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Updated: 17 hours 10 min ago

Zoho turns to Nvidia NeMo to build proprietary LLMs

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 10:18

Top email hosting service Zoho has announced plans to create its own custom large language models (LLMs) using Nvidia's AI computing platform. The business-focused LLMs will leverage Nvidia's NeMo tools and advanced GPUs to enhance Zoho's services with AI across the board. Zoho has already invested $10 million in AI and plans to double that number in the coming year.

That investment and the Nvidia partnership will let Zoho expand and improve its AI abilities for users of the ManageEngine and Zoho.com platforms, a list exceeding 700,000 clients. Developing the LLMs to boost enterprise-specific needs will help them stand out from the standard consumer-grade AI tools and will make for faster and better decisions by those businesses.

Zoho's AI plans include not just LLMs but multimodal models capable of processing visuals and speech-enabled AI tools for businesses. Zoho is also testing the Nvidia TensorRT-LLM to upgrade its LLM deployment further, seeing a 60% increase in throughput and a 35% reduction in latency. Compared to open-source frameworks the company previously tried, it has already seen.

Zoho Nvidia

Teaming with Nvidia gives Zoho a better setup for more diverse AI workloads. Nvidia's technology makes features like speech-to-text and the necessary high-performance infrastructure much more feasible. More importantly, these AI abilities will be added to Zoho's whole product lineup of more than 100 tools. They'll be in place to help with sales, marketing, customer support, accounting, and other business needs.

And, unlike the bigger, general-purpose models, Zoho can center its efforts on smaller language models with narrower purposes in business that can cater to specific business data needs. That makes Zoho's AI more accessible to client companies regardless of the size of their datasets. Businesses can thus use AI more efficiently with more precise goals and gain insights tailored to the kind of information they actually want to help with decision making.

"Many LLMs on the market today are designed for consumer use, offering limited value for businesses. At Zoho, our mission is to develop LLMs tailored specifically for a wide range of business use cases," Zoho director of AI Ramprakash Ramamoorthy said. "Owning our entire tech stack, with products spanning various business functions, allows us to integrate the essential element that makes AI truly effective: context."

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Experts warn some ChatGPT models can be hacked to launch deepfake scams

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 10:04

Getting scammed by a chatbot is unfortunately no longer in the domain of science fiction, after researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) demonstrated how it could be done.

Recently, Richard Fang, Dylan Bowman, and Daniel Kang from UIUC published a new paper in which they described how they abused OpenAI’s latest AI model, called ChatGPT-4o, to fully automate some of the most common scams around.

Now, OpenAI’s latest model offers a voice-enabled AI agent, which gave the researchers the idea of trying to pull off a fully automated voice scam. They found ChatGPT-4o does have some safeguards which prevent the tool from being abused this way, but with a few “jailbreaks”, they managed to imitate an IRS agent.

Advanced reasoning

Success rates for these scams varied, the researchers found. Credential theft from Gmail worked 60% of the time, while others like crypto transfers had about 40% success. These scams were also relatively cheap to conduct, costing about $0.75 to $2.51 per successful attempt.

Speaking to BleepingComputer, OpenAI explained its latest model, which is currently in preview, supports “advanced reasoning” and was built to better spot these kinds of abuses: "We're constantly making ChatGPT better at stopping deliberate attempts to trick it, without losing its helpfulness or creativity,” the company’s spokesperson told the publication.

“Our latest o1 reasoning model is our most capable and safest yet, significantly outperforming previous models in resisting deliberate attempts to generate unsafe content."

OpenAI praised the researchers, saying these kinds of papers help ChatGPT get better.

According to the US government, voice scams are considered fairly common. The premise is simple: an attacker would call the victim on the phone and, while pretending to help solve a problem, actually scam them out of money or sensitive information.

In many cases, the attack first starts with a browser popup showing a fake virus warning, from a fake antivirus company. The popup urges the victim to call the provided phone number and “clean” their device. If the victim calls the number, the scammer picks up and guides them through the process, which concludes with the loss of data, or funds.

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New Samsung Galaxy S25 case leaks hint at the designs for all three phones

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 09:45
  • Cases for the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra have leaked
  • There are minor design changes from the current models
  • The Galaxy S25 Ultra is tipped to have a more rounded shape

The Samsung Galaxy S25 leaks and rumors aren't showing any signs of stopping – ahead of an official launch expected in January 2025 – and the most recent sneak preview of this series comes courtesy of three phone case leaks.

As posted by reputable tipster Roland Quandt, the cases give us some ideas about the designs for the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25 Plus, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – replacing the same three models in the Galaxy S24 series.

Some of the design choices we can see here back up previous rumors: the case for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example, features corners that are more rounded than they are on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, a change that we'd already heard was coming.

We can also see the button placement is the same as on the current models – so unlike the iPhone 16, the Samsung Galaxy S25 won't be getting any new buttons this time around. Any design changes that are included are expected to be pretty minor.

Rear cameras

S25, S25+, S25U silicon covers (third party) pic.twitter.com/V9yajt8aFXNovember 4, 2024

As these cases have cut-outs for the rear cameras, we can see the camera modules are going to more or less follow the same format as this year's models: triple-lens rear cameras for the S25 and S25 Plus, and a quad-lens rear camera for the S25 Ultra.

Our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review will tell you that the current camera setup is an impressive one in terms of captured photo and video quality. Two of the four cameras are apparently in line for an upgrade next time around.

We've already seen from several leaks – including the appearance of three dummy units – that the 2025 flagship Galaxy phones will look very similar to the 2024 versions, though it looks as though the updated models are going to be slightly thinner.

Phone manufacturers usually provide schematic information to accessory makers ahead of time, so they can get their wares ready for launch day, so we can be reasonably certain that the Samsung Galaxy S25 designs are going to match the cases shown here.

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When it comes to AI budgeting, less is more, as long as you’re strategic

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 09:25

Whether we like it or not, there is incredible pressure on businesses to adopt AI. That pressure is only increasing as AI spending is expected to grow by nearly 30% over the next four years. Yet, questions remain on what and how much AI can actually do. As we head into budgeting season, this pressure leaves IT departments in every industry scratching their heads, trying to figure out how much they allocate to AI pilots. Spend too little, and the competition could develop an insurmountable advantage – spend too much, and you may find out that there isn’t enough ROI.

