BY: FAWWAZ ASHRAF
Staff Writer
September was an exceptionally busy month in the tech world. Apple and Nvidia unveiled their latest and greatest technology at their latest conferences, and Ethereum also recently integrated significant changes to their network.
Apple Event:
The new iPhone 14 models bring quite a few notable changes with no price increases. First is their new satellite SOS system allowing users to contact emergency services in areas without cellular connectivity. This feature will be free for two years for all iPhone 14 users in the US and Canada and can also be used to share one’s location with friends and family via “Find My” (a new App that merges Find My Friends and Find My iPhone). All models also now feature car crash detection. If one is detected and the user fails to respond to a prompt, the phone will automatically request emergency services. Next, Apple introduced a new image processing pipeline dubbed the “Photonic Engine,” which significantly improves low light performance, a new video stabilization feature via Action Mode that delivers gimbal-like smoothness, and autofocus for the front camera. Lastly, the iPhone 14 Pro received an upgraded camera with a 48 MP sensor and redesigned display with the front camera and sensors now integrated in the new “Dynamic Island”. This new area will surround these sensors with information such as music, sports scores, and navigation directions, so the space doesn’t feel as intrusive.
Apple unveiled three new accessories at this event: AirPods Pro 2, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra. The new AirPods feature a new processor, better noise cancellation, and increased battery life for the earbuds and the case. The new Apple Watch now has a temperature sensor with the ability to track ovulation, a low power mode, and, like the new iPhones, it has the ability to detect car crashes and call emergency services. The Apple Watch Ultra is the only brand new line of products this year and is tailored for extreme conditions. The watch boasts a titanium case capable of withstanding temperatures below 0°F and above 130°F and water depths of up to 100m. It also features more specialized bands, an improved GPS, a larger screen, and cellular connectivity by default. However, its $799 starting price makes it a questionable purchase for anyone who isn’t interested in pushing their watch to the limits, especially considering the Series 8 starts at $399 and the SE, the budget model, starts at $249. Both of these cheaper alternatives offer just about every feature a casual user would need without the Ultra’s chunkiness.
Ethereum Merge:
Ethereum has recently switched from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake system. People make money on the Ethereum network by validating transactions. Validators were chosen based on how much computational power they had, but they are now chosen based on how much of the currency they’ve staked in the network. That’s a surface-level overview, but the main impacts for the general public are that miners will no longer hoard GPUs, and power usage of the Ethereum network should fall by around 99%. Ethereum and crypto as a whole have received significant backlash in recent years regarding both of these issues, so this could encourage more mainstream adoption of these technologies. However, this is only one of many issues. This change is not expected to have any effect on the cost or time to make a transaction, so its practicality in everyday use is still limited. It’s a great step in the right direction, but Ethereum is still many merges away from becoming a mainstay.
Nvidia:
Nvidia has announced the top end of their 40 series GPUs, but not before losing one of their biggest partners. The new GPUs are the 4090, 4080 (16 GB), and 4080 (12 GB), and like expected, they all boast significantly better performance than their predecessors with 2-4x performance increases according to Nvidia. While all three cards boast significantly higher clock speeds than their predecessors, the 4080 (12 GB) model actually has less CUDA cores then the 3080 leading to speculation the 12 GB model was actually going to be the 4070. This makes sense considering the current oversupply of 30 series GPUs. Releasing a card with better performance and price while partners still can’t get rid of the old product would create a lot of problems, especially with Nvidia’s already tarnished reputation for treating partners poorly. In fact, EVGA recently cut ties with Nvidia and shut down their GPU division entirely citing obnoxious practices such as withholding of critical information and assets until near release.
