All laptop segments from high-end gaming to ultraportables and foldables will be refreshed with new 12th Gen Intel 'Alder Lake' CPUs featuring heterogenous cores in Q1 2022
Americans are becoming increasingly concerned that they are being tracked online by cybercriminals looking to steal their data and even their identities.
According to a new survey from NordVPN, 73 percent of Americans worry about being tracked online while just over a third (35%) think they are being monitored at all times. However, experts at the cybersecurity firm say that users are making themselves trackable by accepting cookies, using public Wi-Fi and even by owning a smartwatch.
The majority of Americans believe they are mostly tracked by cybercriminals (60%) and social media giants such as Facebook (46%) but they're also worried that brands or advertising agencies (34%), information and advertising aggregators like Google (40%) and the government (47%) are following their activities online.
Although many Americans now believe cybercriminals are tracking them online, digital privacy expert at NordVPN, Daniel Markuson points out that other third parties want their data as well, saying:
“It’s not only cybercriminals who want your data. Social media networks, ISPs, third-party organizations, websites, and governmental institutions regularly collect users’ personal data and browsing habits for marketing or other purposes. They frequently use cookies to track your digital footprints.”
Poor security habits put Americans at risk online
In order to avoid being tracked online, you first need to know which devices and services are most commonly used for tracking.
When it came to the devices most likely to track their online activities and collect their data, American respondents believe smartphones are the best way to track them online (80%) followed by laptops (71%), desktop computers (71%) and tablets (62%). However, few people consider smart home appliances to be capable of spying and they were named the least likely culprits.
One of the easiest ways Americans allow themselves to be tracked online is by enabling cookies with NordVPN's study finding that 19 percent of those surveyed always enabling cookies and 23 percent doing so unless it looks suspicious. Surprisingly, only seven percent never accept cookies.
Using free or public Wi-Fi also comes at a cost as Markuson points out that these services are likely managed by a third-party provider that gets access to users' email addresses, social media profiles and phone numbers in exchange for getting them online. However, some hotspot providers are taking data collection a step further by tracking the whereabouts of users even after they've left an establishment offering free Wi-Fi.
Americans are putting their data at risk while connected to public Wi-Fi by logging into their personal emails (46%), using social media platforms with auto log-ins (42%), logging into their other accounts (37%) and buying from online retailers (24%).
To avoid being tracked online, you should always use a VPN if you absolutely must connect to public Wi-Fi though using cellular data is a much safer bet if you want to protect your privacy and keep your data out of the hands of third parties and even snooping cybercriminals.
Businesses and governments around the world continue to be plagued by ransomware and the problem has gotten so bad that some now believe that ransomware threats are equivalent to terrorism.
To learn more about how InfoSec leadership is responding to the growing risk of ransomware attacks, the cybersecurity firm Venafi surveyed 1,506 IT security officers across the US, UK, Germany, France, Benelux and Australia.
The survey found that ransomware attacks increased by 93 percent in the first half of last year alone when compared to the same time period in 2020. To make matters worse, data from Cybersecurity Ventures revealed that by the end of last year, an organization was estimated to be hit with a ransomware attack every 11 seconds.
In June of last year, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said that the agency would begin treating ransomware attacks at the same level it previously reserved only for terrorism. FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed this sentiment and went so far as to compare ransomware attacks to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Venafi found that overall, 60 percent of InfoSec leaders agree with the DOJ's decision to prioritize ransomware threats at the same level as terrorism according to a new report from the cybersecurity firm detailing the findings of its survey.
To pay or not to pay
Of those surveyed, 67 percent of respondents from organizations with over 500 employees reported falling victim to a ransomware attack last year. However, that figure rose to 80 percent among respondents at organizations with 3,000 to 4,999 employees.
Venafi's report also found that eight percent of the companies that did suffer a ransomware attack last year paid a ransom to their attackers. At the same time though, 22 percent of respondents said that they believe it is morally wrong to pay a ransom even if an attack seriously compromises critical business data or systems.
One of the reasons that some organizations opt to pay their attackers is due to the fact that ransom payments don't have to be publicly disclosed even under this year's new National Defense Authorization Act. If this were to change though, 57 percent of respondents said that they would reverse their decision to pay to unlock their data and systems.
Vice president of ecosystem and threat intelligence at Venafi, Kevin Bocek explained how built-in security controls can aid organizations in fending off ransomware attacks, saying:
“Organizational environments now extend far beyond traditional perimeters, and so we can no longer rely on yesterday’s tools to win this high-stakes battle. Controls like code signing, restricting the execution of malicious macros and limiting the use of unsigned scripts based on corporate security policies use a high level of automation to prevent ransomware in our machine-centric, digitally transformed world.”
