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Report: Five Things Apple Won’t Announce at Its Event Next Week

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Apple is holding at least five announcements for later in the year that will not arrive at the company’s “Let loose” special event next week, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.

Apple Event Let Loose Pastel Green
In a report detailing his expectations for Apple’s upcoming event, Gurman noted that there are a total of five things that the company is holding for later in the year:

  • AI features: While Apple may tease new AI capabilities with the next-generation iPad Pro, Apple will not “formally unveil” the features until WWDC in June where iPadOS 18 will be previewed.
  • Lower-cost entry-level iPad: Apple is apparently working on a version of the 10th-generation iPad introduced in 2022 with a lower price. The current model is $449, sitting in the lineup above the $329 ninth-generation ‌iPad‌ that remains in the lineup. The company is likely to phase out this older model and bring the price down of the redesigned model, but Gurman says this “isn’t expected until the end of the year at the earliest.”
  • Seventh-generation iPad mini: A refreshed iPad mini is said to be in the works featuring improved performance thanks to a faster chip, but it is not due to be announced next week.
  • New Macs: While the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models may contain the M4 chip, a processor that will later come to the Mac, Apple is not planning to unveil any new Mac models at the “Let loose” event.
  • Fourth-generation AirPods: Apple is said to be nearing production of the fourth-generation AirPods, but these will not launch until the fall alongside the iPhone 16 lineup.

Apple’s “Let loose” event is expected to focus on the unveiling of redesigned ‌iPad Pro‌ models with OLED displays, two new iPad Air models, a high-end Magic Keyboard accessory, and a new Apple Pencil. It will take place on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual.

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iOS 18 Rumored to Add New Features to These 16 Apps on Your iPhone

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Will the New iPad Pro Really Have the M4 Chip?

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Apple Announces ‘Let Loose’ Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

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Apple to Announce 2024 Swift Student Challenge Winners on March 28

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As part of today’s WWDC 2024 announcement, Apple said that it plans to announce this year’s Swift Student Challenge winners on Thursday, March 28. The annual Swift Student Challenge asks students to create an innovative coding project using the Swift Playgrounds app.

swift student challenge 2024
While Apple normally starts the Swift Student Challenge when WWDC dates are announced, the company launched the challenge early to give students more time to work on their projects.

Submissions were accepted from February 5 to February 25, and are now closed.

Apple is selecting 350 winners for the 2024 challenge, all of whom will be eligible to attend the June 10 WWDC Special Event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Winners will need to enter the lottery process to get a chance to attend.

Apple is also choosing 50 Distinguished Winners recognized for “outstanding submissions.” The Distinguished Winners will be invited to Cupertino for a three-day experience that will include the Special Event keynote viewing and other activities.

Swift Student Challenge winners will be informed via email if they’ve won later this week. Projects are judged based on technical accomplishment, creativity of ideas, and the content of written responses explaining the project.

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Apple might announce an AI App Store in June alongside iOS 18

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2023 was the year we started seeing a big push into mobile AI, with phones like the Google Pixel 8, but it looks like this is the year when AI in phones will really take off. Following the launch of the AI-packed Samsung Galaxy S24 series, we’re now expecting Apple to embrace AI, and according to the latest leak the company might even launch an AI App Store.

This is according to Ben Reitzes, head of technology research at Melius Research, who claimed in an interview with CNBC (via Android Authority) that Apple is working on an AI App Store, saying the company is “talking to Google, but they’re talking about Google being one of the many models you have access to, so that this new kind of App Store can take advantage of AI.”

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When Will Apple Announce WWDC 2024 Dates?

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The 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference isn’t set to take place until June, but we are creeping closer to the general time when Apple tends to announce the dates for its developer event.

WWDC24 Header
Apple could make its first WWDC event date announcement in less than two weeks at the end of March or the beginning of April. Here are Apple’s past WWDC announcement dates:

  • 2023 – Wednesday, March 29
  • 2022 – Tuesday, April 5
  • 2021 – Tuesday, March 30
  • 2020 – Friday, March 13
  • 2019 – Thursday, March 14
  • 2018 – Tuesday, March 13
  • 2017 – Thursday, February 16
  • 2016 – Monday, April 18
  • 2015 – Tuesday, April 14
  • 2014 – Thursday, April 3

Given these dates, we could see a WWDC announcement from Apple anytime from Tuesday, March 26 to Friday, March 29, though Apple might also hold the announcement until the next week, unveiling dates on Tuesday, April 2.

WWDC Date Possibilities

For the last several years, Apple held WWDC during the first week of June, and that’s also the most likely target date this year.

