Began his career as a mail-order radio salesman; failed to launch 1980s electric cars.

RIP Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of UK’s famed ZX Spectrum gaming computer

US retailer Provantage has revealed the prices of Intel's 12th-gen processors and is also now taking orders. The retailer has accepted pre-orders for some Alder Lake CPUs even though they haven't been officially launched yet. The pricing list of the vendor reveals that the new CPUs are not significantly more expensive than their predecessors.

Here's a look at the pricing.

With Alder Lake-S, Intel is moving towards a hybrid Big-Bigger design called Performance Hybrid architecture, where it is marrying its big cores (P-cores) with its smaller efficient cores (E-cores). The company also confirmed that Alder Lake and Windows 11 are built around each other for optimal performance.

Although lesser than previously anticipated, the Alder Lake-S processors still carry a premium when compared to Rocket Lake ones. This is due to the new hybrid design and promised better performance.

The Core i5-12600K and the Core i5-12600KF at $288.77 and $261.77, respectively, offer quite a good value for money for people wanting to upgrade their old PCs, especially when Windows 11 won't support older processors. Intel has also finally ditched the 14 nm fabrication process in favor of 10 nm for the Alder Lake, which could show major performance improvements and better efficiency.

Alder Lake-S pricing revealed by US retailer Provantage

Surface Book 3 gets September 2021 firmware update

The most-wanted feature from a July beta gets a public release soon.

Storage galore: New PS5 update finally lets users add more space for games

After finally getting a release date once again a few months ago, Techland has announced that Dying Light 2 is being delayed once again, with its release pushed back into next year. 

“The game is complete and we are currently playtesting it,” Techland’s CEO, Pawel Marchewka, said in a press release. “It is by far the biggest and most ambitious project we’ve ever done. Unfortunately, we’ve realized for us to bring the game to the level we envision, we need more time to polish and optimize it.” 

“This is why we have decided to move the release date to February 4th 2022,” Marchewka announced. 

“We are sorry to keep you all waiting a little longer, but we want the game to meet your highest expectations on release, and we don’t want to compromise on this,” Marchewka continued, hopefully appeasing some of the fans who have been following the game for so long now. 

With Cyberpunk 2077 being a buggy disaster at launch, and delays being a lot more common throughout this past year and a half, it makes sense that Techland would want to push the game back to have Dying Light 2 release in an acceptable state that doesn’t take six months to become “satisfactory.” 

Dying Light 2 was previously planned to release on the 15th of December 2021, but after this delay, the game will now release on February 4th 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC

Dying Light 2 has been delayed again

The company has acknowledged this issue on the Google Customer Care Portal almost one hour ago and is yet to provide updates or a workaround for customers impacted by this bug.

"We are aware of issues with users unable to login to Chrome OS devices and looping back to the login screen. Engineering is continuing to investigate this issue," the company said.

Google hasn't yet shared the operating system versions impacted by this issue as the status page only lists Chrome OS as the affected product.

Chromebook customers are sharing reports of not being able to sign into their devices across several channels, including Google's help community and social media.

Some incoming reports say that 80% of users on a network aren't currently able to sign in as they're automatically kicked back onto the login screen.

Others shared that the only sign their Chromebook is on is that the screen lights up even though it is entirely black.

"I can still turn the brightness up and down, but nothing else," a report reads. "I have tried fulling shutting it down, and doing a hard reset with the refresh button and power button. Neither worked."

"I have tried fully powering it off (Holding the button down 30 seconds), and I have tried a hard reset (Holding the refresh button and then pressing the power button) but neither has worked," another report says.

Two months ago, Chromebook users were hit by another severe issue blocking them from logging into their devices after updating to Chrome OS 91.0.4472.165.

Affected customers should wait for a fix to be deployed by Google and download the update using the steps available here.

Until Google gets to the bottom of the current black screen bug, impacted users might also be able to work around the issue by rolling back the Chrome OS device to a previous version via USB or powerwashing (resetting their Chromebooks to factory settings).

Before resetting or rolling back to a previous on your device, be aware that you should back up your files to an external hard drive or on Google Drive because all information on your Chromebook's hard drive, including all files in the Downloads folder, will be erased.

Chromebooks enrolled on a work or school network will have to be reset by the administrator who manages your Google device.

A Google spokesperson was not available for comment when contacted by BleepingComputer earlier today.

Google Chromebook bug causes black screens after login

Apple’s big event today stressed its major focus on streaming

Somehow it’s September already, which means it’s time for new iPhones. Today, as it’s done for the past year and a half, Apple streamed a virtual launch event from its spaceship headquarters in Cupertino, California. (These remote functions could go on for a while, since Apple has pushed back its plan to make employees return to the office until next year.)

 

In addition to four new iPhone models, Apple also showed off some other glittering gadgets—including a new Apple Watch and a revamped iPad Mini—and gave updates about its growing services business and the software that runs on its many devices.

 

Here’s everything Apple announced.

 

Hello, iPhone 13

There are four versions of iPhone 13 to choose from. They range from the inexpensive Mini’s 5.4-inch screen to the chonky and feature-packed 6.7-inch Pro Max. Designwise, the visual differences on the new models are minor. At least the notorious notch is a teensy bit smaller.

 

Inside, each phone runs on Apple’s new A15 Bionic chip. It allows for enhanced features like live text analysis, advanced map animations, and instant visual identification of plants and animals, all of which is processed on the device with no help from the cloud. Storage options have gotten a boost too. All the new iPhones start with 128 GB of storage, but for the first time, the Pro phones can be maxed out to 1 terabyte of space.

 

You can read our report on the iPhone 13 for a full look at its new capabilities. The iPhone 13 Mini starts at $699, the regular iPhone is $799, the Pro is $999, and the Pro Max starts at $1,099. Preorders open up on Friday, and all phones will be available on September 24.

 

Apple only briefly touched on the privacy features of the new iPhones during today’s event, perhaps because it was eager to avoid wading into the recent photo-scanning controversy it’s found itself in.

 

Camera Tricks

 

 

Perhaps the most eye-popping update of the whole event was Apple’s new video feature for iPhones called Cinematic Mode. It’s a sort of video portrait mode that automatically changes focus and blurs backgrounds for an adjustable bokeh effect. On Pro-model phones, you can adjust the depth of field and focus even after filming. There’s also the option to film in Apple’s high-quality ProRes format.

 

The iPhone Pro models received updates to their three lenses: telephoto, wide, and ultrawide. There are also some new advanced options for on-device color correcting and photo enhancements that automatically adjust the images based on the colors and skin tones of the subjects.

