Month: July 2024
Apple Intelligence AI features will wait for iOS 18.1
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Apple’s new AI features for the iPhone may not arrive with the initial rollout of iOS 18 and the expected launch of the iPhone 16 in September, according to a report from Bloomberg. Instead, the company reportedly plans on launching Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 in October as it works to get the rollout right.
Apple took the wraps off its first AI features during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, showing off a new and improved Siri, AI-powered image generation, and an integration with ChatGPT. These features may not be available with a new iPhone 16 purchased at launch, but Apple could roll out the update later to new devices in store with its in-the-box updating machine called Presto.
While Apple doesn’t usually launch the betas for its follow-up software updates ahead of the public release of the initial version, Bloomberg reports that some of these AI features will still arrive with the launch of the iOS 18.1 and iPad 18.1 developer betas as soon as this week.
The early rollout could allow developers to test Apple’s AI features and spot bugs before they arrive for everyone and stretch across other platforms like the Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
However, not all of the AI features Apple previewed during WWDC will be available within 18.1. We may have to wait until the spring of 2025 to see a Siri that can perform actions within apps and gain onscreen awareness.
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Apple’s new AI features for the iPhone may not arrive with the initial rollout of iOS 18 and the expected launch of the iPhone 16 in September, according to a report from Bloomberg. Instead, the company reportedly plans on launching Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 in October as it works to get the rollout right.
Apple took the wraps off its first AI features during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, showing off a new and improved Siri, AI-powered image generation, and an integration with ChatGPT. These features may not be available with a new iPhone 16 purchased at launch, but Apple could roll out the update later to new devices in store with its in-the-box updating machine called Presto.
While Apple doesn’t usually launch the betas for its follow-up software updates ahead of the public release of the initial version, Bloomberg reports that some of these AI features will still arrive with the launch of the iOS 18.1 and iPad 18.1 developer betas as soon as this week.
The early rollout could allow developers to test Apple’s AI features and spot bugs before they arrive for everyone and stretch across other platforms like the Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
However, not all of the AI features Apple previewed during WWDC will be available within 18.1. We may have to wait until the spring of 2025 to see a Siri that can perform actions within apps and gain onscreen awareness.
Microsoft issues report on what caused the huge Crowdstrike crash
On July 19 the American cybersecurity company CrowdStrike put out a faulty update that shut down IT infrastructure and caused… Continue reading Microsoft issues report on what caused the huge Crowdstrike crash
The post Microsoft issues report on what caused the huge Crowdstrike crash appeared first on ReadWrite.
On July 19 the American cybersecurity company CrowdStrike put out a faulty update that shut down IT infrastructure and caused widespread outages across the world, mainly seen through the cancellation of flights but also felt in other industries.
It’s believed to be the largest technology outage in IT history; Microsoft has reported that around 8.5 million Microsoft Windows devices were impacted. Hospitals and other businesses were unable to carry out normal functions as the infamous “blue screen of death,” usually just an annoyance for personal computing users, brought an alarming number of critical services to a full stop.
Since the update failure, both Microsoft and Crowdstrike have been working to understand the issue and help those who have been affected. Microsoft published a technical analysis of the outage on Saturday (July 27), the same day that CrowdStrike published its Preliminary Post Incident Review on Saturday (27 July).
Microsoft confirms CrowdStrike outage reason following analysis
In CrowdStrike’s analysis, they say the issue came down to a memory safety issue which was a read out-of-bounds access violation in the CSagent driver. This is a module designed to detect activity that looks suspicious.
Microsoft has corroborated this and explains how its Kernel Debugger and other free-to-use extensions were used to find the memory safety issue to be the root cause.
The technology giant’s analysis included the team restoring the stack frame at the time of the access violation to learn more about its origin. However, due to only being able to see a compressed version, they were unable to disassemble backwards to see the larger set of instructions before the crash.
After explaining how they confirmed CrowdStrike’s analysis to be correct, they explained how the cybersecurity company loads four driver manuals in its kernel driver architecture.
They say this is commonplace due to the system-wide visibility it can present, along with potential performance benefits and the tamper resistance factor.
CrowdStrike has taken full responsibility for the outage and its chief executive has apologized for its malfunctioning software update.
Featured Image: Via Ideogram
The post Microsoft issues report on what caused the huge Crowdstrike crash appeared first on ReadWrite.
Arc’teryx’s new powered pants could make hikers feel 30 pounds lighter
Arc’teryx’s new powered MO/GO pants claim to boost leg strength by up to 40 percent. | Image: Arc’teryx
Strength-boosting exoskeleton suits can help make jobs with physical labor feel less strenuous, but Arc’teryx has partnered with Skip, a spinoff of Google’s X Labs, to bring the technology to leisure time. The powered MO/GO pants feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee that can boost a hiker’s leg strength when going uphill while also absorbing the impact of steps during a descent.
The MO/GO (which is short for mountain goat) pants weigh around seven pounds with the power-boosting module and three-hour rechargeable batteries attached. That module snaps onto the hiker using a pair of carbon fiber braces for each leg hidden beneath a pair of Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants to make the apparatus easy to get on and off.
Marketed as a mobility device that can help hikers extend their range instead of a medical device that can assist those with mobility issues (you can think of them as an e-bike but for walking), Skip claims the MO/GO pants can make the wearer feel up to 30 pounds lighter. The amount of assistance provided varies in real time by monitoring the wearer’s gait and leg movements to determine when they’re walking or climbing. At any time, the user can choose to increase or decrease the amount of assistance they’re provided with a simple button press.
