Month: May 2022

Samsung Electronics is the leader in the television industry for over a decade, bringing the most advanced technologies to consumer TVs. In 2022, Samsung has yet again secured the number one spot in terms of market share for 16 consecutive years. ¹ At the heart of Samsung screens is customer-centric innovation, which powers Samsung screens, including Neo QLED 8K, to deliver immaculate, true-to-life picture quality. Samsung Newsroom sat down with the engineers to provide a deep dive into the innovative features that make Neo QLED 8K the TV it is today, with next-level picture quality and one-of-a-kind features powered by artificial intelligence(AI).

^ (From left to right) Engineers Younghoon Jeong, Younghun Jo at Hardware Platform Lab, Sangmin Lee, David Jung at Picture Quality Solution Lab of Samsung’s Visual Display Business

Quantum Matrix Technology Pro Delivers Ultra-Fine Contrast With Details in Darkest Blacks and Lightest Whites

Samsung continues to lead the charge in picture quality innovation by implementing cutting-edge technology to its TVs. The newly released Neo QLED 8K is an upgraded version of its previous QLED TV and comes with a wide range of innovative features. At the center of this advancement is Quantum Matrix Technology Pro, which takes advantage of the enhanced 14-bit gradation for greater control of the miniaturized light source — the Quantum Mini LEDs. This allows the TV to control its lighting across an astounding 16,384 steps, which is four times greater than conventional 12-bit displays at 4,096 steps, providing true-to-life colors previously unseen.

Shape Adaptive Light and Real Depth Enhancer Add Depth for Vivid, Lifelike Images

The picture quality of Samsung TVs has been improved by the introduction of new technologies such as Shape Adaptive Lighting and Real Depth Enhancer. The new technologies optimize contrast, produce clear and vibrant images and give your TV a greater sense of depth.

Real Depth Enhancer improves picture quality by separating an object from a background. “Every image has an object and background with different requirements to bring out the optimal picture quality,” said Jo. Real Depth Enhancer is used to separate the object and background, thereby making the objects stand out. This allows us to clearly discern the object from its background, creating more depth, and making images stand .”

Shape adaptive light analyzes scenes and determines the differences in light layers by sections to adjust the source of light. Shape Adaptive Light creates the effect of synergy with the latest Quantum Mini LED to precisely control and optimize the light source for an accurate contrast. “Simply put, it makes bright areas stay bright and the dark spaces around it stay dark. Jo said that the technology allows for optimal contrast and details to be captured in even the darkest blacks. This creates lifelike pictures.

Upgraded Neural Quantum Processor Allows Customized AI Upscaling for Any Given Scene

Technological prowess has allowed us to enjoy 8K picture quality from the comfort of one’s home. Although not all shows and movies are made in 8K, users are able to take full advantage of the latest TV tech Samsung has to offer. In fact, the real value of 8K TVs comes from Samsung’s AI upscaling technology, which offers next-level picture quality by analyzing the image in real-time and upgrading it to higher picture quality or even 8K, regardless of the original image quality. Neo QLED 8K raised the number of neural networks from 16 to 20 to strengthen the capability for image analysis and upscaling. Multi-intelligent AI networks from the Neural Quantum Processor improve not only images, but also cloud games in 8K resolution for seamless and natural gameplay.

“As the number of networks has gone up, we were able to upscale a wider range of content to deliver a better viewing experience for users,” said Jeong. “Samsung added neural networks to make the image of cloud games vivid and reduce noise. The neural networks immediately analyze a picture, optimize a network and upscale it to 8K so that users can enjoy a cleaner game image.”

Jeong agreed with Samsung’s desire to offer a better viewing experience. “Samsung’s multi-intelligence A network is continuously expanding, providing optimal picture quality technology in accordance to a viewing area and the most recent content trends .”

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Samsung’s 2022 QLED TVs, the World’s First HDR Displays With ‘Pantone Validated’ Approval

Color is an important factor in evaluating a TV’s picture quality. Samsung has achieved 100% color volume since 2017 and displayed accurate and vivid colors. Samsung’s all-new 2022 QLED models, including Neo QLED 8K, became the world’s first HDR displays with ‘Pantone Validated’ certification. Pantone specializes in color and provides a global color standard, PMS (Pantone Matching System). The certification means that Samsung’s ability to accurately express colors is officially recognized. Neo QLED 8K was acknowledged for its accurate expression of 2,161 Pantone colors and 110 skin tone shades.

