2023 hasn’t begun on a bright note for many Microsoft employees as it has been reported mass layoffs will happen at the company. According to a report by Sky News, Microsoft could announce thousands of job cuts across the world this week. The report suggests that Microsoft could reduce its total workforce by 5%. Microsoft has close to 2.2 lakh employees worldwide; if the 5% figure is accurate, close to 11,000 jobs might be cut. A report by Bloomberg suggests that the looming job cuts will impact the engineering divisions the most.
Layoffs at Microsoft: Second time in three months
Back in October 2022, Microsoft had said that it is making “structural changes” but didn’t confirm how many employees were laid off. Multiple reports suggested that close to 1,000 employees were let go by the company then. “Like all companies, we evaluate our business priorities on a regular basis, and make structural adjustments accordingly. We will continue to invest in our business and hire in key growth areas in the year ahead,” Microsoft said in a statement. Microsoft will not be the first company to cut thousands of jobs in recent months. Facebook’s parent company Meta cut 11,000 jobs late in 2022. Amazon also laid off close to 18,000 employees at the fag end of 2022. In October, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned about the challenges for the tech industry. In an interview with CNBC, Nadella said that the next two years are probably going to be the most challenging. “We did have a lot of acceleration during the pandemic, and there’s some amount of normalisation of that demand. And on top of it, there is a real recession in some parts of the world.” Microsoft hasn’t officially commented on the impending layoffs but we can expect to hear more from the company on January 24, when it announces its quarterly results.
Epic Games Store free games refresh weekly, giving you the opportunity to build up a solid collection of games at no extra cost. It’s usually a varied offering, with everything from AAA blockbusters to indie darlings often included. Make sure to check back in to grab these free games, even if you don’t plan on playing them right away.
Epic Games and participating developers are giving away free games each week, then, and we’re rounding up all the freebies below so you don’t miss out. Each week, we’ll list the free games you can pick up. The current offering includes a space-sim, as well as a great asymmetric multiplayer game.
To download the latest free titles, simply head to the Epic Games Store free games page (opens in a new tab) while signed in to your account. Like any week, you can download these games to keep for free, so long as you do so before the deal expires. Here are the free games you can pick up on the Epic Games Store, including Gamedec, and First Class Trouble.
This week’s games
Epic Games Store free games – Epistory: Typing Chronicles
Epistory – Typing Chronicles is an atmospheric adventure typing game that tells the story of a writer lacking inspiration who asks her muse to help write her latest book.
Available from January 19 – January 26, 2023
Epic Games Store free games – Divine Knockout
KO the gods in this 3rd-person platform fighter! Become a small-but-mighty god of myth, brawl in all three dimensions, and knock your friends off the map to reign supreme.
Available from January 12 – January 19, 2023
Epic Games Store free games – Gamedec
Gamedec is a single-player cyberpunk isometric RPG. You are a game detective, who solves crimes inside virtual worlds. Use your wits to gather info from your witnesses and suspects, getting to the bottom of deceptive schemes.
Available from January 12 – January 19, 2023.
Epic Games Store free games – First Class Trouble
First Class Trouble is a party game where players must work together and against each other to survive a disaster. The goal is to shut down a deadly A.I. of a luxury space cruise ship. Some players are impostors, secretly playing as human-looking killer robots intent on betraying the other players.
Available January 12 – January 19, 2023.
Previous free games
Want to see what you’ve missed so far? Check below for the historic list of freebies that the Epic Games Store has offered up to its customers so far:
Kerbal Space Program (January 12)
Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice (January 12)
Dishonored: Definitive Edition (January 5)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (December 20)
Them’s Fighting Herds (December 19)
Saints Row IV Re-Elected (December 8 – December 15)
Fort Triumph (December 1 – December 8)
RPG in a Box (December 1 – December 8)
Dark Deity (November 10 – November 17)
Filament (November 3 – November 10)
Rising Storm 2 (November 3 – November 10)
Evoland Legendary Edition (October 20 – October 27, 2022)
Fallout 3 (October 20 – October 27, 2022)
Spirit Of the North (September 15 – September 22, 2022)
Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator and Realm Royale Reforged Epic Launch Bundle (September 8 – September 15, 2022)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Submerged: Hidden Depths (September 1 – September 8, 2022)
Ring of Pain (August 25 – September 1)
Doom 64 and Rumbleverse Boom Boxer pack (August 18 – August 25)
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! (August 11 – August 18, 2022)
Unrailed (August 4 – August 11, 2022)
