Dynabook Americas, Inc., the gold standard for long-lasting, professional-grade laptops, today unveiled the latest generation of its hyperlight 14-inch premium business laptop - the Portégé X40L-M. Now engineered with cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra (Series 1) processors and packing advanced AI capabilities, this powerful laptop redefines productivity, performance, and security for today's on-the-go professionals, while meeting Intel EVO platform and Windows 11 Secured-core PC standards.

"The Portégé X40L-M is a testament to Dynabook's commitment to delivering premium, cutting-edge solutions that empowers professionals to achieve more in their work," said James Robbins, General Manager, Dynabook Americas, Inc. "With the integration of Intel's latest Core Ultra processors, advanced AI capabilities, and seamless Windows 11 with Copilot integration, the Portégé X40L-M sets a new standard for productivity, performance, and innovation in the business laptop market."

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveiled the Razer Blade 18 (2024) - the pinnacle of high-performance gaming laptops. Building on the success of the award-winning Blade 16 and Blade 14 unveiled at CES 2024, the Blade 18 sets a new benchmark for gaming and creative work with its unrivaled desktop-grade performance, housed within a sleek anodized aluminium unibody form factor.

"The Blade 18 embodies Razer's relentless drive to push the boundaries of what a gaming laptop can be, with a host of world's first innovations," says Travis Furst, Head of Notebook & Accessories Division at Razer. "We are excited to deliver the Blade 18 as it ushers in a new era of Razer products equipped with Thunderbolt 5, including upcoming cutting-edge Thunderbolt accessories. With these innovations, the Blade 18 blurs the line between desktop performance and mobile convenience, ensuring our users are equipped with nothing but the absolute best to dominate in gaming and creativity."

ASUS today announced the official release of ASUS NUC 14 Pro, one of several mini PCs unveiled at CES 2024. ASUS NUC 14 Pro delivers best-in-class performance thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 7 or 5 processor powered by three AI engines—a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and a Central Processing Unit (CPU). Offering high throughput, low power consumption, and fast response, ASUS NUC 14 Pro delivers robust computing capabilities. It also features WiFi sensing for intelligent energy efficiency, along with exceptional security, manageability and stability enabled by Intel vPro Enterprise.

Featuring a 4 x 4 matte black textured chassis constructed of recycled plastic, a replaceable lid, and a VESA mounting plate, this ultra-small-form-factor (uSFF) desktop PC integrates into any workspace, offering maximum functionality without compromising style. Each device comes individually packaged and includes a three-year limited warranty.

Panasonic Connect today announced the latest iterations of its TOUGHBOOK G2 and 33 detachable rugged tablets. The 10.1-inch G2mk2 and 12-inch 33mk3 deliver market-leading ruggedness, battery life, customisation, connectivity and performance that provide the modern mobile worker with a balanced solution, regardless of the task, application or environment.

Unrivalled performance for any application
Panasonic's TOUGHBOOK G2mk2 and 33mk3 devices feature market-leading performance, enhanced connectivity and increased modularity to adapt to different mobile worker requirements.

Over the weekend, there have been a series of leaks from sources such as Golden Pig Upgrade, and High Yield YT, surrounding Intel's next-generation desktop processor, the Core Ultra 2-series "Arrow Lake-S." The lineup is likely to continue the new client processor naming scheme Intel introduced with the Core Ultra 1-series "Meteor Lake" on the mobile platform. "Arrow Lake-S" is rumored to debut the new Socket LGA1851, which retains cooler-compatibility with LGA1700. Although Intel has nucleated all I/O functions of the traditional PCH to "Meteor Lake," making it a single-chip solution on the mobile platform; and although the mobile "Arrow Lake" will continue to be single-chip; the desktop "Arrow Lake-S" will be a 2-chip solution. This is mainly because the desktop platform demands a lot more PCIe lanes, for a larger number of NVMe storage devices, or high bandwidth devices such as Thunderbolt and USB4 hubs, etc.

