I fell in love with you like the way i fell asleep,slowly slowly and then all at once.
I love you more than the depth of mariana trench,more than the height of everest and more than the width of this universe.
Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Apple became the world’s first trillion-dollar public company.
Apple became the world’s first trillion-dollar public company on Thursday, as a rise in its share price pushed it past the landmark valuation. The iMac to iPhone company, founded to sell personal computers by the Steve Jobs in 1976, reached the historic milestone as its shares hit $207.05, the day after it posted strong financial results. Apple’s share price has grown fourfold since Tim Cook replaced Jobs as chief executive in 2011. The company hit a $1tn market capitalisation 42 years after Apple was founded and 117 years after US Steel became the first company to be valued at $1bn in 1901. From Macs to iPods and apps: how Apple revolutionised technology Read more It means Apple’s stock market value is more than a third the size of the UK economy and larger than the economies of Turkey and Switzerland. While energy company PetroChina was cited as the world’s first trillion-dollar company after its 2007 flotation, the valuation is considered unreliable because only 2% of the company was released for public trading. Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Saudi Aramco could be worth up to $2tn upon its planned stock market float but the value is yet to be tested. This week’s rise in Apple’s share price was powered by quarterly financial results released on Tuesday that were better than Wall Street had expected. The company racked up profits of $11.5bn in three months on the back of record sales that hit $53.3bn, pushing shares of the iPhone giant higher and easing the value of the company up from $935bn towards $1tn (£770bn).
Rare Glimpse of Earth-Sized Rocky Exoplanet
Direct observations from a NASA space telescope have for the first time revealed the atmospheric void of a rocky, Earth-sized world beyond our own solar system orbiting the most common type of star in the galaxy, according to a study released on Monday. The research, published in the scientific journal Nature, also shows the distant planet's surface is likely to resemble the barren exterior of the Earth's moon or Mercury, possibly covered in dark volcanic rock. The planet lies about 48.6 light years from Earth and is one of more than 4,000 so-called exoplanets identified over the past two decades circling distant stars in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Known to astronomers as LHS 3844b, this exoplanet about 1.3 times the size of Earth is locked in a tight orbit - one revolution every 11 hours - around a small, relatively cool star called a red dwarf, the most prevalent and long-lived type of star in the galaxy. The planet's lack of atmosphere is probably due to intense radiation from its parent red dwarf, which, though dim by stellar standards, also emits high levels of ultraviolet light, the study says. The study will likely add to a debate among astronomers about whether the search for life-sustaining conditions beyond our solar system should focus on exoplanets around red dwarfs - accounting for 75 percent of all stars in the Milky Way - or less common, larger, hotter stars more like our own sun.
Tuesday, 27 August 2019
New WI-FI chips
Qualcomm on Tuesday announced a new range of Wi-Fi chips designed to work with Wi-Fi 6, the newest version of the technology and one that Qualcomm hopes will help boost sales of its separate 5G chips. Qualcomm is the biggest supplier of mobile phone chips but has been looking to expand beyond that as the global phone market has stagnated in recent years. The San Diego-based tech company has been pushing instead into chips for automobiles, headphones, laptops and other devices. Its Wi-Fi chips are found in devices such as the “mesh” Wi-Fi routers made by Alphabet's Google and designed to help provide better coverage over an entire household. Separately, Qualcomm is also working with phonemakers such as Samsung Electronics to bring chips for 5G, the next generation of wireless data networks, to phones. With the new series of Wi-Fi chips, Qualcomm is hoping its two lines of business will one day come together. Both Wi-Fi 6, a new standard expected to fully roll out by 2022, and 5G technology differ from their predecessors in that they are designed to work more closely together, allowing Wi-Fi routers to more seamlessly hand off connections with mobile phones and other devices that use both kinds of networks.
Local Emergency Feature.
Facebook announced on Tuesday that it was rolling out a tool that aims to provide users with potentially life-saving information in emergencies, as it seeks to improve its public image and play down its reputation as a network that aids the spread of misinformation. Local Alerts, which it has been testing since last year in 300 cities including Charlotte, St. Louis and Miami and now plans to offer across the United States, is intended to provide reliable information to people caught up in events such as mass shootings and extreme weather, it said in a blog post. Alongside other social media companies, Facebook has faced a barrage of international criticism for the way its platform has been used to spread conspiracy theories and extremist views and it is keen to focus attention instead on its role as a connector of friends and family. The world's largest social media network already offers users the ability to let friends know they are safe during emergencies with a feature called Safety Check, but said it wanted to do more.With Local Alerts, Facebook account holders in local government and among first responders such as the police and fire departments can send out messages that are then spread more widely by Facebook. It was not immediately clear how useful the service was in its pilot phase. When asked if Local Alerts to date have been deployed quickly enough to make a difference or have been employed in situations where users were in danger, Facebook declined to give examples, citing the privacy of its account holders. It also said the speed at which alerts were disseminated was dependent on the account holders.
Saturday, 30 September 2017
Air Taxies.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has begun testing on a proof-of-concept autonomous air taxi, flying for five minutes approximately 650 feet above a windy residential neighborhood. The air taxis (AATs) are built by the German company Volocopter. Looking like a helicopter with a drone's rotors attached at the top, it is meant to seat 2 with 18 propellors. Unmanned for its first run, the test and surrounding ceremony was arranged by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed."After the remarkable success of the first driverless metro in the region, we are glad to witness today the test flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi," Sheikh Hamdan said in a statement. "This is another testament to our commitment to driving positive change. We are constantly exploring opportunities to serve the community and advance the prosperity and happiness of society."
Friday, 24 June 2016
Online Privacy.
Online privacy is something we should all be paying attention to - in particular, what information we're revealing about ourselves without knowing it.
Assuming you're not doing anything you shouldn't be, there's nothing inherently wrong with guarding your personal details and browsing habits. Privacy isn't just an issue for celebrities.
In fact, it's far more likely that your privacy is compromised by advertising agencies than anyone else. From a simple Google search, to pretty much any ad-funded website, your browsing behaviour can be tracked to establish which adverts you're most likely to click on. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to prevent this monitoring. We'll show you some of the best options, from simple tricks to more hardcore solutions that can shield you from almost any surveillance. It recently emerged that someone has claimed to have hacked Twitter, exposing a number of users' passwords. Twitter has maintained that it has not been hacked, and that what's likely to have happened is that people have been careless with their passwords - for example using the same password for multiple different sites.
A Twitter spokesperson told us that "we are confident that these usernames and credentials were not obtained by a Twitter data breach - our systems have not been breached. In fact, we've been working to help keep accounts protected by checking our data against what's been shared from recent other password leaks." In light of this, we've updated this guide with some first steps in making sure you're protected online, before going into more advanced techniques.
Password protection
The first rule about keeping yourself protected online is to make sure you have difficult-to-guess passwords, which ideally will be unique for every website that you log in to. If you're using the same password for all of your logins, someone could gain access to one of your accounts, and then they would be able to access all of your other ones as well. Graham Cluley, a security expert, has a useful tip of people who are worried that having multiple complicated passwords will be difficult to remember.
"I recommend that users use dedicated password managers to remember their passwords for them, and those can also be used to create unique, hard-to-crack passwords to boost security." These password managers - such as LastPass - stores all of your passwords in a digital vault that you can access with one master password. When you return to a website, LastPass can quickly fill out the forms with your username and password, making it convenient as well as secure. Stay safe online It also comes with a password generator which can create complex and nigh on uncrackable passwords for your accounts. Check out our best password managers round up to find out which ones we think are the best for protecting you online.
Use two-step verification
Wherever possible you should use two-step verification to help improve the security of your login details. Two-step verification (also known as two factor authentication) makes it more difficult for someone to gain access to your login credentials by making you have to supply two items of authentication to log in. The most popular version of this involves you providing your password, along with a verification code that's sent to your smartphone. Other methods include PIN codes generated by a physical device, or providing an answer to a question only you would know. Not all services and websites support two-step verification, but a growing number do, so you should make sure you turn this feature on when you can. Check out our guides on how to add extra security to your Apple ID and how to boost your Google account's security for explanations on how to turn on two-step authentication with those popular services.
How to stay even safer online
Anonymous browsing Online privacy tends to make headlines with stories of governments spying on citizens. But while state surveillance is undeniable, the first invasion of your privacy is more likely to come via a Google search. Although apparently anonymous, Google has a habit of tracking your searches in order to bombard you with personalised adverts. By contrast, a search engine such as DuckDuckGo generates unbiased search results without the added user profiling or tracking. Switching to a less commercially driven search engine will certainly help you on the road to anonymity, but visit a few websites and inevitably you'll receive cookies. These tiny text files are usually perfectly legitimate ways for websites to record things, such as frequently viewed items, so they'll appear on your next visit. But, cookies can easily turn on you...
Tracking cookies are more invasive and compile records of browsing habits and personal details in order for the cookie host to target you with specific adverts. Since 2011, EU and US law has increased cookie awareness by requiring websites to display homepage notification banners that you can't miss, but it's really just a token nod at respecting privacy. A more promising attempt at keeping your browsing less trackable is the Do Not Track HTTP header, now integrated into all common web browsers. When activated, websites are requested not to use tracking cookies.
However, the key word there is "requested", as while Do Not Track may be great in theory, the feature can't actually prevent websites and advertisers from tracking you.
There's no law to say they can't completely ignore a DNT request.
Clear the slate So, the bottom line is, it's up to you to stay anonymous. Simply clearing your browser cache and cookies through your browser's settings is a good start.
Alternatively, you can use clean-up software such as CCleaner to delete cookies, temporary internet fi les and various other web leftovers from multiple browsers in one go.
Private business Once you've got a clean slate, keep it that way by using private browsing modes to keep your interests under wraps. This could be Microsoft's InPrivate feature, Firefox's Private Browsing mode or Incognito in Chrome.
They all do a pretty good job of preventing nosey tracking cookies from setting up camp on your computer. But even without going into full-on secret browsing mode, the big browsers also allow you to block third-party cookies, and while this doesn't create an impenetrable barrier, it's more eff ective than a Do Not Track request. Another easy way to regain control of your internet anonymity is by exploiting browser extensions to close privacy loopholes. Active web content such as Java, Flash and Silverlight can be used to obtain system information without your knowledge and piece together various browsing habits.
Automated scripts can also be potential security risks, so controlling exactly what web content can and can't run is a good thing. Browser extensions such as NoScript for Firefox and ScriptSafe for Chrome allow you to do exactly that, blocking all active web content and asking for your approval before letting it run. At first these extensions can be annoying, but the more you use them, the smarter and less intrusive they get. How to stay even safer online
Spot the spies
The problem is, even when web tracking is legitimate, the fact it happens without your knowledge provokes lack of trust. Wouldn't it be great if you could see exactly who's trying to sneak information about you so you could stop them in their tracks? Well, that's exactly what extensions such as Ghostery and Disconnect do. Both are available for IE, Firefox and Chrome.
With a simple browser button, you can see a list of active advertising, analytics and social media tracking organisations on a current webpage. You're even able to control which ones can collect information about your browsing session. Both extensions are easy to use and far less troublesome than script-blockers.
Plus, unlike private browsing modes, which simply stop tracking organisations from leaving cookies, these extensions can actually prevent them from monitoring you. Far more effective. However, just because your browser is locked down, this doesn't necessarily mean your system is secure.
Any malware already present on your PC may still be snooping on you, and carelessly downloading the wrong zip, executable or even PDF file can transmit your personal details to unintended recipients. How to stay even safer online
Encrypting email Email attachments aren't the only way in which your privacy can be compromised. Your actual written email correspondence is also far from anonymous.
Way back when Google launched Gmail with a 1GB storage limit, it wasn't keen to market how this capacity was funded. Google did, and still does, scan email content in order to target you with personalised adverts, and Yahoo is up to the same tricks.
Thankfully, there's no shortage of ways to keep your email correspondence safe and secure. If you're serious about email anonymity, providers such as Hushmail offer built-in PGP email encryption and no advertising.
Email another Hushmail user and your message is automatically encrypted when sent and decrypted when read.
Email a non-Hushmail recipient and you can still use encryption, but require them to answer a secret question before the message can be read. Clever stuff , but you'll need to part with $35 a year for it, or there's a free version if you can stick to a 25MB storage limit and log in frequently.
Alternatively, you can also encrypt mail sent via webmail accounts such as Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, simply by using a desktop email client like Mozilla Thunderbird, plus a few other tools.
