Apple is going all in on AI in the most Apple way possible. At WWDC, the company’s annual conference for developers, the company revealed Apple Intelligence, an Apple-branded version of AI that is more focused on infusing its software with the technology and upgrading existing apps to make them more useful. Apple Intelligence will be powered both by Apple’s homegrown tech as well as a partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, Apple announced.
One of Apple’s biggest AI upgrades is coming to Siri. The company’s built-in voice assistant will now be powered by large language models, the underlying tech that powers all modern-day generative AI. Siri, which has languished over the years, is set to be a lot more useful by being able to interact more closely with Apple’s operating systems and apps. You can, for instance, ask Siri to give you a summary of a news article, delete an email, or edit a photo. The assistant will also be able to take more than 100 actions based on your activity and device such as finding photos of a specific person wearing certain kind of clothing from your photo library, and extracting personal information from a picture of your ID, for instance, to automatically fill it in forms online.
On supported devices, Apple Intelligence will be able to quickly summarize web pages in Safari, a feature that already exists on rival web browsers like Arc. You’ll also be able to use Apple Intelligence to quickly catch up on priority notifications. And just like Gmail and Outlook, your devices will be able create fleshed out responses to emails and text messages on your behalf.
Apple’s AI updates are a long time coming. The technology has shaken up Silicon Valley ever since OpenAI launched ChatGPT around the end of 2022. Since then, Apple’s rivals like Google, Samsung and Microsoft, as well as companies like Meta have raced to integrate AI features in all their primary products. Last month, Google announced that AI would be a cornerstone of the next version of Android and made major AI-powered changes to its search engine. Samsung, Apple’s primary smartphone competitor, added AI features to its phones earlier this year that can translate calls in real time and edit photos. Microsoft, too, unveiled AI-powered Copilot PCs, aimed at infusing Windows with AI features that include live captioning, image editing, and beefing up systemwide search.
This past weekend, I sat down to bring an end to a story I have been following for the best part of the last 10 years of my life: Bungie’s Destiny saga, told across two games, myriad expansions, seasons of living-game content, and many crushing highs and lows, came to what has long been shaped as its first proper end.
At WWDC 2024, Apple revealed a few key updates coming to AirPods this year. First, the company is adding a new head-nodding gesture on AirPods Pro that allows you to respond to Siri in crowded places where you’d rather not speak. You’ll be able to nod affirmatively to silently say “yes” or shake your head for “no” and the voice assistant will react accordingly. In a demo, Apple showed a man in a crowded elevator shaking his head to tell Siri he didn’t want to take a call from “Gam Gam.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/airpods-pro-update-adds-head-nodding-gesture-to-silently-respond-to-siri-174141928.html?src=rss
Molloy (Eric Bogosian) and Louis (Jacob Anderson) revisited their very first Interview With the Vampire meeting in “Don’t Be Afraid, Just Start the Tape,” directed by Craig Zisk and written by Hannah Moscovitch and Jonathan Ceniceroz. And what memories they are.
The fourth-gen Amazon Echo smart speaker in white is on sale for $65, and the deal includes a Sengled Bluetooth smart light bulb. That’s two smart thingamajigs for the price of one. This is a discount of 40 percent. It’s not the lowest price ever for the Echo speaker, light bulb or not, but it’s close.
This Echo easily made our list of the best smart speakers. We really appreciate just how loud this thing can get, especially when compared to competing speakers. The bass is punchy and everything sounds great, though we do wish the high frequency range was a bit more prevalent. You can, however, buy two of these speakers and pair them up for stereo sound. That will certainly get the party going.
Echo speakers feature the ubiquitous digital assistant Alexa, which makes for a mighty fine alarm clock and will absolutely sing a song about cats if asked nicely. If you have plenty of smart gadgets in the home and you’re already tied to Amazon’s ecosystem, grabbing this speaker is a no brainer.
The included Sengled S1 is also no slouch, as it made our list of the best smart LED light bulbs. It features auto-pairing with Alexa devices, plenty of different colors and a dimmable range from 5 percent to 100 percent. All of this can be adjusted via voice control. We enjoyed our time with this light bulb, though the Sengled mobile app won’t be winning any UI design awards.
