Linux creator Linus Torvalds has called AI little more than a marketing ploy.
In a recent interview with TFiR at the Open Source Summit in Vienna, Torvalds acknowledged artificial intelligence is “really interesting” and that it’s “going to change the world,” however he added the initial hype doesn’t yet justify its usefulness.
Torvalds reportedly grimaced as labelled the current state of the AI market as “90% marketing and 10% reality.”
Linus Torvalds isn’t a fan of AI… yetFor now, Torvalds’ solution is to ignore artificial intelligence until the technology becomes powerful and personalized enough to matter.
“I think AI is really interesting, and I think it is going to change the world," he noted, "and, at the same time, I hate the hype cycle so much that I really don’t want to go there."
"So my approach to AI right now is I will basically ignore it because I think the whole tech industry around AI is in a very bad position," Torvalds added, "however, it seems like there is almost too much AI BS around for the Fin to tolerate."
The developer’s thoughts mirror those of other tech professionals worldwide – it seems that every day a new report is published showing how companies are struggling to deploy meaningful AI tools for a variety of reasons, including poor infrastructure and a lack of readiness on the parts of both workers and leaders.
For now, Torvalds said he recognized the usefulness of some tools, like ChatGPT, in specific use cases, but reiterated that AI’s broader applications remain limited. However, he left room for optimism, suggesting that in five years’ time, AI might mature to support meaningful, everyday applications.
Torvalds’ comments follow recent remarks by Baidu’s CEO, who predicts that the AI bubble might soon burst, leaving only a small percentage of companies in a position to benefit from the remaining interest.
The Linux maker advises tech workers to avoid being swayed by industry trends that feel like bandwagons, instead focusing on meaningful innovations that can actually deliver.
Despite the current hype around artificial intelligence, Torvalds says that he remains focused on his passion for low-level systems development: “I’ve always been interested in the area between hardware and software.”
Via TomsHardware
More from TechRadar ProApple is once again taking the mini name to heart, unveiling today an all-new, almost impossibly tiny Mac mini running not only a 3-nanometer M4 chip but with the option of an all-new piece of Apple silicon, the M4 Pro.
When Apple introduced the Mac mini almost a decade ago, it was the smallest Mac to date, at just 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches and 2 inches tall. Recent editions have grown to almost 8 inches square, making them feel less like tiny computers and a bit more like elegant hot plates. This new model clocks in at 5.5 inches square and perhaps a bit taller than the M2 model. That's still about two inches larger than an Apple TV 4K but also small enough to fit in one decent-sized hand.
At a glance, the Mac mini M4 is familiar. It's still made of recycled aluminum (though 85% less than the last model), is still square with rounded corners, and has a circular fan vent in the base. After that, the pint-sized computer diverges. The once-clean face now offers a pair of USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. One might argue that the smaller chassis forced the movement of some ports from the back to the front, but I think people will welcome the ease of use.
You'll find the more familiar Thunderbolt (3x), Ethernet, and HDMI ports on the back.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Apple)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Apple)What may matter most to Mac mini fans is the introduction of Apple's newest and fastest silicon, the M4, first seen in the iPad Pro. The last Mac mini topped out at an M2 class chip, offering performance options up to the M2 Pro. In a similar fashion, the new Mac mini marks the introduction of the M4's first iteration: an M4 Pro.
The M4 Pro brings with it an up-to-14-core CPU and an up-to-20-core GPU. It matches the M4's 16-core neural engine, which plays a large role in AI operations. One of the big changes, and one that could significantly impact performance, is the increased memory bandwidth. While the M2 Pro offers 120Gbps throughput, the M4 Pro promises 75% higher memory bandwidth.
Again, we won't know the true impact until we test the new Mac mini and its new CPU.
The new Pro-level silicon also introduces Thunderbolt 5 support, which means those ports will offer transfer speeds of up to 120Gbps, a tantalizing prospect for those who work in pro-level video editing.
Tiny and neutralApple is calling this its first carbon-neutral Mac because, in addition to that far reduced use of aluminum, the product features 50% recycled content and is being produced using all renewable energy.
