Weekly Tech Recap - № 365 - PC sales, NOTAM failure, Core i9-13900KS, Apache, and ThinkPhone
PC sales plummet
© iStock.
The PC market is looking decidedly grim. Figures recently released by Canalys, IDC and Gartner show that worldwide sales in 2022 are way down. Gartner points to a year-over-year 28.5% slump in Q4, the largest quarterly decline since Gartner started tracking the PC market in the mid-1990s. In 2022, the sale of 286.2 million PC units amounted to a 16.2% decrease compared to 2021. “The anticipation of a global recession, increased inflation and higher interest rates have had a major impact on PC demand,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner. “Since many consumers already have relatively new PCs that were purchased during the pandemic, a lack of affordability is superseding any motivation to buy, causing consumer PC demand to drop to its lowest level in years.””
According to IDC, large PC manufacturers saw unit sales fall off by 20.9% (for ASUS) and 37.2% (for Dell) compared to Q4 last year. One company stands out from the lot: Apple’s shortfall in sales was limited to 2.1%. Though Q4 results are particularly dire, sales figures for the entire calendar year are fairly similar to years before the health crisis. Analysts forecast that the market should rally late 2023 and certainly in 2024.
⇨ Canalys, “Global PC shipments declined by 16% to 285 million in 2022.”
⇨ Gartner, “Gartner says worldwide PC shipments declined 28.5% in fourth quarter of 2022 and 16.2% for the year .”
2023-01-12
A damaged file grounds thousands of flights
© iStock.
On the morning of January 11, an outage of the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system grounded over 11,000 US flights. This system equips flight officers with information about any possible flight hazard. Pilots are obligated to consult these instructions to ensure maximum safety of their flight. The FAA explained that the outage was due to a corrupt database file. Air traffic controllers started to notice the problem the previous evening and requested a system reboot. As this takes ninety minutes, the process was launched in the early hours of the next day, so as not to disrupt the morning-rush air traffic. Unfortunately, not only did the reboot do nothing to fix the problem, but it made the system even more sluggish, according to CNN. Add to that the realization that the backup file was also corrupt. Off-the-record sources blame it on the system’s complexity and an outdated tech infrastructure whose updates have been repeatedly put off due to cutbacks. There are some things you can’t forever skimp on, and software modernization are one. An anonymous source said to CNN, “I assume now they’re going to actually find money to do it.”
⇨ Ars Technica, Tom Warren, “FAA outage that grounded flights blamed on old tech and damaged database file.”
2023-01-12
Intel flattens the 6GHz barrier
Project. © Sony.
Intel just launched its fastest desktop processor to date, blowing past the 6GHz barrier at stock speeds for the first time. With Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost technology, the new Core i9-13900KS (S stands for “Special Edition”) is the first processor to reach this frequency without overclocking. As for the rest, the processor is very similar to the 13th generation 13900K, with the same 24 cores (eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores), 32 threads, 36MB of Intel Smart Cache and 20 PCIe lanes (sixteen PCIe 5 and four PCIe 4 lanes). A significant drawback: the processor uses a lot of energy. Intel mentions 150 watts base power and 300 watts in turbo mode. A robust cooling system is required to be sure to have the promised performance... Are the extra 200MHz worth it? You call it. The 13900KS is now available for 700 USD, compared to 590 USD for the 13900K.
⇨ YouTube, “Sneak Peek: 6 GHz Intel Core Out-of-the-Box Demo”
⇨ The Verge, Tom Warren, “Intel breaks the 6GHz barrier with $699 Core i9-13900KS processor.”
2023-01-12
Should Apache change its name?
© iStock/Apache Software Foundation.
The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), famous for its HTTP server, is dealing with push-back on its name. A nonprofit that represents Indigenous people in tech has asked the foundation to give up the word “Apache”, which it says is culturally appropriative. With this request, the nonprofit calls on ASF to live up to its code of conduct in which it commits to “be careful in the words that [they] choose.” Brian Behlendorf, the first developer of the NCSA HTTPd-based server software, said he picked the name in 1995 after seeing a TV documentary on the life of Geronimo, the last Apache leader to keep fighting for the rights of Indigenous people against Mexico and the US in the 1880s. A spokesperson wrote that the Foundation acknowledges the concerns raised and is listening, but no decision has yet been reached.
The choice of names referring to Native American people has come under increasing scrutiny in the past years. Last year, the Cherokee Nation asked that Jeep change the name of its SUVs. Also recently, two pro sports teams, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians, actually changed their names and mascots after decades of resistance.
⇨ Ars Technica, Kevin Purdy, “Indigenous tech group asks Apache Foundation to change its name.”
2023-01-12
From ThinkPad to ThinkPhone
ThinkPhone. © Lenovo.
On the 30th anniversary of the red trackpoint laptop, Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of the Chinese manufacturer Lenovo, presented a new Android phone inspired by the famous ThinkPad laptops, a brand that Lenovo has owned since 2005. The ThinkPhone is a rugged phone with a ThinkPad-ish esthetic, which comes with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC, a 6.6-inch OLED display, a 5,000mAh battery and two cameras on the back: a stabilized 50 megapixel main camera and a wide-angle 13 megapixel. It’s MIL-STD 810H certified and IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. In addition, it’s equipped with a “Think 2 Think” suite of utilities that make it very easy to communicate with your ThinkPad. The Unified Clipboard, for example, can automatically share clipboard content between the phone and the laptop. You can even use the ThinkPhone as a webcam for your conference calls on the ThinkPad. The device should be available worldwide “in the coming months”, but no price has been announced.
⇨ The Verge, Monica Chin, “The Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola is a ThinkPad owner’s dream.”
2023-01-09
