Synology today revealed upcoming solutions that help businesses achieve more, become more resilient, and better resolve IT challenges through the power and flexibility of hybrid cloud architectures and an expanding ecosystem of tightly integrated solutions. Significant innovations across all products, spanning data management, data protection, and IT infrastructure security, set an even higher bar for reliability, security, and scalability.

An even more secure foundation: DSM 7.2, expected in early 2023, will introduce full-volume encryption, offering greater peace of mind while boosting storage performance by 48% over shared folder-based encryption. DSM 7.2 will also introduce "write once, read many" (WORM) folders. These tamper-proof folders prevent modification or deletion of data during a set period of time. And just like new immutable backups in Hyper Backup, which bar any changes after creation, they help protect data against ransomware and cyberthreats.

Basemark launched today GPUScore Sacred Path. It is the world's only cross-platform GPU benchmark that includes the latest GPU technologies like Variable Rate Shading (VRS). Sacred Path supports all the relevant device categories - ranging from premium mobile phones to high-end gaming PCs and discrete graphics cards, including full support of the major operating systems, such as Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows.

This benchmark is of great importance for application vendors, device manufacturers, GPU vendors and IT Media. Game developers need a thorough understanding of performance across the device range to optimize the use of the same assets across a maximum device range. GPU vendors and device manufacturers can compare their products with competitor products, which allows them to develop new product ranges with the correct targeting. In addition, Sacred Path is a true asset for media reviewing any GPU-equipped devices.

Today, Logitech announced a new "Designed for Mac" collection of products, crafted to be seamlessly compatible and reliable with Mac setups across a variety of use cases. The new collection includes the MX Mechanical Mini for Mac keyboard, MX Master 3S for Mac mouse, Lift for Mac mouse and the K380 Bluetooth Keyboard for Mac in a new Blueberry color.

"We know that Apple users value a consistent design aesthetic for their entire setup—work or home—and that they need mice and keyboards that work across their ecosystems," said Delphine Donné, vice president and general manager of Creativity and Productivity at Logitech. "We've created a suite of stylish tools that elevates how you work by adding more functionality, customization and comfort. And because we know that one size doesn't fit all, this collection was designed, developed and engineered to meet the diverse needs of Apple users."

Das Keyboard, a leader in mechanical keyboards, today announced the introduction of the MacTigr, a modern, low-profile mechanical keyboard designed for the Mac. The new MacTigr has a sleek, modern design made with the highest-quality components to create the ultimate typing experience on Macs. The MacTigr features Mac-specific keys, linear Cherry MX Low Profile Red mechanical switches, low-profile double-shot PBT keycaps, a 2-port superspeed USB-C hub, volume knob, sleep button and media controls. Encased entirely in metal, the slim housing features a heavy-duty, matte black stainless steel top, and a gunmetal gray aluminium unibody, making it extremely rigid and durable.

"Mac users have been deprived of having high-quality, mechanical keyboards designed specifically for macOS," said Daniel Guermeur, co-founder and CEO of Das Keyboard. "Our new MacTigr is built to last and helps users achieve the highest levels of productivity and creativity, while the low-profile switches and soft PBT keycaps produce a supple, satisfying action, making it feel like you are typing on a cloud. We've brought the best of both worlds together - design and durable functionality - for a premium Mac typing experience. This is the Mac keyboard overachievers will love using."

Targus, a leader in laptop cases and mobile computing accessories, announced it has launched a new integrated docking station and dual-display monitor to deliver a clutter-free, productive workspace. "This is the world's first solution that seamlessly connects a monitor, host dock, and optional secondary display, with only one power adapter," explains David Dorantes, director of product marketing, Targus. "It's a must-have addition to any modern professional workspace setup."

The 24-inch USB-C Docking Monitor with 100 W Power Delivery (DM4240PUSZ) merges a performance-driven, ultra-compatible Targus docking station with a 1080p HD LCD display via HDMI or DisplayPort, as well as the option to expand your screen setup with a 24-inch Secondary Monitor (DM4240SUSZ), sold separately.

Apple today previewed macOS Ventura, the latest version of the world's most advanced desktop operating system, which takes the Mac experience to a whole new level. Stage Manager gives Mac users an all-new way to stay focused on the task in front of them while seamlessly switching between apps and windows. Continuity Camera uses iPhone as the webcam on Mac to do things that were never possible before, and with Handoff coming to FaceTime, users can start a FaceTime call on their iPhone or iPad and fluidly pass it over to their Mac. Mail and Messages come with great new features that make the apps better than ever, while Safari — the world's fastest browser on Mac — ushers in a passwordless future with passkeys. And with the power and popularity of Apple silicon, and new developer tools in Metal 3, gaming on Mac has never been better.

