Maria Diaz/ZDNETRobot vacuums have become indispensable in the cleaning routines of many households -- an estimated14% of Americans now own one. You don't have to live in the Jetsons to have a robot roaming around your home cleaning up after your kids and pets.Though iRobot was a groundbreaking robot vacuum brand in the US, the market has grown exponentially in the past five years. In an attempt to keep up with increasing consumer demand, new and existing vacuum brands have entered the robotics market, reaching the point of saturation. This has made it harder to choose a device when shopping for a robot vacuum.Also: The best robot vacuums for 2025: Expert tested and reviewedChoosing a brand and a robot vacuum can be challenging, with choices of self-washing mops, strong suction power, self-emptying dustbins, and other extra accessories and features. Our mission at ZDNET is to break down which features are best suited for which people and which vacuums are the best on the market through comprehensive testing and research.How we test robot vacuums in 2025 Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET has several staff reviewers testing robot vacuums to deliver clear, unbiased reviews and information that helps readers choose the best robot vacuum for their needs. To date, we've tested around 30 robot vacuums, including robot vacuum mop combos.As a smart home enthusiast and robot vacuum fanatic, I enjoy testing robot vacuums in my home, where I can expose these devices to different environments and phenomena, mostly triggered by my dog or young kiddos. Simultaneously, ZDNET has a separate laboratory to conduct controlled testing and evaluation. This guide will cover how we test robot vacuums in each environment.What makes a robot vacuum ZDNET recommended? Maria Diaz/ZDNETAt ZDNET, we only recommend robot vacuums that we've tested ourselves, so our team recommends each one based on real-world experience. For a robot vacuum to be ZDNET-recommended, we expect it to meet several requirements:Performance: We consider features like suction power and how effectively the robot vacuums up debris on different floor types. Good performance also includes evaluating its navigation and mapping systems, including obstacle avoidance. We assess whether the battery life is sufficient to clean the desired areas on a single charge or if the robot features automatic recharge-and-resume capabilities.User experience: The user experience is central to enjoying a device, from unboxing to long-term use. At ZDNET, we evaluate whether a device features simple setup, use, and maintenance and the best audience for which each robot vacuum is best suited.Versatility and features:Manufacturers often make promises to make their robots stand out from the competition, but delivering on these promises is not easy. We evaluate whether a device delivers on its specifications, including how well its mopping feature works, whether it truly is 'the most powerful suction on the market,' how it cleans tight spaces, and other unique differentiating features.Device longevity: Because robot vacuums are expensive, we know they're not impulse buysinstead, they're carefully thought-out purchases. By testing these robots for extended periods of time, we assess whether they deliver consistent performance with minimal issues in the long term, durability, and user maintenance requirements.Unboxing processFrom beginning to end, my in-home robot vacuum testing process involves constant note-taking and visual documentation with photos and videos. I begin by unboxing the robot vacuum and taking photos and notes of the process, including the setup experience, packaging quality, and accessories. Maria Diaz/ZDNETI evaluate the robot's build quality and design and assess whether it has extra features that make it stand out from competitors. These could include a self-emptying handheld vacuum, an extendable mop pad, or a sweeper brush.Setting up a testing environment The ZDNET/CNET testing lab has different environments to run and observe robot vacuums as they perform. Chris Bayer/ZDNETBecause my dog stays on the first floor of my home, I tend to conduct most of my testing there. I do this to evaluate how the robots perform when collecting pet hair and dust and how they clean up the kitchen.The first floor of my home also has different floor types, including tile, hardwood, and short- and medium-pile carpet.I also have a 10-foot by 5-foot enclosure on my carpet and hardwood to evaluate the patterns vacuums use to clean up. Robot vacuum users prefer a linear cleaning method, where the robot navigates the area in lines, ensuring no spots are missed and leaving carpet lines that indicate the floor's just been vacuumed. Maria Diaz/ZDNETHowever, some robot vacuums clean in different patterns or have different mapping procedures, so I like to see how an individual robot vacuum navigates my enclosure and how fast it does it to report any differences with competitors.Performance testing and metricsOnce the robot is set up, I let it run through the house to create a space map. To do this, it's best to clean up items from the floor and place furniture where it's supposed to go to ensure the robot creates an accurate map.MappingMapping can involve running the robot for a mapping round where it vacuums your entire floor, which can take up to about an hour, or it may just roll around creating a map with its LiDAR sensors, which should only take a few minutes.Testing suction power Maria Diaz/ZDNETBecause