Tech Brew Ride Home - Tue. 05/11 – It’s New Chip Tuesday!

Episode Date: May 11, 2021

It’s new chip day. Intel unveils it’s 11th-gen Core Tiger Lake-H 10nm chips, while Nvidia unveils the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti laptop GPUs. So expect a bunch of laptop lines to be refreshed. And, oh, look at that. The Dell XPS lineup already has been. Details on the next gen PlayStation VR hardware. And an argument that Apple’s recent privacy movies are a naked and ugly power play that harms the open web. Sponsors: Cybereason.com Kiwico.com promocode ride Links: Intel Launches 11th Generation Core Tiger Lake-H: Eight Core 10nm Mobile Processors (AnandTech) NVIDIA's RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti bring ray tracing to affordable laptops (Engadget) Dell’s new XPS 15 and XPS 17 get upgraded with Intel’s long-awaited 11th Gen H-series chips (The Verge) Next-Gen PlayStation VR Is 4K With Foveated Rendering And Vibration Feature (Upload) Foxconn’s iPhone output in India down amid COVID surge-sources (Reuters) Apple robbed the mob’s bank (Mobile Dev Demo) Graphic Novel by Matthew Bogart: IncredibleDoom.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the TechMeme right home for Tuesday, May 11th, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. It's new chip day. Intel unveils its 11th gen core Tiger Lake H10 nanometer chips while Nvidia unveils the RtX 3050 and 3050 Ti laptop GPUs. So expect a whole bunch of laptop lines to be refreshed soon.

And oh, look at that. The Dell XPS lineup already has been. Also details on the next gen PlayStation VR hardware and an argument that Apple's recent privacy moves are a naked and ugly powerplay that could harm the open web. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech. I guess it's Big Chip News Day once again, because first of all, Intel has unveiled its 11th-gen-core Tiger Lake H-10-nanometer mobile processors for high-performance desktop and gaming with five consumer chips and five commercial ones, quoting Anantec. While users might be accustomed to seeing a wide array of Intel processes, each differing by the smallest of margins. Today's launch has only five models for consumers and another

five for commercial systems. At the heart are Intel's latest Willow Cove processor cores with 1.25 megabytes of exclusive L2 cache and up to three megabytes of shared L3 cache per core, along with Intel's latest GLP graphics. These all start at six cores and 12 threads and offer up to 5 gigahertz single core turbo for the most expensive models. The most premium model is the Core I911980HK, which looks more akin to a desktop processor. Intel has the 8-core part rated at 2.6 gigahertz for 45 watts, but also lists a base frequency of 3.3 gigahertz for 65 watts. What makes this processor special compared to the others is that it can also be overclocked further than 65 watts in systems that allow it. Overclocking on laptops is usually a bit hit and

miss, but this is actually the first ever overclockable 10 nanometer processor from Intel. That accolade typically goes to the desktop platform, but this is the first time in recent memory. I've seen Intel launch an overclockable mobile processor first. The core I9-11980HK gets the best of Intel's design here, 4.5 gigahertz, all-core turbo, 4.9 gigahertz, traditional turbo, and 4.9 giga-hurt, and gigahertz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0 on up to two favored cores. The integrated graphics is the based gLP architecture with 32 execution units running at 1450 megahertz peak. All processors listed have 32 execution units with a 350 megahertz base and variable peak frequencies. The other processors here follow Intel's traditional non-overclock schema whereby 45 watts is the standard

rating and 35 watts is the power down option. The core i9, 11900H, for example, has turboboost max 3.0 on two cores up to 4.9 gigahertz like the other core I9. And TBM 3.0 is the main difference down to core I7, which is also 8 core and 16 thread, end quote. And, Nvidia has unveiled the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti laptop GPUs, which bring ray tracing and AI features to affordable laptops for 1080,000. gaming, starting at only $799, quoting in gadget. While they're not nearly as powerful as NVIDIA's beefier GPUs, the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti will offer some serious upgrades for gamers on a budget.

And for once, it means they won't have to settle for NVIDIA's aging, Turing laptop GPUs like the GTX 1650TI. In Call of Duty Warzone, NVIDIA claims the RTX 3050 TI can reach over 80 frames per second in 1080p with medium graphic settings and upwards of 95 frames per second when you flip on DLSS. That technology renders a game at a lower resolution and then uses AI to upscale what you're seeing delivering higher frame rates in the process. In comparison, the GTX 1650 TI reached around 55 frames per second in Warzone. The new GPU can also reach upwards of 70 frames per second in Outwriters, whereas the 1650 TI couldn't even crack 40 frames per second in Warzone.