Lawn Mowing Simulator (July 28 – August 4, 2022)
Shop Titans and Tannenberg (July 21 – July 28, 2022)
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap (July 14 – July 21, 2022)
Ancient Enemy, Killing Floor 2 (July 7 – July 14, 2022)
Geneforge 1: Mutagen, Hood: Outlaws & Legends and Iratus: Lord of the Dead (June 30 – July 7, 2022)
Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 and A Game Of Thrones: The Board Game Digital Edition (June 23 – June 30, 2022)
Supraland (June 16 – June 23, 2022)
Maneater (June 9 – June 16, 2022)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (June 2 – June 9, 2022)
BioShock: The Collection (May 26 – June 2, 2022)
Borderlands 3 (May 19 – May 26, 2022)
Prey, Jotun: Valhalla Edition, and Redout: Enhanced Edition (May 12 – May 19, 2022)
Terraforming Mars (May 5 – May 12, 2022)
Paradigm and Just Die Already (April 28 – May 5, 2022)
Amnesia Rebirth and Riverbond (April 21 – April 28, 2022)
XCOM 2 and Insurmountable (April 14 – April 21, 2022)
Rogue Legacy and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (April 7 – April 14, 2022)
Total War: Warhammer and City of Brass (March 31 – April 7, 2022)
Demon’s Tilt (March 24 – March 31, 2022)
In Sound Mind (March 17 – March 24, 2022)
Cities: Skylines (March 10 – March 17, 2022)
Centipede: Recharged & Black Widow: Recharged and Dauntless (Epic Slayer Kit) (March 3 – March 10, 2022)
Cris Tales (February 24 – March 3, 2022)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (February 17 – February 24, 2022)
Windbound (February 10 – February 17, 2022)
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (February 3 – February 10, 2022)
DAEMON X MACHINA (January 27 – February 3, 2022)
Relicta (January 20 – January 27, 2022)
Galactic Civilizations 3 (January 13 – January 20, 2022)
Gods Will Fall (January 6 – January 13, 2022)
Tomb Raider Trilogy (December 30, 2021)
Salt and Sanctuary (December 29, 2021)
Moving Out (December 28, 2021)
Mages of Mystralia (December 27, 2021)
Control (December 26, 2021)
Prey (December 25, 2021)
Pathfinder: Kingmaker (December 24 2021)
Vampyr (December 23, 2021)
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden (December 22, 2021)
Second Extinction (December 21, 2021)
Loop Hero (December 20, 2021)
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (December 19, 2021)
Remnant: From the Ashes (December 18, 2021)
Neon Abyss (December 17, 2021)
Shenmue 3 (December 16, 2021)
Prison Architect (December 9 – December 16, 2021)
Godfall Challenger Edition (December 9 – December 16, 2021)
Dead by Daylight (December 2 – December 9, 2021)
while True: learn() (December 2 – December 9, 2021)
theHunter: Call of the Wild (November 25 – December 2, 2021)
Porsche has entered a rather unexpected collaboration with seat manufacturer RECARO to produce a gaming chair based on the former’s sports cars.
With the rather unsexy moniker, RECARO x Porsche Gaming Chair Limited Edition (opens in new tab), the chair leans more into comfort than race-car-inspired fashion – and that’s probably a good thing.
Gaming chairs are famously lacking in ergonomics as manufacturers tend to prefer a flashy look over comfort. And gaming or working for hours on end, you will definitely begin to feel some pain in your lower back. Addressing this directly, the Porsche Gaming Chair comes with an “anti-submarining seat ramp”, meaning the cushion sits at an upward angle, and “firm lumbar support”. All this rests on top of a lightweight aluminum base so gamers can sit comfortably on the chair and not worry about sliding off.
Porsche adds that the chair is made out of “high-quality upholstery foam and breathable fabrics” for a comfortable seat all year around; definitely a welcomed feature for those hot, summer days. And the final notable feature is the 5D armrest that can be adjusted in numerous ways for that perfect fit. Everything put together, you can game sitting in an upright posture without having to deal with twinges in your back. It’s always good practice to get up and stretch your legs a bit after hours of sitting (speaking from experience here).
Availability
Staying true to its name, the Porsche Gaming Chair Limited Edition will indeed be limited to 911 units. That seemingly random number is most likely a reference to the latest car model of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Pre-orders are available right now for a whopping $2,499. It’s shipping date is set for March 15.
If the Porsche Gaming Chair sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s nearly identical to RECARO’s Exo Platinum Sky (opens in new tab). According to the product page, both chairs are made out of the same breathable fabrics, have the same 5D armrest, the same aluminum base, and a load capacity of up to 150kg (330 lbs). The only real differences appears to be the outside design: the Porsche Gaming Chair matches the look of the 911 GT3 R and even has the car’s logo embroidered on the headrest.
It appears Porsche’s chair is a more expensive, US version of Exo Platinum Sky. That chair will run you 1,249 Euros (around $1350 USD).
We reached out to Porsche for clarification if this is exclusive to the United State or if will it ship globally. This story will be updated if we hear back.
If you want something that’s easier on your wallet, be sure to check out TechRadar’s recent collection of cheap gaming chair deals.