I take notes and photos throughout the process, I evaluate any promises made by the manufacturer and assess whether the robot delivers on them. If a robot vacuum promises the strongest suction on the market, I see how it lives up to this claim.I use different debris types to see how the robot suctions each up. I've found glow-in-the-dark sand that I can spread on different floor types to compare how much the robot picks up visually. I also use a kitchen scale to weigh how much sand or crumbs I spread and then compare that weight to what the robot picked up.Common debris in my testing products includes kinetic sand, coffee grounds, cracker crumbs, Cheerios, pet hair, and kibble.Navigating obstacles Maria Diaz/ZDNETTesting robot vacuums also involves watching how they navigate around corners, furniture, and tight spaces and how they avoid obstacles. While some robot vacuums may struggle to move around furniture or under couches, others struggle to avoid large debris on the floor and get their brush roller jammed.Here's the different technology that robot vacuums use for obstacle avoidance:Bump sensors: Some simpler robot vacuums have bump sensors that detect physical contact with objects. When these robots bump into a chair leg, they know to change direction to navigate around it.Infrared sensors: These sensors are a basic obstacle avoidance method and a step up from bump sensors. Infrared sensors emit infrared light and measure the reflection to calculate the distance from objects to avoid collisions. These sensors are also commonly used to detect stairs and keep the robot from falling.VSLAM sensors: Visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) technology uses cameras to map the robot's cleaning area. The images captured by the cameras are processed with algorithms to understand the area's layout.LiDAR sensors: The Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) type of sensor creates an accurate, high-resolution map of the area, reaching high levels of detail. LiDAR sensors emit pulses of laser light and measure the time it takes for the laser to bounce back after hitting an object. The robot then calculates the distance based on the time delay and creates a precise 3D map of its surroundings.Some robot vacuums combine artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms with their sensor array to map out obstacles on the floor, using image recognition to identify them. Maria Diaz/ZDNETDuring testing, I closely monitor how robot vacuums navigate furniture and tight spaces and whether they know to avoid small ones. Having to pick up every single item or cable from the floor before running a robot vacuum detracts from the convenience one would expect from such a device. I prefer to have my robot vacuum avoid my wayward charging cable rather than have it get stuck on it and cut its cleaning short while I'm out of the house.If a robot promises to avoid obstacles strewn around the floor, I ensure it delivers. To test it, I use larger debris, like socks, wadded-up paper towel sheets, cables, small pieces of paper, small toys, leaves, and other items.Mopping feature Maria Diaz/ZDNETA robot vacuum with a bonus mopping feature is a great way to keep your floors clean and shining. Unfortunately, some promise more than they can deliver.During testing, I observe how the robot mops and how effectively it removes stains on hard floors, like dry mud and coffee. After the robot is done, I ensure to check the floors to see whether it leaves streaks or residue.Robots tend to mop superficially. Many drag a microfiber pad across the floor that may or may not vibrate, while others have two rotating microfiber mop pads. Many may return to the base station periodically to scrub their mop pads, then return to the cleaning task. But much like if a person were dragging a wet wipe or microfiber cloth across dirty floors, the pad will inevitably get too dirty to clean effectively -- the same happens with robot mops.More recently, robot mops have evolved into mop rollers, which spin inside the robot and are scrubbed with clean water while the dirty water is kept separately. This last modality ensures the robot only mops with clean water.ZDNET's lab testing ZDNET's testing lab has different testing environments that robot vacuums must run through. Chris Bayer/ZDNETAlong with my testing in my home environment, we also test nearly every robot vacuum at the ZDNET lab in Louisville, Ky., for a more controlled experience.At the lab, the team unboxes the robot vacuum, measures the nozzle's width, and weighs the vacuum's dustbin. The lab has a testing rig with a fixed surface area to sprinkle debris on and evaluate how the robot cleans it.Debris includes sand, black rice, and pet hair and is spread over different floor surfaces, including low-pile, medium-pile, and hard floors.Lab testing requires different methodologies for various debris types. Sand and black rice are assessed with weight, while pet hair inevitably gets tangled on the brush roller, so the results tend to be sight-based.Additional features Maria Diaz/ZDNETDuring performance testing, I make note of any specific features that make the robot vacuum in question different from others. Different robot vacuums advertise unique features to stand out, whether it's a square shape, exceptional obstacle avoidance, extendable arms, special mopping features, or other bonus functionalities.I evaluate whether these differentiating factors perform as promised and if they are truly