in 1080P. Of course, the raw power upgrade is to be expected. What makes the RTX 3050 and 3050 TI intriguing is their support for RTX ray tracing, which can deliver realistic lighting effects in modern games. Invita claims you'll be able to play control in 1080P with medium graphics and ray tracing settings, along with DLSS above 60 frames per second. That game has been my ray tracing stress test for the past few years, and I'd be truly impressed if Nvidia is able to make it playable with rate tracing on systems below $1,000. Under the hood, the RTX 3050 and 3050 TI feature 2048 and 2560 kuda cores, respectively. That's well below the 3,840 kuda cores on the RTX 3060, but they should still be powerful

enough for gamers focused on 1080P performance. It's also worth noting that Nvidia is only sharing RTX 3050 TI benchmarks at the moment. I'd be interested to see if the 3050, which also has... has fewer tensor AI and RT-cores will actually perform with ray-traced games. Both GPUs also come with 4 gigabytes of GDDR6 RAM and a 128-bit memory interface specs that will limit their performance mainly to 1080P gaming. These are also max-QGPs, which means their performance can be optimized to squeeze into thin laptops. There's no word of an RTX 3050 desktop GPU yet, end quote.

So given all of that, right on Q, Dell has upgraded the XPS 15 and XPS 17 laptops to feature both these new Intel 11th Gen H series processors and these new Nvidia RtX30 series GPUs starting at $1,200 and $1,400, respectively, quoting the verge. The new models are virtually the same on the outside as the more substantial 2020 refresh, which saw the reintroduction of the largest 17-inch size, and a redesign for the 15-inch model to better match Dell's popular XPS 13 design. But both laptops now offer improved specs featuring Intel's 11th-gen-Tiger Lake H-series chips, bringing the company's 10-nometer process to Dell's more powerful laptops. Both the XPS 15 and 17 can now be configured with the 6-core I-5-11-400-H or 8-core I-7-11-800-H options. The XPS 17 also adds an additional I-9-11980 HK option, offering eight cores and a maximum

5 gigahertz clock speed for what Dell says is the most powerful XPS laptop ever. There's also new more powerful GPU options. The XPS 15 can now be configured with either Nvidia's RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 TI with 45 watts of power, while the XPS17 offers a beefier 60 watt RTX 3050 or 70-W. RtX 3060 GPU. Both computers can be configured with up to 64 gigabytes of RAM, with options for either 4K, 3840 by 2400, or Ph.D, 1920 by 1,200 panels, although the XPS 15 also has 3456 by 2160 OLED as an option. ports have also been upgraded. The XPS 17 now has four Thunderbolt four ports, while the XPS 15 offers two Thunderbolt four ports and a regular USB 3.2.2.

Gen 2 Type C port, end quote. As mentioned, these will price at $1,400 and $1,400, respectively for the base models, though no word oddly on availability right now. Well, we might as well just make this a hardware day then, I guess. Sources are telling upload VR that Sony's next-gen VR headset for the PlayStation 5 will have improved resolution of 2000 by 2040 per eye, inside-out tracking, foviated rendering and more, quote, Sony previously confirmed it is developing a next-generation wired VR headset for

PS5 to release sometime after 2021, and revealed the controllers for the upcoming device with analog sticks and finger position sensing, plus resistive triggers that can push back at your fingers when pressed, as seen in the PS5's own dual sense controller. The resolution of the upcoming Sony headset is slightly less than the HP Reverb G2, the current market leader in consumer VR headset resolution, and slightly more than the Oculus Quest, too. The resolution should amount to roughly 8.16 million total pixels. The new VR headset will use a USB-type-C connection between the console and the headset. The PlayStation 5 does feature a single USB-C port on the front of the device. The new Sony headset will use its onboard cameras to track

the position of the new controllers, thereby simplifying setup dramatically compared to the current generation and unlocking more movement freedom for the player. A motor in the headset can be used by developers to give direct haptic feedback. Though this part is speculation, it is possible that with the planned inclusion of foviated rendering, the perceived sharpness provided by the upcoming Sony headset might be much improved compared to current systems by way of super sampling the area of focus. Eye tracking can also dramatically change the sense of social connection made between avatars in VR. Generally speaking, the technology allows for subtler expression translating to a more profound sense of actually being together with another person in a virtual world. Eye tracking could also

be employed for other uses, such as much better throwing mechanics that take into account what a player is looking at when they release a virtual object, end quote. Something real quick to take note of, though I do want to take a moment to pause and acknowledge the underlying tragedy here. But sources are telling Reuters that Foxcon's iPhone output in India has dropped by more than 50% because of COVID-19 infections among workers. Quote, the Foxcon facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu produces iPhones specifically for India, the world's number two smartphone market. Tamal Nadu is one of the worst-hit states in the second coronavirus wave engulfing India. Officials impose a full lockdown in the state from Monday, closing public transport and shuttering shops to try to slow surging infections.

