Tech Corner

I never get all that interested when I read about rumors in the tech industry.  But I came across two articles that seem to have more substance to their foundation than most.  And at the very least, they're both intriguing.

The first comes from ZDNet which has a story on possible technology upcoming from Apple.  What makes this so interesting is that it's based on patents which the publican was able to find that Apple had applied for.  ZDNet makes clear that filing for patents doesn't mean a product will ever come to light -- sometimes it's just done because it helps break ground for other research.  Sometimes, the development just doesn't pan out.  Sometime they do, in fact, get to market.  And some are simply just fun to read about.  

Most seem at least plausible to me.  A few of note:  work on a self-driving car (which Apple is already on record to be researching), an Apple ring (interesting because it's somewhat similar to products I wrote about in my CES wrap-up: the Okto Smart ring, and Ditto alert reminder), an all-day battery, Smart home control, CarPlay in-dash infotainment software, person-to-person payment, and 13 other possibilities.  You can check out the slide show here.

The other article was from PC World, and discussed a potential major step for the Windows Phone. The story concerns a joint project between Microsoft and Intel to develop an x86 chip that not only will work on the Windows Phone, but already is able to right now, for phones running the Windows 10 Mobile operating system.  What makes this report more substantive than most is that a Microsoft spokesman confirmed it.  That the technology works now doesn't mean it's available on the market yet.  It isn't.  But it's not a huge leap to go from point A to point B with the technology now here.

Yes, I know this might seem like gobbledy-technobabble to most.  Why this is so important is because right now, pretty much all phones (including Apple and Android) run on ARM processor technology.  While powerful, there are limitations for being able to use a phone with the same software as your desktop computer.  Windows, for example, uses the aforementioned x86 technology.  If Windows Phones are eventually made with this x86 chip, that -- along with the Windows 10 operating system -- would be a huge leap into turning Windows Phones into the equivalent of a desktop computer.  Intel noted that it would like to make x86 chips for Android and Apple, as well, but with Microsoft Windows holding 90% of the desktop market, the benefits for the Redmond company are more significant.  You can read about it here.