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  • Analysts worry about UK 5G support in 'iPhone 12'

    iconaughticonaught
    I understand that the iPhone 12 will be shipping with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Modem and at least the x55 and if we're really lucky the 5nm fabrication x60. They support low-band FDD spectrum. It supports standalone network. It supports spectrum sharing between 4G and 5G. So the support for sub 6Ghz frequencies (which includes the spectrum that has been auctioned to carriers in the UK) is in there.
    Given that the Qualcomm X55 and X50 are being tested by 3 and Vodafone (among others) since 2019.  I would be more confident that the iPhone 12 will work if there is a network to connect to.  Given that challenges in the UK and Europe this year in deployment with towers being set on fire and engineers being shot at, I would expect that those incidents may have impacted installation schedules.

    Here's some good summaries of testing efforts and roll-out details that the analysts are missing out on.  
    https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/vodafone-tests-dss-using-700-800-mhz-spectrum
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/5g-handsets-and-networks-everything-you-need-to-know-about-roll-outs-and-roadmaps-for-the-uk/

    caladanianGeorgeBMacCloudTalkin

  • Epic Games CEO says Apple suit is about 'basic freedoms,' calls Apple a middleman

    iconaughticonaught
    darkpaw said:
    I saw some guy on the TV being interviewed about this, and he said Apple is acting as a rent-collector, milking their tenants rather than innovating. Idiot. Anyway, he suggested that Apple should reduce their cut to maybe 10-15% rather than 30%. So, this guy *knows* exactly how much Apple need to spend to maintain and improve the App Store, iOS, the development tools, etc.? He *knows* that Apple can afford to halve their App Store income and will still be able to cover it? Unlikely.

    It's not about being a monopoly or exhibiting monopolistic behaviour, it's about money.

    Apple charges 30%. You knew that when you developed for iOS. That's the deal. Don't like it, then don't put your game on iOS.
    Right on the money <rim shot>.

    Apple Store charges 30%
    Sony PSN Store charges 30%
    Microsoft Game Store charges 30% both for PC and for XBOX
    Galaxy Store charges 30%
    Samsung Store charges 30%
    Steam charges 30%
    Google Play charges 30%
    Bestbuy charges 30%
    Amazon charges 30%
    Nintendo Switch Store charges 30%
    Gamestop charges 30%

    The only exceptions for Humble Bundle (15% + 10% for charity) and Epic Game Store 12%

    Tim Sweeney is picking a fight with one store that would most likely result in a cascading effect across all app stores.   This wouldn't get nearly as much press or attract as much engagement if he went after XBOX or PSN or Nintendo individually and it would be costly to engage them separately.   This allows him to get an audience, throw his punches and the impact of a win would likely have a cascading effect across the industry.
    tmayanantksundaramrazorpitwatto_cobra

  • Apple to offset costly 5G iPhone components with cheaper battery tech

    iconaughticonaught
    Anilu_777 said:
    Battery life and connectivity are strong needs and in 2020 are musts for flagship phones. 5G will use more battery so reducing size isn’t good for me. I need a battery that lasts all day. Likely buying the Pro Max anyway
    I wouldn't write this off as an impact to usage times until usage times are published. There is a lot that Apple could do with power management, Apple Silicon Design and the modems/antennas that could significantly reduce power.  5G modems and antennae do not necessary use more power than LTE, 3G it will likely use significantly less.

    Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 X60 modem that Apple is using in the iPhone12 (all versions from what I have read) and can share 4G (LTE and LTE+) and 5G connections simultaneously without powering up multiple modems and supports 5G through 2G on the same modem.  Thankfully we don't have to worry about 2G or 3G much longer as the networks are shut down or are being shut down  (Verizon originally planned for 3G shutdown by YE 2019 and is now scheduled for end of 2020.  AT&T shuts off 3G networks by 2022).

    In the iPhone 11 the Intel 7660 Modem gained 20% power consumption improvements (from the XS) by moving to that chipset and it was based on a 14nm process.   The iPhone 12 based on this Snapdragon X55 X60 is based on 7nm 5nm fabrication process so we should expect significant energy savings just based on the fabrication and design of the modem let alone any savings from efficiencies in the A14 SoC.
    note:   X60 has been reported to be using 15% less power than the X55.  

    ...that said the X55/X60 story has been flip-flopping over the past 3 months.


    https://www.androidcentral.com/qualcomm-x60-vs-x55-5g-comparison
    https://www.digi.com/blog/post/how-to-stay-ahead-of-the-3g-network-sunset
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra

  • T-Mobile rechristens its 5G network as 'standalone,' expands to 7,500 cities

    iconaughticonaught
    GeorgeBMac said:
    Interesting claims by T-Mobile:

    15x faster.

    Our network will be 8x faster than current LTE in just a few years, and 15x faster in the next six years.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    99% with 5G.

    We already have the largest 5G network, and within the next 6 years we’ll provide 5G to 99% of Americans.

    ---------------------------------------

    5G access included in every plan—at no extra charge.

    It will be interesting to see what AT&T and Verizon come up with to counter those claims.
    But, if true, what's not to like?