 

New iPad and iPad Mini

The tiniest of iPads got a sizable update. Apple has brought the aesthetics of the iPad Mini more in line with its other recently redesigned tablets. It’s thinner, with more softly rounded corners. The screen is now slightly bigger, at 8.3 inches across. To accommodate this wider format, the Touch ID sensor has been moved to the outer rim. The home button is gone, and there is a USB-C port at the bottom now. It really looks like a giant iPhone!

 

It comes with a 5G modem, and cameras that can record in 4K. It’s also compatible with the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, which charges wirelessly on the side of the tablet. The Mini costs $499, and will be available next week.

 

Apple has also updated its base-model iPad. The cheapest iPad gets an A13 Bionic chip, which the company says gives it a 20 percent performance boost over the past model. The cameras have been updated, particularly the front facing lens. It’s now a 12-megapixel ultrawide that supports Apple’s Portal-esque Center Stage feature, which keeps you tightly in the frame as you move around on a video call. Weirdly, the camera is still placed in an awkward position along the side of the device when you’re in landscape mode. This simplest of iPads only works with first-generation Apple Pencils. It starts at $329 with 64GB of storage.

 

New Apple Watch

The standout feature of Apple’s newest smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 7, is its enhanced display. Otherwise, the updates to one of the world’s most popular health trackers feel iterative this year. Also: Apple hasn’t yet announced a release date for this new watch, which suggests that earlier reports of production delays were accurate.

 

The Apple Watch Series 7 (whenever it ships) will have a “Retina” display, as well as 20 percent more screen area than the previous Series 6 watch. This is due to the reduced size of the bezels, as well as slightly more rounded corners of the watch. The display is also brighter—Apple claims it’s 70 percent brighter indoors when your wrist is down, which allows for more discreet time checks—and supposedly the whole watch is much more durable and dust-resistant.

 

The enlarged screen allows for easier reading of texts on the watch and some other potentially fun input mechanisms. Some of the on-screen buttons in native apps are larger. And there’s now a full keyboard on the watch. Unfortunately, battery life is still the same—about 18 hours per charge—which is one of the biggest drawbacks of the Apple Watch. The company does claim that it charges faster now however.

 

This is not the dramatic redesign of the Watch that had been rumored. But considering how well the Watch has sold, maybe it didn’t really … need the overhaul. It will sell starting at $399 when it ships this fall, while the Series 3 and Series SE watches will sell for $199 and $279. RIP, Series 5 and 6?

 

Get More Fit

When it launched last year, Apple’s subscription service Fitness+ took advantage of Apple’s complete hardware integration: Start a workout on your Apple TV; track it on your Apple Watch; check your stats on your iPhone. But it lacked one major feature—competing fitness services, like Peloton and Fitbit, have group classes, as well as large social networks that let you easily invite your friends and sweat in unison.

 

Here’s Everything Apple Announced Today

(May require free registration to view)

Other new details about the upcoming Surface devices:

• Surface Pro 8 may feature slightly larger display, thanks to smaller bezels.
• Surface Pro 8 will be powered by 11th gen Intel Core processors and will have support for removable SSDs like the latest Surface Laptop 4.
• New Surface Book 4 with all-new design and high-refresh rate display.
• Surface Go 3 with improved performance, you can read the full specs here.
• Surface Duo 2 with much improved camera, you can read about it here.

Source: The Verge

Report: Microsoft may finally bring Thunderbolt port to Surface devices

Windows 11 builds, new apps, and a rebranded service

As was expected, Microsoft released new Windows 11 builds for both Dev and Beta channel users. While Dev channel users got build 22454, Beta channel users were served build 22000.184. The Dev channel build brought a few minor UI improvements, such as a modern right-click menu for the Recycle Bin and more. It also included a ton of bug fixes, something that the Beta channel did not see, as those users received a couple of fixes to address translation inconsistencies. The firm did, however, note that fixes that were made as part of the Dev channel build will be released to the stable version in the way of servicing updates after the OS releases on October 5, which does seem odd. Additionally, Dev channel users that wanted to perform a clean install could download new ISO images of build 22454.

The week also brought news of a Photos app refresh, a welcome addition for those who have hoped for the in-box app to be more aesthetically pleasing and feature-rich. Of course, another expectation is that the app brings some much-needed reliability and performance improvements. It is to be seen if that is the case, as the app is yet to begin rolling out.

Speaking of refreshes, Microsoft announced a rebrand of its news service to Microsoft Start. The new service doesn’t bring much in the way of additions or features and the branding change is being applied across platforms, including on the web, in Windows, and the mobile apps. In the area of updates, there is also a new Edge 95 build for the Dev channel. It does not come with many new features, which is because it is still an early build for major version 95.

For those still on the fence about installing Windows 11 builds on their machines, we have been looking at the various components of the OS and documenting them in our Closer Look series. This week, we went over the improvements and changes coming to the Virtual Desktop experience in Windows 11 and compared it to that in Windows 10. And to gin up enthusiasm about the upcoming OS, Microsoft has posted a new ad on YouTube and is also speaking about how the OS makes the best of new hardware.

Windows zero-day vulnerability, Outlook bug, and Azure patch

There were a couple of security issues reported this week, the most significant of which was the zero-day in Windows that can enable specially tailored Office files to let attackers perform remote code execution. Microsoft acknowledged the vulnerability, adding that it is currently being exploited in the wild. The firm has said that it is working on a fix and expects to release a fix soon. The zero-day affects all Windows versions going back to Windows 7 and the corresponding Windows Server release.

Another security vulnerability affected Outlook users, where a bug had the potential to falsely flag phishing emails as genuine, thanks to the service not filtering IDs from Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). While the firm denied having plans to fix the issue to the researcher that discovered it, it appeared that the firm changed its mind and fixed the issue, which is always a good thing.

On the positive side of things, the Redmond firm changed how Microsoft 365 apps deal with Trusted Documents to make them more secure. Now, Trusted Documents no longer override the Protected View restrictions and adheres to pre-set policies. Another fix – this time affecting commercial customers – came in the way of a patch for a vulnerability in the Azure Container Instances (ACI) service. The issue risked data leaks across the same clusters, but the firm was quick to note that it found no indication of active exploits.

Halo Infinite’s next multiplayer preview, Alan Wake Remastered screenshots, and more

Starting off the week’s gaming roundup is news about Halo Infinite’s next multiplayer preview, which starts September 24. However, the sign-up cut-off is soon approaching, with the date set for September 13. Those eligible will receive invites on both the PC and Xbox platforms. As for the changes, 343 Industries detailed the tweaks it is planning to make based on the technical feedback.

For those excited about Alan Wake Remastered, screenshots of the game appeared on Amazon UK, showing off the noticeable visual upgrades. The listing’s Xbox cover also hinted that the title runs at 4K, but frame rates specifics are not known yet.