We’re back with another stock update. It’s bad news for US buyers, unfortunately; none of the major retailers have stock, barring some third-party sellers on Newegg and Amazon who are selling the RX 7900 XTX at $200+ above MSRP or worse. Avoid.
You can still get your hands on an RX 7900 XT quite easily from most sellers – like this XFX Speedster MERC310 card at Best Buy for $899.99 – and both Micro Center and B&H Photo are advertising the XTX as available in-store (though you can’t reserve an in-store unit online, so you’ll just have to hope they have them in stock).
Over in the UK, things are slightly better but still not great. Scan has no stock, while Overclockers, Box, and Ebuyer all have exactly one card each in stock – all of which are selling above RRP, unfortunately. The cheapest is this Gigabyte Gaming OC card at Ebuyer, but keep an eye on the others – stock looks to be fluctuating quite a lot right now.
…and we’re back with a quick weekend update for you! In the US, it looks like the RX 7900 XTX is sold out just about everywhere – perhaps some knee-jerk purchases going on in response to Nvidia’s RTX 4070 Ti launch. The only model we could find was on Newegg, but the markup is pretty horrendous so be warned. Micro Center is still reporting in-store stock, so if you’re near one of their stores, go check it out.
Meanwhile, stock is quite limited in the UK too, with Scan and Box completely out of cards. Overclockers does have stock, but the prices are fairly steep unless you’re willing to go for a ‘B Grade’ open-box product. Ebuyer has exactly one RX 7900 XTX available, an Asus model priced at £1,149.99.
Over in the UK, RX 7900 XTX stock is a bit more widely available, but most retailers have a bit of markup so you’ll struggle to find one for retail price. The cheapest we found was this Asus TUF Gaming model at Ebuyer for £1,149.99. Overclockers also has plenty of stock right now.
As with the US, it’s still easy to find units of the XTX’s little sibling GPU, the RX 7900 XT. You can get this model from Sapphire at Overclockers at its £899.99 RRP, with the same card available at Scan at the same price.
We’re back for the New Year, hot off the back of Nvidia’s launch of the new RTX 4070 Ti. Stock of that card is still widely available, but it’s still tricky to snap up an RTX 4090 – at least, without paying massively above the MSRP.
Fortunately, fans of Team Red can still get their hands on the awesome Radeon RX 7900 XTX at retail price, provided you know where to look. Newegg, Amazon, and eBay are flooded with scalped GPUs with horribly marked-up prices, but Micro Center has stock available for collection provided you’re willing to make your way to a physical store.
Best Buy and B&H Photo are both currently out of stock, but you can buy the slightly less powerful RX 7900 XT at retail price from various retailers – in fact, Best Buy has this XFX model for $879.99 – twenty bucks less than it’s retail price, a sound deal for anyone hunting for new GPU right now.
‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the guide, not an XTX was stirring – not even at Best Buy.
Yup, the stock situation is still pretty bad, with only scalped cards cropping up on Amazon and eBay right now. Odds are we won’t see the situation ease until after Christmas, once the holiday buying rush is over and stores have had a chance to restock.
You can, however, pick up the slightly less powerful RX 7900 XT card from a number of sources, including Newegg in the US and Overclockers in the UK. In our review, we concluded that the XT is a solid choice of GPU – even if its close pricing to the XTX model was a questionable decision from AMD.
December 16 update: Radeon RX 7900 XTX stock is still difficult to find online, but some retailers do have the XT model available. Much like the RTX 4090, there is one foolproof way to snag yourself one of these GPUs: buying a pre-built custom PC that contains one.
Falcon Northwest has started its Radeon RX 7900 XTX promo, as have iBuyPower and Maingear. If you’re planning to buy a new GPU in order to build your own PC (rather than just upgrading an existing desktop), we’d strongly recommend checking out these PC-building experts: you’ll get a high-end system assembled by the best in the biz, and it’ll usually be a bit cheaper than buying all the parts yourself since these companies can buy components in bulk to reduce costs. As someone who could be found elbows-deep in a PC case at any given moment before starting this job, I can attest that buying pre-built is often the way to go.
Thursday update: still no stock with major retailers. Some RX 7900 XT (not the XTX!) cards are popping up, though, if you’re considering getting the slightly less powerful of AMD’s two new cards. Newegg has models from XFX, ASRock, and Sapphire – all mercifully available at the $899 MSRP.
The XT variant has also popped up on UK Amazon, albeit slightly above its RRP. If you want a new high-end GPU in a hurry, this might be your best shot – it’s impossible to buy an XTX anywhere close to retail price right now, unless you’re lucky enough to track one down in a physical store – which is definitely worth a shot!
Okay really, here’s a proper update: it looks like some UK retailers haven’t actually put their stock on sale just yet, so if you’re located in Britain you may want to keep a close eye on Box and Overclockers.
