TechRadar News

• RTX 5060 Ti is apparently set to be ‘released’ come April 16, a new rumor insists
• A further rumor backs up the theory of this being an on-sale date for the GPU
• It looks like we’ll have to wait until May for the vanilla RTX 5060 to hit shelves, though

We have a supposed release date for Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards, with the rumor mill offering up a date of April 16.

This comes from leaker Wxnod, who chips in to the rumor scene on X from time to time, and has provided correct info in the past (although we must, of course, remain very cautious here).

5060Ti will be released on April 16th at 9pm, along with 8GB and 16GBMarch 22, 2025

As you can see in the above post, the assertion is that the RTX 5060 Ti will be ‘released’ on April 16th at 9pm (I’ll come back to the wording here, and the lateness of the mentioned hour, shortly). And as the grapevine has insisted for a long time now, we’re told that this GPU will come in both 8GB and 16GB flavors, and both of these versions will be out on that day in mid-April.

This aligns with other recent chatter about the RTX 5060 Ti which claimed exactly this, that these GPUs are due in the middle of April.

Those past rumors also theorize that its lesser sibling, the vanilla RTX 5060 (with just 8GB of VRAM), will arrive a month later in mid-May, though Wxnod doesn’t mention that card.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Analysis: Close at hand

If the rumor mill is right, Nvidia has delayed all of these RTX 5060 models a couple of times, perhaps – certainly there was speculation about a March launch in the past, and then talk of issues that needed to be fixed with the GPU chips. With more consistent chatter now pointing to a launch in the near future, though, it seems like this is now firmly in the cards.

If you’re wondering about the 9pm release mentioned by the leaker, this is likely due to the embargo timing being from an Asian source, because as VideoCardz points out, this aligns with what’d typically be expected in that respect.

When Wxnod says ‘released’ I would normally consider that phrasing to indicate an on-sale date – the graphics cards hitting the shelves – but this could also mean the initial launch (or reveal) of the RTX 5060 Ti models in this context.

However, VideoCardz further flagged up that HKEPC, a Hong Kong-based tech site, also shared a leak (again, add seasoning) claiming that April 16 is in fact the on-sale date for the RTX 5060 Ti, with an announcement apparently due on April 15. (The RTX 5060 could also be revealed on April 15, but won’t be in shops until May, or that’s the theory).

Whatever the case, these GPUs are apparently now close at hand, and what also backs this up is VideoCardz also discovering the purported final specs of the RTX 5060 Ti. The GPU will supposedly run with 4,608 CUDA Cores, a base clock of 2407MHz and boost to 2572MHz, with a power usage of 180W.

The key question will be: how much stock can Nvidia muster? If the answer turns out to be not much, then Team Green might be wise to wait a bit longer and accumulate more supply before unleashing these graphics cards, which are likely to be much more popular than previous Blackwell GPUs due to their affordability. Or risk further wrath from disgruntled gamers who can't buy the GPU they want...

On the other hand, Nvidia is likely feeling the heat from AMD now, with Team Red's new RDNA 4 GPUs doing very well and taking back graphics card market share by all accounts. Given that, Team Green may well feel the pressure to get its RTX 5060 Ti cards on the table, as it were, sooner rather than later. Currently, regarding the RX 9060's release, AMD has only given us a timeframe of Q2, so that could be as late as June.

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• Contextual Smart Replies comes to Gmail Business and Enterprise tiers
• Users will be given a selection of pre-written replies to emails
• Suggestions will consider the entire email thread

Finding the right words for those important business emails could soon be easier than ever thanks to a new Google Gemini AI tool for Gmail.

The email provider is adding "contextual smart replies" into Gmail for its business-focused offerings, allowing its Gemini AI tool to do the heavy lifting (and thinking) when it comes to writing better emails.

The feature uses Gemini to analyze the context of an email, and then suggest and offer more detailed responses in order to, "fully capture the intent of your message".

Smarter replies in Gmail

(Image credit: Google)

The tool is targeted at workplace usage, and will be added to Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans without the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on.

"The contextual Smart Reply feature saves time and makes replying to emails more efficient," the blog post added, noting it would be ideal for those "short on time or need help finding the right words."

When launching an email reply, users will now be given several response options generated by Gemini at the bottom of their screen

Hovering over a response will provide you with a quick preview of the text, which takes the full content of the email thread into consideration. When selected, the email can be sent straight away, or edited further if needed.

The tool is available now across Google Workspace Business Starter, Standard, and Plus tiers, along with Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus tiers.

The news follows the launch of Smart Replies in Gmail back in September 2024, which offered a selection of pre-written responses.

Gmail also recently rolled out a new, smarter search function that will list results in terms of relevance, rather than just in chronological order.

Factoring in details such as recency, most-clicked emails, and frequent contacts, the company says this means the emails you’re actually looking for should be far more likely to be at the top of your search results.

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• Apple is said to still be working on cameras in AirPods
• iOS 18's Visual Intelligence is at the heart of Apple's plans
• Features are still "generations away"

We've known the "what" for some time – Apple is experimenting with cameras in its AirPods – and now we perhaps know the "why". A new report sheds light on Apple's plans for future AirPods, and if the tech can do what it promises to do it could be a really important personal safety feature.

There is an important caveat, though: the features are "still at least generations away from hitting the market".

The report comes from the well-connected Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who says that "Apple’s ultimate plan for Visual Intelligence goes far beyond the iPhone." And AirPods are a big part of that plan.

According to Gurman, Visual Intelligence – recognizing the world around you and providing useful information or assistance – is considered a very big deal inside Apple, and it's planning to put cameras in both the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra too. As with the AirPods, "this would help the device see the outside world and use AI to deliver relevant information."

How AirPods will work with Visual Intelligence

Visual Intelligence was introduced in iOS 18 for the iPhone 16, and it enables you to point the camera at something and find out more about it: the type of plant, the breed of dog (as in the image at the top of this article), the opening hours of the café you've just found, and so on.

(Image credit: Apple)

Visual Intelligence can also translate text, and maybe one day it'll be able to help people like me who have a shockingly bad memory for names and faces.