unique on the market.User experienceThe app experience can make or break a robot vacuum, especially for users who don't leverage smart integrations, like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, for voice control. If a user relies on the app to control their robot vacuum, the app needs to be user-friendly and reliable.During testing, I assess how the app performs and whether it's reliable or not. I've found some robots have inconsistent connection issues, making you wait too long to connect to the robot when you open the app. User-friendliness makes an app easy to navigate, but it also gives users a variety of functions and customizations to let them feel in control of their device.Long-term testing Maria Diaz/ZDNETI test all robot vacuums for at least a month, but sometimes, I write about my first impressions within a week or two of testing. While I test robot vacuums, I ensure that my reviews are updated as new observations come up.Though many good features are strikingly obvious when testing a robot, issues are more likely to arise during repeated, long-term testing. I've had robots suddenly stop following the map they created after months of using it, forcing me to delete the map and recreate it. After a few months of use, I've also had a robot present a brush roll issue, so long-term testing is important to assess how well a robot vacuum performs. Factors to consider when choosing a robot vacuum Choosing the right robot vacuum depends on several external factors and user preferences, but several factors must be considered to ensure it meets the user's needs. Here are some key factors to keep in mind when choosing a robot vacuum:Floor types: Different circumstances require a different set of features. If you have mostly carpet in your home, you probably don't need a high-end mopping feature in a robot vacuum, but you will need strong suction. Similarly, if you have mostly hard floors, you likely need good suction and a great mopping feature.Mapping and obstacle avoidance: Entry-level robot vacuum models use infrared sensors, while high-end models leverage LiDAR, VSLAM, and AI to navigate homes and recognize objects. If you don't want to pick up every sock and charging cable from your floors before each cleaning, you'd do better with a high-end model with effective obstacle avoidance. Some iRobot models have P.O.O.P., a technology that identifies and avoids going over pet messes.Battery life: When choosing a robot vacuum, consider the area you want it to cover and whether you'd like it to clean the entire area on a single charge. Larger areas, like an entire floor, may require a longer battery life. Also, consider that most models can automatically recharge and resume cleaning in the middle of a session.Suction power:Pets increase pet hair, dander, dust, and debris on your floors. Homes with pets could use strong suction to remove debris from carpets and corners. Strong suction is great for homes with pets and many carpets, but a 10000Pa suction power isn't necessary for hard floors. Show more Frequently Asked Questions How do robot vacuums work? Robot vacuums, like traditional vacuums, have a suction system with a brush roller that picks up debris from the floor and disposes of it in a dustbin inside. Additionally, robot vacuums use a combination of sensors and a navigation system to clean floors automatically. They're capable of cleaning an area, avoiding obstacles in their path, and then returning to the charging dock to recharge. Show more How long does the battery last on a robot vacuum? A robot vacuum's battery life depends on the model, but you can expect to find robots that can last from 60 to 160 minutes per charge. The higher-end models offer the longest battery life. Most robot vacuums can recharge automatically duringa cleaning session and then resume the job when the battery is sufficiently charged. Show more How do robot vacuums handle pet hair? Robot vacuums have become sophisticated to the point where there are models that can handle pet hair more efficiently than others. Many models feature strong suction and brushes designed to pick up pet hair effectively, with some even including a built-in detangling system within the robot to remove pet hair from the brush as it rolls during cleanings.As a bare minimum, a robot vacuum that can handle pet hair should have a rubber brush, a large dustbin, and a self-emptying system, with bonus points if the robot can self-empty as needed during a cleaning. Show more Do robot vacuums require maintenance? Yes, robot vacuums require routine maintenance. Regular maintenance includes cleaning and replacing filters, emptying the dustbin, checking brushes for hair or debris, and replacing sweeper brushes.If a robot vacuum has a self-emptying system that empties its dustbin into a dust bag at the base station, it should be replaced every seven weeks at most.Robot vacuum and mop combinations can require more intervention. Traditional combination robots require manually washing the mop pads and refilling the water tank.Self-washing robot vacuums and mops return to the dock to wash the mop pads, so they require the user to fill the clean water tank and empty the dirty water tank every few cleaning sessions. These models also require users to clean the base station's washing sink, where the mop pads are washed, every few cleanings. Show more ZDNET Recommends

Current McAfee customers won't have to do a thing to utilize the new feature, introduced this week at CES 2025.