With Thunderbird installed and configured as your email client, download and install the free GNUPrivacy Guard encryption software, and then download the Enigmail Thunderbird extension and follow the configuration wizard.
If that sounds like overkill for sending a couple of anonymous messages, then consider a disposable email address instead. Guerilla Mail and Mailinator both fit the bill, letting you quickly send and receive anonymous mail with no incriminating sign-up processes or content scanning.
The wonders of encryption can also keep instant messaging secure. Apps such as Cryptocat will integrate with Chrome, Firefox or Opera, giving you an encrypted chatroom to converse with other Cryptocat users.
To minimise traceability, there are no static user accounts, so you create a dynamic username each time you connect. Once in, you can start your own conversation or type the title of one that's already active to join in. No group conversations are private though, so anyone who requests your conversation name is free to participate. However, you can select an individual for a private chat, as well as sending encrypted files and photos.
Paranoid or Prudent?
In 2013, Edward Snowden was revealed to have downloaded and leaked up to 1.7 million classified documents, revealing the extent of mass surveillance in the US and around the globe.
How to stay even safer online Key revelations from these leaks include the existence of PRISM: a partnership between the NSA and at least seven major internet companies, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook. PRISM enables the NSA to access the emails, documents, photos and personal details of any non-US citizen from its participating companies (which have immunity from possible ramifications), en masse, without having to specify an individual target or communications method.
The only crumb of comfort is the NSA apparently has to request the information, rather than having direct server access. Snowden's leaks also revealed the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) taps around 200 fibreoptic cables carrying global internet and telephone data amounting to up to 600 million daily communications.
Intelligence is then shared with the NSA and can be stored for up to 30 days for analysis. Snowden's leaks also detailed the NSA had collected over 200 million global text messages per day and stored details in a database accessible to GCHQ. The really scary bit? This surveillance was able to gain information on individuals who were not under any criminal suspicion.
How to stay even safer online The big bad world
Exposing and blocking advertisers or encrypting email can help you take back some control of your privacy, but it's not enough to keep you and your location hidden.
Whenever your computer is connected directly to the internet, you're still within radar unless you've taken some measures to conceal your IP address. There are many ways to hide your IP address - but consider if you really need to? The gatekeeper of your identifiable details is your internet service provider. But in the UK and the US, at least, they're unlikely to have the time (or the money) to want to snoop on you themselves.
Both the Creative Content UK alert programme and the US Copyright Alert System are more lenient than you might imagine. If you're found illegally downloading a copyrighted file by the rights holder, they can record and submit your IP address to ISPs in the alert program. If one ISP happens to be your provider, then you'll be sent a copyright infringement notification letter informing you of ways to avoid future breaches.
The UK system allows you to receive four such letters or emails a year. After that, well, not much happens, as it stands. In the US, you get up to six warnings. By the fifth or sixth warning, ISPs can start throttling bandwidth or using other measures to make subscribers play ball. Even then, however, US ISPs are not required to disconnect subscribers or even disclose personal details to the copyright holders.
This all sounds forgiving, but relying on your ISP to protect your identity isn't advisable. Even when most providers are reluctant to divulge your details, sooner or later they will have to give into the law. Take the recent case of Voltage Pictures identifying and attempting to sue thousands of individuals in the US, Singapore and Australia for illegally downloading the film Dallas Buyers Club. It's doubly risky when you consider that, even when the threat of legal action and fines may not stand up in court, fighting your corner won't be cheap.
Tor of duty
One way to get closer to complete anonymity on the cheap is to use Tor, aka The Onion Router. If there's an element of the internet that divides opinion it's Tor. Tor has the same effect as a proxy server, fooling monitoring systems by faking your computer's location.
But it considerably boosts your anonymity by passing your internet data packets through multiple encryption servers (nodes) before they emerge on the open internet (clearnet) and scoot off to your requested website.
As your IP address is concealed by so many encryption servers, you get multiple layers of protection rather than just a single proxy server barrier, and the result is, well, like the layers of an onion.
However, like its veggie namesake, Tor can also be eye-wateringly annoying. The numerous encryption servers that relay your data within the Tor network create speed bottlenecks, and, being volunteer-run, demand usually outstrips available bandwidth. You can't just access the Tor network via any old web browser either, as Tor requires its own modified, standalone browser, though this is a derivative of Firefox. What's more, while Tor makes it difficult for agencies to perform traffic analysis, it's not completely safe. The final Tor node that a packet is relayed through before exiting onto the clearnet is known as the exit node. There are more than 1,000 of these active at any one time, and though unlikely, it is still possible to eavesdrop on an exit node, as the data emerging there is unencrypted.
How to stay even safer online
Freenet
An alternative anonymous network without this weakness is Freenet. This is different to Tor in that it's not a means of accessing the clearnet anonymously, but rather a secure network in which to communicate and share files with trusted circles of contacts.
Freenet uses a peer-to-peer model and allocates a portion of your hard drive to store Freenet data and serve it to the network. This is encrypted, as is all the data passed around Freenet, and thanks to such comprehensive end-to-end encryption, Freenet is almost impossible to penetrate and is ideal for anonymous communication and file sharing.
Users are also able to create and host Freesites, which are static websites hosted within, and only accessible from, the Freenet. There are also plug-ins for anonymous email, social network-style communication and forum contact. However, as with other peer-to-peer file-sharing systems, transfer speeds are seed-dependent, and don't expect the overall speed of the network to be lightning-fast either.
How to stay even safer online
Going virtual
Though networks such as Tor and Freenet are useful for protecting privacy, their slow and limited functionality hardly makes them ideal for everyday anonymous internet usage.
To go totally incognito with the fewest possible restrictions or drawbacks, you need a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Where services such as BTGuard will hide torrent traffic, and Tor can keep web browsing anonymous, a VPN will hide the entirety of your internet traffic inside an encrypted tunnel. How to make your VPN more secure Traditionally, VPNs have been used by companies to securely connect employees working off -site to a private corporate network, but now they're increasingly popular for the average Joe wanting to preserve their privacy. To exploit a VPN, firstly you'll have to come up with at least $5/month to subscribe to one of the huge number of personal VPN providers out there, and you'll also need to install that provider's client software so you can access your VPN tunnel.
Inside the tunnel, data is encrypted to various degrees, depending on the quality of VPN you choose, but that's not the only aspect of anonymity to consider. How to stay even safer online
In and out Similar to the potential Tor exit node vulnerability, the weakest links of a VPN tunnel are its entry and exit points. The VPN server is able to see all data that goes into and out of the tunnel, so if you want to sleep at night leave no stone unturned in ensuring your VPN provider doesn't log any user details or monitor traffic. It's also a wise move to select a company that accepts payments by Bitcoin, to avoid any potential privacy breach that could occur if paying by credit card or PayPal. For more information on VPN providers, as well as comprehensive reviews, check out the Best VPN website.
With this amount of privacy protection in place, you'll now be well and truly under the radar. If you're still paranoid your every move being logged, it could be time to hone those secret agent skills and go completely off the grid.
In fact, it's far more likely that your privacy is compromised by advertising agencies than anyone else. From a simple Google search, to pretty much any ad-funded website, your browsing behaviour can be tracked to establish which adverts you're most likely to click on. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to prevent this monitoring. We'll show you some of the best options, from simple tricks to more hardcore solutions that can shield you from almost any surveillance. It recently emerged that someone has claimed to have hacked Twitter, exposing a number of users' passwords. Twitter has maintained that it has not been hacked, and that what's likely to have happened is that people have been careless with their passwords - for example using the same password for multiple different sites.
A Twitter spokesperson told us that "we are confident that these usernames and credentials were not obtained by a Twitter data breach - our systems have not been breached. In fact, we've been working to help keep accounts protected by checking our data against what's been shared from recent other password leaks." In light of this, we've updated this guide with some first steps in making sure you're protected online, before going into more advanced techniques.
Password protection
The first rule about keeping yourself protected online is to make sure you have difficult-to-guess passwords, which ideally will be unique for every website that you log in to. If you're using the same password for all of your logins, someone could gain access to one of your accounts, and then they would be able to access all of your other ones as well. Graham Cluley, a security expert, has a useful tip of people who are worried that having multiple complicated passwords will be difficult to remember.
"I recommend that users use dedicated password managers to remember their passwords for them, and those can also be used to create unique, hard-to-crack passwords to boost security." These password managers - such as LastPass - stores all of your passwords in a digital vault that you can access with one master password. When you return to a website, LastPass can quickly fill out the forms with your username and password, making it convenient as well as secure. Stay safe online It also comes with a password generator which can create complex and nigh on uncrackable passwords for your accounts. Check out our best password managers round up to find out which ones we think are the best for protecting you online.
Use two-step verification
Wherever possible you should use two-step verification to help improve the security of your login details. Two-step verification (also known as two factor authentication) makes it more difficult for someone to gain access to your login credentials by making you have to supply two items of authentication to log in. The most popular version of this involves you providing your password, along with a verification code that's sent to your smartphone. Other methods include PIN codes generated by a physical device, or providing an answer to a question only you would know. Not all services and websites support two-step verification, but a growing number do, so you should make sure you turn this feature on when you can. Check out our guides on how to add extra security to your Apple ID and how to boost your Google account's security for explanations on how to turn on two-step authentication with those popular services.
How to stay even safer online
Anonymous browsing Online privacy tends to make headlines with stories of governments spying on citizens. But while state surveillance is undeniable, the first invasion of your privacy is more likely to come via a Google search. Although apparently anonymous, Google has a habit of tracking your searches in order to bombard you with personalised adverts. By contrast, a search engine such as DuckDuckGo generates unbiased search results without the added user profiling or tracking. Switching to a less commercially driven search engine will certainly help you on the road to anonymity, but visit a few websites and inevitably you'll receive cookies. These tiny text files are usually perfectly legitimate ways for websites to record things, such as frequently viewed items, so they'll appear on your next visit. But, cookies can easily turn on you...
Tracking cookies are more invasive and compile records of browsing habits and personal details in order for the cookie host to target you with specific adverts. Since 2011, EU and US law has increased cookie awareness by requiring websites to display homepage notification banners that you can't miss, but it's really just a token nod at respecting privacy. A more promising attempt at keeping your browsing less trackable is the Do Not Track HTTP header, now integrated into all common web browsers. When activated, websites are requested not to use tracking cookies.
However, the key word there is "requested", as while Do Not Track may be great in theory, the feature can't actually prevent websites and advertisers from tracking you.
There's no law to say they can't completely ignore a DNT request.
Clear the slate So, the bottom line is, it's up to you to stay anonymous. Simply clearing your browser cache and cookies through your browser's settings is a good start.
Alternatively, you can use clean-up software such as CCleaner to delete cookies, temporary internet fi les and various other web leftovers from multiple browsers in one go.
Private business Once you've got a clean slate, keep it that way by using private browsing modes to keep your interests under wraps. This could be Microsoft's InPrivate feature, Firefox's Private Browsing mode or Incognito in Chrome.
They all do a pretty good job of preventing nosey tracking cookies from setting up camp on your computer. But even without going into full-on secret browsing mode, the big browsers also allow you to block third-party cookies, and while this doesn't create an impenetrable barrier, it's more eff ective than a Do Not Track request. Another easy way to regain control of your internet anonymity is by exploiting browser extensions to close privacy loopholes. Active web content such as Java, Flash and Silverlight can be used to obtain system information without your knowledge and piece together various browsing habits.
Automated scripts can also be potential security risks, so controlling exactly what web content can and can't run is a good thing. Browser extensions such as NoScript for Firefox and ScriptSafe for Chrome allow you to do exactly that, blocking all active web content and asking for your approval before letting it run. At first these extensions can be annoying, but the more you use them, the smarter and less intrusive they get. How to stay even safer online
Spot the spies
The problem is, even when web tracking is legitimate, the fact it happens without your knowledge provokes lack of trust. Wouldn't it be great if you could see exactly who's trying to sneak information about you so you could stop them in their tracks? Well, that's exactly what extensions such as Ghostery and Disconnect do. Both are available for IE, Firefox and Chrome.
With a simple browser button, you can see a list of active advertising, analytics and social media tracking organisations on a current webpage. You're even able to control which ones can collect information about your browsing session. Both extensions are easy to use and far less troublesome than script-blockers.
Plus, unlike private browsing modes, which simply stop tracking organisations from leaving cookies, these extensions can actually prevent them from monitoring you. Far more effective. However, just because your browser is locked down, this doesn't necessarily mean your system is secure.
