Monday, February 10, 2020

TLD pits 1.5 TB of RAM in the 2019 Mac Pro against Google Chrome. Who will win?


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Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Apps Redesigned With Simplified Three-Tab Layout on iPhone

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Microsoft today updated its Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone with a simplified three-tab layout.


The three tabs include Home, New, and Open:
  • Home: Sign in to your Microsoft account and view recent documents, spreadsheets, or presentations

  • New: Create a new document, spreadsheet, or presentation with various templates to choose from

  • Open: Open an existing document, spreadsheet, or presentation stored on your iPhone, in the Files app, or on a supported cloud service
The redesigned Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps are available on the App Store.

Microsoft recently introduced a new Office app for iOS that provides access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through a single app with a smaller download size. The app remains in beta testing via TestFlight.


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Deals: Amazon Discounting 2019 MacBook Air by $200, 128GB Model Available for $899

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Amazon today has knocked down the price of the 2019 MacBook Air by $200 for both the 128GB and 256GB SSD storage options. This means that prices start at $899.00 for the low-end MacBook Air and increase to $1,099.00 for the higher-end model.

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Every color is being discounted on Amazon at the time of writing, so you can get the 13-inch MacBook Air in Gold, Silver, or Space Gray. Additionally, Best Buy is matching the price on all of these models for its shoppers.

2019 MacBook Air Sale


Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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Coronavirus Outbreak May Halve China's Smartphone Sales in First Quarter

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Smartphone sales in China could be reduced by as much as 50 percent in the first quarter of 2020 because of the impact the coronavirus outbreak is having on the retail and manufacturing sectors, according to new research.


Speaking to Reuters, research firm Canalys said that the closure of production facilities and retail stores by Apple and other tech companies will not only hit smartphone sales, but also impact product launches scheduled to take place in the first quarter of this year.
"Vendors' planned product launches will be canceled or delayed, given that large public events are not allowed in China," said Canalys researchers. "It will take time for vendors to change their product launch roadmaps in China, which is likely to dampen 5G shipments."
Apple isn't expected to unveil a 5G phone until September, when the "iPhone 12" series is expected to be announced, but other vendors like Huawei reportedly hoped to see a boost in sales on the back of China's 5G network rollout.

Apple in early February closed all of its corporate offices, stores, and contact centers in China due to the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan. The stores aren't expected to reopen as planned on February 10 because of ongoing concerns.

Meanwhile, Foxconn's Zhengzhou site, which is the most critical production site for the iPhone 11 and the upcoming low-cost iPhone, is seeing significant delays. The plant originally planned to resume work on February 2, but that has been postponed by at least one week.

There have already been multiple reports suggesting these closures will have an impact on Apple device production, and we could see dwindling device supplies and lengthening shipping times in the near future.

According to one report, Apple's ability to meet supply/demand balance of AirPods and AirPods Pro is in jeopardy due to the outbreak. The delays may also affect the upcoming low-cost ‌iPhone‌ that Apple is expected to launch as early as this March.

In his most recent report, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo declined to provide new shipment forecasts in light of the coronavirus outbreak because "there are still many uncertainties" but last week he lowered his iPhone shipment forecast by 10 percent to 36 to 40 million units during Q1 2020 due to the coronavirus.


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TV Ad Reveals Samsung's Unannounced 'Galaxy Z Flip' Phone

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In an ad break during last night's Academy Awards, Samsung gave viewers an unexpected first look at its as-yet-announced Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone, which the company is supposed to officially unveil on Tuesday.

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The look of the phone in Samsung's commercial matches up with previous leaks, with the device being shown folded up, opened at various angles as well as opened completely flat. At one point, the ad shows the phone sitting on a flat surface at a 90-degree angle while a Google Duo video call takes place on the screen.

The ad also provides a first glimpse of the phone's small full-color digital screen on the back that can show a caller's ID and includes touch sliders for accepting and rejecting calls when the phone is folded up. Two colors of phone are shown – purple and black. The commercial ends with the tagline "Change the shape of the future".

The Galaxy Z Flip is rumored to feature an ultra-thin glass screen that Samsung is said to have developed in an effort to avoid the display issues that plagued the Galaxy Fold. Even so, it looks like Samsung hasn't been able to iron out a common wrinkle of foldable phones – the ad's small print reads: "You may notice a small crease in the center of the main screen, which is a natural characteristic of the screen."

The 6.7-inch Galaxy Z Flip is expected to be more affordable than the Galaxy Fold, which costs $1,980 in the U.S. The original Fold was beleaguered with display issues from the off, and Samsung will be hoping the Flip doesn't suffer a similar fate. There have already been reports of hinge problems with Motorola's just-released $1,499 Razr flip phone.

The Galaxy Z Flip will be officially announced alongside the Galaxy S20 – of which three models are expected – at Samsung's Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 11.

There are no rumors suggesting that Apple has plans to release a foldable smartphone anytime soon, but Apple is undoubtedly looking into foldable devices and has patented some foldable display technology.


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Realme X2 will Get ‘Screen Light Effects’ Feature with New Realme UI Update in March, Here’s What is it


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Movie Director Taika Waititi Tells Apple to 'Fix Those Keyboards' at Oscars

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Apple's butterfly keyboards came in for criticism at last night's Academy Awards. Talking to press backstage after winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi took the opportunity to voice his frustration with the controversial MacBook keyboards (via The Verge).

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
"Apple needs to fix those keyboards," he said. "They are impossible to write on — they've gotten worse. It makes me want to go back to PCs. Because PC keyboards, the bounce-back for your fingers is way better. Hands up who still uses a PC? You know what I'm talking about. It's a way better keyboard. Those Apple keyboards are horrendous."

"I've got some shoulder problems," Waititi continued. "I've got OOS [Occupational Overuse Syndrome, a term used in New Zealand for RSI] — I don't know what you call it over here, this sort of thing here (gestures to arm), that tendon which goes down your forearm down into the thumb? You know what I'm talking about, if you guys are ever writing. And what happens is you open the laptop and you're like this (makes uncomfortable hunched-over-laptop pose) — we've just got to fix those keyboards. The WGA needs to step in and actually do something."
It's unclear if Waititi has any experience with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, which features a redesigned scissor switch keyboard, largely based on the standalone Magic Keyboard for the iMac. Given the tried-and-tested design, the keyboard should prove far more reliable than the troublesome butterfly keyboards used across the MacBook lineup in recent years.

Apple is expected to launch a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a scissor keyboard in the first half of 2020, following in the footsteps of the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ last October. There is some hope that the 13-inch model will become a 14-inch model, but that remains uncertain.


Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that Apple will transition its entire notebook lineup to scissor switch keyboards in 2020, including all ‌MacBook Pro‌ and MacBook Air models.

It wouldn't be surprising if Apple completely does away with its butterfly keyboards, which have suffered from issues with sticky, repeating, or nonfunctional keys since their inception in 2016. Apple continues to offer free repairs to affected customers as part of its worldwide service program.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)

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