Another key finding in this latest series of leaks, is that unlike "Meteor Lake," the desktop "Arrow Lake-S" will do away with low-power island E-cores located in the SoC tile of the processor. All CPU cores are located in the Compute tile, which is expected to be built in the Intel 20A foundry node—the company's first node to implement GAAFETs (nanosheets), with backside power delivery; as well as an advanced 2nd generation EUV lithography. Intel's 1st Gen EUV is used on the current FinFET-based Intel 4 and Intel 3 foundry nodes.

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip, taking its incredible combination of power-efficient performance and portability to a new level. With M3, MacBook Air is up to 60 percent faster than the model with the M1 chip and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. And with a faster and more efficient Neural Engine in M3, MacBook Air continues to be the world's best consumer laptop for AI. The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air both feature a strikingly thin and light design, up to 18 hours of battery life, a stunning Liquid Retina display, and new capabilities, including support for up to two external displays and up to 2x faster Wi-Fi than the previous generation.

With its durable aluminium unibody enclosure that's built to last, the new MacBook Air is available in four gorgeous colors: midnight, which features a breakthrough anodization seal to reduce fingerprints; starlight; space gray; and silver. Combined with its world-class camera, mics, and speakers; MagSafe charging; its silent, fanless design; and macOS, MacBook Air delivers an unrivaled experience—making the 13-inch model the world's bestselling laptop and the 15-inch model the world's bestselling 15-inch laptop. Customers can order starting today, with availability beginning Friday, March 8.

TECNO, a global innovative technology brand once again participated in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 Barcelona, unveiled its two Mini PC products and awarded by "BEST OF MWC" from high technology media-- the"world-first" MEGA MINI Gaming G1 with water-cooling in the smallest gaming Mini PC size, and the MEGA MINI M1 for Pocket-Sized Desktops Solution. In collaboration with TECNO's latest release of AR glasses, the MiniPC can achieve a larger screen for enhanced productivity and a more immersive gaming experience.

erial leaker @yuuki_ans on X/Twitter has released details on Intel's upcoming Barlow Rridge Thunderbolt 5 controller which will be known as the JHL9580 or JHL9540 depending on the SKU. The good news is that Intel has finally moved to PCIe 4.0 for the bus interface, which was expected due to the increased bandwidth on offer by Thunderbolt 5 over Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Barlow Ridge will use a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface to connect to the host and it appears that the earlier leak that suggested native Thunderbolt support in Arrow Lake-S might be incorrect, as there are diagrams showing Barlow Ridge connected to Arrow Lake-S CPUs.

Besides the faster bus, Thunderbolt 5 brings asymmetrical data transmission support which means that for display applications there will be a 120/40 Gbps mode, whereas for data only applications Thunderbolt 5 will deliver a symmetrical 80 Gbps mode. We should point out that this only appears to apply to the JHL9580 SKU, which also supports 40 Gbps USB4 speeds, whereas the JHL9540 for some reason remains a Thunderbolt 4 controller. That said, both of the Barlow Ridge SKUs get support for 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, something that was lacking in previous Thunderbolt implementations. There will also be support for DisplayPort 2.1 via DP Alt Mode with full UHBR20 support when used with a DP80 certified cable. Actual data transfers are limited to the 64 Gbps PCIe 4.0 interface to the host system, just like USB4, but this does at least give Thunderbolt 5 extra head room for display data even in symmetrical mode. The Barlow Ridge controllers appear to be connected directly to the Arrow Lake-S CPUs via the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, much in the same way USB4 host controllers connect to AMD's Ryzen 7000-series CPUS.

Courtesy of X/Twitter user @yuuki_ans, we now have what should be very detailed information on Intel's next generation consumer desktop platform, assuming the leaked information is real. The leaker not only provided confirmation on the CPU specs of the Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs, which will feature up to an 8+16+1 core configuration. However, it appears that it's not all smooth sailing for Intel to get Arrow Lake-S up and running, as a note points out that the pre-alpha hardware has the performance cores disabled due to a hardware bug that is expected to be fixed in a future hardware revision. We can also see that the official memory support is DDR5-6400 from the block diagram, which is quite a jump from DDR5-5600 which is what the current 14th gen CPUs officially support.