“Pantone Validated certification suggests that the color expression of Neo QLED 8K is almost on par with the colors we are able to detect with our eyes,” said Lee. “Technological advancements of Neo Quantum Processor, along with Quantum Dot material help our TVs accurately express more than 2,000 colors recognized by Pantone and also 110 skin tones, the most complicated and delicate colors.”

Smart Calibration — Automatically Calibrate and Optimize Picture Quality in an Easy and Convenient way

Samsung is known for providing an industry-leading picture quality by technical innovation. A classic example is Smart Calibration, which is embedded in the latest TV models in 2022.

Smart calibration allows anyone using a Samsung Neo QLED with an Android smartphone to calibrate the screen. ² This allows users to calibrate their TVs for superb image quality through a simple step-by-step process with the Smart Calibration feature within the Smart Things app. Simply open Smart Calibration within SmartThings and point your smartphone’s camera at the TV. The SmartThings App will simplify the process of optimizing picture quality. You can select between two modes: Basic Mode and Professional Mode, depending on how precise you want to optimize the picture. Basic Mode offers a quick calibration within 15 seconds, while Professional Mode optimizes more details of the picture and takes only 5-8 minutes to complete.

“Image calibration usually requires costly equipment, like a pattern generator and measuring instrument. With Smart Calibration, users can adjust the quality of their pictures quickly and easily with only their smartphones. Samsung developed this solution to help everyone easily calibrate their screens and enjoy accurate images,” said Jung. Professionals who use colors, such as photographers, calibrate their screens at least once every three to six months. While this isn’t required for ordinary uses, it will be great for users to calibrate their screens using Smart Calibration when they first purchase the TV or when moving the TV to a different location.”

Samsung Neo QLED 8K, the First TV To Receive ‘Eye Care’ Certificate by Top Global Certification Institutes

There is now more amazing content available via OTT services than ever before, and as a result, more and more people are spending their leisure time watching this content on TVs. Comfortable viewing is a key factor in TV purchase decisions.

The 2021 and 2022 Samsung QLED TVs, including Neo QLED 8K, won the ‘Eye Care’ certification from Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE) in Germany, a test & certification association. They are among the first televisions to receive a special certificate for eye care. VDE’s ‘Eye Care’ certification includes ‘Safety for Eyes’, ‘Gentle to the eyes’, flicker level,³ uniformity⁴ and color fidelity⁵ assessments. ‘Safety for Eyes’ certification is assigned to products with the emission levels of blue light, ultraviolet rays and infrared rays that fall into the ‘Exempt Group’ according to the classification of emission limits set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

‘Gentle To The Eyes’ Certification proves that a device has met the International Commission on Illumination standards.

“As TVs become more of an entertainment hub in the home, there’s an increased demand for screens with top-tier picture quality that minimize eye strain. A comfortable viewing experience is quickly becoming a key factor in purchasing decisions, in addition to picture quality and performance. Neo QLED 8K, with its ‘Eye Care’ certification, meets these criteria, offering more comfortable watching experience to users,” said Jung.

Additionally, the Eye Comfort mode on Neo QLED 8K adjusts the screen’s brightness. The TV’s Neural Quantum Processor automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness to reduce blue light. Lee stated that AI technology adjusts the screen’s brightness to suit a user’s viewing environment. This allows them to enjoy favorite TV content comfortably. “After sunset, you will see significantly warmer colors and reduced brightness, while during the daytime, the screen will be brighter and more vivid.”

AI technology To Provide Perfect Viewing Experience With Minimal Effort From the Users’ Side

As displays get larger and the technology for enhancing picture quality improves, so too does the standard for good picture quality. “The ultimate goal of advancing our technology in picture quality is to enable our TVs to automatically adjust their own picture quality to its optimal setting, producing a lifelike image. Lee stated that we will keep developing cutting-edge technology in order to provide true-to life picture quality for our customers.

” Our users’ viewing experience is as important as sharpness and accurate color.” Jo said. This means it is essential to help users conveniently enjoy the best picture quality. We are committed to creating a viewing environment where people can enjoy any content in any setting. Samsung is committed to advancing AI technology to provide perfect picture quality with minimal effort from the users’ side.”

¹ According to data released by market research firm Omdia

² Requires Galaxy S, Note, Z Flip or Z Fold series models released after January 2019, or an iPhone that supports Face ID. Depending on your situation, the supported models might differ. For more information, please check the product manual at samsung.com/support.