An extended look at Marvel's Midnight Suns also came this week in the form of visceral footage. Considering that the footage is of the game in its alpha stages, the animations and visuals were still unpolished but gave a better look at the villains. Fallout 76 Worlds Update also began rolling out, bringing Public and Custom Worlds. However, only Fallout 1st subscribers will be able to host Custom Worlds. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, luckily, will receive Fallout 1st subscription for one month. Bethesda also acknowledged an issue with Season 5’s rank-ups, which is why it extended the season by two weeks.

Square Enix revealed the Fall and Winter 2021 Roadmap for Marvel’s Avengers, noting that it is working to address player’s concerns and bringing improvements to Gear, Resources, and Cosmetics. It also confirmed that PS4 and PS5 users will be able to experience Spider-Man in a few months. However, that title is exclusive to the mentioned Sony consoles.

Coming to Microsoft’s gaming subscriptions, this week’s Deals with Gold included hefty discounts on games from BioShock, Borderlands, and Dragon Ball franchises. Additionally, this week’s Xbox Free Play Days games included Madden NFL 22, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and Blasphemous.

For Forza Horizon 5 fans, we have listed the current list of cars confirmed by Turn 10 Studio, which is over 400 in number. Cars from the likes of BMW and Tesla are obvious omissions and there is no word on whether they are expected later. This week, we also posted a list of every 120FPS game on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 (PS5).

Rounding off gaming news is Flight Simulator’s next World Update. This time, central European nations are receiving love, including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. As usual, there are a bunch of new airports, New Bush Trips, landing challenges, and Discovery flights, and overall improvements to the visuals in those countries.

Dev channel:

• Microsoft will soon let chat supervisors delete messages in Teams chats
• Microsoft acquires a video-editing software startup named Clipchamp
• Xbox Insiders will receive an update for their controllers that improves latency
• Microsoft offers GPU-accelerated ML training on Windows 10 and WSL via TensorFlow-DirectML
• Benchmarks show Ubuntu 21.10 outperform Windows 11 in certain use-cases
• You can still use proper Internet Explorer (IE) in Windows 11 using a Chrome extension

Logging off:

When Windows 11 began being offered to testers, it was discovered that Windows 11 Home users could not complete the setup process without an internet connection. We found out a workaround, which was soon patched. Now, there is yet another way to bypass this block, which we have detailed in our guide here. Big thanks to Neowin member warwagon for sharing with us the method.

Missed any of the previous columns? Check them all out at this link.

Microsoft Weekly: Windows 11 builds, new zero-day vulnerability, and gaming news

All Steam clients are configured to install updates automatically once they are released. One of the easier ways to test if the latest version is installed is to check the downloads page of the client by going to Library > Downloads in the client. If you see the new interface, then Steam is up to date.

The Downloads page has a new look and feel, but also new functionality. Game downloads are queued if multiple games or updates are to be installed on the device. Steam users may use drag & drop now to reorder the queue with just the mouse. The progress of installation is more accurate now thanks to Steam now displaying the "total progression completed for the download or update". Previously, Steam did not take into account the disk allocation process, which sometimes would show an update as completed while it was not.

Downloads which are queued show a faded progress bar if part of the content was downloaded previously. Data that has been downloaded already is shown as a percentage value to make the state clearer.

There is also a new (i) tooltip that is displayed next to game titles. The type of content that is queued is shown when you hover over the icon.

The right-click context menu displays new options to launch games automatically when downloads complete. Lastly, View Notes links to the Patch Notes now, provided that they are published by the game company.

Storage Management on Steam

The update introduces a new Storage Management section on Steam. It is a bit hard to find, and Valve does not reveal how it is accessed in the news post on the Steam Community website.

Select View > Settings > Library > Steam Library Folders to open the new Storage Management page on Steam.

The management page displays all storage devices with Steam library folders; these are displayed as tabs in the interface. Each drive's content is sorted by size by default, but can also be sorted alphabetically or by the last play date. A bar at the top displays the total storage occupied by Steam, and the storage space that games, DLC, and other content occupy.

The names and size of each game is displayed, and you may check games to uninstall multiple in one go. There is also a browse folder and repair folder option. Empty library folders can now be removed on fixed drives, and library folders on read-only devices may be mounted.

The new Steam client includes lots of fixes and smaller improvements next to these two major ones.

Steam's new Download Manager and Storage Management features improve usability

Say goodbye to the blinding-white Google.com start page and search results.

Dark mode! It's finally here.

First image of article image gallery. Please visit the source link to see all images.

It's finally happening: Google.com is getting a dark mode. What was once the domain of janky site-theming browser extensions can now be enabled right from the Google home page. An official post from the support forums says that dark mode in desktop Google Search is rolling out starting today and will reach every user "over the next few weeks."

Whether or not you have dark mode right now depends on your Google account. I have the new mode on two of my four Google accounts (don't ask), including both a personal account and a paid Google Workspace account. To enable the feature, head to the Google.com settings—on the home page, this page is linked in the bottom left, and on a search results page, it's under the gear button in the top right. On the settings page—if dark mode has made it to your account—you'll see a new "Appearance" section where you can turn on the style.

After turning on dark mode, you'll get a quick theme switcher in the gear button, allowing you to easily jump between dark and light modes. The dark setting seems to work on all the Google.com sections, like news, shopping, books, images, etc.

If you don't have an "Appearance" section in the settings, you don't have dark mode yet. Keep waiting!

Google.com dark mode is rolling out to everyone

(To view the article's image gallery, please visit the above link)

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands launches March 2022

By aiming subatomic particles known as neutrons at silicon crystals and monitoring the outcome with exquisite sensitivity, the NIST scientists were able to obtain three extraordinary results: the first measurement of a key neutron property in 20 years using a unique method; the highest-precision measurements of the effects of heat-related vibrations in a silicon crystal; and limits on the strength of a possible “fifth force” beyond standard physics theories.

The researchers report their findings in the journal Science.

To obtain information about crystalline materials at the atomic scale, scientists typically aim a beam of particles (such as X-rays, electrons or neutrons) at the crystal and detect the beam’s angles, intensities and patterns as it passes through or ricochets off planes in the crystal’s lattice-like atomic geometry.

In a regular crystal such as silicon, there are many parallel sheets of atoms, each of which forms a plane. Probing different planes with neutrons reveals different aspects of the crystal.
Credit: NIST

That information is critically important for characterizing the electronic, mechanical and magnetic properties of microchip components and various novel nanomaterials for next-generation applications including quantum computing. A great deal is known already, but continued progress requires increasingly detailed knowledge.

“A vastly improved understanding of the crystal structure of silicon, the ‘universal’ substrate or foundation material on which everything is built, will be crucial in understanding the nature of components operating near the point at which the accuracy of measurements is limited by quantum effects,” said NIST senior project scientist Michael Huber.