That said, the rest of the documentation shared is very detailed and provides us with a ton of details in terms of the various platform interfaces we can expect. For starters, the Arrow Lake-S CPUs will feature native Thunderbolt 4/USB4 support (once again an odd mistake here stating USB4.0), as well as DisplayPort 2.0 (UHBR20 only) and HDMI 2.1 support. The CPU is said to deliver 24 PCIe lanes, of which 16 are PCIe 5.0 lanes for the GPU and the remaining eight are for NVMe SSDs, with half being PCIe 5.0 and half PCIe 4.0.

Back at Computex last year we got a look at the first USB4 add-in card, which was from MSI. Some six months later, ASUS has finally revealed its USB4 add-in card that simply goes by the name of USB4 PCIe Gen4 Card. The general design of the two cards appear to be more or less identical, at least in terms of outputs and inputs. As such, both cards feature two USB4 outputs and two DP 1.4 inputs for those that want to use the USB4 ports to connect to a display. Other inputs include a USB 2.0 header, a custom USB4 header for communication with the motherboard—similar to Thunderbolt add-in cards—and a 6-pin graphics card type power input. The card supports up to two monitors and three devices or one monitor and four devices when daisy chained.

ASUS has gone for a shroud on its card, so it's impossible to make out any real details, but based on the manual, ASUS has installed a heatsink on the ASM4242 USB4 host controller from ASMedia, albeit a smaller one than MSI. However, ASUS has only gone for 60 W USB Power Delivery compared to 100 W for the MSI card. If this makes any useful difference in a desktop PC is up for discussion though and would depend on specific use cases. On the other hand, ASUS allows for 60 W through both ports, whereas MSI only delivers 27 W through its secondary port. The card should work with any ASUS motherboard that has a TB/USB4 header. As ASUS has only just put up the product page, there's no word on pricing.

Acer today announced the Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-72) gaming laptop, unlocking improved performance, immersive experiences, plus essential features for playing and multi-tasking on the go. The device is powered by the latest Intel Core 14th gen processors, featuring Intel's Performance Hybrid Architecture with improved power and core frequencies to manage workloads efficiently. At the same time, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs with DLSS 3.5 technology. NVIDIA RTX Laptop GPUs are packed with specialized AI Tensor Cores enabling unmatched AI performance in creative apps, ultra-efficient productivity, blistering fast gaming, and more. Built with Microsoft Copilot and the next wave of computing, the Nitro laptop provides access to Copilot in Windows via a dedicated Copilot key, making it even easier to harness the power of AI to assist with productivity and creativity tasks.

Users can feast their eyes on immersive visuals and pristine colors on the device's 17-inch QHD display with a fast 165 Hz[1] refresh rate and support for the NVIDIA Advanced Optimus feature. The Nitro 17 is further supported by an advanced cooling system, AI-assisted communication features, and NitroSense software for full device control. To top it all off, the Windows 11 gaming laptop is shipped with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, providing access to a library of hundreds of high-quality games to be explored with friends on PC, console, or cloud.

MINISFORUM's first Mini WorkStation MS-01, is officially available for pre-order on the official store. Tailored for tech-savvy gamers, this high-performance Mini WorkStation boasts the fastest network speed, strongest expansion capabilities, and maximum storage. It offers options with Intel Core i9-13900H and i9-12900H processors, starting at a price of $549 USD.

The MS-01 is powered by the Intel 13th generation's most robust mobile Core i9 processor, the i9-13900H, featuring 14 cores and 20 threads, a base frequency of 2.6 GHz, and a turbo boost frequency of 5.4 GHz. With the integrated 96EU Intel Iris Xe graphics, running at up to 1.5 GHz, it delivers outstanding flagship performance for tasks ranging from daily graphics processing to video production. In addition to its impressive performance, the MS-01 boasts a plethora of interfaces, enabling network transfer speeds of up to 65 Gbps, making it the fastest Mini PC in terms of network speed of MINISFORUM.

