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And Volvo takes aim at Tesla's Model 3.
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Apple is busy dealing with a performance-sapping problem on the new MacBook Pro, but we're getting you ready to go back to school with our latest buyer's guide update. Also, Nikon is working on a new camera mount and the Chromecast turns five.
Apple blames software bug for MacBook Pro CPU throttling, issues fix
After tests showed Core i9 CPUs running slower than expected in new MacBook Pros, Apple has responded. Instead of blaming the slim design for heat issues, the company said a software bug drove down clock speeds severely for extended heavy workloads, affecting all of its new laptops. Apple already pushed out a macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update that it said would make the 15-inch laptop up to 70 percent faster, and the 13-inch MBP with Touch Bar up to twice as fast.
Check out Engadget's 2018 back-to-school guide!
You know the drill: We spend all year reviewing and writing about the latest and greatest in tech, and then twice a year, we drop a ton of buying advice in the form of shopping guides. It's July, so this one is for all of you who are going to school this fall, or shopping for someone who is. (Don't worry, we'll be back later this year with a separate but equally big gift guide for the holiday season. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.)
Our full guide is live today, and we'll be following up over the next month with buying guides and advice columns geared toward students.
Unlike most of the gadgets we've seen come and go, Google's Chromecast dongle has remained blissfully uncluttered. Add WiFi, power and an HDMI input, then choose a video on your phone and press play -- it's like a magic trick. Billy Steele dives into the stories behind a device that still gets daily use five years after its debut.
Nikon confirms new full-frame FX mirrorless cameras and lens mount
Nikon announced that it's developing a "next-generation full-frame (Nikon FX-format) mirrorless camera and Nikkor lenses, featuring a new mount," adding that "professional creators around the world have contributed to the development." However, Nikon has yet to confirm the specs, date and price, or even shown an official image of it yet. As expected, it's also working on an adapter that will let you use existing full-frame Nikon F-Mount DSLR lenses with the cameras.
How to delete old tweets so you don't get fired
The episode that resulted in Disney firing director James Gunn from its Guardians of the Galaxy franchise could have been avoided with some basic, and often free, social-media housekeeping. It's called "deleting your old tweets so you don't lose your job once you get famous" and it's really easy to do.
Vizio's super-bright P-Series Quantum TV is now available
You can finally get your hands on Vizio's flagship 2018 4K TV, the 65-inch P-Series Quantum at retailers like Best Buy, Sam's Club and Costco. The $2,100 set is the company's most advanced TV yet, with 2,000 nits of peak brightness and a sleek new bezel-less design. It also packs in 192 local dimming zones, compared to 100 from the previous P-Series set.
Volvo's all-electric Polestar 2 will go up against the Model 3
Volvo COO Jonathan Goodman told Autocar that the Polestar 2 would have the kind of performance and pricing that might have some Model 3 buyers reconsidering their life choices. The upcoming EV would cost between £30,000 to £50,000 (about $39,400 to $65,700) with as much as 400 brake horsepower and a 350-mile range.
Toshiba's newest SSDs are the first to use 96-layer 3D flash chips
The XG6 series of NVM Express (NVMe) SSDs use BiCS 3D flash memory with three-bits-per-cell that power the drives to 3,180 MB/s read and 3,000 MB/s write speeds, with a stellar 365,000 random write IOPS (input/output operations per second). At the same time, the devices consume a maximum of just 4.7 watts.
Facebook deal with Washington AG ends ad filtering for ethnicity
"In response to the feedback we've received, we've removed thousands of categories from exclusion targeting," Facebook said in an April announcement. "We focused mainly on topics that relate to potentially sensitive personal attributes, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion." Now an assurance of discontinuance with the state of Washington makes the changes (which apply nationwide) legally binding.
But wait, there's more...
Google Cloud Next keynote video: The future of cloud computing is AI, apparently
GM's new car-sharing program allows owners to rent their vehicles
DirecTV Now helped AT&T turn around its shrinking video business
The Big Picture: Catching the ISS's fleeting pass between enormous sunspots
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