Neutrons, Atoms and Angles

Like all quantum objects, neutrons have both point-like particle and wave properties. As a neutron travels through the crystal, it forms standing waves (like a plucked guitar string) both in between and on top of rows or sheets of atoms called Bragg planes. When waves from each of the two routes combine, or “interfere” in the parlance of physics, they create faint patterns called pendellösung oscillations that provide insights into the forces that neutrons experience inside the crystal.

“Imagine two identical guitars,” said Huber. “Pluck them the same way, and as the strings vibrate, drive one down a road with speed bumps — that is, along the planes of atoms in the lattice — and drive the other down a road of the same length without the speed bumps — analogous to moving between the lattice planes. Comparing the sounds from both guitars tells us something about the speed bumps: how big they are, how smooth, and do they have interesting shapes?”

The latest work, which was conducted at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in collaboration with researchers from Japan, the U.S. and Canada, resulted in a fourfold improvement in precision measurement of the silicon crystal structure.

Not-Quite-Neutral Neutrons

In one striking result, the scientists measured the electrical “charge radius” of the neutron in a new way with an uncertainty in the radius value competitive with the most-precise prior results using other methods. Neutrons are electrically neutral, as their name suggests. But they are composite objects made up of three elementary charged particles called quarks with different electrical properties that are not exactly uniformly distributed.

Each neutron in an atomic nucleus is made up of three elementary particles called quarks. The three quarks’ electrical charge sum to zero, making it electrically neutral. But the distribution of those charges is such that positive charges are more likely to be found in the center of the neutron, and negative charges toward the outside.
Credit: NIST

As a result, predominantly negative charge from one kind of quark tends to be located toward the outer part of the neutron, whereas net positive charge is located toward the center. The distance between those two concentrations is the “charge radius.” That dimension, important to fundamental physics, has been measured by similar types of experiments whose results differ significantly. The new pendellösung data is unaffected by the factors thought to lead to these discrepancies.

Measuring the pendellösung oscillations in an electrically charged environment provides a unique way to gauge the charge radius. “When the neutron is in the crystal, it is well within the atomic electric cloud,” said NIST’s Benjamin Heacock, the first author on the Science paper.

“In there, because the distances between charges are so small, the interatomic electric fields are enormous, on the order of a hundred million volts per centimeter. Because of that very, very large field, our technique is sensitive to the fact that the neutron behaves like a spherical composite particle with a slightly positive core and a slightly negative surrounding shell.”

Vibrations and Uncertainty

A valuable alternative to neutrons is X-ray scattering. But its accuracy has been limited by atomic motion caused by heat. Thermal vibration causes the distances between crystal planes to keep changing, and thus changes the interference patterns being measured.

The scientists employed neutron pendellösung oscillation measurements to test the values predicted by X-ray scattering models and found that some significantly underestimate the magnitude of the vibration.

The results provide valuable complementary information for both x-ray and neutron scattering. “Neutrons interact almost entirely with the protons and neutrons at the centers, or nuclei, of the atoms,” Huber said, “and x-rays reveal how the electrons are arranged between the nuclei. This complementary knowledge deepens our understanding.

“One reason our measurements are so sensitive is that neutrons penetrate much deeper into the crystal than x-rays – a centimeter or more – and thus measures a much larger assembly of nuclei. We have found evidence that the nuclei and electrons may not vibrate rigidly, as is commonly assumed. That shifts our understanding on the how silicon atoms interact with one another inside a crystal lattice.”

Force Five

The Standard Model is the current, widely accepted theory of how particles and forces interact at the smallest scales. But it’s an incomplete explanation of how nature works, and scientists suspect there is more to the universe than the theory describes.

The Standard Model describes three fundamental forces in nature: electromagnetic, strong and weak. Each force operates through the action of “carrier particles.” For example, the photon is the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. But the Standard Model has yet to incorporate gravity in its description of nature. Furthermore, some experiments and theories suggest the possible presence of a fifth force.

“Generally, if there’s a force carrier, the length scale over which it acts is inversely proportional to its mass,” meaning it can only influence other particles over a limited range, Heacock said. But the photon, which has no mass, can act over an unlimited range. “So, if we can bracket the range over which it might act, we can limit its strength.” The scientists’ results improve constraints on the strength of a potential fifth force by tenfold over a length scale between 0.02 nanometers (nm, billionths of a meter) and 10 nm, giving fifth-force hunters a narrowed range over which to look.

The researchers are already planning more expansive pendellösung measurements using both silicon and germanium. They expect a possible factor of five reduction in their measurement uncertainties, which could produce the most precise measurement of the neutron charge radius to date and further constrain — or discover — a fifth force. They also plan to perform a cryogenic version of the experiment, which would lend insight into how the crystal atoms behave in their so-called “quantum ground state,” which accounts for the fact that quantum objects are never perfectly still, even at temperatures approaching absolute zero.

Source

Highlights of Logi Dock:

• Take advantage of Logi Dock’s calendar integration Logi Tune desktop app required for calendar integration, which supports Office 365 and Google Calendar. to instantly join any meeting by simply pressing a button.
• Press the mute button to quickly turn your own audio on or off. Use the volume controls to turn the speaker up or down.
• Press Logi Dock’s video button to instantly turn your own camera on or off.
• The built-in speakerphone includes six beamforming microphones that capture your voice clearly while advanced algorithms suppress unwanted background noise.
• When you want to switch the audio from Logi Dock’s speakerphone to your personal audio, simply turn on your Zone Wireless headset or insert your Zone True Wireless earbuds. Logi Dock intelligently makes the switch.
• If music is your ideal work companion, indulge your preferences with small but mighty speakers that deliver immersive, stereophonic audio, a powerful bass line you can hear, and volume you can crank way up. Enjoy your favorite tunes distortion-free, carefully balanced, and crystal clear.
• Take control of your desk with one simple solution that connects your devices, powers your laptop up to 100w, and reduces the number of chargers, cables, and adapters. Attach up to five USB peripherals and two monitors using USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and a display port. Pair to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth to stream audio.
• Logi Tune is the app that takes Logi Dock from great to exceptional. By syncing your calendar2Logi Tune desktop app required for calendar integration, which supports Office 365 and Google Calendar. with Logi Dock, Tune makes it easy to stay on top of your day, get informed of upcoming appointments, and quickly join your meetings with the press of a button. Tune also lets you optimize Logitech business webcams and Zone headsets, to ensure you look and sound the way you want in video meetings.