Like other Apple silicon-running systems, the new Mac mini M4 offers full support for Apple intelligence. Perhaps that's why the new base memory for all Mac minis is now 16GB, up from 8GB. Though, you can get up to 64GB of RAM when you have the M4 Pro chip in a Mac mini.
Apple is doing that while keeping the base price at $599 / £599 / $999AU. It's a welcome change, even if it's partially necessitated by Apple Intelligence's onboard generative AI processing demands.
(Image credit: Apple)While I have yet to test the new M4 Pro Mac mini, I have seen it in action running, for instance, an application known as Aperty that lets you do pro-level portrait photography editing.
In one demo, I watched as they added new point lighting to a photo and then dragged it around as the subject's lighting changed in real-time. The system appeared to instantly assess the 3D contours of the face, apply an invisible map, and adjust the virtual light accordingly. It can do this work and other onboard AI actions – powered mainly by the Neural Engine – that can instantly add or change makeup and remove under-eye shadows.
The new Mac mini M4 is on pre-sale today (Oct. 29) and ships on November 8 with a starting price of $599 / £599 / $999AU. The base model starts with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. It ranges up to $1,399 / £1399 / $2,199AU for a Mac mini M4 packed with a 12-core CPU, 16 Core GPU, 24GB of memory, and 512GB of storage.
You might also likeThe Apple M4 Pro chip is official now that Apple has announced the new Apple Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro.
The new chip is a step up from the existing Apple M4 chip, which is already powering the latest Apple iMac M4 and Apple iPad Pro. The new Apple M4 Pro, meanwhile, offers a boost in core counts for both the CPU and GPU built into the chip for those who need more performance without committing overkill on their latest creative project.
Since the Apple M4 Pro fits into the midrange in terms of what Apple fans are looking for from Apple Silicon, this is going to be a popular option for many, and fortunately, we have all the latest from Apple about the new chip in terms of specs and potential performance you can expect over the last-gen Apple M3 Pro and we're here to answer all your questions about this latest SoC for Mac products.
Apple M4 Pro chip: Cut to the chaseThe Apple M4 Pro chip won't sell on its own, will come as an optional upgrade for the newly announced Apple Mac mini 2024 and the likely Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch refreshes, expected to launch this year.
While you can pre-order the new Mac mini with Apple M4 Pro now, you'll have to wait until November 8th to actually get your hands on any new hardware with the Apple M4 Pro chip - as the new Mac mini models will start shipping out by then or you can pick it up in store.
Apple M4 Pro chip: PriceThe Apple M4 Pro chip will not sell on its own, but instead, it will power the new Mac mini as a premium upgrade, and will likely be an option for the highly anticipated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models widely expected to be revealed later this month.
Apple M4 Pro chip: Specs & performance (Image credit: Shutterstock / Alex Ost)The new Apple M4 Pro will have some noticeable improvements over last year's Apple M3 Pro, while it will stay the same in other areas.
First, it's a 'second-generation' 3nm system-on-a-chip, so it has a similar architecture to the Apple M3 Pro, but there are some important differences.
First, it features faster clock speeds than the Apple M3 Pro, at least according to Apple.
There's also the neural engine, which is capable of 38 TOPS compared to the Apple M3 Pro's 18 TOPS, which is exactly what you'll need if you want to take advantage of the new Apple Intelligence tools, apps, and functionality introduced in this latest generation of Macs.
Additionally, you also have support for Thunderbolt 5 and increased memory bandwidth, which makes the unified memory more efficient despite remaining the same starting amount as last year's M3 Pro.
In terms of performance, Apple said that it will have up to twice the ray-tracing performance as the Apple M3 Pro and faster performance and efficiency cores, though Apple hasn't revealed much yet about the latter.
Ultimately, we'll have to see how the new chip performs once we get our hands on the new Mac devices that it powers to know for sure, so watch this space for reviews and performance breakdowns once we have them.
