Razer Phone 2 hands-on preview: Same game, better phone

The second-generation Razer Phone is just as good at gaming, and better at being a phone.

Although flawed in execution, the original Razer Phone wasn’t hopelessly bad. It was a good idea in need of further refinement. Razer had a silky 120Hz display, but daylight visibility was so poor that outdoor use was painful. It had a dual camera system, but with photo quality that’d be embarrassing on a phone half the price. Plus it was missing table-stakes features like water resistance, and shipped on an old version of Android. Although some of the above improved with software updates, the out-of-box experience was far from ideal.

And that’s where the Razer Phone 2 aims to improve: Keeping what was great about the original (because for a first-effort smartphone they got a lot right), while addressing those major pain points.

The result of Razer’s efforts might just be the best gaming smartphone of 2018.

If you’ve followed any of the leaks, you won’t be surprised by the basic structure of the second-gen Razer Phone. From the front and the sides… well, it’s a Razer Phone. It’s almost exactly the same size, with the same 16:9 aspect ratio, same front speaker grilles, and a very similar metal frame.

All the Razer Phone 2’s big changes can be found on the inside, or around the back.

Flip the phone over, though, and the main cosmetic changes come into focus — a new Gorilla Glass 5 rear with a redesigned camera module and glowing Razer logo. (This, by the way, is just about the only way to quickly tell a Razer Phone 1 from a Razer Phone 2.) The move to a glass-backed design also helps to enable wireless charging via Razer’s own charging dock or any other Qi-compatible pad.

This is still a humongous, beefy, powerful gaming phone. It’s big, it’s angular and it’s not even trying to be ergonomic. But like Razer’s gaming laptops, the Razer Phone 2 is designed to be something suited to everyday life, not just marathon PUBG sessions. It’s the antidote to gaming phones like the Xiaomi BlackShark or ASUS ROG Phone, that look more like props from a low-budget sci-fi movie. To put it another way, this is a gaming phone for grown-ups.

Although the external hardware mostly hasn’t changed much, the fundamentals of the Razer Phone have received some important upgrades. A quick side-by-side comparison with the first Razer Phone reveals a marked improvement, but our time with the device ahead of the phone’s launch was spent exclusively indoors.

The sizeable speakers are just as loud and bassy as before, only now Razer has figured out how to pair them with IP67 water and dust resistance. (Again, another reason to take actually take the Razer Phone 2 out of the house.) And there’s still no 3.5mm jack, but the bundled headphone dongle now boasts a 32-bit DAC for clearer wired audio when you plug in a headset.

Besides the jump up to a Snapdragon 845 platform, the rest of the spec sheet makes for very familiar reading: It’s fuelled by a 4000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+ wired charging. RAM stays at 8GB, and storage at 64GB with optional microSD expansion. That’s all fine, with the possible exception of the slightly stingy helping of internal storage. I can live with 64 gigs quite happily. And other brands like Google are continuing to ship 64GB as standard in their phones. But if there’s one thing that can make short work of your internal flash, it’s high-end games, and that’s precisely the focus of this phone. Considering the high price of the Razer Phone 2, 128GB would seem a more reasonable number.

The focus on incremental upgrades means that playing games, as well as regular smartphone duties, should be a familiar experience, only with a welcome performance bump. What’s more, Razer has also upgraded the cooling system with a vapor chamber to help it run at peak performance for longer.

There’s obviously no wacky fan attachment or anything close to the array of attachments we’ve seen for the ASUS ROG Phone. But that’s all part of the balance Razer is pursuing in this product.

Of course, the Razer logo around the back glows. And of course there’s a wireless charging dock that does the same.

That said, the Razer Phone 2 is a little more playful than its predecessor, and one area where that’s evident is the eye-catching glowing Razer logo around the back.

This uses a mobile version of Razer’s Chroma software, which owners of its PCs and gaming peripherals will be familiar with. You can control the color and pattern of the glow, and use it as a notification LED as well if you want. (As a result, there’s no more front-facing notification LED under the speaker grille.) Like all of Razer’s more ostentatious features, you can balance the brightness here to minimize the battery hit of having to light up both sides of your phone at once.