Logi Dock Specs:

• DIMENSIONS

  Logi Dock

  • Height: 3.34 in (84.8 mm)
  • Width: 6.30 in (160 mm)
  • Depth: 5.18 in (131.5 mm)
  • Cable length: 3 ft (1 m)
  • Weight: 0.942 kg

• SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

  Compatible with

  • Windows, macOS® or Chrome™ based computer
  • iOS or Android™ Bluetooth enabled devices
  • Available USB-C port
  • AC Power

  Software Downloads

  • Download Logi Tune for convenient calendar integration, one-touch-to-join meeting experience and customization. 4Logi Tune desktop app required for calendar integration, which supports Office 365 and Google Calendar. Support may vary by video conferencing service provider. See pro support compatibility page for latest information.

  Certifications

  • Certified for Microsoft Teams®, Google Meet™, Google Voice™ and Zoom®.

• TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  Speaker

  • Frequency response: 60Hz-20KHz
  • Driver size: 2.17 in (55 mm)
  • Support automatic audio switching 5Works with Zone Wireless (Plus) or Zone True Wireless

  Microphones

  • Beamforming mic array with six mics
  • Frequency Response: 65Hz-8KHz

  Docking Station

  • Docking interface: USB-C with DisplayPort or Alt Mode
  • Power to system: Up to 100 Watt charging
  • Ports
    • 1 x display/video – HDMI v. 1.4b (Support 4K@60Hz HDR)
    • 1 x display/video – DisplayPort 1.4 (Support 4K@60Hz HDR)
    • 2 x USB-A
      • 1 x USB3.1 (5Gbps) with 4.5W charging
      • 1 x USB3.1 (5Gbps) with 7.5W fast charging
    • 3 x USB-C
      • 2 x USB3.1 (5 Gbps) with 4.5W charging
      • 1 x USB3.1 (5 Gbps) with 7.5W fast charging
    • 1 x USB-C Upstream
    • 1 x Bluetooth Sync button
    • 1 x AC power (230W, 19.5V)
    • Security slot type: Kensington security slot

• PACKAGE CONTENTS

  • Logi Dock
  • Power supply cable 1.6 m
  • AC power cord 1.7 m
  • USB-C to USB-C cable 1 m
  • User documentation

• WARRANTY INFORMATION

  2-Year Limited Hardware Warranty
  1-Year Extended Warranty available for purchase

Logi Dock will be available in Graphite and White from Winter 2021 for $399.

Source: Logitech

Logitech announces Logi Dock, a new all-in-one docking station with meeting controls and speakerphone

Today, developer Asobo Studio released World Update VI for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The free patch brings noticeable visual improvements to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. These upgrades include the following major additions:

• High-resolution scenery
• New 3D cities
• Over 100 Points of Interest
• New airports like Klagenfurt and Stuttgart
• New Bush Trips
• New Landing Challenges
• New Discovery Flights

The video provided by Microsoft gives you a quick rundown of all the changes coming to the game with this patch.

World Update VI is quite a hefty download so be sure to give it enough time. Find the complete release notes here. Next month, the Top Gun: Maverick expansion was supposed to hit Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it's been pushed back to May 2022 due to Paramount Picture delaying the film. The Top Gun: Maverick content will now launch in May 2022.

Microsoft Flight Simulator gets World Update VI, upgrades Central European countries

China has revealed plans to create a special economic zone that focuses on development and manufacturing of semiconductors – and will create some fabulous geopolitical interest along the way.

The new "Guangdong-Macau in-depth cooperation zone" will be located on Hengqin island, part of which is currently leased to the former Portuguese colony of Macau.

Macau is governed under China's "One country, two systems" constitutional principle, which acknowledges the territory had its own system of governance before Portugal ceded it to China in 1999. China committed to allowing Macau's governance mode to persist for 50 years beyond 1999 and promised a "high degree of autonomy". A similar arrangement was promised to Hong Kong but has been substantially unwound in recent years, leading to fierce pro-democracy protests and equally fierce crackdowns by Beijing.

Macau has not experienced similar ructions because its population is broadly pro-Beijing – an attitude reflected in the lease of parts of Hengqin island. The space is very welcome, given Macau is just 115km2 but is home to over 650,000 people.

The plan calls for the island to become home to a special economic zone that aims to bring together talent from all of Guangdong Province, the region that encompasses Hong Kong and Macau. The zone will have a mission "to promote the interconnection of innovation chains between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland". Chipmaking and silicon design are among the desired innovation chains, as are AI, the Internet of Things, financial tech and health services innovation.

The really interesting bit? The zone will be on Hengqin, in Chinese territory, but will be jointly administered by Macau and Guangdong province. Chinese state police will reportedly have a presence.

That blurring of lines between Macau and China is new. Just what it means is uncertain – other than to participants' bottom lines, because the special economic zone will offer low rates of tax.

China's announcements of the zone and Macau's involvement mention diversification of the territory's economy as another benefit. Left unsaid is that in the 2010s Macau's economy boomed on the back of gambling – the territory allowed foreign investment in casinos and quickly built an industry that vastly exceeds the turnover of even Las Vegas.

Visiting Chinese gamblers were the main source of that revenue, but Beijing later all-but-prohibited mainland visitors as it felt money moving to Macau created security risks.

A special economic zone dedicated to technology development is presumably less worrying to Chinese authorities. Blurring borders between Macau and the mainland also seems not to be worrisome, given that a certain viral pandemic means Macau's economy can use a boost. Whether Hong Kong businesses will come to play – and by doing so place themselves closer to Beijing's influence – remains to be seen. ®

Source

WHEN SATYA NADELLA took over as boss of Microsoft in 2014 he started by opening Windows. Unlike his predecessors, who had kept the software giant’s crown jewel hermetically sealed from the outside world, he exposed the operating system (OS) to the breeze of competition. The firm’s other programs, which used to run almost exclusively on Windows, could now operate on other OSs, including Linux, an “open-source” rival which Microsoft had previously called a “cancer”. The manoeuvre both broadened the market for Microsoft’s software and improved Windows by forcing it to compete with rival OSs on more equal terms. In the process, it shook up Microsoft’s culture, helped it shed its reputation as a nasty monopolist and paved the way for a stunning revival that saw its market value soar above $2trn.

Now the other half of the once almighty “Wintel” arrangement, whereby PCs would run on Windows software and chips made by Intel, wants to throw the windows open. The American semiconductor giant has long guarded its core chipmaking business as jealously as Microsoft did its OS. After years of product delays, misplaced technology bets and changing management, it is ready for some fresh air. “Our processes, our manufacturing, our intellectual property through our foundry services [producing processors for other chipmakers]: all will now be available to the world,” professes Pat Gelsinger (pictured), Intel’s newish boss.

If successful, Mr Gelsinger’s strategy could reshape a $600bn industry at the heart of the fast-digitising global economy for the better. Failure could, in the short run, compound the chip shortages that are making life difficult for manufacturers of everything from cars to data centres. In the longer term, it could lead to further concentration of the already cosy chipmaking market, with Intel increasingly eclipsed by rivals. And it may cement Asia’s dominance of the industry, creating all kinds of geopolitical complications.

