YouTube experience that will give viewers more controls and the ability to comment while watching on a connected TV and the increased support for Shorts.

Earlier this year, YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan went into more detail about the upcoming changes, as well as upgrades for the editing experience, and additional ways for creators to make money from Shorts, with Super Chats, branded content, and eventually, shopping from Shorts. You can listen to him talk about the plans during his appearance on The Vergecast with Nilay Patel and Catie Keck.

CFO Ruth Porat said the company expected a “headwind” to growth as time spent on YouTube Shorts increased, ahead of increased monetization on the platform. We didn’t hear anyone say the word “TikTok,” but it clearly loomed over the conversation.

If you’ve ever looked at the way Google reports earnings, then you know it’s typically impossible to tell how well hardware products like the Pixel phone, Nest, Chromecast, and Android are doing. Android, Chrome, and all of Google’s hardware initiatives are bundled as “Google other” as a subcategory of overall Google services, which also breaks out results for Search and YouTube. The “Google other” category pulled in $6.8 billion, about $400 million higher than last year.

Revenue from Google Cloud, which just launched its Media CDN based on the same backbone that carries YouTube’s videos, is also up, reaching $5.8 billion compared to $4 billion last year.

Alphabet’s “Other Bets,” comprised of its experimental projects like self-driving company Waymo, health company Verily, and Google Fiber, brought in $440 million in revenue, more than double what it reported in the year prior.

Google parent Alphabet’s Q1 profits dropped by more than $1 billion compared to 2021