The cameras have also been a big focus of attention in the Razer Phone 2, and rightly so after the debacle of the previous generation. Razer freely admits that when the first phone launched, its camera was disappointing, and so significant engineering effort has gone into improving image quality and populating the camera app with the features we all expect from a flagship phone. The upgraded dual camera rig features a 12MP main camera with optical image stabilization, 1.4-micron pixels and an f/1.75 lens. That’s paired with a 16-megapixel 2X telephoto at f/2.6.

Improved optics combined with the Snapdragon 845’s image signal processor should provide a significant step up in photo quality.

First impressions are promising, especially considering the dismal camera performance of the original Razer Phone. But for the same reason, I’m hesitant to expect miracles from these cameras. We’ll wait until we get review units before we deliver our verdict.

Around the front, Razer is also targeting streamers, with a new front camera capable of shooting 1080p video at 60 frames per second.

When it comes to software, the Razer Phone 2 is pretty much a repeat performance of the original. That’s not a bad thing, but there is one caveat to state upfront: It runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, and given the enthusiast focus of this phone it’s disappointing not to see Android 9 Pie loaded on here.

No Android Pie for now.

The other major software traits of the Razer Phone haven’t gone anywhere. The stock launcher is, once again, a special version of Nova Launcher optimized for the 120Hz display. And there’s still an abundance of theming opportunities on the Razer theme store. Besides that, it’s bone stock Android with Razer-green accents.

Gaming performance is hard to judge in the limited time we had with the Razer Phone 2 ahead of the launch. However, the device seemed speedy even when playing demanding titles like Gear Club and PUBG. How well that performance holds up over intensive play sessions remains to be seen. And Razer still faces an uphill challenge in convincing mobile game developers to support its 120Hz displays — though the company says it’s made progress over the past year, and many titles will just work at the higher refresh rates without any optimization.

Whether there’s a mass market for gaming phones in the same way there is for gaming laptops is an open question. Nevertheless, the Razer Phone 2 is the most compelling product we’ve seen in this nascent category. It’s a refinement of the original that doesn’t abandon the core idea of a gaming phone that you can also use as a dependable daily driver. And it appears to fix the fatal flaws that prevented its predecessor from successfully straddling the flagship/gaming line.

But with a price tag of €849 ($799, £779), it could have its work cut out when pitted against more mainstream brands.

See at Razer

Apple to Donate to Hurricane Michael Relief Efforts

Apple CEO Tim Cook tonight announced that Apple will be donating to recovery and relief efforts for those in the Gulf Coast region who are located in the path of Hurricane Michael.

Image via The Weather Channel
Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida earlier today causing widespread devastation with winds up to 155 miles per hour. It is now making its way across Georgia and is expected to hit several states in the southeast, including Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

I grew up on the shores of the Gulf Coast, near Pensacola and Mobile, and that region holds a special place in my heart. That’s never been more true than now. To all those communities in the path of Hurricane Michael, you are in my prayers. Please stay safe.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 11, 2018

When the hurricane hit Florida, it was classified as a Category 4 storm, the strongest to hit the continental United States since Hurricane Andrew. It has now weakened to a Category 1 storm, but has done serious damage and left hundreds of thousands without power.

Apple is standing with our friends and neighbors in the Gulf Coast region, and will be donating to recovery and relief efforts.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 11, 2018

Cook did not say how much Apple plans to donate, but for other recent hurricane disasters, the company has provided $1 million in aid.

Tag: Tim Cook
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Here’s a first look at Pixel USB-C earbuds that come bundled with the Pixel 3

After ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack with the Pixel 2, Google wants us to use wired headphones once again with the new Pixel 3.

With the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the company bundles its new Pixel USB-C earbuds. Just like the Google Pixel Buds, the Pixel USB-C earbuds integrate Google Assistant into the audio experience for Pixel users.

These Made for Google headphones (well, obviously) ensure complete compatibility with Google devices and with 24-bit Digital Audio aim to provide a high-quality audio experience.

Getting Started

Once you plug your earbuds to the USB-C port on your Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL, you’d see an Assistant notification prompting you to follow the instructions to set up the headphones. Tap on “Finish Setup” and you’d be guided through the setup for the earbuds, starting with fitting instructions.