    What most people are not aware of is that the 5G network much more than just a function on your phone.  As 5G is rolled out most people on devices with 2G, 3G, LTE and 5G antennas are all using the "5G network".  The advancements in the 5G network beyond antennas is so much more about the network than it is about phones and devices.

    5G is reorganizing the wireless network and this is what will be driving low latency communications.   Latency advancements that will be competitive with Fiber To The Home, DSL and Cable Internet.   I fully expect to see over the next few years that Network Providers will roll out fixed wireless broadly enough that it will be as reliable and possibly more reliable than many current cable and other gigabit-internet services and price competitive.

    Normally I would be cautiously optimistic when a service provider is quoting performance increases like this, however, the changes that are happening throughout Verizon, T-Mobile, ATT is nothing short of a complete overhaul in how network services are delivered.

    The only historical comparison that I draw as to how significant this is to the improvement of network access, is the transition from dial-up to wired broadband internet.
    ronn

  • Apple threatens to close Epic Games developer account on Aug. 28

    iconaughticonaught
    wood1208 said:
    I believe besides IOS and Android platforms; others(Microsoft XBOX,Sony PlayStation,Nintendo,etc) charges similar 30% to Epic than what seems a problem with Apple ?

    Every Digital Distribution channel with the exception of Humble Games and Epic charges 30%.  

    This is not an issue of "freedom for developers" it is an issue of money for Epic. If Epic can convince Apple to reduce their fee's, the rest of the industry will follow.   Fight one front and have an entire industry follow suit would be an incredible win for Epic.  They will do anything, say anything to curry favour and influence the courts.
    tmaydysamoriawatto_cobra

  • Epic skirts Apple's 30% commission fee by implementing 'direct' payments

    iconaughticonaught
    cropr said:

    I don't mind to pay a  commission to any business partner as long as that partner provides the right value for the commission.  Like all developers have discovered, the 30% cut Apple is imposing, does not provide the value it promises.    A survey among my paying customers revealed that none of them discovered the apps via the App Store, they did it via the direct marketing campaign I launch and paid.     Which basically means that Apple has just become a secure payment processor.  The market price of a secure payment processor is 2.7% and not 30%.   No wonder app developers try to avoid the Apple tax,
    .
    Except this is consistent with every single App store that has security and quality restrictions to ensure that developers are not loading crap to our phones.
    Steam Store = 30%
    Google Play = 30%
    Galaxy Store = 30%

    Introducing side-loading or uncontrolled content onto my phone is the fastest possible path to a compromised device.

    What I think or horrific is the practice of in-game micro-payments and in-game currency and pay-to-play bullshit.   
    Set a price, give me the content I paid for and don't ask me for money again.  
    watto_cobraDetnator

  • ARM iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro coming at end of 2020, says Ming-Chi Kuo

    iconaughticonaught
    Rayz2016 said:
    mdriftmeyer said:
    Moving to AMD Zen 3 and beyond would be a seamless and zero cost direction! While increasing profits, lowering prices and increasing performance. Moving to ARM is a 5 year head ache where in fact ARM will never match nor surpass AMD. 
     But it's not about profit, it's about control.

    Secondly, going with AMD doesn't give them the ability to optimise the chip for MacOS, that's where the real benefits are going to show.

    And let's remember, AMD exists because Intel allows them to.



    If you mean control over hardware innovation, I'd say you're right on the money.   One could argue that the last meaningful innovation on the Intel platform was Sandy Bridge micro-architecture which was 2011. Recall that i7 processors from Sandy Bridge delivered 4 Core processors at 3.4Ghz.  Aside from Intel's tick-tock model squeezing out some meager improvements, they have been coasting in neutral for a decade.  For those of you with a Sandy Bridge based i7 MBP, after slapping an SSD in it, the computer is still surprisingly useful, almost 10 years since it was manufactured.

    Saying that Apple Silicon is an ARM processor is like someone saying that MacOS is BSD Linux.  Following the objectives from WWDC on what they want to do with Apple Silicon, sounds like they are looking to address problems that haven't been addressed in the current x86-64 micro-architectures.

    Things that I am particularly interested in;
    - How will Apple improve caches and loading caches on cache misses?  Intel and AMD's approach on this is sharing registers with cores and calling it hyperthreading.
    - In WWDC they listed high-bandwidth caches and unified memory?    This sounds like innovation in Front side bus and backside bus or a re-architecture of how instructions are passed to CPU's from memory/cache.  Would improvements in memory bus architecture be an improvement over hypthreading models regarding the problem of cache misses.
    - Looking at Innovation from Sony in their PS5 in how they are innovating in storage bus to GPU/CPU, would Apple be taking a similar approach in solving problems in read/write latency to storage across a massively improved storage controller.
    - All of their eco-system support for camera processors, ML accelerators and Neural engine, video processing, would this be offloading the CPU into cores dedicated to these tasks or are these optimized instructions sets accelerated within cores?

    Given that Apple has "cash-on-hand" that exceeds the total Market Cap of Intel.  ...and they are willing to bet the farm on this migration, I think that they probably have their own 10 year plan of what they want out of this micro-architecture.  I'm optimistic that they have every opportunity to be competitive or to exceed the capability of of Intel and AMD silicon for Mobile processors and fingers crossed, for Desktop as well.
    jdb8167