Hasta La Gadget!

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Last year when Apple introduced their M1 chipset for the Mac, the designs of the computers remained the same. It was only earlier this year with the introduction of the new 24-inch iMac that Apple unveiled a brand new design that hinted at future designs for its other Mac products.

If you were hoping for a redesigned MacBook Air, then you might have to wait. This is because a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that a redesigned MacBook Air is only expected to arrive in Q3 2022. Given that the last time Apple refreshed the MacBook Air was towards the end of 2020, it means that it would have taken Apple almost two years to refresh it.

Kuo’s latest report is essentially a reiteration of his previous report which suggested that this redesign could involve a new body and new color options, as well as the potential use of mini LEDs for its display. Kuo isn’t alone in his prediction as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also stated that Apple has a bunch of redesigned products planned for 2022.

Apple is rumored to be launching new redesigned MacBook Pros next month, and if they do, it should give us an idea of what 2022’s MacBook Air could possibly look like.

Redesigned MacBook Air Only Expected In Q3 2022

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Researchers from UC San Diego, supported by LG Energy, have made a promising discovery that involves two popular types of battery tech. They created a solid-state battery with an all-silicon anode that could potentially deliver long life, high energy density and fast charging — potentially making EVs cheaper and more practical. 

Silicon is a highly desirable anode material as it has over ten times the energy density of current graphite anodes. The problem is that silicon anodes tend to expand and degrade quickly as a battery charges and discharges, particularly with the liquid electrolytes currently used in lithium-ion cells. That issue is mainly what has kept them out of commercial batteries. 

Meanwhile, the challenge with solid-state batteries (with solid instead of liquid electrolytes) is that they use metallic lithium anodes that must be kept at elevated temperatures (140 degrees F) during charging. That makes them less practical in cold weather, requiring heaters that consume valuable energy.

The solution to both these problems is a special type of silicon anode in a solid-state battery, according to the US San Diego team. They eliminated the carbon and binders typically used in silicon anodes and replaced the liquid electrolyte with a sulfide-based solid electrolyte. 

With those changes, they demonstrated that the all-silicon anodes were much more stable in the solid electrolyte, retaining 80 percent capacity after 500 charge and discharge cycles done at room temperature. It also allowed for faster charging rates than previous silicon anode batteries, the team said. 

The team has already licensed the tech to a company called Unigrid battery, and LG Energy Storage plans to expand the research. The work is particularly promising for grid storage, according to lead author Darren H.S. Tan. However, it’s still in the experimental stages and “there is more work to do,” the team acknowledged. And of course, a lot of batteries that work great in labs have failed to do so in the real world. The paper was published in the Science journal and also appeared earlier on Arxiv. 

NBC Universal has warned YouTube TV subscribers that 14 of its channels may be removed if the two parties can’t resolve a dispute, 9to5Google has reported. YouTube has acknowledged the situation on its official blog, saying that it will drop its monthly price by $10 if the situation isn’t resolved and the content goes offline. If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you stand to lose NBC, USA Network, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC, Telemundo and eight other channels. 

According to YouTube, the dispute revolves around how much money its paying NBC Universal (NBCU) for its content. “For the duration of our agreement, YouTube TV seeks the same rates that services of a similar size get from NBCU so we can continue offering YouTube TV to members at a competitive and fair price,” the Google-owned service said. NBC said in a statement that it’s seeking “fair rates” from Google, adding that YouTube TV is “just days away from letting their contract expire.”

NBC Universal is trying to put some pressure on YouTube TV, asking users to tweet at or chat with YouTube TV, or even switch providers. However, YouTube is saying that it will only renew “if NBCU offers us equitable terms” and said it would drop monthly prices by $10 from $64.99 to $54.99 while the channels are off the platform. It even encouraged users to sign up for NBC’s Peacock streaming service for $4.99 per month in order to retain NBCU content. 

For all its effort to paint itself as a champion of consumers, especially when it comes to privacy, Apple has always been one of the biggest enemies of the “Right to Repair” movement. It has put several obstacles designed to deter unauthorized repairs of its products, from MacBooks to iPhones. That hasn’t completely thwarted third-party repairs, though, and Apple has … Continue reading

Although some criticize the iPhone 13 for having too few noteworthy upgrades, there are definitely some notable improvements in the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. One of the most significant is the ProMotion display that finally catches up to what Android phones have been doing since last year. Unfortunately, there has been some confusion about this … Continue reading