August 2022 – World Cyber News

All You need to know about the new Apple MacBook Air M2

August 20, 2022 Jonathan V Technological Innovations

Here’s all you need to know about Apple’s new $1,199 MacBook Air with its newest CPU, the M2.

The 2022 MacBook Air is the most significant update of the MacBook since 2010. It does away with the tapered exterior of previous versions and is 20% less in volume than its predecessor due to improved internals. It boasts a bigger screen, a quicker CPU, improved speakers, an upgraded camera, and other improvements.

Apple’s Mac revenue increased 15% year on year to $10.4 billion in the second quarter, owing mostly to the M1 chip and a flood of new Macs that use it. The MacBook Air with M2 will help the unit maintain its momentum, especially as the start of the school year approaches.

Pros:

You get a lot of bang for your money with this laptop, which should last you for years. It nearly seems like a MacBook Pro Lite, given the appearance and new features like MagSafe. That’s great news.

The new, slimmer design is the first thing you’ll notice. It feels balanced and light, yet it has a more sophisticated design, akin to the $1,999 14-inch MacBook Pro. The screen was improved from a retina display to a liquid retina display, which is brighter and more vivid than the previous model. There’s a notch at the top, same like on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, but most customers don’t mind.

The speakers produce a pleasant sound. The previous model’s stereo speakers were excellent, but the M2 MacBook Air includes two more speakers for a total of four, making movies and music feel more immersive. However, they fall short of the fantastic speakers found on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which costs nearly twice as much.

The keyboard is popular among customers. It’s back to the tried-and-true model from the M1 MacBook Air. Typing is simple, and it lacks faults such as the previous butterfly version, which felt excessively shallow and was prone to repetitive key presses and stuck keys.

MagSafe is also present, as it was on the 14-inch MacBook Pro. That’s the little magnetic charging wire that attaches to the side and quickly detaches. So, if you trip over the cord, the entire MacBook will not fall off your desk. The laptop may also be charged through one of two Thunderbolt USB C connectors. If you buy Apple’s 67-watt charger for $59, you can charge it up to 50% in 30 minutes.

The M2 processor proved adequately quick for my purposes, which included running multiple tabs in Safari, listening to music, viewing movies, and light gaming. People coming from the M1 may not notice a significant change unless you’re timing things like video rendering rates. And, if you’re the type of person who need a lot of speed, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is the way to go.
With the screen set to around 50% brightness, Apple guarantees 18 hours of battery life. A video rundown test was performed, in which a movie was looped indefinitely until the battery expired, and it lasted little over 17 hours. Things like the keyboard lights on while watching the movie, which both have an influence on battery life. It will last you through a workday and beyond, and you’ll have plenty of battery life to view movies for the duration of a trip.

Cons:

The M2 chip’s name might be perplexing: It is quicker than the M1, but not as powerful as the M1 Pro or M1 Max in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It’s also more restricted than those chips. You can only connect one external monitor, as compared to two on the M1 Pro and four on the M1 Max. That’s the same limitation as the M1 chip, which is a disappointment for users who regularly have two additional monitors running.

In addition, Apple has finally improved the camera from 720p to full 1080p HD. It’s improved, but it might be crisper – for example, a person’s skin appeared too smooth. Lights in the backdrop, for example, displayed apparent stripes. If you want to appear your best for video chat, standalone cameras with larger lenses are still the superior option.

The Merge of Ethereum is the Most Important Event in Cryptocurrency this Year.

August 20, 2022 Jonathan V Cybersecurity, Technological Innovations

Ethereum is evolving.

The world’s most popular blockchain platform is going to undergo a drastic transformation that will make it more environmentally friendly and pave the way for other enhancements. It is extremely significant for the embryonic fields of decentralized finance and NFTs; nevertheless, its immediate implications on Ethereum’s speed, scalability, and fees are frequently exaggerated. Let’s get started.

What is The Merge?

The Merge is an Ethereum platform update that will merge the Ethereum Mainnet with the Beacon Chain, signaling a shift from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake.

If you’re not into blockchain and cryptocurrency, that probably didn’t make much sense, so here’s a shorter definition: The Merge is an Ethereum update that abandons traditional mining (having strong computers solve math puzzles to operate the network and produce new currencies) in favor of a system in which holders of the underlying currency, ether or ETH, can stake it (thus proof-of-stake) to power the network.

In other simpler terms, machines that require massive amounts of electricity to run Ethereum are being phased out and replaced by processors that consume far less electricity.

When will The Merge actually occur?

The Merge has no defined date, however the process has already been completed on Ethereum test networks. Each of those test networks Merges might be viewed as a dress rehearsal for the big event. The Merge may now be enabled on Ethereum’s public blockchain after those rehearsals went smoothly. Ethereum developers have indicated that this will occur in the near future, most likely on September 15 or 16, 2022. As the event approaches, the actual time and day will become apparent.

Is The Merge risky?

The Merge is a significant update to an incredibly complicated system. Something may go wrong. Ethereum may operate slowly for a time or perhaps stop entirely. There might be additional unanticipated faults or problems. Given all of the testing that went into this event, the chances of any of this happening are modest, but not zero.

The Merge also alters the way the Ethereum network is safeguarded. Cheating a proof-of-work system is difficult since it would take a large amount of computer power. Cheating the system under a proof-of-stake system would necessitate acquiring a large sum of ETH.

Proof-of-stake, according to Ethereum’s creators, is safe, and it has been employed in numerous other important blockchains, like Solana and Avalanche, although there is some risk involved.

Finally, Ethereum is a decentralized network, which means that not all power is concentrated in the hands of the creators. The community, presumably lead by miners dissatisfied with Ethereum abandoning mining, may elect to construct a so-called fork of Ethereum that retains mining (one such fork currently exists and is known as Ethereum Classic). This split has the potential to become more popular than Ethereum itself.

If you possess ETH or an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, you will (most likely) own them in any Ethereum fork because these forks are simply replicas of the network. It is up to each user to determine which fork to continue supporting and what to do with their assets.

Who knows what the end result of this merge will be?