Apple is holding its latest hardware event today (March 8th) and you'll be able to watch it right here. The event gets under way at 1PM ET. The stream is also available on Apple's website and the Apple TV app
As for what to expect, it's highly likely that Apple will reveal a new iPhone SE with the A15 Bionic chip used in iPhone 13 devices as well as 5G support. There are also rumors about a refreshed iPad Air with the same features. Elsewhere, tied into the "Peek Performance" tagline Apple is using for the event, it's believed the company will update the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Apple silicon chip after its larger siblings got CPU upgrades late last year.
Although those seem like the surer bets, there are some other devices Apple's said to be working on that could make an appearance, such as an external 7K monitor, a Mac Studio desktop (i.e. a souped-up Mac mini) or other Macs. In any case, we won't have to wait long to find out.
After the event, be sure to join deputy editor Cherlynn Low and senior writer Sam Rutherford for Engadget's post-show livestream. They'll break down Apple's announcements and share their thoughts on all the news. You can check out the post-event stream below or on Engadget's YouTube channel.
Catch up on all of the news from Apple’s Peek Performance event right here!
iFixit announced today it will join forces with Microsoft to manufacture and sell official repair tools for some Surface models. The partnership will kick off with a display debonder, a display rebonder, and a battery cover.
The models these Microsoft-sanctioned tools are designed for aren't the friendliest to at-home tinkering. Many — like the Surface Laptop Go and Surface Pro 7+ — have neither guides nor repairability scores from the iFixit. This might explain why, at least for now, these pro-grade tools aren't being offered to consumers.
"iFixit Pro independent repairers, Microsoft Authorized Service Providers, Microsoft Experience Centers, and Microsoft Commercial customers," will be the only entities allowed to use these new devices, according to iFixit. "While not necessary to complete a DIY repair, these new tools are designed to prevent damage and will help technicians performing a high volume of repairs, and assist in improving accuracy and matching factory-level adhesion."
According to The Verge, it was Microsoft that approached iFixit about joining forces, despite (and because of) iFixit's vocal criticism of the Surface line's poor repairability. Wider availability of official repair tools, and the development of new ones, could be on the horizon if both companies see positive results.
Microsoft is the latest company to partner with iFixit. Previously the right-to-repair advocate has worked with HTC and Motorola as an official parts source for Vive headsets and smartphones, respectively.
One problem with our electric vehicle future is the need for ubiquitous, easy-to-use charging points all over the world. After all, the only way to avoid range and lines-at-the-charger anxiety is to make sure you can get power whenever you need it. That’s what makes a project, started by Indiana’s Department of Transport, so exciting: It’s working on a road that can charge your EV as you drive.
Backed by the National Science Foundation, and in partnership with Purdue University, the team will test concrete embedded with magnetized particles. This magnetized cement, or Magment, will be produced by a German company (also called Magment). The idea will, if early tests prove successful, see Indiana’s DOT build a quarter-mile track of Magment to see if it can charge a heavy duty truck while it trundles along.
A number of countries, including the UK and Sweden, are currently testing road-based charging. If it works, we won’t need to reorder our lives to accommodate an EV. Better still, permanently available power may make it easier to build cars with smaller batteries, knowing you’re never more than a few inches from your next set of electrons.
The target is 30 frames per second for an extra hour or two of juice.
Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld console, brings PC gaming to your morning commute. The open question, of course, was how such a wee device would cope with the demanding, graphically intensive titles of the last few years. Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais explained that the console will ship with an option to limit the frame rate. This Frame Limiter, which has a lower limit of 30 frames per second, was tested on Portal 2, which lasted four hours without it, and six with. It seems like Valve is at least aware its handheld is more than a little ambitious and is making every effort to ensure it actually works. Continue Reading.
Reactors using thorium and molten salt is the holy grail for clean energy visionaries.
China has unveiled its design for a “clean” nuclear reactor, which is at less risk of meltdown and doesn’t require water for cooling. This reactor, which uses thorium and molten salt, is a bit of a holy grail for our clean energy future, at least until something better comes along. Tests should begin later this year, and there’s hope of seeing the first working commercial reactor in the early 2030s. Developed by the US in the early ‘60s, thorium and molten salt reactors are comparable to current uranium reactors. Why was the technology mothballed? For a couple of reasons, most notably because, unlike uranium, the technology didn’t work for weapons. Continue Reading.