The reality is – AI needs a plan. With the right strategy, you can kick-start your projects by investing only a fraction of your budget. Well-executed AI initiatives have the potential to not only pay for themselves but also generate significant returns. Laying out a clear roadmap for adoption will put you ahead of the pack and position you as a leader in the AI game.

Even 1% of your budget can be done well

Let’s get this out of the way – spending more on AI doesn’t make you a leader in AI. Wedbush published a report that showed 1% of total revenue (approximately 8-10% of IT budgets) at major tech firms would be dedicated to AI. Meanwhile, a poll of CIOs revealed that 61% find it extremely challenging to prove ROI on their tech investments, with 42% not expecting positive ROI from AI projects within the next year.

Think about that for a moment – how much technology debt your IT department is already in because of projects showing no return or even negative returns. Now, you face the added pressure to bank on a new solution. The critical question is how to introduce AI within the constraints of your available budget while demonstrating ROI that drives widespread adoption and does not contribute to past failure.

The key is to start small – initiating pilot projects with a well-planned strategy rather than a comprehensive infrastructural overhaul. This approach allows your team the necessary time to transition and adapt while providing the flexibility for iterative improvements. You will have room for improvisation until you find a solution that works best for your business and see the impact in terms of revenue. By focusing on specific, manageable projects, you can gather valuable data and insights, refine your approach, and gradually scale up your AI initiatives.

How do you do it? Here are a few guiding principles that I believe will help you make the most out of your AI investment.

• Conduct an ‘AI discovery’

The first step is deliberately defining and choosing your first wave of AI pilots. There are people up and down your organization with a ‘great’ AI idea. If you chase all of them, and you’ll end up with a budget you can’t justify. On the other hand, if you only focus on the ideas that the loudest voices in the room suggest (or the voice with the highest title) you’ll likely miss out on the ideas most likely to have the biggest impact.

We often start with an AI Discovery process where all ideas are put on the table and each idea is objectively scored on a 12-point rubric based on technology fit, complexity, and ROI.

During a recent AI Discovery session with a CPA firm, the tax department wanted to automate tax return preparation, while the accounts receivable team sought to streamline payment processing. The objective behind both was to save more time. However, by scoring these ideas on project scale, complexity, potential ROI, strategic alignment, and feasibility, the firm decided to prioritize the accounts receivable project.

AI Discovery not only helps in selecting the most promising AI projects but also ensures that your initial investments are targeted and effective. It allows you to focus your resources on initiatives that are most likely to deliver measurable benefits, thereby increasing the likelihood of demonstrating a positive ROI.

• Plan and prioritize self-funding transformations

Once you have conducted an AI Discovery and identified the most promising pilot projects, the next step is to focus on initiatives that are lower in complexity but offer a faster turnaround in terms of ROI. By starting with these types of AI pilots, you can create a self-funding transformation process that not only justifies the initial investment but also generates the momentum needed to fund subsequent projects.

Choosing AI projects that are simpler to implement and can quickly demonstrate tangible benefits allows you to build a strong business case for further investment. These initial successes can serve as proof points, showcasing the potential of AI to drive meaningful improvements and efficiencies within your organization. For instance, automating routine tasks or enhancing customer service through AI-driven chatbots are examples of low-complexity projects that can deliver quick wins.

Consider the case of the CPA firm I mentioned. Through AI Discovery, we identified automating their accounts receivable process as an effective initial project, quickly boosting their finances. This success enabled them to automate client document requests, saving 15% in tax return preparation time (which was the initial project suggested by the tax team).

Much like the CPA firm, you can invest the revenue or cost savings generated from pilot projects into more complex and ambitious AI initiatives. This approach minimizes financial risk and ensures that each step in your AI journey is backed by demonstrated success. It also helps in gaining confidence and buy-in from stakeholders, as they can see the direct impact of AI on the organization’s bottom line.

• Balancing pilot projects with comprehensive AI transformation

While focusing on launching pilot projects, you shouldn’t lose sight of the larger picture. The biggest ROI will ultimately come from company-wide AI initiatives. To achieve this, your entire organization needs to be AI-ready. This means fostering a culture that is open to innovation, investing in training and development, and ensuring that your infrastructure can support broader AI applications.

Moreover, you must keep in mind that not all pilot projects will succeed. Therefore, you should never put all your AI eggs in one basket. Diversifying your AI investments across multiple departments —such as finance, customer service, and operations— you can gather a wide range of insights that allows you to mitigate risks and identify the most impactful use cases.

Starting multiple AI pilots across departments will also accelerate your organization’s readiness for a complete AI transformation. Each successful pilot not only delivers immediate benefits but also builds the foundation for larger, more integrated AI projects. This approach ensures that your organization is continuously learning and adapting, making it more agile and better prepared for future challenges.

The true currency of AI leadership

AI has presented us with a daunting challenge, beyond which lies an unprecedented opportunity for growth and innovation. What’s evident is that success in the AI race won’t be determined by the size of your budget, but by the depth of your strategic vision. The true leaders in this space will be those who can artfully balance innovation with fiscal responsibility, leveraging small, strategic investments to catalyze transformative change. In this new paradigm, the most successful companies won’t just adopt AI – they’ll redefine how AI adoption itself is approached, setting new standards for efficiency, creativity, and return on investment in the process.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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How business leaders can deliver impactful change with AI

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 09:07

Amid rising financial pressure and increasing consumer expectations, business leaders across all industries are turning to AI as the silver bullet to drive greater efficiency, reduce costs, and secure a competitive advantage. No longer seen as just another tech buzzword, today AI is considered a pivotal tool in an organization's digital armory, with 60% of CEOs expecting generative AI (GenAI), in particular, to improve product or service quality over the next year. As a result, nine-tenths (87%) of C-Suite executives feel pressured to rapidly implement GenAI solutions, at speed and scale.

The excitement surrounding GenAI – known for its ability to create text, images, and other media from simple prompts - is well-founded. It promises to revolutionize content creation, customer service, and numerous other domains. In fact, according to Gartner's research, global spending on AI is expected to reach £229 billion by 2027, with enterprise applications embedding of GenAI comprising a significant portion of this investment.

However, despite the hype, it is essential to approach GenAI with a balanced perspective. GenAI is one form of AI, and whilst it offers potentially significant opportunities, enterprise adoption is currently somewhat limited. In fact, to date, it delivers low returns for most organizations and many early projects have failed to deliver the expected benefits. Broader forms of “traditional” AI, such as Machine Learning, can be better suited, providing a better ROI and results in more transparent, explainable forms.