The big problem with Visual Intelligence, though, is that you have to bring out your phone to do it. And there are circumstances where you're not going to want to do that. I'm reminded of when Apple brought Maps to the Apple Watch: by making it possible to use Maps without broadcasting "I am not from here and I am hopelessly lost. Also I have a very expensive phone" to all the neighborhood villains, it was an important personal safety feature.

This could be too. If Apple makes it possible to invoke Visual Intelligence with a point of the head and a squeeze of the stems, that would enable you to get important information – such as a translation of a direction sign in another country – without waving your phone around.

We're a long way from actually having these features – don't expect them in the AirPods Pro 3, which will probably arrive later in 2025. But I'm excited by the prospect: imagine Apple Intelligence, but good.

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Sky Glass turned the world of TV upside down when it launched two years ago. And now there's a brand new version that's even more amazing.

Sky Glass isn't just an amazing TV. It's an amazing TV with Sky built-in. Techradar called the original "a paradigm shift that's set up to shake up the whole premium TV market... it's an all-in-one premium TV package that opens the door to a whole new age of streaming TV." And you don't need a dish or a set-top box to enjoy it: Sky Glass works with your Wi-Fi.

The new Sky Glass Gen 2 is brighter, better and even more awesome – and it's still incredibly affordable. The Sky Glass Gen 2 TV can be yours from just £14 per month.

A viewing experience that's out of this world

Sky Glass Gen 2 comes with a big display upgrade: it now has a much brighter 4K Quantum Dot screen for crystal-clear pictures. There's new advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing and precision contrast enhancement too: the darks are darker and the brights are much brighter.

There's some really clever technology behind that screen. Sky Glass gives you a tailored viewing experience based on what you're watching. It does that by analysing the on-screen images, automatically optimising the picture and the sound to bring out the best in every show.

(Image credit: Sky) Atmos just got even more awesome

Sky Glass Gen 2 doesn't just look amazing. It sounds amazing too. That's because it's been expertly engineered to deliver even more immersive 360º cinematic sound. Inside that gorgeous case there's not two, not four but seven Dolby Atmos speakers including a soundbar and a dual subwoofer to handle the all-important low end in movies and music. The second-generation Sky Glass sounds absolutely incredible.

The smarter way to stream

Sky Glass Gen 2 comes with the latest version of Sky OS, the intelligent software that makes the magic happen. It brings your entertainment from Sky and from other apps into one place, making it easy to find the shows you want to stream, and thanks to its voice control it's all ears: just say "Hello Sky" and you can tell Sky Glass what you want to see. You can also search for your favourite actors, shows, movies or genres across all your TV apps. Thanks to Sky OS you get to what you want, faster.

(Image credit: Sky) The perfect fit for your home

The new Sky Glass Gen 2 looks great when you're not watching it too. That's because it's been designed to look good in any home. There are three sizes to suit every space – 43 inches, 55 inches and 65 inches – and three great colours: Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver and Atlantic Blue.

Extraordinary TV at an extraordinary price

From House of the Dragon and The White Lotus to Stranger Things and Squid Game 2, Sky brings you extraordinary entertainment from just £15 per month for the Sky Entertainment package. That means you can get a brand new Sky Glass Gen 2 TV with Sky, Netflix and discovery+ for just £29 per month.

If you've been hankering after a new TV or just want to get more bang for your streaming bucks, Sky Glass is a really exciting upgrade – and you can see it in action at your local Currys, where expert advisors can help you discover its superb display, audio and Sky OS. And of course, as it's Currys you can choose between in-store pickup and flexible delivery options. You can even recycle your old TV: Currys is the UK's largest tech retailer and recycler, saving 60,000 tons of tech from landfill every year.

Click here to find out more about the superb Sky Glass TV and discover a world of exceptional entertainment.

• Microsoft Teams adds slide control feature for multiple users
• Should allow for smooth running of presentations and calls
• Set to release in May 2025, but only on Windows to begin

Taking control of presentations on a Microsoft Teams call may finally be a smoother process thanks to a new update.

The video conferencing service has announced it is working on a tweak that will allow multiple people to control slides being presented in a meeting or call.

Microsoft says the addition will mean that presenters are able to maintain "a smooth flow during meetings or webinars" - and honestly, I can't believe it has taken so long for such a tool to be introduced.

Microsoft Teams slide control

In a Microsoft 365 updates blog post announcing the feature, Microsoft notes it will mean meeting or event hosts can now share control of slides with their fellow presenters.

This should mean the end of manual slide changes - and hopefully, the phrase "next slide please", which I think we've all heard too much over the past few years.

The blog post doesn't exactly go into a lot of detail about how the feature will actually work in practice, so we'd have to guess it will be added to the meeting host abilities.

The fact it will allow multiple presenters to have the ability to control slides should probably mean it will require some kind of authentication when joining a call, or having these members manually selected by the person setting up the call - we'll just have to wait and see.

The feature is currently listed as being "in development", but Microsoft has targeted a release rollout date of May 2025, meaning users won't have too long to wait. Upon release, the company says it will be available for all users on Windows desktop to begin with.

The launch is the latest in a series of recent improvements to Microsoft Teams announced by the company as it looks to make the platform more intuitive.

This includes the recent launch of real-time text (RTT) capabilities, allowing participants to type a message while someone else's speech is being transcribed, giving users who prefer typing to speaking another way to make sure their voices get out there.

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• Apple reportedly has big plans for the future of Apple Watch
• A new report says the company is considering adding cameras to the Series and Ultra models
• It would pave the way for AI-powered visual context features, much like the failed Humane AI Pin

While the best Apple Watches coming in 2025 are only expected to add blood pressure monitoring and the odd design tweak, a new report claims Apple is considering adding cameras to both the Series and Ultra versions of its popular smartwatch in the future, turning it into an AI-powered wearable.

Writing in his most recent Power On newsletter, the inimitable Apple insider Mark Gurman claims that Apple "is working on new versions of the Apple Watch that include cameras."

Specifically, he says the company is "considering adding cameras to both its standard Series watches and Ultra models." According to Gurman, the upgrade is likely "generations away," so don't expect to be taking selfies on your Apple Watch Ultra 3 anytime soon.