June 3 to June 7 would make the most sense based on past WWDC events, though June 10 to June 14 is also possible. Past WWDC dates:

  • 2023 – June 5 to June 9
  • 2022 – June 6 to June 10
  • 2021 – June 7 to June 11
  • 2020 – June 22 to June 26
  • 2019 – June 3 to June 7
  • 2018 – June 4 to June 8
  • 2017 – June 5 to June 9
  • 2016 – June 12 to June 17
  • 2015 – June 8 to June 12
  • 2014 – June 2 to June 6

WWDC Software Announcements

Apple will unveil iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, HomePod Software 18, and visionOS 2 at WWDC this year, and the updates will be provided to developers directly after the keynote event.

Betas will be limited to developers for the first month or so, but if Apple follows tradition, the software will be made available through public betas in July 2024.

‌iOS 18‌ is the only update that we’ve heard much about, and Apple is said to be focusing heavily on artificial intelligence this year. There will be new AI additions across the OS, and Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman believes it could be one of the biggest updates we’ve seen to the iPhone in years. All of the rumors about what’s coming in iOS 18 can be found in our roundup.

Possible Hardware Announcements at WWDC

There are no rumors yet that Apple will introduce new hardware, but we are waiting on refreshes for several Macs. Apple has yet to update the Mac Studio, Mac mini, or Mac Pro with M3 chips, so there is a possibility that some of these new Macs will see a debut at WWDC.

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We have a dedicated WWDC 2024 roundup that will be updated on a regular basis as we learn more about what to expect from this year’s developer event.

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Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

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Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26.

When To Expect New iPads Feature 1
Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an official launch date. Instead, Apple could announce pre-order availability, with shipping dates to follow.

Separately, Chinese website IT Home claimed that March 26 will see Apple release new iPads. However, the outlet appears to have interpreted this as a launch date based on when several Amazon listings for third-party protective cases for the new iPads go live, rather than specific information from a trusted source.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to release new iPad Pro and iPad Air models around the end of March or in April. That said, the well-connected reporter now seems to be leaning more towards the possibility of an April release.

Writing in the latest subscriber edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said he wanted to clear up confusion about when he believed Apple would release new iPads (specifically new iPad Pro models).

Gurman reiterated that a new variant of iPadOS 17.4 designed for the updated models won’t be complete until the end of March or even sometime in April. “Once the OS is finished, Apple needs to send it off to the factories to be installed on the new hardware. That process could last a couple weeks, probably taking us deeper into next month,” he wrote.

Two new iPad Pro models are expected to feature a new M3 chip, OLED displays, a thinner enclosure, a landscape-oriented front camera, a redesigned camera bump, and possibly MagSafe wireless charging.

The two new iPad Air models are expected to feature Apple’s M2 chip and a landscape-oriented front camera, including a first-ever 12.9-inch model.

Other announcements expected in the March-April window include a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro with a larger trackpad, and a new Apple Pencil.

Gurman previously ruled out an Apple Event for the new iPads. Instead, he believes they will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, like the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were earlier this month.

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Apple, Google, and Others Announce Speedometer 3.0 Browser Benchmark

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Apple in collaboration with other browser engine developers has announced the release of Speedometer 3.0, described by Apple as “the best way yet to measure browser benchmark performance.”

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Apple’s WebKit team is excited to introduce Speedometer 3.0, a major update that better reflects the Web of today. It’s built together by the developers of all major browser engines: Blink, Gecko, and WebKit with hundreds of contributions from companies like Apple, Google, Intel, Microsoft, and Mozilla.

Apple’s WebKit team originally released the benchmark tool in collaboration with the Google Chrome team in 2014, but this is the first time the Speedometer benchmark has been developed through a cross-industry collaboration supported by each major browser engine.

The goal of developing and releasing Speedometer under a joint multi-stakeholder governance model is to “create a shared understanding of web performance so that improvements can be made to enhance the user experience,” according to the announcement. The latest version improves how Speedometer captures and calculates scores, shows more detailed results and introduces a wider variety of workloads.

“A few tests and workloads can’t simulate the entire web,” admit the contributors. “But while building Speedometer 3 we have established some criteria for selecting ones that are critical to user’s experience. We are now closer to a representative benchmark than ever before.”

Speedometer 3.0 takes into account the most common versions of popular frameworks including React, Vue, Angular, Preact, Lit, Backbone, and Svelte. It also features an updated set of simulated workloads to measure more of the work the browser does in response to user actions, such as painting and asynchronous tasks.

In addition, there is improved developer tooling so that browser engineers can better understand results, profile, and customize the test. The test runner architecture has also been redesigned to make it easier to write and maintain complex test cases.

Speedometer 3.0 is available to use today on the BrowserBench.org website.

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Twitch OBS and NVIDIA announce multi-encode livestreaming

Twitch OBS and NVIDIA announce multi-encode livestreaming

The world of livestreaming is on the brink of a significant shift, thanks to a collaborative effort from industry giants Twitch, OBS, and NVIDIA. They have come together to introduce a new feature that is currently in its beta phase, known as Twitch Enhanced Broadcasting. This development is poised to change the way streamers connect with their audiences, offering a more inclusive and adaptable viewing experience.