This is one air mile you can’t trade in for extra legroom.
Ingenuity, NASA’s Mars helicopter, has now covered a mile of distance flown while studying the surface of the Red Planet. On its latest jaunt, the 10th so far, it zoomed around taking pictures of the Raised Ridges region of the Jezero Crater. They will help mission commanders determine if the Perseverance rover can make it over the rough terrain. Continue Reading.
A globe made of drones was a very impressive sight.
The 2020 Summer Games, before all of the running and jumping and swimming started, was a feast for the more nerdily inclined. The opening ceremony featured a light show, with a fleet of 1,824 drones taking center stage. Initially forming the shape of the five rings, the craft then recombined to create a 3D globe in the air, while a rendition of Imagine, re-orchestrated by Hans Zimmer, rang throughout the stadium. And the geeky festivities didn’t stop there: The athletes walked out to orchestrated versions of classic video game songs. Continue Reading.
One problem with our electric vehicle future is the need for ubiquitous, easy-to-use charging points all over the world. After all, the only way to avoid range and lines-at-the-charger anxiety is to make sure you can get power whenever you need it. That’s what makes a project, started by Indiana’s Department of Transport, so exciting: It’s working on a road that can charge your EV as you drive.
Backed by the National Science Foundation, and in partnership with Purdue University, the team will test concrete embedded with magnetized particles. This magnetized cement, or Magment, will be produced by a German company (also called Magment). The idea will, if early tests prove successful, see Indiana’s DOT build a quarter-mile track of Magment to see if it can charge a heavy duty truck while it trundles along.
A number of countries, including the UK and Sweden, are currently testing road-based charging. If it works, we won’t need to reorder our lives to accommodate an EV. Better still, permanently available power may make it easier to build cars with smaller batteries, knowing you’re never more than a few inches from your next set of electrons.
The target is 30 frames per second for an extra hour or two of juice.
Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld console, brings PC gaming to your morning commute. The open question, of course, was how such a wee device would cope with the demanding, graphically intensive titles of the last few years. Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais explained that the console will ship with an option to limit the frame rate. This Frame Limiter, which has a lower limit of 30 frames per second, was tested on Portal 2, which lasted four hours without it, and six with. It seems like Valve is at least aware its handheld is more than a little ambitious and is making every effort to ensure it actually works. Continue Reading.
Reactors using thorium and molten salt is the holy grail for clean energy visionaries.
China has unveiled its design for a “clean” nuclear reactor, which is at less risk of meltdown and doesn’t require water for cooling. This reactor, which uses thorium and molten salt, is a bit of a holy grail for our clean energy future, at least until something better comes along. Tests should begin later this year, and there’s hope of seeing the first working commercial reactor in the early 2030s. Developed by the US in the early ‘60s, thorium and molten salt reactors are comparable to current uranium reactors. Why was the technology mothballed? For a couple of reasons, most notably because, unlike uranium, the technology didn’t work for weapons. Continue Reading.
This is one air mile you can’t trade in for extra legroom.
Ingenuity, NASA’s Mars helicopter, has now covered a mile of distance flown while studying the surface of the Red Planet. On its latest jaunt, the 10th so far, it zoomed around taking pictures of the Raised Ridges region of the Jezero Crater. They will help mission commanders determine if the Perseverance rover can make it over the rough terrain. Continue Reading.
A globe made of drones was a very impressive sight.
The 2020 Summer Games, before all of the running and jumping and swimming started, was a feast for the more nerdily inclined. The opening ceremony featured a light show, with a fleet of 1,824 drones taking center stage. Initially forming the shape of the five rings, the craft then recombined to create a 3D globe in the air, while a rendition of Imagine, re-orchestrated by Hans Zimmer, rang throughout the stadium. And the geeky festivities didn’t stop there: The athletes walked out to orchestrated versions of classic video game songs. Continue Reading.