Any malware already present on your PC may still be snooping on you, and carelessly downloading the wrong zip, executable or even PDF file can transmit your personal details to unintended recipients. How to stay even safer online
Encrypting email Email attachments aren't the only way in which your privacy can be compromised. Your actual written email correspondence is also far from anonymous.
Way back when Google launched Gmail with a 1GB storage limit, it wasn't keen to market how this capacity was funded. Google did, and still does, scan email content in order to target you with personalised adverts, and Yahoo is up to the same tricks.
Thankfully, there's no shortage of ways to keep your email correspondence safe and secure. If you're serious about email anonymity, providers such as Hushmail offer built-in PGP email encryption and no advertising.
Email another Hushmail user and your message is automatically encrypted when sent and decrypted when read.
Email a non-Hushmail recipient and you can still use encryption, but require them to answer a secret question before the message can be read. Clever stuff , but you'll need to part with $35 a year for it, or there's a free version if you can stick to a 25MB storage limit and log in frequently.
Alternatively, you can also encrypt mail sent via webmail accounts such as Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, simply by using a desktop email client like Mozilla Thunderbird, plus a few other tools.
With Thunderbird installed and configured as your email client, download and install the free GNUPrivacy Guard encryption software, and then download the Enigmail Thunderbird extension and follow the configuration wizard.
If that sounds like overkill for sending a couple of anonymous messages, then consider a disposable email address instead. Guerilla Mail and Mailinator both fit the bill, letting you quickly send and receive anonymous mail with no incriminating sign-up processes or content scanning.
The wonders of encryption can also keep instant messaging secure. Apps such as Cryptocat will integrate with Chrome, Firefox or Opera, giving you an encrypted chatroom to converse with other Cryptocat users.
To minimise traceability, there are no static user accounts, so you create a dynamic username each time you connect. Once in, you can start your own conversation or type the title of one that's already active to join in. No group conversations are private though, so anyone who requests your conversation name is free to participate. However, you can select an individual for a private chat, as well as sending encrypted files and photos.
Paranoid or Prudent?
In 2013, Edward Snowden was revealed to have downloaded and leaked up to 1.7 million classified documents, revealing the extent of mass surveillance in the US and around the globe.
How to stay even safer online Key revelations from these leaks include the existence of PRISM: a partnership between the NSA and at least seven major internet companies, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook. PRISM enables the NSA to access the emails, documents, photos and personal details of any non-US citizen from its participating companies (which have immunity from possible ramifications), en masse, without having to specify an individual target or communications method.
The only crumb of comfort is the NSA apparently has to request the information, rather than having direct server access. Snowden's leaks also revealed the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) taps around 200 fibreoptic cables carrying global internet and telephone data amounting to up to 600 million daily communications.
Intelligence is then shared with the NSA and can be stored for up to 30 days for analysis. Snowden's leaks also detailed the NSA had collected over 200 million global text messages per day and stored details in a database accessible to GCHQ. The really scary bit? This surveillance was able to gain information on individuals who were not under any criminal suspicion.
How to stay even safer online The big bad world
Exposing and blocking advertisers or encrypting email can help you take back some control of your privacy, but it's not enough to keep you and your location hidden.
Whenever your computer is connected directly to the internet, you're still within radar unless you've taken some measures to conceal your IP address. There are many ways to hide your IP address - but consider if you really need to? The gatekeeper of your identifiable details is your internet service provider. But in the UK and the US, at least, they're unlikely to have the time (or the money) to want to snoop on you themselves.
Both the Creative Content UK alert programme and the US Copyright Alert System are more lenient than you might imagine. If you're found illegally downloading a copyrighted file by the rights holder, they can record and submit your IP address to ISPs in the alert program. If one ISP happens to be your provider, then you'll be sent a copyright infringement notification letter informing you of ways to avoid future breaches.
The UK system allows you to receive four such letters or emails a year. After that, well, not much happens, as it stands. In the US, you get up to six warnings. By the fifth or sixth warning, ISPs can start throttling bandwidth or using other measures to make subscribers play ball. Even then, however, US ISPs are not required to disconnect subscribers or even disclose personal details to the copyright holders.
This all sounds forgiving, but relying on your ISP to protect your identity isn't advisable. Even when most providers are reluctant to divulge your details, sooner or later they will have to give into the law. Take the recent case of Voltage Pictures identifying and attempting to sue thousands of individuals in the US, Singapore and Australia for illegally downloading the film Dallas Buyers Club. It's doubly risky when you consider that, even when the threat of legal action and fines may not stand up in court, fighting your corner won't be cheap.
Tor of duty
One way to get closer to complete anonymity on the cheap is to use Tor, aka The Onion Router. If there's an element of the internet that divides opinion it's Tor. Tor has the same effect as a proxy server, fooling monitoring systems by faking your computer's location.
But it considerably boosts your anonymity by passing your internet data packets through multiple encryption servers (nodes) before they emerge on the open internet (clearnet) and scoot off to your requested website.
As your IP address is concealed by so many encryption servers, you get multiple layers of protection rather than just a single proxy server barrier, and the result is, well, like the layers of an onion.
However, like its veggie namesake, Tor can also be eye-wateringly annoying. The numerous encryption servers that relay your data within the Tor network create speed bottlenecks, and, being volunteer-run, demand usually outstrips available bandwidth. You can't just access the Tor network via any old web browser either, as Tor requires its own modified, standalone browser, though this is a derivative of Firefox. What's more, while Tor makes it difficult for agencies to perform traffic analysis, it's not completely safe. The final Tor node that a packet is relayed through before exiting onto the clearnet is known as the exit node. There are more than 1,000 of these active at any one time, and though unlikely, it is still possible to eavesdrop on an exit node, as the data emerging there is unencrypted.
How to stay even safer online
Freenet
An alternative anonymous network without this weakness is Freenet. This is different to Tor in that it's not a means of accessing the clearnet anonymously, but rather a secure network in which to communicate and share files with trusted circles of contacts.
Freenet uses a peer-to-peer model and allocates a portion of your hard drive to store Freenet data and serve it to the network. This is encrypted, as is all the data passed around Freenet, and thanks to such comprehensive end-to-end encryption, Freenet is almost impossible to penetrate and is ideal for anonymous communication and file sharing.
Users are also able to create and host Freesites, which are static websites hosted within, and only accessible from, the Freenet. There are also plug-ins for anonymous email, social network-style communication and forum contact. However, as with other peer-to-peer file-sharing systems, transfer speeds are seed-dependent, and don't expect the overall speed of the network to be lightning-fast either.
How to stay even safer online
Going virtual
Though networks such as Tor and Freenet are useful for protecting privacy, their slow and limited functionality hardly makes them ideal for everyday anonymous internet usage.
To go totally incognito with the fewest possible restrictions or drawbacks, you need a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Where services such as BTGuard will hide torrent traffic, and Tor can keep web browsing anonymous, a VPN will hide the entirety of your internet traffic inside an encrypted tunnel. How to make your VPN more secure Traditionally, VPNs have been used by companies to securely connect employees working off -site to a private corporate network, but now they're increasingly popular for the average Joe wanting to preserve their privacy. To exploit a VPN, firstly you'll have to come up with at least $5/month to subscribe to one of the huge number of personal VPN providers out there, and you'll also need to install that provider's client software so you can access your VPN tunnel.
Inside the tunnel, data is encrypted to various degrees, depending on the quality of VPN you choose, but that's not the only aspect of anonymity to consider. How to stay even safer online
In and out Similar to the potential Tor exit node vulnerability, the weakest links of a VPN tunnel are its entry and exit points. The VPN server is able to see all data that goes into and out of the tunnel, so if you want to sleep at night leave no stone unturned in ensuring your VPN provider doesn't log any user details or monitor traffic. It's also a wise move to select a company that accepts payments by Bitcoin, to avoid any potential privacy breach that could occur if paying by credit card or PayPal. For more information on VPN providers, as well as comprehensive reviews, check out the Best VPN website.
With this amount of privacy protection in place, you'll now be well and truly under the radar. If you're still paranoid your every move being logged, it could be time to hone those secret agent skills and go completely off the grid.
Macbook Pro 2016.
With a MacBook Pro 2016 model purportedly incoming, it looks as though the current, non-Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro is getting the axe. The latest rumors suggest, however, that the new models will ship without a headphone jack, a la iPhone 7, perhaps leaving the 12-inch MacBook with the last of the nigh-extinct 3.5mm port.
Did you buy the 12-inch MacBook? I did, but not because I wanted one.
No: the laptop I really wanted was a new MacBook Air, or even a redesigned 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with a sleeker chassis. Of course, neither came. And like many other Air fans, I realised that another year was to pass by without Apple's best laptop getting an upgrade. So I bought the next best thing.
The MacBook is all about compromise. With more pixels than the Air, its display allows me to be more productive on the move and slinging it into a backpack almost feels like cheating. While no powerhouse (editing 4K images on it is slightly painful), it handles basic tasks with ease.
One year later, Apple has refreshed the MacBook with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processors while introducing faster storage, memory and graphics for the same price. The most interesting change is on the outside: a new Rose Gold finish that genuinely makes me consider owning a shiny pink laptop for the first time. Gender stereotypes be damned.
But despite its upgrades, the new MacBook is not the MacBook Air replacement that rumors once again predict will arrive this summer - it's the same unique, dazzling and challenging laptop as the one that launched one year ago. Only faster, and with longer-lasting battery life. A new processor, coupled with faster internal storage, memory and graphics has brought tangible improvements to the MacBook's performance. You'll still have to somehow manage with a single USB-C port, bolting on adapters and connectors to equip your FrankenMac with vital extra limbs.
And if you didn't get on with its super-shallow keyboard, your fingers will remain as unconvinced as they were before - especially during long typing sessions. The MacBook brings more megahertz, and I'm not talking about clock speed. Lid open Big money Mac
Some people expected Apple to discount its refreshed MacBook to sweeten the deal. It didn't. The entry-level model still costs £1,049 ($1,299 or AUS$1,999), around $50/$73/AUS$99 more than the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.
In bush
If the cost remains too high for you, then consider picking up last year's version from Apple's refurb store. While the 2016 refresh is technically the better machine, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two when undertaking low-level tasks such as surfing the web or typing up documents in Pages. At the time of writing, the entry-level version is on there for £749 (around $1,108 or AUS$1,457) alongside eight other models of varying specs and price.
often shaves a millimetre or two from its laptops when they undergo refreshes, but the 12-inch MacBook leaves no room. At 11 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches (or 280 x 197 x 13.1mm - W x D x H), the MacBook has a smaller footprint than another skinny Core M-powered laptop, the Asus UX305, which spans 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches (324 x 226 x 321mm). It also out-skinnies the MacBook Air's 12.5 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches (325 x 227 x 17mm). The 12-inch MacBook is the lighter of the two laptops, weighing just 2.03 pounds compared to the Air's 2.38 pounds. That's roughly the same as holding two iPad Pro 9.7s in the hand. In comparison, Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 weighs 2.37 pounds with the keyboard cover attached. Other Windows machines are quickly catching up the design stakes - check out HP's Spectre 13 for evidence of that. While the MacBook remains a fine feat of engineering that hasn't lost its allure, strides being made by the competition means that you won't have to choose between slick design and practicality for much longer. In plant Spec sheet
Processor: Intel Core m5-6Y54 Dual-Core CPU @ 1.2GHz Turbo Boost to 2.7GHz
Operating system: OS X 10.11 El Capitan
Memory: 8GB of 1867MHz LPDDR3
Display: 12-inch LED-backlit IPS
Graphics: Intel HD 515
Storage: 512GB PCIe-based flash
Camera: 480p FaceTime camera
Networking: 1/10/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (using a USB-to-Ethernet adapter)
Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0
Audio: Stereo speakers; Dual microphones; headphone port (supporting for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphones)
Dimensions: 11 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches (or 280 x 197 x 13.1mm - W x D x H)
Battery: Built-in 39.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
The MacBook is offered in three configurations, starting with the entry-level model that comes with 256GB of flash storage. Apple has swapped out last year's fifth-generation Broadwell processors for Intel's newer Skylake variants, with the cheapest MacBook housing a lower powered Core m3 chip clocked at 1.1GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.2GHz).
USB-C Starting at £1,299 ($1,599 or AUS$2,249), the more expensive configuration doubles that model's storage and houses a Core m5 processor with a faster clock speed of 1.2GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.7GHz). Both are equipped with faster RAM compared to last year's MacBook (8GB of 1867MHz DDR3, up from 1600MHz), and Apple claims that the Intel HD Graphics 515 solution in this year's models is 25% faster. For extra oomph, the MacBook can be configured with a faster 1.3GHz dual-core Core m7 processor with a maximum clock speed of 3.1GHz for another £120 (around $175 or AUS$230).