OWC's USB4 optical cables offer the same data transfer speeds and come in longer sizes than Apple offers, but are almost half off.

An AI-generated abstract image, representing AGI.gettyOpenAI CEO Sam Altman says super-startup OpenAI, makers of the ChatGPT software that reignited the AI space in November 2022, knows how to built AGI, or artificial general intelligence.We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it, Altman posted to his personal blog over the weekend. We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents join the workforce and materially change the output of companies.But AGI is about much more than agents, which business software companies have been talking about for a year. Artificial general intelligence is about the glorious future, Altman says, beyond agents that do business tasks for us.We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future. With superintelligence, we can do anything else. Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity.That will worry many: luminaries in technology such as the godfather of AI, Geoff Hinton, who has sounded alarms on current AI research. And many others as well, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Elon Musk, and Rachel Bronson, President, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, who signed an open letter with thousand of others in early 2023 calling for a pause on giant AI experiments.Some AI researchers, such as Roman Yampolskiy, a professor at the University of Louisville, believe we already have AGI, under a narrow definition. Case in point: the already-outdated GPT-4 is itself generally better than a human across hundreds of domains.MORE FOR YOUIt can write poetry, generate art, play games, he told me in a TechFirst podcast. No human being can compete in all those domains, even very capable ones. So truly, if you average over all existing and hypothetical future tasks, its already dominating just because its so universal.Altman, of course, is talking about yet another level: super-intelligent AI that can conduct research, create new fields of knowledge, and invent entirely new things, possibly with but possibly without an ongoing input and partnership with humans.Altman knows how that sounds:This sounds like science fiction right now, and somewhat crazy to even talk about it, he says.But hes not worried about sounding crazy.Were pretty confident that in the next few years, everyone will see what we see, and that the need to act with great care, while still maximizing broad benefit and empowerment, is so important, Altman says.Talk of imminent AGI tends to bring up the concept of the singularity, a hypothetical point in the future when technological growth driven by artificial general intelligence gets so fast and so profound it is essentially uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in massive and unpredictable changes to human civilization.Last year Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNet, chairman of the Artificial General Intelligence Society, and former chief scientist at Hanson Robotics, told me AGI was just three to eight years away.If we wanted to define AGI as the creation of machines with the general intelligence of a really smart human on their best day, I would say were three to eight years from that, Goertzel says. So I think were pretty close.But Goertzel was not confident that LLMs were the path to AGI, nor that adding a few more bells and whistles to LLMs or making them bigger would result in artificial general intelligence.On the other hand, I think they can be a powerful accelerant toward the creation of AGI, Goertzel told me.There are also researchers who think the whole concept of artificial general intelligence is misguided. One of them is Neil Lawrence, an author, DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, and Senior Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute.I think the notion of AGI is kind of nonsense because its a misunderstanding of the nature of intelligence, Lawrence says, who wrote The Atomic Human partially to counteract this tendency. We have a spectrum of intelligence, a spectrum of capabilities. There is no One Ring to rule them all. Theres a diversity of intelligences.All that said, Altman is forging on ahead. And given what OpenAI has achieved already ChatGPT is my primary search engine and knowledge engine it would be fairly challenging to bet against him.Whats clear is that if OpenAI does succeed in achieving some version of AGI, many things will change very, very quickly.Dan Fagella, the CEO and founder of Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research, has interviewed near 1,000 AI experts and business leaders. He says those changes could include:massive automationsignificant workforce disruptionpotential existential threatsglobal economic and military power shiftsand much more ...In short, AGI is kind of a big deal, and Altman understands that.Given the possibilities of our work, OpenAI cannot be a normal company, Altman says. How lucky and humbling it is to be able to play a role in this work.

