Technology - Google News

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to PlayStation 5 - The Verge
Is Apple making an electric, self-driving car? If it does, here are 5 things you could see - USA TODAY
Why iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera is so exciting to pro photographers - CNET

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to PlayStation 5 - The Verge

Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:31 AM PST

Final Fantasy XIV is coming to PlayStation 5, developer Square-Enix announced Friday. An open beta will start April 13th.

A teaser trailer shows the game running in 4K resolution, and the company says it will have significantly improved frame rates and faster load times. If you're registered in the PS4 version of the game, the new optimized version will be playable at no extra cost during the beta.

Final Fantasy XIV also will get a new expansion pack called Endwalker:

Endwalker features the climax of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story, in which Warriors of Light will encounter an even greater calamity than ever before as they travel to the far reaches of Hydaelyn and even to the moon. In addition to bringing the long-running story arc that began with A Realm Reborn to its conclusion, Endwalker will mark a new beginning for the beloved MMO, setting the stage for new adventures that longtime fans and new players can enjoy together.

When Final Fantasy XIV was originally released in 2010, the game got so much backlash from players and critics that the its original director and producer left the project, and the developer shut down its servers in 2012. It relaunched in 2013 as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

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Is Apple making an electric, self-driving car? If it does, here are 5 things you could see - USA TODAY

Posted: 06 Feb 2021 05:29 AM PST

Nathan Bomey | USA TODAY

Show Caption

The long-rumored Apple car might finally become a reality.

After sputtering in development several years ago and then being shut down before it saw the light of day, the tech giant's car project is apparently back on track.

Several outlets, including CNBC and the Wall Street Journal, have reported that Apple is discussing a deal to manufacture a vehicle in the U.S.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment but the company rarely discusses future products.

Given Apple's status as the world's most valuable company – it's worth about $2.3 trillion on the stock market – any new product it's pursuing should be taken seriously.

"We continue to believe it's a matter of when, not if, Apple enters the EV race," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a research note, referring to electric vehicles.

But, assuming it actually happens, what will the vehicle look like, what will it cost and how much different will it be from other EVs on the market? We attempt to answer some of those questions below.

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Will it be an electric vehicle?

Without a doubt. There's essentially no chance that Apple takes on the competitive market for gasoline vehicles. Expect it to be a battery-powered electric vehicle.

Given the company's expertise in battery-powered consumer electronics, it makes sense that it would attempt to extend that expertise to cars.

"Look for Apple to introduce potentially next-level/game-changing battery tech into its cars," Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a research note.

Just keep in mind: Batteries for cars are much different than batteries for consumer electronics. You wouldn't leave your laptop sitting out in the rain overnight and expect it to work in the morning.

What will it be called?

OK, speculators seem to think it will be called iCar. But that might be a little too cute for a product for which you pay tens of thousands of dollars.

Apple's code name for its car project was Project Titan – at least when it was canceled around 2016 after a couple of years of development.

This much we know: The vehicle won't be called the Titan. That's the name of a full-size Nissan pickup truck.

How much will it cost?

Have you ever heard of a cheap Apple product? We didn't think so. No one is offering a price estimate for an Apple vehicle yet – we don't even know if it would be a passenger car, an SUV, a pickup, a van or something else altogether.

But it would be shocking if it cost less than the average price of a new vehicle sold in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, which topped $40,000, according to car-research site Edmunds.

Who will make it?

The reports suggest that Apple is in discussions with the company that manufactures Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The company would make a more than $3 billion investment to assemble the vehicle at a plant in Georgia.

The southeastern U.S. is generally where foreign automakers have gone to assemble their vehicles in large part to avoid the likelihood of a unionization effort in the Midwest, where the United Auto Workers represents hourly workers at General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler.

Another possibility is that contract manufacturer Magna International will be involved, according to Evercore ISI analyst Chris McNally. Magna has experience managing complex vehicle production projects for clients.

Will it be a self-driving car?

All the major automakers and numerous tech companies are working on self-driving vehicles in some capacity. And analysts said they'd be surprised if Apple isn't doing the same.

"Don't expect steering wheels," Jonas said. "We have a hard time imagining Apple entering the automotive market with a vehicle design that involves human intervention in the driving process."

He compared an Apple car with a steering wheel to "an iPhone with physical buttons and a coiled rubber cord connected to a wall."

But a self-driving car could introduce a "longer timeframe" in part due to Apple CEO Tim Cook's cautious approach to unveiling new products, Ives said. Automakers and tech companies have yet to solve the thorniest challenges associated with autonomous driving.

When will it arrive?

It's at least a few years off. Ives suggested that it could be unveiled as soon as 2024. But will it be ready to produce by then? That seems unlikely.

The pattern in the industry is to announce vehicles that are still a long way out. Tesla has made a habit of revealing cars more than two years before they're ready to roll out. But it would be natural to expect Apple to begin taking reservations as soon as the car is announced.

Keep in mind that it typically takes three to five years to design and build a new vehicle from scratch, so 2024 may require "Herculean-like auto production capabilities" plus solving battery production issues and regulatory hurdles, Ives said.

Why now?