Headpjhone Aside from new configurations, Apple has made a more subtle change to this year's MacBook. In its teardown of the device, iFixit discovered that they use new hinge screws featuring heads filled with a substance that disintegrates when a screwdriver is used on them. These could be used to indicate to Apple that you've tampered with the machine, which may have a knock-on effect when it comes to solving warranty-related issues, though this is yet to be confirmed. Bundled software The new MacBook fits OS X Yosemite like a glove
Plus, Apple's Mac App Store has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, proving an excellent resource with frequent recommendations on apps in multiple categories, such as Games, Productivity, Writing, Navigation and more. Here's every app you'll find upon booting up a New MacBook for the first time. Intel's Core M processor has, perhaps unfairly, earned itself a poor reputation since sliding under the bonnet of the Yoga 3 Pro back in 2015. The Yoga and other early machines that adopted Intel's fanless processor (ironically, the Yoga 3 Pro wasn't fanless) were sluggish and the performance hit wasn't considered worth it to get hold of their sleek new designs. However, successive generations have seen Core M's performance increase to the point that you often wouldn't be able to tell whether a laptop houses a Core M or Core i-series processor, depending on what it is you're using it for. Unfortunately for the 2015 MacBook, the Core M processors inside weren't powerful enough to provide a smooth experience under OS X 10.10 Yosemite. I found that disabling transparency effects and animations, while taking care not to open too many apps at once, was vital to prevent applications from temporarily freezing.
So how does the refreshed MacBook fare?
Underside
Benchmarks
Here's how the MacBook performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Xbench: Overall: 394.6; CPU: 267.14
Cinebench R15 (CPU: Multi Core: 237cb; Open GL: 21.11 fps)
Unigine Heaven 4.0: Medium Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 397; FPS: 18
Unigine Heaven 4.0 Ultra Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 397; FPS: 15.7
NovaBench: Score: 623; Graphics: 43
Geekbench 3 (Single Core): 2,938; Multi Core: 5,900
BlackMagic Disk Speed test: Read: 921MB/s; Write: 838MB/s
Batman: Arkham City (1,440 x 900, Medium): Average: 14 fps
Tomb Raider: Medium Quality, 1,400 x 900 (Average): 17.8 fps
Streaming 1080p video over Wi-F (75% brightness): 7 hours and 10 minutes
For comparison, here is the performance of the entry-level MacBook, configured with a 1.1GHz Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor clocked at 0.90GHz (Turbo Boost to 1.1GHz), Intel HD Graphics 515 and 8GB of 1867MHz memory.
Xbench: Overall: 347.54; CPU: 228.25
Cinebench R15 (CPU: Multi Core: 213cb; Open GL: 21.03 fps)
Unigine Heaven 4.0: Medium Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 292; FPS: 11.6
Unigine Heaven 4.0 Ultra Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 256; FPS: 10.2
NovaBench: Score: 489; Graphics: 41
Geekbench 3 (Single Core): 2,535; Multi Core: 5,025
BlackMagic Disk Speed test: Read: 929.7MB/s; Write: 620.2MB/s
Batman: Arkham City (1,440 x 900, Medium): Average: 13 fps
Tomb Raider: Medium Quality, 1,400 x 900 (Average): 18.2 fps
Lid closed
The good news is that the spec bump has turned the MacBook into a machine that runs much efficiently under more stress. I tried both the entry-level and the mid-spec version, and found that both machines provided a smooth experience out of the box without any tweaking of OS X 's settings.
Wall Running my usual load of office applications, which includes multiple Firefox browsers, GIMP image editor, Skype, Evernote, Filezilla, Wunderlist, Ulysses, Slack, Echofon, Reader and Spotify (they're all essential, alright?), the MacBook didn't so much as stutter. I still wouldn't be confident opening another few FireFox windows and loading 30 tabs into each of them, but that's more of a criticism of the browser than it is of the MacBook's performance. Trackpad
The 2,304 x 1,440 pixel-resolution display remains one of the best I've seen on a notebook, and is the best on a MacBook. It brings incredibly rich colors and excellent 170-degree viewing angles. There's another advantage: you can scale it up to get more desktop space and go far beyond Apple's default scaled resolutions. By adding a custom resolution, I managed to soar all the way up to 1,920 x 1,080 in High-DPI mode using SwitchResX, which allowed me to see the same amount of spreadsheet rows and columns as a 27-inch monitor. Sure the text was tiny, but I could still make out the numbers and edit the spreadsheet without any trouble. I might not be doing it all the time, but compared to my old setup, which was an 11-inch MacBook Air connected to a portable USB DisplayLink monitor, I now have enough desktop real-estate to switch to see more on the screen at the same time. That's been possible on high-resolution Windows and Apple machines for some time, but having all that desktop space is even more impressive on a 12.1-inch machine as thin as a pencil.
The 2016 MacBook isn't going to win any new converts, but it leaves no excuse to pick one up if you're already swayed by what Apple's machine has to offer. Better yet, its new Rose Gold option is gorgeous.
We liked Now that there's more horsepower under the MacBook's bonnet, you won't have to tweak OS X El Capitan's settings to get hold of a smooth experience. As the old Apple motto goes: it just works. The increase is marginal, but it undoubtedly makes a difference. That doesn't mean you're suddenly going to be swapping your MacBook Pro for one to undergo heavy computing lifting. Apple didn't tweak the MacBook's chassis because it didn't need to. It still can't be matched even by its Windows-based counterparts, though I wouldn't be confident of saying that six months down the line. Its color-packed display is as vibrant as it was on the previous model, and you just try finding a 12- or 13-inch laptop with better speakers. It's a near-impossible task.
you should buy the MacBook.
Did you buy the 12-inch MacBook? I did, but not because I wanted one.
No: the laptop I really wanted was a new MacBook Air, or even a redesigned 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with a sleeker chassis. Of course, neither came. And like many other Air fans, I realised that another year was to pass by without Apple's best laptop getting an upgrade. So I bought the next best thing.
The MacBook is all about compromise. With more pixels than the Air, its display allows me to be more productive on the move and slinging it into a backpack almost feels like cheating. While no powerhouse (editing 4K images on it is slightly painful), it handles basic tasks with ease.
One year later, Apple has refreshed the MacBook with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processors while introducing faster storage, memory and graphics for the same price. The most interesting change is on the outside: a new Rose Gold finish that genuinely makes me consider owning a shiny pink laptop for the first time. Gender stereotypes be damned.
But despite its upgrades, the new MacBook is not the MacBook Air replacement that rumors once again predict will arrive this summer - it's the same unique, dazzling and challenging laptop as the one that launched one year ago. Only faster, and with longer-lasting battery life. A new processor, coupled with faster internal storage, memory and graphics has brought tangible improvements to the MacBook's performance. You'll still have to somehow manage with a single USB-C port, bolting on adapters and connectors to equip your FrankenMac with vital extra limbs.
And if you didn't get on with its super-shallow keyboard, your fingers will remain as unconvinced as they were before - especially during long typing sessions. The MacBook brings more megahertz, and I'm not talking about clock speed. Lid open Big money Mac
Some people expected Apple to discount its refreshed MacBook to sweeten the deal. It didn't. The entry-level model still costs £1,049 ($1,299 or AUS$1,999), around $50/$73/AUS$99 more than the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.
In bush
If the cost remains too high for you, then consider picking up last year's version from Apple's refurb store. While the 2016 refresh is technically the better machine, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two when undertaking low-level tasks such as surfing the web or typing up documents in Pages. At the time of writing, the entry-level version is on there for £749 (around $1,108 or AUS$1,457) alongside eight other models of varying specs and price.
often shaves a millimetre or two from its laptops when they undergo refreshes, but the 12-inch MacBook leaves no room. At 11 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches (or 280 x 197 x 13.1mm - W x D x H), the MacBook has a smaller footprint than another skinny Core M-powered laptop, the Asus UX305, which spans 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches (324 x 226 x 321mm). It also out-skinnies the MacBook Air's 12.5 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches (325 x 227 x 17mm). The 12-inch MacBook is the lighter of the two laptops, weighing just 2.03 pounds compared to the Air's 2.38 pounds. That's roughly the same as holding two iPad Pro 9.7s in the hand. In comparison, Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 weighs 2.37 pounds with the keyboard cover attached. Other Windows machines are quickly catching up the design stakes - check out HP's Spectre 13 for evidence of that. While the MacBook remains a fine feat of engineering that hasn't lost its allure, strides being made by the competition means that you won't have to choose between slick design and practicality for much longer. In plant Spec sheet
Processor: Intel Core m5-6Y54 Dual-Core CPU @ 1.2GHz Turbo Boost to 2.7GHz
Operating system: OS X 10.11 El Capitan
Memory: 8GB of 1867MHz LPDDR3
Display: 12-inch LED-backlit IPS
Graphics: Intel HD 515
Storage: 512GB PCIe-based flash
Camera: 480p FaceTime camera
Networking: 1/10/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (using a USB-to-Ethernet adapter)
Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0
Audio: Stereo speakers; Dual microphones; headphone port (supporting for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphones)
Dimensions: 11 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches (or 280 x 197 x 13.1mm - W x D x H)
Battery: Built-in 39.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
The MacBook is offered in three configurations, starting with the entry-level model that comes with 256GB of flash storage. Apple has swapped out last year's fifth-generation Broadwell processors for Intel's newer Skylake variants, with the cheapest MacBook housing a lower powered Core m3 chip clocked at 1.1GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.2GHz).
USB-C Starting at £1,299 ($1,599 or AUS$2,249), the more expensive configuration doubles that model's storage and houses a Core m5 processor with a faster clock speed of 1.2GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.7GHz). Both are equipped with faster RAM compared to last year's MacBook (8GB of 1867MHz DDR3, up from 1600MHz), and Apple claims that the Intel HD Graphics 515 solution in this year's models is 25% faster. For extra oomph, the MacBook can be configured with a faster 1.3GHz dual-core Core m7 processor with a maximum clock speed of 3.1GHz for another £120 (around $175 or AUS$230).
Headpjhone Aside from new configurations, Apple has made a more subtle change to this year's MacBook. In its teardown of the device, iFixit discovered that they use new hinge screws featuring heads filled with a substance that disintegrates when a screwdriver is used on them. These could be used to indicate to Apple that you've tampered with the machine, which may have a knock-on effect when it comes to solving warranty-related issues, though this is yet to be confirmed. Bundled software The new MacBook fits OS X Yosemite like a glove
Plus, Apple's Mac App Store has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, proving an excellent resource with frequent recommendations on apps in multiple categories, such as Games, Productivity, Writing, Navigation and more. Here's every app you'll find upon booting up a New MacBook for the first time. Intel's Core M processor has, perhaps unfairly, earned itself a poor reputation since sliding under the bonnet of the Yoga 3 Pro back in 2015. The Yoga and other early machines that adopted Intel's fanless processor (ironically, the Yoga 3 Pro wasn't fanless) were sluggish and the performance hit wasn't considered worth it to get hold of their sleek new designs. However, successive generations have seen Core M's performance increase to the point that you often wouldn't be able to tell whether a laptop houses a Core M or Core i-series processor, depending on what it is you're using it for. Unfortunately for the 2015 MacBook, the Core M processors inside weren't powerful enough to provide a smooth experience under OS X 10.10 Yosemite. I found that disabling transparency effects and animations, while taking care not to open too many apps at once, was vital to prevent applications from temporarily freezing.
So how does the refreshed MacBook fare?
Underside
Benchmarks
Here's how the MacBook performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Xbench: Overall: 394.6; CPU: 267.14
Cinebench R15 (CPU: Multi Core: 237cb; Open GL: 21.11 fps)
Unigine Heaven 4.0: Medium Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 397; FPS: 18
Unigine Heaven 4.0 Ultra Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 397; FPS: 15.7
NovaBench: Score: 623; Graphics: 43
Geekbench 3 (Single Core): 2,938; Multi Core: 5,900
BlackMagic Disk Speed test: Read: 921MB/s; Write: 838MB/s
Batman: Arkham City (1,440 x 900, Medium): Average: 14 fps
Tomb Raider: Medium Quality, 1,400 x 900 (Average): 17.8 fps
Streaming 1080p video over Wi-F (75% brightness): 7 hours and 10 minutes
For comparison, here is the performance of the entry-level MacBook, configured with a 1.1GHz Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor clocked at 0.90GHz (Turbo Boost to 1.1GHz), Intel HD Graphics 515 and 8GB of 1867MHz memory.