³ According to International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC) standard

⁴ According to International Standard Organization(ISO) standard

⁵ According to Information Display Measurement Standard(IDMS) standard

On May 13, Samsung Electronics held its first Samsung 6G Forum under the theme of ‘The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All’. The forum, which was broadcast live, was split into two sessions, with the morning session themed ‘6G Air Interface’ and the afternoon session themed ‘Intelligent Network for 6G’.

Both sessions at the Forum featured talks from experts across academia and industry who specialize in next-generation communications technologies, and featured topics covering the present state and ambitious future of 6G.

Read on for Samsung Newsroom’s recap of the Forum and the areas of research that took center stage at the first-ever Samsung 6G Forum.

Sebastian Seung, President and Head of Samsung Research, gives the opening speech at Samsung 6G Forum.

Sebastian Seung, President and Head of Samsung Research,¹ opened up the Forum by sharing Samsung’s vision for the next-generation of communications technologies. “We envision that 6G will provide the ultimate in experiences through the next level of hyper-connectivity, and this idea serves as the foundation of our 6G vision,” noted Seung. “We believe that it is the right time to start preparing for 6G. Shaping 6G will require many years, as we have seen with previous generations, and will need lots of discussion and collaboration among players in industry as well as academia.”

Setting the tone for the rest of the day, Seung went on to express his confidence in 6G’s potential to become a fundamental technology that drives a convergence of services between industries and will be ultra-wideband, ultra-low latency, ultra-intelligent and hyperspatial, as well as opening up whole new realm of connectivity.

6G Air Interface: Relentless Innovation of Wireless Technologies and United Efforts To Secure New Spectrum Opportunities

Jeffrey Andrews, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, delivers his keynote for the morning session of Samsung 6G Forum.

Opening up the morning session of the 6G Forum, Jeffrey Andrews, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, delivered a keynote speech titled ‘Deep Learning in the 6G Air Interface’. This keynote saw Andrews focus on the role of machine learning in next-generation communication, including how 6G communication can improve the performance of air interface through deep learning as well as how more deeply-penetrated machine learning might be expected to transcend the current limits of 5G technologies. “In order to successfully apply machine learning to 6G as well as 5G, it is of course necessary for us to understand both wireless communications and machine learning fundamentals,” emphasized Professor Andrews. “It is essential for us to work together in order to make progress on this topic and do novel work.”

The keynote speech was followed by a series of in-depth expert talks, the first of which was given by Charlie Zhang, Senior Vice President (SVP) at Samsung Research America and titled ‘Radio Technology Evolution for Beyond 5G and 6G’. SVP Zhang introduced the R&D progress for the possible wireless technologies of 6G communication and presented two new 6G spectrum opportunities that are currently being investigated: an upper mid-band of 7-24 GHz and an enormous sub-terahertz band of 92-300 GHz. “Both options provide us with a very good opportunity to find enough capacity for all these exciting 6G services,” noted SVP Zhang. SVP Zhang then described how the sub-terahertz spectrum has been used in field testing by his team. He also introduced advanced duplex technology, XDD, for enhanced coverage and innovative distributed MIMO. He concluded with an enthusiastic reiteration of the value of cooperation, emphasizing the need for collaboration between institutions, companies and countries necessary to bring about future innovations.

Takehiro Nakamura, SVP and General Manager at NTT DOCOMO, delivers an online talk titled ‘5G Evolution and 6G’.

The second expert talk was given by Takehiro Nakamura, SVP and General Manager at NTT DOCOMO under the title of ‘5G Evolution and 6G’. As well as discussing the global growth seen recently into 5G and 6G research, SVP Nakamura expressed his opinions on performance improvement in the case of Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) technology being applied in 5G and 6G communications. “6G networks can perform as human nerves,” detailed SVP Nakamura regarding the potential of IOWN technologies applied for 6G. “They can augment and extend human capabilities. If we can share body movement, the five senses and emotions through 6G networks, we can realize very interesting and exciting new services which were described as science fiction.”

John Smee, SVP of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., presents his talk at Samsung 6G Forum.

The third expert talk of the morning session was conducted by John Smee, SVP of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., on the topic of ‘Driving Air Interface Innovation Toward 6G’. SVP Smee carefully detailed how technological innovations will pave the path to a 6G world. “When we take a step back and imagine the world in 2030, it’s really about understanding changing the physical world and many different types of devices that we will have connected,” he explained. SVP Smee highlighted six key research vectors in particular: artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-powered E2E communications, spectrum expansion and sharing, new radio designs, communications resiliency, scalable network architecture and the merging of worlds.