"macOS Ventura includes powerful features and new innovations that help make the Mac experience even better. New tools like Stage Manager make focusing on tasks and moving between apps and windows easier and faster than ever, and Continuity Camera brings new videoconferencing features to any Mac, including Desk View, Studio Light, and more," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "With helpful new features in Messages, state-of-the-art search technologies in Mail, and an updated design for Spotlight, Ventura has so much to offer and enriches many of the ways customers use their Macs."

Apple today announced M2, beginning the next generation of Apple silicon designed specifically for the Mac. Built using second-generation 5-nanometer technology, M2 takes the industry-leading performance per watt of M1 even further with an 18 percent faster CPU, a 35 percent more powerful GPU, and a 40 percent faster Neural Engine. It also delivers 50 percent more memory bandwidth compared to M1, and up to 24 GB of fast unified memory. M2 brings all of this—plus new custom technologies and greater efficiency—to the completely redesigned MacBook Air and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro.
"M2 starts the second generation of M-series chips and goes beyond the remarkable features of M1," said Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. "With our relentless focus on power-efficient performance, M2 delivers a faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. And along with higher memory bandwidth and new capabilities like ProRes acceleration, M2 continues the tremendous pace of innovation in Apple silicon for the Mac."

The system-on-a-chip (SoC) design of M2 is built using enhanced, second-generation 5-nanometer technology, and consists of 20 billion transistors—25 percent more than M1. The additional transistors improve features across the entire chip, including the memory controller that delivers 100 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth—50 percent more than M1. And with up to 24 GB of fast unified memory, M2 can handle even larger and more complex workloads.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced the release of its latest encrypted USB drive, IronKey Vault Privacy 50 (VP50) with FIPS 197 certification and AES 256-bit hardware-encryption in XTS mode for data security. Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 50 supports Admin, User, and One-Time Recovery passwords with Complex or Passphrase modes. This multi-password option enhances the ability to recover access to data on the drive should one of the passwords be forgotten. While traditional Complex mode allows for passwords from 6-16 characters using 3 out of 4 character sets, the new passphrase mode gives users the ability to have a numeric PIN, sentence, list of words, or even lyrics from 10 to 64 characters long that's unique, yet memorable to them. To aid in password entry, the "eye" symbol can be enabled to reveal the typed-in password to reduce failed login attempts.

Admin can also enable a User and a One-Time Recovery password or reset the User password to restore data access. In addition, VP50 protects against Brute Force attacks by locking out User or One-Time Recovery passwords upon 10 invalid entries in a row and crypto-erases the drive if the Admin password is entered incorrectly 10 times in a row. So, while data is lost, there's no fear of a breach.

Apple today announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in an online format from June 6 through 10, free for all developers to attend. Building on the success of the past two years of virtual events, WWDC22 will showcase the latest innovations in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, while giving developers access to Apple engineers and technologies to learn how to create groundbreaking apps and interactive experiences.

"At its heart, WWDC has always been a forum to create connection and build community," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing. "In that spirit, WWDC22 invites developers from around the world to come together to explore how to bring their best ideas to life and push the envelope of what's possible. We love connecting with our developers, and we hope all of our participants come away feeling energized by their experience."

Apple today introduced Mac Studio and Studio Display, an entirely new Mac desktop and display designed to give users everything they need to build the studio of their dreams. A breakthrough in personal computing, Mac Studio is powered by M1 Max and the new M1 Ultra, the world's most powerful chip for a personal computer. It is the first computer to deliver an unprecedented level of performance, an extensive array of connectivity and completely new capabilities, in an unbelievably compact design that sits within arm's reach on the desk.

With Mac Studio, users can do things that are not possible on any other desktop, such as rendering massive 3D environments and playing back 18 streams of ProRes video. Studio Display, the perfect complement to Mac Studio, also pairs beautifully with any Mac. It features an expansive 27-inch 5K Retina display, a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with Centre Stage, and a high-fidelity six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. Together, Mac Studio and Studio Display transform any workspace into a creative powerhouse. They join Apple's strongest, most powerful Mac line-up ever, and are available to order today, arriving to customers beginning Friday, 18 March.

Basemark launched today GPUScore, an all-new GPU (graphics processing unit) performance benchmarking suite for a wide device range from smartphones to high-end gaming PCs. GPUScore supports all modern graphics APIs, such as Vulkan, Metal and DirectX, and operating systems such as Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS.