Although Microsoft and Intel reside in different parts of the tech universe, they used to be structural twins. Just as Windows and Office, Microsoft’s package of business applications, were designed to work best with each other, Intel has been designing its own microprocessors and making them in “fabs” optimised for the purpose. As the tech industry has grown bigger, more diverse and more networked, this once dominant “integrated device manufacturer” (IDM) model has fallen out of favour (just as vertical integration became a drag for Microsoft as other tech “ecosystems” popped up). As with the Microsoft of old, Intel’s arrogance and insularity discouraged other chipmakers from working with it, for instance by combining chip designs. Instead they ploughed their own furrows, focusing increasingly either on designing chips (for example, AMD, Arm, Nvidia and Qualcomm) or fabricating them (notably Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TSMC).

Intel has managed to stay closed for longer than Microsoft thanks to the boom in cloud computing, which boosted demand for pricey high-end processors that power servers in data centres where its so-called X86 architecture is now dominant. These contributed one-third of Intel’s total revenue of $78bn in 2020, and much of its $21bn in net profit. Now, though, the company is being overwhelmed by open systems like that of Arm, whose blueprints are used in most of the world’s smartphones (a market which Intel missed) and are starting to appear in data centres—and which was last year acquired by Nvidia for $40bn (though trustbusters may yet scupper the deal). At the same time TSMC took advantage of Intel’s technological and management missteps to pull ahead in both cutting-edge technology and production volume. Both TSMC and Nvidia are now worth more than twice as much as Intel (see chart), despite lower revenues and profits.

Enter Mr Gelsinger, who in February became Intel’s third chief executive in as many years. He was the firm’s chief technology officer until 2009, when he was pushed out. This background—plus what he calls a decade-long “vacation from the chip industry” as the boss of VMware, a software-maker—allowed him to shake things up within weeks. Rather than split Intel into a foundry and a chip-designer, as some analysts and activist investors wanted, his “IDM 2.0” strategy doubles down on integration. Mr Gelsinger sees this as Intel’s competitive advantage. And an independent foundry arm would struggle to compete with TSMC, argues Pierre Ferragu of New Street Research, who estimates that Intel’s manufacturing costs are 70% higher than the Taiwanese firm’s.

Instead, Intel is opting for a sort of virtual decoupling. The firm will make more use of outside foundries, including TSMC, to save costs but also to benefit from TSMC’s leading-edge manufacturing processes. In July Mr Gelsinger said his company intends to catch up with TSMC and Samsung in its ability to churn out top-end chips. His ambitious plan is to introduce at least one new high-end processor a year, each with smaller transistors and faster circuitry. By 2025 it aims once again to be ahead of the pack with designs that are no longer measured in nanometres but in angstroms, the next smallest metric unit of measurement, equal to one ten-billionth of a metre.

At the same time, the company will offer this manufacturing magic to others by relaunching its own foundry business. In contrast to its earlier iteration, which was created in 2012 but never really took off, Intel Foundry Services (IFS) will have its own profit-and-loss statement and, soon, at least two brand-new fabs, which Intel will build in Arizona at a total cost of $20bn.

Mr Gelsinger is now off on a global tour to explain and promote his new strategy, for instance at a trade show in Munich on September 7th. He will need all his enviable communication skills (another thing he shares with Mr Nadella) to convince investors. After a jump earlier this year Intel’s share price has slumped back roughly to where it was before his appointment was announced. Mr Gelsinger seems undaunted. Investors are asking two questions, he says, both fair: can Intel execute this strategy successfully?

And when will this show up in earnings? “I’m OK with that.”

Finding its old Grove

The answers will depend in part on whether Intel can change its culture. That means rekindling what Mr Gelsinger calls its “Grovian culture”, a reference to Andy Grove, the firm’s legendary co-founder, who is best known for his mantra that “only the paranoid survive”. It also entails shedding its insularity. “My team needs to exercise a different set of muscles,” explains Ann Kelleher, Intel’s chief technologist. Among other things, she says, it must learn how to work with external customers and use tools that are built elsewhere.

Above all, though, success will be contingent on flawless execution. Cutting-edge chipmaking involves around 700 processing steps and many nanoscopic layers printed and etched on top of each other. Adding to the complexity, Intel will at last fully embrace “extreme ultraviolet lithography” (which TSMC and others have already been using to great effect). The company’s announcement in late June that it would postpone production of next-generation server processors for a few months hints at the trickiness of the task.

IFS, too, faces challenges. Most analysts agree with Mr Ferragu that the foundry business cannot really compete with TSMC. This is not only a matter of costs, size and a technological lag. Intel must also persuade customers that it can overcome a built-in conflict of interest in trying to be both an IDM and a foundry, points out Willy Shih of Harvard Business School. Amid a future semiconductor shortage the company may need to decide whether to allocate capacity to its own processors or honour the contracts it has with foundry customers.

Intel nevertheless hopes it can carve out a big and lucrative niche for its foundry. It is reportedly interested in beefing it up by buying GlobalFoundries, spun off from AMD in 2009 and currently owned by an Emirati sovereign-wealth fund, for around $25bn. Although the talks had stalled and GlobalFoundries filed to go public in August, they may be restarted once the smaller firm gauges other investors’ interest—and so its possible price tag.

With or without GlobalFoundries, Intel pledges a new spirit of openness. It will no longer force customers to use its proprietary tools when designing their chips. More important, it will grant them access to its chip designs and the technology it has developed for “packaging” semiconductors into the chips that end up in electronic devices. Big cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), will be able to take the design of an Intel server processor, optimise it for their data centres and combine it with other processor designs on a single chip.

There seems to be growing interest in mixing and matching, says Linley Gwennap of the Linley Group, a consultancy. AWS and Qualcomm will be among IFS’s first customers. There is also interest in doing this domestically. American politicians point to the actual pandemic-induced chip shortage, and potential threats from China, particularly to Taiwan, as reasons to worry that most chips are nowadays made in Asia. Congress is expected soon to approve a $52bn subsidy package. The European Union has even more ambitious plans.

Building new fabs in Asia would be 30-40% cheaper, Mr Gelsinger concedes, “but the incentive dollars allow me to invest more and go faster” at home. That appeals to customers who are particularly sensitive about security. America’s Defence Department recently decided to use Intel’s American foundry.

Attracting government money may be the foundry’s main raison d’être, observes Stacy Rasgon of Bernstein, a broker. Becoming reliant on state support risks blunting the very competitive edge that Mr Gelsinger hopes to sharpen. And as a mind-numbingly complex hardware business, Intel may find it more difficult to turn itself around than Microsoft, which benefited from the faster change that characterises the software industry.