More than 100 Foxconn employees in the state have tested positive for COVID-19, and the company has enforced a no-entry ban at its factory in the capital of Chennai until late May, one of the sources said, quote, employees are only allowed to leave but not enter the facility since yesterday, the person said. Only a small part of output is being kept, end quote. More than 50% of the plant's capacity had been cut, both sources said, declining to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media. They did not specify the plant's capacity, and it was, unclear how many workers were at the facility, which provides dormitory accommodations for employees

as well. Foxcon's shares fell as much as 6.2% after the Reuters report. The stock closed down 5.31%, outpacing a 3.8% fall in the broader market, end quote. And finally today, I'm going to quote extensively from an essay that is beginning a lot of chatter overnight rather than save it for Friday and the long reads. The piece in question is from Mobile Dev memo. And The gist is basically this. They say that Apple's new app transparency tracking privacy policy is a commercial land grab dressed up as a moral crusade, and it will ultimately subvert the open web and the freemium business model. I don't think it's a coincidence that people started talking about this piece around the same time yesterday that it was announced that Apple had hired

Antonio Garcia Martinez, who a lot of you know from Twitter, but is maybe best known because he was a key figure of Facebook's ad product team between 2011 and 2013. In other words, people are connecting the dots here in terms of Apple's broader ad business ambitions. Again, let me just quote quite liberally from this and you can connect the dots yourself. With ATT, Apple has robbed the mob's bank, sort of as in the dark night. In bolstering its ads business while severely handicapping other advertising platforms, but especially Facebook, with the introduction of a privacy policy that effectively breaks the mechanic that those platforms used to target ads, Apple has taken money from a party that is so unsympathetic that it can't appeal to a

greater authority for redress. Apple has brazenly, in broad daylight, stormed into the bank of Facebook, looted its most precious resource, and camouflaged under the noble cause of giving privacy controls to the consumer, fled the scene. And Facebook is left with little recourse. The company attempted to sway consumer sentiment to its side through an enormously wide-reaching PR campaign, but its efforts there were hobbled by the narrow messaging that was available to it. Facebook couldn't explain in detail why ATT will harm consumers because in doing so, it would need to reveal just how it personalizes ads through observing conversations on third-party websites and apps. So Facebook was restricted to a fairly weak PR strategy, which was to highlight that small

businesses would be harmed by ATT. This is true, of course, but it doesn't invigorate a deep well of compassion from consumers. Does anyone want to acknowledge that their local florist or butcher is personalizing ads to them? Meanwhile, Apple simply had to mention privacy whenever objections to ATT were raised and mainstream media outlets rushed to defend it. As I outline in my content fortress thesis, when only first-party data is permissible for use in advertising, targeting, then the largest consumer tech companies will simply grow their first-party data sets. Apple is claiming that the entirety of the App Store exists in its first-party data environment, and so every interaction that takes place in any app is fodder for its ads optimization algorithm.

But under those conditions, the exact quality and quantity of consumer data continues to be harvested and utilized for ads targeting under ATT, as was utilized before ATT. Nothing has changed with ATT. A big tech company continues to monitor app usage and monetization for the purposes of targeting ads, except that with ATT, the company is Apple instead of Facebook. To a true privacy zealot, someone for whom any ads targeting is an ethical disaster, would this new privacy configuration of first party is good, third party is bad, be acceptable? ATT doesn't provide real consumer choice, and Apple has clearly privileged its own ad network. work with this new privacy policy in very obvious ways. And Apple has engineered all of this while being cheered on by parties that ape Apple's commercial slogan regarding the righteousness of first-party data for ads targeting. Case studies will be written in decades to come about Apple's astute attack on Facebook via an esoteric advertising identifier. If anything is clear from the protracted

rollout of ATT, it is that Apple's PR department deserves a pay raise, end quote. As I sometimes say, This is one of those times when I don't have an opinion on this either way, but this has been what folks have been arguing about in the Twitterverse and substack verse for the last 24 hours. So there you go. Small little personal plug today. My friend, the cartoonist Matthew Bogart, does this comic series called Incredible Doom. It's set in the 1990s, follows a bunch of kids making life or death choices on the early internet.

It's right up my alley and it's turned. of hitting some of our sweet spots, you know, like comics, 90s nostalgia, dial-up internet-era nostalgia. Anyway, the full volume one collection of Incredible Doom is now available, so join me in picking up a copy. You can read more about Incredible Doom, including extensive videos of the book and the comics, so you can get a look at them before you buy a copy at Incredible Doom.com. I'll have a link at the very bottom of today's show notes. Incredible Doom.com. Check it out.