Apple reported to drop Intel as chipmaker as early as 2020 to use its own silicon

Two giants: Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Intel CEO Paul Otellini join forces in 2005 to bring Intel chips to the Mac ecosystemBy Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple and its Mac computers have long been held back by the features and availability of Intel chipsets which are being used in MacBooks as well as iMacs. Apple has found great success with custom silicon, even acquiring various processor chipmakers like Intrinsity and Passif to help development of their A series processors used in iPhones and iPads, news from Bloomberg Technology hints that Apple will shift from Intel to its own chips in laptops and desktops by 2020.

The news, which affected Intel shares and caused a sudden drop by 9.2 per cent, even if Apple only makes up 5 per cent of Intel's processor business. Apple and Intel got into an exclusive partnership in 2005 when IBM's PowerPC processors were hitting a threshold in performance. It took Apple a year to make the transition and it never looked back, until now.

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‘Fortnite’ is now out of beta in iOS

If you aren’t part of the invite-only beta program for Epic Games’ Fortnite, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. The popular battle royale game is now out of beta and available to iOS users with an iPhone SE/6S and iPad mini 4/Air 2 or later running on iOS 11. It’s one of the biggest titles in gaming right now and if you’ve been meaning to check it out, you can do so freely.

Some of the new updates that recently came to the game include a snipers-only game mode, homing missile weapon, and some in-game clues that point you towards the destruction of the game’s Tilted Tower section, which has been a big point of discussion for the players of the game.

Source: The Verge

You can now automatically notify your contacts if you change numbers on WhatsApp

If you want specific contacts to know you’ve changed numbers on WhatsApp, the messaging app is making it easier for you to let your contacts know. The app now has a new “change number” option you can access through Settings > Account > Change number. This will help you migrate everything from your account info, settings, groups, as well as chats (if you don’t change phones). The groups you’re in will be notified automatically. But as was seen in a beta update, you can let individual contacts know as well. You can opt to let all your contacts know, those you’re chatting with, or a specific group of contacts. No word yet when this feature will leave beta.

Source: Android Police

Google tweaks around with Maps’s navigation UI

Left: Current UI | Right: New UI

Google is constantly changing up its user interface for its apps as its design language changes. One of its latest things is introducing rounder elements to its apps. Google Maps is the newest app to get this treatment. We see the round elements are more or less equal sizes now. Also, the up arrow has been replaced by a draggable slider and the bottom info bar has rounded corners. As Android Police points out, these aren’t major changes but could be the start of a major redesign heading our way soon.