The stakes are therefore high—and not just for Intel. If the company continues to lose its edge, the result will almost certainly be further consolidation. Today’s handful of big chipmakers could eventually be whittled down to a duopoly. Even if more survive, most fabs would probably all be based in Asia (though TSMC plans to build a fab in Arizona). Around 80% of the world’s semiconductor capacity is already there, Mr Gelsinger estimates; America accounts for 15% and Europe for the rest.

Only the open survive

Western governments are not the only ones who ought to pay attention to the fate of Mr Gelsinger’s opening gambit. So, too, should today’s tech titans. Like Microsoft before it, Intel got in trouble largely because it was overprotective of its crown jewels. Others might decide that the best way to avoid such problems is to open up pre-emptively. Apple could be a less harsh steward of its App Store; Facebook could make its social network more interoperable with rivals; and Google could give phonemakers more freedom to tinker with its Android mobile OS. This could ease trustbusters’ worries—and make shareholders happier, too.

For more expert analysis of the biggest stories in economics, business and markets, sign up to Money Talks, our weekly newsletter.

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An official release date and new builds for Windows 11

Microsoft finally announced that the official release date for Windows 11 is October 5. This is when the firm will begin rolling out the OS to eligible devices – albeit in a staggered fashion – and OEMs will start shipping devices running Windows 11 out of the box. Of course, while this news has been great for many, there are a bunch of Windows Insiders running Dev channel builds on unsupported hardware that haven’t had a good experience as they were kicked out of receiving Dev channel builds, in line with the firm’s promise from June. The firm even clarified its stance on Twitter, justifying its move.

For those that were still in the program, the firm released new builds for both Dev and Beta channel Insiders. While Beta channel users were treated to build 22000.176 that brought bug fixes, it’s the Dev channel that got more love in the way of a major build number bump. The first build from the ‘rs_prelease’ branch, build 22449, brought a ton of fixes and a simple yet modern startup animation, among other improvements to the overall UI. This build comes from a branch that is not tied to any Windows 11 release, which means they will eventually become more unstable.

Those running Beta channel builds, which are expected to be the more stable of the two channels, were surprised to see that a weird bug that broke the taskbar. While the firm quickly identified the issue and posted a workaround, it was later discovered that a small JSON blob from the IrisService component that was used tasked at serving an ad for Windows 11’s Teams integration is what broke the Start and Taskbar. Thankfully, the bug was not significant enough to cause much trouble.

Business users weren’t left out either, this week. Windows Insider Program for business users running Release Preview builds can start testing Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 21H2, available for download across all the usual distribution channels. This hints at Windows 11 OS being closer to completion than ever since the firm wants commercial customers to begin validation testing for the new OS. However, it is not forcing those that want to continue running Windows 10, with the firm promising free support and AppAssure support for customers running previews of both versions.

If you aren’t running Windows 11 and would like to take a look at the new Snap Layouts and Snap Groups feature in Windows 11, we’ve got you covered. Additionally, you could also look at the new – and controversial – changes to the Taskbar, we’ve put together a detailed look at that as well.

Microsoft also announced a “devices and Windows 11” event for September 22. The company posted a picture of what looked like a Surface Pro device in the teaser, hinting at a possible new Surface Pro model. The Surface Duo 2 might also make its debut. There is not much concrete information on what is expected, but there could be some surprises.

App updates and security

Talking about software, the first Edge 95 build was released to the Dev channel, bringing some PDF and screenshot inking improvements. Being the first release, it was light on features and fixes. However, with major releases now following a four-week cadence, features and improvements will begin showing up soon. With major version 95 heading to Dev, Edge 94 was promoted to the Beta channel and Edge 93 was released to the general public. For those running the popular PowerToys set of tools, version 0.45 was released that focused on improving stability and adding Fluent design elements to the Settings UI. Lastly, Windows Thin PC, a stripped-down version of Windows 7 for low-performance PCs, will reach the end of its support next week.

Developers and prosumers that run Windows Terminal were also on the receiving end of updates, with the Preview users receiving Terminal Preview 1.11 that brought with it a ton of fixes and improvements, including improvements to panes, an acrylic title bar, updates to the Settings UI and more. Naturally, Windows Terminal version 1.10 moved to stable users. That version added Quake mode to the system tray, and more. However, not all features made it to stable, as some of the omissions include the ability to set the tool as the default terminal, or the ability to edit actions from the Settings UI.

As far as security is concerned, Microsoft has made usage analytics for Microsoft 365 pseudonymized by default starting September. The change impacts user-level information stored in APIs and products that include usage reports in Microsoft Graph, Teams analytics and Teams admin center, Microsoft 365 admin center, and more. The firm is hoping to bring in these privacy changes while also allowing admins to measure trends within their organization.

Xbox Game Pass games, Halo Infinite multiplayer tweaks, more

With the start of a new month came new Xbox Game Pass games. The Redmond giant has added seven new titles to the subscription service, out of which Surgeon Simulator 2 and The Artful Escape are day one arrivals. Just as always, there are seven games that are leaving the subscription. One of those is Forza Motorsport 7, which is being delisted from all storefronts.

In addition to the Xbox Game Pass titles, Microsoft also made available the September Games with Gold selection. The first wave of the free bonus games includes Warhammer: Chaosbane for Xbox One and Zone of the Enders HD Collection for Xbox 360. You can claim the games via the links provided here. Additionally, you can also check out the Deals with Gold list that includes games like Borderlands 3, Call of Duty: WWII, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more that are available for substantially less.

Moving on to Halo news, there is a fresh Insider test for Halo: The Master Chief Collection that brings a preview of what is slated to make it to Season 8. This includes the improvement and expansion of the popular Custom Game Browser, among other additions.

For those excited about Halo Infinite, the firm has announced a bunch of tweaks being made to the title’s multiplayer portion, thanks to the feedback from the technical preview. These include making the motion tracker (radar) behave like older Halo titles, improvements to Bot AI, improved weapon drills, and much more. 343 Industries noted that the mentioned changes will make it to the game at launch or as a post-launch, depending on the complexity of each area. Just as a reminder, Halo Infinite Campaign and multiplayer portions are launching on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S systems on December 8.

In other gaming news, Asphalt 9: Legends is now free to download on Xbox and Windows, with Microsoft providing those downloading the 2018 game with an Xbox-themed Porsche 911 GTS Coupe for a limited time. With support for cross-save, you can pick up where you left off on either of the platforms. Those waiting for the Crysis Remastered Trilogy on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC will be happy to know that Crytek has announced that the package releases on October 15, with the publisher promising a significant overhaul of the visuals, There are improved framerates, textures, and lighting. Additionally, those that purchased Crysis Remastered when it launched on consoles will be provided the option to buy the rest of the games in the package separately.