GPUScore will consist of three different testing suites. Today, the first one of these was launched, named Relic of Life. It is available immediately. Basemark will introduce the two other GPUScore testing suites during the following months. Relic of Life is ideal for benchmarking high-end gaming PCs' discrete graphics cards' GPUs. It requires hardware accelerated ray tracing, supports Vulkan and DirectX, and is available for both Windows and Linux. GPUScore: Relic of Life is an ideal benchmark for comparing Vulkan and DirectX accelerated ray tracing performance.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, launched the vTouch 3.1 driver for its TD Series touchscreen monitors, making the displays compatible with the newly released macOS Monterey. Mac users can extend the full functionality of the Mac trackpad to touchscreen monitors, combining dual-screen efficiency with multi-touch gesture capability. The TD Series offers a range of products for a wide variety of needs, from highly portable 16" units to more expansive 24" displays.

"Mac users have long faced the challenge of a lack of OS-based support for external touchscreens. The launch of our vTouch driver significantly improved touch support for macOS. This garnered positive feedback from our Mac users," said Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business Unit at ViewSonic. "We have been committed to ensuring that our displays are always equipped with the latest software technology. We are proud to offer an up-to-date driver that supports multi-touch gesture recognition and provides a solution for Mac users to get more out of their devices and their operating system."

TerraMaster, a professional brand that specializes in providing innovative storage products for home, businesses and enterprises, presents the D5 Thunderbolt 3 professional-grade RAID storage with perfect compatibility with the latest Apple M1 chip-powered MacBook Pro. TerraMaster certified compatibility of the D5 Thunderbolt 3 with MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max and the latest macOS Monterey - the 18th and current major release of the macOS operating system.

The TerraMaster D5 Thunderbolt 3 is designed to meet the needs of professional content creators that need high-speed, large-capacity storage for storing raw media files and work files. The D5 Thunderbolt 3 provides excellent speeds to allow seamless 4K streaming and video editing. With macOS Monterey support, users of the latest M1-powered MacBooks can have the perfect storage for all their professional needs. Furthermore, the D5 Thunderbolt 3 is fully compatible with the latest Thunderbolt 4 protocol to achieve a smart working space together with other Thunderbolt 3- and Thunderbolt 4-enabled devices.

Accell, a provider of innovative, customer-centric power products and connectivity solutions, today announced the release of its Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station (P/N: K160B-002G), establishing a new standard in power technology. The Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station allows multiple peripheral connections to your systems through one single Thunderbolt 4 cable, becoming a power hub for the technology that surrounds you.

Accell upgraded its Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station power technology to also connect and expand—outfitting this updated technology with 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 port, 3x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type A ports, 1x USB 2.0 Type A port, 1x SD 4.0 UHS-II card reader, 1x 3.5 mm audio combo jack, and gigabit Ethernet port. With 40 Gbps bandwidth, the Thunderbolt 4 certified docking station supports high speed data transfer, 8K video, power delivery and more. The station supports a single 8K@30 Hz or dual UHD 4K@60 Hz external monitors using any two ports of the available DisplayPort 1.4 and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC Docking Solutions, Network Attached Storage, and Performance Upgrade Kits, today announces the all-new OWC Accelsior 8M2. The OWC Accelsior 8M2 brings impressive speed and storage capacity to 2019 Mac Pros, Windows or Linux computers, and PCIe expansion systems.

It utilizes the total bandwidth of the latest PCIe technology and has a highly efficient heat dissipating design to provide ultra-reliable speeds up to 26,000 MB/s. Creating the fastest PCIe SSD meant combining bold engineering with the latest technology. Each OWC Accelsior 8M2's eight NVMe M.2 SSD slots can run at their full x4 lanes of data throughput. All that insanely fast speed through an entire PCIe 4.0 x16 lane architecture with up to 64 TB of storage.

Today, Logitech launched POP Keys, POP Mouse and Logitech Desk Mat, the newest products in the Logitech Studio Series to bring character, joy and self-expression to your work routine. The release of the new mouse and mechanical keyboard redefine what your personal workspace can look like with three vibrant new aesthetics. "The Studio Series by Logitech embraces the originality of each individual out there," said Art O'Gnimh, vice president of the lifestyle business for creativity and productivity at Logitech. "With POP Keys and POP Mouse we created innovative products that aim to be just as expressive as our users, with big personalities and no compromise on productivity.

