Intel sells 51% of its FPGA business to Silver Lake so it can focus on its core products.

Japan's antimonopoly watchdog has issued a cease and desist order against Google for unfair trade practices regarding search services for its Android devices.

Mocap meets monster in The Witcher 4’s cinematic reveal, where Ciri faces off against Bauk in an intense and beautifully crafted duel. The fight sequence was brought to life using a 7-meter rig suspended from the ceiling, operated by three skilled puppeteers controlling the creature’s attacking arms while Maciej Kwiatkowski embodied Bauk’s body performance. The choreography was shot in just one seamless take, allowing the creative team to preview the action live on set, blending raw movement with Witcher-style combat. One of the most memorable chained jump moves was created just minutes before rolling — showing how tech, timing, and talent come together to craft unforgettable cinematic moments.Platige The post The Witcher 4 – Motion Capture Breakdown appeared first on Vfxexpress.

A year ago, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) put a limit on how much credit card companies could charge consumers for late payments. On Tuesday, the Trump administration quashed that limit, opening the door for financial institutions to once again gouge late-paying customers. The Biden-era rule capped late fees at $8, substantially less than what many credit card companies used to charge. But in a federal court filing in Texas, Trump’s CFPB asked a judge to terminate the rule, saying it had changed its mind and now agreed with banking groups that the rule was illegal. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman (a Trump appointee during his first term) agreed to the request Tuesday afternoon. Pittman had previously blocked the rule from being implemented, saying it violated the 2009 Credit Card Accountability and Disclosure Act, which regulated excessive fees, but allowed card companies to impose “penalty” fees for late payments. The decision to do away with the late-payment fee cap is a further dismantling of Biden’s initiatives. Trump has been vocal about wanting to disband the CFPB altogether, but judges have so far blocked him from doing so, saying he could lay off workers but not eliminate the agency. Initial opposition to the rule came from a coalition of six business and banking groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Bankers Association. Opponents of the rule celebrated the judge’s ruling. “We welcome today’s court decision vacating the CFPB’s credit card late-fee rule,” the groups said in a joint statement. “This is a win for consumers and common sense.” Under the CARD Act, credit card companies are allowed to charge a maximum fee of $41 for a missed payment, even if the cardholder is only late by a few hours. The Biden-era CFPB had argued there was no evidence that those fees deterred future late payments. Worse, it said, the fees were often accompanied by other penalties, such as loss of grace periods, interest due, and drops in credit scores. Consumer Reports, at the time the cap was enacted, estimated late fees cost Americans more than $14 billion per year. A 2022 report from the CFPB found that 18 of the largest 20 credit card companies were charging the maximum $41 fee, while smaller banks and credit unions were more likely to charge $25 or less. Under Biden, the CFPB estimated the cap could save Americans $9 billion per year. More fees are returning The court ruling comes as another “junk fee” consumer protection seems likely to fall. The House and Senate have both previously voted to repeal the CFPB’s limits on excessive bank-overdraft fees as well. Consumer Reports estimates consumers will lose $5 billion in annual savings with that cap gone. “Repealing the CFPB’s limits on overdraft fees gives big banks the green light to rip off their customers with excessive charges that far exceed the cost of covering the transaction,” said Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, last week when the House voted to repeal the limit. “Banks will be able to continue penalizing customers with steep fees even though most overdrafts are for small amounts that are repaid within a few days.” Overdraft fees fall most heavily on consumers with low- and moderate-income levels as well as have an outsize impact on people of color, according to Consumer Reports. Black consumers are 69% more likely than white consumers to live in a household that is charged at least one overdraft or insufficient-funds fee per year. Hispanics are 60% more likely to face the fees.