Juho Lee, Fellow at Samsung Research, leads a panel discussion around 6G RAN technology.

Following the presentations, Juho Lee, Fellow at Samsung Research, led a panel discussion on 6G RAN technology. The seven key themes addressed by the panel were the strengths of 6G over 5G, the killer applications for 6G, the relationship between 5G-Advanced and 6G, the performance requirements for 6G wireless technologies, the spectrum for 6G, wireless technologies for 6G and the potential of AI for air interfaces. “Securing new spectrum is one of the most important elements for research and development of the 6G air interface technology,” noted Lee. “Without the new spectrum, it will be difficult to build a next-generation system.”

Sunghyun Choi, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Head of Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research shares Samsung’s latest 6G research results.

The morning session was then concluded by Sunghyun Choi, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Head of Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research, who shared the most recent results of Samsung’s research into key 6G candidate technologies along with demonstration videos.

Intelligent Network for 6G: Native AI Support for Next-Generation Communications

The afternoon session commenced with a keynote speech from Tarik Taleb, Professor at University of Oulu, Finland, under the title of ‘6G Networking — The Journey Towards a Novel Vision of “Service of Services”‘. In his keynote, Professor Taleb advocated for the use of AI, network function, virtualization, software-defined networking and edge/cloud computing in order to reduce expenditure and operational costs, and proposed that 6G should be viewed as a new service concept beyond next-generation communications. “I would like to share the view of this journey which I think is going to lead us to another vision of 6G as being a service of services, rather than what is known as 6G being a network of networks.”

Following the keynote, Seungjoo Maeng, Master at Samsung Electronics, gave a talk on ‘Challenges in Applying AI/ML Technology to Improve Performance of Mobile Communication Systems’. In his talk, Master Maeng highlighted some of the challenges that might arise when AI/ML technologies are applied to 6G, and went on to propose some potential solutions. Master Maeng also concluded that collaboration among experts is the key to solve the issues of applying AI/ML technologies to 6G: “Experts should work closely together to develop meaningful and efficient technologies,” he said. “Working together is the key for successful technology development.”

The next talk was given by Byonghyo Shim, Professor at Seoul National University, under the theme of ‘Deep Learning-Aided Mobile Detection and Beamforming for mmWave and THz Communications’. The talk presented a new paradigm for mmWave and THz communications based on deep learning (DL). “Down the road we’ll have more emerging applications, like AR, VR, XR and metaverse, to name just a few and they require further increase of data rate,” noted Professor Shim. “Deep learning would contribute for improving the performance of beamforming that is the essential technology for high frequency band used to increase the data rate when it comes to supporting emerging applications.”

The final talk of the day was given by Shi Jin, Professor at Southeast University, China. In his talk, titled ‘Deep Learning-based CSI Feedback in Massive MIMO Systems’, Professor Jin highlighted the challenges inherent to applying AI/ML technologies to massive MIMO systems as well as the ways that could solve them. “In the past 10 years, deep learning has achieved great success in many areas,” noted Professor Jin. “Inspired by this success, deep learning has been introduced in wireless communications and our work — deep learning-based CSI feedback — has become a popular topic in 6G research.”

Following the afternoon sessions’ talks, EVP Choi led a panel discussion on network AI that saw the Forum’s experts share their opinions on the way AI technologies are being investigated actively in 6G research and development. The participants also shared their thoughts on the research direction for AI in 6G on the topics of native AI, cost issues, interoperability, standardization of technologies for support of AI and reliable AI.

Tarik Taleb, Professor at University of Oulu, Finland, takes part in the Samsung 6G Forum’s afternoon panel discussion.

The panel discussion also saw the participants deal with the challenges surrounding the commercialization of 6G, their predictions for the future of AI/ML technologies in 6G and, more generally, what needs to be prepared for realizing 6G. “We need to define all the KPIs, accuracy and reliability of AI models in order to get into standardization of the technologies required for support of AI,” noted Professor Taleb, who also emphasized the need for digital twins and simulators for the benchmarking of AI models. Professor Shim also advocated for the importance of collaboration in this process, noting that: “in order to standardize the technologies required for truly using AI in 6G, cooperation based on consensus across companies is key.”

At the inaugural Samsung 6G Forum, the thoughts and experiences that were shared by experts around the current status and future of 6G provided a glimpse into the future of 6G that Samsung, along with industry experts, academics and partners, is working hard to realize. Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for all the latest news on the next generation of communications technologies.