ASRock Industrial releases the NUC Ultra 100 Motherboard Series with breakthrough powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Meteor Lake-H). Presenting a 3D performance hybrid architecture that supports up to 14 cores and 20 threads, complemented by the latest integrated Intel ARC Graphics and the pioneering Intel NPU AI engine. The NUC Ultra 100 Motherboard Series are designed in NUC form factor, providing two DDR5-5600 MHz memory up to 96 GB, triple storages, 4K quad displays, 2.5G dual LAN, one USB4/Thunderbolt, and four USB 3.2 Gen 2. This advancement expands into enhanced creativity, efficiency, and collaboration using AI across diverse areas such as entertainment, corporate functions, smart retail, kiosks, digital signage, smart cities, embedded industries, Edge AIoT applications, and more.

The NUC Ultra 100 Motherboard Series encompass NUC-155H and NUC-125H models, powered by Intel Core Ultra 7/5 processors 155H/125H (Meteor Lake-H). The Series feature the upgraded dual-channel SO-DIMM DDR5 5600 MHz up to 96 GB memory, plus support for up to 4K quad displays with one DP 2.1 (from USB4), one DP 1.4a (from Type-C), and two HDMI 2.0b with Intel ARC Graphics, providing immersive experience. Notable upgrades extend to the triple storages of one M.2 Key M (2242/2280), one M.2 Key M (2242) with PCIe Gen4x4 for SSD, and one SATA 3.0. Moreover, rich I/O connectivity and expansion include one USB4/Thunderbolt 4, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C/Type-A), 2.5G dual LAN, and one M.2 Key E (2230) with PCIe x1, USB 2.0 and CNVi for wireless. The Series also provide 12-24 V DC-in jack for flexible power input, -20°C ~ 70°C wide operating temperature, plus TPM support with Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT) for enhanced security.

ASUS today announced the all-new Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405), a premium ultraportable laptop. The sleek Zenbook 14 OLED is the ultimate Intel Evo Edition ultraportable laptop that takes sophistication to a whole new level. Users can seize every moment using the enhanced, extended-life 75 Wh battery, amplify their efficiency with up to the top-tier Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and Intel Arc graphics, and achieve seamless connectivity via all the essential I/O ports—including two Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI 2.1 (TMDS) and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

An immersive audiovisual experience is provided by the vivid 3K ASUS Lumina OLED 120 Hz touchscreen and powerful new super-linear speakers, and the user-friendly design incorporates convenient face login, an FHD IR camera with a physical shutter for privacy, and a new quiet ASUS ErgoSense keyboard. The new design offers improved sustainability with the extensive use of recycled materials for the laptop and its packaging, and US military-grade durability testing maximizes the device's service life.

Acer today announced the new Predator Triton Neo 16 (PTN16-51) gaming laptop, designed with the new Intel Core Ultra processors with dedicated AI acceleration capabilities and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs that support demanding games and creative applications. Players and content creators can marvel at enhanced video game scenes and designs on the laptop's 16-inch display with up to a stunning 3.2K resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate and Calman-Verified displays, producing accurate colors right out-of-the-box.

The state-of-the-art cooling system combines a 5th Gen AeroBlade fan and liquid metal thermal grease on the CPU to keep the laptop running at full steam, while users stay on top of communications and device management thanks to the AI-enhanced Acer PurifiedVoice 2.0 software and the PredatorSense utility app. This Windows 11 gaming PC also provides players with amazing performance experiences and one month of Xbox Game Pass for access to hundreds of high-quality PC games.

Other World Computing www.OWC.com -- the leading end-to-end ecosystem solution provider of computer hardware, accessories, and software for both consumers and professionals - today introduced the Express 1M2, the first USB4 drive and fastest single blade NVMe OWC has ever offered.

