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Tuesday, 17 December 2019

iFixit Shares 2019 Mac Pro Teardown: 'A Masterclass in Repairability'

iFixit has shared its full teardown of the new Mac Pro, calling it "beautiful, amazingly well put together, and a masterclass in repairability."

Given its modular design, the new Mac Pro unsurprisingly earned a nearly perfect repairability score of 9/10, with iFixit noting that basic repairs and upgrades can be performed with standard tools or even no tools at all. Major components also use industry-standard sockets and interfaces.

From a repair standpoint, the only downside is that while the SSDs are modular, they are not user replaceable since they are tied to the Apple T2 security chip. A support document says to contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider instead.

iFixit also has a service manual for the new Mac Pro.

Related Roundup: Mac Pro

Tags: iFixit, teardown

Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Buy Now)

This article, "iFixit Shares 2019 Mac Pro Teardown: 'A Masterclass in Repairability'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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New Count of Endangered Mountain Gorillas Suggests Conservation Is Working

The total population of free-ranging mountain gorillas is now 1,063, according to an encouraging new survey.

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Successor to Sony's Flagship WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones Spotted in FCC Filing

Sony could be about to launch the next generation model of its popular WH-1000XM3 over-ear noise-canceling headphones, if a new FCC filing is anything to go by.

The company's WH-1000XM3 cans, which we reviewed back in March, are considered by many to offer some of the best noise-canceling in the business, providing great sound, excellent comfort and long battery life.

Now it appears that Sony wants to go one better with news that the company has filed for certification for the next model in the series.

The new "WH-1000XM4" headphones aren't actually named as such in the filing, which doesn't reveal any specs or pictures either. However, The Verge notes that the product ID gives a good indication that the version number will be XM4. (The last two models had the version numbers of M2 and M3.)

With so much going for the current model, it's difficult to know what improvements Sony is aiming for in the XM4's. Having said that, the XM3 cans don't support dynamic switching between audio sources.

Bose's QC35's and 700's have no trouble pairing with two devices and automatically switching between them based on which one is transmitting an audio signal. We think it's baffling that the 1000XM3's lack this ability given how convenient the feature is, so hopefully Sony has been listening.

The filing offers no hint as to when the new model will be out, but the Consumer Electronics Show is coming up in January, so maybe Sony will announce the headphones then.

In the meantime, the WH-1000XM3's are still a top choice if you're looking to get some wireless noise-canceling cans for the holidays, and you can find places like Amazon and Best Buy selling them at around $280, which is a decent discount on their original $349.99 RRP.

Tag: Sony

This article, "Successor to Sony's Flagship WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones Spotted in FCC Filing" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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UK Telecoms Regulator Plans to Ban Sale of Locked Mobile Phones to Make Switching Networks Easier

U.K. telecoms regulator Ofcom has drawn up plans to ban the sale of locked smartphone handsets that can't be used on other mobile networks until the owner pays for them to be unlocked.

The proposal is part of a consultation document published today that aims to achieve fairer treatment and easier switching for broadband and mobile customers in the U.K. The document reads:

Some providers sell locked devices so they cannot be used on another network. If customers want to keep using the same device after they switch, this practice creates additional hassle and can put someone off from switching altogether. We are proposing to ban the sale of locked mobile devices to remove this hurdle for customers.

Ofcom notes that, currently, BT Mobile/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone sell devices that are locked and cannot be used on other networks until they are unlocked. Meanwhile, O2, Sky, Three and Virgin Mobile choose to sell unlocked devices to their customers.

The regulator's research found that just under half of mobile customers experience some sort of problem, such as a long delay before getting the code they need to unlock their device, being given a code that doesn't work, a loss of service if they didn't realize their device was locked before they tried to switch.

Meanwhile, to make broadband switching easier, Ofcom plans to require a customer's new broadband provider to lead the switch, and offer a seamless switching experience, regardless of whether they are moving across different fixed networks (for example, between Virgin Media and a provider using the Openreach network) or between providers of ultrafast broadband services on the same fixed network. The plan comes as there are currently no regulated processes in place for these types of switches.

If the consultation period goes smoothly, the proposals could become law in the first quarter of 2020 or 2021. The plans are a response to changes to the European regulatory framework. The Government consulted earlier this year on how to reflect these changes in UK law.

Tags: United Kingdom, Ofcom

This article, "UK Telecoms Regulator Plans to Ban Sale of Locked Mobile Phones to Make Switching Networks Easier" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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