So what exactly is Apple planning, and what could it mean for the future of an AI-powered Apple Watch?

Apple Intelligence on Apple Watch, powered by cameras

(Image credit: Future)

Gurman delivers his latest big Apple Watch leak in the context of AI wearables. Specifically, he mentions the dismal Humane Ai Pin and Meta's smart glasses.

All of these devices use cameras and microphones powered by AI to deliver the wearer context and information about their surroundings. Suppose you see a monumental building on holiday, but you don't know what it is, snap a quick photo and you can get information about who built it, the purpose it serves, and more... that sort of thing.

Gurman also specifically references the Visual Intelligence feature in Apple Intelligence, which analyzes photos using ChatGPT or Google Search.

In the context of Apple Watch, Gurman indicates onboard cameras and microphones "would help the device see the outside world and use AI to deliver relevant information."

In terms of design, he says the Apple Watch Series line would feature a front-facing camera akin to the best iPhones. Meanwhile, the larger Ultra would house a camera lens on the side of the watch, specifically on the right-hand side near the Digital Crown and Side Button.

Each would let you point your wrist at an object or your surroundings, scanning them like James Bond for information, presumably delivering content on-screen – for your AIs only (sorry).

The small Apple Watch screen, which limits how much information can be shown, means Apple might get Siri to read out the information through the speaker or a set of AirPods too. It's an interesting proposition, especially given the general lack of success the AI-powered wearables market has delivered to this point.

However, there's clearly more appetite for the likes of Visual Intelligence features on the iPhone 16, so it makes sense that Apple might push those powers onto your wrist one day. As Gurman suggests, this could also pave the way for future Apple Watch FaceTime support, which would be a nice bonus.

As mentioned, this is an upgrade that could be generations away, but one we know Apple is exploring. Just last week we reported on an Apple Watch patent that reveals a device with a folding screen and an onboard camera, so this latest report tracks with that.

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• Apple is expected to unveil three new Apple Watch models in 2025
• A new report claims the plastic redesign of the SE 3 has put the budget model in "serious jeopardy"
• The Ultra 3 and Series 11 blood-pressure tracking feature is also reportedly causing issues

Apple is expected to unveil three new Apple Watches in September 2025, but a new report says all three are facing design and development challenges ahead of launch.

The headlines for the company's next three best Apple Watch contenders include a new blood-pressure monitoring system for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11, and a significant design overhaul for the budget Apple Watch SE 3.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple "continues to run into problems" with testing the blood-pressure tracking feature on the two more premium models.

He also says the planned switch to a cheaper plastic casing has put the Apple Watch SE 3 redesign in "series jeopardy."

According to Gurman, Apple's design team "doesn't like the look" of the cheaper material, and the operations team "is finding it difficult to make the casing materially cheaper than the current aluminum chassis."

Apple Watch 2025 setbacks

(Image credit: Future)

These rumored setbacks will no doubt be a cause of concern for Apple, which needs to deliver a stellar 2025 Apple Watch lineup to make up for a fairly disappointing 2024 that only delivered one iterative Series 10, no Ultra 3 upgrade, and limited watchOS 11 changes.

There is some good news, though, as Gurman seems to indicate that the rumored satellite texting feature for the Ultra 3 is on track, as is the Reduced Capacity 5G upgrade, which will give users a cellular connectivity boost when using their device without their iPhone.

However, the headline features, notably blood-pressure monitoring, were to be a huge selling point of the more expensive models. If Apple can't deliver that, serious questions will be asked at Cupertino.

What's more, there will be even less reason for fans to upgrade from the Series 10 or even from older models. A recent (albeit sketchy) report indicated that Apple Watch shipments declined in 2024, causing the smartwatch market as a whole to shrink for the first time in history. That makes the success of this year's models all the more important.

Gurman doesn't specify what the issues are, but it could indicate problems with the accuracy of blood-pressure data, battery drain, false positives, or several other things.

Apple can take some solace in the fact that it might be able to ship the hardware onboard the Series 11 and Ultra 3, enabling blood-pressure monitoring at a later date, but that outcome would come a distant second for the company compared to offering the feature at launch.

If any company can turn around the issues it's Apple, but the expected launch of its new watches – alongside iPhone 17 – is less than six months away, which means it needs to get developing and prototyping out of the way much sooner than that.

The Apple Watch SE 3 hiccup is a different story. I'm personally less enthused by the rumored switch to plastic, so if Apple doesn't like the look of that material, and it's not going to be any cheaper than aluminum, why not stick with the more premium-feeling material anyway?

Whether Apple can overcome either of these setbacks remains to be seen. We won't know for sure until the watches launch, but expect more updates on this story as September approaches.

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The legal industry is in the midst of a tech revolution driven by advances in AI, but not everyone is ready to jump on board. While 69% of lawyers believe generative AI can be used ethically in legal practice, the profession’s resistance to change and deep-rooted traditions keep many on the sidelines. Yet, with 27% of firms currently using AI tools in their daily operations, AI is already reshaping law practice, improving efficiency, accuracy and client service in ways that were once unimaginable.

This shift isn’t about replacing lawyers; it’s about working smarter. AI takes on the repetitive, time-consuming tasks like legal research, document drafting and compliance tracking, allowing lawyers to focus on the most valuable work. The result? Faster turnaround times, more robust documentation and better client service.

What does this all mean for a practicing attorney? Here’s what a day in the life of an AI-augmented lawyer looks like.

7:30 AM: The AI Assistant Starts Before You Do

Before your day officially begins, AI is already at work. Your digital assistant pulls matter updates, summarizes new legal developments and organizes your to-do list. Practice management tools use AI to prioritize tasks and track deadlines, so when you sit down at your desk, everything is right where you need it.

Pro tip: Want to avoid getting blindsided by an overlooked deadline? Let AI track it for you.

9:00 AM: Drafting Legal Documents Just Got Smarter

Drafting contracts, motions and memos has always been a time-consuming grind. AI changes that. With generative AI tools, you can get a solid first draft in seconds, complete with boilerplate language, relevant clauses and citations to recent case law. This isn’t about replacing your expertise. It’s about speeding up the process so you can focus on the strategic stuff.