The original Vision Pro felt like strapping a Mac Studio to your face—with all the weight and price tag that implies. Nearly 1kg once you factored in the external battery, $3,500 out of pocket, and a risk of strained necks by hour two. Apple’s most ambitious product in years turned out to be a niche flex, applauded by developers and early adopters, but ultimately undercut by its own bravado. Now, Apple’s winding back the bombast. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next Vision headset isn’t just lighter and cheaper. It’s being reimagined for the world beyond Silicon Valley conference rooms. Apple seems to be having its reality-check moment. The next Vision Pro (or as I like to say, the Vision ‘Air’) is reportedly shedding weight like it’s on a juice cleanse, targeting around 650g or 1.4 lbs (not including the cable-linked battery pack). Lowering the weight likely means compromises: fewer sensors, streamlined build materials, and possibly a reduced field of view. But at this point, it’s a necessary trade-off. When users are hunting for third-party support straps on forums just to get through a movie, something’s broken in the design DNA. AI Visualization The price cut is rumored to be significant. Halving the entry point to $1,500-2,000 isn’t exactly making it accessible to everyone (this is still Apple we’re talking about), but it at least acknowledges that $3,500 was firmly in “second mortgage” territory for most consumers. Meta’s Quest lineup has proven there’s an appetite for spatial computing at a more digestible price point, and Apple can’t afford to remain in its ivory tower if it wants visionOS and spatial computing to gain meaningful adoption. There’s also talk of a tethered variant—an AR headset that plugs directly into a Mac. Imagine the Vision Pro as a high-end monitor for creative professionals, with ultra-low latency for tasks like CAD, video editing, or even surgical planning. Apple’s aim here seems surgical too: laser-focus on pro users who’ll pay a premium if the tech enables something truly transformative. That wired connection might sound regressive, but it offers a crucial win—zero lag, which wireless just can’t promise, especially in mission-critical environments. This two-pronged strategy feels distinctly Apple, given its usual tendency to release Pro and regular or Air versions of the same product category, be it MacBooks, iPads, or now, potentially, even iPhones. One product is an absolute work-horse, while the other serves more of a mass-market need. Since Apple bet big on Spatial Computing in 2023, it only makes sense for them to flesh out their ‘vision’ with both product lines – one for power users, and another for, well, users. Meanwhile, whispers of the Vision Pro 2 persist. That model, reportedly in development with an M5 chip and a refined optical stack, could retain the all-out luxury appeal of its predecessor—faster, sleeker, and still wildly expensive. But it won’t be the one most people buy. The lighter, cheaper Vision ‘Air’ isn’t playing backup. It’s gunning for primetime. And that’s a vision I can actually see clearly. Image Credits: Andrea CopellinoThe post Apple Is Working On A Cheaper, Lighter Vision ‘Air’ Headset With Rumored $1,500 Price Tag first appeared on Yanko Design.

When it rains, it pours. Here are our picks for cold, wet days—plus expert tips on deciphering product specs.