From process documentation to AI-powered automation, there are plenty of highly effective technology initiatives companies can roll out without breaking the bank.

Garmin HRM 200 (L) and HRM-Pro Plus (R)GarminThe best sports watches have heart rate reader tech good enough to make most of us consign chest straps to the back of a cupboard. But Garmin has just released a new strap, the Garmin HRM 200.This is roughly the replacement for the old Garmin HRM-Dual, which has been around since 2019.For those buying in 2025, though, the key question is whether you should buy the Garmin HRM 200 or the HRM-Pro Plus, released in 2022.The HRM-Pro Plus is still the higher-end and more feature-rich chest strap in most respects. But there are at least a couple of reasons to pick up the newer model instead.The HRM 200 Is CheaperGarmin charges less for the HRM 200 than the HRM-Pro Plus. Official retail pricing is $79.99 versus $129.99, a $50 difference.Of course, with the HRM-Pro Plus now well-established, you can often pick one up for less than $100. Price may be less of a key separator than youd guess.3ATM Vs 5ATM Water ResistanceMORE FOR YOUThe HRM-Pro Plus is better-suited to swimming than the new HRM 200. It has 5ATM water resistance, just like the HRM-Swim, made specifically for swimmers.Garmins HRM-300 is rated for 3ATM water resistance, not enough for confident use in the pool.If swimming will be your primary use case, the HRM-Swim is going to be the better buy, though, as its non-slip construction may help when pushing off from the poolside.HRM 200 Module Is DetachableOne benefit of the HRM 200 design is the strap is washable. The central module connects to the strap using a couple of poppers, so you can put the strap in the washing machine with your clothes if you like.Garmin HRM 200 rearGarminAn HRM-Pro Plus should never be put in the washing machine. GoPro recommends you hand wash it after every seven sessions.HRM-Pro Plus Is LighterThe older HRM-Pro is a little lighter than the HRM 200. It weighs 52g, while the HRM 200 weighs 63g, when paired with the larger M-XL size strap.The fully integrated style the HRM-Pro Plus also leads to lesser bulk, which may be far more important for some. Its 8.6mm thick, to the 11m of the HRM 200.HRM-Pro Plus Has Far More FeaturesYou can use the HRM-Pro Plus as a standalone wearable if you like, as it has its own onboard storage. It can hold up to 18 hours of data. And while theres no activity-tracking control to make this a particularly desirable way to use the band, its clearly a more capable gadget. It will even record steps.A HRM-Pro Plus will record additional data too, when hooked up to a watch. This includes running dynamics, Ski Power and running pace and distance.The HRM 200 is designed to connect to one of Garmins watches, or bike computers, to transmit heart rate and HRV (heart rate variability) data only.That said, the HRM 200 does have a button and light, not seen in the HRM-Pro Plus, which lets you easily tell if the strap has power and is working.Secure Transmission Is Available In The Garmin HRM 200The HRM 200 gets a new secure transmission mode, which relays heart rate data over an encrypted connection. This means only the paired device can access the data.Its the polar opposite of the classic transmission method of these heart rate straps, ANT+, which flings the signal out freely for anyone to pick up.Both support Bluetooth transmission, though,The HRM-Pro Plus Is Heading Towards Its EndAccording to the Garmin website, the HRM-Pro Plus is only guaranteed to receive security updates until July 2024. It hasnt seemingly received a major software update since 2022 too. Is it not long for this world?Security becomes a bit more of an issue with this model than the basic HRM lines, as it can connect to Garmin Connect on its own. More to the point, the date is also a suggestion Garmin considers, or at least considered at one point, it to be an end-of-life product in 2025.Which Should You Buy?If swimming is going to be part of your exercise routine, the HRM-Pro Plus is the better buy of these two straps.Its inclusion of running dynamics is neat too, although this data is provided by plenty of Garmins higher-end watches already. Theres also an argument for waiting to see if Garmin updates its HRM-Pro line later this year if youre in no rush. It seems unlikely the status quo of the cheaper band having an additional security/privacy feature will carry on in perpetuity.

