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The evolution of the chief data officer (CDO) and what it means for businesses today
3nm Apple Silicon: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
Semiconductor fabrication is the process used to make chips. The “node” of the process is, in simple terms, a measure of the smallest possible dimension used in manufacturing, measured in nanometers (nm). The node of a chip helps to determine its transistor density, as well as its cost, performance, and efficiency.
The link to actual physical dimensions has become hazy in recent years as advancements have slowed and marketing has become more important, but it still broadly denotes how advanced the chip technology is.
What Nodes Does Apple Use Currently?
Apple made the last big fabrication process jump in 2020, when it moved to TSMC’s 5nm process with the A14 Bionic and the M1 chip. Some chips, such as the S6, S7, and S8 in the Apple Watch have continued to use a 7nm fabrication process because they are based on the A13 Bionic – Apple’s final 7nm chip designed for the iPhone.
Apple introduced the A16 Bionic chip with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max last year. Apple claims that it is a 4nm chip because it uses TSMC’s “N4” process, but in reality it is made with an enhanced version of TSMC’s 5nm N5 and N5P processes.
What Will 3nm Bring?
At minimum, 3nm should provide the biggest performance and efficiency leap to Apple’s chips since 2020. The increased number of transistors that are made possible by 3nm allows the chip to perform more tasks simultaneously and at a faster rate, while using less power.
The next-generation production technique allows chips to use up to 35 percent less power while providing better performance compared to the 5nm process that Apple has used for all of its A- and M-series chips since 2020.
3nm chips could also allow for more advanced dedicated chip hardware. For example, a 3nm chip could potentially support more advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks, as well as more advanced graphics capabilities.
Apple was rumored to have engineered a new CPU with ray-tracing capabilities for the A16 Bionic but scrapped the technology late in the A15 Bionic’s development process, reverting to the CPU from the A15 Bionic. As such, built-in ray tracing support with the first 3nm chips seems highly likely.
It is worth noting that moving to a smaller chip size can also present some challenges, such as increased power density, heat generation, and manufacturing complexity. This is one of the reasons why major fabrication process leaps occur increasingly less often.
According to The Information, future Apple silicon chips built on the 3nm process will feature up to four dies, which would support up to 40 compute cores. The M2 chip has a 10-core CPU and the M2 Pro and Max have 12-core CPUs, so 3nm could significantly boost multi-core performance.
When Are the First 3nm Chips Coming?
TSMC has ramped up its testing on 3nm production since 2021 but this year the technology is expected to be mature enough to be commercially viable. TSMC is expected to begin full commercial production of 3nm chips in the fourth quarter of 2022. The production schedule is believed to be going to plan.
Apple’s order of 3nm chips is thought to be so large that it occupies TSMC’s entire production capacity for the node this year. Recent reports suggest that the supplier is struggling to produce enough 3nm chips to meet demand for Apple’s upcoming devices.
Analysts believe TSMC is having issues with tools and yield, impacting the ramp up to volume production of the new chip technology. There is a chance that some M3 devices maybe slightly delayed on account of these problems, but it seems unlikely that Apple would want to delay the launch of the A17 Bionic and iPhone 15 Pro models.
Once 3nm production is well established, TSMC will move on to 2nm. It is expected to start production on the 2nm node in 2025.
What Upcoming Devices Will Feature 3nm Apple Silicon Chips?
This year, Apple is widely rumored to introduce at least two chips made with TSMC’s 3nm process: the A17 Bionic and the M3 chip. The first devices containing the A17 Bionic are likely to be the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which are expected to launch in the fall.
The first M3 devices are expected to include an updated 13-inch MacBook Air, 24-inch iMac, and iPad Pro. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the only devices rumored to contain the A17 Bionic chip, but it is likely to come to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus next year, and potentially other devices like the iPad mini and Apple TV in the years ahead.
Apple is working on multiple M3 chips, codenamed Ibiza, Lobos, and Palma. Looking further ahead, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models coming in 2024 will feature M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.
This article, “3nm Apple Silicon: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Skylab, the First U.S. Space Station, Changed What We Thought Was Possible in Orbit
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It’s the 50th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Skylab—the space station that laid the groundwork for the International Space Station. These days, the orbital lab is mostly remembered for the hysteria it created prior to crashing down to Earth, but it’s important to reflect on its historical legacy.
What is a ‘DEVIL MONKEY?’
What is a ‘Devil Monkey?’ Every once in a while, I see the term pop up on social media and in eyewitness reports. It seems to be a vague moniker used to describe a variety of cryptids.
On January 12, 2006, the witness walked into his home to find a devil-like creature confronting his 6-year-old labrador dog. This creature seemed to be an unusual combination of a monkey, a dog, and the devil. Suddenly, it sprang to its hind legs and ran, nearly pushing us over to get to the open door I had just come through. This creature had long fangs, a monkey-like tail, and extremely bright glowing eyes.
In another report, An Ohio woman driving through Roanoke, Virginia at about 2:30 a.m. reported a similar encounter in the late 1990s while driving on a dark road at night and forced to take a detour due to road construction. She had driven past a road sign that read, “Red Wolf Crossing” close to Elizabeth City when a creature, which was not a wolf, leaped in front of her car.
The creature was all black with very short sleek fur, pointy ears, and a long thin tail. She described it as catlike, and yet not like any cat she had ever seen. The snout was flatter than a dog’s and more like a cat’s. The creature was very tall because she saw it when it was standing on its hind legs and was easily 6 feet tall. She indicated its torso looked very much like that of a very thin man and its head resembled a large monkey but with a pointy beard. However, the creature’s hind legs were like a wild cat or dog. It was very muscular and thin.