Nominations for Computerworld’s 2026 Best Places to Work in IT program are now open! Click here to nominate a company today. The 2025 honorees have been announced! See our Best Places to Work in IT 2025 special report for the complete list of honorees, major trends from this year’s survey, and much more. About the Best Places to Work in IT program Computerworld conducts an annual survey to identify the best places to work for IT professionals. We invite readers, PR professionals and other interested parties to nominate companies they consider great employers for IT workers. You may nominate your own company. We then ask those nominated companies that meet our basic criteria to participate in our survey. Once again, we are excited to extend this program, which has a 32-year history in the United States, to companies worldwide. The employers in the Best Places list are evaluated by company size: Large companies have 5,000 or more employees; midsize have between 1,001 and 4,999 employees; and small companies employ from 100 to 1,000. To be eligible, companies must have a minimum of 5 IT employees and a minimum of 100 total employees. We consider IT employees to be those IT workers who provide technology support and services to their own company — or to multiple companies through their work at an IT service provider. Workers who would *not* be included are administrative support staff for the IT department, staff who work in communications or PR for the technology department, IT contractors, or those staff whose primary role is in product development for outside sales. Best Places to Work in IT is a global program. We ask that companies submit no more than one survey within any one country. If your company operates in multiple countries and you would like to submit a survey for your location only, please note this in the company name field (e.g., “Foundry North America” or “Foundry Germany”). If no location is specified in the company name, we will assume that the entry represents all locations worldwide. In most cases, we prefer to have the parent company, rather than subsidiaries or affiliates, apply for the Best Places to Work in IT list. However, a subsidiary or affiliate may be eligible, providing that it stands out as a separate entity from the parent company, with separate business functions, IT leadership and so on. A subsidiary may also be eligible to apply separately if its parent company is a holding company. In those cases, the parent company and subsidiary may be able to apply separately. We encourage companies to complete the nomination form or contact us at bestplaces@computerworld.com, and our Best Places research team will evaluate the submissions on a case-by-case basis. Questions about the Best Places to Work in IT program can be emailed to bestplaces@computerworld.com. Frequently asked questions Survey requirements and eligibility Does my company have to be nominated to complete the survey? No. Companies may participate even if they were not nominated. In lieu of a nomination, please send an email to bestplaces@computerworld.com with the name and contact information (including email address) of the individual who should receive the company survey and other information; we’ll take care of the rest. Does the Best Places to Work in IT list include public companies only? No. The survey includes private as well as public companies. What criteria must my company meet to participate? To be considered for our Best Places to Work in IT list: Companies must have a minimum of 5 IT employees. Companies must have a minimum of 100 total employees worldwide. In most cases, we prefer to have the parent company, rather than subsidiaries or affiliates, apply for the Best Places to Work in IT list. However, a subsidiary or affiliate may be eligible, providing that it stands out as a separate entity from the parent company, with separate business functions, IT leadership and so on. A subsidiary may also be eligible to apply separately if its parent company is a holding company. In those cases, the parent company and subsidiary may be able to apply separately. We encourage companies to complete the nomination form or contact us at bestplaces@computerworld.com, and our Best Places research team will evaluate the submissions on a case-by-case basis. Who should complete the survey? An individual familiar with employment statistics, benefits, policies and programs of your IT department and your company should complete the survey. This could be a human resources representative, a CIO or corporate PR representative — or a team of all the above. Survey contents and procedures What does the company survey ask? Our online survey includes questions about companies’ benefits, training and development, IT salary changes, percent of IT employees promoted, IT turnover rates, and the percentage of women employees in management in IT departments. In addition, we will collect information about company culture, workplace modernization, and company growth. Which employees are considered “IT workers” in this survey? Answers to the survey should be based on those IT workers who provide technology support and services to their own company — or to multiple companies through their work at an IT service provider. Workers who wouldn’t be included are administrative support staff for the IT department, staff who work in communications or PR for the technology department, IT contractors, or those staff whose primary role is in product development for outside sales. What happens if I leave a question blank on the survey? You can’t leave a question blank if it is required. Many of the questions on the survey are required; the survey can’t be processed if they aren’t answered. Please answer to the best of your ability for questions with lists or options included. If any open-ended/text based questions aren’t applicable to your company, please indicate “NA” for “not applicable.” If there is a question you can’t answer fully given the format of the survey, you may briefly explain your answers in an addendum field that follows each survey section. Companies that withhold information used to rank the finalists will have points deducted from their ranking. Answers that are left blank or have unexplained N/As will be assumed to be 0 (zero). Companies must provide answers to questions related to data we run in our feature story and graphics in order to be considered. Please see below for the types of required information that are typically shared publicly. Can I save my survey and come back to it at a later date? Yes. You will be able to save your partially completed survey and can save a partially completed survey as many times as necessary. Please save your unique URL to re-enter the survey. When you return to the survey, you will be able to review/modify questions that you have already answered. However, we will continue to provide a printer-friendly version of the survey, and we recommend that you complete this survey, then enter your answers online. How should I send my company’s information to Computerworld? We accept company information from the online survey only. Please enter all data as accurately as possible. Provide company name, location, web address and other information, as you would like it to appear in print. Can I get a copy of the survey to review before I go to the online survey and submit my company’s information? Yes. A printer-friendly version of the 2026 Best Places company survey can be downloaded for reference. We encourage participants to complete the printer-friendly version offline before filling out the online survey. 2026 Best Places to Work in IT Company SurveyDownload Will Computerworld provide us with a copy of our submitted survey? Upon request, Computerworld will email you a PDF of your company’s survey responses. Is there an employee portion to the survey? There is no longer an employee survey portion to the survey. Computerworld decided to make this change in the 2023 program to streamline the process for global participation and to enable companies with smaller IT departments to participate. In lieu of the employee survey portion of the program, Computerworld will be inviting a panel of judges consisting of industry experts to evaluate entries and confirm this year’s honorees. List publication and notification When will the list of honorees be published? The Best Places to Work in IT honorees will be announced in December 2025 on Computerworld.com. When can I find out if my company is on the list? Computerworld will notify companies that will be honored as a 2026 Best Place to Work in IT several weeks in advance of publication. Computerworld’s marketing group contacts honorees to offer assistance with press releases. Is there a timeline to which I can refer for survey action items? Below is the 2026 Best Places to Work in IT timeline. April 15, 2025 Nominations open for the 2026 Best Places to Work in IT. Nominated companies receive an email with a unique link to the Best Places company survey from Computerworld by the end of April. Thereafter, company surveys will be sent on a rolling basis. Tuesday, July 15, 2025 DEADLINE: Completed Best Places company survey is due to Computerworld. October 5-7, 2025 Work+ event at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. October 2025 Nominees are notified regarding their status as Best Places to Work in IT honorees. November 2025 Best Places to Work in IT honorees are notified of their rank on the list. December 2025 List of Best Places to Work in IT honorees is available online. What information will be shared publicly? Computerworld tries to avoid printing information that a company may consider competitive. The following information may appear publicly: Company name Location Industry Website Total number of employees Total number of IT employees Percentage of IT employee turnover Percentage of IT employee promotions Number of training days offered per IT employee Information from open-ended survey questions outlining what’s special about your company and IT department Please note that revenue, overall IT budget and other sensitive information will not be reported. Such information will be used only in aggregate format or for ranking purposes. What if I have a question that was not answered in this FAQ? Please email your questions to the following address: bestplaces@computerworld.com. In the subject line, please include your company name and be as descriptive as possible in the subject line as to the nature of your inquiry.

