Waiting on M3
Apple has a new 24in iMac in the pipeline, but it’s unlikely that we’ll see it before the end of 2023 is upon us, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He believes that Apple will entirely skip the M2 generation for the iMac, and is holding out for the yet-to-be-announced M3 chip.
“I haven’t seen anything to indicate there will be a new iMac until the M3 chip generation, which won’t arrive until the tail end of this year at the earliest or next year,” said Gurman in his latest newsletter. “So if you want to stick with the iMac, you’ll just have to sit tight.”
It’s been nearly two years since Apple updated the iMac, which launched soon after the M1 chip was brought into the world. It’s odd for Apple to leave a product on the shelves for that long without some sort of update, making it likely that Gurman’s words are true. He went on to say that the incoming M3 chip could also be making an appearance in future iterations of the MacBook Air and Pro though he failed to offer any more information.
Source: Bloomberg
Microsoft Office is getting AI integration (soon)
Last week saw the unveiling of Microsoft’s own ChatGPT-like AI model, with the Prometheus Model making its way into Bing Search for everybody. Now, Microsoft wants to show the world how its artificial intelligence will transform its suite of Office apps. According to sources close to Microsoft, a planned demonstration of the AI’s integration could be seen sometime in March.
The Information believes that some form of OpenAI’s GPT model has already been integrated into Office, improving upon Word’s autocorrect and Outlook’s search results.
The need for speed on Microsoft’s end reportedly has to do with Google’s rushed launch of its AI counter to ChatGPT, Bard. Initially, Microsoft had aimed to launch its Bing AI Search upgrade at the end of February. It then pushed the date to try and beat Google to the punch. In the end, Google became the punchline when Bard cost the company over $100 billion in just one day. Sometimes earlier isn’t better, despite your girlfriend’s constant affirmations to the contrary.
You can already use the Prometheus Model on the web-based versions of Office apps – though you’ll be stuck using Edge’s new sidebar integration to pull it off.
Source: The Verge, The Information
Curiosity finds evidence of water (where it shouldn’t be)
We already know that there was once water on Mars. That’s an undeniable fact. What we can’t be sure of is when water was there, and how long it’s been since it all dried up. And now, the Mars Curiosity rover has discovered some new information that’s thrown a spanner into the debate.
Back in December of 2022, Curiosity captured the image you see above. The ripples on the surface – specifically in an area known as the Marker Band Valley – prove that a lake once belonged there millions of years ago. Usually, this wouldn’t be worth a discussion. The issue is that NASA’s scientists were quite sure that water wasn’t there. Until now, that is.
In the same area, the rover discovered a rock feature covered in rhythmic rock layers that have a repetitive pattern, which could mean that Mars often experienced regular cycles of weather such as dust storms.
“This is the best evidence of water and waves that we’ve seen in the entire mission,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist. “The wave ripples, debris flows, and rhythmic layers all tell us that the story of wet-to-dry on Mars wasn’t simple,” continued Vasavada. “Mars’ ancient climate had a wonderful complexity to it, much like Earth’s.”
Source: Digital Trends
Michael Keaton is back, man
In case you weren’t aware; this past weekend saw the culmination of this year’s Superbowl (go Chiefs!?). And, as ever, the event’s highlights had nothing to do with the hand-egg competition that’s meant to be the point of the show. The world’s largest movie studios use the time to drop an abundance of new trailers, and the 2023 show did not disappoint.
We got looks at Scream VI, Fast X, Transformers, Creed 3, and Indiana Jones. But somewhat surprisingly, the star of the show was the trailer for The Flash and the multiple Batmen that accompanied him. Both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck are reprising their roles, along with Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Michael Shannon as Zod, and Ezra Miller as the Flash… again?
According to the now co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn, the film is “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made” and is supposedly the movie that’ll reboot the entire DC Universe. Whether that’s just a marketing strategy or not, you can’t deny that the trailer was actually half-decent.
The film’s plot follows Barry Allen as he attempts to save his mother, while simultaneously disrupting the entirety of the DC Universe in an epic fashion. There are two Barry Allens, two Batmen, and a not-so-dead Zod in the mix to really drive home just how hard the Flash screwed the pooch. We also got confirmation of a release date thanks to the poster that debuted before the show – 16 June.