Computer

Alongside its new MacBook line, Apple has unveiled updates to its Mac mini range, which are kitted out with its newly announced M2 and M2 Pro chips. That gives these desktop computers a decent boost in speed and power over the previous models.

You can build just about anything out of Lego, and now that even includes your keyboard. Pixel is a new mechanical keyboard from MelGeek that can be customized with Lego bricks around the rim, on the back or even on the keys themselves.

IBM has unveiled the most powerful quantum processor in the world – the Osprey, with a massive 433 quantum bits (qubits). The new chip headlines a raft of advances in quantum computers announced, as the company prepares for a massive leap next year.

Intel has demonstrated a prototype of the next generation of its Thunderbolt interface. The new connection will be up to three times faster than the existing Thunderbolt 4 – at up to 120 Gbps – when it debuts next year.

Nvidia has unveiled its latest lineup of graphics cards, the GeForce RTX 40 series. Built on third-generation architecture, the cards are claimed to boast twice the performance of the RTX 30 series, with a focus on boosting frame rates and ray tracing.

Quantum computing requires extremely cold temperatures. To that end, IBM has built and demonstrated a huge “super-fridge” codenamed Project Goldeneye that chills things colder than outer space.

USB devices are set to become much faster in the near future. The USB Promoter Group has now announced the USB4 Version 2.0 specification, which will double data transmission rates to a blistering 80 Gbps.

MIT engineers have developed a new type of artificial synapse that’s extremely energy efficient and ultra-fast, processing data a million times faster than synapses in the human brain. The analog device shuttles protons around instead of electrons.

You don’t always need a big desktop rig covered in RGB LEDs – decent specs can come in tiny packages. The Pix Nii is one of the smallest and lightest mini PCs we’ve seen, which along with its dual 4K HDMI ports could make it a great media center.

A "lost" artifact from the dawn of the age of the personal computer is going up for sale. Steve Job's original, hand-soldered "Apple Computer A" prototype built in 1976 to support Apple's first big contract is on the auction block at RR Auction.

Traditional computer chips run on electricity, while the emerging photonic chips use light. Now, scientists at Harvard have demonstrated a new kind of chip that transmits data in the form of sound waves.

Engineers have demonstrated a quantum integrated circuit made of just a few atoms. By precisely controlling the quantum states of the atoms, the processor can simulate the structure and properties of molecules, which could unlock new materials.