With pressure mounting to transform and implement AI rapidly, getting swept up in the promise of GenAI is understandable. However, using it to tick the AI box in your organization is not necessarily the answer – at least not the most effective, safe, and impactful one.

The reality is – the efficiency gains and increased productivity that can be obtained by standalone GenAI platforms are limited in the grand scheme of things. They won’t have a transformational impact on the vast majority of services delivered by organizations across all sectors.

An integrated approach

The true power of AI in the enterprise extends far beyond a few expensive GenAI-driven "co-pilots" assisting knowledge workers with administrative tasks and content generation. The future of AI lies in its seamless embedding within business processes and systems, ensuring that AI capabilities are integrated, not standalone.

Enterprise software applications, known for their high scalability and integration capabilities, offer organizations the perfect solution to AI deployment. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, 70% of GenAI spend will be via these tools.

Customer engagement solutions that can embed GenAI with Enterprise Applications can deliver benefits safely. Such tools can allow simple creation of chatbots and virtual assistants, and provide valuable tools to workers such as content summarization, keyword extraction, sentiment analysis, translation, and text enhancements such as spelling, grammar, and tone of voice.

In addition to enabling a more secure approach, enterprise software applications can also allow businesses to incorporate multiple forms of AI such as pre-trained machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP) and AI-powered bots, as well as adjacent technologies such as RPA. ML models allow organizations to gain rich, bias-free insights that can predict future outcomes, whilst NLP can revolutionize omnichannel contact, and boost efficiency, personalization and satisfaction through AI-powered interactions. Meanwhile, RPA can increase customer service teams, and other departments efficiency, by completing mundane, time-consuming tasks that slow them down.

Ultimately, enterprise-wide AI adoption is about creating a cohesive ecosystem where AI enhances every aspect of operations, from customer service to decision-making. This approach ensures that AI tools are not isolated on desktops but are woven into the fabric of the organization's workflows, driving efficiency and innovation at every level.

Making an impact

In today’s turbulent landscape, where demand for AI expertise is extremely high, organisations face many challenges when trying to build in-house capabilities. Embedding AI technologies with enterprise applications therefore provides a practical approach to AI delivery.

Platform-based application solutions, that utilize low-code technology to build and develop optimized business processes and workflows, are particularly effective in this scenario, offering business-ready AI capabilities that can be deployed simply, safely and at scale.

Deploying AI safely and securely

Whilst the opportunities on offer from successful implementation are vast, there are also the inherent risks associated with AI – and GenAI in particular - that must be considered. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential pitfalls associated with AI, such as biased algorithms and invasive data collection practices. For organizations in high-risk industries such as education, healthcare, and essential public and private services, the way in which AI is deployed and the controls placed around it is critical.

The journey to successful and safe AI integration in the enterprise requires a nuanced approach, balancing innovation with risk management. While GenAI offers transformative potential, traditional AI and ML solutions continue to provide robust, lower-risk benefits. By adopting AI with enterprise applications, especially those with a platform approach, organizations can harness the power of AI efficiently and securely, navigating regulatory challenges and skill shortages effectively.

To be impactful, AI implementation should be treated as more than just a box-ticking exercise. As it continues to evolve, enterprises that adopt a strategic, well-governed approach will be well-positioned to lead in the digital age.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-proc

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UK finance regulator wants businesses to better prepare for IT meltdowns

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 08:20

Britain’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has advised institutions to better prepare themselves for disruptive IT meltdowns by strengthening their defences.

The warning follows the major Crowdstrike outage earlier in 2024, which affected 8.5 million Windows machines worldwide, and the FCA wants to make sure future incidents don’t bring the banking industry to a standstill.

The banking sector was hit hard by the outage, losing an estimated $1.15 billion in damages, second only to the healthcare sector which took a hit of around $1.94 billion.

Lessons learnt

Now, the FCA is urging firms to become ‘operationally resilient’ in line with their rules to prevent further losses.

The risk of more incidents is ‘severe but plausible’, the FCA warned, but even then businesses will need to continue to deliver crucial services.

This nudge from the FCA comes before a hard deadline, as in March 2025, it is introducing operational resilience requirements for the financial sector. These rules are aimed at mitigating the impact and limiting instability from any disruption, protecting consumers and market integrity.

There’s a dependence on unregulated third parties to deliver business services, says the FCA. This has put industries at risk, with just one update having the potential to cripple services around the world.

"These outages emphasise firms' increasing dependence on unregulated third parties to deliver important business services," the FCA said in a statement.

"We encourage all firms, regardless of how they were affected by the CrowdStrike incident, to consider these lessons, to improve their ability to respond to and recover from future disruptions." the regulator continued.

After the Crowdstrike incident, the FCA says the organisations that recovered quickest were those whose testing procedures were up to standard by prioritising which systems to bring online first, and minimising the impact across the board.

Via The Register

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Google TV’s new free streaming app has been removed, and it won’t be back right away

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 08:07

What's got a Google TV and can't access the Freeplay app any more? The answer, it seems, is everybody.

Freeplay – not to be confused with the UK's Freeview Play – is Google's free TV app for US users, delivering FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) channels. The latest version of the Freeplay app began rolling out in September, but as 9to5Google spotted last week it had disappeared from some users' TVs.

It turns out that the issue isn't an isolated one; Google is temporarily pulling the app for almost all users.

Where has the Freeplay app gone?

In a statement to 9to5Google, Google explained that it was recalling the app from all "affected devices" because of a crashing issue; the Google TV Streamer doesn’t appear to be one of the affected devices but Google TVs are.

Google says:

While rolling out the new Google TV Freeplay guide, we discovered an issue that can increase crashes for some users. We have disabled access to the new guide on affected devices until the fix is in place. The fix will begin rolling out soon, and the updated guide will be available for all Google TV devices in the coming months.

By "all Google TV devices" Google means US ones; there are no plans as yet to make Freeplay available outside the US.

Pulling the app is disappointing, because it's really rather good. But if the crashing is serious and frequent enough to make Google pull the app altogether it's clearly more serious than the odd system hang. And you still have access to your free channels, so at least you're not losing those too.

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Prime Video's new #1 movie Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End is an intense zombie thriller I can't wait to watch

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 08:04

Prime Video's new most-watched movie (at the time of writing) is the Spanish zombie action thriller Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. The new Prime Video movie has topped the streamer's global top 10 chart since it was added on October 31, despite facing tough competition from the nearly 200 movies being added to Prime Video this month.