Xbench: Overall: 347.54; CPU: 228.25
Cinebench R15 (CPU: Multi Core: 213cb; Open GL: 21.03 fps)
Unigine Heaven 4.0: Medium Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 292; FPS: 11.6
Unigine Heaven 4.0 Ultra Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 256; FPS: 10.2
NovaBench: Score: 489; Graphics: 41
Geekbench 3 (Single Core): 2,535; Multi Core: 5,025
BlackMagic Disk Speed test: Read: 929.7MB/s; Write: 620.2MB/s
Batman: Arkham City (1,440 x 900, Medium): Average: 13 fps
Tomb Raider: Medium Quality, 1,400 x 900 (Average): 18.2 fps
Lid closed
The good news is that the spec bump has turned the MacBook into a machine that runs much efficiently under more stress. I tried both the entry-level and the mid-spec version, and found that both machines provided a smooth experience out of the box without any tweaking of OS X 's settings.
Wall Running my usual load of office applications, which includes multiple Firefox browsers, GIMP image editor, Skype, Evernote, Filezilla, Wunderlist, Ulysses, Slack, Echofon, Reader and Spotify (they're all essential, alright?), the MacBook didn't so much as stutter. I still wouldn't be confident opening another few FireFox windows and loading 30 tabs into each of them, but that's more of a criticism of the browser than it is of the MacBook's performance. Trackpad
The 2,304 x 1,440 pixel-resolution display remains one of the best I've seen on a notebook, and is the best on a MacBook. It brings incredibly rich colors and excellent 170-degree viewing angles. There's another advantage: you can scale it up to get more desktop space and go far beyond Apple's default scaled resolutions. By adding a custom resolution, I managed to soar all the way up to 1,920 x 1,080 in High-DPI mode using SwitchResX, which allowed me to see the same amount of spreadsheet rows and columns as a 27-inch monitor. Sure the text was tiny, but I could still make out the numbers and edit the spreadsheet without any trouble. I might not be doing it all the time, but compared to my old setup, which was an 11-inch MacBook Air connected to a portable USB DisplayLink monitor, I now have enough desktop real-estate to switch to see more on the screen at the same time. That's been possible on high-resolution Windows and Apple machines for some time, but having all that desktop space is even more impressive on a 12.1-inch machine as thin as a pencil.
The 2016 MacBook isn't going to win any new converts, but it leaves no excuse to pick one up if you're already swayed by what Apple's machine has to offer. Better yet, its new Rose Gold option is gorgeous.
We liked Now that there's more horsepower under the MacBook's bonnet, you won't have to tweak OS X El Capitan's settings to get hold of a smooth experience. As the old Apple motto goes: it just works. The increase is marginal, but it undoubtedly makes a difference. That doesn't mean you're suddenly going to be swapping your MacBook Pro for one to undergo heavy computing lifting. Apple didn't tweak the MacBook's chassis because it didn't need to. It still can't be matched even by its Windows-based counterparts, though I wouldn't be confident of saying that six months down the line. Its color-packed display is as vibrant as it was on the previous model, and you just try finding a 12- or 13-inch laptop with better speakers. It's a near-impossible task.
you should buy the MacBook.
Speed Up Your PC.
Speed up your PC
Remove junk files and tune up your PC
A PC or Mac is rather like a car. That showroom-fresh saloon doesn't seem so sleek and shiny once road film, suicidal insects and evil supermarket car park users start ruining it, and that speedy new computer soon begins to sag under the stress of unnecessary apps, unwanted add-ons and other irritations. Thank crikey, then, for system utilities and tools: the right ones make your PC or Mac feel brand new, or at least an awful lot faster and a lot less crashy.
There are thousands of system utilities out there, but these are our favourites - although as with any freeware, be very careful when you're installing any of them. Many free apps' installers are awfully keen on giving you extra software, toolbars or changes to your search engine that you might not want - see our guide to avoiding potentially unwanted programs.
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Piriform's excellent CCleaner analyses your PC for files you can live without and deletes them for a performance boost
1. CCleaner Remove unneeded files for a quick and easy speed boost Top download - CCleanerCCleaner has been around for a long time, and part of the reason for its ongoing popularity is that it cleans the parts of your PC that many other free apps don't. There are paid-for versions that add real time protection and cleanup scheduling, but the free edition covers the important stuff such as removing temporary files, getting rid of browser caches, removing unwanted cookies while keeping the useful ones and so on. If your PC feels slow or sluggish then this is the app to try first, and is our favorite free system tool.
Download CCleaner freeHave we missed a program you rely on to keep your PC in top shape? Let us know in the comments below.
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Download PC Decrapifier free
2. PC Decrapifier Uninstall the junk programs that come with a new PC Like CCleaner, PC Decrapifier's job is to remove unnecessary files and programs for your PC. It's particularly useful on brand new PCs, which are often either full of exciting opportunities to discover new apps or stuffed to the gills with a load of preinstalled junk, depending on your point of view. Download PC Decrapifier freePC Decrapifier analyses your system, shows you the apps it thinks you should get rid of - based not just on its developers' opinions but on other users' feedback - and then removes the ones you choose. It's so focused on cleaning PCs it doesn't even install itself.
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Download Autoruns free 3. Autoruns Stop unnecessary startup processes to speed up boot times We don't normally quote former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but when he said "There are known knowns. These are things that we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know," he could have been describing the apps you know you're running - the known knowns - and the ones you don't.
Download Autoruns freeThose apps run when you boot Windows, or login, or launch certain system apps. You can find and get rid of the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns with the superb Autoruns.
Divider You never know when you'll need Recuva - an emergency tool for restoring deleted files
4. Recuva An essential tool for recovering lost or accidentally deleted data There are lots of data recovery tools out there, but Recuva is our favorite. Not only can it recover files that have been deleted but not overwritten, but it can recover files from removable media such as USB drives and memory cards. It can even get data off damaged discs, although naturally the success rate depends on the kind and extent of the damage. Download Recuva freeThe paid-for Pro version adds support for virtual hard disks and offers technical support too, but the free one is worth sticking on a thumb drive as part of your emergency toolkit.
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Download 3DP Chip free
5. 3DP Chip A convenient tool to keep your hardware drivers up to date The near-infinite variety of possible Windows PC configurations is a great thing, but it can also lead to a great big pain in the backside: ensuring that the device drivers, the bits of software that Windows uses to communicate with your various bits of hardware, remain up to date. It's worth doing because driver updates banish bugs, vanquish vulnerabilities and fix flaws, but it's not remotely quick or fun. Download 3DP Chip free nowEnter 3DP Chip, which can do the dirty work for you - and unlike some other driver update programs, it doesn't try to install a whole bunch of nonsense on your PC either.
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Download SpaceSniffer free
6. SpaceSniffer Find out what's taking up so much space on your hard drive or SSD You're running out of space but you've no idea why. Does that sound familiar? Then you need SpaceSniffer, which enables you to see what's taking up space via a format known as a Treemap. Download SpaceSniffer freeIt's a very immediate way to understand where the space hogs are on your system, and the filtering means you can limit the visualisation to certain kinds of files or to exclude certain kinds of files. You can also combine filters to look for space hogs of a particular kind or vintage.
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Download Auslogics Duplicate File Finder free
7. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder Delete redundant files to free up space on your hard drive or SSD One of the downsides of digital media is that it's very easy to end up with multiple copies of the same thing taking up valuable storage space. That's bad enough on a hard disk, but on the more limited space of an SSD it's even more of a problem - or at least, it is if you don't have Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. Download Auslogics Duplicate File Finder freeIt scans your PC for duplicate files and enables you to restrict the search to specific file types or sizes, and you can specify whether duplicates should be binned or placed in a holding area for you to check them out. This is a great and genuinely useful app for Windows users of all kinds.
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Download Revo Uninstaller Free
8. Revo Uninstaller Free Remove all traces of uninstalled programs to avoid junk buildup If you like trying new apps you'll be horribly familiar with the joys of the Windows Uninstaller, where all too often uninstalling a program leaves bits and pieces everywhere. It's a particular pain when an app installs other apps such as browser toolbars and unwanted helper apps. Download Revo Uninstaller FreeRevo Uninstaller Free can solve that problem by scanning for the bits the standard uninstaller often leaves behind, and its multiple uninstall option means it's a big time saver too. The free version can't uninstall apps that were on your PC before you installed it, but it does a good job of getting shot of anything added since. Divider
Download Secunia PSI free
9. Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) Keep your software up to date with the latest bug fixes and security patches Secunia PSI solves one of the biggest headaches for Windows users: keeping software up to date in order to keep your system secure. The app knows about thousands of different programs and can scan your system to identify whether you have the most up to date versions. Download Secunia PSI freeAnd here's the best bit: if you don't, it can usually download and install the necessary updates and/or patches without any further intervention from you. The combination of PSI and Windows Update should ensure that malware can't exploit any vulnerabilities in unpatched software. Divider
Download Onyx free
10. OnyX A system cleanup tool to keep Macs running quickly and smoothly The majority of system tune-up and cleaning apps are for Windows, but Macs get messy too - and on OS X, the evergreen OnyX is often the solution. It can get shot of bulging system logs and clean up files that are no longer needed, it can turn on hidden features in OS X itself and you can use it to schedule dull but useful maintenance tasks. Download OnyX freeIt has two companion apps, both also free: Deeper is purely for personalisation while Maintenance covers - yep - maintenance. For most people OnyX offers the best of both.
Remove junk files and tune up your PC
A PC or Mac is rather like a car. That showroom-fresh saloon doesn't seem so sleek and shiny once road film, suicidal insects and evil supermarket car park users start ruining it, and that speedy new computer soon begins to sag under the stress of unnecessary apps, unwanted add-ons and other irritations. Thank crikey, then, for system utilities and tools: the right ones make your PC or Mac feel brand new, or at least an awful lot faster and a lot less crashy.
There are thousands of system utilities out there, but these are our favourites - although as with any freeware, be very careful when you're installing any of them. Many free apps' installers are awfully keen on giving you extra software, toolbars or changes to your search engine that you might not want - see our guide to avoiding potentially unwanted programs.
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Piriform's excellent CCleaner analyses your PC for files you can live without and deletes them for a performance boost
1. CCleaner Remove unneeded files for a quick and easy speed boost Top download - CCleanerCCleaner has been around for a long time, and part of the reason for its ongoing popularity is that it cleans the parts of your PC that many other free apps don't. There are paid-for versions that add real time protection and cleanup scheduling, but the free edition covers the important stuff such as removing temporary files, getting rid of browser caches, removing unwanted cookies while keeping the useful ones and so on. If your PC feels slow or sluggish then this is the app to try first, and is our favorite free system tool.
Download CCleaner freeHave we missed a program you rely on to keep your PC in top shape? Let us know in the comments below.
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Download PC Decrapifier free
2. PC Decrapifier Uninstall the junk programs that come with a new PC Like CCleaner, PC Decrapifier's job is to remove unnecessary files and programs for your PC. It's particularly useful on brand new PCs, which are often either full of exciting opportunities to discover new apps or stuffed to the gills with a load of preinstalled junk, depending on your point of view. Download PC Decrapifier freePC Decrapifier analyses your system, shows you the apps it thinks you should get rid of - based not just on its developers' opinions but on other users' feedback - and then removes the ones you choose. It's so focused on cleaning PCs it doesn't even install itself.
Download Autoruns free 3. Autoruns Stop unnecessary startup processes to speed up boot times We don't normally quote former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but when he said "There are known knowns. These are things that we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know," he could have been describing the apps you know you're running - the known knowns - and the ones you don't.
Download Autoruns freeThose apps run when you boot Windows, or login, or launch certain system apps. You can find and get rid of the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns with the superb Autoruns.
Divider You never know when you'll need Recuva - an emergency tool for restoring deleted files
4. Recuva An essential tool for recovering lost or accidentally deleted data There are lots of data recovery tools out there, but Recuva is our favorite. Not only can it recover files that have been deleted but not overwritten, but it can recover files from removable media such as USB drives and memory cards. It can even get data off damaged discs, although naturally the success rate depends on the kind and extent of the damage. Download Recuva freeThe paid-for Pro version adds support for virtual hard disks and offers technical support too, but the free one is worth sticking on a thumb drive as part of your emergency toolkit.