Exceptional Speed, Ultimate Flexibility
The OWC Express 1M2 was purposefully built to maximize the performance capabilities of today's and tomorrow's USB4-equipped Macs and PCs. It offers photo and video professionals, DITs, and prosumers/performance enthusiasts real-world speeds up to 3151 MB/s. It also offers versatile compatibility to work with millions of existing Thunderbolt and USB-C machines and devices.

Kensington, a worldwide leader of desktop computing and mobility solutions for IT, business, and home office professionals, today announced the launch of the SD5800T Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Quad Video Docking Station. The powerful plug-and-play docking station supports up to four 4K monitors, delivers data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, provides up to 100 W of power delivery, and features 16 connectivity ports enabling users to release the potential of their premium laptops.

Providing a true plug-and-play experience with no drivers or downloads required, the SD5800T is one of the first Thunderbolt 4 docks capable of supporting Quad 4K displays, and is compatible with Windows and macOS, as well as Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB-C devices. Ideal for graphic designers, video editors, and animators, the 16-in-1 design includes built-in UHS-II SD and Micro SD card readers for the efficient transfer of files at ultra-fast speeds.

Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for 40 years, today announced a new 11-in-1 dock featuring the latest Silicon Motion technology to add more power and productivity to any desk setup. This universal dock offers additional key ports that newer laptop models no longer support and can expand to three monitors with resolution of up to 4K at 60 Hz for one monitor.

With universal capabilities, devices stay charged with up to 100 W of pass-through power and fast transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps. This dock also doubles as a laptop stand and includes a 350 mm centered connection cable for easy connection to a laptop in any space.

With the reality of high performance Arm processors from Apple and Qualcomm threatening Intel's market share in the client computing space, Intel is working on learner more PCB-efficient client SoCs that can take the fight to them, while holding onto the foundations of x86. The first such form-factor of processors are dubbed -MX. These are essentially -U segment processors with memory on package, to minimize PCB footprint. Intel has fully integrated the PCH into the processor chip with "Meteor Lake," with PCH functions scattered across the SoC and I/O tiles of the processor. An SoC package with dimensions similar to those of -UP4 packages meant for ultrabooks, can now cram main memory, so the PCBs of next-generation notebooks can be further compacted.

Intel had recently shown Meteor Lake-MX packages to the press as a packaging technology demonstration in its Arizona facility. It's unclear whether this could release as actual products, but in a leaked company presentation, confirmed that its first commercial outing will be with Lunar Lake-MX. The current "Alder Lake-UP4" package measures 19 mm x 28.5 mm, and is a classic multi-chip module that combines a monolithic "Alder Lake" SoC die with a PCH die. The "Meteor Lake-UP4" package measures 19 mm x 23 mm, and is a chiplet-based processor, with a Foveros base tile that holds the Compute (CPU cores), Graphics (iGPU), SoC and I/O (platform core-logic) tiles. The "Lunar Lake-MX" package is slightly larger than its -UP4 predecessors, measuring 27 mm x 27.5 mm, but completely frees up space on the PCB for memory.

In a major leap forward for high-performance computing, Venom Computers announced the launch of its newest model: the BlackBook Zero 14" Phantom G9. The Phantom G9 is the latest example of Venom's commitment to blending unmatched power with conscientious sustainability and is designed for Venom's exclusive users, who include discerning professionals and informed tech enthusiasts.

"The Zero 14 Phantom isn't just about leading-edge specs, though we're proud of those," said Jaan Turon, Director of Venom. "This new model also embodies our dedication to longevity and service in what we call the Venom Value Cycle: a sustainable ethos that benefits both customers and the environment."

Apple today unveiled the new 24-inch iMac featuring the amazing M3 chip, making the world's best all-in-one even more powerful and more capable. Thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon, the new iMac delivers a huge leap in performance in its remarkably thin design and spectrum of seven vibrant colors that users love. iMac with M3 is up to 2x faster than the prior generation with M1.1 And for those upgrading from an Intel-based iMac, the new iMac is up to 2.5x faster than the most popular 27-inch models, and 4x faster than the most powerful 21.5-inch model. It also features an expansive 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels and over a billion colors, faster wireless connectivity, and a seamless experience with iPhone. Combined with its best-in-class camera, speakers, and mics, along with macOS Sonoma, iMac with M3 is better than ever—perfect for everyone, from families to small businesses, aspiring creatives, students, and gamers. Customers can order the new iMac starting today, with availability beginning Tuesday, November 7.