Now, I'm a fan of the undead (in the movie sense, of course), so much so that I re-watched my favorite zombie movie World War Z on Netflix and I couldn't help but write about my dismay of Netflix canceling the most realistic zombie show I've ever seen Black Summer.

But with a creature feature now making an appearance on one of the best streaming services, it's now time I devour some heart-pounding zombie horror that I love on Prime Video.

What is Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End about?

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin) sees a rabies-like disease spread across the planet and transform humans into aggressive creatures. Sound familiar?

In Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, Manel (Francisco Ortiz) takes shelter at home with his cat, until they're forced to leave in search of food and reunite with his family while trying to avoid rabid zombies – please let the cat survive!

While it has a similar premise to many other zombie movies, if you're a fan of fast-paced action like me, this won't deter you from watching Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. Especially since it's been compared to my favorite zombie flick World War Z, with user Alexander R writing on Rotten Tomatoes: "Just like World War Z but on steroids, the storyline is well made and the characters are amazingly put together."

The film is based on the novel by Manel Loureiro and another Rotten Tomatoes reviewer shared that it stays faithful to its source material. Yar Y commented: "I thoroughly enjoyed the books. And stoked they did a stellar job with the film. Beautifully done, tension and fear factor high, great acting, great cinematography. Great story telling. It's rare to feel connected to the main character(s) from the get go."

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End currently sits at a 72% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so we'll have to wait and see if it's named one of the best Prime Video movies. But for now, it seems that it has all the classic zombie movie tropes packaged up in a new setting that will keep me entertained for a couple of hours.

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Microsoft SharePoint flaw exploited to hack corporate networks

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 08:02

Hackers were spotted abusing a high severity vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint to gain access to corporate IT infrastructure.

A report from cybersecurity researchers Rapid7 revealed how unnamed cybercriminals leveraged a flaw tracked as CVE-2024-38094 to establish initial access on the target’s network.

This is a remote code execution (RCE) flaw in SharePoint, Microsoft’s web-based platform for collaboration and document management, with a severity score of 7.2, and was fixed in mid-July 2024 as part of a Patch Tuesday cumulative update.

Advanced reasoning

The vulnerability allowed the crooks to access the network, where they dwelled for two weeks.

During that time, they used a Fast Reverse Proxy to establish an outbound connection, ran Active Directory (AD) enumeration tools, and engaged in credential dumping via multiple tools such as NTDSUtil and Mimikatz.

Finally, they installed a Chinese antivirus solution to degrade, or disable, security tools on systems.

“This involved the service account installing the Horoung Antivirus (AV) software, which was not an authorized software in the environment,” the researchers said in the blog post.

“For context, Horoung Antivirus is a popular AV software in China that can be installed from Microsoft Store. Most notably, the installation of Horoung caused a conflict with active security products on the system. This resulted in a crash of these services. Stopping the system’s current security solutions allowed the attacker freedom to pursue follow-on objectives thus relating this malicious activity to Impairing Defenses.”

In the meantime, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added the RCE flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, giving federal agencies a tight deadline to address the flaw, or stop using SharePoint entirely.

Via BleepingComputer

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What does Apple’s Pixelmator purchase mean for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac? This is the most likely scenario

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:48
  • Apple recently bought the popular photo editing app Pixelmator
  • A new theory suggests it may ultimately become Apple 'Photos Pro'
  • Pixemator's apps will continue in their current form "at this time"

Last week, Apple used some of its spare change to buy one of the Mac's best photo editors, Pixelmator – and since then, theories have been flying about what the deal means for iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

For now, the answer is not a lot, because the app's maker says there won't be "material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time". But now Bloomberg's respected Apple commentator Mark Gurman has shared what he thinks the plan is in his Power On newsletter – and it's not quite as wallet-friendly as we'd hoped.

Gurman's Pixelmator prediction is that it will become "something like "Photos Pro" and gets offered as a subscription on the App Store alongside new iPad programs like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro".

That move would dash hopes that Pixelmator's many appealing talents, including a powerful repair tool, AI background masks, and more, might be folded into Apple's free Photos app. However, it would also make perfect sense in the context of Apple's other creative apps.

As Gurman notes, creating a 'Photos Pro' would mean that Apple would "once again have both consumer and higher-end iterations of its video, music, and photo-editing apps (with Photos, GarageBand, and iMovie serving as the free downscale versions)". The Pro versions of the latter are Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Lastly, he adds that "given Apple’s push to boost services revenue, I think you can rule out it giving away Pixelmator features for free in its current Photos app". We think some features may still end up in Photos as a taster for whatever Pixelmator becomes, but that theory does currently seem the most likely scenario.

The return of Aperture?

Pixelmator Pro looks likely to be the successor to Apple's Aperture app (above) which it discontinued in 2015. (Image credit: Apple)

Apple killed its pro photo editing app, Aperture, back in 2015. It was so popular that some fans still run the app on older Macs using open-source tools like Retroactive. So why has Apple bought Pixelmator almost ten years on from deciding to pull the plug on Aperture?

Services and subscriptions are now a big push for Apple and towards the end of Aperture's life it didn't seem keen to integrate the app with its iCloud Photo Library. Back then, apps tended to be one-time cost rather than subscription offerings (Aperture originally cost an eye-watering $499 in 2005), and that also throttled Aperture's popularity.

With the potential for charging a subscription cost for a new pro photo app and also using Pixelmator's existing iCloud integration to boost its cloud subscriber base, Apple clearly sees a financial opportunity to once again offer a pro-level photo app alongside its existing ones for music and video.

Still, for those of us who simply want to see Apple improve the editing features in the existing Photos app, the move could still bring some benefits in the form of free taster features. Apple certainly needs to continue offering tools like Clean Up if it's to keep up with the impressive pace set by Google and the likes of the Pixel 9 Pro when it comes to AI-powered editing features.

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Samsung is again rumored to be working on a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 6

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:41

Samsung could be working on a pared-down, cheaper version of its iconic Galaxy Z Flip folding phone, according to new rumors.

Korean blogger yeux1122 (via Android Police) hinted in a blog post that a potential Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE could be released simultaneously with the rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Should this suggested Galaxy Z Flip FE follow the trend of other Samsung FE products, we’d likely see the phone offer a slightly reduced specs sheet at a solid discount compared to the flagship device on which it's based.