This is part of a larger sale on Amazon that includes Echo speakers, Echo Show displays, Blink video doorbells, Fire tablets and a whole lot more. For instance, the cute-as-a-button Echo Pop compact smart speaker is on sale for just $20, which is 50 percent off.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-sale-bundles-the-echo-speaker-with-a-smart-light-bulb-for-only-65-151119591.html?src=rss
For Xbox, hardware is an afterthought. If you were like us and spent nearly two hours watching the Xbox Showcase, you came away disappointed by whats on offer for 2024. We are getting the same Xbox console hardware first released in 2020, though now with more storage. We could have had a handheld. We could have had…
While we’re not expecting Apple to announce any new hardware at its Worldwide Developers Conference this week, there’s always a chance that the company may have a modest refresh or two up its sleeves. Perhaps Apple is trying to clear out existing stock to make way for new models, which could be the reason why the M2 Mac mini has dropped to a record low of $479. That’s $120 off the regular price of $599.
This lil’ desktop machine has eight CPU cores (with a CPU speed of 3.2 GHz) and 10 GPU cores in its M2 chipset, along with 8GB of unified memory, so it should be able to handle basic to moderate tasks with relative ease. It also has 256GB of onboard storage. (The 512GB model is $100 off at $699, with a clippable coupon shaving off another $9.01.)
On the connectivity front, the M2 Mac mini has dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, gigabit ethernet support and a headphone jack. You’ll still need to add on peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard and monitor to get it up and running, but the M2 Mac mini is a nice Mac desktop for the price.
Those looking for some more power, however, may be more interested in the M2 Pro Mac mini. It’s $150 off at $1,150 (be sure to redeem the $50 clippable coupon!). We reviewed this model in early 2023 and gave it a score of 86. We liked the performance, design, quiet operation and array of ports (you get an additional pair of USB-C slots here). However, upgrading beyond the base model is expensive, while we found having to reach around to the back to plug anything in somewhat cumbersome.
Open your kitchen drawer and take out some tin foil. Twirl it into a cone – maybe even double-wrap it – and put it on your noggin. Do you feel safer yet? The tin foil hat is perhaps the most iconic headgear for conspiracy theorists. Wearing one signals to others that you’re unhinged, have a deep distrust of the…
ASUS has been busy at Computex 2024 this year, announcing not only the ROG Ally X gaming handheld but a bunch of new laptops. Now, the company has moved on to monitors, unveiling several interesting entertainment and content creation models, including its first Google TV and 8K ProArt displays.
The 27-inch 4K (IPS) ZenScreen Smart MS27UC is the company’s latest entertainment display. As mentioned, it’s ASUS’ first with Google TV and includes a remote with a built-in Google Assistant microphone.
ASUS
Along with what ASUS calls “ultra-thin display bezels and a small footprint stand,” it has built-in front output 5W Harman Kardon speakers and a headphone port on the back. One unusual feature is a rear shelf that lets you store a keyboard, mouse and the Google TV remote. Other features include a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 port, USB-C (PD 90W), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and Miracast.
ASUS
ASUS also dropped some impressive (and probably fairly expensive) ProArt displays aimed at content creators. The first is the ASUS ProArt Display 8K PA32KCX, what ASUS calls “the world’s first 8K mini-LED professional monitor.” The 32-inch display offers 7,680 x 4,320 resolution and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits (sustained brightness 1,000) nits, thanks to the Mini LED tech with 4,096 local dimming zones.
It offers professional level specs, with a delta E of less than 1 in terms of color accuracy, true 10-bit color and 97 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 (HDI) color gamut. It includes a built-in motorized flip colorimeter for auto- and self-calibration, while offering dual Thunderbolt 4 ports with up to 96 watts of power delivery (along with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 ports).
