Intel introduced new eighth-generation processors slated for laptops this week: Ultra-low power 15-watt “Whiskey Lake” U-series chips and extremely low power five-watt “Amber Lake” Y-series chips. After the launch, AnandTech asked Intel if these two processor families include hardware fixes for Meltdown and Spectre. The response was … rather loaded.
Meltdown and the two Spectre vulnerabilities are based on how processors “predict” the path of their current task, leaving sensitive data vulnerable in memory. Intel, hardware, and OS vendors began implementing fixes on a firmware and software level in early 2018. Intel also said that hardware mitigations would be introduced in new processors by the end of the year, hence the question.
For starters, the explanation will get somewhat technical. Although Intel releases “generations” of chips, they never rely on one single-generation design. Thus, each generation typically comprises of a refresh of a previous design, an entirely new design, and various design branches with different code names. All of this can get confusing so we’ll try to be clear as possible if you want to push forward.
First, Intel is gearing up to release 14nm processors based on its new “Cascade Lake” CPU design targeting servers and enthusiasts. A successor to Intel’s sixth-generation “Skylake-X” and “Skylake-SP” designs for those markets, these chips were originally slated to be the first to include hardware-based mitigations for Meltdown, Spectre, and Foreshadow. These chips will fall under Intel’s eighth-generation banner.
Meanwhile, Intel’s new Whiskey Lake chips released this week are based on the company’s original seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” design but uses the newer 14nm++ process node technology. As previously stated, these chips target laptops, requiring around 15 watts of power. Despite the seventh-generation foundation, Whiskey Lake CPUs also fall under the eighth-generation banner.
According to Intel, notebook-bound Whiskey Lake shares the same hardware fix for Meltdown as seen with server-bound Cascade Lake. These two families also share a hardware fix for the recently-disclosed L1 Terminal Fault issue, aka Foreshadow. But unlike Cascade Lake, Intel’s Whisky Lake design doesn’t include hardware fixes for Spectre Variant 2. All other issues are handled through firmware and OS fixes.
As for the new Amber Lake chips released this week, they’re based on Intel’s seventh-generation Kaby Lake design using 14nm+ process node technology. “Amber Lake” is similar to the “Kaby Lake Refresh” design introduced in the first wave of eighth-generation chips in August 2017. That said, all problems are handled through firmware and OS fixes, and do not contain hardware-based mitigations.
As a refresher, here are the three new Whiskey Lake processors:
Now here are the three new Amber Lake chips:
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.