For example, the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S24 FE launched with a slightly slower processor and lower-resolution camera system than the standard Samsung Galaxy S24, at a price of $649 / £649 / AU$1,099 – a solid offer considering the $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 price tag of the latter model.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 in blue (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is our pick for the best flip folding phone, and holds a spot on our list of the best Samsung phones, too, so a more affordable way to experience Samsung’s class-leading flip phone form factor would be most welcome.

The blog post, which is light on details, also lists a tentatively named Galaxy S25 Slim and Galaxy Z Fold 7 as possible upcoming models, which suggests Samsung's other flagship lineups could also see a shakeup this year.

According to a separate X post from noted tipster Jukanlosreve, a recent Samsung conference call saw executives speak about ways to lower barriers to entry for folding phones while working on “new form factors”.

Samsung Conference Call -“We are considering ways to lower entry barriers so that more customers can actually experience foldable products, given the high satisfaction among existing foldable users,” hinting at the preparation of budget-friendly foldable models.The Fold will…October 31, 2024

These rumors track with previously reported tipoffs from Jukanlosreve that suggest Samsung is working on a cheaper Z Flip phone alongside a possible tri-fold model in the style of the China-exclusive Huawei Mate XT.

Overall, then, rumors continue to point to a selection of new Samsung foldables being a real possibility. However, Samsung itself recently declared that it has no plans to issue a cheaper folding phone, so we can’t really say for sure how much weight these rumors have.

Until Samsung chooses to reveal official details, all of the above is subject to change – for the latest official updates as we hear them, be sure to check out our dedicated Samsung coverage.

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Microsoft refreshes Windows Hello to make signing in with your face (or fingers) much more pleasant with Windows 11

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:35

Windows Hello, Microsoft’s biometric authentication feature that enables Windows 11 users to sign into their devices and apps using facial recognition, their fingerprint, or a PIN, is getting a new look in a fresh Beta Channel preview build that’s now available to members of the Windows Insider Program.

The upgraded Windows Hello has a more visually appealing sign-in experience, better matching the design style of Windows 11’s modern look in a bid to make signing in and authenticating via Windows Hello feel easier and more seamless.

You’ll be able to see Windows Hello’s updated visuals in places like the Windows 11 sign-in screen, when using passkeys (another password-free sign-in method that makes use of Windows Hello), and in the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft is also adding a new Windows Hello credential experience for passkeys. With Windows Hello allowing you to authenticate passkeys more easily, you can switch between authentication methods and choose which passkey or device you’d like to log in with.

(Image credit: Microsoft) More changes and fixes in this Beta build

If you use Windows Hello, you’ll also have more options when choosing how you log in and authenticate permissions on your device, and there are other feature updates you can read more deeply about in the changelog for Beta Channel Preview Build 22635.4440 (KB5045889).

Other changes this upgrade brings include overall tweaks and fixes aimed at improving the overall experience of Windows 11, temporarily disabling a new game controller keyboard to address issues (after which, the feature will be included in a future update), and bug fixes.

These developments are currently being tested and monitored for feedback from members of the Windows Insider Program, which any Windows user with an eligible device can enroll in. You can join if you’re keen to experience Microsoft’s freshest features, albeit sometimes prone to glitches, or you can wait a little while longer until these changes and features are included in a future update after being fully tested.

I hope Microsoft gets Windows Hello and passkeys right g, as I would probably use something like this. Like almost every device user on Earth, I’m sick of having to remember multiple complex passwords. Something like Windows Hello has the potential to make a lot of people’s lives a little easier and steps like this redesign could open up the possibility to more people than before.

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Windows 11’s feature to allow typing with your Xbox controller has vanished in a blow for owners of handheld gaming PCs

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:34

Windows 11 users who were keen to get the new gamepad keyboard layout – to facilitate easy typing using an Xbox controller on your PC via the on-screen keyboard – will be disappointed to learn that the feature has been put on hold.

That probably includes a fair few handheld owners, who were doubtless excited to see this functionality appear in testing back at the start of September 2024, before it started to roll out with the latest Windows 11 update for 24H2 at the end of October (we should note that this is a preview update).

However, PhantomOfEarth, a well-known leaker on X, noticed that the mention of the gamepad keyboard layout has been removed from this preview update for 24H2, and that it’s being disabled on PCs which have already installed that update.

Heads up: the new Gamepad keyboard layout isn't rolling out to stable/retail anymore.It's no longer mentioned in the release notes for KB5044384 (26100.2161) and KB5044380 (22631.4391), and is being disabled on devices with that update installed.November 1, 2024

Neowin reports that Microsoft actually mentioned the rollout has been paused in a recent Beta channel preview build, informing us that: “We have temporarily disabled the new Gamepad keyboard layout for the on-screen keyboard in Windows 11 that began rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel with Build 22635.4145 to address some issues. This feature will be roll out again in a future flight.”

(Image credit: Microsoft) Analysis: Patience is a virtual keyboard

In theory, with the gamepad keyboard appearing in last month’s preview update for Windows 11 24H2, the full rollout should have kicked off next week – with the release of the finished November patch 24H2. However, Microsoft appears to have taken the feature back to the drawing board for now, as clearly there are problems here – though Microsoft doesn’t drop any hints as to what these stumbling blocks might be.

What this means is that it’ll probably be a fair bit longer before the feature actually rolls out to Windows 11 users outside of testing. After all, Microsoft seemingly has a lot of fixing to do with Windows 11 24H2, which has encountered more than its fair share of bugs so far – and this appears to be another hitch to throw on the growing pile.

So, you’ll have to be patient for the feature to come to fruition, most likely, and we’ll be keeping an eye on the test channels to see when the controller keyboard layout returns into the mix with Windows 11 preview builds.

The gamepad on-screen keyboard allows you to type swiftly with the controller, and includes shortcuts to use buttons for functions like backspace, or pressing the spacebar (which Microsoft calls ‘button accelerators’). The keyboard also benefits from a tweaked layout that’s optimized for typing with your gamepad.

It’ll doubtless be a useful addition for those who regularly game with their controller on their PC, or indeed owners of Windows 11-powered handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X.

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Okta fixes a rather embarrassing, but very serious, password flaw

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:28

Okta has fixed a concerning security vulnerability which could have allowed cybercriminals to log into people’s accounts simply by creating a long username.

In a security advisory, the identity management firm said it inadvertently introduced a bug in its product in July 2024 which allowed people with usernames longer than 52 characters to log in without providing the right password.

