Author: batteryforpc

Windows 10 May 2020 Update is the first of two feature-packed releases planned for this year. The new version of the operating system brought a redesigned Cortana app and the ability to make your PC password-less …to name just a few new additions. Unfortunately, there were some unplanned changes that arrived with the update too, including users left unable to connect to printers, randomly deleting emails in Gmail, problems accessing files saved in OneDrive cloud storage, and stuttering video games.

And now there’s another quibble to add to the ever-growing list since the roll out of Windows 10 May 2020 Update.

Spotted by Microsoft-centric blog Windows Latest, a number of users who installed the latest Patch Tuesday – a monthly bundle of bug fixes and security improvements pushed out by Microsoft – have started to notice issues with their internet connection.

Windows 10 users who are impacted by the issue are being alerted by a “No Internet Access” warning message that appears within the “Network and Internet” panel in the Settings app. Bafflingly, the issue only appears to affect select internet-enabled services baked into the operating system.

According to one user, while the “No Internet Access” warning appears within the Settings app, browsing the internet works without a hitch… but asking Cortana a question doesn’t return an answer – only a notification that an active internet connection is required to use the digital assistant.

Even though there is an active internet connection to your device, a number of apps and system features will not work if Windows 10 believes – incorrectly, in this case – that there is a problem connecting to Wi-Fi. Anecdotal evidence from the Windows Latest blog post suggests the main features impacted for users are Cortana, Microsoft Store, and Spotify. That’s enough to cause users a serious headache.

Thankfully, Microsoft is well aware of the issue and is actively looking into a fix.

With any luck, that means we won’t have to wait very long until a new update is rolled out to fix the problem. The next Patch Tuesday is scheduled on August 11, 2020 although Microsoft could rush it out to users a little earlier as long as it’s ready / considered urgent enough.

It’s another blow for Windows 10 users who have had a rough time with the latest operating system. And as millions of people stay home to work and study due to the ongoing public health crisis, it’s not an ideal time to be breaking essential features like internet connectivity, printers and emails. (As for the video game problem, that’s admittedly less essential …but equally annoying).

As Apple focuses on its environmental impact and reducing the company’s carbon footprint, the MacBook Pro will lead the charge as part of a stunning commitment from Tim Cook and his team.

Today’s news from Apple confirms that it is working with aluminium suppliers on carbon-free processing. As an intermediate step, the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be the first hardware to use a low-carbon aluminium and forge a new and more environmentally friendly laptop. 

July 22 update: Aluminium International Today’s Nadine Bloxsome not only talks about the new process, but also notes the investment that Apple is making into the process alongside a number of commercial partners and government departments:

“As part of Apple’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our products through innovation, Alcoa helped accelerate the development of this technology. And Apple has partnered with both aluminium companies, and the governments of Canada and Quebec, to collectively invest a combined $144 million in future research and development.”

Apple is bringing its size to bear on this issue, with BBC News noting that suppliers must commit to being 100 percent renewable on their Apple production lines within ten years.

The move comes as part of Apple’s goal to becoming 100 percent carbon neutral across the entire company. From the press release:

“Apple today unveiled its plan to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. The company is already carbon neutral today for its global corporate operations, and this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact.”

As part of takling emissions during the production process, Apple is working with its suppliers on a carbon-free smelting process, and the first beneficiary of this technology will be the 16-inch MacBook Pro:

“Apple is supporting the development of the first-ever direct carbon-free aluminium smelting process through investments and collaboration with two of its aluminum suppliers. Today the company is announcing that the first batch of this low carbon aluminum is currently being used in production intended for use with the 16-inch MacBook Pro.”

For the moment, this MacBook Pro will be unique, but it will be joined in time by the rest of the MacBook range, then the Mac family, before the new aluminium will be found in every Apple product. It’s not an immediate switch over and it may not have a public cut-of date of ‘before and after’, so there’s no way or a consumer to specify that it wants the newer materials. Instead they need to be content with the knowledge of Apple’s march forward.

What they can choose is whether to pick up the 16-inch MacBook Pro now, or later. The current 16-inch MacBook Pro is the last new MacBook to not offer one of Intel’s tenth-generation CPUs – both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro were refreshed to Intel’s current tech in the first half of this year. An update to the 16-inch machine from its current ninth-generation chipset is surely on the horizon.

Perhaps Tim Cook is holding back on that powerful update to showcase at the same time as the first ARM-powered MacBook Pro goes on sale to consumers during Q4 2020. What better way to reassure the geekerati that Apple, although it is pushing forward with the transition to ARM, will not be leaving behind the massive Intel user base.

Zotac has announced today a new compact 5.85-liter PC that the brand bills as an excellent tool for content creators. 

The Inspire Studio SCF72060S arrives in an all-white body that measures 225 x 203 x 128mm (8.86 x 7.99 x 5.04 inches). Zotac doesn’t specify the materials used in the mini-PC’s construction, but the images show what appears to be a plastic exterior. You’ll find an Intel Core i7-9700 octa-core processor inside the Inspire Studio SCF72060S. The processor enjoys the company of a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super graphics card and 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory. Only one SO-DIMM DDR4 memory slot is occupied so there’s room for another 32GB module to expand the system’s total memory up to 64GB.

Zotac fits the Inspire Studio SCF72060S with a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD for primary storage and a 2TB 2.5-inch hard drive for secondary storage. Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit) is included. The manufacturer also mentions a M.2 slot for Intel Optane drives up to 80mm. Additionally, the mini-PC also has an integrated card reader that’s compatible with SD, SDHC and SDXC cards.

The Inspire Studio SCF72060S is tailored towards content creators so it comes equipped with sufficient connectivity options. There are six USB 3.1 ports in total. One Type-A and one Type-C port are each located up front and the remaining four are positioned in the back of the mini-PC. The mini-PC supplies two 3.5 mm audio jacks, one for your headphones and the other for your microphone.

The system can connect to the Internet via an old-school cable or wireless connection. The Inspire Studio SCF72060S has two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Zotac doesn’t go into details, but one of the port is based on a Killer controller so the other port is likely leveraging an Intel controller. If you want to free yourself from cables, the Inspire Studio SCF72060S sports a Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 module that offers Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 features.

If multitasking is your gig, the Inspire Studio SCF72060S doesn’t disappoint either. The GeForce RTX 2060 Super lets you run up to four displays simultaneously. There are three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and one HDMI 2.0b port at your disposal. The first does 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz, while the latter supports 4096 x 2160 at 60 Hz.

Zotac didn’t provide any details on when the Inspire Studio SCF72060S will be available or how much it will cost.