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Download 3DP Chip free
5. 3DP Chip A convenient tool to keep your hardware drivers up to date The near-infinite variety of possible Windows PC configurations is a great thing, but it can also lead to a great big pain in the backside: ensuring that the device drivers, the bits of software that Windows uses to communicate with your various bits of hardware, remain up to date. It's worth doing because driver updates banish bugs, vanquish vulnerabilities and fix flaws, but it's not remotely quick or fun. Download 3DP Chip free nowEnter 3DP Chip, which can do the dirty work for you - and unlike some other driver update programs, it doesn't try to install a whole bunch of nonsense on your PC either.
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Download SpaceSniffer free
6. SpaceSniffer Find out what's taking up so much space on your hard drive or SSD You're running out of space but you've no idea why. Does that sound familiar? Then you need SpaceSniffer, which enables you to see what's taking up space via a format known as a Treemap. Download SpaceSniffer freeIt's a very immediate way to understand where the space hogs are on your system, and the filtering means you can limit the visualisation to certain kinds of files or to exclude certain kinds of files. You can also combine filters to look for space hogs of a particular kind or vintage.
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Download Auslogics Duplicate File Finder free
7. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder Delete redundant files to free up space on your hard drive or SSD One of the downsides of digital media is that it's very easy to end up with multiple copies of the same thing taking up valuable storage space. That's bad enough on a hard disk, but on the more limited space of an SSD it's even more of a problem - or at least, it is if you don't have Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. Download Auslogics Duplicate File Finder freeIt scans your PC for duplicate files and enables you to restrict the search to specific file types or sizes, and you can specify whether duplicates should be binned or placed in a holding area for you to check them out. This is a great and genuinely useful app for Windows users of all kinds.
Divider
Download Revo Uninstaller Free
8. Revo Uninstaller Free Remove all traces of uninstalled programs to avoid junk buildup If you like trying new apps you'll be horribly familiar with the joys of the Windows Uninstaller, where all too often uninstalling a program leaves bits and pieces everywhere. It's a particular pain when an app installs other apps such as browser toolbars and unwanted helper apps. Download Revo Uninstaller FreeRevo Uninstaller Free can solve that problem by scanning for the bits the standard uninstaller often leaves behind, and its multiple uninstall option means it's a big time saver too. The free version can't uninstall apps that were on your PC before you installed it, but it does a good job of getting shot of anything added since. Divider
Download Secunia PSI free
9. Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) Keep your software up to date with the latest bug fixes and security patches Secunia PSI solves one of the biggest headaches for Windows users: keeping software up to date in order to keep your system secure. The app knows about thousands of different programs and can scan your system to identify whether you have the most up to date versions. Download Secunia PSI freeAnd here's the best bit: if you don't, it can usually download and install the necessary updates and/or patches without any further intervention from you. The combination of PSI and Windows Update should ensure that malware can't exploit any vulnerabilities in unpatched software. Divider
Download Onyx free
10. OnyX A system cleanup tool to keep Macs running quickly and smoothly The majority of system tune-up and cleaning apps are for Windows, but Macs get messy too - and on OS X, the evergreen OnyX is often the solution. It can get shot of bulging system logs and clean up files that are no longer needed, it can turn on hidden features in OS X itself and you can use it to schedule dull but useful maintenance tasks. Download OnyX freeIt has two companion apps, both also free: Deeper is purely for personalisation while Maintenance covers - yep - maintenance. For most people OnyX offers the best of both.
Share Market.
Democracy has spoken, and the UK has voted to terminate its membership of the European Union. It's time to stop talking about how many bananas are in a bunch and consider how Brexit will affect the tech industry.
Will it be harder to employ skilled IT staff from inside the EU? How about the movement of data across borders? Will the UK become a red tape nightmare for foreign companies? Can London remain a digital capital of Europe without being in an EU nation? How could the vote affect the future of tech? With facts hard to come by, the picture is unclear.
Reactions, however, are pouring in, and tech professionals are falling into two broad camps: the pragmatics and the pessimists.
A survey of the attitudes of around 300 IT security professionals at the recent Infosecurity Europe conference, carried out on behalf of Alienvault, found that over half of respondents (52 percent) believed that, post-Brexit, UK organisations would still have to comply with EU legislation in order to trade with Europe.
The vast majority (78 percent) of those surveyed did not believe their jobs would be made any easier by Britain leaving the EU. In fact, a significant proportion (22 percent) actively supported EU legislation around data protection, and believed it benefitted them and their work.
Others, like security startup Miracl, adopted an even darker tone. "Splitting away from Europe would make it even more difficult for UK tech firms to compete with the US tech giants, because their talent pool would be so much larger than ours." its CEO said.
Migration - for the IT sector, there's not enough of it, and it's far too difficult
What about skilled IT workers?
For many voters in the UK, the EU referendum was a discussion about migration, but the tech industry worries about migration from a different perspective; there's not enough of it, and it's far too difficult. There's already a shortage of UK-bound skilled workers coming out of EU countries, and Brexit will only worsen the situation.
"Despite free movement throughout the European Union at the moment, the UK is still suffering from a skills shortage, particularly when it comes to tech," says Robert Rutherford, CEO of business and IT consultancy QuoStar. "Many questions remain unanswered as to whether there will be alternatives in place to allow the UK to bring in skilled tech professionals from other regions easily." It's already difficult for IT experts from non-EU countries to come and work in the UK. It's about to get even harder, and Brexit won't change that. Worse still, there could be an out-flux of workers from EU states already in the UK.
It's already difficult to enter the UK to work from outside the EU
What about the EU's Digital Single Market Initiative?
This is central to the argument that London's tech startup scene in particular will suffer as the UK leaves the EU.
"The core issue facing the tech industry when it comes to Brexit is whether the UK alone can fund development in technology in the same way, and at the same level, as the EU's Digital Single Market Initiative," says Rutherford.
From a tech industry perspective, the Digital Single Market Initiative is about the digitisation of industry, about getting the economy ready for cloud computing, data-driven science and the Internet of Things. So what does the UK stand to gain or lose?
It will lose access to the new European cloud that will give Europe's 1.7 million researchers and 70 million science and technology professionals a virtual environment in which to store, manage, analyse and reuse research data, as well as a 500 million (around £380 million) pan-EU network of digital innovation hubs where businesses can obtain advice and test digital innovations.
In total, it's estimated that the Digital Single Market Initiative will mobilise over 50 billion (around £38 billion) of public and private investments in support of the digitisation of industry.
A third of a major graphene investment in the UK came from the EU
"While the UK is currently a leader in global IT development, what will the UK government be able to invest in this area?" asks Rutherford. "With a proposed 50 billion of investment in support of the digitisation of industry coming from the EU, we must consider whether we will lose this benefit following a Brexit."
There's also the top-up that the EU provides. For the £61 million National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester, the UK government provided £38 million, while £23 million came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). How much of the estimated £8.5 billion saving in EU contributions would be invested in the tech industry? That's unknown, but austerity, not investment, is the current political priority.
How would an exit from the EU affect data privacy?
In short, Brexit will mean that while data privacy laws will still exist, the newly negotiated General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, will cease to apply to British companies.
"The roots of data privacy lie in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and the UK would still be bound by that even if it left the EU," says Robin Wilton, Technical Outreach Director, Identity and Privacy at the Internet Society. "The UK is also a signatory to the Council of Europe's Convention 108 on the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data," he says, adding that the UK would also remain bound by this after leaving the EU.
The agreement between the US and the European Union to make personal data protection laws identical across the board is critical for any company working across national borders. "If the UK isn't included in that agreement, will it simply allow unconstrained data transfers to the US, or will it try to put equivalent measures in place?" asks Wilton. "If the latter, that means a completely separate, parallel set of negotiations with the US over transatlantic data transfers."
That seems unlikely, particularly as data privacy laws are hardly controversial, and are certainly not the reason for anyone wanting the UK to leave the EU. To prevent companies from considering the UK as an unnecessary administrative burden and avoiding it, politicians will likely just adopt the GDPR and the US-EU Privacy Shield as they are.
Might the UK become a haven for big data?
Could an independent UK become a data haven?
That will depend on the decisions taken by politicians in the aftermath of Brexit. "Depending on the approach taken by the UK regulators, certain companies who do not trade within the EU may find it attractive to base their businesses in the UK," says John Benjamin, a Partner at law firm DWF.
Some think Brexit represents an opportunity for the UK tech industry to start competing properly with its US counterparts. "Over time an independent UK has the opportunity of becoming a haven for big data analysis and personal data processing," says Ashley Winton, Partner and UK head of data protection and privacy at international law firm Paul Hastings LLP & Chairman of the UK Data Protection Forum.
Data sharing with the EU could be achieved with a version of the US Privacy Shield, which is more permissive than the full weight of the GDPR allows ... this regime would allow the UK to compete effectively with US businesses which have a similar advantage."
In short, by leaving the EU, the UK could be put on an even footing with US-based companies.
Ashley Winton, Partner at Paul Hastings LLP and Chairman of the UK Data Protection Forum
Is this just about the economy?
Though for the wider public the referendum was tied up with myriad issues, for the tech industry it was mostly about economics. "If we vote without real thought about how the EU Referendum will have a knock-on effect on our digital economy, we could create real issues for our longer term growth," Rutherford said ahead of the vote.
"This is not about fear, it is about opportunity - a market of 500 million consumers," says Julian David, CEO of industry body techUK.
What will happen next?
Probably not much: British governments are not known for their speed nor their decisiveness. "In the short term, we may find that the slow speed of disassociation from the EU is such that the UK government would implement a version of the GDPR as national legislation, but without the oversight that the current GDPR gives to the European Data Protection Board," says Winton.
There's also the slightly thorny issue of what happens to citizens' privacy rights in a non-EU UK. The decisions of the European Court of Justice would no longer apply.
What does the UK tech industry think?
A poll in March by techUK revealed that 70% supported the UK remaining in the EU, 15% supported the UK leaving the EU and 15% were undecided. The majority wanted to remain in the EU because, they said, EU membership made the UK more attractive to international investment (76%), more globally competitive (71%) and gave the UK a better deal in trading relationships with the EU (75%).
"UK tech is thriving, creating jobs almost three times faster than the rest of the economy," says David. "The vast majority of our members say that being in the EU supports that growth ... open markets and cooperation are good for business."
In a tangled web of facts, assumptions and unknowns, it's probably fair to say that the tech industry in the UK may suffer in the short term from Brexit, but it would undoubtedly adjust over the long term.
Will it be harder to employ skilled IT staff from inside the EU? How about the movement of data across borders? Will the UK become a red tape nightmare for foreign companies? Can London remain a digital capital of Europe without being in an EU nation? How could the vote affect the future of tech? With facts hard to come by, the picture is unclear.
Reactions, however, are pouring in, and tech professionals are falling into two broad camps: the pragmatics and the pessimists.
A survey of the attitudes of around 300 IT security professionals at the recent Infosecurity Europe conference, carried out on behalf of Alienvault, found that over half of respondents (52 percent) believed that, post-Brexit, UK organisations would still have to comply with EU legislation in order to trade with Europe.
The vast majority (78 percent) of those surveyed did not believe their jobs would be made any easier by Britain leaving the EU. In fact, a significant proportion (22 percent) actively supported EU legislation around data protection, and believed it benefitted them and their work.
Others, like security startup Miracl, adopted an even darker tone. "Splitting away from Europe would make it even more difficult for UK tech firms to compete with the US tech giants, because their talent pool would be so much larger than ours." its CEO said.
Migration - for the IT sector, there's not enough of it, and it's far too difficult
What about skilled IT workers?
For many voters in the UK, the EU referendum was a discussion about migration, but the tech industry worries about migration from a different perspective; there's not enough of it, and it's far too difficult. There's already a shortage of UK-bound skilled workers coming out of EU countries, and Brexit will only worsen the situation.
"Despite free movement throughout the European Union at the moment, the UK is still suffering from a skills shortage, particularly when it comes to tech," says Robert Rutherford, CEO of business and IT consultancy QuoStar. "Many questions remain unanswered as to whether there will be alternatives in place to allow the UK to bring in skilled tech professionals from other regions easily." It's already difficult for IT experts from non-EU countries to come and work in the UK. It's about to get even harder, and Brexit won't change that. Worse still, there could be an out-flux of workers from EU states already in the UK.
It's already difficult to enter the UK to work from outside the EU
What about the EU's Digital Single Market Initiative?
This is central to the argument that London's tech startup scene in particular will suffer as the UK leaves the EU.
"The core issue facing the tech industry when it comes to Brexit is whether the UK alone can fund development in technology in the same way, and at the same level, as the EU's Digital Single Market Initiative," says Rutherford.
