Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the new-and-shiny department: Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 25 (WWDC) kicks off next week, June 9th, showcasing the company's latest software and new technologies. That includes the next version of iOS, which is rumored to have the most significant design overhaul since the introduction of iOS 7. Here's an overview of what to expect:
Major Software Redesigns
Apple plans to shift its operating system naming to reflect the release year, moving from sequential numbers to year-based identifiers. Consequently, the upcoming releases will be labeled as iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, etc., streamlining the versioning across platforms.
iOS 26 is anticipated to feature a glossy, glass-like interface inspired by visionOS, incorporating translucent elements and rounded buttons. This design language is expected to extend across iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, promoting a cohesive user experience across devices. Core applications like Phone, Safari, and Camera are slated for significant redesigns, too. For instance, Safari may introduce a translucent, "glassy" address bar, aligning with the new visual aesthetics.
While AI is not expected to be the main focus due to Siri's current readiness, some AI-related updates are rumored. The Shortcuts app may gain "Apple Intelligence," enabling users to create shortcuts using natural language. It's also possible that Gemini will be offered as an option for AI functionalities on the iPhone, similar to ChatGPT.
Other App and Feature Updates
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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the only-time-will-tell department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from OregonLive: Together, the four founders of Beaverton startup AheadComputing spent nearly a century at Intel. They were among Intel's top chip architects, working years in advance to develop new generations of microprocessors to power the computers of the future. Now they're on their own, flying without a net, building a new class of microprocessor on an entirely different architecture from Intel's. Founded a year ago, AheadComputing is trying to prove there's a better way to design computer chips.
"AheadComputing is doing the biggest, baddest CPU in the world," said Debbie Marr, the company's CEO. [...] AheadComputing is betting on an open architecture called RISC-V -- RISC stands for "reduced instruction set computer." The idea is to craft a streamlined microprocessor that works more efficiently by doing fewer things, and doing them better than conventional processors. For AheadComputing's founders and 80 employees, many of them also Intel alumni, it's a major break from the kind of work they've been doing all their careers. They've left a company with more than 100,000 workers to start a business with fewer than 100.
"Every person in this room," Marr said, looking across a conference table at her colleagues, "we could have stayed at Intel. We could have continued to do very exciting things at Intel." They decided they had a better chance at leading a revolution in semiconductor technology at a startup than at a big, established company like Intel. And AheadComputing could be at the forefront of renewal in Oregon's semiconductor ecosystem. "We see this opportunity, this light," Marr said. "We took our chances." It'll be years before AheadComputing's designs are on the market, but the company "envisions its chips will someday power PCs, laptops and data centers," reports OregonLive. "Possible clients could include Google, Amazon, Samsung or other large computing companies."
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the pros-and-cons department: alternative_right shares a report: New York state lawmakers voted to stop the NYPD's attempt to block its radio communications from the public Thursday, with the bill expected to head to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk. The "Keep Police Radio Public Act" passed both the state Senate and state Assembly, with a sponsor of the legislation arguing the proposal strikes the "proper balance" in the battle between transparency and sensitive information.
"Preserving access to police radio is critical for a free press and to preserve the freedoms and protections afforded by the public availability of this information," state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) said in a statement. "As encrypted radio usage grows, my proposal strikes the proper balance between legitimate law enforcement needs and the rights and interests of New Yorkers."
The bill, which was sponsored in the Assembly by lawmaker Karines Reyes (D-Bronx), is meant to make real-time police radio communications accessible to emergency services organizations and reporters. "Sensitive information" would still be kept private, according to the legislation. In late 2023, the NYPD began encrypting its radio communications to increase officer safety and "protect the privacy interests of victims and witnesses." However, it led to outcry from press advocates and local officials concerned about reduced transparency and limited access to real-time information.
A bill to address the issue has passed both chambers of New York's legislature, but Governor Hochul has not yet indicated whether she will sign it.
Posted by from MMO Champion
Puzzling Cartel Chip Catch-up Coming June 10
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
With scheduled weekly maintenance in each region, we’ll deploy the following hotfix:
Quests
Players who have not completed the weekly quest “Turbo-Boost: Powerhouse Challenges” every week can now repeat the quest to catch up.
Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the closer-look department: Chinese student enrollment at American universities has dropped to 277,000 in the 2023-24 academic year, down from a peak of 372,000 in 2019-20, according to data in a new report examining shifting global education patterns. The decline accelerated following the State Department's May 28th announcement of an "aggressive" campaign to revoke visas for Chinese students in "critical fields" of science and engineering, as well as those with unspecified Communist Party "connections."
