Intel

Apple naturally wants its fans and customers to buy Macs running on its own M1 Silicon, but it also knows it can't really push them to do so. "Planned obsolescence" is already a dirty word in the consumer electronics market, and it has been thrown at Apple a number of times already. It is, however, unavoidable that some software features might be exclusive to its M1 Macs because of this or that hardware requirement, so it's reassuring to hear that it won't be the case for at least one of those.

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Intel has detailed what it says is one of its most detailed roadmaps for its process and packaging technology ever published -- one that sets the stage for its ambitious goal of "process performance leadership" over the next few years. Among other things, the company is launching a new naming structure for its process nodes in order to present "a clear and consistent framework" for customers.

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The current semiconductor shortage has undoubtedly frustrated a lot of people. Not only have shortages made some in-demand hardware exceedingly difficult to find, but it's even prompted manufacturers to raise prices in some cases. We've seen that happen in the GPU segment, where new NVIDIA and AMD cards are routinely priced above MSRP as manufacturers contend with supply constraints.

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This week the folks at Intel effectively leaked the release date for Windows 11. In support documentation for a variety of Intel processor hardware, Intel suggests that Microsoft Windows 11 (64-bit) will appear in an October 2021 update. This information may have been a placeholder for dates that've changed since this document was released, as it also points to a build date for driver 30.0.100.9684 back on July 9, 2021.

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Razer has introduced its latest and most powerful gaming laptop, the Razer Blade 17. This next-generation model is Razer's first laptop to feature the 11th-gen Intel Core i9-11900H processor. Despite the high-performance hardware, Razer promises an "ultra-thin" design and the ability to replace your desktop with something far more portable.

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Intel is discontinuing its innovative Lakefield processors, with the chip that Microsoft had planned to use in the Surface Neo dual-screen tablet unexpectedly getting its end-of-life notice instead. Lakefield, announced in 2010, was Intel's attempt at a so-called hybrid chip, promising smaller and lower-power CPUs ideal for ultraportables, folding devices, and other new form-factors.

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Apple and Intel could launch chips based on cutting-edge 3-nanometer production as soon as 2022, industry sources claim, with both companies said to have jumped on TSMC's next-gen processes. Though it'll be some time before 3nm is the standard for processors, the promise is a cut in power consumption while at the same time boosting performance.

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The next two MacBook Pro computers were the subject of a report this week from China on Mini LED production. The devices will quite likely replace the otherwise most-recent 13-inch MacBook Pro, complete with a further move away from Intel and toward Apple-made chips in smart devices across the board. Reports also suggest that the next MacBook Pro units will likely be revealed in late September of 2021, just before the next iPhone and Apple Watch.

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Although it may be best known for its PC gaming accessories, Razer has also long played in the mainstream PC market, particularly with its Blade line of gaming laptops. For years, however, its different models have had one thing in common other than the brand. They were all powered by Intel processors. Perhaps much to Intel's disappointment, Razer is breaking from that mold as well and is introducing the new Razer Blade 14, its first-ever gaming rig to come with an AMD processor instead.

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Although Apple would love to only sell Macs with its own chips, it hasn't completely dropped the ball on its Intel-based hardware, at least not immediately. That inevitable future will eventually come but most probably presumed it would be a slow journey. It is both surprising and unsurprising at the same time that Apple is getting the ball rolling as early as macOS Monterey later this year. It turns out that some of the release's big features will only be available to M1 Macs after all.

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Intel has added two new 11th Gen Core processors for thin and light Windows notebooks, along with is first 5G modem for PCs as high-speed embedded cellular connectivity gains traction. The Intel Core i7-1195G7 and Core i5-1155G7 will both offer Iris Xe graphics along with up to 5 GHz clock speeds.

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This week the Acer ConceptD Creator Notebook lineup got updates to the newest in new processors from Intel and NVIDIA. If you've never seen these notebooks before, they're Acer's best and brightest notebooks and convertable notebooks made for creative output. Today we're looking at the ConceptD 3, Concept D3 Exel, ConceptD 5, and ConceptD 7 Ezel. The "Ezel" notebooks can convert to tablets and work with their own styli, the others are made to be highly capable traditional notebooks.

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