Apple has been making its own iPhone and iPad chips for years, but the company recently started shipping laptops that use Apple Silicon rather than Intel processors. And it sounds like Microsoft is considering doing the same thing. Bloomberg reports that Microsoft is designing its own ARM-based chips for servers, and “exploring using another chip […]
Tag: rumors
Report: Apple is gunning for Intel in the desktop processor space
The first Macs with Apple Silicon chips are here, and so far it seems like they’ve largely exceeded expectations in terms of performance and power efficiency. With a few notable exceptions, most software runs faster on the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple M1 chips than on previous-gen models with Intel processors. So […]
Lilbits: Goodbye Galaxy Note, hello Ryzen Mobile overclocking
Once upon a time it was pretty clear what you were getting when you bought a Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone – it would be an expensive phone with a big screen, a big battery, a fast processor, and support for Samsung’s S-Pen digital stylus. But as smartphone screens have gotten larger (and prices higher), the […]
Report: 2nd-gen Microsoft Surface Pro X coming this fall (with SQ2 processor)
The Microsoft Surface Pro X is a thin, light, and fanless Windows 10 tablet powered by a Microsoft SQ1 processor (which is a custom 7W chip made by Qualcomm for the tablet). It went on sale almost a year ago for $1000 and up, and arrived to somewhat mixed reviews. Now Microsoft is reportedly getting […]
Report: 12.5 inch Microsoft Surface laptop coming soon for under $699 (updated)
Microsoft’s Surface line of products has expanded in recent years. Originally Microsoft only sold tablets, but now there’s a Surface Laptop, Surface Book 2-in-1, Surface Duo smartphone, and even Surface Headphones and Surface Earbuds. One thing they generally have in common is that they aren’t cheap. But the company has made exceptions. The Surface Go […]
LG smartphone with a rollable display could ship in 2021
Smartphones with foldable displays are still rare in 2020, but phones with screens that roll up are non-existent… for now. That could change next year. According to Korean news site The Elec, LG plans to launch a smartphone with a rollable display in 2021. Code-named “Rainbow,” the phone is said to have a screen developed […]
Apple’s next iPad Mini could have an 8.5 inch display (rumors)
After years of releasing iPads with 9.7 inch displays, last year Apple increased the screen size of its tablet to 10.2 inches, while also shrinking the bezels so the new tablet is only a tiny bit bigger than its predecessors. Now rumor has it that the company will do the same thing with its iPad […]
Lilbits 6-23-2020: The ARMs race is on
This week Apple confirmed that it’s preparing to transition from Intel to ARM chips for upcoming Mac computers, and the upcoming macOS Big Sur will be the company’s first desktop operating system designed for Apple Silicon chips based on ARM architecture. Befitting a move so big, it’ll also be the first version of the Mac […]
Lilbits 6-14-2020: Chromecast of the future?
Less than two weeks after xda-developers posted images of a new Google-branded Android TV device that looks like it could be a next-gen Chromecast, the site has a new report that gives us an idea of what kind of specs the media streaming dongle will have. Basically you can expect the same sort of hardware […]
Bloomberg: Apple could announce ARM-based Mac chips at WWDC
After years of rumors and speculation that Apple would eventually ditch Intel and start making its own processors for Mac computers, Bloomberg reports that Apple is almost ready to make the move — and could make an official announcement later this month. Apple has been building its own ARM-based processors for iPhones and iPads for […]
Google’s upcoming Android TV dongle leaked (again)
Rumor has it that Google’s next media streaming gadget will be a small dongle that hangs off the HDMI port of your TV, much like a Chromecast… but which is a full-fledged Android TV device with support for third-party apps and a remote control that allows you to navigate without using a phone or computer. […]
Lilbits 400: Google’s problematic auto-policing of the Play Store and Chrome Web Store
Google has a long history of using computers to do thing that… quite honestly could probably be done better by humans. But it’s easier to scale an algorithm than it is to hire more people. And that leads to situations where an algorithm makes an obviously wrong decision that stays in place until a human […]