Google suggests that the loop on the earbuds is meant to sit on the arc of your ear, so the earbuds are held in place.

You can adjust the size of the loop by either pulling on the loop to increase the size or pulling on the cable from below the earbud to decrease it in size. Once you’ve found a good fit, you’ll be prompted to set up your Google Assistant.

Note that for Google Assistant to help you with your notifications via the earbuds, notifications must be enabled in the Assistant settings menu. You’d also need to grant the Google app access to your notifications. Also, message notifications work only on Android P devices.

Google Assistant

Once set up, you can use the Assistant simply by pressing and holding the black button in the middle of your remote while speaking to get directions, set reminders, send texts, and ask for information. This feature works only with USB-C devices running Android N and above.

Google Assistant can also give you updates on your daily itinerary, recent messages, emails, or calendar events without you having to look at your phone. All you need to do is simply press and hold the volume-up button on your remote to get the latest update from your Assistant. You can also reply to incoming texts directly while using your earbuds.

With the Pixel USB-C earbuds, you can get access to real-time translation for more than 40 languages via the Google Translate app. To try this feature, press and hold the black button, and say “Help me speak German,” for example.

Google is quite benevolent (unlike folks from Cupertino) when it comes to Pixel 3. Apart from the Pixel USB-C earbuds, the company also bundles an upgraded UBC-C digital-to-3.5mm adapter for those who prefer to use their existing 3.5mm headsets.

For those that aren’t getting the Pixel 3 but want the earbuds, the Pixel USB-C earbuds are available now for $30.

Razer Blade 15 gives more bang for your buck, adds ‘mercury white’ edition

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When Razer introduced its lineup of Razer Blade gaming notebooks, they were seemingly built without compromise with a price tag to match. Before today, anyone looking to get their hands on a Razer Blade 15 would need to shell out at least $1,900. However, Razer introduced a new base model to the lineup, saving potential shoppers a few hundred dollars; starting at $1,600, the new Razer Blade 15 base model still packs a punch under its hood.

As one might expect, the base model looks nearly identical on the outside featuring the same black aluminum chassis and port selection, but now offers a new single-zone RGB keyboard. Gamers on a budget need not worry as the keyboard still reacts with Razer’s Chroma standard for immersive in-game lighting effects, but merely doesn’t offer the ability to control different areas of the keyboard separately.

On the inside, gamers will be pleased to see an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, an Intel eighth-generation i7 6-core CPU, and 16 GB of memory. However, Razer needed to cut somewhere to bring the bring down, and they began with the unit’s storage. Instead of featuring a single SSD drive, the new Razer Blade 15 base model will offer a dual-storage system with either a 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD, or a 256GB SSD and 2TB HDD.

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Razer is known to offer some excellent displays on their units including 1080p 60Hz, 1080p 144Hz, and 4K 60Hz displays. As expected, the base model will feature the lower-end 1080p 60Hz display, but tests of the screen on previous units lead us to believe that most consumers will be quite happy with the offering, not to mention the machine’s razor-thin bezels (pun intended).

If the thought of an expensive budget machine isn’t getting you excited, you might be interested in the company’s latest design effort. Later this year, Razer will be offering a mercury white (which appears grey) limited edition of its Razer Blade 15 machine. The new creation will feature a matte-white finish with black USB ports and a non-illuminated, tone-on-tone Razer logo on the cover.

The new Razer Blade 15 base model will be available for purchase on Wednesday, October 10 in the United States, Canada, and China. European and Asian-Pacific countries should see the product arrive sometime in November. Fans of the mercury white edition will need to stay tuned for an exact launch date.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Razer Blade 15 (2018) review
• How Razer forged the Blade 15, the slim gaming laptop nobody else could build
• Alienware has unleashed the M15, its thinnest gaming PC yet
• Razer’s new Sila router is primed to deliver lag-free gaming connections
• Dell XPS 15 vs. Razer Blade 15

How to Recover Files, Contacts, Bookmarks, Calendars and Reminders in iCloud

Apple has little known iCloud tools that are designed to let you recover files that have been deleted from iCloud, as well as recover Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders that have been lost.

