Technology - Google News

Comment: It’s time to stop using the iPhone SE 2 name now; it won’t be one - 9to5Mac
Intel kills Kaby Lake G, vows to offer drivers for five years - PCWorld
How I prepped the Rolls-Royce Cullinan for 7 days of off-road competition - CNET

Comment: It’s time to stop using the iPhone SE 2 name now; it won’t be one - 9to5Mac

Posted: 09 Oct 2019 07:05 AM PDT

Today's news brings another report on 'the iPhone SE 2,' expected to be launched in the first quarter of next year.

It's not, though.

I mean, yes, I absolutely believe Kuo that Apple is launching a new, budget-focused iPhone model early next year, and I accept that this is intended by Apple to fill the hole left by the removal of the iPhone SE. But it's not an SE 2…

NordVPN

The iPhone SE was a device that appealed to two completely different demographics.

There were those who wanted a relatively cheap, relatively modern iPhone. The SE met that brief by providing modern internals in an older casing, with (for Apple) a wallet-friendly price.

But the iPhone SE also sold to people like me. Those who wanted a more pocketable phone, and who loved the classic styling of the slab-sided design first seen in the iPhone 4. The fact that the model was relatively cheap was simply a pleasant bonus. Technically, I was downgrading from a more expensive phone, but I saw it as an upgrade because the SE gave me more of what I actually wanted.

What Kuo and others are predicting is an iPhone SE equivalent for the first demographic – those buying on price – but is absolutely not one for the second: those who want a compact phone with a classic design.

Here's how the upcoming device has been described:

The new phone will be more affordable than the rest of the Apple iPhone lineup and feature newer internals, like an A13 processor with 3 GB RAM, in a familiar iPhone 8 chassis.

Kuo says that most of the new iPhone SE's hardware specification will mirror the iPhone 8.

Yeah, that's not the iPhone SE 2; that's an iPhone 8s.

It will be a useful device. It will mean that those people currently buying the iPhone 8 – still sold by Apple – can get a more modern device with a longer lifespan. But it will be of zero interest to those who loved the iPhone SE for its form factor, not its price. The only good news for us is that it appears next year's flagship iPhone models will have a new take on the slab-sided design, along the lines of the current iPad Pro models.

I doubt Apple will call the new phone an SE 2. It will be interesting to see what name the company does choose. I don't think it can be any variant of either the iPhone X or iPhone 11, because both those names are firmly associated with the near-bezel-free design with Face ID.

To me, the most logical name for it would be the iPhone 9. It's a later device than the iPhone 8, but its design and features pre-date the iPhone X. But Apple doesn't always do the logical thing where names are concerned…

What do you think it should be called? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo: Shutterstock

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Intel kills Kaby Lake G, vows to offer drivers for five years - PCWorld

Posted: 09 Oct 2019 03:00 AM PDT

When Kaby Lake G debuted at CES 2018, it made a big bang. No one expected sworn rivals Intel and AMD to collaborate on a CPU package, marrying a 7th-gen Kaby Lake CPU with a unique AMD Radeon RX Vega GPU.

But what began with a bang ended Monday with an unceremonious memo. First noticed by Paul Alcorn of Tom's Hardware, the Product Change Notification published by Intel on Monday confirmed that pretty much every single Kaby Lake G, including the Core i7-8706G, the Core i7-8705G, and the Core i5-8305G, would be discontinued. Last call for orders will be on January 17, 2020, and the final shipments are scheduled for July 31, 2020.

goodbye kaby lake g we hardly knew ye — Intel officially killed its ambitious Kaby Lake G line on Monday.

You'll get drivers for five years

While the end of life of a processor isn't typically a big deal to consumers who own them, one sticking point could have been driver support. Specifically, Kaby Lake G drivers for the custom AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics come only from Intel. With a normal discrete GPU, the consumer would download drivers from the original company, such as Nvidia or AMD.

With Kaby Lake G kaput, where does that leave Kaby Lake G-owners? Intel said the company will follow its standard policy and provide driver support for Kaby Lake G for five years from the launch of the product. All told, that probably means another 3.5 years of driver updates.

A failure or success?

Kaby Lake G was the part no one expected, and our own review of it was quite promising. It seemed like a legitimate future threat to the hegemony of Nvidia in laptop graphics.

"As good as it is, Kaby Lake G isn't going to shake up the CPU+GeForce scene today," we wrote at the time. "But tomorrow, if there's a Cannon Lake G or a Whiskey Lake G with more cores and better graphics, AMD and Nvidia should be worried."

Nvidia, shut out of the relationship entirely, had the most to lose. "What's bad for Nvidia," we wrote, "is how the integrated-CPU-and-GPU design concentrates power with Intel. If Intel buys the graphics chip and adds it, the laptop vendor is no longer making the choice, potentially freezing out Nvidia."

Even though AMD had some skin in the game, it also faced risks. "AMD isn't sitting pretty either," we wrote. "Today Intel is buying Radeon graphics, but the company recently announced its intent to make its own discrete graphics. It's entirely possible a future 'G' chip will feature Intel discrete graphics, not AMD's."

kaby lake g space savings — Kaby Lake G greatly reduced the real estate it took to build a discrete GPU laptop.

Obviously, Nvidia doesn't seem to be in fear of anything today from a G chip. In fact, as of this week, only five products we know of it even used the chip, with one of those being made by Intel. Contrast that with the dozens and dozens of GeForce+CPU designs.