At the heart of this new feature are the GeForce RTX GPUs, which empower streamers to broadcast their content in multiple resolutions, with 1080p being the highest currently available. This means that regardless of whether viewers are tuning in through a high-speed fiber connection or a more modest mobile network, they will be able to enjoy a seamless streaming experience. The technology is not just about the present; it’s also looking ahead, preparing to support even higher bit rates and resolutions, potentially up to 4K, and the ability to handle up to five streams at once.

The future of video encoding is also an exciting aspect of this initiative. With the introduction of new codecs like AV1 and HEVC, viewers can expect high-quality video that doesn’t consume as much data, making streams more accessible without compromising on visual fidelity. The NVENC encoder, a critical component of GeForce RTX and GTX GPUs, plays a vital role in this process. It ensures that streams are of high quality while keeping the impact on system performance to a minimum.

Today many streamers must choose between higher resolution and reliable streaming. High-quality video provides more enjoyable viewing experiences but causes streams to buffer for viewers with low bandwidth or older viewing devices. Streaming lower-bitrate video allows more people to watch the content seamlessly, but introduces artifacts.

For content creators, the integration process with OBS has been designed to be as smooth as possible. Twitch Enhanced Broadcasting is engineered to automatically fine-tune OBS encoder settings, which means streamers can dedicate more time to engaging with their audience instead of fiddling with complex technical settings.

Here are some other articles you may find of interest on the subject of streaming technologies and accessories:

What is multi-encode livestreaming

Multi-encode livestreaming refers to the process of encoding a live video stream into multiple bitrates and resolutions simultaneously. This technique is essential for optimizing the viewing experience across various devices and internet speeds. Here’s a breakdown of its key aspects:

  • Encoding Process: Encoding is the conversion of raw video files into a digital format suitable for streaming. In multi-encode livestreaming, this process occurs in several different quality levels (bitrates and resolutions) at once.
  • Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABS): This is often used in conjunction with multi-encode livestreaming. ABS allows the video player to dynamically switch between different quality streams based on the viewer’s internet speed. For example, someone with a high-speed connection might receive a high-definition stream, while another with a slower connection gets a lower-resolution version.
  • Benefits:
    • Improved Accessibility: Viewers with varying internet speeds can access the content without constant buffering.
    • Enhanced User Experience: Provides a smooth viewing experience as it can dynamically adjust to the best possible quality.
  • Technical Requirements:
    • Processing Power: Multi-encoding is resource-intensive, requiring significant processing power.
    • Bandwidth: Broadcasting multiple streams simultaneously demands more bandwidth.
  • Applications: It’s widely used in various platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming services, especially for live events, gaming, webinars, and educational content.

Those eager to be at the forefront of this technological shift can sign up for the beta on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s advisable to register promptly to secure a spot, and upon doing so, instructions will be sent via email on how to start utilizing Twitch Enhanced Broadcasting.

AV1 vs H.264

Both are video codecs, but they differ in their efficiency and application. Here’s an overview:

  • Background:
    • H.264 (AVC): Introduced in 2003, H.264 has been the standard for video compression for many years. It’s widely compatible with various devices and platforms.
    • AV1: A newer codec, developed by the Alliance for Open Media, released in 2018. It’s designed to be more efficient and open-source.
  • Efficiency:
    • Compression: AV1 is more efficient in terms of compression compared to H.264. It can compress video files to a smaller size while maintaining the same quality, or provide better quality at the same file size.
    • Bandwidth Reduction: For streaming platforms, AV1 can significantly reduce bandwidth requirements. This is crucial for reducing costs and improving streaming quality, especially at higher resolutions like 4K.
  • Performance:
    • Encoding Time: AV1’s advanced compression techniques come with a trade-off in encoding time and computational resources. It requires more processing power and time to encode compared to H.264.
    • Decoding: While AV1 decoders are becoming more widespread, H.264 still has broader compatibility, especially in older devices.
  • Adoption and Support:
    • Industry Adoption: AV1 is gaining traction, with support from major companies like Google, Netflix, and Amazon. However, H.264 remains ubiquitous due to its long-standing presence and compatibility.
    • Hardware Acceleration: Newer devices are beginning to include hardware support for AV1, which will reduce the decoding burden and promote wider adoption.
  • Use Cases:
    • H.264: Still preferred for legacy systems or where compatibility is a key concern.
    • AV1: Ideal for high-resolution streaming services, future-proofing content, and where bandwidth efficiency is critical.

This collaboration is set to redefine the standards of livestreaming. By harnessing the capabilities of GeForce RTX GPUs for multi-encode streaming, the initiative is not just about elevating the quality of streams. It’s also about expanding the reach of content to viewers, no matter their hardware or internet limitations, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a high-quality streaming experience. As the beta progresses, those who sign up can look forward to being part of a significant shift in how live content is shared and consumed.

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