POP Keys comes with eight swappable emoji keycaps in the box - four on the keyboard itself. The emoji keys can be easily customized to your favorite emoji or another handy shortcut using Logitech Options software, available via a simple download for PC or Mac. POP Mouse also features a top button that opens the emoji menu and can be customized for one-tap convenience.

Apple today unveiled the completely reimagined MacBook Pro powered by the all-new M1 Pro and M1 Max—the first pro chips designed for the Mac. Available in 14- and 16-inch models, MacBook Pro delivers groundbreaking processing, graphics, and machine learning (ML) performance whether running on battery or plugged in, as well as amazing battery life—enabling workflows previously unimaginable on a notebook. The new MacBook Pro also features a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, a wide range of ports for advanced connectivity, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, and the best audio system in a notebook. Combined with macOS Monterey, which is engineered down to its core to take full advantage of M1 Pro and M1 Max, the user experience is simply unrivaled. Shattering the limits of what a notebook can do, MacBook Pro is designed for developers, photographers, filmmakers, 3D artists, scientists, music producers, and anyone who wants the world's best notebook. The new MacBook Pro joins the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 to form the strongest lineup of pro notebooks ever. Customers can order the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models today, and they will be available beginning Tuesday, October 26.

"We set out to create the world's best pro notebook, and today we're excited to introduce the all-new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max—a game-changing combination of phenomenal performance, unrivaled battery life, and groundbreaking features," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The all-new MacBook Pro adds a breathtaking XDR display, more ports like MagSafe 3, an advanced 1080p camera, and a sensational six-speaker sound system, all in a stunning new design. The new MacBook Pro simply has no equal and is by far the best pro notebook we've ever built."

Apple today announced M1 Pro and M1 Max, the next breakthrough chips for the Mac. Scaling up M1's transformational architecture, M1 Pro offers amazing performance with industry-leading power efficiency, while M1 Max takes these capabilities to new heights. The CPU in M1 Pro and M1 Max delivers up to 70 percent faster CPU performance than M1, so tasks like compiling projects in Xcode are faster than ever. The GPU in M1 Pro is up to 2x faster than M1, while M1 Max is up to an astonishing 4x faster than M1, allowing pro users to fly through the most demanding graphics workflows.

M1 Pro and M1 Max introduce a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture to pro systems for the first time. The chips feature fast unified memory, industry-leading performance per watt, and incredible power efficiency, along with increased memory bandwidth and capacity. M1 Pro offers up to 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth with support for up to 32 GB of unified memory. M1 Max delivers up to 400 GB/s of memory bandwidth—2x that of M1 Pro and nearly 6x that of M1—and support for up to 64 GB of unified memory. And while the latest PC laptops top out at 16 GB of graphics memory, having this huge amount of memory enables graphics-intensive workflows previously unimaginable on a notebook. The efficient architecture of M1 Pro and M1 Max means they deliver the same level of performance whether MacBook Pro is plugged in or using the battery. M1 Pro and M1 Max also feature enhanced media engines with dedicated ProRes accelerators specifically for pro video processing. M1 Pro and M1 Max are by far the most powerful chips Apple has ever built.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits announces the new OWC Envoy Pro SX, the Thunderbolt portable SSD that can withstand any condition. The mild-mannered exterior of the OWC Envoy Pro SX hides its true nature. It's super-fast. Super-versatile. Super-portable. And rugged enough to endure the most challenging work and play settings.

This little beast of an SSD handles all data storage and backup challenges like a real superhero when put to the test. The OWC Envoy Pro SX is versatile enough to be used as a bus-powered drive for daily storage and backup tasks. It can handle workflows easily handle the speed demands of production-level audio, design, and photography workflows. And it serves up real-world performance speeds up to 2847 MB/s with modern Thunderbolt and USB 4 equipped Macs and PCs. Built along the OWC Envoy Pro EX's award-winning lineage, this tiny but mighty ½ pound portable drive is 1/3 smaller. It features a removable Thunderbolt cable and is test certified to handle the nastiest environments. From managing obstacles in the field to crushing deadlines at home, the OWC Envoy Pro SX lets you unleash your productivity power without needing a cape or mask.

Qualcomm is trying to get into the PC space with their mobile Snapdragon chips, which offer great battery and decent performance. However, so far only Apple managed to get the right formula for developing custom low-power, high-performance chips. It is exactly Apple's M1 processor in question that Qualcomm intends to mimic. According to the recent interview with Qualcomm's new CEO Cristiano Amon, we are informed that Qualcomm plans to produce laptop chips that would directly compete with Apple's. That means that, despite the ecosystem differences of Apple M1 (macOS) and Qualcomm Snapdragon (Windows-on-Arm), the company wants to deliver equal if not better performance and great battery life.