AI even flags inconsistencies and suggests revisions, helping you maintain accuracy and reduce errors. Instead of starting every document from scratch, you’re refining and customizing drafts, not wasting hours on repetitive tasks.

11:00 AM: AI-Powered Legal Research

Gone are the days of endless keyword searches and stacks of casebooks. AI research tools sift through thousands of cases, statutes and legal opinions in seconds, delivering precise, on-point results. Some AI platforms even offer predictive insights, showing you patterns in case law and helping you anticipate potential outcomes.

Imagine having an incredibly fast research assistant who never gets tired. It’s a game-changer for attorneys handling complex litigation or regulatory matters.

1:00 PM: Client Meetings, Enhanced by AI

With AI handling research and document prep, you’ve got more time for what clients value most: strategic advice and meaningful engagement. AI-generated summaries give you a comprehensive view of each case before you step into a meeting, so you’re always prepared.

So when a client calls to discuss their case, you no longer have to panic-review their case file; instead, you can ask AI to give you a summary of what’s been happening in the matter. In an increasingly competitive market, offering this personalized service is a clear differentiator.

3:00 PM: Navigating Compliance and Risk with AI

Compliance is a moving target, especially for firms working with clients in highly regulated industries like healthcare and finance. AI tools are like your personal radar system, constantly scanning for regulatory changes and flagging risks. Some platforms even integrate with case management systems to analyze your documents for compliance gaps. Think of it as having a full-time risk manager built into your workflow without the added payroll expense.

5:00 PM: Wrapping Up with Zero Loose Ends

As the day winds down, AI tools step in again, freeing lawyers free to leave on time (or at least closer to it). They organize notes from your meetings, schedule follow-ups and even log your hours automatically. No more scrambling to remember which tasks you logged or which emails need a response.

AI also makes email communication effortless. It drafts client updates, follow-ups and status reports in seconds, helping you avoid the dreaded blank screen. Whether you’re responding to a quick inquiry or summarizing case progress, AI gives you a polished starting point. After a few edits, it’s ready to send.

Why the Legal Industry Hasn’t Fully Embraced AI (Yet)

Despite all these benefits, there’s still resistance. Lawyers have good reason to be cautious, with legitimate issues like data security, bias in AI models and ethical concerns. No one wants to risk exposing sensitive client data or rely on tools that could unintentionally deliver biased recommendations.

But here’s the thing: these concerns are manageable. Vendors are rapidly improving data security and offering customizable, closed-system solutions to protect client information. And let’s not forget that humans aren’t perfect either. Used thoughtfully, AI can reduce human error and enhance decision-making, not replace it.

Another sticking point? The profession’s aversion to change and disruption and a lack of time for experimentation. That hesitation could be costly as tech-savvy competitors gain an edge.

The Future: Lawyers + AI = A Competitive Advantage

Here’s the bottom line: AI isn’t here to replace lawyers; it’s here to make them more effective. By accomplishing administrative work like document prep, research and compliance tracking, AI frees up lawyers to focus on what matters most: high-value client work, courtroom strategy and growing their practices.

Smokeball research shows that 90% of legal professionals are willing to explore AI, especially if it means gaining a competitive advantage. The firms that embrace AI will stand out in an increasingly crowded market. They’ll deliver better results, faster turnaround times and more personalized service while improving work-life balance.

The question isn’t whether AI will change the game but how fast you adapt. Lawyers who seize this moment will be at the forefront of a new era of legal practice. The rest? They’ll be left trying to catch up.

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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

The looming End of Life (EoL) deadlines for several Microsoft applications and systems are fast approaching – and it’s clear they’re playing on many organizations' minds.

We’ve seen a sharp increase in enquiries from large organizations seeking guidance on Microsoft Teams and legacy technology upgrades, particularly in the last month. This upturn in activity highlights an urgency felt by these businesses to address their legacy applications and operating systems scheduled to reach their official EoL in 2025.

With classic Microsoft Teams set to be phased out by July this year and major Microsoft products like Windows 10, Office 2019, and Exchange Server 2019 all reaching end-of-support by October – now just six months away – businesses face critical decisions to avoid operational, security, and compliance risks.

But this rush to tackle EoL also comes from a mindset of what it supposedly represents – high-risk, outdated technology that requires an immediate upgrade. While risks need dealing with, the truth of the matter is this isn’t a one off event. As one product is upgraded, another will approach its EoL. It’s something we have to live with.

Instead, businesses should view EoL management as an ongoing activity. And sometimes maintaining EoL systems is the best approach – they just need to be turned into a compliant and safe form.

Changing EoL mindsets

The potential impact of Windows end of support on a number of industries will be significant – and organizations are facing a pivotal transition. Left unchecked, the disruptions associated with unmanaged and outdated systems will be major.

Back in February 2020, TechRadar revealed that approximately one third of NHS computers were still operating on Windows 7, despite the government's target to upgrade all PCs to Windows 10 by January 2020. They ended up using Microsoft’s extended support period to complete the process by 2021 – and they now face the upcoming deadline to upgrade Windows 10 by October.

Consequently, with end of support deadlines imminent, there can be a feeling amongst organizations that they need to overhaul their applications and systems to work on modern infrastructure (through complex refactoring or recoding, for example) or integrate a whole new application suite. The issue is these applications are business critical and any disruption could represent a severe risk to operations.

This is where a mindset change needs to take place. Rather than attempting to significantly alter the applications themselves, it’s all about modernizing the IT estate, adopting an approach that can seamlessly migrate these software applications across different environments and onto supported operating systems.

This means companies can keep their legacy Windows 10 applications, for example, but secure their compatibility by moving them onto a supported Windows server or cloud environment. It’s akin to having the rug pulled from beneath your feet but you still remain standing in the same position – just now on new ground.

So, whether applications are located on on-premise servers or moved onto the cloud, this means they can continue to receive support and software updates. This strategy extends to cloud providers, who are crucial in meeting the increasing reliance on cloud technologies, as they change data centers.