ASUS
Meanwhile, The 27-inch ProArt 5K PA27JCV and 32-inch PorArt 6K PA32QCV displays support 5,120 x 2,880 and 6,016 x 3,384 resolutions respectively. ASUS doesn’t say what display technology is used, but they have something it calls “LuxPixel” technology that uses an anti-glare coating that offers a “paper-like” effect without softening the image.
Both offer 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage, a Delta E less than 2 and DisplayPort™ over USB-C® with 96 W power delivery. Both appear to be fairly low profile and come with with metal stands.
ASUS
Finally, ASUS showed off some new dual-screen displays that may appear in laptops or standalone monitors down the road. Those include the ZenScreen Duo OLED, that features a 14-inch 16:10 FHD dual-0LED display that can fold out to 21 inches for increased productivity. So far, there are no prices are delivery dates set for any of the new displays.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/asus-zenscreen-smart-27-inch-monitor-is-its-first-with-google-tv-120015995.html?src=rss
Microsoft showed off three new Xbox models yesterday at Summer Game Fest 2024, but anyone following the mass of leaks last year may have been surprised at how little changed for this mid-cycle refresh.
In case you didn’t follow the FTC-Microsoft trial last year, things went pretty well for Microsoft, ending in the company acquiring Activision Blizzard. One thing that didn’t go so well was redaction. Nestled among the court filings was a trove of internal documents, including one on the future of Xbox — or at least, one potential future, considered by Microsoft in May 2022.
Xbox head Phil Spencer told the FTC in October 2022 that the Roadmap to 2030 document was “a presentation from our devices organization to the gaming leadership team,” and said he disagreed with some of its projections. The slide deck outlined the team’s plan for its mid-cycle console refresh, codenamed Fairhaven, and its next-gen console. Essentially a pitch deck, then, comprising some things that were definitely happening and others that needed funding to become reality.
Let’s look at what was (un)announced:
Chronologically, May 2024 was to be a debut month for Sebile, the codename for an all-new controller. Sebile would ship with new wireless tech, which the document referred to as “Xbox Wireless 2,” and a Stadia-like cloud connection for reducing input latency when playing games on Xbox Cloud. More exciting for gamers, it would also have advanced haptics like the Switch and PS5 controllers, and a Stadia-like direct-cloud connection for reducing input latency on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Sebile, a proposed new Xbox controller from a May 2022 slide deck that leaked last year.
Microsoft
Then, Xbox’s big summer ’24 show (which in the real world happened yesterday) would bring a pair of new Xbox consoles. First, a cylindrical Xbox Series X redesign codenamed Brooklin, which was set to be a $500 2TB all-digital device with WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and a Sebile controller packed in. Second, Ellewood, a $300 Series S refresh with 1TB of storage, with the same improved wireless connectivity and the Sebile controller, but no big redesign.
Brooklin, a proposed new Xbox Series X SKU from a May 2022 slide deck that leaked last year.
Microsoft
The document noted that all three of these devices were “funded” but also gave two eventualities: one that would “limit Fairhaven investment” and another that would deliver the “full Fairhaven vision.” The former would pare down the new controller’s features and cloud connections, but would supposedly include a new industrial design.
Ellewood, a proposed new Xbox Series S SKU from a May 2022 slide deck that leaked last year.
Microsoft
Fast forward to Summer Game Fest 2024, where we appeared to get neither of these futures. We already figured that the Series S wouldn’t be refreshed, given Microsoft has been selling a $350 1TB version since last fall. But Microsoft’s vision for the Series X was unclear, and what we ended up with was a pretty weird pair of configurations: a 1TB all-digital Series X console priced at $450 and a 2TB special edition Series X with a disc drive, priced at $600. If there’s improved wireless connectivity Microsoft hasn’t mentioned it, and we’ve currently heard nothing of Sebile; the new consoles were announced with standard Xbox controllers.
Taken alone, these are fine refreshes. But Microsoft was in the unenviable position of competing with not only Sony and Nintendo, but also itself, in the form of those leaked plans.
Microsoft’s actual 2024 Xbox refresh.
