Month: August 2024
Samsung’s new AI smart TVs are getting seven years of OS updates
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Samsung says it will provide seven years’ worth of Tizen operating system updates for its newer AI-powered TVs in a bid to fend off competition from Chinese rivals. The announcement was made last week at Samsung Electronics’ Suwon Campus according to Business Korea, and will first apply to TV models released in March 2024, alongside some products released in 2023.
The policy extension is a notable jump from the updates Samsung currently provides, which typically address bugs without upgrading the Tizen OS itself. The move comes as Samsung, currently the world’s biggest seller of smart TV, finds its market leadership being challenged by Chinese companies like Hisense and TCL. Research from analytics firm Omdia found that Samsung had a nearly 29 percent share of the global TV market during the first half of the year — down more than 2 percent from the year prior — while TCL and Hisense closed in with 12.1 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
“With the seven-year free upgrade of Tizen applied to AI TVs, we will widen the gap in market share with Chinese companies,” said Yong Seok-Yoon, the president of Samsung Electronic’s Visual Display Business Division. The exact models guaranteed to benefit from the expanded updates haven’t yet been specified by Samsung.
Samsung made a similar announcement back in January regarding its Galaxy S24 smartphone series, pledging to provide seven years of OS upgrades and security updates. Around that time LG, Samsung’s domestic rival, also revealed it would be offering five years of webOS upgrades for its own smart TV lineup, though specific models it would apply to were at least included in that announcement.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Samsung says it will provide seven years’ worth of Tizen operating system updates for its newer AI-powered TVs in a bid to fend off competition from Chinese rivals. The announcement was made last week at Samsung Electronics’ Suwon Campus according to Business Korea, and will first apply to TV models released in March 2024, alongside some products released in 2023.
The policy extension is a notable jump from the updates Samsung currently provides, which typically address bugs without upgrading the Tizen OS itself. The move comes as Samsung, currently the world’s biggest seller of smart TV, finds its market leadership being challenged by Chinese companies like Hisense and TCL. Research from analytics firm Omdia found that Samsung had a nearly 29 percent share of the global TV market during the first half of the year — down more than 2 percent from the year prior — while TCL and Hisense closed in with 12.1 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
“With the seven-year free upgrade of Tizen applied to AI TVs, we will widen the gap in market share with Chinese companies,” said Yong Seok-Yoon, the president of Samsung Electronic’s Visual Display Business Division. The exact models guaranteed to benefit from the expanded updates haven’t yet been specified by Samsung.
Samsung made a similar announcement back in January regarding its Galaxy S24 smartphone series, pledging to provide seven years of OS upgrades and security updates. Around that time LG, Samsung’s domestic rival, also revealed it would be offering five years of webOS upgrades for its own smart TV lineup, though specific models it would apply to were at least included in that announcement.
Zuckerberg regrets bowing to Biden ‘pressure’ over Covid
The billionaire says White House officials pressured Meta to remove content ‘for months’ in 2021.
The billionaire says White House officials pressured Meta to remove content ‘for months’ in 2021.
‘The Line’ trailer pulls you into a nightmare frat
A prestigious college fraternity sits at the core of “The Line”, but as you’ll see in the trailer, it’s no fun and games.
A prestigious college fraternity sits at the core of “The Line”, but as you’ll see in the trailer, it’s no fun and games.
Lexar has launched the Play 2280, a new PS5 SSD
The Lexar Play 2280 PS5 SSD is available today in 2TB and 4TB capacities.
Memory manufacturer Lexar has today released the Lexar Play 2280, a new SSD designed specifically for PlayStation 5.
The drive, which is intended to meet the needs of most players, boasts a sequential read speed of up to 7,400MB/s and a sequential write speed of up to 6,500MB/s. This is well above the 5,500MB/s sequential read speed that is recommended by Sony.
It also comes with a heatsink pre-installed, so you don’t need to worry about fitting your own, in addition to a five-year limited warranty. It weighs just 1.82oz / 51.5g and, as a standard PCIe 4.0 SSD in the 2280 form factor, is fully compatible with desktop PCs and laptops that offer the interface, too.
It is currently available in a 2TB and 4TB capacity, with an 8TB model set for release later this year. The 2TB model can be found on Amazon for around $230 / £174.99, while the 4TB model costs $379.99 / £329.99. This is a little expensive compared to the countless similar drives that are currently on sale at discounts, but still not a bad starting price given the specs.
If other Lexar products are anything to go by, I wouldn’t be surprised if this model receives a number of substantial discounts throughout the year, particularly around major sales events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. In fact, with the right discount this model looks like it could easily become the best SSD for PS5 for a large number of gamers.
Elsewhere, Western Digital has revealed a new 8TB PS5 SSD, though it costs about as much as two PS5s. Although there’s no pricing information yet, I’m definitely eager to find out just how much the upcoming 8TB Lexar Play 2280 will go for. If it manages to undercut its competitors, it could become the go-to model for those seeking such a large storage upgrade.
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The iPad mini 7 could land very soon, with a powerful chipset and Apple Intelligence
Stock of the iPad mini (2021) is running low, which could mean a new model is arriving soon.
There hasn’t been a new iPad mini in years, with the iPad mini (2021) being the most recent model. So an update is arguably overdue – and now there’s evidence to suggest that the iPad mini 7 could be arriving soon.
Reputable leaker and journalist Mark Gurman claimed on X (via Apple Insider) that many Apple stores are running low on stock of the current iPad mini, and that the device is considered “constrained” internally within Apple.
Now, it’s unlikely that Apple would let that happen unless it plans to soon discontinue the iPad mini (2021), which in turn means either the end of the iPad mini line (at least for now) or the launch of a new model.
Many Apple stores are low on stock of the iPad mini in several configs, while the device is considered “constrained” internally within Apple, I’m told. That *could* be a sign a new one is coming. It hasn’t been updated since 2021. Wouldn’t be surprised to see it updated for AI.August 26, 2024
Gurman says this could be a sign that a new model is on the way, and that he “wouldn’t be surprised to see it updated for AI.”
But updating the iPad mini for Apple Intelligence (Apple’s take on AI) would also mean substantially improving the chipset, as Apple Intelligence only works with the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chipset and Apple’s tablet and laptop line’s M-series chipsets, while the iPad mini (2021) has a much older A15 Bionic chipset.
So if Gurman is right, a potential iPad mini 7 should be substantially more powerful than the current model.
A new chipset and not much else
That’s in line with previous leaks, which suggested the iPad mini 7 might have a new chipset but otherwise be very similar to the current model, so if it does indeed launch don’t expect too many changes elsewhere.
In any case, if these stock shortages are a sign of the iPad mini 7’s imminent arrival, there’s a chance that we could see it at Apple’s September 9 event, at which the iPhone 16 line is being unveiled. Failing that, we might see it later in the year, either at a separate event or announced via a press release.
On the other hand, it’s always possible that Apple is discontinuing the iPad mini line, or has simply let stock fall short before building it up again.
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Best CD Rates Today — Lock in a High APY While You Still Can, Aug. 27, 2024
Don’t sleep on APYs up to 5.25%. They may not be around much longer.
Don’t sleep on APYs up to 5.25%. They may not be around much longer.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ recap brings you up to speed in Middle-earth
With Season 2 imminent, Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 1 recap brings you up to speed.
With Season 2 imminent, Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 1 recap brings you up to speed.