Key Takeaways From the Samsung 6G Forum’s Speakers

¹ Samsung Research, acting as Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.

Netflix on Thursday announced a new feature called “Mystery Box,” which works similarly to another existing feature known as “Play Something.” However, “Mystery Box” helps parents find new shows and movies that are appropriate for kids.

Netflix’s Mystery Box is, as its name implies, a way to find new content. It’s not easy to choose a show to see, particularly when you consider the content for children.

This new feature is only available to kids profiles and will show up on your Netflix homepage. All parents and kids have to do is find “Favorites Row” at the top of the homepage and then choose the “Mystery Box” option. The recommendation will appear on your screen.

Kids are drawn to what they love — their favorite toys, foods, songs — and it’s hard to get them to try something new. Today, we are launching the new mystery box on televisions all over the globe to allow kids to find their favorite films and series or to reconnect with familiar faces.

According to the company the recuse provides an “engaging, tailored” experience to connect users to stories that “shape the world”. However it is not clear if the suggestion are based on previous content.

For adults, Netflix already has a similar feature – but it automatically plays something you might like based on your history. “Play Something” may bring up a new movie or show similar to one you’ve watched before, or just content you’ve watched in the past.

Netflix says the new option is being rolled out to all of its TV users around the world, which likely includes the tvOS app for Apple TV.

More about Netflix

• Netflix customers canceling service increasingly includes long-term subscribers
• Disney+ beats subscriber estimates in Q2 2022 while Netflix struggles

The popular image editor Pixelmator Pro for Mac has received a major update that introduces a brand new photo browser, as well as other enhancements such as improved support for PSD and SVG files and better management of photos stored in iCloud.

According to the developers, the new photo browser has been “redesigned from the ground up” to improve support for iCloud Photos and provide a faster browsing experience. For instance, photos stored in iCloud are now automatically downloaded at their full resolutions when you open them in the app.

Photos are now organized by the same categories as in Apple’s Photos app, which includes Recent, Favorites, Panoramas, Selfies, and Screenshots. In addition, any changes the user makes in the Photos app are instantly shown in Pixelmator Pro. You can also change the size of thumbnails by using keyboard shortcuts.

With the new update Pixelmator Pro has improved support for exporting PSD files. The files can now be opened with Adobe Photoshop editable layers, curves and channel mixers. Support for SVG files has also been improved.

Other changes include:

• It is now possible to change the colors of shapes and Color Fill effect right in the Layers sidebar. Double-click the thumbnail of a layer to open the Color Picker.
• You can quickly transform color adjustments that have been applied to layers into color adjustments layers. Click the More button in the color adjustment pane to convert the layer into a color adjustments layer.
• Option-scrolling to zoom using MacBook Air trackpads would sometimes work incorrectly. Fixed.
• Changing the image size would not scale the grain size and sharpen radius of the Grain and Sharpen color adjustments layers. Fixed.
• Added some stability and performance enhancements to shape related issues and resolved an issue regarding shape thumbnails.

Pixelmator Pro is available for $39. 99 from the Mac App Store. Of course, the update is free for current users.

More about Pixelmator

• Pixelmator Pro adds color adjustments and effects layers, 200 new vector shapes
• Pixelmator Photo for iOS now tuned to work well with limited Photos library access

Pokémon Go players will have fewer opportunities to take part in the game’s Raids remotely (for “free,” anyway) starting next week. Developer Niantic announced Thursday that it plans to end the weekly distribution of cheap Remote Raid Passes that have been included in one-PokéCoin bundles over the past two years, when the company added the new gameplay feature to adapt Pokémon Go to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting on May 23, Pokémon Go’s in-game shop will no longer include Remote Raid Passes in weekly one-PokéCoin Event Boxes, Niantic said in a post on the game’s official website. Instead, that cheap weekly box will feature “a rotating array of items,” Niantic said.

In announcing the change, Niantic says it’s “excited to get back to playing together in person” and that it’s working on ways to “support players who have difficulty reaching Gyms” with “solutions such as tools for community leaders to organize local events and faster approval for new Gyms.”

The Pokémon Go maker also says it’s bringing new social features to its mobile game in the next few months. Those social features have been in testing in a separate, stand-alone app and accessible to select players of another Niantic game, Ingress, since early May. That social app lets players talk to each other and coordinate meet-ups directly through the app, which Pokémon Go players have typically done through outside services, like Discord, over the years.

