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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Microsoft announces Professional Program in AI

After the recent news of a massive reorganization at Microsoft putting cloud and AI at the forefront of the company's business, Microsoft has announed it is offering public courses to build AI Skills.

Microsoft Professional Program in AI was announced, a learning track open to the public that provides real-world experience to improve AI and data skills in the workplace. As AI becomes more and more prevalent in businesses across sectors, the program will help to improve core competencies within identified gaps in AI learning.

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Under Armour says data of 150 million MyFitnessPal users has been compromised

Sporting goods brand Under Armour says that 150 million user accounts of its MyFitnessPal app and service have been compromised and has asked that users with accounts and passwords on the service change passwords on other services is they are using these. Not a good look for a service that's trying to compete with the likes of Fitbit of Apple in the highly competitive fitness app space. MyFitnessPal tracks exercise and diet for a more holistic picture of a user's health.

MyFitnessPal customers got a rude awakening from Under Armour with an email stating user account information involved in the breach includes user names, email addresses, and hashed passwords, but no financial information like credit card numbers or government or identifiers like social security numbers. It seems no service is safe as millions are still reeling from the Cambridge Analytica fiasco. Companies need to do a better job at protecting user data, it needs to be a priority, otherwise the resulting loss of goodwill and trust will result in users abandoning these services in droves.

iOS 11.3 now available with battery tool, AR experiences and new Animoji

Apple has released a new major update to iOS for the iPhone and iPad. iOS 11.3 adds a battery monitoring feature which determines battery health. This is specially important for older iPhones experiencing throttling and shutdown issues.

Also available in this new update are additional Animoji characters including a lion and a dragon. Apple has also added a lot of functionality under the hood. This includes a Health Records feature for US users, Business Chat (also limited to the US), which makes it possible to communicate with people (not bots) in a business. Another timely update focuses on Data and Privacy which bolsters the security of user data

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