Lost iCloud data isn’t a situation that comes up often, but these tools were introduced following an iCloud Drive bug in 2015 that caused some users to lose documents stored in iCloud Drive, prompting the creation of the tool.

Accessing Your Files on iCloud.com

Visit the iCloud.com website on your web browser of choice.
Enter your Apple ID, password, and two-factor authentication code if the feature is enabled.
Once logged in, click on the “Settings” app in the main iCloud menu.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page until you reach the “Advanced” section.
Click on the content that you need to restore. Options include files stored in iCloud Drive, a list of contacts, your Calendars and Reminders, or your Bookmarks.

Restoring Files

Using the “Restore Files” option on iCloud.com brings up a list of all files that have been deleted over the past 30 days. It includes files from apps that support iCloud Drive, such as Pixelmator, Napkin, and Byword.

You can select a single file to restore or multiple files, should there have been a catastrophic event that caused iCloud Drive to be wiped entirely. Check the box to make a selection and click “Restore File.” Using the file restoration tool returns the file in question to iCloud Drive in its original parent folder, much like undeleting a photo on iOS.

Deleted iCloud Drive files remain available in iCloud for 30 days before being permanently deleted, at which point they become unrecoverable. As a side note, you cannot do a manual permanent deletion with iCloud Drive files as you can do with Photos on iOS – they’re sticking around for the full 30 days.

Restoring Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders

Apple regularly archives a list of Contacts, which can be restored to an iOS device at any time. Restoring a list of contacts from the archive will replace the contacts on all iOS devices connected to your iCloud account, while archiving the current list of contacts to ensure nothing is lost. Contacts can’t be restored one by one — this is an all or nothing batch operation.

Restoring Calendars and Reminders works like restoring Contacts. Apple frequently creates a backup for the two apps, capturing snapshots for more than a month. Any of these archives can be used to replace a current Calendar or Reminder list, replacing the existing information on all connected iOS devices.

Restoring a Calendar will remove all sharing information, so Calendars and Reminders shared with friends and family will need to be shared again. All scheduled events will also be cancelled and recreated, reissuing all invitations for events.

Restoring Bookmarks

Along with Contacts and Calendars, Apple backs up the bookmarks that you have removed from your Bookmarks list in Safari on a regular basis.

To restore them, simply choose the deleted bookmarks you would like to put back in place and then choose the “Restore” option.

Conclusion

Most users probably won’t need to delve into the Advanced settings that will restore content like this, but it’s nice to have a backup should something disastrous occur. It’s also useful because it enables people to restore key information to a new iPhone or iPad without having to work from a full backup.

iCloud settings are also handy for immediately signing out of all browsers that are signed into iCloud should you suspect someone has gained unauthorized access to your account and for managing apps that let people look you up using your Apple ID. It also displays all devices you’re signed into, offers up a look at available storage, and displays the members of your Family Sharing group.
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This battery-free ‘printer’ turns your smartphone pics into film

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Before digital, some cameras could run battery-free entirely on mechanics. Now there’s a mobile “printer” that uses the same idea to turn smartphone snapshots into real instant film. The Holga Printer is a completely mechanical mobile printer that is designed to work with the Holga app to mix the perks of smartphone photography and instant film.

The Holga Printer doesn’t actually fit into the usual definition of a printer — it’s actually more like an instant camera that’s designed specifically to take a photo of a smartphone screen. A smartphone platform unfolds from the Holga Printer. With the photo you want up on the screen, you place the phone screen down and press the shutter. The mechanical camera inside then snaps a photo of the screen and spits out a print from Instax mini film.

Holga isn’t the first to allow digital smartphone images to be transferred on real film instead of Zink photo paper, but the unique approach means there are no batteries required or Bluetooth connection, for that matter. There is a bit of work involved to spit that print out though — you have to turn a manual crank because there are no batteries to power an automatic feed. And unlike an actual instant film camera, the mix of old and new means you can choose which images to print instead of using up a piece of film with each shutter click.

