We haven’t seen much in the way of Mac Pro upgrades or updates in a very long time. However, about a year ago, in April 2017, Apple recognized the public outcry for Mac Pro support by hinting that it’s working on a ‘modular’ and ‘upgradeable’ Mac Pro.

It doesn’t end there, though. Apple reiterated its support, saying that a Mac Pro 2019 was ‘still in development’, in a press release for the new iMac Pro sale date back in December. So, we know that a Mac Pro 2019 is going to happen, we’ll just have to wait until next year. The bigger question, then, is ‘when will Apple announce it?’ We were expecting Apple to at least hint at it at WWDC 2018, but that event came and went without any hardware announcements. So, maybe we’ll see the iMac Pro 2019 at Apple’s September event? We’ll just have to wait and see. 

So, What will it look like, given its modular nature? What will you be able to upgrade? Will the Mac Pro 2019 look like a beefier HomePod?

Before we dive into these details over the next year or so, we need to lay out the basics.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Apple’s first dedicated desktop since 2013
• When is it out? Early 2019 at the earliest most likely
• What will it cost? Likely as much as – if not more than – current models

Mac Pro 2019 release date

Now, while the new Mac Pro used to be the one Apple product we actually knew with absolute certainty could have been released in 2018, we were mistaken. It turns out the new Mac Pro has been confirmed for a 2019 release date.

The current Mac Pro computer debuted at the June 2013 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), with a December 2013 final release date. Of course, many purchasers didn’t get their computers until April 2014 on account of backorders.

Given how long its been since the previous update to the Mac Pro, it would be unwise for Apple to drive the asking price any higher.

Before that, the original Mac Pro was revealed to the world during the August 2006 WWDC, getting into the public’s hands within the same month.

That’s why we were kind of expecting the Mac Pro 2019 to be teased at WWDC this year, but we’ll have to just keep waiting to see this modular beast in action.

The next time it could be teased would probably be this fall, but that would clash with Apple’s iPhone reveal. However, Apple could instead do a major hardware event where they cover Mac, iPhone and iPad. If so, we could see the Mac Pro 2019 there. But, we won’t know anything until September. Lets hope to see it there.

Mac Pro 2019 price

We have absolutely no Mac Pro 2019 pricing information from neither leaks nor Apple’s own remarks on the device. So, once again we’re left to speculate based on the pricing of previous Mac Pro models.

The current Mac Pro, largely unchanged since its 2013 release, calls for a whopping $2,999, £2,999 or AU$4,899 to start. The only other model available hikes the price up by $1,000, £900 and AU$1,600, respectively, for some beefy component upgrades.

This Mac Pro could be one of the three Mac computers expected to launch this year with one of Apple’s new T series co-processors inside.

Given how long its been since the previous update to the Mac Pro, it would be unwise for Apple to drive the asking price any higher. 

However, if the new Mac Pro’s ‘modular, upgradeable’ nature turns out to be true, that could lead the firm to price the device accordingly, knowing that end users would no longer have to turn to it for upgrades.

Mac Pro 2019 specs

What will be inside the computer is, sadly, another unknown regarding the Mac Pro for 2019, save for a scant few details. For starters, we know that Apple is focused on issuing a Mac Pro with a modular and upgradeable design.

“In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architected for pro customers who need the highest performance, high-throughput system in a modular, upgradeable design,” Apple wrote in a December 2017 press release announcing the new iMac Pro, “as well as a new high-end pro display.”

With that, we know that Apple intends to make at least some of the new Mac Pro design easy to manage, upgrade and set up in different orientations. If this is the case, this computer will have to work with a large variety of off-the-shelf parts – at least ‘off-the-shelf’ for business pros or IT managers.

Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model.

Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model.

We also know that Apple has a display in the works, presumably one that was designed with the performance of the Mac Pro in mind. 

As of last September, reports circulated that an 8K (7,680 x 4,320) resolution display was in the works at Apple, and that it would compete with the 32-inch Dell UltraSharp monitor that we recently reviewed. It would come with either 10-bit dithering or native 10-bit colors as well, but not a touchscreen, which isn’t surprising given Apple’s aversion to adding touch to the Mac.

The other sliver of information that we have is that the Mac Pro 2019 may launch with a co-processor, which would likely hint at the Mac Pro 2019 being an early part of Apple’s rumored Kalamata initiative, which will see the Cupertino giant replacing all Intel silicon with its own by 2020. The fact that we won’t see it in 2018 on top of Apple hiring a bunch of ex-Intel engineers to work on Apple chips gives this theory more credence.