Rounding off the list of expected launches is the spotting of a retailer listing for Alan Wake Remastered on Rakuten Taiwan's website. The release date of October 5 spotted on the website may or may not be a placeholder, but if it does make it out on that day, it is expected to make it to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, alongside the Xbox platforms.

Lastly, news of a promise not kept comes from the Flight Simulator franchise with the delay of the Top Gun: Maverick expansion. The expansion was slated to release in November, timed with the release of the new Top Gun movie. The tentative release date is now set for 27 May 2022.

Dev Channel:

• Xbox has become the official gaming partner for England’s national football teams

• LinkedIn realizes that stories aren’t for everyone, retires the Stories feature from its service

• The Windows 10 Team 2020 Update finally makes it to all Surface Hub devices

• Windows Server 2022 is now officially hit general availability, after beginning to show up in multiple distribution channels

Microsoft Weekly: Windows 11 moves forward, new hardware is on the way, and more

To make both the cores work seamlessly with the OS, Intel developed Intel Thread Director that will enable the OS to place the right thread on the right core at the right time. Also, Alder Lake will power devices ranging from ultra-portable laptops to enthusiast and commercial desktops.

Early benchmarks have shown Windows 11 would be up to 15% faster on Alder Lake than Windows 10.

via Techspot

Intel’s Alder Lake processors pricing leaked (and its not cheap)

According to the findings, it has been determined that Queued Trim commands on the 860 and 870 SSDs are causing such issues on Intel, ASmedia, and Marvell SATA AHCI controllers and the problem has been found to be the worst on older AMD systems.

As a result, Queued Trims have been disabled on the new patch for Intel, ASMedia, and Marvell SATA controllers and for older AMD machines, Native Command Queuing (NCQ) has been disabled entirely as a cure for the issue.

NCQ is a technology on SATA that allows the system to optimize queuing and movement of data as per workload for the best performance. TRIM on the other hand allows the drive to intelligently free up space that is no longer determined necessary for the storage device to hold on to, without deleting necessary data. This helps to avoid rewriting in used spaces and it is generally considered a good thing for drive health.

Curiously, it seems that Queued TRIM was already disabled on all Samsung 800 series SSDs but the South Korean giant apparently told Linux that it wasn't necessary for models outside of the 840 and 850 drives. However, user feedback on 860 and 870 drives has shown otherwise.

As a result, it may probably be best to avoid all Samsung 800 series SATA SSDs if you're an active Linux user.

Source: Bugzilla

Linux patch disables TRIM and NCQ on Samsung 860/870 SSDs in Intel and AMD systems

The processor is optimised for Windows 11, with the OS being Microsoft’s first to take advantage of Intel’s big.LITTLE architecture and when Intel spoke about its Alder Lake processor and hybrid architecture along with the new Arc GPUs the company said:

To enable this high level of coordination that improves real-world performance, Intel has partnered with Microsoft to incorporate this revolutionary capability into the next version of Windows 11.

When Microsoft was interviewed on the subject, Mehmet Iyigun – Partner Development Manager, said:

Throughout the development cycle of Windows 11, my team worked with our colleagues at Intel to update and optimize our next operating system to make the most of the Performance Hybrid architecture and Thread Director in particular.

With Thread Director feedback, the Windows 11 thread scheduler is much smarter in dynamically choosing the most appropriate core based on the workload to get the best power and performance.

Prospective Windows 11 users would understandably want their new PCs to have this new processor, and we now believe we know when Alder Lake hardware will hit the street.

Wccftech reports that devices bearing the processor will go on sale starting on the 19th of November 19, paired with Intel’s LGA1700-based top-end Z690 motherboards.

Alder Lake will be Intel’s first performance hybrid architecture that includes a Performance-core and an Efficient-core to provide significant performance across all workload types. Intel also detailed the new Efficient-core and its Performance-core x86 CPU units that will power the Alder Lake.

• The Efficient-core microarchitecture is designed for throughput efficiency and efficient offloading of background tasks for multitasking. It runs at low voltage and creates headroom to increase frequency and ramp up performance for more demanding workloads. The new Efficient-core will deliver same performance when compared to Skylake core but with 40% less power.
• The Performance-core microarchitecture is designed for speed, the highest performing CPU core Intel has built. It pushes the limits of low latency and single-threaded application performance and provides a significant boost at high-power efficiency that can better support large applications. Intel claims that this new Performance-core will deliver 19% better performance over 11th gen cores.

To make both the cores work seamlessly with the OS, Intel developed Intel Thread Director that will enable the OS to place the right thread on the right core at the right time. Also, Alder Lake will power devices ranging from ultra-portable laptops to enthusiast and commercial desktops.

Early benchmarks have shown Windows 11 would be up to 15% faster on Alder Lake than Windows 10.

via Neowin

Ship date of Intel’s Alder Lake processors for Windows 11 leak

Microsoft has recently rolled out the August 2021 Firmware Update for the Surface Laptop 3 (Intel version) a full 3 weeks after releasing the AMD version.

Unlike the AMD version, the Intel version has a short but important changelog:

The following updates are available for Surface Laptop 3 with Intel Processor devices running Windows 10 May 2019 Update, version 1903, or greater.

This update addresses the system hang and shutdown issue.

To download and install Microsoft’s latest May firmware update on your Surface Laptop 3, you can head over to Windows Settings> Update & Security> Check for updates.

via WBI

Surface Laptop 3 (Intel processor) gets the August 2021 firmware update

Now Winfuture, who always have their finger on the pulse of these things, have posted some further specs.

They exclusively revealed that the screen will once again be 10.5 inches, unchanged from the previous model. It will feature a magnesium alloy casing and the usual fold-out Surface stand.

They also confirmed that the leaked benchmarks are indeed real.

Two types of processors appear – an Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor paired with 4GB of RAM and Intel Core i3-10100Y with 8GB of RAM.

While still limited, in single-core tests the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y is 62 percent higher than the Pentium Gold 4425Y of the Surface Go 2 and in multicore test, the score is a good 47 percent higher.

For the high-end Intel Core i3-10100Y version, the performance improvements are less dramatic.  In single-core tests the new device is only four percent faster and in multi-core tests, it is only 11 percent faster.

This may be because the Intel Core i3-10100Y processor is not a real Core i3 processor but actually belongs to the energy-saving low-end SoCs of the “Amber Lake” Y series.

The devices are expected to appear at Microsoft’s upcoming Surface event on the 22nd of September, and Winfuture notes they may be the centre of the event.

More Surface Go 3 specs leaked

As expected, the new Google chips will be based on ARM architecture to deliver more efficient performance when compared to the current x86 chips found on most Chromebooks.

Source: Nikkei

Google developing its own CPUs for Chromebook laptops