Unfortunately, in the US there really are no cards available. Strangely, we weren’t able to find any RX 7900 XTX models on Amazon in either territory, but there are plenty still floating around on eBay at exorbitant prices. If you’re in the States and are considering importing one from the UK, remember that most of these British retailers won’t ship directly to the Americas, so you’ll need a trusted person in the UK to receive and send you the card.
A quick December 14 update: there are still no RX 7900 XTX cards available. Boo, hiss, etc.
As we wrap up for the night, we still can’t see much stock anywhere for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is also sold out online.
Your best bet at this point is to look for some brick and mortar electronics retailers who might have some stock on the shelves. Places like Micro Center and Best Buy in the US have separate inventories for their in-store and online orders, so in-store is probably your best bet right now.
All told, this has been an exceptionally good day for AMD, which sold out its stock of RX 7900 XTXs very, very quickly, as opposed to Nvidia’s RTX 4080, which went on sale much earlier in the day and took much longer to sell out in the US, with the UK still having stock available even now.
The people appear to have spoken with their pocketbooks and gave AMD a huge win to kick off the next-gen graphics card wars, something that we love to see since vigorous competition for our dollars is good for all of us in the end.
How Nvidia responds to this remains to be seen, but we’re definitely keep our eyes out for more stock in the days and weeks ahead to help you find the best AMD graphics cards ever to grace our PCs.
With that, Christian, Matt, and I (John), wish everyone a wonderful evening. Be kind to one another, and we’ll see y’all tomorrow to do it all again.
Guess we were dead wrong about this not being an RTX 4090 situation, huh? The RX 7900 XTX has seemingly sold out everywhere – a huge win for AMD, typically the scrappy underdog of the GPU wars. It’s good to see that AMD fans are eating well right now.
It’s hardly surprising though, given how much of a fiasco Nvidia’s RTX 4000 reveal and launch went. The hasty ‘unlaunching’ of the RTX 4080 12GB was a bad sign of things to come, and RTX 4080 stock is actually quite easy to find right now – because nobody wants to buy it. Since the 4080 16GB is the direct competition for AMD’s new flagship but costs $200 more at MSRP, it’s truly hard to recommend it against Team Red’s latest and greatest offering.
Good news! Wait, no, it’s bad news. Those scalpers sure do move fast – we’re already seeing RX 7900 XTX cards pop up on eBay, with horrendously inflated prices. Most seem to be sitting around the $1,600 mark – if you’ve got that much cash to spend, please wait until the RTX 4090 is back in stock instead – while some are even more ludicrous.
There’s an XFX Speedster model available under ‘Buy It Now’ for the very reasonable (read: completely unreasonable) price of $2,149, double the MSRP. We probably don’t need to tell you this, but avoid these scalped cards like the plague. There’s a chance that if you buy one, you’ll get sand or a block of wood instead – best case scenario, you’re just getting ripped off, worst case, you’re getting scammed.
We might be alone in this but we think it’s incredibly funny that AMD seemingly hasn’t added either of the new Radeon RX 7000 cards to its own store page. There’s a link to affiliated retailers on the amd.com homepage, but the actual ‘shop’ tab on the website just gives you the (still ridiculously and confusingly big) selection of RX 6000 GPUs.
I looks very much like the stock situation in the US is seeing retailers prioritise physical stores over online storefronts: reports indicate that cards are available in stores with limited numbers being allocated for online purchases, possibly a move to counteract scalping attempts. If you live near a Micro Center or Best Buy, get yourself down there ASAP!
Sad news for UK shoppers – it looks like the card isn’t available in Britain just yet. Scan and Overclockers both have stock listings, but they’re currently marked as ‘coming soon’. Let’s hope they go live soon!
Remember that the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is also on sale today, if you’re in the market for a slightly less powerful GPU. It’s very close to the XTX version in terms of price-to-performance: a little less mighty, but a little cheaper too at $899.
B&H has the XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX SPEEDSTER MERC310 for $1,099. The website says it’s ‘coming soon’, so hopefully more stock pops up. Pro tip: click ‘Notify me’ to get an alert when more stock is available. It could give you the edge!
Micro Center doesn’t have any available online, but you can check your local store to see if there’s stock here. People looking to get hold of other GPUs have found success this way…
Best Buy seems to have just sold out on the models it was offering. We’ll keep an eye on that. In case they come back in to stock. This sometimes happens on launch day.
You’ll find all the links to buy the RX 7900 XTX above, and we’ll be looking through retails to determine stock.
…and we’re live! The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is now officially on sale. For our money, it’s the best GPU out of the current slate of next-gen graphics cards; the RTX 4090 is obviously incredible but wildly expensive, the RX 7900 XT is great but sits in an odd position at just $100 cheaper than its XTX big brother, and the RTX 4080 is… well, that one just kinda sucks at its current $1,199 MSRP. Let’s hope Nvidia brings the price down soon to counter AMD’s new GPUs.