We've all got opinions on what the best Netflix shows are. If you're anything like me, you might find yourself going back to specific episodes or moments, because they're just that good. But it can be frustrating trying to remember timestamps or episode titles, meaning there's a little effort required to revisit our favorite moments.
Thankfully, the best streaming service has a genius new solution. They've just introduced a new feature called Netflix Moments, which calls time on the endless scrolling and simplifies finding those all-important scenes. Whether you're looking for your favorite twisted children's game ahead of Squid Game season two or you can't stop thinking about that romantic Bridgerton moment, there's now a way to fast-track the experience.
What is Netflix Moments?Netflix's newest feature essentially lets you clip scenes from its library so they're easier for you to access. These can be saved as bookmarks so you can navigate to them to watch from that point onwards, meaning you don't need to scroll through or keep hitting the skip button.
It also allows you to share these Moments to social media, whether you want to put it on your Instagram Story or send it directly via WhatsApp. This is actually a pretty genius way to convince your friends to watch something, or just scream about that big moment none of you have been able to stop thinking about. Whatever you use it for, it's going to make reliving and sharing scenes a breeze.
The streaming service has rolled out Moments alongside a new global campaign called "It's So Good", which features some famous figures discussing those unmissable scenes. Take a look at that below.
Moments is expected to start appearing across devices very soon, and seems perfectly suited to mobiles especially due to the scene sharing capabilities. While Netflix has not confirmed an exact timeline for the rollout, keep an eye on your My Netflix tab and you should be seeing it in the near future.
You might also like:Nearly three-quarters (70%) business leaders are increasingly concerned about their employees’ cybersecurity knowledge, stating they lack even fundamental awareness needed to combat rising threats.
The news comes as companies brace themselves for increased threat activity in the age of artificial intelligence, which aids threat actors to increase the sophistication of their attacks.
The report from Fortinet cites another separate study carried out by the company claiming more than four in five organizations have faced incidents like malware, phishing and password attacks over the past 12 months.
Workers aren’t prepared for the future of cybersecurityLooking ahead, three in five leaders expect AI-augmented attacks to make it even harder for workers to recognize threats.
However, artificial intelligence isn’t just seen as a threat to buisnesses. Four in five of the study’s participants believe that emerging AI-enhanced threats have driven greater openness to training initiatives within their companies, with three quarters of leaders planning to launch awareness campaigns.
“As threat actors harness new technologies like AI to augment the sophistication of their attacks, it’s increasingly crucial that employees serve as a robust first line of defense,” said Fortinet Chief Marketing Officer John Maddison.
In response to the changing threat landscape, companies are becoming increasingly proactive, with around one-third (34%) delivering content monthly, and almost half (47%) doing so quarterly. Almost all (98%) have covered phishing prevention, with security (48%) and privacy (41%) also frequently appearing in training.
Moreover, Fortinet’s research shows companies offering more engaging, targeted training are seeing the best results, with 89% of leaders reporting a stronger security posture after training.
As threats are becoming both more sophisticated and more common, it’s clear that cybersecurity training has become a paramount part of business. As such, Fortinet calls for organizations to consider a three-pronged approach – security awareness and training for all employees, technical cybersecurity skills for IT workers, and advanced security solutions for the network.
More from TechRadar ProDeveloper Hexworks has announced that Lords of the Fallen will receive PlayStation 5 Pro support when the console launches next month.
According to the developer, the PS5 Pro enhanced version of the action role-playing game (RPG) will allow players to experience a "40% increase in pixel density over the base PlayStation 5 console, resulting in a sharper image and finer details."
With the upgraded Performance Mode, Lords of the Fallen will run at 4K (upscaled from 1440p) at 60 frames per second (FPS), feature shaper distant details, and refined textures on characters and environments.
Quality Mode, meanwhile, is designed for visual fidelity and will run at native 4K at a "stable" 30fps that will showcase "intricate visuals across the dual realms of Axiom and Umbral".
Hexworks added that the PS5 Pro support confirmation also comes ahead of planned updates and further enhancements for Lords of the Fallen across all platforms, but didn't go into the details.
Following Sony's official unveiling of the PS5 Pro, more studios have been sharing their plans for their PS5 Pro-enhanced games.
