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Discover the transformative power of design in marketing. From brand identity to user-centric designs, visual strategies drive success. Read more. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Last fall, Qualcomm revealed a major upgrade for its laptop chips with the Snapdragon X Elite. And while were still waiting for those processors to make their way into retail devices, today Qualcomm is expanding the line with the Snapdragon X Plus, which I had a chance to test out ahead of its arrival on gadgets later this year. Similar to the X Elite, the X Plus is based on the same 4nm process and Arm-based Oryon CPU architecture as its sibling. The difference is that the new chip is meant to be used in slightly more affordable mainstream laptops, and as such it only has 10 CPU cores (vs 12 for the X Elite) and reduced clock speeds (3.4Ghz vs 3.8Ghz for the X Elite). This positioning is a lot like what Qualcomms rivals have been doing for a while, with the X Elite serving as the flagship chip (like Intels Core Ultra 9 series) and the X Plus sitting just below that (which would be equivalent to the Core Ultra 7 line). Qualcomm However, one thing that hasnt changed is that just like the X Elite, the X Plus Hexagon NPU puts out the same 45 TOPS of machine learning performance. This is particularly notable as Microsoft recently suggested that laptops would require at least 40 TOPS in order to run various elements of its Copilot AI service on-device. Qualcomm is also making some big claims regarding power efficiency, with the X Plus chip said to deliver 37 percent faster CPU performance compared to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H when both chips are running at the same wattage. And when put up against other Arm-based chips, Qualcomm says the X Plus is 10 percent faster than Apples M3 processor in multi-threaded CPU tasks. Photo by Sam Rutherford Unfortunately, the X Plus is not expected to show up in retail devices until sometime in the second half of 2024. That said, at a hands-on event, I was able to run a few benchmarks on some early Qualcomm-built reference devices. And to my pleasant surprise, the X Plus performed as expected with multi-core scores in Geekbench of 12,905 and multi-thread performance in Cinebench 2024 of 852. (Note: Because the processor has not been released yet, theres an error in Cinebench that results in the chips GPU incorrectly being listed as from the X Elite instead of the X Plus.) This is a promising showing for Qualcomms second and less expensive chip featuring its Oryon architecture. Though as always, the real test will come when the X Plus starts showing up in proper retail hardware. Thats because even if it boasts impressive benchmark figures, these processors will still need to play nicely with Windows, which has not had nearly as smooth a transition to Arm-based silicon as Apples macOS. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget But with renewed support for Windows on Snapdragon PCs and Qualcomm recently working with major players like Google to bring dramatic performance improvements in Chrome for devices running its laptop chips, things may be smoother this time. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomm-is-expanding-its-next-gen-laptop-chip-line-with-the-snapdragon-x-plus-130018288.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
It used to be that you could pay for a retail version of Windows 11 and expect it to be ad-free, but those days are apparently finito. The latest update to Windows 11 (KB5036980) comes out this week and includes ads for apps in the "recommended" section of the Start Menu, one of the most oft-used parts of the OS. "The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps," according to the release notes. "These apps come from a small set of curated developers." The app suggestions are enabled by default, but you can restore your previously pristine Windows experience if you've installed the update, fortunately. To do so, go into Settings and select Personalization > Start and switch the "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more" toggle to "off." The new "feature" arrives just weeks after it appeared as an Insider beta, showing how quickly Microsoft can implement things when it wants to. It certainly wasn't enough time to receive the kind of user feedback the Insider program is designed for. The update is bound to rub customers the wrong way, considering that Windows 11 starts at $139 for the Home version. While removing it isn't a huge deal, it may also remind folks of the needless time they spent stripping bloatware from OEM Windows installations. Microsoft previously tested ads in the Windows 11 File Explorer, but ended the experiment shortly afterward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/windows-11-now-comes-with-its-own-adware-124531977.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
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