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Posts Tagged ‘upgrades’

Apple upgrades its 27″ iMac with 10-gen Intel CPUs, new AMD GPUs and doubles RAM capacity

04 Aug

Apple announced at its all-virtual WWDC event this year that we would see another round of Intel-based computers before we start to see computers powered by its in-house chipsets. And now it’s here. Apple has announced an update for its 27” iMac, which may very well be the last Intel-based iMac for the foreseeable future. The update adds improved base-level storage options, more powerful CPU/GPU options, upgraded RAM capacity and improvements to the 5K Retina display.

The updated iMac shares the same external design as previous iMacs, with only one exception. In addition to the glossy glass screen that’s been standard on iMacs for the past decade, you can now choose a nano-texture matte glass option, a technology Apple first showed off in its Pro Display XDR. As its name suggests, this option reduces glare on the screen and should result in a better image in brighter environments. In addition to the matte glass, the display now features Apple’s True Tone technology for adapting the color balance based on the ambient lighting.

Moving inside the computer, Apple is now using 6-core and 8-core 10th-gen Intel CPUs across the entire lineup, with the option to upgrade to a 10-core option — the first time a 10-core CPU has been available inside an iMac. Apple has also increased the amount of memory the new iMacs can support. If you don’t mind paying the price, you can now max out your iMac with up to 128GB of RAM.

Apple has also updated the graphics capabilities of its new 27” iMac with AMD’s Radeon Pro 5000 series GPU. The base model starts with 6GB of GDDR6 of memory and has upgrade options going up to 16GB of GPU memory.

SSDs are now standard across the board, with the base model starting at 256GB of flash storage and the option to max out with an 8TB SSD. Apple has also added its higher-bandwidth T2 security chip, bringing it in line with the rest of Apple’s computer lineup.

Other improvements include an updated 1080p FaceTime camera, an improved ‘studio quality’ microphone system and better speakers. Apple is also making SSD storage standard across its 21.5” iMac lineup and the iMac Pro will come standard with the 10-core Intel Xeon processor that’s offered as an upgrade option in the new 27” iMac.

The base 27” iMac starts at $ 1,800 for a 3.1GHz 6-core 10th-gen Intel i5 processor, 8GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD storage and a Radeon Pro 5300 GPU with 6GB of memory. The nano-texture glass is available for an additional $ 500 and further CPU, GPU, RAM and storage upgrades can be made at various price increases.

You can find out more and configure your desired 27” iMac on Apple’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Topaz Labs will end free upgrades for several products starting in August 2020

15 Feb

Topaz Labs, the software company known for offering free software upgrades, has announced a major change to its business model: customers will have to pay to upgrade several of the company’s products starting in August 2020. The announcement was made by company CEO Eric Yang in a statement on Thursday. Gigapixel AI, DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI and Mask AI are all affected by the change.

Yang explains that offering free major upgrades for its products was a way ‘of acting differently than faceless corporations,’ but that it ultimately had an unwanted effect. By hinging its revenue on new products rather than product upgrades, Yang says, ‘we found that we weren’t focusing as much as we wanted on improving existing products.’

Yang goes on to state:

We ended up with several different products that did similar things, which caused confusion about which tool to use. Although it started out with good intentions, our free upgrade policy ultimately prevented us from delivering the best possible products to you. Make no mistake about it: this situation was 100% our fault. We were not thoughtful enough about aligning our pricing structure with continuous improvement of our products.

Topaz Labs says more than $ 8 million worth of free upgrades were claimed for major new products last year. In 2020, the company will transition to paid upgrades, which will involve paying $ 49.99 for a year of upgrades following an initial first year of free major and minor upgrades. For customers who own multiple Topaz Labs products, the upgrades can be collectively purchased for $ 99.99.

The company says that Mask, Sharpen, DeNoise and Gigapixel will require upgrade licenses this year. Topaz Labs stresses that customers retain access to the products they purchased even if they choose not to purchase software upgrades. ‘Wait until [the upgrade] actually includes something you want to pay for,’ Yang says. ‘This also incentivizes us to make sure that the improvements we do implement are useful enough for you to upgrade.’

Some customers are understandably upset about Topaz’s decision to start charging for upgrades. Yang acknowledges this in his post, stating that it was a hard decision to make. ‘I’m asking you to lock arms with us and walk through this phase of our development by accepting this change,’ he states. Users will soon be able to view how much time remains on their upgrade licenses within their customer accounts.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Western Digital upgrades its My Cloud NAS system with multi-tasking processor

20 Feb

Storage manufacturer Western Digital Corporation has added a new 1.3 GHz dual core processor and 1GB of DDR3 memory to its latest network attached storage system and increased its maximum capacity to 12TB. The My Cloud EX2 Ultra is a twin-bay data storage device that the company aims at creative users, and which it is says is especially suited to those working with still and moving images. The new faster processor and built-in memory will allow users to multi-task ‘with ease’ and to stream high resolution content from the device to other connected PCs, smartphones and TVs.

The EX2 Ultra comes empty or fitted with Western Digital’s Red hard drives in total capacities of 4TB, 8TB or 12TB. The drives can be managed in RAID 0, RAID 1; JBOD and spanning modes, and they can be hot swapped while the unit is still running. Temporary expansion can also be achieved by connecting additional USB 3.0 external hard drives via the EX2’s USB ports.

The Western Digital My Cloud EX2 Ultra is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems, and is priced from £135 with no disks, to £245 for 4TB, £390 for 8TB and £519.99 for 12TB.