Last week, Arrowhead Game Studios confirmed that its popular third-person online shooter, Helldivers 2, will also receive PS5 Pro support but has yet to divulge the details on the upcoming upgrades.
Team Ninja also revealed that Rise of the Ronin will get "improved visuals" and "frame rates" on the mid-generation console, along with Remedy, which confirmed that Alan Wake 2 will receive Quality and Performance mode upgrades.
The PS5 Pro is set to launch on November 7. If you want to get your hands on the upcoming console, check out our PS5 Pro pre-order guide.
You might also like...Audiophiles need no introduction to the Brooklyn-based open-back headphone specialist Grado (although do see our best on-ear headphones guide for two excellent sets – namely the high-end Hemp or the more affordable SR80x) and if the all-new Signature HP100 SE sounds familiar, you're not wrong: these new flagship headphones are a contemporary homage to the iconic Signature HP1 headphones made between 1989 and 1992, by Grado Labs founder Joseph Grado.
The HP100 SE boast newly engineered drivers and, for the first time in a Grado design, detachable cables, as well as a fresh headband assembly to complete a look Grado is calling "a new design direction" for the family-run firm. As always, the HP100 SE are hand-assembled in Grado's Brooklyn headquarters.
In recognition of what would've been Joseph Grado’s 100th birthday, Grado Labs is proudly introducing these Special Edition cans. “Although Uncle Joe left us 10 years ago, he will always be a presence at Grado Labs”, said Joseph’s nephew and Grado CEO, John Grado.
Grado Signature HP100 SE: specs, pricing and everything you need to knowGrado tells me that although the HP100 SE are based on an iconic pair of headphones, the approach here has been "from the ground up." First off, there's a completely new 52mm driver using a new paper composite cone and a fresh voice coil made from lightweight copper-plated aluminum. Honoring the heritage of the original Signature HP1/2/3 headphone designs but with a modern feel, the housings are individually machined from specially treated aluminium with the product name engraved on the face.
The HP100 SE come in space gray (and space gray only) and again, it is the first Grado model to feature detachable cables. Terminated with a 6.3mm plug, each driver housing is connected via a 4pin mini XLR plug, but the company tells me that additional detachable cable options (4pin XLR termination, 4.4mm balanced termination, plus various cable lengths) will be available in the future.
They're designed for comfort during long listening sessions, too. The new headband features 50% more padding than previous Grado designs but with the brand's trademark stainless steel height rods that can be adjusted and rotated up to 105 degrees to minimize listening fatigue.
The Grado Signature HP100 SE will be available in November from selected independent retailers and from www.grado.co.uk (UK) and www.gradolabs.com (US), priced $2,495 / £2,795 (which is around AU$4,231) and although I haven't yet had the pleasure of putting them on my ears, I think they look very interesting indeed.
You may also likeBungie has confirmed that its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon is "on track", but says it's "a little too early" to show it off.
Game director Joe Ziegler shared the game's first development update in almost a year since it was delayed with a nine-minute video, discussing what the team has been up to and how Marathon has changed.
Although the update didn't offer a look at any new gameplay, Ziegler did reveal that over the past couple of years, Bungie has introduced a "lot of aggressive changes" to the game and has been "iterating pretty heavily" while also testing with players.
"Where the game is at right now, there is a variety of different things at different states inside of the game," the director continued. "Some things are a little bit more complete like our environments are starting to come together in a really, really beautiful way."
Ziegler adds that character models have undergone some "iterating" as well, "so they're coming together but they're not fully there yet" while enemy models are still in an "early state".
Hey everyone! We made a "little" video where I chat about what we're making on the Marathon team and what we've been up to in the dark all this time. It's not a gameplay reveal or anything, but if you're interested in hearing the latest, check it out below. Much ♥ pic.twitter.com/WaHgCADed3October 28, 2024
"It's a little early to show you all of it as one piece [...] but all of these things are on-track," Ziegler said. "They're not all together but when they all do come together, we really, really are looking forward to showing you what that looks like, especially in play."