“On October 30, 2024, a vulnerability was internally identified in generating the cache key for AD/LDAP DelAuth. The Bcrypt algorithm was used to generate the cache key where we hash a combined string of userId + username + password. Under a specific set of conditions, listed below, this could allow users to authenticate by providing the username with the stored cache key of a previous successful authentication,” the security advisory reads.

Multiple conditions

Having a username of 52 characters or longer is just one of the conditions, the company noted, as users would also need to have Okta AD/LDAP delegated authentication, not apply MFA, and would need to have been previously authenticated, creating a cache of the authentication.

“The cache was used first, which can occur if the AD/LDAP agent was down or cannot be reached, for example, due to high network traffic,” the advisory concluded.

So far, there is no evidence that the vulnerability was abused by anyone, and while it may sound like a stretch, exploiting it might actually be quite easy, as users could have their email addresses and their organization’s website domain as their username, making guessing the username a simple thing.

As a result, Okta is now warning its users to go through the logs for any suspicious logins.

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Everything new on Paramount Plus in November 2024

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:27

In my opinion, Paramount Plus remains as one of the most forgotten about platforms for movies and shows, despite it having been inducted as one of the best streaming services. For Paramount Plus' second-to-last catalog shift of the year, there are over 125 movies arriving on the first day, which puts it up there with Prime Video as one of the services adding the most new content this month.

It's clear that Paramount Plus is preparing for the holiday season, and now that Halloween 2024 is over and done with for another year, it's finally an appropriate time to start watching the best Christmas movies.

As well as holiday movies Bad Santa (2003) and A Christmas Carol (1999), Paramount Plus will be welcoming a new wave of titles with high Rotten Tomatoes scores to its lineup of best Paramount Plus movies, including dramas and comedies that are perfect for when you need a break from the Christmas movie overload.

Everything new on Paramount Plus in November 2024

Arriving on November 1

'Tis the Season to Be Smurfy (movie)
3:10 to Yuma
(movie)
48 Hrs.
(movie)
A Boy Named Charlie Brown
(movie)
A Christmas Carol
(1999) (movie)
A Night At The Roxbury
(movie)
A Thin Line Between Love And Hate
(movie)
A Thousand Words
(movie)
Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights
(movie)
Alfie
(2004) (movie)
All I Want For Christmas
(movie)
All the World Is Sleeping
(movie)
Another 48 Hrs.
(movie)
Bad Santa
(movie)
Bad Santa 2
(movie)
Billionaire Boys Club
(movie)
Black Snake Moan
(movie)
Blades of Glory
(movie)
Blinded by the Light
(movie)
Catch and Release
(movie)
Chloe
(movie)
Christmas Eve
(movie)
Cloud Atlas
(movie)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
(movie)
Daddy Day Camp
(movie)
Death at a Funeral
(movie)
Deck The Halls
(movie)
Double Jeopardy
(movie)
Eat Pray Love
(movie)
Election
(movie)
Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas
(movie)
Ernest Saves Christmas
(movie)
Everybody's Fine
(movie)
Faster
(movie)
Fences
(movie)
First Shift
(movie)
Five Feet Apart
(movie)
Flashdance
(movie)
Flight
(movie)
Free Birds
(movie)
Friday Night Lights
(movie)
Go
(movie)
Good Will Hunting
(movie)
GoodFellas
(movie)
Hacksaw Ridge
(movie)
Happy Christmas
(movie)
Head of State
(movie)
Home For The Holidays
(movie)
Hook
(movie)
Hotel for Dogs
(movie)
Ida Red
(movie)
Identity
(movie)
Inglourious Basterds
(movie)
Insomnia
(movie)
Joyeux Noel
(movie)
Just Mercy
(movie)
Last Man Standing
(movie)
Last Vegas
(movie)
Leap of Faith
(movie)
Letters from Iwo Jima
(movie)
Like Crazy
(movie)
Looper
(movie)
Luce
(movie)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
(movie)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
(movie)
Magnolia
(movie)
Michael Clayton
(movie)
Morning Glory
(movie)
My Cousin Vinny
(movie)
My Fair Lady
(movie)
My One and Only
(movie)
No Strings Attached
(movie)
Noah
(movie)
Oliver!
(movie)
Once Upon a Time in America
(movie)
Out of Sight
(movie)
Paddington
(movie)
Pet Sematary
(movie)
Pet Sematary II
(movie)
Rounders
(movie)
RV
(movie)
Santa Stole Our Dog!
(movie)
Scrooge
(movie)
Shaft
(movie)
She's All That
(movie)
Siberia
(movie)
Snatch
(movie)
Super 8
(movie)
Surf's Up
(movie)
Taps
(movie)
Taxi Driver
(movie)
The 12 Days of Christmas Eve
(movie)
The Age of Adaline
(movie)
The Baby-Sitters Club
(movie)
The Dead Don't Hurt
(movie)
The Dead Zone
(movie)
The Duchess
(movie)
The English Patient
(movie)
The Fighting Temptations
(movie)
The Good Liar
(movie)
The Guilt Trip
(movie)
The Honeymooners
(movie)
The Hurt Locker
(movie)
The Infiltrator
(movie)
The Kite Runner
(movie)
The Long Kiss Goodnight
(movie)
The November Man
(movie)
The Prince and Me
(movie)
The Prince Of Tides
(movie)
The Smurfs Christmas Special
(movie)
The Social Network
(movie)
The Stepfather
(movie)
The Terminal
(movie)
The Tuxedo
(movie)
Those Who Wish Me Dead
(movie)
Top Five
(movie)
Tremors
(movie)
Two for the Money
(movie)
Unforgiven
(movie)
Urban Cowboy
(movie)
Vacancy
(movie)
Wayne's World
(movie)
We Were Soldiers
(movie)
What Lies Beneath
(movie)
What Women Want
(movie)
While You Were Sleeping
(movie)
Yours, Mine & Ours
(movie)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
(movie)
Zookeeper
(movie)

Arriving on November 6

My True Crime Story season 2

Arriving on November 8

Dream Horse (movie)

Arriving on November 13

Baby Shark's Big Show! season 2 (TV show)
Inside the Factory season 7 (TV show)
Pele: Birth of a Legend (movie)

Arriving on November 17

Landman (TV show)

Arriving on November 19

The French Montana Story (movie)

Arriving on November 20

Jersey Shore Family Vacation season 7 (TV show)

Arriving on November 22

Mr. Brooks (movie)

Arriving on November 26

Pig (movie)
Transporter 3
(movie)

Arriving on November 28

Chef (movie)

Arriving on November 29

The Agency (TV show)

Arriving on November 30

Clouds of Sils Maria (movie)
The Lovers
(movie)

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This iPhone 17 display rumor is the biggest reason yet to skip the iPhone 16

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 06:13

If you’ve been humming and hawing over whether or not to buy the iPhone 16, the latest intel from the iPhone 17 rumor mill suggests that waiting for next year’s model could be the best course of action.