Later, the woman checked with the US Game and Wildlife Department who told her there were no black wolves in the area but suggested she had seen a feral dog (feral meaning “wild”) or a wolf-dog hybrid. But the woman was emphatic it was not a wolf or dog.
The woman explained the creature may have been on all fours just before leaping. The creature leaped with such force and height that it only took one bound to make it across both lanes of the highway. This indicates the creature leaped more than 18 feet or 6 meters to get across the road. Dogs and wolves do not leap this far in one jump. Even larger animals such as deer usually take several bounds to leap across a road.
According to Cryptid Wiki:
Sightings of mysterious primate-like creatures have been reported across the United States since the 1930s fully-haired. “Devil Monkeys” are described as similar to baboons, but larger, faster, and meaner.
They are described as three to eight feet tall, walking on all fours or upright, with large feet, fully-haired bodies, and a monkey or dog-like face. Cryptozoologists have confirmed that the Devil Monkey is indeed a distinct creature, different than its mythical cousins, the Chupacabra and Bigfoot.
NOTE: The information was forwarded to me a few years ago by a friend who has been collecting reports of what he describes as a ‘Devil Monkey’. These descriptions were somewhat different than most other primate cryptids. In at least one instance, this creature killed and fed on dogs and cats but did not bother livestock.
Most of the sightings occur in the remote parts of the Appalachian Mountains, in particular, Virginia & Pennsylvania. Lon
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iPhone 16 Rumor Recap: What We Know About Apple’s 2024 Smartphones So Far
Below, we’ve created a quick rumor recap that highlights what we know so far, so if you aren’t looking forward to the iPhone 15 Pro now that rumors are sounding like it’s a less impressive update, you can at least look forward to the iPhone 16.
Size and Design
A rumor just this week suggests that Apple will adopt new screen sizes for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models. The smaller iPhone 16 Pro is expected to have a display size of 6.3 inches, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a display size of 6.9 inches.
The information comes from display analyst Ross Young, who often shares accurate details on Apple’s plans. He says that the new size options are exclusive to the Pro models, so this would mark the first time that Apple has used different sizes for the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models.
Note that these display sizes are rounded and are not precise down to the decimal point at this time. The current iPhone 14 Pro has a display size of 6.1 inches and the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a display size of 6.7 inches, so we are looking at an approximate increase of 0.2 inches for both devices.
High-End Ultra Model
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple could introduce a higher-end iPhone 16 “Ultra” to be sold alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It would be positioned as a top-of-the-line iPhone, but it is not clear what specifically will differentiate it from the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, and it is also not known what the display size would be.
There is a possibility that the iPhone 16 Ultra could replace the iPhone 16 Pro Max rather than be sold alongside it.
Solid-State Buttons
For the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple initially planned to add solid-state volume, power, and mute buttons that would replace the physical buttons, but due to technical issues, Apple had to scrap the feature.
Solid-state buttons are instead expected be introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models, with Apple using haptic feedback to mimic the feel of a traditional button press. With the addition of the solid-state technology, Apple will also change the design of the volume button. Rather than two volume buttons, the solid-state button will be a single, unified button.
5G Modem Chip
Apple has been working on its own 5G modem chip for the last several years, and it could be ready for inclusion in at least some of the iPhone 16 models. Apple wants to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm by using in-house technology.
Rumors suggest that Apple will use the modem chip in a single device before rolling it out to other devices, with a full transition away from Qualcomm modem chips taking up to three years.
Apple also eventually wants to use its own WiFi and Bluetooth chips, and there is a possibility that those components could replace Broadcom chips as early as 2024.
Other Features
There are a few other features that have been rumored for the iPhone 16 models, which we may or may not see.
- Under Display Face ID – There were rumors that Apple could adopt under-display Face ID as soon as 2024, which would cut down on the size of the Dynamic Island and possibly allow for a smaller hole punch front camera, but it looks like that’s going to be delayed until 2025.
- Periscope lens – With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple plans to introduce a periscope telephoto lens that supports 5x or 6x optical zoom. Apple sometimes expands technology used in a flagship iPhone to additional models the next year, but Apple analyst Ming-Cho Kuo suggests that the periscope technology will remain limited to the iPhone 16 Pro Max in 2023.
- USB-C Port – Apple is transitioning to USB-C in 2023 with the iPhone 15 models, and the iPhone 16 models will use the same technology.
More Information
As we’re still more than a year away from the launch of the iPhone 16 models, these rumors are subject to change and could shift in the future. To keep up to date on what to expect, you can follow our iPhone 16 roundup, which is updated every time a new rumor surfaces.
This article, “iPhone 16 Rumor Recap: What We Know About Apple’s 2024 Smartphones So Far” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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What two-thirds of car dealerships are missing in the US
![A white electric vehicle in a parking lot with rows of other cars behind it.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vCmM6ANO5JinYTJS_d65BZEM_-Q=/0x3:6168x4115/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72275481/1241982253.0.jpg)
Electric vehicles just aren’t easy to find in American car dealerships, a survey by the environmental group Sierra Club confirms. Two-thirds of car dealerships surveyed across the US didn’t have a single battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid for sale.
That doesn’t line up with the Biden administration’s climate goals, which depend on consumers switching from gas-guzzling cars to electric vehicles to slash tailpipe emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed aggressive new emissions standards last month that are supposed to boost electric vehicle sales to more than two-thirds of all car sales by 2032.
The…