As far as the Co-processors go, we could see something like the T1 (which manages the MacBook Pro Touch Bar and Touch ID) and T2 (which manages the iMac Pro hardware security and allows for the automatic ‘Hey Siri’ command). Whichever role it fills, it will offload critical tasks from the Intel processors that will likely be inside the Mac Pro 2019.

How will this manifest inside the Mac Pro for 2019? The most likely scenario is the latter one: implementing the very same T2 chip inside the iMac Pro into this device. That would bring pro-grade security and on-demand Siri to the Mac Pro, the former of which is crucial for getting traction in office environments.

Beyond this, it’s difficult to forecast much of anything hardware-wise that will be found in the Mac Pro 2019, especially when factoring in conflicting reports that Apple won’t make any major changes to its Macs in 2018. 

What we want to see in Mac Pro 2019

All of these rumors swirling around a potential Mac Pro 2019 release puts us in prime position for a well-crafted wishlist. So, here’s what we hope to see Apple upgrade within the Mac Pro for 2019.

More internal expansion
Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model. Good thing, then, that words like ‘modular’ make us confident that this will, indeed, be the case. Hot swappable storage bays, anyone?

Dual-processor options
Apple was criticized in our Mac Pro review for not offering a dual-processor option. Surely, plenty of video editors and other media creators would relish the opportunity for twice as fast rendering and encoding power. A CPU with 16 cores is nice, but 32 cores is nicer.

A keyboard and mouse included
The 2013 Mac Pro shipped without any Magic Keyboard or Magic Mouse included. Simply put, we’d like to see this change with the 2019 version. Shipping an Apple computer without proper inputs is like trying to sell a car without the steering wheel.

iOS apps on Mac Pro
Now that it has been bandied about for so long, the idea of iOS apps on a Mac computer has grown on us. We’d love to see our favorite iPhone and iPad apps make their way to the desktop. 

After WWDC 2018, though, we now know exactly how Apple is going to handle this. Instead of just opening the App Store on macOS, we’ll be getting a limited selection of key iOS apps ported over. MacOS 10.14 will have access to News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, with more eventually coming over in 2019. These apps will be redesigned to feel natural on macOS – so, no touchscreen necessary. 

• These are the best Macs that 2018 has to offer so far

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report

http://www.techradar.com/news/mac-pro-2018-release-date-news-and-rumors

Best TV Buying Guide: Feast your eyes on TechRadar’s round-up of the best TVs money can buy in 2018.

You know the feeling. You’re stalking the aisles at Best Buy, your eyes locked on a towering, top-of-the-line TV and thought, “I need this.” 

But money’s tight, and to get the very best TV on the market you’re going to have to splash the cash. How can you be sure you’re really getting the best screen for your moolah, when an investment of this size can be a massive one?

You do the only logical thing and you go online to shop. 

But then you hit another problem: Shopping for TVs online you’ll have hundreds of reviews at your disposal, but the noise can be overwhelming. Weighing up your funds, is it time to make the jump to OLED, or will LCD still cut it? Do you need smart features, and if so, through what platform? And is a giant size as essential as everyone on MTV Cribs makes it out to be? Sigh. 

But don’t lose hope. Some screens really do outperform others, offering better contrast, higher clarity and new technologies like Wide Color Gamut (WCG) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) that will dramatically improve your TV watching experience.

“So, should I buy a TV now or wait it out?”

This is a question we get a lot. Like most technology (cough, iPhones) TVs are getting incrementally better all the time – which means, yes, if you wait a year there will probably be a bigger, flashier TV out there for less money. 

But while doing so will certainly net you a larger screen at a better price, some of the best panels are already being manufactured today. While tomorrow’s screens might be a bit larger, a bit brighter and a bit cheaper, today’s screens are just as competent in their own right. 

We can say that with confidence knowing that most manufacturers have finally embraced the three most important standards in TVs: Ultra HD , Wide Color Gamut and HDR (HDR10 and, if you’re lucky, Dolby Vision). If a TV you’re looking at doesn’t support at least one of these, you should probably look somewhere else.

Not sure where to start? Here are the best TVs we tested this year.

1. Samsung Q9FN QLED (2018)

65-inch: Samsung QE65Q9FN

After an underwhelming debut, Samsung’s QLED technology really needed to bounce back in style in 2018. It didn’t surprise us in the least, then, to discover Samsung threw the kitchen sink in with its new Q9FN QLED Series of TVs. 