With the battery integrated into the pants’ waistline and the powered modules hanging off each leg, the MO/GO system isn’t exactly discreet. But the exoskeleton isn’t designed to help anyone cheat their way up a strenuous trail. The goal is to make hiking — and challenging hiking trails — more accessible to those who may not have the necessary endurance.
Image: Arc’teryx
A button on the powered leg module allows hikers to adjust the level of assistance they’re provided.
High-end hiking gear rarely comes cheap, but the MO/GO pants are priced for those who are seriously devoted to the pastime. Full retail pricing is expected to be $5,000, but there’s currently an “Early Bird Discount” for those who preorder with a $99 deposit, bringing the price down to $4,500 with an expected ship date of late 2025.
It does take some time to get used to walking with an extra pair of mechanical muscles, according to Fast Company, which spent some time testing the MO/GO pants. For consumers who’d also rather test them first, Skip and Arc’teryx are offering eight-hour rentals of the exoskeleton on select trails in the Western US and Canada for $80.
Arc’teryx’s new powered MO/GO pants claim to boost leg strength by up to 40 percent. | Image: Arc’teryx
Strength-boosting exoskeleton suits can help make jobs with physical labor feel less strenuous, but Arc’teryx has partnered with Skip, a spinoff of Google’s X Labs, to bring the technology to leisure time. The powered MO/GO pants feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee that can boost a hiker’s leg strength when going uphill while also absorbing the impact of steps during a descent.
The MO/GO (which is short for mountain goat) pants weigh around seven pounds with the power-boosting module and three-hour rechargeable batteries attached. That module snaps onto the hiker using a pair of carbon fiber braces for each leg hidden beneath a pair of Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants to make the apparatus easy to get on and off.
Marketed as a mobility device that can help hikers extend their range instead of a medical device that can assist those with mobility issues (you can think of them as an e-bike but for walking), Skip claims the MO/GO pants can make the wearer feel up to 30 pounds lighter. The amount of assistance provided varies in real time by monitoring the wearer’s gait and leg movements to determine when they’re walking or climbing. At any time, the user can choose to increase or decrease the amount of assistance they’re provided with a simple button press.
With the battery integrated into the pants’ waistline and the powered modules hanging off each leg, the MO/GO system isn’t exactly discreet. But the exoskeleton isn’t designed to help anyone cheat their way up a strenuous trail. The goal is to make hiking — and challenging hiking trails — more accessible to those who may not have the necessary endurance.
Image: Arc’teryx
A button on the powered leg module allows hikers to adjust the level of assistance they’re provided.
High-end hiking gear rarely comes cheap, but the MO/GO pants are priced for those who are seriously devoted to the pastime. Full retail pricing is expected to be $5,000, but there’s currently an “Early Bird Discount” for those who preorder with a $99 deposit, bringing the price down to $4,500 with an expected ship date of late 2025.
It does take some time to get used to walking with an extra pair of mechanical muscles, according to Fast Company, which spent some time testing the MO/GO pants. For consumers who’d also rather test them first, Skip and Arc’teryx are offering eight-hour rentals of the exoskeleton on select trails in the Western US and Canada for $80.
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Are Tesla’s Future. Experts Have Doubts.
Tesla says self-driving taxis will power its growth, but the company hasn’t said when such a service would be ready or how much it would increase profits.
Tesla says self-driving taxis will power its growth, but the company hasn’t said when such a service would be ready or how much it would increase profits.
Good news: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could have better battery life than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, after all
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset is reportedly much more energy efficient than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which bodes well for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Recent rumors have it that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will come equipped with the same battery and charging hardware as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and while tipsters remain in agreement over that claim, we’re now hearing that the upcoming phone could still boast better battery life than its predecessor.
According to a Vietnam-based Discord leaker (via X and PhoneArena), Qualcomm’s as-yet-unreleased Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset – which is expected to power the Galaxy S25 Ultra and more of the best Android phones in 2025 – will boast vastly improved GPU energy efficiency over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
In theory, this should result in better battery performance for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, even if both devices share the same battery hardware (specifically a 5,000mAh battery and 45W wired charging capabilities).
“The CPU efficiency improvement [of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4] is in the single digit percentage, but the GPU improvement is huge,” leaker @negativeonehero writes on X. “[MediaTek] D9300 peak at half the power is possible.” In layman’s terms, this means that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could be capable of delivering peak MediaTek Dimensity 9300 GPU performance at half the power consumption. Yikes.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery and 45W wired charging capabilities (Image credit: Samsung / Future)
This is, of course, positive news for prospective Galaxy S25 Ultra buyers, who may have been left worried about the potential battery life upgrades (or lack thereof) on Samsung’s 2025 flagship. That said, these same rumored benchmarks paint a disappointing picture of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s CPU performance, which could well mean that the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers little to no tangible speed improvements over the Galaxy S24.
Indeed, @negativeonehero ends their X post with the comment: “If you care about CPU performance, please skip this generation and wait for 8G5 [the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5].”
Mind you, as we noted in our defense of the iPhone 16’s rumored lack of performance upgrades over the iPhone 15 Pro, we’ve arguably reached saturation point when it comes to the speed of flagship phones. Do we really need these devices to be any faster? The Galaxy S24 Ultra is among the most powerful phones ever made, and we’d wager that you’d hardly notice the real-world performance difference even if the Galaxy S25 Ultra brought dramatic CPU improvements to the table.
We’d much rather Qualcomm prioritizes energy efficiency over performance boosts with its upcoming Snapdragon chipset, and by the sounds of things the company is doing just that. We expect to hear more about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 at this year’s edition of Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit, so check back with TechRadar in October for the latest Galaxy-relevant announcements.
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