While Dell, HP, and Acer built laptops using the lower-performance 65-watt chip, no laptop vendor made one based on the much faster 100-watt chip. Why not?

To be honest, we'll never know. Was it technical issues? Availability issues? Did Nvidia figure out a way to thwart Intel? Did AMD decide not to feed its primary competitor any more Radeon chips? Or did Intel decide that its own graphics efforts would take precedent?

Intel's response to our questions about the death of Kaby Lake G seems to imply that it just may not need AMD's graphics anymore.

"Intel is refocusing its product portfolio," an Intel spokesman told PCWorld. "Our 10th Gen Intel Core processors with Iris Plus graphics are built on the new Gen11 graphics architecture that nearly doubled graphics performance. We have more in store from our graphics engine that will bring further enhancements to PCs in the future."

Perhaps the most important legacy of Kaby Lake G will be its use of Intel's EMIB technology to join the 7th-gen Kaby Lake cores with the Radeon RX Vega M chip. By using EMIB, Intel greatly reduced the size of the package typically used in a discrete GPU and CPU design. Kaby Lake G also gave it the ability to monitor and control the consumption of power and production of heat.

In the end, Kaby Lake G's real impact was proving that it was possible for Intel and AMD to work together on a product—something we may never see again.

Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

How I prepped the Rolls-Royce Cullinan for 7 days of off-road competition - CNET

Posted: 09 Oct 2019 05:00 AM PDT

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is ready for off-road action.

Emme Hall/Roadshow

There comes a time in every off-road competitor's life when they just want to have a little fun. You know, surprise everyone with a vehicle choice that seems so whack-a-doo, only the brave (or stupid) would even attempt it. This is exactly why I'm about to run the 2019 Rolls Royce Cullinan in the seven-day, off-road navigational challenge known as the Rebelle Rally.

The Rolls-Royce has an off-road mode that gives it about nine inches of ground clearance, which isn't bad for an all-wheel-drive crossover. But to tackle something like the Rebelle, it's going to need some more help. Rocks can be big and sharp, so Rolls-Royce added a full skid plate underneath the Cullinan. It's made up of three pieces, so if it needs to come off during the rally for whatever reason, it's easier to manage. We have tiny little skid plates on the height sensors, as well, and a sturdy jacking point on either side of the car.

If we need to get yanked out of a jam, the Cullinan has a large eye bolt that screws into the front or back of the frame. However, the attachment points are just on one side of the car, which could make recovery tricky if we get stuffed in a bad situation. (I'll have to be on my toes to pick the best line). Self-recovery is always an option, and for that, I'm bringing two DMOS Delta shovels and four Maxtrax traction boards.

Are these the cutest little skid plates or what?

Rolls Royce

I happened to already have a light bar that fit perfectly under the Cullinan's grille, so I had that installed, as well. There shouldn't be any night driving, but you never know. Inside, Rolls-Royce added a super cool tire-mounting system that holds two spares, with room in the middle for a jack, tow rope and small tool bag.

Tires, as it turns out, are the most important upgrade. Ask anyone who's tackled trails before -- tires can mean the difference between stuck and unstuck, and here's where it gets tricky with the Cullinan. This ultra-luxury SUV comes with 22-inch wheels wrapped in 285/40 rubber in the rear, but 255/45 in the front, to clear the shock mount. Since I can only carry two spares, having staggered tires means I would only have one for the front and one for the rear, or I could run the smaller tires on the rear as well.

Thankfully, Rolls-Royce offers 21-inch wheels for the optional winter tires, and they're the same size all the way around: 255/50. With the clearance issue in the front, the total wheel and tire package can not exceed 31.5 inches. And while I'd normally fit even smaller wheels, 21s are actually the littlest ones that will still clear the Cullinan's giant brakes.

Two spare tires fit neatly into the Cullinan's hatch.

Rolls Royce

Finding off-road tires with these limitations is downright impossible, so I'll be running the Rebelle Rally with the Rolls-Royce's Continental ContiWinterContact winter tires. I'll carry a plug kit, air compressor and everything I need to change a tire, but those small, 5-inch or so sidewalls and the decidedly unaggressive tread have been keeping me up at night, to say the least. This will definitely be interesting.

Having said all that, my recent testing sessions in Pismo Beach and Glamis, California, have been perfect. At Pismo, I aired the tires down to 20 psi and had no issues at all. In Glamis, I decided to try a higher psi to protect the sidewalls, as the area still has some surrounding rocky areas to the west that I'll encounter on the rally. Even at that higher pressure, the Rolls went way further into the dunes than I thought it would, keeping up with the four-wheel-drive, modified Toyotas I had for support in case of an emergency during practicing. I did get it stuck once at the end of the day when the sand was at its softest, but some shoveling and Maxtrax got me out in about 10 minutes.

My navigator Rebecca Donaghe and I are ready to rally.

Dirt Cinema

My navigator Rebecca Donaghe and I go out into the desert for an unscored Day 0 on Oct. 11, with competition officially starting the next day. The Rebelle Rally is a completely tech-free competition, with all navigation done with a compass and a map. No phones. No laptop. No nothing.

Roadshow will be following along, posting photos to its social media accounts, and you can follow my progress in real time on the Rebelle Rally's website. I'll be the one in the most expensive car, having the most fun.

Let's block ads! (Why?)