Apple tests out 'Express' store to reduce COVID-19 risks

Apple Express walls off the mostly open Apple Store to help keep staff and customers safe during COVID-19 (Source: Marci Harris/Twitter)

What does an Apple Store look like in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic? It'll be more closed off than you're used to. The Apple Express store, which the company is testing out in Burlingame, California, is walled off with a small window for staffers to serve one customer at a time. Those who pre-ordered products online can get their purchase after queueing for it. Genius bar appointments are handled at another window.

It might not have the same level of polish Apple customers might be used to. But with the pandemic still happening, this limited amount of service the company can offer is better than nothing.

Source: Engadget

Samsung will reportedly produce all Snapdragon 875 processors

Samsung Semiconductor factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea

Reports from South Korea claim that the Samsung Semiconductor Company will produce Qualcomm's upcoming chipset in December, which is expected to carry the model name Snapdragon 875. The Samsung division reportedly offered a better deal than TSMC so it will manufacture the entire batch of processors for next year's flagship smartphones. The deal supposedly cost Qualcomm between US$850 million and US$1 billion. Aside from the earnings from this deal, it also reinforces Samsung Semiconductor's position as the biggest semiconductor manufacturer in the last couple of decades.

Source: GSMArena

Instagram patent shows it might charge a fee for links in captions

If this patent ever becomes an actual product feature, Instagram can charge its users a fee for adding links to photo captions. The patent application Instagram's parent company Facebook filed back in 2016, displays a pop-up that would appear when a user adds a URL to a caption. It asks you if you want to pay $2 to make the link live.

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NVIDIA buys Arm for US$40bn

NVIDIA has officially announced that it bought the semiconductor design company Arm for US$40 billion, which will help expand the graphics giant's presence in mobile computing. It plans to invest more in artificial intelligence technology to bring it to platforms like smartphones, PCs, and self-driving cars. Arm will gain access to NVIDIA's products and more support for its R&D initiatives. NVIDIA says it will build an AI supercomputer powered by Arm CPUs at its Cambridge headquarters to cement its commitment to the acquisition.

NVIDIA assures that Arm's technology will maintain its open licensing model and neutrality with current customers, which means Arm designs can take advantage of NVIDIA's tech as well. We should expect some unconventional chip designs from NVIDIA in the future. NVIDIA and Arm's boards have approved the acquisition, and the companies expect to close the transaction within 18 months. It'll require regulatory approval in the US, UK, EU, and China, of course.

Source: Engadget