GoKawiil
Tech News
Apple has refreshed the Mac mini for the first time in nearly two years, keeping its compact design but adding an M6 chip and notable performance gains. The base price has jumped from $599 to $899, a hike attributed largely to rising component costs driven by AI-related demand.
Google has revealed its Googlebook laptop lineup, built on a new operating system blending ChromeOS and Android elements, designed to pair tightly with Android phones and Gemini AI features. Five partners—Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, and Acer—will offer models with Intel or Qualcomm chips, premium materials like aluminum and carbon fiber, high-resolution OLED displays, at least 16GB RAM, and storage starting at 256GB. Pre-orders open now, with retail availability starting October 4 in the U.S. and October 5 in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, and Australia.
Tom's Hardware reviewed Apple's new Mac Studio built around the M5 Ultra chip, which now serves as Apple's top desktop after the Mac Pro's discontinuation. The tested configuration, priced at $12,299 with 256GB of unified memory and 4TB storage, outperformed rivals like Nvidia's DGX Spark and AMD Threadripper systems when running AI models locally, while the base M5 Max model starts at $2,499.
Developers of the open-source PlayStation 3 emulator RPCS3 identified a workaround for a bug in Nvidia's GPU drivers that was limiting performance. Testing on Red Dead Redemption's Blackwater boat scene showed frame rate gains of 20% on an RTX 3080 setup and 25% on an RTX 5090 setup, while Gran Turismo 5 saw up to 37% faster performance and lower VRAM usage. AMD GPUs were unaffected, suggesting the issue is specific to Nvidia's drivers.
MediaTek announced the Dimensity CX C10 Max, its first chip in a new CX line, positioned between its RTX Spark and Kompanio processors. The 3nm chip will launch alongside Google's new Googlebook laptops on September 21, and appears likely to be built specifically for that lineup given MediaTek's history supplying Chromebook silicon.
Retailers such as Apple, Samsung, Best Buy and GameStop let customers trade in old phones for store credit, discounts, or occasionally cash, offering a fast and hassle-free alternative to selling privately. However, the payout is notably lower than market value—Apple's trade-in program reportedly offers only $585 for a well-maintained iPhone 17 that retails for $899, and most programs pay in credit rather than cash.
Apple has refreshed the Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chip options, replacing last year's M5 tier entirely. The M6 model starts at $899 with up to 32GB RAM, while the M5 Pro version scales up to 64GB RAM and significantly faster GPU bandwidth, positioning the lineup below the $2,499 Mac Studio.
Google's hardware partners have launched their first Googlebooks, all available for pre-order, featuring premium specs including at least 16GB of RAM and batteries rated for 14-16 hours of use. Acer, ASUS and Lenovo models use Intel's Core Ultra 5 Series 3 chips, while Dell and HP opted for Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor. Each device includes a signature 'Glowbar' light array on the lid that displays battery status and animations during Gemini interactions.
Engadget's review found the Mac Studio M5 Ultra posts some of the highest CPU and GPU benchmark scores among desktop computers, with multi-core performance rivaling AMD's 64-core Threadripper Pro chips and disk speeds nearly double the previous M3 Ultra model. Real-world video editing tests showed dramatic gains too, cutting a 4K export task from over eight minutes to just over one minute compared to a MacBook M3 Pro.
Apple has updated the Mac Mini for the first time in nearly two years, introducing an M6 base model and an M5 Pro configuration that skips the M5 generation entirely for the standard chip. The base M6 Mini starts at $899, while a maxed-out M5 Pro version with 48GB of memory and 1TB storage reaches $2,899, edging into Mac Studio pricing territory.
Google has released its first Googlebooks, premium laptops running Googlebook OS, a new platform merging Android, Gemini AI, and ChromeOS's desktop and security features. Five models are available for pre-order now, arriving in stores October 4-5 across the US, Canada, UK, and other markets, with prices starting at $899.
Apple's latest Mac Mini refresh retains its familiar compact design, port layout, and the awkwardly placed rear power button, while introducing the new M6 chip built on a 2-nanometer process. The chip packs 46 billion transistors, roughly 35 percent denser than its predecessor, and the new model adds two extra CPU cores compared to the M4 version.