According to Korean news site ET News (which cites “industry sources”), every model in the iPhone 17 lineup will come equipped with an LTPO screen. Why is this a big deal? Well, LTPO panels support variable refresh rates of up to 120Hz, meaning Apple’s 2025 standard models could finally ditch their predecessors' 60Hz refresh rates in favor of Apple’s ProMotion and always-on display technology (these features have been exclusive to Pro and Pro Max models since their introduction in the iPhone 13 Pro).

Indeed, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this rumor. Another Korean news site, the Elec, also reported that the entire iPhone 17 line could get LTPO panels back in February, while more recently, well-known industry analyst Ross Young likewise claimed that the standard iPhone 17 will be getting a ProMotion display. By all accounts, then, this feature is a shoo-in for next year’s iPhone lineup – and we couldn’t be more relieved. 

Apple’s continued commitment to 60Hz displays on its non-Pro iPhones has proved a major bugbear for both Apple fans and industry commentators. “I really hope this iPhone 15 rumor isn't true, you deserve better,” TechRadar’s former Senior Phones Editor, Alex Walker-Todd, wrote ahead of the iPhone 15 launch back in 2022, while our Managing Editor for Mobile Computing, Roland Moore-Coyler, echoed a similar sentiment in August 2023: “Please, Apple – don’t do this to the iPhone 15.” Both pieces referred to the lack of a 120Hz refresh rate on Apple's 2023 standard model.

The disappointment continued this year, too. Staff Writer Jamie Richards recently described the omission of a ProMotion display on the iPhone 16 as “another example of Apple’s worst habit.” He continued: “In the world of Android, 120Hz is the new normal for flagship and high-end phone displays, while budget options are commonly equipped with 120Hz or 90Hz displays. These days, 60Hz displays are the preserve of tablets and the cheapest budget phones. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are, by modern standards, complete oddballs.”

For those unfamiliar, refresh rate refers to the number of times per second your phone can display a new image. A 120Hz display feels smoother and more responsive than a 60Hz display, and the improved efficiency of the former brings battery life improvements. too.

Tactical gatekeeping

Refresh rate refers to the number of times per second your phone can display a new image (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

There is, of course, a big reason why Apple has continued to keep its standard models in the display-related dark ages. As a company, it makes business sense to equip your best iPhones with the best features, irrespective of whether those features are deemed the bare minimum by others in the industry. If you want an iPhone with a 120Hz refresh rate, Apple's more expensive Pro models are ready and waiting to be bought (indeed, the Pro Max models are regular best-sellers).

There’s an argument to be made, too, that 60Hz-using iPhone users don’t care all that much about the supposed benefits of a smoother display (though that sentiment likely stems from a lack of exposure to the other side).

In any case, it seems Apple’s position on this controversial subject has finally changed. Every iPhone 17 looks set to arrive with a 120Hz display, which you can bet your bottom dollar means that Apple has a plan in place to differentiate the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in other ways. That’s right: expect more than an extra camera lens next year.

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UK set to raise taxes on giant warehouses used by Amazon and other ecommerce giants

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 05:23

The UK Government has announced plans to help high street retailers by applying a higher rate of tax to large distribution warehouses used by ecommerce retailers such as Amazon.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced the plans in the recent budget, targeting properties with a ‘rateable value’ of over £500,000, which is based on an assessment of the property’s annual rent estimate.

The intention of the plan is to introduce permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties.

Small businesses will still struggle

Physical shops have seen a steady decline since COVID, with the equivalent of 38 stores per day closing so far in 2024, so this tax aims to ‘level the playing field’ by easing the burden of business rates on property-intensive sectors.

The reaction from the retail sector has largely been one of disappointment, with many pointing to the new 40% relief to RHL properties, which is actually a cut from the current 75% rate.

“Freezing the small business rates multiplier was a sensible move but the loss of the retail, hospitality and leisure relief will still see bills for shopkeepers rising. Business rates remain intolerably high for shops and the multiplier must be lowered to an affordable rate for all.” said Chair of the Shopkeepers Campaign Vivienne King.

Online retailers have seen a huge boom in sales since the pandemic, even continuing to see profits soar when physical stores reopened after lockdown. This has meant growth for brick and mortar stores has struggled, finding it difficult to compete with the convenience and low costs of online shopping.

Amazon, one of the UK’s largest retailers, reported a $33.6 billion revenue in 2023, and benefits from the current tax rate that favours stores with smaller physical presence, or whose land is often in cheaper areas outside of town centres.

Via Bloomberg

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Remember iPod clickwheel games? This new project is racing to save them from extinction

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 05:18
  • 54 games were made for the old-school click wheel iPod
  • Those games have been impossible to play in recent years
  • A new project aims to make the games available for any iPod fans to play

These days, the iPhone is one of the most popular gaming platforms on the planet. But before all that, there was a brief period when the iPod had its moment to shine as a gaming destination. With the death of the iPod and Apple’s draconian DRM keeping old-school iPod games trapped on ancient devices, though, those days are long gone … or are they?

Not if a determined group of iPod enthusiasts has anything to say about it. A combination of nostalgia for the long-lost games and the unique gameplay mechanics of the click wheel has led to the creation of an iPod games preservation project that aims to make these titles available for anyone with a compatible device (via Ars Technica).

For a few years, Apple partnered with firms like Sega and EA to launch iPod games specifically for clickwheel models at $7.49 a pop. But when Apple gave up on the idea in 2011 and removed the titles from the iTunes store, fans of the games started backing up the compressed IPG files to various online archives. However, the problem is that the DRM on each IPG file ties it to both the iTunes account that it was registered to and the identifier of the machine that ran that instance of iTunes.

While those games will work fine with the devices they were originally synced with, the DRM means it’s very difficult to get them working on newer hardware (or a newer iTunes installation). To get it to work, you’ll need the original IPG file and the iTunes account that made the original purchase. If your IPG file wasn’t backed up, you’ll struggle to get the game working again.