The trend reflects broader economic and geopolitical pressures beyond visa restrictions. Chinese families increasingly view American education as too expensive amid China's economic downturn and property market decline, while domestic employers have grown suspicious of foreign-educated graduates. Meanwhile, Chinese students are choosing alternatives including Britain, which hosted nearly 150,000 Chinese students in 2023-24, and regional destinations like Japan, where Chinese enrollment increased to 115,000 in 2023 from under 100,000 in 2019.
Posted by from MMO Champion
WoW Weekly: Legacy of Arathor, Lorewalking, Overcharged Delves & More
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
The Legacy of Arathor Goes Live June 17!
Take your adventures further in the Legacy of Arathor beginning June 17.
You’ll amp up the challenge in Overcharged Delves, go Lorewalking with Lorewalker Cho, get a helping hand with the new Combat Assistant and Single-Button Assistant… and more.
Read
our article for the complete Legacy of Arathor launch details.
Go Lorewalking With the Help of Lorewalker Cho
Meet with Lorewalker Cho in Stormwind, Orgrimmar, or Dornogal to experience iconic lore moments in Azeroth in the Legacy of Arathor content update.
Players level 10 and above can explore three storylines carefully curated by Lorewalker Cho to learn more about Xal’atath, the Ethereals, and The Lich King. Each storyline consists of previous quests and a few new ones.
More details on iconic Lorewalking moments await you in
our article.
It’s Electric: Power Up with Overcharged Delves!
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Posted by from MMO Champion
It’s Electric: Power Up with Overcharged Delves!
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
Power up with Titan machinery to explore new depths and face new challenges within six Delves throughout Khaz Algar in the Legacy of Arathor content update. You’ll be able to amp up the challenge with a new Delve-specific affix and earn some shiny loot.
Fungal Folly: Isle of Dorn
Kriegval’s Rest: Isle of Dorn
Nightfall Sanctum: Hallowfall
Skittering Breach: Hallowfall
The Spiral Weave: Azj’Kahet
Sidestreet Sluice: Undermine
Two Bountiful Delves each day will feature the Overcharged Affixthough Overcharged Delves can be completed as many times as you like. These Delves are easily identifiable on the map with a little extra spark added to the icon.
To get started, you can pick up the first of a short quest chain— Titanic Rumblings— from your Adventure Journal, then continue on by speaking with Dagran Thaurissan II in Dornogal for the Titan Consoles quest to unlock access to the Overcharged Console. Completing this quest chain will provide the
Durable Information Storage Container belt. Wearing this belt alone provides additional stat bonuses along with a Prismatic Slot. In addition, there are Miniature Titan Discs that can be added to the belt which are found at the end of select Delves.
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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the billion-dollar-comma department: Apple will lose the ability to collect commissions on external iOS purchases in Europe starting June 23, following a European Commission ruling that hinges on the grammatical interpretation of a single comma in the Digital Markets Act. The dispute centers on Article 5.4, which requires gatekeepers to allow business users "free of charge, to communicate and promote offers, including under different conditions [...], and to conclude contracts with those end users."
Apple contends that "free of charge" applies only to communication and promotion activities, not contract conclusion, allowing the company to maintain its commission structure on external transactions. The European Commission interprets the comma before "and to conclude contracts" as creating an enumeration where the free-of-charge requirement applies to all listed activities, including purchases made outside Apple's payment system.
Under the new ruling, Apple can collect commissions only on the first external transaction between users and developers, with all subsequent purchases and auto-renewed subscriptions exempt from fees. The company faces daily penalties of up to $53.5 million for non-compliance and has already been fined $570 million. Apple's internal forecasts estimate potential annual losses of "hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars" in the US alone, though Europe demands stricter changes than those projections assumed.
Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the tough-days-ahead department: An anonymous reader shares a report: There are more than 1,000 technology unicorns, meaning venture-backed companies worth $1 billion or more, but at least one in 5 are likely to fail, said Rich Wong, a partner at venture capital firm Accel Partners. "I think maybe out of that thousand, 20% fully die. The end," Wong said on Thursday at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco.
The estimate reinforces what's become a grim calculus for many companies. Tech start-up valuations soared during the 2021 pandemic boom -- before crashing back to earth, as interest rates rose and venture capital investments fell. Of the companies that don't fail, about half will be stuck -- muddling along without being able to grow bigger or go public, Wong said. Some of those may "ultimately have reality set in," and sell themselves for lower prices than once seemed feasible. Others, not quite failing, "will be a bit zombie-ish and grind on," he said.