The game director did go on to show off a sneak peek at a few images that were showcased in the background of the video, including concept art of a Runner codenamed Thief, and another character codenamed Stealth.
Ziegler went on to say that it will "reveal a lot more... in the midst of 2025", and that Bungie will be expanding Marathon's playtests next year as it looks to add a significant amount of players.
"The interest that you've shown engaging with all the content we've created... really fuels us on a daily basis," Ziegler said. "We're excited to engage with you more in 2025 and beyond as we bring this game to all of you to play."
You might also like...A dedicated PlayStation player has revealed they purchased 24 years' worth of PlayStation Plus for up to $2000 to avoid price hikes.
User 'On_Reddit_In_Class' shared their commitment on the PlayStation Plus Reddit page alongside a screenshot of their 24-year subscription, which won't expire until 2048, explaining that they will be gaming for the rest of their life and wanted to avoid "absurd" price increases (via IGN).
"I decided to stack PS Plus subscriptions until 2048 because of the absurd price increases the past few years," the user said. "I figure that I’ll probably be gaming for most of my life so it would save a good bit of money."
With another screenshot, the Redditor showed how they were able to load up on PS Plus Essentials subscriptions and then upgrade it to PS Plus Premium for just $199.
"Just wanted to share as I figure you guys would get a kick out of it," they added.
PS Plus Essential is $79.99 per year, meaning the 24-year ongoing membership would cost the Redditor $1,919.76.
However, Sony offered the player an 89% discount to upgrade to a Premium subscription and charged On_Reddit_In_Class $199.99 instead of $1,889.75, bringing the total sum to $2,119.75.
Sony increased the subscription prices of its PlayStation Plus service in September 2023, hiking up the PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium tiers by $20 each for a 12-month membership.
"This price adjustment will enable us to continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits to your PlayStation Plus subscription service," the company explained at the time.
You might also like...A joint statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has claimed multiple major US telecom providers have been breached in what appears to be a coordinated attack by Chinese hackers.
The statement notes, “The U.S. Government is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.”
Not much is known about the attack, nor which telecom providers have been affected as the investigation is still ongoing. The Canadian government has also issued a warning on China’s widespread reconnaissance scans on Canadian domains, likely searching for vulnerabilities and gathering information.
Telecoms surveillance network breached“After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the joint statement continued, further stating that “any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA.”
Earlier in October 2024, a cyber criminal group with links to the People’s Republic of China tracked as Salt Typhoon managed to break into broadband providers such as AT&T, Lumen Technologies, and Verizon. Along with access to the network traffic processed by these providers, the attackers also broke into a telecommunications system used by authorities to legally surveil criminals using wiretaps and other techniques.
As for Canada, the statement issued by its government states multiple reconnaissance scans by China “have occurred throughout 2024” with organizations targeted including “Government of Canada departments and agencies, and includes federal political parties, the House of Commons and Senate.”
“They also targeted dozens of organizations, including democratic institutions, critical infrastructure , the defence sector, media organizations, think tanks and NGOs,” the statement said.
The Canadian government says these scans are not indications of compromise, but are done to map and explore Canada’s domain infrastructure searching for vulnerabilities and planning future attacks.
“It is the equivalent of someone walking around a building to see if there is an alarm or security camera, or trying the windows and doors to see which ones are unlocked. It is about gathering information in case they want to return to carry out a crime and figuring out the best way to do it,” the statement summarized.
The best way for organizations to protect themselves from reconnaissance mapping and future attacks is to ensure their devices run the latest operating systems and are protected against all known vulnerabilities. Organizations may also want to ensure they use multi-factor authentication, activity logging, and educate their employees on common attack vectors such as phishing.
More from TechRadar ProThe OnePlus 13 is almost here, and OnePlus seems keen to keep the hype for its latest flagship smartphone high by continuing to tease new specs and features ahead of its China launch on October 31.
The most recent reveal has seen OnePlus confirm that the OnePlus 13 will launch with a major advantage over nearly every other phone on the market – an IP69 rating.