In a nutshell: Despite being one of the most popular tools for GPU tuning on the market if not the most popular MSI Afterburner sees relatively few stable updates. However, the program's developer has confirmed that a major update is on the horizon. The update will coincide with the release of new GeForce cards, which are set to introduce an additional feature for fan control. We are hours away from Nvidia's official presentation at CES 2025, where the company is expected to unveil the next generation of its premium gaming GPUs. The release of the GeForce RTX 5000 series is all but confirmed, and MSI Afterburner developer Alexey "Unwinder" Nicolaychuk has provided another hint about what these new cards will bring to the gaming hardware market.Nicolaychuk revealed that a new version of MSI Afterburner is in the works and will launch close to the RTX 5080 series' sales debut. The update will include additional "strings," as the Blackwell GPU cards introduce three independent fan controllers an upgrade from the two controllers found in previous generations like the RTX 3000 and RTX 4000 series. As a result, MSI Afterburner will incorporate a new button for asynchronous fan speed control for the third fan.If leaks and expectations hold true, Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang will unveil the GeForce RTX 5080 during his Tuesday presentation, with sales expected to begin on January 21. One leaked product, the MSI RTX 5080 Gaming Trio, reportedly features three fans perfectly aligning with the three fan controllers supported by the new cards.Nicolaychuk, who develops MSI Afterburner in close collaboration with the Taiwanese company, likely has early insights into these upcoming GPUs. His comments further reinforce the buzz surrounding the RTX 5000 series and the anticipated technological advancements it will bring.The latest stable version of MSI Afterburner (4.6.5) was released in April 2023, while the most recent beta version (4.6.6 Beta 3) dates back to March 2024. As many enthusiast gamers and content creators are well aware, this versatile tool offers an array of essential features, including GPU overclocking, performance monitoring, benchmarking in-game graphics, capturing screenshots, and more.MSI Afterburner supports a wide range of GPUs from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, including integrated graphics. It even allows users to record video clips of their gaming sessions. However, based on my personal tests, it ranked third in terms of performance impact and overall video quality compared to Nvidia ShadowPlay and OBS Studio. That said, I rely on MSI Afterburner constantly especially when battling through the toughest challenges in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to monitor how my hardware is holding up. // Related StoriesDespite its immense popularity, MSI Afterburner faced an uncertain future in 2023 due to sanctions against Vladimir Putin's Russia. Nicolaychuk revealed that MSI hadn't paid him in over a year, leaving him unwilling to maintain the project without compensation. Fortunately, the issue was eventually resolved, allowing development to continue as usual.

