shamino

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shamino
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  • HDMI cable purchasing is about to get a whole lot more complicated

    shaminoshamino
    There should be some sort of handheld device that when you plug in the cable, it can detect which version. 
    Not really possible.  As far as cables are concerned, there is no "version" and no ID chip.  There is simply the maximum amount of bandwidth that the cable can carry with a clean signal:

    • Category 1 ("standard") HDMI requires cables to pass a 74.25 MHz signal.  It says nothing about digital bits-per-second that can be transmitted without error but should be able to support any combination of features from HDMI 1.0 through 1.3 (which may require up to about 5 Gbit/s).
    • Category 2 ("high speed") HDMI requires 340 MHz, but also has no data-bits requirement.  It should be able to support all HDMI 1.0 through 1.4 features (up to 10.2 Gbit/s).
    • "Premium High Speed" is also category 2, but with new certification rules that require the cable to pass 18 Gbit/s.  This is because HDMI 2.0 adds a bunch of features that may require up to 18 Gbit/s, but claims to be compatible with existing category 2 cables - some of which can't actually handle it.
    • Category 3 ("ultra high speed", "48G") HDMI says nothing about frequency, but requires the cable to pass 48 Gbit/s, which is enough to support every valid combination of HDMI 2.1 features.


    The important thing is that the amount of bandwidth you require depends on what features your devices are using (resolution, color depth, encoding, etc.).  Even if your devices are HDMI 2.1 compliant, if your particular combination of devices only requires (for example) 8 Gbit/s, then you can use cheap category 2 ("high speed") cables.  You don't need a category 3 cable unless your devices require more than 18 Gbit/s.

    The real problem is that if you're not a very technical person, you probably don't know how much bandwidth your devices require.  So you'll probably take a look at the version number and pick your cable based on that (e.g. get a category 3 cable if the devices are HDMI 2.1), but this may easily result in paying for more bandwidth than you actually require.
    pscooter63watto_cobra

  • It's time to drop apps that don't support Apple Silicon natively

    shaminoshamino
    So the author is saying what?

    Apple will someday cut off support for apps that don't upgrade, so you should summarily stop using them today.

    To what purpose?  Make sure you suffer today instead of waiting for some unspecified time in the future when you might (or might not) be forced to?

    That sounds pretty counter-productive to me.  Especially when Apple hasn't even completed their hardware transition.
    elijahgroundaboutnowarthurbawilliamlondonosmartormenajrdewmegodofbiscuitstyler82macplusplusshareef777

  • Apple fires leader of #AppleToo movement

    shaminoshamino
    I don't know any more about the case than what's already been reported, but I wonder why anybody would be keeping personal apps/data on a work phone.

    If she was actually running Robinhood, Pokemon and Google Drive on a work phone, i wonder why.

    Don't people know that your work phone is property of your employer and they therefore have a right to anything and everything you put on it?

    If you want to run personal apps, keep them on your personal phone, which your employer has no right to access (although they may also prohibit you from bringing it onto a corporate campus or connecting to the corporate Wi-Fi).

    Ditto for your work laptop.  Don't put any personal apps/data on it that you wouldn't want your employer to see.  Keep personal stuff on your personal computer (which, again, you might not be allowed to bring to the office).
    thtrcfatylersdadllamabaconstangmagman1979equality72521anantksundaramkillroyWhiskeyTango

  • iPhone gets USB-C thanks to creative robotics engineer

    shaminoshamino
    I don't think it's so much a matter of want to as one of see a clear benefit.

    USB-C is very trendy right now, and the new EU law is definitely going to have an impact on Apple's business logic, but there are other things that they need to consider in addition, including:
    • Cost to add higher speed communication to the iPhone.  If a USB-C iPhone continues to use USB 2.0 data rates, that eliminates much of the technical advantage.
    • Other Lightening capabilities.  Lightening was originally designed to replace the 30-pin Dock connector, which had several things like analog A/V, that Lightening later incorporated.  I don't know how many of these features are still used, but they will be important to any transition plan.  For instance, a Lightening headphone adapter only has to (as far as I know) identify itself as such (via the ID chip) and then connect the analog I/O pins to the connector - so it can be a cheap and simple adapter.  But a USB-C adapter needs to include a full USB audio interface into that adapter.
    • Ticking off existing customers.  People over the years have bought a lot of Lightening-based devices.  When Apple dropped the 30-pin connector, there was a lot of complaining from people who had to toss out peripherals or buy adapters.  The Lightening-based ecosystem is even bigger and will probably generate an even bigger wave of complaints.
    Ultimately, it is (as you wrote) a business decision, but there are a lot of factors involved.  It's not just a matter of whether Apple management "wants to".
    williamlondonapplguybaconstangFileMakerFellerFidonet127watto_cobra

  • US Customs seizing record numbers of fake AirPods

    shaminoshamino
    If it's like the last time this made the news, then the new product doesn't look much like Apple's product and doesn't have any Apple branding but is somehow being accused of being "counterfeit" nevertheless.

    Apple is trying to pretend that they have an exclusive right to the concept of wireless earbuds and they're using US Customs to enforce that nonsense.  At least against small no-name companies.  They are steering clear of going after Samsung or other big players who are selling the same things.
    muthuk_vanalingamdarkvader