The goal of this approach is to give companies freedom and flexibility to migrate or extend the life of critical applications smoothly and securely. The compulsory activity, however, is that something has to be done before their end of support to secure and manage them effectively. Otherwise, they will become high-risk.

Supporting out-of-support applications

When you look at the numbers on Statcounter, it’s easy to see why companies are actively seeking guidance.

In the UK, as of January 2025, there was an exact split in the market share of Windows desktop versions between Windows 10 and Windows 11, with both sitting at 49.4%. That means half of all desktops are approaching their EoL. And due to the complexity of migrating a business’ IT infrastructure as opposed to personal use, this percentage is likely to be weighted even more to Windows 10 with large organizations.

Responding to these concerns and the increase in demand and enquiries, dedicated EoL hotlines have been set up, helping companies to receive quick, tailored guidance on preparing for EoL transitions. This includes how to migrate existing applications like the Microsoft 365 products edging towards their EoL and secure their compatibility.

Crucially, the process of moving existing out-of-support applications onto managed and supported servers causes very minimal disruption to operations. The task of doing this transition, however, can be complex to perform. Therefore, if companies have the internal resources, expertise and guidance, then it’s possible to perform such an undertaking internally.

The ‘R approach’ is an industry standard process used by cloud providers. It involves six different methods to assess a company's IT estate and then carry out migrations for EoL software. ‘Rehosting’, for example, involves moving applications to the cloud without making significant changes, whereas ‘retiring’ involves identifying applications that are no longer useful and can be turned off. Each R can play its role for different contexts.

But if a company’s requirements are bespoke or too complicated to be performed by such methods, then joining up with an external specialist/partner presents a more efficient, effective and cost-effective way of approaching such a pivotal undertaking.

Keeping Windows EoL front of mind

With several end of support deadlines looming for Microsoft products in 2025, organizations are feeling compelled to understand how they can quickly and securely upgrade their Microsoft Teams and legacy applications.

But with the risks of not doing this playing on their mind, there can be a tendency to conduct expensive upgrades and overhaul entire application suites – a process that could cause significant disruption and risk itself.

However, rather than changing out-of-support applications themselves, companies can look to migrate them into secure and managed operating environments, both on-premises and in the cloud. With many desktops in the market still operating on Windows 10, this presents an approach that can keep operations ticking over while apps are migrated into these environments.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean embracing EoL software as it is. If it’s left unmanaged or on unsupported software it becomes an inherent risk. But it’s a call to change mindsets over how EoL is viewed and understanding that the applications themselves don’t have to be the problem.

Migration strategies like the R process give companies the ability to assess their IT estate and make the necessary changes. But for those that don't fit the mold, they can seek out companies which can help in those cases.

Moving away from EoL is a journey and, for most companies, it will be phased due to how these older legacy applications work. Much like DOGE you can't just rip out legacy systems and hope everything will work with new systems unless you plan it!

The support is there to achieve such a transition. Organizations just need to make sure they keep the EoL deadlines and challenges of their applications front of mind before it’s too late.

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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

• This laptop is branded xCaim, ClinkX and ClinkCaim
• Eliminates the touchpad, introducing a fully interactive palm rest
• Supports an edge-to-edge keyboard as well as an integrated status bar for call display

A relatively unknown Chinese company, Emdoor Digital Technology, has introduced a prototype business laptop with an unconventional design, earning the prestigious iF Design Award for 2025.

The xCaim laptop immediately stands out with its edge-to-edge keyboard, eliminating the traditional palm rest area and replacing the conventional touchpad with a fully interactive palm rest surface with tactile buttons.

The xCaim laptop will feature a Samsung V-NAND SSD 980, available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 1TB, suggesting it could be a suitable laptop for programming.

A bold rethinking of laptop design

Like the Honor MagicBook Art 14 (2024), the xCaim laptop comes with a modular business webcam that attaches magnetically above the screen, integrates real-time environmental sensing, and can serve as a secondary screen when detached, displaying shortcuts and notifications.

The xCaim laptop adopts a sleek and modern design with a white and black color scheme, and thin bezels. It features a regular hinge design and a chiclet-style keyboard. The function keys are replaced with a touch-sensitive function area.

Just below the keyboard, a small horizontal display shows system status icons, call information, and a digital battery display. A removable bottom panel reveals dual cooling fans.

The laptop's connectivity options are minimal, with just three USB-C ports, two on the right side and one on the left.

The xCaim laptop is not commercially available yet, but it offers a glimpse into a future where business laptop designs break free from tradition, embracing new forms of interaction and AI tools integration.

The iF Design Award is often regarded as the "Oscars" of the design industry, and the 2025 edition of the competition saw nearly 11,000 entries from 66 countries, with 131 jurors from 23 countries selecting the most outstanding designs.

Via iFDesign

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• Compal Infinite Laptop offers a horizontally expanding screen, from 14-inch to 18-inch
• Rollable business laptops could emerge as the future of multitasking
• Infinite Laptop also includes LED notification grids

The world's first rollable laptop, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, was unveiled at CES 2025 after years of development, featuring a 14-inch display which expands vertically to 16.7 inches with the press of a button.

While Lenovo’s approach focuses on increasing vertical space, Taiwanese manufacturer Compal's Infinite Laptop concept (via iFDesign) expands horizontally to create an ultrawide business laptop.

The Compal Infinite Laptop features a 14-inch display which extends from both sides to form an 18-inch screen, which could make it an ideal laptop for trading and multitasking.

A rollable screen designed for productivity

Compal’s Infinite Laptop is still a concept, but its bold design has already earned an iF Design Award.

This rollable mechanism ensures a seamless transition between compact and expanded modes while maintaining a lightweight build.

Similar to the ClinkCaim laptop, another 2025 iF Design Award-winning concept, the Infinite Laptop lacks a distinct touchpad.

Instead, a dimly glowing light indicates the touchpad area, which could make it a more intuitive laptop for programming.

The laptop appears to feature an LED notification array embedded in its lid for system alerts and notifications.

The laptop’s expansion mechanism looks impressive, and it's certainly made waves —the 2025 iF Design Awards featured nearly 11,000 entries from 66 countries, with 131 jurors selecting the most innovative designs, solidifying the Compal Infinite Laptop’s place among groundbreaking concepts.