Why it matters: The cost of progress is getting steeper with each new manufacturing process TSMC develops for Apple's A-series chips, which power the iPhone and iPad. A recent analysis sheds light on the increasing wafer prices and the diminishing transistor density gains Apple faces. Let's rewind to 2013 and the A7, Apple's first 64-bit chip built on TSMC's 28nm process. At the time, those 28nm wafers cost Apple $5,000 each, according to Creative Strategies CEO Ben Bajarin's supply chain sources. Those wafers packed a billion transistors into the A7's dual-core CPU and quad-cluster GPU.Fast forward to today, and the wafers for Apple's latest A18 Pro chips now cost $18,000 apiece over 3.5 times the price of the A7's wafers. This translates to an eye-watering increase in cost per square millimeter, rising from $0.07 on 28nm to $0.25 on 3nm.To be fair, the A18 Pro is fabricated on TSMC's cutting-edge 3nm process and crams an astonishing 20 billion transistors into its significantly more powerful CPU, GPU, and neural cores.Despite these impressive advancements, the rising costs are becoming harder to justify as performance gains diminish. Transistor density improvements have slowed in recent years as well. // Related StoriesBajarin notes that the biggest density gains came during the transitions to 20nm and 16nm, and the "glory days" of 10nm and 7nm with the A11 and A12. Those two chips saw transistor density hikes of 86% and 69% respectively compared to previous generations.However, in the past few years, these gains have slowed to a crawl. Between the A16 and A18 Pro, transistor density increases have dropped to single-digit percentages, largely due to diminishing returns in SRAM scaling. Despite this, Apple has to pay the piper much steeper prices for each new process node.Also read: Aiming for Atoms The Art of Making Chips SmallerAs for what's Apple's play here, it's all about maximizing the key performance-per-watt metric. As Bajarin explained to Tom's Hardware, IPC throughput gains are getting harder each generation, so the company has had to switch gears to focus more on power efficiency and keeping operating costs in check. Bajarin added that Apple has successfully maintained relatively stable die sizes while dramatically increasing transistor density.It should also be noted that as a top customer, Apple has a few advantages over other TSMC clients. Rumor has it that Apple is the only client paying TSMC per "good die" rather than per full wafer, giving it a competitive edge over its rivals.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsForced Perspective: Caged BirdForced Perspective: Ship in a BottleForced Perspective: Flowers in Three VasesForced Perspective: Capturing a ThiefForced Perspective: Long-Eared BunnyForced Perspective: Catching a Big FishForced Perspective: Light up the Bridge LampsForced Perspective: Flying BuntingsForced Perspective: Thuddy SnowmanForced Perspective: Happy BearForced Perspective: Empty FlowerpotForced Perspective: Burning with AngerForced Perspective: Catching a WaterfallThere are many different types of puzzle quests in Infinity Nikki, such as the Kindled Inspiration or the Risky Photography quests. One of the tougher types of quests to complete are the Forced Perspective quests that require you to take photos in specific perspectives to illicit an illusion of sorts.Recommended VideosDifficultyModerateDuration1 hourYou will come across a myriad of Forced Perspective quests around the open world of this gacha dress-up game. If you're stuck figuring out how to take the right photo for the Infinity Nikki Forced Perspective quests, here's some guidance on what your photos should look like.InFold GamesTalk to Ginona by the bridge in Florawish. She is standing on the deck of her house, and will ask you to take a photo of a caged bird for her.The bird cage is right behind Ginona, alongside the bird that you're meant to pretend is in the cage with this perspective.InFold GamesInFold GamesToscani is south of the Mayor's Residence Warp Spire and looking out over the water. He wants a photo of a ship in a bottle.This one is tricky, but make sure to zoom in enough for the photo to accept the ship inside of the bottle.InFold GamesInFold GamesToscani will now be by the house north of the Mayor's Residence Warp Spire. He's looking for a photo of three vases with flowers.Get right in front of the three blue vases in front of the house and make it look like the middle one has white flowers in it.InFold GamesInFold GamesTalk to Toran, who is near the statue outside of the Mayor's Residence. He wants a photo of what looks to be a captured thief.Just behind Toran is a house with an iron fence. Find the part with the thief painted on the walls, and take a picture with the iron bars in front of the thief.InFold GamesInFold GamesQiara is at the Leisurely Anglers Florawish Branch and is looking for a photo of a long-eared bunny.Use the hanging life ring as the bunny's body, and the two oars behind it as the bunny ears for this photo.InFold GamesInFold GamesViliak is at Meadow Wharf and wants you to take a photo of you catching a big fish.Hop onto the small boat on