We’re T-minus five minutes out from the launch, folks. Remember that some retailers may experience website trouble due to high traffic, so be patient when spamming that F5 key.
Although most of the retailers on our list above don’t have visible listings for the RX 7900 XTX yet, we can expect most (if not all) of them to stock it. If it transpires that a retailer isn’t selling the card at launch for some reason, we’ll remove them from the list until they do have stock available.
Don’t panic, the card isn’t on sale yet. You can view listings for the RX 7900 XTX on a few retailer sites already, but they’re marked as unavailable or (in the case of Best Buy) ‘sold out’, which feels like a somewhat ominous portent.
In all honesty, though, we’re probably not going to see another RTX 4090 situation this time around. AMD appears committed to keeping stocks high, with an alleged 30,000 units hitting shelves on day 1 – ironically, the same number of units that the competing RTX 4080 is purported to have sold in the full final week of November.
The 4080 was a dubious proposition when it came to the price, and with AMD pricing their new flagship aggressively we can’t help but wonder how long it’ll take for Nvidia to relent and issue a price drop.
As we get closer to the release time, we’d like to take a moment to remind you that there may still be scalpers trying to scoop this card up and resell it at a higher price. Some of the third-party GPUs that will be going on sale are already priced higher than the base $999 starting price for AMD’s own model, although you will be getting factory-overclocked performance there.
If these cards sell out, be patient: don’t rush to eBay to try and grab one. AMD is seemingly more dedicated to stock replenishment than Nvidia, so even if the RX 7900 XTX does sell out completely in your region, you shouldn’t have to wait long to get your hands on one.
Now, newly-unearthed patents appear to show that the company may want to (re) add tape to complete its current media portfolio after the sun-setting of its Arkeia product range a few years ago.
The company was recently assigned a number of patents mentioning “tape embedded drive” in recent years:
11393498 (PDF) (head assembly with suspension system for a tape embedded drive)
11081132 (PDF) Tape embedded drive with HDD components
And a few more
What this alludes to is the intriguing possibility of getting the basic components of a tape drive merged with the actual tape media in a bid to reduce the inherent environmental and technological complexity of tape libraries as well as improving the access time by at least one order of magnitude.
Having the read and write heads closer to the media in an enclosed form factor is nothing new. That’s what hard disk drives do and what others, most notably Iomega with its Zip Drive, has tried to do in the past. Western Digital’s patent suggests adopting a standardized form factor, 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch, for easier adoption by data centers and hyperscalers.
The cost factor
An embedded tape would still be more expensive than a normal one (LTO-9 tapes retail for about $130 a pop) because of the extra electronics but you don’t need a tape drive to get started. As long as it sits somewhere between tapes ($4 per TB) and enterprise hard drives ($20 per TB), there will be a significant market for it.
A standard LTO (Linear Tape-Open) tape is 102 x 105 x 21mm while your average 3.5-inch hard drive is about 147 x 101 x 26mm while weighing about a quarter of the weight. LTO-9 has a compressed capacity of 45TB (18TB uncompressed) with the next generation – likely to come in the second half of this decade – doubling in capacity (obviously, there might be some adjustments as it was the case going from Gen 8 to Gen 9).
A sealed LTO-based tape drive would likely be lighter, cheaper, consume/dissipate less power but also have more onboard compute capabilities than your standard hard disk. Thicker and wider tape reels would also allow far bigger capacities (LTO-9 uses 1Km of tape with a 5.2µm thickness and 12.65mm width).
Western Digital is uniquely positioned to convert this into a workable reality especially as it can use its expertise in hard drive components. That new tape could, all things considered, use a similar PCB and interface as an enterprise hard disk drive; it doesn’t need to have the traditional tape look.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is to take this novel approach to tape to the LTO consortium, an organization that oversees the development of LTO and comprises IBM, HPE and Quantum, all of whom may have different commercial strategies that require having an expensive drive and cheap tapes.
2023 is now underway and new Xbox Series X games are on their way very soon. After a bit of a quiet year last year, it’s great to see Microsoft stepping up its release lineup, with the next six months or so looking extremely strong for the Xbox platform.
From Starfield to Redfall, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S players will have plenty of new Xbox games to keep them busy this year – and we’re here to tell you exactly when you’ll get your hands on them.
Below, we’ve rounded up all the release dates and windows for the biggest confirmed Xbox Series X games of 2023 and beyond. So, it’s time to get your brand new calendar out and start taking down some dates. As always, these release dates are subject to delays. If any games are pushed back, this page will be updated.
New Xbox Series X games 2023: this year’s most anticipated releases
According to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, “Today the MacBook Pro gets even better. With faster performance, enhanced connectivity, and the longest battery life ever in a Mac, along with the best display in a laptop, there’s simply nothing else like it.”