Battery technology has improved, and advancements in autonomous vehicle systems have reached a point where it might finally be feasible to do an unconventional vehicle.

But there's another factor that can't be ignored: the political environment.

"Taking a step back, we believe this speaks to what we believe is a golden age of EVs on the horizon with a green tidal wave expected in the US under a Biden Administration and China seeing skyrocketing consumer demand across the board," Ives said.

Bottom line: Biden is expected to support incentives to produce or purchase electric cars, which don't emit climate change-causing emissions like gasoline vehicles do.

Could it all fall apart again?

Yes. Apple's previous car project was disbanded after it reportedly delivered insufficient results.

Perhaps the greatest risk is that Apple decides it's just too expensive to dive into auto manufacturing, which is where cash can go to die.

Just ask Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He's openly acknowledged that Tesla came within weeks of running out of money when production of the Model 3 compact car was struggling in 2018.

Apple won't be running out of money any time soon. But shareholders may not react kindly to a money-losing venture when the company's other products are cash cows.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

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Why iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera is so exciting to pro photographers - CNET

Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:00 AM PST

iphone-12-pro-and-iphone-12-pro-max-apple-google-chrome-13-10-2020-19-47-14-2.png — Apple

As a professional photographer, I've been blown away by how the iPhone 11 Pro has been able to replace my DSLR on photo shoots. But Apple has since introduced the iPhone 12 lineup which includes the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the camera tech is even better this time around. The iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera updates especially, both in hardware and software, have got me buzzing about going shooting with this thing. Here's why I'm so excited.

More zoom with the 2.5x telephoto lens

I love the telephoto zoom lens on the iPhone 11 Pro, but at only 2x, it doesn't always provide quite the level of zoom I want. I often find myself digitally zooming in further to get the exact composition I want. The iPhone 12 Pro Max takes that further, to 2.5x, which might not seem like a huge upgrade, but I think will be noticeable for many shots.

Would I have liked 5x or 10x? Sure, I love the bigger zoom on phones like the Galaxy S20 Ultra (and the new Galaxy S21 Ultra even has a massive 100x zoom), but as they're so big, I don't use them quite as often as the 2x on the iPhone. Maybe 3x would have been a good compromise, but I still think that the 12 Pro Max's upgrade will make a big difference to many of my photos.

Read more: The best phone to buy for 2021

Bigger image sensor

Apple already manages to squeeze incredible image quality out of tiny phone camera sensors, and its great software allows for the awesome night mode shots we've already seen. But a 47% larger sensor captures more light, allowing for brighter shots with less noise and better dynamic range. It's why my professional camera (a Canon 5D Mark IV) uses a much bigger full-frame sensor.

I'm very keen to see just what a difference this larger sensor might mean not just for my nighttime photos, but for capturing fine details in landscapes, or up close when taking macro images of flowers. A bigger sensor paired with Apple's image processing software is likely to be a potent combination.

Apple iPhone12 Pro rear cameras — The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max have three rear cameras.
Apple

Improved, faster lens for better night mode

It's not just the sensor that can capture more light -- the lens itself can let in more light than before thanks to its wider, f/1.6 aperture. That number basically means that the hole that light passes through is bigger than before, allowing more light to pass through in the same amount of time. Together with the larger sensor, Apple reckons the 12 Pro Max has seen an 87% improvement in low light imagery from the iPhone 11, which itself was already one of the best at low-light photos.

The redesigned lens isn't just about letting more light in, though. Apple also explained in its launch presentation that it's improved the optical clarity of the lens, reducing the amount of image distortion, particularly at the edges of the image on the widest lens. All of which means better-looking, more professional images. Lovely stuff.

Apple ProRaw

Many of my best images I've taken with the iPhone have been taken in raw, using third-party apps. Raw images don't save data like color information, or sharpening, allowing for greater control when editing in mobile apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile. However, the downside of shooting raw in third-party apps is that you don't get to take advantage of the image processing Apple uses in its own camera app. The Deep Fusion processing for amazing HDR, for example, is only something you'd get when shooting with the iPhone's native camera.

To appeal more to pros, Apple has introduced Apple ProRaw in its camera app, which takes advantage of many of its image processing capabilities, but doesn't permanently bake in data like white balance, allowing you to still make those changes in post production. Apple says it's the best of both worlds, and on paper, I'm tempted to agree, but I'll have to reserve my final judgment until I can not only shoot images in this new format, but also edit the images as well.

It's worth noting that Google has done much the same already with its Pixel phones' "computational raw" feature, which CNET senior editor Stephen Shankland calls "tremendous."

HDR video and improved stabilization

It's not just stills that have seen an improvement. The phone also now offers HDR with Dolby Vision at up to 60fps, which Apple says is the first time this has been offered on any device. In theory, this would help control bright highlights and help lift dark shadows, in just the same way that HDR does when you take still images.

The optical image stabilization has also been improved as well by moving the image sensor to counter movements and vibrations, rather than moving the heavier lens, as was the case before. How much difference this makes remains to be seen when I can take the phones out for a proper test, but with better image quality and better stabilization, I'm really excited about the sorts of videos I'll be able to produce with this phone.