As well as being even brighter and more colorful than last year’s equivalent model, Samsung’s 2018 flagship screens use a completely different lighting system to combat its predecessor’s contrast problems: Full Array Local Dimming rather than edge-lit LED lighting. The FALD panel works in tandem with Samsung QLED Quantum Dots to produce a picture that’s brighter and more colorful than near any we’ve seen come from the South Korean manufacturer. 

Do those features alone make Samsung Q9FN the best TV on the market? No, but throw in technology like HDR10+ and Q HDR EliteMax – what Samsung bills as its maximum High Dynamic Range experience that’s exclusive to the Q9FN – and there’s very little doubt in our mind that this is Samsung’s best TV ever. 

Read the full review: Samsung Q9FN QLED TV (65Q9FN)

2. LG C8 OLED Series (2018)

55-inch: LG OLED55C8 | 65-inch: LG OLED65C8

At the top of our list for 2018 is the LG C8 OLED – available in both 55 and 65-inch iterations. It’s here because it combines an impressive picture, an extensive set of features, an attractive design and its unrivaled smart platform, to deliver one of the best TVs we have seen to date. It’s not as bright as an LCD TV but those deep blacks make a huge difference to the dynamic range of the image. It’s also capable of vibrant and gorgeous colors, not to mention an astounding level of detail with native 4K content.

There are other OLEDs worth considering this year (see: Sony’s A1E and A8F OLED or LG’s own E8 and W8 OLED models) but we think the OLED C7 offers the best price-to-performance ratio of any TV under the sun in the year 2018.

Read the full review: LG OLED C8 (OLED55C8, OLED65C8)

3. Sony XBR-Z9D Series (2016)

65-inch: Sony XBR-65Z9D | 75-inch: Sony XBR-75Z9D | 100-inch: Sony XBR-100Z9D

From the moment we laid eyes on the the XBR-65Z9D we’ve been desperate to get our hands on one. It is, hands down, the holy grail of television for 2018: a TV able to combine the extreme, high dynamic range-friendly brightness of LCD technology with a backlight arrangement capable of getting LCD closer than ever before to the stunning light control you get with OLED technology.

This backlight arrangement comprises more than 600 LEDs that sit behind the 65Z9D’s screen that are capable of outputting their own light levels independently of their neighbors. This should enable the TV to produce more of the extremes of light and shade associated with new high dynamic range (HDR) technology while suffering less than other LCD TVs with distracting clouds, stripes or halos of unwanted, extraneous light.

As if this wasn’t already attraction enough, the 65Z9D also sports Sony’s new ‘X1 Extreme’ video processing system and the latest version of Sony’s reliable Triluminos wide color technology for unlocking the extended color spectrums associated with HDR sources.

4. LG Signature Series W7 OLED (2017)

65-inch: LG 65W7OLED | 77-inch: LG 77W7OLED

The LG W7 OLED is truly something special. Not only is it one of the thinnest TVs to ever grace our vision (it’s 2.75mm thin), but it’s also one of the most gorgeous. When fed the right kind of content – in this case, 4K HDR10 or Dolby Vision video – it truly shines. A super-slim design alone wouldn’t have been enough to warrant the extra cost to upgrade to LG’s latest panel. But the thin frame on top of a Dolby Atmos soundbar on top of four types of HDR support on top of the magnetic mounting system on top of the new webOS 3.5 operating system surely did the trick. This incredibly gorgeous TV isn’t without its faults (see: motion handling, its sticker price and soundbar issues), but in terms of sheer picture performance there’s nothing else like it right now. 

5. Sony Bravia A1E OLED (2017)

65-inch: Sony Bravia 65A1E | 55-inch: Sony Bravia 55A1E

If LG’s OLED isn’t your thing, spend some time checking out Sony’s new OLED.

The 55A1 – and the A1 OLED series overall – are crowd pleasers in just about every way. Their ‘picture only’ design has been beautifully realized, managing to be simultaneously subtle and dramatic. Their vibrating screen delivers a far more powerful and effective sound performance than I’d thought possible, too. The real stars of the show here, though, are the A1’s exquisitely detailed, contrast-rich and colorful pictures. These prove emphatically what we’ve long suspected: More brands using OLED technology can only lead to good things. 