While Niantic’s promise to make it easier for players to coordinate meet-ups and access to new Gyms will likely help make the removal of inexpensive Remote Raid Passes sting less, the loss of another pandemic-era convenience will surely cause some outcry. Players can still purchase Remote Raid Passes from the shop, but they cost 100 PokéCoins for a single pass, and 250 coins for a three-pack. Players can earn up to 50 coins per day for free by holding Gyms, or pay real-world money for bundles of coins.

Polygon sent some questions to Pokémon Go live game director Michael Steranka about the changes, and our email Q&A is available below.

Polygon: For players who aren’t using the external social features you plan to bring to Pokémon Go, can you expand on what you hope that will bring to current players?

Michael Steranka: Meeting up with other Trainers is an important part of the Pokémon Go experience, it’s partially what makes Pokémon Go different from almost any other game. We realize that for newer Trainers, or even veteran Trainers who have been largely raiding from home the past two years, those skills and habits need learning or re-learning. What we’re working on is a set of social tools and features that will empower Trainers to easily see where other Trainers are playing and congregating and to signal to others where they plan to battle or raid. So during Community Day, say you’re traveling to a new city and you want to meet up with local Trainers. You’ll be able to do that at-a-glance once these tools are ready. I should add that privacy protection is critically important to us, and all of these features will be optional and can be fine-tuned so you can decide who to share what with, and to what degree.

What’s the reasoning behind pulling Remote Raid Passes from 1 PokéCoin event boxes? Will there be other ways that players can acquire them, outside of the shop?

Our goal is to shift the balance back towards the fun of raiding together in-person again. Sales and discounts are really powerful ways to indicate to Trainers what types of game loops they should be focused on at any given moment. If there’s a hatching event going on, we may feature Incubators, for example. We want to leverage the 1 PokéCoin bundle to do just that moving forward, and use it to emphasize other types of gameplay.

This is why we’ve increased rewards for coming together in person to tackle challenging raid encounters. This is part of our process to return Pokémon Go to that key experience.

This doesn’t mean that remote raiding as an option is going away, as we recognize the convenience that it brings to players. Our intent is to bring back the joy that can only be experienced in person, like when you caught your first Lugia at a gym in person with your friends.

Note that with this change, there won’t be other ways to receive free Remote Raid Passes. It’s our goal however to provide a great value in the deals featured in the Shop for our events, and there’s a chance that Remote Raid Passes will be included in those bundles in the future.

What sort of items should players expect out of 1 PokéCoin event boxes going forward?

We plan to rotate a variety of things through, so it’s hard to say definitively at this point. That being said, the rotating 1 PokéCoin bundle first made its debut all the way back in 2020 and had many different permutations. Those past versions are good references for where the bundle will likely go moving forward.

Are any other changes planned for raids, such as the return of EX Raids or ways to make them more convenient for players who may not be able to find people to join them?

Absolutely, and the new Niantic social features I mentioned will play a big role here. I can’t reveal too much just yet as we have initial details coming out at our Niantic Lightship event next week, but coming later this summer Trainers will have the tools to easily meet up with others for IRL raid battles and more.

Apple this week quietly released an update for the Windows version of its iTunes music player. However, rather than adding new features, the update is focused on fixing bugs and security breaches for those who still rely on iTunes.

According to an Apple Support webpage, iTunes 12.12.4 fixes five different exploits that could be used for arbitrary code execution through the music player.

A specific exploit in the Mobile Device Service, which manages the connection between PC and iOS devices, allowed an app to delete files from the computer without permission. Other exploits fixed were related to AppleGraphicsControl, ImageIO, and WebKit.

Apple recommends that Windows users download the latest version of iTunes from the Microsoft Store. However, the app is still available as a separate download through Apple’s website (it requires Windows 8 or later). iTunes on Windows is required to access Apple Music offline and manage iPhone, iPod, and iPad devices.

Of course, since iTunes was discontinued on macOS years ago, the update is not required for Mac users.

iTunes on Windows

Even though Apple Music has its own app on iOS, macOS, and even Android, Windows users still rely on iTunes – which at this point is quite outdated and lacks some features available on other platforms.

Apple Music users on Windows PCs can download some alternative clients such as Cider. However, these apps do not replace iTunes when it comes to restoring iOS devices.

9to5Mac heard last year that Apple was testing both Music and Podcast apps for Microsoft platforms. The company was even looking for engineers with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) experience. Unfortunately, other details about Apple’s plans for launching an Apple Music app for Windows remain unclear.