Microsoft
A $450 all-digital 1TB console and $600 2TB special edition are disappointing in comparison to Brooklin, the 2TB $500 all-digital console with a shiny new controller the leaked deck was pitching. The $450 console is almost a price increase, given Microsoft and third-party retailers regularly sell the original 1TB Series X for that price. (It should be mentioned that Sony has actually increased the price of the PlayStation 5, with the discless model priced at $450 vs. the $400 it cost at launch.) The $350 1TB Series S is essentially the same console we got last fall, but that too represents bad value compared to the leaked $300 refresh.
Plans change, especially plans dated May 2022. But how they change can give an idea of how Microsoft is thinking about Xbox right now. Back in 2022, Series X and S sales were broadly keeping pace with Xbox One. That is no longer the case. Estimates put the total number of Xbox Series consoles sold since the November 2020 launch between 28 and 29 million. Even in the US — Microsoft’s strongest market by far — retail analysts Circana say the Xbox Series consoles are trailing Xbox One by 13 percent.
One particularly telling slide in the May 2022 document predicted 25-29 million of the mid-cycle consoles could be sold in three years. As of today, that would mean more-than doubling the lifetime sales of the platform. At the time, Microsoft’s hardware team was probably not expecting sales to be as dismal as they currently are. Microsoft ended the last console generation with around 58 million Xbox One consoles sold, which was a marked decline from the 85-plus million Xbox 360s it moved.
A leaked slide from May 2022 suggested sales volume would depend on the amount of investment Microsoft makes on its mid-gen Xbox refresh.
Microsoft
Microsoft doesn’t talk console sales figures unless it has something positive to say, but third-party analysis suggests a typical week for Xbox in 2024 involves moving 60-80K consoles, with Nintendo doubling that figure and Sony often tripling it. Put in plain words: Xbox falls further and further behind every week. It’s unlikely we’ll find out what Microsoft’s expectations for the refreshed consoles are, but it’s probably not 25-29 million.
The tough thing for team Xbox is Sony and Nintendo are broadly walking their own road and doing pretty well at it. Sony has sold 58 million PlayStation 5s and is preparing to launch a pro variant that will be significantly more powerful than the Xbox Series X. It’s also opening up to publishing on PC and just announced a game that’s coming to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo has sold over 140 million Switches, regularly outsells Xbox and has pre-announced a sequel console that will assumedly be able to handle current-gen games (including Call of Duty!) with fewer cutbacks. Meanwhile, Microsoft is struggling to sell its existing consoles, faltering in its plan to grow Game Pass subscriptions and seemingly squashed its hardware team’s dream of a bold mid-cycle refresh.
One thing it does have is game developers making games. Outside of the underwhelming new console SKUs, Microsoft’s big Summer Game Fest was a reminder of just how much of the industry it now owns, and how many games it currently has in development. We got updates on Fable, Perfect Dark and the future of Gears of War. We got a new Call of Duty and a new Doom. There are still countless developers under its wing that don’t have an “announced” project, and big games previously announced that didn’t make an appearance, like Marvel’s Blade from Arkane Lyon, The Outer Worlds 2 from Obsidian, Everwild from Rare and Hideo Kojima’s OD. Microsoft’s game studios have a lot going for them, but with all of their titles coming to PC (and several to PlayStation and Switch) great games might not turn into great console sales.
Phil Spencer has spoken on last year’s leaks a couple of times. He nearly-immediately took to Twitter to say that “so much has changed” — which was clearly true, though maybe not for the better. Separately, he told a court something pretty wild about Microsoft potentially leaving the gaming business if Game Pass didn’t get a better mix of players by 2026 or 2027. Game Pass growth, as of February this year, has been seriously tapering off, so… uh-oh?
I don’t for a second think Microsoft would spend the best part of $100 billion on developers to exit gaming, but I do sincerely believe that its console business is on life support, and it doesn’t need shiny new hardware to make a ton of money on gaming. The gaming leadership team that was pitched Sebile, Ellewood and Brooklin in May 2022 clearly agrees.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-xbox-refresh-cant-compete-with-its-leaked-roadmap-121301282.html?src=rss
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