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• Silicon Motion 128TB SSD RDK optimizes AI pipelines with enhanced data management
• PerformaShape technology boosts SSD efficiency for AI-driven workloads
• MonTitan SSD’s PCIe Gen 5 speeds enhance enterprise data throughput

Silicon Motion, a leading NAND flash controller designer, has begun supplying its 128TB SSD Reference Design Kit (RDK), to select partners after nearly three years of testing since its initial announcement in 2022.

This large SSD kit, utilizes the latest 2 TB die QLC NAND, is built on the MonTitan PCIe Gen 5 platform, and features advanced firmware to maximize performance and efficiency in AI tool workloads, making it one of the best external SSD designs available.

The MonTitan RDK, designed for enterprise and data center use, delivers sequential read speeds exceeding 14 GB/s, ranking among the fastest external SSDs, with random read performance of over 3.3 million IOPS for efficient data thoroughput. The kit utilizes the PCIe Dual Ported enterprise-grade SM8366 controller with support for PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe 2.0 and OCP 2.5 data center specifications.

High-speed storage that could shake up the enterprise market

The RDK's high-speed performance provides a 25% improvement in random read efficiency over other Gen 5 solutions, making it particularly well-suited for AI applications such as large language model (LLM) training and graph neural network (GNN) computations.

Additionally, the drive design utilizes NVMe 2.0 FDP (Flexible Data Placement) to enhance write efficiency and endurance, extending the lifespan of the QLC NAND.

"Silicon Motion's MonTitan SSD RDK offers a comprehensive solution for our customers, enabling them to rapidly develop and deploy enterprise-class SSDs tailored for AI data center and edge server applications." said Alex Chou, Senior VP of Enterprise Storage and Display Interface Solution Business.

"By providing this fully integrated platform that supports up to 128 TB SSD with QLC NAND, we empower our customers and solution partners to accelerate the development and commercialization of AI solution's growing demands of high-capacity, high-performance storage."

Silicon Motion’s proprietary PerformaShape technology optimizes SSD performance based on user-defined quality-of-service (QoS) parameters, reducing latency. The new RDK could play a crucial role in AI storage and data center infrastructure, optimizing multi-tenant environments by efficiently handling AI data pipeline stages such as ingestion, preparation, training, and inference.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Silicon Motion in developing our latest enterprise SSD for AI servers and data centers. With Silicon Motion's MonTitan Enterprise SSD development platform, we have the flexibility to design enterprise SSDs that deliver industry-leading performance," said CC Wu, VP of Innodisk.

Frank Chen, the CEO of Exascend said, "In the era of AI explosion, data storage is more critical than ever. Through this collaboration with Silicon Motion, we have developed a PCIe Gen 5 SSD tailored for AI servers, ensuring stable read and write speeds with efficient data management, perfectly meeting the storage demands of the AI era."

Via TechPowerUp

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• Toshiba's new European HDD Innovation Lab can improve storage tech
• Lab offers architecture testing, proof-of-concept setups, and benchmarking
• Toshiba claims combining dozens of HDDs can boost overall performance

Toshiba Electronics Europe has opened a new HDD Innovation Lab at its Düsseldorf site, expanding its storage evaluation services across Europe and the Middle East.

The new facility (it already has a smaller one in Dubai) is designed to support customers and partners in optimizing hard disk drive configurations for a range of applications, including cloud storage, surveillance systems, and NAS environments.

Toshiba’s lab will focus on assessing HDD setups for broader IT systems such as storage area networks (SAN), providing a space where hardware configurations can be tested and refined. It will be able to evaluate customer-specific architectures and offer a platform for proof-of-concept testing and performance benchmarking.

Combining hard drives

“This new HDD Innovation Lab represents a significant leap forward in providing bespoke solutions and advancing HDD technology,” said Rainer Kaese, senior manager for HDD business development.

“It demonstrates Toshiba’s commitment to drive the industry forward and support customers and partners with technical expertise and resources. We look forward to strengthening existing collaborations and exploring the future business opportunities the new facility will bring."

To carry out these evaluations, the lab brings together servers, JBoDs, chassis, controllers, cables, and a variety of software tools. It also includes equipment to accurately measure energy consumption.

While SSDs have a clear speed advantage over HDDs, they are expensive and, according to Kaese via Blocks & Files, “The flash industry is not be able to manufacture enough capacity to satisfy the growing demand, and still will not be for a significant while.”

The solution to that problem, Kaese suggested, is to bunch HDDS together.

“We have demonstrated that 60 HDDs in ZFS software defined storage can fill the entire speed of a 100GbE network,” he said, adding, “[We] found that a typical configuration of four HDDs (ie. in small Soho NAS) can fill the 10GbE networks. 12 HDDs match the 25GbE of Enterprise networks, and 60 HDDs would require high end 100GbE network speed to unleash the full performance of the many combined HDDs.”

Beyond technical testing, the HDD Innovation Lab aims to support knowledge sharing. Insights from evaluations will be passed directly to customers, and Toshiba says it will conduct its own internal assessments of its HDD product lines, publishing the findings as whitepapers and lab reports.

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• Asus' new Ascent GX10 brings AI supercomputing power directly to developers
• Promises 1000 TOPS of AI processing and can handle models up to 200 billion parameters
• It's cheaper than Nvidia DGX Spark, with less storage but similar performance

AI development is getting ever more demanding, and Asus wants to bring high-performance computing straight to the desks of developers, researchers, and data scientists with the Ascent GX10, a compact AI supercomputer powered by Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell GB10 Superchip.

Asus’s rival to Nvidia’s DGX Spark (previously Project Digits) is designed to handle local AI workloads, making it easier to prototype, fine-tune, and run impressively large models without relying entirely on cloud or data center resources.

The Ascent GX10 comes with 128GB of unified memory, and the Blackwell GPU with fifth-generation Tensor Cores and FP4 precision support means it can deliver up to 1000 TOPS of AI processing power. It also includes a 20-core Grace Arm CPU, which speeds up data processing and orchestration for AI inferencing and model tuning. Asus says it will allow developers to work with AI models of up to 200 billion parameters without running into major bottlenecks.