the water to get the right angle for this photo. Have the hook in front of the drawing of the fish.InFold GamesInFold GamesMeet Tristan at night in front of the Breezy Meadow bridge. He's looking for a photo showing the bridge's lamps lit up.Run backward far enough so you can use the lamp post in your photo. Make the lamp's light parallel with the hanging bridge light.InFold GamesInFold GamesJust southwest of the Lavenfringe Fields Warp Spire in Stoneville is Rico. He wants a photo of two scarecrows pulling the bunting.Take a picture of the red and blue scarecrow with the bunting in between and behind them.InFold GamesInFold GamesTalk to Sunkissed Stella in the Abandoned District on Windrider Mill. She wants a photo of a snowman.Nearby are two pumpkins that when photographed together look like the head and body of a snowman.InFold GamesInFold GamesTalk to Playful Pollie in the Handsome Lads Circus maze in the Abandoned District. She wants a photo of a bear holding balloons.Take the photo of the hay bale bear near the entrance to the maze with balloons in its paw.InFold GamesInFold GamesFind Sopuda by the river northeast of the Wishcraft Lab in the Wishing Woods. She wants a photo of a flower pot with flowers.Put the flower bush that's growing on the ground in front of the empty flower pot.InFold GamesInFold GamesTalk to Turaida in the Grand Tree Residential Area in the Wishing Woods. He wants a photo of himself burning with anger.Get in perspective so that the blue flame drawing is right behind Turaida's head.InFold GamesInFold GamesFind Titibo in the northern part of the Wishing Woods south of the Workshop Waterwheel Warp Spire. He wants a photo of a barrel catching a waterfall.Zoom into the small barrel and make it look like the waterfall to the west is falling into it.InFold GamesEditors Recommendations

Troubleshooting only gets easier HDMI 2.2 will require new Ultra96 cables, whenever we have 8K TVs and content The physical connector is, confusingly but expectedly, the same. Kevin Purdy Jan 6, 2025 12:27 pm | 17 The HDMI Forum's guidance on how cable markers might properly identify their future HDMI 2.2 cables, including QR-code-based certification of authentic Ultra96 cables. Credit: HDMI Forum The HDMI Forum's guidance on how cable markers might properly identify their future HDMI 2.2 cables, including QR-code-based certification of authentic Ultra96 cables. Credit: HDMI Forum Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWe've all had a good seven years to figure out why our interconnected devices refused to work properly with the HDMI 2.1 specification. The HDMI Forum announced at CES today that it's time to start considering new headaches. HDMI 2.2 will require new cables for full compatibility, but it has the same physical connectors. Tiny QR codes are suggested to help with that, however.The new specification is named HDMI 2.2, but compatible cables will carry an "Ultra96" marker to indicate that they can carry 96GBps, double the 48 of HDMI 2.1b. The Forum anticipates this will result in higher resolutions and refresh rates and a "next-gen HDMI Fixed Rate Link." The Forum cited "AR/VR/MR, spatial reality, and light field displays" as benefiting from increased bandwidth, along with medical imaging and machine vision. Examples of how HDMI 2.2's synchronization abilities will benefit home theaters. Examples of how HDMI 2.2's synchronization abilities will benefit home theaters. A visualization of how far HDMI has come in bandwidth, from 1.0 to 2.2. A visualization of how far HDMI has come in bandwidth, from 1.0 to 2.2.Examples of how HDMI 2.2's synchronization abilities will benefit home theaters.A visualization of how far HDMI has come in bandwidth, from 1.0 to 2.2.A bit closer to home, the HDMI 2.2 specification also includes "Latency Indication Protocol" (LIP), which can help improve audio and video synchronization. This should matter most in "multi-hop" systems, such as home theater setups with soundbars or receivers. Illustrations offered by the Forum show LIP working to correct delays on headphones, soundbars connected through ARC or eARC, and mixed systems where some components may be connected to a TV, while others go straight into the receiver.HDMI 2.2 is not a real thing you can buy into yet, as both cable and device manufacturers have not received the full specification yet and need time to build supported components.As to whether you need to buy into HDMI 2.2, that's another issue. You can already get uncompressed 8K, 60HZ video signals with 8-bit color depth or compressed 10K at 120Hz with 12-bit color depth through a top-flight HDMI-2.1b-compliant cable. It's the rare home system that needs more than that right now, let alone one that has any content to actually play at those rates.The Forum, perhaps knowing the deep grief that is trying to buy a "high speed" cable in modern times, wants people to look for an "Ultra96" badge on cable packaging. In addition, one can scan a QR code and see that a cable has been certified and is not counterfeit.Kevin PurdySenior Technology ReporterKevin PurdySenior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 17 Comments