6. Sony Bravia X900F Series (2018)

65-inch: Sony Bravia X900F

OK, so you don’t want (or can’t afford) Sony’s new A1E OLED or the fantastic-but-pricey ZD9. So what should you buy? Check out the X900E series. With superb 4K image clarity, powerful SDR-to-HDR remastering, and a smooth direct LED backlight, Sony is offering something very different with the X900F. We loved the consistency of its images, the eye-popping vibrancy of its wide color gamut panel and its easy-to-watch HDR – you get spectral highlights without accompanying eye fatigue. 

Given this set’s high-but-fair price point, any niggles we have are negligible. The X900F is highly recommended and deserved our Recomendded award. 

Read the full review: Sony Bravia X900F (XBR-65X900F) review

7. LG E8 OLED Series (2018)

55-inch: LG OLED55E8 | 65-inch: LG OLED65E8

Having potentially pushed the hardware capabilities of its current OLED screen technology as far as they can go, LG has for 2018 turned its attention to the software that drives these screens – and this shift in focus has yielded surprisingly impressive results, improving and even removing many of the residual niggles associated with 2017’s already in truth outstanding OLED sets.

The OLED65E8 loses a bit of ground sonically from its predecessor, and there’s some stiff competition this year from Samsung’s new Q9FN flagship LCD TV, but all the growing legions of OLED fans will probably need to hear is that the OLED65E8 is comfortably the best OLED TV LG has ever made.

8. LG OLEDB7 Series (2017)

55-inch: LG OLED55B7V | 65-inch: LG OLED65B7V

We’ve already recommended a couple of different OLED sets on this list, and the B7 is the most affordable of the bunch. 

But rather than compromising on that glorious panel to hit a more wallet-friendly price point, LG has instead compromised on sound. 

This puts the LG B7 in a slightly weird situation audio-wise. It technically supports Dolby Atmos, but played through its mediocre downward-firing speakers the technology lacks most of what makes it impressive. 

Thankfully you’re of course able to plug in an external sound system, and we’d advise you to do. 

If that’s something you’re prepared to do then you’ll find the B7 has every bit the talent of its more expensive siblings at a fraction of the cost. 

Read the full review: LG OLED B7

9. TCL 6-Series (R615, R617) (2018)

55-inch: TCL 55R617

If you had deep pockets and checkbook filled with blank checks, we’d tell you to reach deep and shell out for only the best TVs on the market – LG’s crazy-thin OLED W8 or Samsung’s ultra-bright Q9FN QLED (both featured on this list). But that’s not realistic. For the vast, vast majority of us, our budget to spend on a TV is limited to somewhere under $1,000 – and often less than that. 

To that end, it’s absolutely fair to say that the TCL 6-Series is the best TV you can possibly get in this price range. Its performance per dollar is unmatched and its picture quality – despite a few minor flaws – will truly impress you.

Read the full review: TCL 6-Series (R615, R617)

10. Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Eclipse

The B&O BeoVision Eclipse is the full package. It’s smart, its picture looks awesome, and the sound-quality is stunning. But then there’s the price – $9,995, and that’s for the 55-inch model and doesn’t include the floor mount. If you go for the larger, 65-inch model, and want the floor mount, you’re looking at $15,595.

So should you buy it? Well, if you’re absolutely loaded, and want a TV that looks and sounds great, plus it fits in your ultra-modern home setup, then it’s not a bad option. If you’re willing to put a little more time into your setup, however, you may be better served simply buying an LG OLED TV and a dedicated surround sound system.

Read the full review: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Eclipse

Continue on to page two to read about what to look for when buying a TV! 

• Want better audio? Check out our guide to the best soundbars available.
• Once you’ve decided on a panel, make sure you read our guide on how to set up your TV to make sure you’re getting the most out of it.

http://www.techradar.com/news/best-tv-us

When it comes to Battle Royale games, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (or PUBG for those already inducted into its action) is a name you need to know. 

Over the past year the game has had a stratospheric rise, going from a Steam Early Access title to a full Xbox release, with a massive following on streaming services like Twitch and Mixer. 

Available on PC, Xbox One, Android and iOS it’ll throw you into a 100 player death match in a constantly shrinking map where you or your team must fight to be the last alive. If you win you get to see the coveted “winner winner chicken dinner” appear on your screen. And you’ll undoubtedly screenshot it because it doesn’t appear often.

Bluepoint has been slower in updates recently due to its efforts to curb cheating in the game. However, it looks like the team is ready to get on with its 2018 roadmap and here you’ll find information on the latest additions to both the Xbox One and PC versions of the game as well as what’s planned for the future.

What’s the latest PUBG update for PC?

