One of the advantages of Microsoft Windows is its generally excellent approach to backwards compatibility. Thanks to a mixture of virtual machine support and native OS capabilities, you can generally run x86 apps from any era in a modern system. There are exceptions to this, but backwards compatibility works very …
Read More »macOS 10.13 High Sierra Focuses on Performance, Launches Fall 2017
On stage at today’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote, Apple SVP Craig Federighi gave us a glimpse at the next version of macOS: High Sierra. Drug jokes aside, this derivative name harkens back to the days of Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion — polish-focused releases that eschew loads of flashy …
Read More »Hackers Can Unlock Samsung’s Galaxy S8 Using Fake Irises
For years, proponents of biometric authentication have advertised new and elaborate systems for ensuring that your computer knows it’s “really you” attempting to unlock it. For years, hackers have demonstrated that these biometric authentication systems are woefully inadequate in many situations. They also don’t protect you in certain legal ways …
Read More »Apple is Lobbying Against Right-to-Repair Legislation Across the Country
Over the past few years, there’s been a burgeoning movement to guarantee the right of citizens to repair their own electronic devices, and a rise in corporate lobbying designed to defeat these initiatives. In some cases, companies like John Deere have argued that the firmware they run on a tractor …
Read More »Why Smartphone Speed Tests Don’t Tell You What You Think They Do
Every time a hot new phone comes out, you will inevitably run across videos seeking to show that it’s faster or slower than some other phone. Sometimes these videos get a lot of views, and are held up by fanboys of all stripes as proof positive that their preferred phone is …
Read More »Apple reportedly prepping three iPhones for launch, including 10th Anniversary iPhone
Ever since the iPhone 7 debuted, there’s been talk about what might be ahead for Apple in 2017. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the iPhone — and, in a very real sense, the 10th anniversary of the modern smartphone market. Pick any given technology — …
Read More »ExtremeTech picks: the best gaming gift cards
So you want to give a gift card to a gamer. How do you know which gift card is the best one to get for your giftee? Whether you’re considering a present well in advance or standing in Best Buy scratching your head, ExtremeTech is here to cut through the …
Read More »Imagination Technologies’ share price collapses as Apple dumps company
Ever since Apple launched the original iPhone, it’s worked closely with Imagination Technologies. Even after Apple began building its own GPU architecture, it relied on Imagination for other building blocks of its total solution. Apple, however, appears to be bringing that relationship to an end, and Imagination Technologies’ stock has …
Read More »Opinion: Apple just made its best iPhone even better
Last year, Apple launched the iPhone SE. It’s the company’s last remaining 4-inch device, and it uses the same chassis as the iPhone 5s, but packs iPhone 6s hardware into the form factor. The diminutive smartphone was reviewed extremely well, but for one aspect of its design: Its low-end model …
Read More »Apple announces a new, cheaper iPad in hopes of stopping sales slump
Apple doesn’t move iPads like it used to, but that’s true of all tablets. The Cupertino company has been hard at work trying to come up with reasons for people to upgrade. Make it bigger? Offer a stylus? Now Apple is just trying a lower price. The new iPad (it’s …
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