Processor

While we don't have an official release date just yet, Apple's new iMac Pro is still due for release before the year's end. With that window quickly closing, a few interesting details about Apple's high-end desktop have begun to surface thanks to developers getting their hands on the BridgeOS 2.0 software. Namely, it appears the iMac Pro will feature an A10 Fusion chip as a co-processor, and that it will be able to support an always-on "Hey Siri" setting.

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Ever since Apple went into the business of making mobile processors for itself, it has adopted a sort of tick-tock rhythm like Intel. It announces a new AN process in a new iPhone to be followed by a new ANX chip for an iPad, specifically an iPad Pro. With the iPhone 8 and iPhone X running on a spanking new A11 Bionic processor, it’s expected that the next iPad Pro will have an A11X Bionic in turn. What wasn’t expected until now is just how powerful and how small it would be.

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While Google’s Pixel phones have had very impressive scores on DxOMark’s benchmarks, it is perhaps even more impressive that they are able to accomplish that much for very little hardware. Much of the magic happens on the software side, with the use of algorithms and machine learning. Those, however, don’t just magically happen and incur a penalty on the phone’s processor. That is why Google made its own Pixel Visual Core system-on-chip specifically and only for image processing and machine learning related to that. And soon, even third party developers will have access to it.

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If it seems that the smartphone chipset market has been quiet for a while, Qualcomm is here to stir things up a bit. It has just announced two new chips that try to move the mobile market, especially mid-range devices forward. That includes a new Snapdragon 636 processor mobile platform and what Qualcomm claims to be the world’s first millimeter wave, or mmWave, 5G modem chipset, the Snapdragon X50.

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Smartphones and tablets may have cannibalized a large chunk of the PC market, but there is still one segment where the venerable desktop remains unchallenged: gaming and content creation. Unsurprisingly, Intel is working overtime to cater to these user groups, as can be clearly seen in its launched of its new generation of desktop processors. Billed as being designed for what's coming next, the new 8th gen Core i7, i5, and down to the i3 are being marketed with higher frame rates, more immersive experiences, and more control over performance.

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AMD is really hitting Intel hard, even in places where Intel might not have a firm grasp on. So far, however, AMD’s new Ryzen line of processors remains absent from one crucial segment: mobile computers, a.k.a. laptops or notebooks. That could very well change really soon as AMD readies its Ryzen chips design for lower power consumption. Starting with the Ryzen 5 2500U which has been spotted at benchmarks standing shoulder to shoulder with Intel’s 7th gen notebook processors.

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While a lot of attention is being lavished on the iPhone 8 or iPhone X’s user-facing features, like the bezel-less screen and Face ID authentication, hardcore tech lovers might also have something to gush over in the upcoming big reveal as well. According to sources, the tenth anniversary iPhone will be powered by what Apple will be advertising as the Apple A11 Fusion, its first chip to sport two high performance cores and four energy efficient cores. In other words, its first hexa-core system on chip.

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This should probably put to rest most of the confusion, though, of course, the only real proof will be when the Google Pixel 2 finally comes out. According to “reliable sources”, there is no and never will be a Snapdragon 836. That means that the very late 2017 flagships, which include the Google Pixel 2 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, won’t be running on a non-existent processor and will most likely go with the current Snapdragon 835 instead.

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At the IFA 2017 event in Berlin this week, phone maker Huawei pulled the wraps off its latest flagship chipset, the Kirin 970. The new processor looks to greatly improve the company's future smartphones by allowing native AI processing to be combined with cloud-based AI. Huawei says that on-device AI powered by the Kirin 970 helps address issues like latency and privacy, while also allowing improved image and voice recognition.

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We take a short breather before the IFA 2017 storm starts with Intel’s almost unexpected announcement of new Xeon processors. Targeting “expert” workstations, the new Xeon Scalable promises to deliver performance to meet the number-crunching requirements of the entertainment industry, particularly in, you guessed it, virtual reality. But Intel also announced a Xeon W processor for “mainstream” workstations, which is now the crowd favorite speculation to power the late 2017 iMac Pro.

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The Intel Core X-Series processors were been revealed by Intel this morning in one big bunch. Included is the entire unlocked Intel Core X-Series i-family. This includes i5, i7, and i9, the most impressive of which is the Extreme Edition Intel Core i9-7980XE. These processors were announced first this week at Computex 2017 as "the most powerful, scalable and accessible high-end desktop platform offered by Intel."

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Intel CPU fans eager to upgrade to the chip maker's upcoming Coffee Lake silicon may find themselves with a bigger than expected hit on their wallet. The new processors are set to succeed Intel's Kaby Lake models, using 14nm Tri-Gate processes and offering up to 30-percent performance gains over current seventh-generation 15W mobile CPUs. However, in doing so it's looking like they'll break backward compatibility.

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