To somehow support claims that the tariff exemption is not an exemption at all, the White House has announced an investigation into the entire semiconductor market segment.The White House is investigating semiconductors ahead of introducing tariffs on themOn April 2, 2025, Trump announced his "Liberation Day" slew of tariffs for which there would be no exemptions. On April 9, he granted Apple an exemption.But following the worldwide recognition that this was an exemption, over the weekend of April 10 and 11, Trump proclaimed that it was nothing of the sort. He said "there was no Tariff 'exception'... they are just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket'," as if it were all part of the plan. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

It's time again for this week's curated employer highlight, as selected from those firms currently hiring via Archinect Jobs. Today, we are featuring five firms with current openings in Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.  For more opportunities, visit the Archinect job board and explore our active community of job seekers, firms, and schools. Perkins Eastman is looking to hire a pair of experienced Marketing Coordinators in its D.C. office, in addition to a well-qualified new Designer II candidate in Los Angeles.  Image courtesy of Perkins EastmanThe first Marketing Coordinator II - K-12 position requires three to six years of marketing experience, ideally within AEC. Some background/experience in securing K-12 projects, Time Management Skills, and a background in graphic design would also be a plus. Responsibilities for this and the similar Marketing Coordinator II (Hybrid) position include: Organizing the new business pursuit process, marketing research for overal...

Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive have announced that a major new update for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The update, dubbed Trygon, brings with it a host of new content, including a new PvE mission that can be played solo or through co-op, as well as quality-of-life improvements and new cosmetic DLCs. The new mission takes players back to Avarax, where they will have to take on a Trygon as a boss fight. The boss, according to the announcement, will make use of guerrilla tactics, and can go underground to pop up behind defensive lines. To help take on the boss, players will also have access to the new Inferno Pistol as a secondary weapon. In the new mission, which is the ninth PvE mission part of the Operations mode in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, players are tasked with getting to an Adeptus Mechanicus facility where a Tech-Priest was last heard from refusing an order to withdraw. Players will have to fight their way through the facility and evaluate the status of the Tech-Priest. The update also brings with it a host of new quality-of-life improvements, including the addition of Prestige Ranks and Prestige Rewards, reworked weapon perks, customisation options for the colour of cloth, tabards, and hoods, and custom PvP lobbies. The new DLC added to the game as part of its season pass are the Space Wolves Chapter Pack, and the Imperial Fists Champion Pack. The first one brings with it a new Champion skin for the Vanguard class, weapon skins for the Chainsword, Bolt Carbine and Thunder Hammer, and more than 50 unique cosmetics from throughout the Space Wolves’ Great Companies. The Imperial Fists Champion Pack includes a Champion skin for the Tactical class, along with a weapon skin for the Plasma Incinerator that also pays homage to the Sons of Dorn. While content for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is being continuously developed, Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive had also confirmed back in February that the next game in the franchise had also begun development. Appropriately titled Space Marine 3, the game will feature a new campaign, as well as new multiplayer modes. In the meantime, the publisher has confirmed that work on Space Marine 2 is still continuing, and that post-launch content support for the title is “far” from over. For more details about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, check out our review. The title has been quite popular, having been played by more than 6 million players as of January. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Update 7.0 Patch Notes: New Features: New PvE Operation: Exfiltration Prestige Ranks in PvE Private PvP Lobbies New Secondary Weapon in PvE and PvP: Inferno Pistol New customisation options: 2 new colours, Bulwark cloth colouring, hands colouring New Season Pass content: Space Wolves Chapter Pack Imperial Fists Champion Pack Gameplay & Balancing: Extended weapon arsenal in PvE Weapon perks updated in PvE Improved Matchmaking in PvE and PvP Various changes, bugfixes and improvements