For more information visit the Western Digital website.

Press release:

New Western Digital Prosumer NAS Storage Gives Creative Pros The Power To Multi-task And Easily Share Files

New My Cloud® EX2 Ultra Delivers High Performance with Up to 12 TB Capacity

IRVINE, Calif. – Feb. 17, 2016 –Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a world leader in connected storage solutions, today updated its prosumer solutions with My Cloud EX2 Ultra, a high-performance, two-bay network attached storage (NAS) system. The My Cloud EX2 Ultra NAS is designed from the ground up for creative professionals and prosumers that need to automatically sync content across computers, easily share files and folders and enjoy multiple backup options so they can create their own personalized digital library with ease.

“We know our My Cloud users, especially creative professionals, need comprehensive solutions as digital storage needs continue to soar as well as the need for ongoing streaming capability,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president, WD Branded Products. “With the My Cloud EX2 Ultra, creative professionals are able to combine high performance with multi-tasking optimization and data protection to create a NAS system that simplifies their workflow and provides peace-of-mind.”

My Cloud EX2 Ultra has been upgraded with a powerful 1.3 GHz dual-core processor enabling users to get ultra-fast transfer rates for high performance and smooth video streaming. Users also have access to 1 GB of DDR3 memory, allowing them to multitask with ease and leverage applications for HD media streaming, surveillance and much more. Several data management and security features allow users to select a preferred method for managing and protecting their movies, photos, music and digital files. Drive management options include RAID 0, RAID 1; JBOD and spanning modes, while data protection options include NAS to NAS, USB, cloud or LAN/WAN backup. The My Cloud EX2 Ultra  NAS comes preconfigured in RAID 1 mode to help protect data right from the start and is easily configurable into other data protection modes.

High Capacity and Ultimate Reliability
From unpopulated to 12 TB capacities1, the My Cloud EX2 Ultra provides several capacity options for customers to choose from. Additionally, customers can attach compatible USB 3.0 hard drives to the USB expansion ports on the My Cloud EX2 Ultra to instantly expand their storage capacity. The populated My Cloud EX2 Ultra features the award-winning WD Red® hard drives, specifically built for NAS systems to provide non-stop performance within 24×7 environments. WD Red drives are powered by NASware™ 3.0 technology, improving drive reliability and minimizing data corruption in the event of a power loss or disruption.

Easy Sharing with Anywhere Access
With simplified file and folder sharing, users can send customized, private links that allow recipients read/write access to particular files on the user’s My Cloud EX2 Ultra. Whether on a photo shoot, or editing at home, saving creations at full fidelity and sharing with your entire network is a breeze. The My Cloud EX2 Ultra features an intuitive dashboard, so user accounts can be created, features customized and storage can be monitored with ease. With MyCloud.com web access, or the My Cloud mobile app, users can access their media and manage users from any internet connected device. With WD Sync™, users can automatically synchronize their media and files across their computers and their My Cloud device with the confidence that their computer content is up to date and accessible from all devices.

Advanced Features
My Cloud EX2 Ultra includes advanced data serving options including an integrated FTP and WebDAV server, backup server, P2P download server and Microsoft Active Directory support. Additionally, users can download and run a host of third party apps, including, Plex®, Milestone Arcus™ surveillance, aMule, Icecast, Joomla!®, Anti-Virus Essentials, WordPress®, SqueezeCenter, and more. Users can also stream videos and photos to connected TVs, media players, gaming consoles and other DLNA®/UPnP® devices with  the included Twonky 7.2 DLNA-certified 1.5 media server, and built-in iTunes® support.

Price and Availability
My Cloud EX2 Ultra is currently available at select U.S. retailers and online at the wdstore.com. MSRP is $ 159.99 USD for the diskless My Cloud EX2 Ultra, $ 349.99 USD for 4 TB, $ 449.99 USD for 8 TB and $ 599.99 USD for 12 TB. The WD My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download for free from the Apple App StoreSM and Google PlayTM. My Cloud EX2 Ultra comes with a two-year limited warranty on the diskless device and a three-year limited warranty on the pre-configured devices.

Compatibility
My Cloud EX2 Ultra is compatible with Windows® 10, Windows 8, Windows Vista®, OS X® El Capitan™, Yosemite™, Mavericks™, Mountain Lion™ as well as DLNA®/UPnP® enabled devices.

Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the approximate price and estimated availability of the My Cloud EX2 Ultra, the growth of digital storage needs, as well as the demand for ongoing streaming capability. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent annual report on Form 10-K to which your attention is directed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak as of the date hereof, and WD undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

About Western Digital
Founded in 1970, Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC), Irvine, Calif., is an industry-leading developer and manufacturer of storage solutions that enable people to create, manage, experience and preserve digital content. It is a long-time innovator in the storage industry. Western Digital Corporation is responding to changing market needs by providing a full portfolio of compelling, high-quality storage products with effective technology deployment, high efficiency, flexibility and speed. Its products are marketed under the HGST and WD brands to OEMs, distributors, resellers, cloud infrastructure providers and consumers. Financial and investor information is available on the company’s Investor Relations website at investor.wdc.com.
1System is shipped in RAID 1 configuration, which leaves half of the system capacity available for data storage. System is configurable to RAID 0; JBOD or spanned, which leaves all system capacity available for data storage. Up to 0.1TB may be reserved for non-user accessible storage.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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