Friday December 07, 2007

- Apple Relaxes on iPhone Purchase Policies - Cheerful - 22:03:52

Source : Gizmodo

Gizmodo reports that Apple is allowing customers to purchase up to 5 iPhones. I guess Apple recognizes that this is now the festive season.

However, elsewhere, iPhones are quickly taken off the shelves, not by consumers but retailers. Click here and here for the complete details.

- Apple: No Blu-ray Playback Yet - Lionel - 10:56:09

When releasing information collected from our sources yesterday about future Mac Pro, we were mentioning BD burning, but also playback. According to additional information, it seems that the latest feature will NOT be included for the time being, due to the current conflict between Apple and AACS LA.
To implement BD playback in OS X, Apple needs the key from the AACS LA which will of course not release it if it can not ensure that one would not to easily be able to crack it. This is mostly due to past month experience with the first BD playback application on PC which allowed hackers to relatively quickly got access to the key.
The AACS LA would currently require from Apple to implement a protection system, not on the software layer of "HF Player", but directly in the kernel of Mac OS X! For obvious reason Apple is not willing to accept such request for the time being, considering that such protection will only be used from time to time when users will play a BD media on their Mac


[translation by Linathael]

- iCar on Hold? - Lionel - 10:55:49

According to Macnn

, one of the most surprising rumor from the last 6 months, the iCar project between Apple and Volkswagen is apparently on hold. This car was rumored to integrate numerous Apple-branded technologies. Apple is even rumored to have already contacted other car manufacturers to offer a similar partnership. Let's hope that the iCar will accept of type of fuels, and not only the one distributed by the Apple's oil company exclusive partner...


[translation by Linathael]

- NAND Flash MLC to Conquer SSD - Lionel - 10:55:25

There are 2 main type of NAND flash memory.
The SLC for Single Level Cell is the fastest one, and is currently used in SSD.
The MLC for Multi level Cell is not as fast, however it can offer the highest density, and is commonly used in large capacity USB key. For obvious performance reasons, SSD are currently exclusively based on SLC NAND flash, but it might change in a near future.
Indeed, STEC Inc announced to have developed a SSD-dedicated controller specifically designed for the use of MLC. Despite its native lower speed, STEC claims to have reached 90MB/s in reading and 60MB/s in writing mode.
The high density level allowed by the MLC should open the door of large capacity SSD with 1.8" to 2.5" format, such as 512GB in a 15mm SSD, or 256GB for a 9.5mm SDD (HD thickness currently used in MacBook).
Samsung should unveil in a near future its SSD based on a mix of MLC and SLC. One can expect in such drive that SLC will be used as a huge cash memory while MLC will allow larger storage space.
As illustrated with both news, the SSD market is quickly evolving towards the best compromise between price/performance/storage capacity.


[translation by Linathael]

- IBM: Connect CPUs with Laser - Lionel - 10:54:56

It is quite obvious that the future CPU will have an increasing number of Cores, and most of the evolution of future CPU will be based on thinner engraving to pack even more Core/die. One on the first problem to rise with massively multicore CPU will be the interconnection of cores in order to get the most from the raw power, and make them working together optimally. To reach such goal, Cores have to be massively interconnected, as well as communicate with shared cache memory or via limiting system bus. Higher number of Core will make interconnections even more complicated.
IBM is currently working on a solution:



The strategy is to make Core communicate via laser. This is becoming possible with the nano technology allowing miniaturizing laser modulator. Even if this project is still in labs, it illustrates massively multi Core CPUs found in supercomputer might be interconnected in the future.


[translation by Linathael]

- Techtool Pro Compatible with Leopard - Lionel - 10:49:57

Micromat released an update (version 4.6.1) for its award-winning application Techtool Pro.
The main new feature is the support of Leopard. It improves disk-dedicated routine tasks as well as the eDrive function.
For additional information please visit: http://www.micromat.com/


[translation by Linathael]