From a tech industry perspective, the Digital Single Market Initiative is about the digitisation of industry, about getting the economy ready for cloud computing, data-driven science and the Internet of Things. So what does the UK stand to gain or lose?
It will lose access to the new European cloud that will give Europe's 1.7 million researchers and 70 million science and technology professionals a virtual environment in which to store, manage, analyse and reuse research data, as well as a 500 million (around £380 million) pan-EU network of digital innovation hubs where businesses can obtain advice and test digital innovations.
In total, it's estimated that the Digital Single Market Initiative will mobilise over 50 billion (around £38 billion) of public and private investments in support of the digitisation of industry.
A third of a major graphene investment in the UK came from the EU
"While the UK is currently a leader in global IT development, what will the UK government be able to invest in this area?" asks Rutherford. "With a proposed 50 billion of investment in support of the digitisation of industry coming from the EU, we must consider whether we will lose this benefit following a Brexit."
There's also the top-up that the EU provides. For the £61 million National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester, the UK government provided £38 million, while £23 million came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). How much of the estimated £8.5 billion saving in EU contributions would be invested in the tech industry? That's unknown, but austerity, not investment, is the current political priority.
How would an exit from the EU affect data privacy?
In short, Brexit will mean that while data privacy laws will still exist, the newly negotiated General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, will cease to apply to British companies.
"The roots of data privacy lie in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and the UK would still be bound by that even if it left the EU," says Robin Wilton, Technical Outreach Director, Identity and Privacy at the Internet Society. "The UK is also a signatory to the Council of Europe's Convention 108 on the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data," he says, adding that the UK would also remain bound by this after leaving the EU.
The agreement between the US and the European Union to make personal data protection laws identical across the board is critical for any company working across national borders. "If the UK isn't included in that agreement, will it simply allow unconstrained data transfers to the US, or will it try to put equivalent measures in place?" asks Wilton. "If the latter, that means a completely separate, parallel set of negotiations with the US over transatlantic data transfers."
That seems unlikely, particularly as data privacy laws are hardly controversial, and are certainly not the reason for anyone wanting the UK to leave the EU. To prevent companies from considering the UK as an unnecessary administrative burden and avoiding it, politicians will likely just adopt the GDPR and the US-EU Privacy Shield as they are.
Might the UK become a haven for big data?
Could an independent UK become a data haven?
That will depend on the decisions taken by politicians in the aftermath of Brexit. "Depending on the approach taken by the UK regulators, certain companies who do not trade within the EU may find it attractive to base their businesses in the UK," says John Benjamin, a Partner at law firm DWF.
Some think Brexit represents an opportunity for the UK tech industry to start competing properly with its US counterparts. "Over time an independent UK has the opportunity of becoming a haven for big data analysis and personal data processing," says Ashley Winton, Partner and UK head of data protection and privacy at international law firm Paul Hastings LLP & Chairman of the UK Data Protection Forum.
Data sharing with the EU could be achieved with a version of the US Privacy Shield, which is more permissive than the full weight of the GDPR allows ... this regime would allow the UK to compete effectively with US businesses which have a similar advantage."
In short, by leaving the EU, the UK could be put on an even footing with US-based companies.
Ashley Winton, Partner at Paul Hastings LLP and Chairman of the UK Data Protection Forum
Is this just about the economy?
Though for the wider public the referendum was tied up with myriad issues, for the tech industry it was mostly about economics. "If we vote without real thought about how the EU Referendum will have a knock-on effect on our digital economy, we could create real issues for our longer term growth," Rutherford said ahead of the vote.
"This is not about fear, it is about opportunity - a market of 500 million consumers," says Julian David, CEO of industry body techUK.
What will happen next?
Probably not much: British governments are not known for their speed nor their decisiveness. "In the short term, we may find that the slow speed of disassociation from the EU is such that the UK government would implement a version of the GDPR as national legislation, but without the oversight that the current GDPR gives to the European Data Protection Board," says Winton.
There's also the slightly thorny issue of what happens to citizens' privacy rights in a non-EU UK. The decisions of the European Court of Justice would no longer apply.
What does the UK tech industry think?
A poll in March by techUK revealed that 70% supported the UK remaining in the EU, 15% supported the UK leaving the EU and 15% were undecided. The majority wanted to remain in the EU because, they said, EU membership made the UK more attractive to international investment (76%), more globally competitive (71%) and gave the UK a better deal in trading relationships with the EU (75%).
"UK tech is thriving, creating jobs almost three times faster than the rest of the economy," says David. "The vast majority of our members say that being in the EU supports that growth ... open markets and cooperation are good for business."
In a tangled web of facts, assumptions and unknowns, it's probably fair to say that the tech industry in the UK may suffer in the short term from Brexit, but it would undoubtedly adjust over the long term.
Thursday, 23 June 2016
macOS Sierra release date, news and features.
macOS Sierra.
Update: Though Apple's latest and greatest won't be available as a public beta until next month, you can try out macOS Sierra for yourself right now! Find out how.
Here's what macOS will do to convince you to go all-in on Apple
With Microsoft's Windows 10 heating up the PC market, Apple is bringing a free upgrade of its own with the launch of a new version of OS X for Mac packed with new features and improvements.
OS X 10.12 was officially revealed and renamed macOS Sierra at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). As expected, Sierra does much more than just providing bug fixes and performance updates, as we saw with the move from 10.10 Yosemite to 10.11 El Capitan.
So what's in store for Mac users? Follow along and we'll tell you exactly what you can expect from the next version of OS X - we mean macOS.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The next version of Apple's desktop operating system
When is it out? Fall 2016
What will it cost? Like the previous several versions, it will be a free update
macOS Sierra release date
Apple has gotten cycle when it comes to releasing new operating system, Typically they're demoed and debuted during WWDC in June, a beta preview over the summer and having the final OS in our hands by November.
Find out if your Mac can run macOS
macOS Sierra seems to follow that same formula. Following its reveal in mid-June, Apple plans to release a developer preview in July and the final OS in the following fall.
Siri finally makes an appearance
The biggest new feature slated for macOS Sierra is the inclusion of the Siri virtual personal assistant. Siri was launched on iOS back in 2011, and Macs are surprisingly the last platform Apple decided to bring it to.
Just as with using the virtual assistant on iPhones, users will be able to simply command Siri and ask it questions with their voice. However, being on the Mac opens up a greater swath of options such as searching for files.
At WWDC, SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi demonstrated how Siri can help with sophisticated queries for files like, "Show the files I worked on last week about the off-site." And from there users can narrow down their search based on tags.
Siri also has full access to other parts of macOS' including applications such as iTunes, making her your personal DJ. Alternatively, Siri integrates with Safari to act on web searches.
By adding Siri to the Mac platform, Apple hopes to offer the same services for iPhone and iPad owners with a Mac.
What's more, Apple opened has issued an SDK for developers to make their own applications work with Siri.
Continuity gets even better
Continuity between Mac and iOS is a big deal for those engulfed in Apple's hardy ecosystem. Ever since its introduction, users have been able to pick up calls and text conversations from their phones and conveniently pull them up on their Mac computers.
With macOS Sierra, not only will you be able to access your computer from other machines including your iPhone, but if you need to copy something from one device to another, you can achieve that using the Universal Clipboard function. By copying something from one device, you can seamlessly paste it over to another. If you thought AirDrop made your life easier, this enhances the Apple ecosystem even further with yet another method of shuffling around files.
And, while TouchID isn't coming to Mac anytime soon, auto-unlock is. As the name implies, this new feature will let you unlock your Mac by merely being in close proximity to an Apple Watch or iOS device.
What's more, Apple Pay has expanded beyond the restraints of a 4.7-inch screen and onto PCs by way of macOS. Making an effort to compete with ecommerce services like PayPal, a "Pay with Apple Pay" button will soon be integrated in your browser with TouchID on a nearby iPhone or iPad serving as a means of quick authentication.
Better photo and video functionality
Finally we have the Photos app getting an overhaul in iOS.
iPad Pro 9.7
Apple is slowly transforming its iPad into a 2-in-1, and while this new tablet may not be a laptop replacement, it's more than simply an iPad Air 3. It's best used with pro-level accessories like the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, but it gets even more expensive.
PROS:
Easy to handle
True Tone display is gorgeous
256GB configuration
CONS:
iOS shows its limitations
Optional keyboard isn't backlit
Update: iPad Pro 9.7 will soon get its first major software upgrade with iOS 10, which Apple announced at WWDC 2016. Here's our updated review.
The iPad Pro is ambitiously touted as Apple's new tablet that has the guts to replace your laptop, and it now comes in an ideal size that perfectly demonstrates bigger isn't always better for everyone.
Even though I was thoroughly impressed with the grunt behind the powerful iPad Pro 12.9, I longed for that standard 9.7-inch display and form factor with the same pro-level features.
It's taken Apple a year and a half to launch a proper iPad Air 2 successor and, in that time, it fit almost everything from the giant iPad into a smaller frame. It's way more than an iPad Air 3 upgrade.
It's way more than an iPad Air 3 upgrade.
I can now listen to amped up music through its four loud stereo speakers, doodle away with the Apple Pencil and seamlessly attach a keyboard without fumbling with Bluetooth. Its Smart Connector port may be my favorite new feature inherited from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
It's not all hand-me-downs. The iPad Pro 9.7 actually strikes out on its own with a few advancements. Its True Tone display technology adapts to my environment by subtly adjusting the white balance, and there's a much wider color gamut behind its anti-reflective coated glass.
Its camera is 12MP and shoots 4K video, taking cues from the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus camera specs. That's incredibly rare for a tablet of any size. So is the rose gold color option and debut of a 256GB configuration.
It's a tablet juggernaut - not in size, but the asking price.
What we have ended up with is a tablet juggernaut - but without looking like a juggernaut. On the other hand it also has a serious asking price to match its power, and several easy-to-spot software limitations.
The iPad Air 9.7 costs $599 (£499, AU$899), higher than the iPad Air 2 launch price of $499, (£399, $699) and even higher than the current iPad Air 2 price of $399 (£349, AU$599).
Is there enough here for Apple to retain its best tablet status? Let's explore the current iPad that wants to be your laptop-replacement of the future.
Be sure to watch our video review of the iPad Pro 9.7
Design
From across the room, I couldn't tell the difference between this iPad Pro 9.7 and my iPad Air 2 when I was charging both during my battery life tests. They're nearly identical on the outside, and that's a good thing.
The new 'Pro' label doesn't mean bigger, it just means bolder.
The new iPad Pro has the same sub-pencil-thin dimensions of 240 x 168 x 6.1mm, making it a natural fit for two hands and easy to stow in a backpack. Surprisingly, its weight matches, too, despite the specs upgrade: 437g for Wi-Fi and 444g for Wi-Fi + Cellular again. The new "Pro" label doesn't mean bigger, it just means bolder.
You get the same polished aluminum frame, fast Touch ID fingerprint scanning home button and a 9.7-inch Retina display. The lightning port hasn't moved from the bottom, the headphone jack and sleep/wake button are still on the top, and the volume rocker remains on the right side.
Apple is slowly transforming its iPad into a 2-in-1, and while this new tablet may not be a laptop replacement, it's more than simply an iPad Air 3. It's best used with pro-level accessories like the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, but it gets even more expensive.
PROS:
iOS shows its limitations
Expensive starting price
Optional keyboard isn't backlit
It's easy to say that the iPad Pro 9.7 has the same display as the iPad Air 2. It's technically true, but not wholly accurate. It has the same size, resolution and pixel density as the Air 2.
There's more to this year's Retina display, however, and the screen specs literally outshine what you will find on the bigger and seemingly more powerful iPad Pro 12.9.
Apple has introduced True Tone display technology, which dynamically adjusts the white balance of the screen to adapt its color and intensity to my environment. Just like the brightness slider, it's also handled automatically using four-channel ambient light sensors.
It's sort of like the new Night Shift mode that made its debut in iOS 9.3. True Tone is easier on the eyes, making the screen look more natural and, more often than not, less blue.
I really enjoy the adaptive True Tone display setting and can't turn it off now.
Apple's goal isn't sleep here, but to ever-so-slightly nudge the iPad Pro 9.7 glow so that look like a piece of paper. That's something that should (I'm hoping) become a standard feature across all of the company's device in the future. It's odd-looking at first, but you get used to it over the course of a few days. I really can't turn it off now that it's on.
It's bright enough in sunlight for me to keep working, even if I'm likely to be sunburned.