Powerful yet compact

“AI is transforming every industry, and the Asus Ascent GX10 is designed to bring this transformative power to every developer’s fingertips,” said KuoWei Chao, General Manager of Asus IoT and NUC Business Group.

“By integrating the Nvidia Grace Blackwell Superchip, we are providing a powerful yet compact tool that enables developers, data scientists, and AI researchers to innovate and push the boundaries of AI right from their desks.”

Asus has built the GX10 with NVLink-C2C, which provides more than five times the bandwidth of PCIe 5.0, allowing the CPU and GPU to share memory efficiently, improving performance across AI workloads.

The system also comes with an integrated ConnectX network interface, so two GX10 units can be linked together to handle even larger models, such as Llama 3.1 with 405 billion parameters.

Asus says the Ascent GX10 will be available for pre-order in Q2 2025. Pricing details have not yet been confirmed by Asus, but Nvidia says it will cost $2999 and come with 1TB of storage.

In comparison, Nvidia’s own DGX Spark is a thousand dollars more ($3999) and comes with 4TB of storage.

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• A pair of Samsung smart specs are on the way
• They could launch before the end of 2025
• Samsung is also developing a bigger XR headset

We know that Samsung is busy working with Google on an Android XR (extended reality) headset known as Project Moohan, but it seems that some AR (augmented reality) smart specs are also in the pipeline – and could be launching before the end of the year.

A new report from South Korean outlet ET News (via @Jukanlosreve) suggests that these smart glasses are being developed under the codename Haean, and that features and specs are currently being finalized.

One of Samsung's priorities, according to the report, is on producing a design that fits every face shape and structure. Meanwhile, gesture support is said to be included with the specs, to reduce the number of buttons needed on the device itself.

There aren't any more details in this particular report, but it does say that the Samsung smart glasses could well be unveiled alongside the Android XR headset – which Samsung has told us much more about so far.

Specs and pricing

Report: Samsung Developing Smart Glasses Aimed for Year-End RevealAccording to reports from South Korean media, Samsung is currently developing smart glasses with a target of unveiling them by the end of the year. The company has launched a project codenamed “HAEAN” and is…March 23, 2025

After a few false starts – Google Glass, anyone? – it feels as though there's now some momentum behind the idea of smart glasses as a product, with the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses currently leading the way.

It would seem Samsung wants a part of this smart specs action with a product of its own. Rumors around such a device have been floating around for years at this point, with the name Samsung Glasses mentioned in a trademark filed in 2023.

These upcoming smart glasses are most likely going to be powered by a Qualcomm chip, and come with an integrated camera. We've seen rumors suggesting Samsung is aiming for an affordable price point, which would of course be welcome.

There had been suggestions that the specs would make an appearance alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 at the Unpacked event in January. That obviously didn't happen, but it seems we will see them sometime in the next nine months.

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #1154).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1155) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1155) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1155) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1155) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1155) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• F

• S

• R

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1155) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1155, are…

• FLOUT
• SMASH
• RAZOR
• SMALL

Down to the wire today, as I struggled to get RAZOR before the final guess. In the end there was no other possible word, but I’m never confident using a rare letter.

Before my struggles, I made a great start with SMALL and SMASH but got unlucky guessing clout instead of FLOUT.

A close shave.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1155) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1155, are…

• RAPID
• CYNIC
• FLOAT
• DAILY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADII
• Quordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLY
• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK
• Quordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER
• Quordle #1147, Sunday 16 March: INPUT, RUMBA, ELUDE, BLANK
• Quordle #1146, Saturday 15 March: SPEED, CLASH, RISKY, GRATE
• Quordle #1145, Friday 14 March: BELIE, SPEAR, GROWL, ADOBE
• Quordle #1144, Thursday 13 March: AMISS, METAL, TEARY, SHORT
• Quordle #1143, Wednesday 12 March: AWASH, PUSHY, RALPH, PROOF
• Quordle #1142, Tuesday 11 March: LINGO, JUICE, SHARP, REVEL
• Quordle #1141, Monday 10 March: AVAIL, THESE, TITAN, GAUGE
• Quordle #1140, Sunday 9 March: SKILL, IDEAL, WHERE, REHAB
• Quordle #1139, Saturday 8 March: WATCH, LAPSE, WREST, HEFTY
• Quordle #1138, Friday 7 March: GLEAN, SHINY, DECRY, MANGA
• Quordle #1137, Thursday 6 March: TRICE, EIGHT, BELCH, RIPER
• Quordle #1136, Wednesday 5 March: PLEAD, TWANG, MAJOR, RISKY
• Quordle #1135, Tuesday 4 March: FLOWN, ETUDE, TOPAZ, JOKER

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #651).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #652) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MATURE
• EARTH
• UNIFORM
• RANK
• LEVEL
• RIPE
• PHOTOSHOP
• EVERYONE
• HENHOUSE
• STABLE
• TEEN
• ONION
• FOUL
• ADULTS ONLY
• CONSTANT
• SOUR

NYT Connections today (game #652) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: It’s off
• GREEN: Stays the same 
• BLUE: Who can play 
• PURPLE: The common word is a synonym for sheets

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #652) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: BAD-SMELLING 
• GREEN: UNFLUCTUATING 
• BLUE: WHO VIDEO GAMES ARE FOR, PER ESRB RATINGS 
• PURPLE: THINGS WITH LAYERS 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #652) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #652, are…

• YELLOW: BAD-SMELLING FOUL, RANK, RIPE, SOUR
• GREEN: UNFLUCTUATING CONSTANT, LEVEL, STABLE, UNIFORM
• BLUE: WHO VIDEO GAMES ARE FOR, PER ESRB RATINGS ADULTS ONLY, EVERYONE, MATURE, TEEN
• PURPLE: THINGS WITH LAYERS EARTH, HENHOUSE, ONION, PHOTOSHOP

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I used up a Mistake today thinking MATURE, RIPE, SOUR, RANK described the shelf life of cheese, but I wasn’t far away from BAD-SMELLING – which, in the case of some cheeses, can be a good thing.