New rewards and very small map

The latest map for PUBG is a smaller affair: approximately four times smaller than the game’s usual 8x8km environments. 

The Sanhok map started out on PUBG’s experimental test server, and was originally named ‘Savage’ for its more frantic, close-quarters gameplay. The map is inspired by islands around Thailand and the Philippines, and features a blend of beaches, jungles, caves, and winding rivers, with a dynamic weather system to really shake things up.

The official release of Sanhok also coincided with the launch of PUBG’s ‘Event Pass’, proving month-long access to new rewards and cosmetic upgrades for completing certain in-game challenges. The addition, however, costs an additional $10/£8 over the game’s base $30/£27 price tag, and has already seen floods of complaints over consistent bugs and opaque mission instructions.

Patch 16 was rolled out on June 26 with a number of new bug fixes and performance enhancements – including concessions to Event Pass players who wanted to earn XP slightly faster. You can read the full patch notes in full on the PUBG site.

What’s the latest PUBG update for Xbox One?

Xbox’s June 26 update has now landed

Bluepoint is focusing on improving performance and stability on Xbox One at the moment so that’s exactly what you can expect from this update. Alongside standard bug fixes, a host of rendering processes have been optimised to put less of a burden on the game’s server and ensure the game runs more smoothly.

Can I play PUBG on mobile?

Worldwide iOS and Android launch

You sure can! PUBG is now available on iOS and Android completely free. This is, the developers say, a “perfect” recreation of the PC version of the game in terms of maps and features.

There are, however, naturally some mobile optimizations. You can expect auto pick-up, aim assist and touchscreen controls. Though there is voice chat.

To play PUBG on your mobile you need to be using at least iOS 9, which means being on an iPhone 5S or newer (though an iPhone 6 is recommended for the best performance. Android owners must be using 5.1.1 Lollipop or later and more than 500 Android devices support the game. 

You’ll need 2GB of RAM to play the game while the download size is around 900 MB. 

What’s coming to PUBG on PC?

Updates for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds have slowed somewhat in recent months as a result of the development team’s focus on reducing instances of cheating in the game (the update for which has been held back). However, there are big plans for the game throughout 2018 which have been laid out in a March blog post.

Starting in March, Bluehole is planning to push out a major update every two months for PC, with each either changing systems or adding new content.

A  brand new 4×4 map has launched on the game’s experimental test server. This new map is much smaller than any we’ve seen in PUBG before and it will have a higher player density and shorter match times. Bluepoint is promising that this will result in much faster and intense gameplay. 

There’s also a slightly larger 8×8 map in the works though details on this are thinner on the ground.

Bluepoint has announced that Fortnite-style Event Modes will be coming to PUBG very soon. These limited-time special matches will be made available via an update.

Bluepoint recently expanded on these new modes, saying that it is experimenting with a new War Mode. War Mode is quite different to a battle royale, giving players a submachine gun from the beginning and respawning team members when they die until one team reaches a 80 points. This is more like traditional online shooter titles and will perhaps be more familiar and less frustrating to those who aren’t used to the slower paced and weapong-scrambling nature of PUBG battle royale matches.  

War Mode is only available for custom servers which can only be accessed by PUBG Partners on Windows PCs but there are plans to bring it to the public in the future. 

There will of course be continued stability improvements as well as ongoing efforts to curb cheating.

2018 will see Bluepoint building the foundations for an eSports league and a lot of work will be done on improving spectator experience.

Though the list of changes in the works are not exhaustive, they’re a good idea of the ambitious things to come.

What’s coming to PUBG on Xbox One?

The future for PUBG on Xbox One seems to be more focused on improving the quality of player experience because, as Bluepoint itself admits, the game’s performance on console is just not up to the standard it should be. 

Console players can expect to see a patch released every two to three weeks which will focus on optimizing performance, UI, inventory UX, adding more personalized controller options and improving matchmaking.

Players can also expect to see those emotes that the PC version now has at some point down the line. 

The Miramir map is also finally playable on the Xbox version, but the new 4×4 Sanhok map is still being internally tested before release.

Xbox will also soon see a Fortnite-style Event Mode. These limited-time special matches will be made available to all platforms via an update.

Bluepoint has said it’s keeping things simple with the first event which will be an eight-on-eight match with increased chance of picking up a rifle. It wasn’t kidding when it said simple. This is, however, necessary to test the basics of the mode and more matches will be explored over time. 

http://www.techradar.com/news/pubg-news-and-updates-whats-new-in-playerunknowns-battlegrounds