Now that Intel has finally released its 12th-generation Alder Lake processors, gaining a performance lead on AMD, all eyes are on Team Red for its CES 2022 presentation. And we have a feeling that it's going to be a big one.
While we don't think we're going to get a new line of graphics cards, this does mark nearly a year and a half after the release of the Ryzen 9 5900X, and the rest of the 5000-series chips. So, we're about due for some new CPUs.
We've also seen some rumors that AMD may be planning a Radeon RX 6500 XT. That wouldn't be the most exciting launch, but it's one that we badly need in a market where the best graphics cards are so expensive.
We don't know what AMD has in store, but we at least won't have to wait long. You can watch along here at 7am PT (10am ET, 3pm GMT). Or just stay on this page, and we'll make sure it's updated with all the latest information as it comes.
With how successful Alder Lake has been, we wouldn't be surprised if AMD comes out swinging tomorrow morning. Team Red needs some fresh desktop chips to stay on top of the pile. Let's hope Zen 4 is behind the CES curtain.
Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2022 coverage. We're bringing you all the breaking tech news and launches, everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
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While Nvidia won't physically be at CES 2022, the green-themed company is holding a special address on Tuesday, January 4 at 8AM PT (11AM EST, 4PM GMT). While we aren't quite sure what Nvidia has in store for us at the event, we do have a few guesses.
We've been seeing RTX 3000 Ti-series GPUs rumored for laptops, along with the RTX 3090 Ti graphics card for desktops continuing to pop up in the rumor mill. It's not likely we'll see both, especially as we're smack dab in the middle of Nvidia's Ampere generation, but maybe we'll be in for a surprise.
Either way, stay tuned, and we'll make sure this page is updated with the hottest information right as it's coming from Nvidia.
We wouldn't be terribly surprised if we see Ti-branded laptop GPUs show up, and it wouldn't be without precedent. The RTX 2080 Super and the rest of the Super-branded Turing lineup showed up in laptops in March 2020, just about 6 months before the RTX 3080 graced our lives. So, an RTX 3080 Ti for a laptop would be early if it showed up at CES 2022, but not by enough that would make it infeasible.
Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2022 coverage. We're bringing you all the breaking tech news and launches, everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
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For many, being "fully vaccinated" is required to eat in restaurants, work in person or attend college. Will the CDC change the definition to include boosters?
When will the Apple AirPods Pro 2 be released? Speculation is mounting around the next iteration of the noise-cancelling AirPods, which offer an audio upgrade and additional features over the standard Apple AirPods.
While we've yet to hear anything official about the AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods 3 have been released recently, bringing a much improved listening experience than their predecessors, the AirPods 2.
We are expecting another 'Pro' or premium model in the relatively near future, especially after a recent price leak – which will be good news for those keen on noise-cancelling wireless earbuds like the AirPods Pro that offer a slightly more robust feature set than their cheaper counterparts.
Right now, everything is pointing to a 2022 release date for the second-gen AirPods Pro, with respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting a launch in the tail-end of the year.
Whenever they materialize, we're hoping Apple will introduce some big upgrades to its flagship true wireless earbuds. Here's everything we know so far about the rumored Apple AirPods 2 earbuds, plus a few features we'd like to see.
AirPods Pro 2: cut to the chase
What are they? A rumored cheaper version of the AirPods Pro.
When will they be released? Probably the last quarter of 2022
How much will they cost? Likely $249 / £249 / AU$399 or under, the price of the AirPods Pro.
AirPods Pro 2 release date
There's been a bit of back and forth with AirPods Pro 2 release date rumors.
Initial rumors suggested new 'regular' AirPods would crash into the market before 2020 is out, but later comments from industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested we'd be waiting a while longer – as indeed we have been.
That's backed up by information - which supposedly comes from a supply chain insider - that was released by @FrontTron (via MacRumors), who says that the launch of the premium wireless earbuds has been pushed back from Q2 2022 to Q3. The source didn't give a reason for this delay.
In any case, we're not expecting previous rumors that the AirPods Pro 2 would emerge in 2021 to come true now that we're nearly at the end of the year.
According to tweet from LeaksApplePro, the AirPods Pro 2 will cost the same as their predecessors ($249 / £249 / AU$399) – which contradicts previous reports that the new earbuds will be an entry-level version of the AirPods Pro (hence the AirPods Pro Lite name).
If we do get a budget-friendly version of the AirPods Pro 2, that would really shake up the competition with a genuinely affordable pair of Apple earbuds. We don't think that's super likely though; Apple recently reduced the price of the AirPods 2 in the wake of the AirPods 3 being released, making them the cheapest AirPods you can currently buy.