There’s also a new Mac mini (2023), and the compact PC comes with a choice of an M2 chip from last year, or the brand-new M2 Pro chip. It also starts at a new, lower, starting price of $599 / £649 / AU$999.
New MacBook Pro 14-inch, MacBook Pro 16-inch and Mac mini models announced
Powerful M2 Pro and M2 Max chips also revealed
All can be ordered right now
Arrive in stores and delivered starting January 24
MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) starts at $1,999 / $2,149 / AU$3,199
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) starts at $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$3,999
Mac mini (2023) starts at a new lower price of $599 / £649 / AU$999
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) and MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023)
The MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) and MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) now have follow-ups, with both models of the powerful mobile workstations getting the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips – which Apple calls “the world’s most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop.”
While we’ll hopefully put these claims to the test soon when we get the new MacBook Pros in for review, we were extremely impressed by the previous versions, and loved the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) and MacBook Pro (M2, 2022), so we can definitely imagine that these new models won’t disappoint.
Apple also has big claims for battery life, with up to 22 hours – again, this is potentially game-changing if true, considering the performance levels on offer here.
These new MacBook Pros also support Wi-Fi 6E and HDMI support up to 8K. You can also configure the MacBook Pros with a huge 96GB of unified memory.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip starts at $1,999 / $2,149 / AU$3,199 and comes with:
10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
16-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
512GB SSD
For $2,400 / £2,699 /AU$3,999, you get an 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip and:
12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
19-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
1TB SSD
If you need more power, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip costs a rather huge $3,099 / £3,349 / AU$4,999, and comes with:
12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
30-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
400GB/s memory bandwidth
32GB unified memory
1TB SSD
Each model has a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with a 3,024 x 1,964 resolution screen and 154 pixels per inch.
These are the same as the previous models, but as they were the best screens you can get on a laptop, we’re not complaining!
As for the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023), it starts at $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$3,999 and comes with an M2 Pro and:
12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
19-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
512GB SSD
You can also get the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) with the M2 Pro and same specs as above, but with a 1TB SSD for $2,699 / £2,899 / AU$4,299.
Finally, for the highest-end MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) with M2 Max chip, you’re looking at a large price tag of $3,499 / £3,749 / AU$5,599, and comes with these specs:
12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
38-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
400GB/s memory bandwidth
32GB unified memory
1TB SSD
When it comes to display, each model features a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with a 3,456 x 2,234 resolution and pixel density of 254 pixels per inch. All displays on the new MacBook Pros have ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, so they should run macOS Ventura incredibly smoothly.
Based on these specs, and what the previous models achieved, we don’t just think these new devices will be some of the best MacBooks ever released, but could also end up being some of the best laptops you can get right now as well.
Mac mini (2023)
A very pleasant surprise was the reveal of a new Mac mini. Not only does the Mac mini (2023) have the rather expected upgrade to the M2 chip, but it’s also getting a model with the M2 Pro. This means you’re getting a compact PC with some serious performance – could it even make the Mac Studio redundant?
With Apple claiming that “the new M2 Pro chip delivers pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time,” and encouraging people to pair the Mac mini (2023) with the Studio Display, which is usually pushed with the Mac Studio, we have a feeling its time might be up.
Perhaps most excitingly of all, the M2 Mac mini (2023) comes with a new lower price tag of just $599 / £649 / AU$999. That’s impressively affordable, and also bucks the worrying trend recently of products getting more expensive.
The Mac mini (M2, 2023) comes with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU and supports up to 24GB memory, and apparently offers 9.8 times the timeline rendering performance in Final Cut Pro compared to the older Mac mini with Intel.
The Mac mini (M2, 2023) comes with a 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 200GB/s of memory bandwidth (twice the amount the M2 offers) and support for up to 32GB of memory.
You can order the Mac mini (M2, 2023) and Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) today, and it will go on sale on January 24.
The Mac mini (M2, 2023) starts at $599 / £649 / AU$999, and the Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023) starts at $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$1,999.
Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are real!
Perhaps the most important revelation from Apple’s surprise announcement is the existence of an M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, following on from the launch of the M2 last year.
While a welcome surprise, it wasn’t too surprising, as it follows Apple’s previous pattern of releasing the M1 chip, then following up the year after with the more powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. We’re likely to see an M2 Ultra appear at some point, then.
According to Apple, “M2 Pro scales up the architecture of M2 to deliver an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU, together with up to 32GB of fast unified memory.”
Meanwhile, the M2 Max chip “builds on the capabilities of M2 Pro, including an up to 38-core GPU, double the unified memory bandwidth, and up to 96GB of unified memory.”
Apple also makes a big deal about the “industry-leading performance per watt” of these chips, which is understandable, as it allows the company to make big claims about the MacBook Pros that will be powered by these chips and their impressively long battery lives.