With a 2048 x 1536 resolution and 264 pixels per inch, it's hard to pack in more pixels into a display of this side and having it matter. However, Apple decided to crank up the color gamut to give its new iPad Pro 25% greater color saturation than the iPad Air 2.
It touts the fact that this tablet uses the same color space as the digital cinema industry, and it's true, the screen uses a wider array of colors and look more vivid. That said, the average user I've shown this to sees this as a minor addition to an already excellent-looking display. This is really meant for digital artists and photo editors who are putting the Pro-level display to work.
Everyone can get behind the return of the iPad's fully laminated display that presses the screen up against the glass without gaps and its even more important anti-reflective coating. Outdoors, I found the new iPad to be bright enough in sunlight for me to keep working, uncomfortable and likely sunburned.
Smart Keyboard
The iPad is slowly transforming into a computer before our eyes, and the latest move by Apple is the most striking: developing a keyboard for the iPad Pro line. This one, I must point out right away, is different than the third-party keyboards that are always Bluetooth-connected and often unreliable. Don't shrug it off as an optional accessory you should never consider.
Apple's Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro 9.7, in fact, isn't Bluetooth at all. It uses the new Smart Connector that magnetically fastens the new keyboard to the bottom (in landscape) of the tablet. It combines the tri-fold Smart Cover design with an extra fourth flap for the ultra-slim keyboard. It loudly snaps into place, but that just means it's secure enough to carry this iPad-keyboard combo by the tablet screen (the opposite of how you grab a laptop, unless you're under the age of 5).
The company boasts "No plugs. No switches. No pairing." To translate that into more iconic
Facebook brings reaction emojis to virtual reality.
If you felt the only thing missing from Facebook's 360-degree VR videos was emoji reactions then have at it - the social network now lets you post the same one-click responses you can add to any other post to VR videos as well.
Actually, it's Oculus that has announced the news, after teasing the new feature back in March. It relates specifically to watching video through the integrated app on the Samsung Gear VR, though presumably other VR headsets will get the same feature soon.
Of course there's no easy way of typing when you've got an immersive reality box strapped to your head, so the familiar six emojis are a suitable way of reacting to what you're seeing without breaking the flow of the experience too much.
Oculus says the same reactions are coming to 360 photos in the coming weeks, TechCrunch reports. You're also going to be able to see other people's reactions float past your field of view, which should make the VR experience just a little less lonely. Facebook bought Oculus for a cool $2 billion for a couple of years ago.
Graphic Cards for Gaming.
Are you a PC gamer? Then as you probably already know, the graphics card rules the roost.
Yes, your monitor and even your mouse matter. But nothing has more impact on what settings you can play your games at than your graphics card. Problem is, at any moment there are scores of cards to choose from and they typically all claim to have pixel-pushing perfection, even when that's drastically untrue.
The simple solution is to go for the best of the best, the cream of the crop. In other words, the most expensive. For those of us whose money in fact does not grow on trees, this means shooting for the best bang-for-buck deal on a set budget. Keep in mind that you'll need to choose the rest of your parts wisely once you've found your perfect match GPU.
If you have a super-high resolution monitor, for instance, you're going to need a high-end graphics card to make the most of it. But, equally, there's little point unloading on the finest GPU money can buy if it's being bottlenecked by an old CPU or feeding a feeble screen.
With all that in mind, here's our guide to the fastest,best value graphics hardware money can buy.
1. EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
Unparalleled performance
Stream Processors: 2,560 | Core Clock: 1,607MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR5X | Memory Clock: 7,010MHz | Power Connectors: 1 x 6-pin, 1 x 8-pin | Length: 266.7mm | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
Great all around performance
Makes 4K gaming viable
Great all around performance
Makes 4K gaming viable
If you want proper entry into 4K gaming, the Titan X no longer reigns supreme. With the launch of Nvidia's Pascal architecture, you can get the performance of two 980Tis for a fraction of what you'd spend on an EVGA Titan X SuperClock. Of course, no graphics card is perfect. This GTX 1080 falls prey to an early adoption tax in what Nvidia calls the "Founders Edition" model, based on the reference set by the company and manufactured by EVGA. Though you may want to wait for the inevitable launch of more affordable, more powerful GTX 1080 GPUs from third parties, the GTX 1080 is undoubtedly the best in its class right now - as if it's even a contest.
2. Zotac GeForce GTX 980Ti AMP Extreme Edition
Nearly 1080 power without the 1080 cost
Stream Processors: 2816 | Core Clock: 1253MHz | Memory: 6GB | Memory Clock: 7220MHz | Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Length: 267mm | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI
Zotac GeForce GTX 980Ti AMP Extreme Edition
Nearly equal to GTX 1080
Even closer to GTX 1080 with OC
Nearly costs as much as GTX 1080
Only worth it for high-res gaming
Though it can't match the GTX 1080 in terms of video memory (6GB versus 8GB GDDR5X), the GTX 980Ti offers a higher clock speed. And, with the right amount of overclocking, it can even beat that card. Cards with the "AMP" moniker usually mean business, and this card lives up to its name. It'll let you game in resolutions up to 4K, even if can't reach that glorious 60 fps standard at that pixel count. The 980Ti AMP Extreme Edition may be better value than the GTX 1080 Founders Edition, but it's far from cheap, costing around the same as a budget (or entry level, mid-range) gaming PC.
3. Gigabyte Radeon R9 Fury X
Uses an all-in-one liquid cooling system and new High-Bandwidth Memory
Stream Processors: 4096 | Core Clock: 1050MHz | Memory: 4GB | Memory Clock: 1000MHz | Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Length: 195mm | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI
Gigabyte Radeon R9 Fury X
High bandwidth memory
Over 4,000 stream processors
Only 4GB of HBM, struggles at 4K
Water-reservoir takes up space
If you're urging for a GPU that does it all, the R9 Fury X is the best AMD has to offer. Hauling an all-in-one liquid cooling system and the latest high-bandwidth memory technology may seem like a heavy workload, but Gigabyte's Radeon R9 Fury X pulls it off all the same.
best 2-in-1 laptops 2016: top hybrid laptops reviewed.
A 2-in-1 laptop, or hybrid notebook, is a mobile computer that can serve as both a laptop and a tablet, either in a detachable design that sees the touchscreen doubling as a tablet, or a convertible approach in which the notebook's hinge rotates 360 degrees for a similar effect.
Hybrid laptops are generally priced in a range between $700 (about £450, AU$800) and $2,000 (around £1,169, AU$2,131). However, some manufacturers, like Acer, make budget hybrids, and there are even 2-in-1s designed specifically for the business user, like the Dell Venue 7000 series.
Now that we're approaching the second year of Windows 10, 2-in-1s are becoming increasingly prevalent across the market. Although a handful of hybrids - such as Microsoft's fantastic Surface Pro 4, and even the Dell XPS 12 - didn't quite qualify for this list, that's not to say 2-in-1s excluded from this list aren't worth your consideration.
In fact, you might find your needs are better suited for one of the 6 best Windows tablets. With that, here are the best 2-in-1 laptops that we've reviewed:
1. Lenovo Yoga 900
A thoughtfully refined 2-in-1 convertible
CPU: 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch QHD+ 3,200 x 1,800 IPS display | Storage: 256GB SSD
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Gorgeous display
Slim design
Shallow keyboard
Display drivers issues
Whereas the Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 had a winning design and underwhelming performance, the Yoga 900 is the full package. By integrating more powerful Intel Core i processors and a larger battery, Lenovo's latest flagship convertible can stand toe-to-toe with most Ultrabooks and even Microsoft's latest Surface Book.
Much of this extra power only contributes to the weight and thickness of the Yoga 900, it still retains a slender physique and flexible frame allowing it to easily fold back into tablet mode.
Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 900
2. Microsoft Surface Book
The ultimate Windows 10 hybrid laptop
CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-6300U | Graphics: Intel HD graphics 520 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.5-inch, 3,000 x 2,000 PixelSense Display | Storage: 128GB PCIe3.0 SSD
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Futuristic design
Seamless tablet separation
Battery life falls well below promises
Major updates are still in tow
In 2015, Microsoft made some noise in announcing the company's first laptop, the Surface Book. Although there's still work to be done, namely in its perhaps ill-advised 3:2 aspect ratio and 13.5-inch screen, it's still one of the best in convertible laptop options.
In its tablet, or Clipboard, mode it's among the most powerful and thinnest Windows 10 devices on the market. Dock it into the keyboard base, however, and you're in for a real treat assuming you opt for a discrete GPU configuration.
3. HP Spectre x360
Sublime. Near-perfect
CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200 | Graphics:Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 4GB DDR3 (1600Mhz) | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD Radiance LED-backlit touchscreen | Storage: 128GB SSD
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Superbly thin
Vibrant, bright display
Excellent performance and battery life
Too heavy to use as a tablet
Weird, wide trackpad
A vote for the HP Spectre x360 is a vote for one of our most recommended machines Complete with an excellent 1080p screen, solid performance, good battery life, and sturdy build quality, the Spectre x360 is one of the best hybrids money can buy, especially considering its modest price point of $999 (£800 AU$1,899).
If it weren't for the x360's unwieldy trackpad, this laptop would have easily stood amongst the most highly rated laptops TechRadar has ever reviewed. Despite its flaws, though, the Spectre x360 is still one of the best-looking and powerful devices HP has ever produced and well worth a look over many, many other 2-in-1 laptops. And hey, at least it fared much better than its performance deficient predecessor.
Best CPU: the 10 top processors from AMD and Intel.
What makes a processor great depends on two factors: how much you want to spend on it and what you want to do with it. It doesn't seem logical to spend only 100 bucks on a processor destined to be at the heart of a gaming rig and you would probably be bonkers to spend 500 on a CPU only to do word processing.
Achieving the best possible value for your money is what we're after.
There's plenty of options available in the market, both from AMD and from Intel; and the concept of a best-value-for-the-money processor, while very much a debatable topic, is one worthy of debate. Obviously, your propensity to take things apart - and put them back together - as well as the specification of the rest of your system also come into play, but we digress.
There's also the fact that different options arise depending on where you are on the purchase curve: are you building a new computer or updating an existing one (and sticking to the existing motherboard).
And lest not forget the fact that some of us will be more confident than others when it comes to the art of overclocking while others may be tempted to buy second hand or burn-in CPUs. (The latter being chips pushed to their maximum operating temperature for stability testing.)
To make things simpler for everyone, we've decided to narrow down the list to the more popular sockets and stock keeping units. So, no server CPUs, soldered processors (embedded or laptop), obsolete sockets and, to pre-empt any further discussion, no non-x86 parts.
We also go for the cheaper SKU where possible (i.e. without coolers). Just bear in mind that stocks and prices change all the time - thanks, Amazon Dynamic Pricing.
As always, if you think there are better Intel/AMD alternatives, give us a shout in the comment section. Without further ado, here are our picks for the top 10 processors.
1. AMD A10-5800K
Piledriver cores and DX11 graphics
Processor Cores: 4 | Thermal Design Power: 100W | Graphics Controller: Radeon HD7660D | Clock Speed: 3.80GHz | Processor Socket: FM2 | L2 Cache: 4MB
Decent CPU performance
Some light gaming possible
Socket restrictions
Gaming performance is ultimately mediocre
This first choice is likely to be a bit controversial because it involved spending $120 (£70, about AU$160) on an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) that is more than three years old and has been built on an older 32nm manufacturing process. That, combined with the fact that it has a relatively high TDP of 100W explains why its turbo boost speed only hits 4.2GHz, a less-than-stellar 10%, boost although you should be able to overclock it further if you swap the bundled HSF for something beefier. The A10-5800K integrates a Radeon HD 7660D GPU, pushing its core count to 12 and the boxed edition comes with a three-year warranty. Ultimately, the USP here is an all-in-one, overclockable chip for a good price.
2. AMD FX-9590
Among AMD's best to offer
Processor Cores: 8 | Thermal Design Power: 220W | Graphics Controller: None (requires discrete GPU) | Clock Speed: 4.7GHz | Processor Socket: AM3+ | L2 Cache: 4 x 2MB
AMD FX-9590
Premium choice for AMD fans
Fast base clock speed
Old architecture
Rather high TDP
This is one of the best processors AMD has to offer to its consumer fans. This is a 2-year-old, Vishera-based product that has been etched on a 32nm technology - not even the 28nm one used by its own APU - and has a pretty high TDP. Why include the FX-9590 in this list? To quench the thirst of AMD loyalists, mostly. With a total of 16MB cache (there's 8MB L3 in there, too) and a speedy base clock speed of 4.7GHz.
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