Sharp Readies 8K TV at IFA

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The current TV technology of choice might be 4K, but Sharp is set for the future with the announcement of the first commercially available 8K resolution TV, which will arrive in European markets from March 2018.

Sharp 8K TVThe TV in question is a 70-inch Aquos model revealed at IFA 2017. Dubbed the LC-70X500, it offers 7680 x 4320 resolution and promises  “ultimate reality, with ultra-fine details even the naked eye cannot capture." It is also compatible with the Dolby Vision HDR and BDA-HDR (for Blu-ray players).

However, while rolling out an 8K TV might be nice there isn't much content one can appreciate on it-- at least outside of Sharp's home Japan, where public broadcaster NHK does regular 8K satellite broadcasts through a "Super Hi Vision" test channel. Set up in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it shows a mixture of arts, sports, music and documentary programming reminiscent of test HDTV transmissions.

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Apple's Craig Federighi Answers Face ID Concerns

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Of all the technologies found inside the iPhone X, none raise as many issues as Face ID. To answer such concerns TechCrunch interviews Craig Federighi, Apple SVP of Sofware Engineering, who reveals some of the details behind the facial recognition system.

iPhone Face IDJust in case anyone missed last week's reveal, FaceID is based on the TrueDepth camera, a combination of RGB camera, IR emitter and dot projector built on the top part of the iPhone X display. It uses the Neural Engine found in the A11 Bionic processor to recognise faces, and Apple says it is more secure than Touch ID thanks to a false unlock rate of just 1/1000000, compared to Touch ID's 1/50000.

Rumours suggest the TrueDepth technology was a hurried effort, and in any case there isn't much one can do with it as yet-- other than facial recognition it allows for "Animojis," or emojis animated according to the user's facial expressions, and augmented reality "masks" placed on one's face.

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iPhone X Shipments: Not Enought to Meet Customer Demand?

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Apple will not be able to produce enough of the iPhone X to meet consumer demand before H1 2018, analyst Ming Chi Kuo predicts, as shipments are to total 40 million by end 2017.

iPhone XPreviously, according to a KGI Securities research note acquired by AppleInsider, the well-connected analyst placed the number of iPhone X units to be produced in 2017 at 50m. However, Kuo says the iPhone X has a number of desirable features setting it apart from the competition, meaning any handsets Apple fails to build in 2017 will just translate to 2018 sales, by which point the company should manage to produce 80-90m iPhone X units.

"Amid mixed market views, we expect shares of the Apple supply chain to be volatile or even corrected in the near future," the analyst writes. "We recommend investors seize the opportunity to accumulate supply chain shares."

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IDC: Wearables Continue to Grow Through 2021

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According to IDC wrist-worn devices-- as in watches and wristbands-- will continue to drive the wearable device market until at least 2021, while lesser-known categories such as clothing and earwear should experience growth in the years to come.

The analyst says 2017 wearable device shipments will total 121.7 million, a 16.6% increase over the 104.4m shipped in 2016. Such growth should continue throughout the forecast period, reaching 229.5m units in 2021 with a 5-year CAGR of 17.2%.

IDC forecast wearables

"We expect the most innovation and development in the wearables market to take place on the wrist," IDC continues. "It's the ideal location for users to collect, view, and interact with data and applications, and the point to execute tasks like responding to notifications or communicating with other people and devices. Layer on top of that varieties in style, design, segment, and feature set, and wristworn wearables are poised to remain well out in front of the market."

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Huawei Takes on Apple With "Real AI Phone" Promise

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Were you impressed by the iPhone X's Neural Engine-powered face-recognition? Huawei insists it isn't, as it posts a video on its Facebook page stating "facial recognition isn't for everyone."

Huawei AppleFollowing that, the video also claims it will unveil a "real AI phone" on 16 October 2017-- meaning its latest flagship, the Mate 10.

Marketing bombast aside, Huawei might have something actually interesting to show off with the Mate 10. After all, it will be the first phone powered with the Chinese company's latest system-on-a-chip, the Kirin 970. Presented at IFA 2017, the Kirin 970 carries a "Neural Processing Unit" (NPU), a set of processing cores dedicated to AI tasks.

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