Making them click

(Image credit: Andres Urena / Unsplash)

However, a bunch of iPod enthusiasts have managed to find a workaround of sorts. If you have a clickwheel iPod loaded up with games, you can reauthorize your account through Apple’s servers, even with a secondary installation of iTunes. But if several iPod owners reauthorize their accounts to the same iTunes installation, that iTunes instance becomes a “master library” containing verified copies of the games from every account that is connected to it.

Once that’s done, the iTunes account in question can be used to distribute those games to any number of iPods. Better yet, this method doesn’t require any kind of online check with Apple’s servers, meaning people with working click wheel iPods can access the games without the painful hurdles.

Now, Reddit user Olsro has set up the iPod Clickwheel Games Preservation Project. The idea is to create a virtual machine that anyone can connect to and sync games to their iPod. Once you’ve set up the virtual machine on your computer, you should be able to access Olsro’s library of games and download them to your iPod.

It’s not without risk, though. Apple could disable its servers for reauthorizing clickwheel iPods – something that might happen at any time. While Olsro has 47 iPod games in their library, they’re a few short of the full 54 titles that Apple released. That means the clock is potentially ticking on their efforts to complete the library for other iPod gamers.

It’s a world away from the modern M4 MacBook Pro and Apple’s renewed focus on bringing games to its platforms. But if you’re interested in a curious chapter in the history of Apple’s gaming efforts – or you just want to relive the days of playing on your iPod – it’s a fascinating story.

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MacBook Pro M5 next year might be disappointing as rumor suggests the real fireworks are coming with MacBook Pro M6 with OLED in 2026

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 05:15

Apple’s MacBook Pro for next year isn’t going to be particularly groundbreaking, at least not compared to the fully revamped version due in 2026, rumored to come complete with that major OLED screen upgrade, and a serious uplift for performance with the M6 chip, too.

Mark Gurman’s latest instalment of ‘Power On’ is the source of this juicy MacBook rumor, but if you check the online newsletter at Bloomberg, you won’t see the speculation, as only subscribers get to peruse the answers to Gurman’s post game Q&A at the end of the piece.

One of the questions pitched to the leaker is: “Should I wait for next year’s MacBook Pro to upgrade?” And the short answer is that if you’re expecting a revamped model for 2025 after a relatively modest overhaul for the 14-inch and 16-inch flavors this year – mostly based on the new M4 SoC – you may be disappointed.

Gurman replies to the question to note that “the MacBook Pro probably won’t get another true overhaul until 2026,” with Apple looking at a five-year cycle for redesigns of the laptop (rather than four years as has been the case in the past).

The MacBook Pro 2026 will likely be the move to OLED (finally) and a thinner chassis.

So, Gurman tells us that he believes the MacBook Pro for next year will be “mostly about the chip (again)” except in this case, we’ll obviously be looking at the M5 and its Pro and Max versions. Apparently, development of those CPUs is already nearing completion, the leaker informs us.

With the M6 chip in 2026, Apple will shift to a 2nm process, and we can expect a major boost from that, whereas the M5 will represent a modest uplift in performance compared to the M4.

In short, then, the MacBook Pro 2026 is the laptop to watch, possibly toting a full redesign, thinner body, new OLED screen, and M6 processors which are much more powerful than their predecessors.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) Analysis: OLED and thin-for-the-win

So, if you’re not tempted by the MacBook Pro M4 models that are about to be unleashed – perhaps because you have an M3-powered laptop already, and the new flavors won’t be a huge difference – then the laptops for 2025 likely won’t persuade you to pull the trigger on an upgrade either. At least if Gurman is right – and there’s an element of caution in his writing, with qualifiers like ‘probably’ and so on – you’ll be waiting for 2026, and there’s other evidence on the grapevine that this is likely the case.

In fact, for some time now, the rumor has been that Apple is looking at 2026 to bring OLED to the MacBook Pro, and some of the regular leakers on all things Apple have recently said that they expect the 2025 model of the MacBook Pro to stick with Mini-LED. (As MacRumors points out, they include reliable display-related leaker Ross Young).

An OLED screen will help to ensure the MacBook Pro is more svelte, and so it makes sense that we’ll be getting a thinner laptop as part of this full redesign, too – especially given Apple’s renewed focus on thin-for-the-win. Gurman has already predicted that thinner MacBooks are in the works, after Apple released its ‘thinpossible’ iPad Pro (with OLED).

We should note that the MacBook Pro M4 does make improvements with the display – and some quite nifty ones – and doubtless the MacBook Pro M5 next year will not be a complete fizzle either. However, there’s already a consistent level of buzz on the grapevine to suggest that the real fireworks are coming with the MacBook Pro M6 in 2026.

The suggestion, then, is that if you can’t wait until 2026, you may as well upgrade now rather than seeing what next year brings.

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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's PS5 Pro trailer emphasizes "performance and fidelity in one package"

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 05:09

A new 'PS5 Pro Enhanced' trailer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart emphasizes not needing to choose between fidelity and performance on the upcoming mid-generation refresh console.

The trailer, uploaded to the official PlayStation YouTube channel, features about a minute and a half of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart footage running on PS5 Pro, interspersed with commentary from staff at developer Insomniac Games.

Principle engine programmer Jahrain Jackson says: "You're basically getting both performance and fidelity in one package. There's no fear of missing out on something by choosing one or the other."

He adds that PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) "is really exciting," describing it as a "game changer for bringing our visual fidelity up to the next level." PSSR is exclusive to PS5 Pro and is Sony's proprietary upscaling tech. It acts similarly to Nvidia's DLSS or AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution - boosting resolution and image quality with seemingly little to no impact on performance.

At just over a minute and a half in length, the trailer doesn't go into particulars about what exactly playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 Pro entails, aside from the mention of PSSR and the allowance for both high fidelity and performance in one package.

It does, however, showcase the game running in 4K resolution at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second. As such, it's looking likely that PS5 Pro will be the best way to experience the 2021 action platformer.

PS5 Pro is due to launch this Thursday, November 7 worldwide. If you've yet to put down a PS5 Pro pre-order, you can still do so with stock available at PlayStation Direct and multiple other retailers. The upgraded console will set you back a rather eye-watering $699.99 / £699.99 though, and it doesn't ship with either a disc drive or a vertical stand - worth keeping in mind if you're considering the upgrade.

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