Next I thought that CONSTANT was the start of a group dealing with temperature before seeing the obvious link of UNFLUCTUATING. I dream of being unfluctuating.

Finally, there was a classic Connections joke in the final group, with HENHOUSE being one of the THINGS WITH LAYERS. If only I was sharp enough to see it before the end. The flaw of Connections is that you don’t need to ever get this final group, but for me at least that’s a constant blessing.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 23 March, game #651)

• YELLOW: CAPTIVATE ABSORB, ENTRANCE, GRAB, RIVET
• GREEN: THINGS WITH WINGS AIRPLANE, FAIRY, FLY, HOSPITAL
• BLUE: WORDS THAT MODIFY "WATCH" POCKET, SMART, STOP, WRIST
• PURPLE: WORDS REPEATED IN "MISS MARY MACK" BACK, BLACK, BUTTONS, MACK

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #385).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #386) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Yes, Queen …

NYT Strands today (game #386) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• THINK
• DOLE
• HUGE
• CAGE
• HACK
• BANNED

NYT Strands today (game #386) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #386) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 4th row

Last side: left, 6th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #386) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #386, are…

• EAGLES
• KISS
• RUSH
• GENESIS
• JOURNEY
• HEART
• BLONDIE
• SPANGRAM: ROCK BAND

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

In my past life as a music journalist I was paid to be a music snob. It’s not really a job that exists anymore, outside of Rolling Stone and a couple of niche magazines, as music publications and websites have discovered that you don’t have to pay people to be a music snob – they’ll do it for free.

Alas, despite no longer being paid to be one, I can’t help but deploy the arbitrary science of snobbery and still divide artists into two camps – cool and not cool.

From this list only BLONDIE make the cut, with EAGLES wavering between the two, but that’s just me – you might think top golfer Gene Simmons of KISS is cool or perhaps you’ve never stopped believing in JOURNEY (the puzzle compilers at NYT certainly haven’t).

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 23 March, game #385)

• DARN
• KNIT
• CROCHET
• EMBROIDER
• MEND
• BASTE
• PATCH
• SPANGRAM: NEEDLEWORK

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• The iPhone 18 phones tipped to use A20 chips
• Those CPUs could be based on an improved 2nm process
• It means faster, more efficient chips

While the iPhone 18 series won't be launching for another year and a half, we've already heard several predictions about it – and the latest one suggests all four models in the range are going to get a substantial performance upgrade.

This comes from well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has reiterated a prediction he made six months ago: that the A20 chipsets destined for the iPhone 18 handsets will use a 2-nanometer production process.

The current iPhone 16 devices use A18 processors made with 3nm technology. A switch from 3nm to 2nm essentially means more transistors can be packed inside a processor – making it speedier and more efficient.

iPhones get faster every year of course, but a change in the manufacturing process like this means significant performance gains, above and beyond the usual increases. It should mean the iPhone 18 can offer next-level processing power.

Still a ways away

Reiterating my prediction from six months ago: the 2H26 new iPhones (iPhone 18) will be powered by TSMC’s 2nm chips.Worth noting, TSMC’s 2nm R&D trial yields reached 60–70% three months ago, and they’re now well above that. https://t.co/ZoWXFqfUnSMarch 22, 2025

There remains some ambiguity around whether or not the chips for every iPhone 18 model will get this 2nm upgrade. Kuo now seems more optimistic about this than he was in September, but it may be an upgrade just for the Pro and Pro Max models.

This follows reports earlier this week from another industry analyst, Jeff Pu at GF Securities. Pu initially suggested the A20 chipsets would be based on a 3nm process, before revising his prediction to say that 2nm A20 silicon was a possibility.

It would well be that even Apple and its supply chain partners aren't sure yet. The iPhone 18 handsets aren't going to see the light of day until September 2026, so there's a lot of time yet for the manufacturing processes to be refined.

In the meantime, we've got the iPhone 17 series to look forward to, which should be unveiled in September 2025. These phones should get upgrades to A19 processors – but they'll be built using the existing 3nm process technology.

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• SOCAMM is a new modular memory form factor exclusive to Nvidia systems
• Micron says SOCAMM offers high bandwidth, low power and smaller footprint
• SK Hynix plans production of SOCAMM as AI infrastructure demand grows

At the recent Nvidia GTC 2025, memory makers Micron and SK Hynix took the wraps off their respective SOCAMM solutions.

This new modular memory form factor is designed to unlock the full potential of AI platforms and has been developed exclusively for Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell platform.

SOCAMM, or Small Outline Compression Attached Memory Module, is based on LPDDR5X and intended to address growing performance and efficiency demands in AI servers. The form factor reportedly offers higher bandwidth, lower power consumption, and a smaller footprint compared to traditional memory modules such as RDIMMs and MRDIMMs. SOCAMM is specific to Nvidia’s AI architecture and so can’t be used in AMD or Intel systems.

More cost-efficient

Micron announced it will be the first to ship SOCAMM products in volume and its 128GB SOCAMM modules are designed for the Nvidia GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Superchip.

According to the company, the modules deliver more than 2.5 times the bandwidth of RDIMMs while using one-third the power.

The compact 14x90mm design is intended to support efficient server layouts and thermal management.

“AI is driving a paradigm shift in computing, and memory is at the heart of this evolution,” said Raj Narasimhan, senior vice president and general manager of Micron’s Compute and Networking Business Unit.

“Micron’s contributions to the Nvidia Grace Blackwell platform yield performance and power-saving benefits for AI training and inference applications.”

SK Hynix also presented its own low-power SOCAMM solution at GTC 2025 as part of a broader AI memory portfolio.

Unlike Micron, the company didn’t go into too much detail about it, but said it is positioning SOCAMM as a key offering for future AI infrastructure and plans to begin mass production “in line with the market’s emergence”.

“We are proud to present our line-up of industry-leading products at GTC 2025,” SK Hynix's President & Head of AI Infra Juseon (Justin) Kim said.

“With a differentiated competitiveness in the AI memory space, we are on track to bring our future as the Full Stack AI Memory Provider forward.”

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