"We're excited to give iMac a big boost in performance with the M3 chip," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "Millions of users absolutely love iMac for its stunning design and expansive 24-inch, 4.5K Retina display that's the perfect size to spread out with all their favorite apps and get things done. And now M3 brings even more speed to everything users do, whether multitasking, creating captivating images and videos, working on a business plan, or playing their favorite games. The new iMac with M3 is incredible for anyone, especially those who haven't yet upgraded from Intel, providing a giant leap in performance and capabilities only possible with Apple silicon."

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solution innovator, today announced TVS-h674T / TVS-h874T Thunderbolt 4 NAS. By employing a Network Attached Storage (NAS) designed exclusively for creators and video productions on existing file-based workflows, users may enjoy boosted productivity and safeguard precious creative works with amazing efficiency.

• TVS-h674T-i5-32G: 6-bay 3.5" SATA HDD Thunderbolt NAS; 12th Gen Intel Core i5 6-core/12-thread Processor; Intel UHD Graphics 730; 32 GB DDR4 RAM
• TVS-h874T-i7-32G: 8-bay 3.5" SATA HDD Thunderbolt NAS; 12th Gen Intel Core i7 12-core (8P+4E) /20-thread Processor; Intel UHD Graphics 770; 32 GB DDR4 RAM
• TVS-h874T-i9-64G: 8-bay 3.5" SATA HDD Thunderbolt NAS; 12th Gen Intel Core i9 16-core (8P+8E) /24-thread Processor; Intel UHD Graphics 770; 64 GB DDR4 RAM

Lenovo has unveiled the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4, setting a new standard for all-in-one (AIO) business desktop computers. Designed to address the needs of modern workplaces and content creators, this powerhouse Windows 11 PC wows with a massive 27-inch QHD display and is equipped with smart features that enhance connectivity, privacy, and usability.

"Modern businesses require more than just a high-performing PC, they need solutions that are smart and intuitive, reliable and efficient, and empowers them to create a multi-device ecosystem seamlessly," said Sanjeev Menon, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Desktop Business in Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "In this evolving hybrid environment, employees use an average of 2.5 devices for work and would like to be provided with both desktops and laptops to allow them to be more productive. Lenovo's ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 is the answer for businesses looking for synergy and to make workspaces more flexible, streamlined, and productive."

Western Digital today introduces new solutions from its SanDisk brand and SanDisk Professional line ahead of IBC2023, further enriching its ecosystem of digital content storage solutions for the broadcasting, media and entertainment industry. These pro-grade products, which include two new desktop hard drive solutions and a memory card, offer the quality and dependability required for production-level video workflows without compromising the premium design.

"It is exciting to see Western Digital continue to expand its Thunderbolt offerings, which provide the higher-end capabilities and reliability that the media and entertainment industry needs," said Jason Ziller, General Manager, Client Connectivity Division, Intel Corporation. "By utilizing the power of our Thunderbolt technology, enterprise-class hard drives and multi-device connectivity solutions support prosumers and creative professionals, and their increasingly complex demands and innovative use cases."

Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for 40 years, today announced 8 new products across its power, audio and connectivity categories, underscoring Belkin innovation, quality and its commitment to building products more responsibly. Belkin International can be found on the IFA show floor, Exhibit Hall 3.2, booth #119.

Wireless Charging

BoostCharge Pro Universal Easy Align Wireless Charging Pad 15 W
Delivers a fast and seamless charge for Qi-enabled devices at up to 15 W. The large charging surface provides easy alignment, and its non-slip grip material keeps it in place if jostled or vibrates from an incoming call. It's designed with two separate thermal protection systems to control temperatures and prevent overheating of the charger and connected devices.