Following on the success of mid-range smartphones including the Google Pixel 3a and Google Pixel 4a, Google was widely expected to launch a Pixel 5a this year. Now several sources are claiming that the company has scrapped those plans in response to the global chip shortage, which has been affecting all parts of the hardware […]
chip shortage
Lilbits: More chip shortage fallout, elementary OS turns 10, and the end of LG smartphones?
Another upcoming product has been delayed due to the ongoing chip shortage. This time it’s the Analogue Pocket, a handheld gaming device designed for retro gaming — it even uses cartridges from classic game consoles. Originally scheduled to ship in 2020, that date was pushed back to May 2021 due to global supply chain issues… […]
Lilbits: Chip shortage, Pebble smartwatch afterlife, and mining Bitcoin with a Game Boy
The global chip shortage is leading to product delays and price increases for a wide range of products including automobiles, game consoles, and single board computers. And it could continue through much of 2021, and possibly into next year or beyond. There are a number of factors contributing to the shortage – rising demand for […]
Precursor open mobile hardware device delayed (latest casualty of the chip shortage)
The Precursor is a pocket-sized, open hardware, mobile device that can be programmed for use as a communications gadget or for a range of other applications. And it’s not just the software that’s programmable – the heart of the device is an FPGA that can be configured to emulate various processors. First announced last fall, […]
Pocket P.C. handheld Linux computer is getting a price hike
The Pocket P.C. is a handheld Linux computer that looks a bit like an old-school pager, but larger. It has a 4.95 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD touchscreen display with a QWERTY keyboard beneath it for thumb-typing. Designed by the folks at Popcorn Computer, the little computer was unveiled in 2019 and it’s […]
Lilbits: Chip shortage, PlayStation Portable emulator, and Google Photos
There’s a semiconductor shortage that’s affecting the supply of chips for a wide range of products including laptop and desktop computers, game consoles, and automobiles, just to name a few product categories. Like so many things that have happened in the past year, you can largely blame this on COVID-19, which has led to changes […]
Intel apologizes to partners for ongoing chip shortage
For the past year Intel has been having difficulty producing enough chips to meet demand… particularly when it comes to the processors used in personal computers. It’s not clear when that will change — but Intel vice president Michelle Johnston Holthaus has taken the unusual step of issuing a public apology. In an open letter […]
Intel expects chip shortage to end by mid-2019, will focus on high-end processors for now
Chip maker Intel’s had a hard time keeping up with demand for some of its processors in recent months, and it look like that could continue for a little while. Speaking during the company’s latest quarterly earnings call, interim CEO Bob Swan suggested that Intel is on track to resolve its “supply constraints” by the […]
CPU shortages and trade wars contributing to declining PC shipments (according to IDC and Gartner)
In what’s become a familiar set of headlines in recent years, market research firms IDC and Gartner have put out a pair of press releases showing that PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2018 were down from the same period a year earlier… and that overall PC shipments in 2018 were lower than in […]