Here’s some of the specs Apple has shared about the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips:
Both M2 Pro and M2 Max include Apple’s next-generation, 16-core Neural Engine, capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second, and up to 40% faster than the previous generation
M2 Pro’s media engine features hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, and ProRes video encode and decode, allowing playback of multiple streams of 4K and 8K ProRes video while remaining power-efficient. The M2 Max features two video encode engines and two ProRes engines, bringing up to 2x faster video encoding than M2 Pro.
Apple’s latest image signal processor promises better noise reduction and computational video to enhance camera image quality thanks to the Neural Engine of each chip.
Microsoft Viva has announced a suite of new updates to its goal-setting and objectives and key results (OKR) management solution in a bid to help more users increase goal-related clarity, productivity and motivation.
Among the changes are an improved integration with other company products, like Microsoft Teams and Planner, to better incorporate Viva Goals into everyday workflow, and further integration with Dynamics 365 that enables automatic updates from apps including Sales, Field Service, and Human Resources.
A new insights view has also been enabled for system administrators to track company-wide metrics, and a Power BI collaboration now enables users to utilize data-driven graphics inside the environment.
Tips for managing goals
Microsoft has also created a joint plan alongside research company Forrester to help workers stay motivated.
Among the key findings was the importance of clarity with regards to goal setting, which enables workers to be more focused, have a greater sense of purpose, and provides a sense of accountability. The research also found a distinct lack of sentiment among workers and leaders, which can be eliminated through the use of project management tools like Microsoft Viva Goals.
A lack of consistency was also uncovered, which is thanks in part to goals being regarded as a one-time exercise. Employees are said to have reported inconsistent follow-ups and progress check-ins, and an overall lack of time spent discussing and adapting goals.
The new insights dashboard for Viva Goals is hoped to make it easier for leaders to track progress, serving as a reminder to engage in regular discussion and fine-tuning goals wherever appropriate.
All of the new features are available to try in Viva Goals as part of the broader Viva Suite package for £6.80 ($9.00) per user per month, or as a standalone Viva Goals package for £4.50 ($6.00) per month.
“In 2023, information, data, and hybrid teams will be spread across various geographies, systems, and technology stacks,” wrote Vetri Vellore, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Viva Goals in a blog post (opens in new tab) announcing the launch.
“Unifying and contextualizing the most important information through a centralized, digital OKR system like Microsoft Viva Goals that integrates with already existing employee rhythms gives leaders and employees the visibility to be agile and make decisions with autonomy.”
Apple has just unveiled a bunch of new MacBook Pro models, equipped with the shiny new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors. You can read about the 14-inch model here, but in this article, we’re going to be examining the bigger (and more expensive) 16-inch version.
Thanks to the newly powered-up M2 Pro and Max chips, we can definitely expect the 2023 MacBook Pro 16-inch to make its way onto our list of the best MacBooks and Macs, not unlike the mighty MacBook Pro 13-inch (2022), which didn’t have those chips – instead using the standard M2 SoC found in the MacBook Air (2022).
There’s a lot to like here, from uber-powerful new silicon to a pleasingly sane price model. Sure, they’re still seriously expensive devices, but that shouldn’t be surprising to anyone remotely familiar with Apple hardware; the important thing here is that we’re not looking at any huge generational price jumps.
Keep reading and you’ll find all the details we know about this new laptop right now. Of course, we’ll have a review up as soon as we can run the new MacBook Pro through its paces, so keep an eye out for that in the next few days!
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023): Cut to the chase
What is it? The 16-inch model of Apple’s 2023 M2 MacBook Pro
When will it be available? Available for order now, official release on January 24
What will it cost? Ranging from $2,499 to $3,499 without optional upgrades
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023): Release date
Take a quick trip over to the Apple website and you’ll find a video (opens in new tab) with a ton of info about the new MacBook Pro 16-inch. Perhaps the most pertinent detail here is the release date, which will be January 24 – thoughpre-orders are available now through the Apple website and supporting retailers.
Also launching on January 24 is the M2 MacBook Pro 14-inch and new M2-powered versions of the Mac mini. Dispatch is guaranteed by January 23 if you pre-order direct from Apple, so get yourself over to their website (opens in new tab) if you want one of these new laptops ready for release day (or very soon after, at least).
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023): Price
As mentioned above, we’re pleased to see that the M2 MacBook Pro 16-inch isn’t getting a big generational price increase this time around. Much like the M1 Pro version, this laptop starts at $2,499 for the base configuration: that’s the M2 Pro chip, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.
Looking at the more powerful models, the M2 Max version of the MacBook Pro 16-inch will run you a cool thousand more with its $3,499 base price, which comes with 32GB of memory and a 1TB drive.