With the recent acquisition of Nuvia, Qualcomm has a team of very talented engineers to back up its claims. The company also recently hired some of the developers behind Apple's M1 chip. The company notes that it will be using only the best solutions for its upcoming SoC, which will include a 5G modem. Mr. Amon has also noted the following:

We needed to have the leading performance for a battery-powered device. If Arm, which we've had a relationship with for years, eventually develops a CPU that's better than what we can build ourselves, then we always have the option to license from Arm.

[Editor's note: Our review of the Epomaker AK84S can be found here for those interested.]

The Epomaker AK84S, now available on Kickstarter, is an 84-key wireless hot-swappable mechanical keyboard that is specifically optimized for macOS compatibility. It's versatile and customizable, even for its switches and keycaps. Compared with Epomaker previous GK/SK keyboards, the AK84S is equipped with a new set of silicone keycaps. On top of that, the proprietary Chocolate switches are available in different types to offer various tactile feelings. The AK84S provides several types of designs, including an aluminum frame version, a full aluminum case version, and a unique bold acrylic design version.

Recently, Apple has updated its macOS operating system to support the next generation of GPUs for Mac devices, coming from AMD. The upcoming RDNA 2 GPU lineup in Macs will bring all the enhancements AMD made to the architecture, and pack it inside Apple's signature designs. Today, we have received information that Apple could refresh its Mac Pro lineup with AMD's Radeon Pro GPU based on RDNA 2 architecture. On Geekbench 5, there was a test run that was conducted on Apple Mac Pro "7.1" revision, that features not only Intel Cascade Lake-X processor but AMD's unreleased Radeon Pro W6900X graphics card designed for professional users.

While we don't know much about the exact specifications, we know that it features a Navi 21 GPU SKU. Judging by the naming scheme, the Radeon Pro W6900X is representing an Apple-exclusive GPU variant designed only for Mac Pro devices. A Chiphell leak has given us a sneak peek at the alleged card look, which you can see below. When it comes to performance, the Geekbench result measures Metal API performance and the Radeon Pro W6900X has managed to score 171448 points, which is even higher than the Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU, which tops out at 164294 points. Of course, this is representing a professional SKU, so there could be some tuning present as well.

Apple today introduced an all-new iMac featuring a much more compact and remarkably thin design, enabled by the M1 chip. The new iMac offers powerful performance in a design that's just 11.5 millimeters thin, with a striking side profile that practically disappears. Available in an array of vibrant colors to match a user's personal style and brighten any space, iMac features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, and over a billion colors, delivering a brilliant and vivid viewing experience.

The new iMac also includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound system—the best camera and audio ever in a Mac. Also, Touch ID comes to iMac for the first time, making it easier than ever to securely log in, make purchases with Apple Pay, or switch user profiles with the touch of a finger. Combining the power and performance of M1 and macOS Big Sur, apps launch with blazing speed, everyday tasks feel incredibly fast and fluid, and demanding workloads like editing 4K video and working with huge images are faster than ever. The new iMac joins the incredible family of Mac models powered by M1, including MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, marking another step forward in Apple's transition to Apple silicon. iMac is the most personal, powerful, capable, and fun it has ever been, and customers can order it beginning Friday, April 30. iMac will be available in the second half of May.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits, announces partnership with Acronis, making Acronis True Image OEM software available on OWC storage solutions that include SoftRAID today and will consist of additional or all OWC storage solutions in the future. Integrating best-of-breed backup and recovery with AI-enhanced anti-ransomware technology, Acronis' solution ensures that a user's digital life is protected - photos, files, applications, operating systems, and the devices they're on.

Backing up and protecting data is critically important, yet too often the task falls to the bottom of the to-do list. Acronis True Image OEM is designed to complement a user's existing workflow. And with modern ransomware targeting backup files and processes, it is the world's first solution to unify backup and anti-ransomware capabilities in one to ensure data is protected from accidents, failures, and cyber attacks.

Steam Link is a program developed by Valve which allows gamers to remotely play games from their main computer on other devices. The program originally launched for Android before expanding to iOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi, tvOS, and now macOS. The Steam Link application relies on Steam Remote Play technology which performs real-time H.264 video streaming over a low-latency protocol to the connected device, resolutions of up to 4K 60 FPS are possible if enough bandwidth is available. The Steam Link app is now available to download through the official Mac App Store and comes in at just 30 MB. Steam Link for Mac requires macOS 10.13 or higher along with a PC to host the games running on the same local network.