Interested in buying some Apple headphones now? Check out the best deals we've found below:
AirPods Pro 2 rumors
Improved noise cancellation and lossless audio
We don’t think there would be much point in releasing an entry-level version of AirPods Pro if they didn’t come with its best feature: active noise cancellation.
This was a true upgrade over the original AirPods, and signaled a shift in the true wireless earbuds market that means we can now expect to see features previously reserved for premium over-ear headphones in cordless models.
The noise cancellation offered by the AirPods Pro is very good indeed, particularly for true wireless earbuds – but it could be improved. And according to LeaksApplePro, the noise cancellation will be adjusted, if not given a complete overhaul.
We've also heard that the AirPods Pro 2 will be the first wireless earbuds from Apple to support the Apple Lossless (ALAC) standard, perhaps using some new kind of proprietary wireless connection rather than Bluetooth.
Fitness tracking features
A previous report by Digitimes said future AirPods will use ambient light sensors to take biometric measurements – potentially for monitoring blood oxygen levels like the Apple Watch 6.
According to AppleLeaksPro, this feature is coming to the AirPods Pro 2 – and as posited by MacRumors, this could work in a similar way to the ear-based clip on pulse oximeters used in hospitals, which shine light through the earlobe to detect the amount of oxygen in a patient's bloodstream. It's not clear whether the design of the AirPods Pro would have to change materially to allow this to happen, but we think it's unlikely that Apple would ditch the design that has made its earbuds so ubiquitous.
According to Patently Apple, the patent describes AirPods that use inbuilt sensors to "gather orientation information such as accelerometer measurements during user movements".
That's not all. Future Apple AirPods – including the rumored AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro Lite – could automatically pause or lower the volume of your music if they detect hazards in your surroundings, according to a patent granted to the company on August 11.
The patent describes a pair of true wireless earbuds that are capable of adjusting their audio output based on the user's activities and location, including "adjusting audio volume, stopping or preventing audio from playing, providing feedback, directions, encouragement, advice, safety information, instructions, and the like".
Spotted by Patently Apple, the patent describes how in-air gestures – for example hovering a hand over the AirPods – could work alongside the touch controls already employed by the AirPods Pro, allowing you to trigger different actions.
According to a Bloomberg report that cites "people familiar with the plans" the AirPods Pro will get a design overhaul in 2021, eliminating the ear stems altogether, for a "more rounded shape that fills more of a user's ear" – perhaps taking a few design cues from the Samsung Galaxy Buds and the Google Pixel Buds.
That design isn't set in stone, however. Bloomberg says that fitting the features of the AirPods Pro, including the antennas and microphones, into a more compact build has been a challenge so far, which "could result in a less ambitious design when the final product is finalized".
If Apple does keep the protruding stems we’d love the brand to include haptic feedback when you touch them – it would add a little bit of tactility to the user experience that we think would be really beneficial.
A charging case that doubles up as an AirTag
Apparently the Apple AirPods Pro 2 will come with a charging case that can be tracked with the Find My app on the iPhone, so you can find it if it gets lost. It'll also make a beep if you need to locate it, much like the AirTags do.
Could the AirPods Pro Lite come with a more workout-friendly design like the Beats Powerbeats Pro?(Image credit: Beats)
AirPods Pro 2: what we want to see
Sports-friendly features
Some earfins wouldn’t go amiss to make the AirPods Pro Lite appeal to the running crowd. While we find that the AirPods Pro are generally quite secure during workout sessions, some extra security could win over diehard fans of the earhook-toting Beats Powerbeats Pro.
Another way to steal some custom from Beats (and therefore itself)? Adding some cool color options to the AirPods Pro Lite. If they really are a cheaper version of the AirPods Pro, and therefore not a flagship product, what’s the harm in a little experimentation? We’d love to see true wireless earbuds in the same space gray and rose gold colors we’ve seen with some iPhone and MacBook Pro models.
Longer battery life
The battery life offered by the AirPods Pro doesn't match some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy today. While perfectly acceptable, just under 25-hours of playtime has been far outmatched by the likes of the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 (though these admittedly don't come with noise cancellation, which can drain battery life).
For a start, we'd like to see aptX HD support, which would allow for wireless streaming of hi-res audio codecs at 24-bit/48kHz – which Qualcomm claims makes for better-than-CD quality. That way, Apple could get the audiophiles on side – and it seems a bit of an oversight now that the original AirPods Pro can support other codecs like Dolby Atmos spatial audio and Apple Music now offers lossless audio at no extra cost for subscribers.
We'd also like to see the ability to customize the EQ of the AirPods Pro, which could make them suitable for a wider range of musical genres. While the original earbuds are great for listening to pop music, they just don't have the right EQ curve to do justice to classical music.