As usual, of course, all the models listed on Apple’s website can be configured specifically to your liking, adjusting the processor, RAM, and storage. If you go nuts and opt for the highest-possible spec (which has a ludicrous 96GB of memory and 8TB of storage), you’ll be paying a wallet-battering $6,499. You can also get Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro software preinstalled on the laptop, at $299.99 and $199.99 respectively.
Unfortunately for UK buyers, pricing outside of America is a bit steeper. The additional upgrades to the internal components get a direct currency swap (so it’s $200/£200 to upgrade from a 512GB SSD to a 1TB one) but the base prices for each model are inexplicably higher in the UK.
The cheapest model will cost £2,699 in Britain, about $3,315 at the time of writing. The higher-end M2 Max edition will cost £3,749 – that’s a little over $4,600, more than a thousand bucks more than it costs in the US. Considering the current cost-of-living crisis squeezing the UK, this is a deeply disappointing move from Apple.
Australian prices also start from an eye-watering AU$3,999. To upgrade to the 1TB storage, Aussie buyers are going to have to fork out an additional AU$300 for it. The M2 Max also have a steep price jump, setting back anyone after the higher-end model AU$5,599.
MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023): Specs
Interestingly, only the more powerful version of the two M2 Pro chip variants is available in the 16-inch MacBook Pro; a slightly toned-down version with fewer CPU and GPU cores can be found in the cheapest configurations of the new MacBook Pro 14-inch.
You can choose from two different versions of the M2 Max chip, however, one with 30 GPU cores and a more powerful version with 38. Every model has the same 12 CPU cores and 16-core Neural Engine built in.
In terms of memory, configurations are tied to the chosen processor, with 16GB or 32GB available for the M2 Pro and up to 96GB available for M2 Max models. Storage starts at 512GB, and can be configured up to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB. The MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M2 Max chip will come with a minimum of 1TB drive capacity.
The 16-inch display is technically a 16.2-inch screen, but the rounded corners slightly reduce the effective viewing area. Nonetheless, it’s the same high-quality Liquid Retina XDR display we’ve come to love on Apple’s laptops. We’ve got an upgraded battery too, with a potential battery life of up to 22 hours.
For physical connectivity, we’re looking at three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port supporting 8K video output, an SDXC card slot, a headphone jack, and a MagSafe 3 port for charging the laptop. All in all, it’s an impressive showing for Apple’s latest MacBook Pro.
Samsung is dropping hints that its next Galaxy Book Windows laptop, expected at Unpacked on February 1, will get the Ultra treatment, similar to the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet and the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra phone. That likely means an S Pen on board, since Samsung shut down its Note family of devices to focus on Ultra. We could also see improved cameras as well as a sky-high price tag.
In a blog post from TM Roh, President and Head of the Mobile eXperiences (MX) Business, Samsung digs deep into what the evolution from Note to Ultra branded devices means. Roh cites performance and camera capabilities, then says that “Ultra means big.”
In advance of the Samsung Unpacked event in San Francisco, the company is already taking online reservations for two devices, a smartphone and a Galaxy Book, presumably a Windows laptop following up on the Galaxy Book 2 Pro. That laptop tops out at 15 inches, but we might see Samsung launch something even larger, perhaps to compete with Apple’s best Macbook Pro.
Here’s what a Galaxy Book Ultra would be
The Macbook Pro was updated today with a faster M2 Pro processor, so it would make sense for Samsung to try to reclaim some momentum in the weeks before launch by teasing a new device. The company may be a more worthy Apple competitor in the phone space, but its Galaxy Book 2 Pro reviewed well in our tests.
A best guess would add a pen, a Samsung-branded S Pen of course, to the Galaxy Book Ultra. We’d also expect to see a camera upgrade, and since the webcam is the most important lens on a laptop, that’s the camera that should get a boost. We’d also expect to see a performance boost, so the latest Intel silicon inside would be a good bet.
Samsung speaks to connectivity quite a bit in its blog post, so we’d also expect a Galaxy Book Ultra to come with cellular connectivity options, perhaps even fast 5G networking. A laptop, which sits still and has a huge antenna compared to a smartphone, is a better candidate for the fastest mmWave 5G, if you’ll be using your laptop in a connected area.
Of course, Samsung could just be referring to connectivity between the laptop and the new Galaxy S23 phones. It’s possible that the laptop could rely entirely on the new phones for cellular connectivity, with a suite of automated software to make that connection happen when the two are within range. We’re hoping for the latter, as 5G laptops are still a rarity.
Lot’s of hints but no real details
Unfortunately, the blog post gives us few actual concrete details or even deducible hints about what to expect in a new phone. We can only surmise so much about a new laptop because there is no Ultra version of the Galaxy Book, and these are the features a Galaxy Book would need to match the Galaxy S22 Ultra or the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
We will have more on the new phones and laptops, and any new Samsung devices, in our ongoing coverage of the Samsung Unpacked event. We’re expecting great new cameras, cool new laptops, and perhaps even some surprises yet to come.