Apple tipped to launch a premium, gaming-centric MacBook or iMac at WWDC 2020

At this year's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple is reportedly gearing up to introduce a premium gaming-optimized MacBook or iMac. Taiwan's Economic Daily News didn't go into detail about what the machine could be, but it suggested that the gadget will cost up to $5,000. The device will also supposedly be aimed at esports players or those in the competitive video gaming field. The report must still be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism as the publication has a mixed record of getting rumours right. Apple holds WWDC every June, so there's still a lot of time until then.

Source: MacRumors

Netflix's 'The Witcher' helped boost popularity of 'The Witcher 3' on Steam

With the recent release of Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher, the game based on the original novel experienced some record-breaking highs on Steam. Marcin Momot, global community lead of The Witcher game series developer CD Projekt Red, shared on Twitter that the four-year-old game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt surpassed 93,000 concurrent players on the platform in December. This number was a 93 percent increase from the number of players who played the game at the same time the month before. In the New Year, the game has peaked at over 100,000 concurrent players, as shared by Wario64 on Twitter. 

It's an impressive number, given how old the game is already. We also don't know how many more are playing the game on other platforms, since Steam only takes into account PC players. The Witcher 3 is also available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. The Witcher web series, on the other hand, is an eight-episode show starring Superman actor Henry Cavill. Both the game and the show are based on The Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Source: Kotaku

Anker introduces first MFi-certified iPhone 11 flash

Smartphone photography has developed leaps and bounds over the past few years. One of the areas it has been lagging in is flash photography. Smartphone accessory maker Anker hopes to remedy this for iPhone 11 users. The company is introducing its first flash accessory that has been certified by Apple's Made-for-iPhone (MFi) licensing program. It's possibly the first external flash accessory to get the certification. This accessory can integrate with Apple's hardware and software; specifically, it can work with the iPhone 11 series' built-in flash and stock Camera app as well as third-party camera apps.

The flash accessory will retail for US$49.99 (around CA$65) on Anker's site and Amazon sometime this month. It can last around 10,000 shots per charge and achieve twice the range as well as four times the brightness of the built-in flash. Anker will also ship the accessory with a detachable diffuser. 

Source: The Verge

Samsung might drop the 'e' variant for the Galaxy S20 series

Render of the Samsung Galaxy S11

We've already heard rumours about Samsung Galaxy S20 replacing the upcoming Galaxy S11. Now, a new report from WinFuture claims the next flagship will get rid of the Galaxy S10e variant and replaces it with the Galaxy S20 Ultra. There will also supposedly a Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus. The screen sizes will reportedly include a 6.2-inch Galaxy S20, 6.7-inch Galaxy S20 Plus, and 6.9-inch Galaxy S20 Ultra. If the rumours are true, this won't be the first time Samsung will be skipping a generation when it comes to naming its devices. Perhaps Samsung sees the branding potential of calling the phone a Galaxy S20 for 2020, or as Android Central points out, the company doesn't want to pit an S11 against an iPhone 12.