In fact, the OnePlus 13 will launch with dual IP68 and IP69 ratings; the former means the phone will survive immersion in water, the latter means it can survive high-pressure jets of hot water, and both confirm total dust resistance with a vacuum seal.
Ingress Protection ratings are defined and issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission, and measure a device’s resistance to dust (the first number) and water (the second number).
The OnePlus 13 has been rated at the highest level in both categories, surpassing many of its IP68-rated competitors like the iPhone 16 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and Google Pixel 9 Pro.
While we would generally recommend avoiding situations in which an IP69 rating is useful, it’s exciting to see a phone push the level of durability higher than the norm.
There are very few phones with an IP69 rating. Certain regional Oppo models boast it, but the OnePlus 13 will be the first IP69-equipped smartphone available to Western markets.
IP68 and IP69 ratings explained Image 1 of 3The OnePlus 12 launched globally in January 2024 (Image credit: OnePlus)Image 2 of 3The OnePlus 12 launched globally in January 2024 (Image credit: OnePlus)Image 3 of 3The OnePlus 12 launched globally in January 2024 (Image credit: OnePlus)A rating of 6 in dust protection – which signifies total dust-proofing with a vacuum seal – has been the standard in high-end consumer tech for a while now, but it's the improved water resistance that makes the OnePlus 13's ratings impressive.
A rating of 8 in water resistance means the OnePlus 13 can withstand immersion water more than a meter deep, though exactly how deep is up to the manufacturer. Android Authority reports that the OnePlus 13 will withstand a depth of 1.5m.
IP ratings for water resistance aren’t quite as sequential as they are for dust – hence the issuing of both IP68 and IP69 ratings – and a rating of 9 means the OnePlus 13 can survive high-pressure jets of 176°F water.
It’s worth remembering that these ratings should be primarily thought of as a defense against accidents and the elements. Exposing a phone to large amounts of dust or water may cause issues down the line and shouldn’t be a part of your daily usage, which is why we generally don’t test IP ratings as part of our review process.
The OnePlus 13 is right around the corner, and we expect to see a global launch early next year. For the latest official updates as we hear them, be sure to keep up with our OnePlus, Android, and general phones coverage.
You might also likeFrom Project Orion to Snapchat Spectacles and X-Real Glasses with Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, which are likely stealing the show with the most adoption, there’s no shortage of contenders for the best smart glasses in 2024.
Rather than tossing a microphone or set of speakers into glasses, Chamelo is taking a more fundamental approach to take the hassle out of swapping glasses for sunglasses. Its new eyewear model, Prime, can automatically transition from glasses to sunglasses thanks to a light sensor built into the bridge.
This piece of tech, paired with the aptly named 'Autopilot' feature – not to be confused with Tesla’s self-driving mode – will automatically adjust the tint of the lenses based on the conditions you’re in. For instance, if you’re walking outside on a sunny fall day, the lenses might adjust to a higher tint to protect your eyes.
(Image credit: Chamelo)Pretty handy – and Chamelo promises that tint adjustment takes just 0.1 seconds. The proprietary Eclipse Tint-Adjustable lenses can be adjusted between four tint levels, from 9% to 45%. The lenses themselves offer 100% UV protection and come in two finishes: smoke, which looks like classic black shades, and Fire, which has an orange mirrored finish.
If you require prescription lenses, though, you’re out of luck for the moment. Chamelo doesn’t yet offer prescription lenses, and you can’t swap the lenses for off-the-shelf ones. However, the brand does plan to offer these additional lens types at some point.
The black frame is made of thermoplastic, specifically TR90, and weighs 30 grams, and the glasses offer protection against sweat or water up to the IPX4 standard. If you’d rather adjust the level of tint on your own, you can override the ‘Autopilot’ feature and manually swipe on the arm to change the tint across the four levels.
Chamelo’s Prime glasses – and sunglasses – are set to ship from December priced at $249 / £249 / AU$399. An international launch is planned, but the UK and Australia pricing isn’t yet available. If you’re in the United States and are already sold, you can lock in an order now at $199 after an instant $50 discount.
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