An accompanying Holga app is designed to give those smartphone photos the classic look of a Holga camera. Holga is known for its plastic toy-like cameras that create neat, unusual film effects. The app contains several of those effects. The app also recommends settings to help the printer best capture the photo on the screen. The app also allows for double exposure effects as well as adding text on the “printer.”

The company says the Holga Printer mixes a classic Holga design with modern perks. It’s designed to look like a Holga 120 that’s missing the lens. A more modern construction mixes anti-slip materials for enhanced user experience, Holga says. The printer will also be available in four different colors: White, black, pink, and a mix of colors.

Holga is taking to Kickstarter to bring the “printer” to life. Backers pitching in on the first day of the campaign today can pick up a Holga Printer for about $48 while pledges with a printer increase later in the campaign. If the Kickstarter is successful,the company says backers will receive the Holga Printer in March 2019.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best portable photo printers of 2018
• The best printers of 2018
• The best 3D printers of 2018
• Lifeprint’s Harry Potter printer adds motion magic to photos

Google’s A.I. features are more enticing than a beautiful phone

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

After an unprecedented level of leaks, Google’s New York event was light on surprises. The new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are exactly what we expected to see. Few phones have suffered so much criticism in the build up to an unveiling. The deep notch gouged out of the top of the Pixel 3 XL’s OLED screen seems to be universally reviled, and our Pixel 3 XL hands-on did not change our mind – it’s ugly.

While we’re glad the Pixel 3 doesn’t have a matching notch, the big bezels definitely make it look dated, but there’s more to a phone than its looks. We’re often told that it’s what’s on the inside that counts and Google’s groundbreaking artificial intelligence (A.I.) advancements remind us of that. The dull design definitely disappoints, but we’re genuinely excited about what the A.I. smarts inside can do for us.

“The big breakthroughs you’re going to see are not in hardware alone, they come at the intersection of AI, software, and hardware,” Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Hardware at Google, said on stage at the event, in front of a huge screen bearing the words “AI + Software + Hardware”.

We can’t help feeling that the order is no accident. Google is all-in on AI and it has always prized the software experience above its hardware. This is what sets Google apart from competitors like Apple and Samsung. If you want a beautifully-crafted smartphone, there’s a galaxy out there to choose from, but if you want a phone that can do things no other phone can, the Pixel 3 stands out.

The A.I. hype train

Everyone has been hyping artificial intelligence for so long now that it’s easy to get weary of the hyperbole. The sad truth is that the experience of using A.I. on most phones doesn’t come close to matching the promise.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Without naming names, we’ve seen A.I. in cameras consistently misidentify subjects and scenes, producing shots that are clearly worse than the normal auto mode. We’ve had countless suggestions for news stories or places to visit that the most cursory understanding of our tastes or location would reveal as erroneous. We’ve been repeatedly misunderstood when attempting to issue simple voice commands.

It feels as though as soon as Google started to realize some success from its investment in A.I., everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon, but they’re years behind and there’s no shortcut to catch up.

Pre-emptive help

We’re used to things like predictive text, but the first time we can remember being offered some helpful information by our phone without asking for it was in 2012 when Google Now rolled out. Looking at your phone first thing in the morning, you’d see a card displaying your optimum commute. Pulling your phone from your pocket at a bus stop or train station would throw up a timetable.

It’s the only service that tries to anticipate your needs.

It didn’t do a great deal else, beyond alerting you to the latest sports scores for the teams you supported, but it was an exciting first step. Being able to see at a glance if there was a traffic delay or knowing exactly when the next bus would arrive, made life a little easier.

Google Now has become Google Assistant and it’s easily our favorite digital butler. While Siri can set a reminder and Alexa will play the music you want, Google Assistant goes a bit deeper. It’s the only service that tries to anticipate your needs — and does it well. Anecdotally, it’s also far better at understanding Scottish accents than the competition.

Google Assistant handling calls

When we saw the Google Duplex demo earlier this year we were blown away. This is A.I. conducting a natural sounding conversation and booking a restaurant reservation or scheduling a haircut appointment. It can work within the parameters you set, so you can stipulate you want a reservation for 8 p.m. but between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. is fine and it will go ahead and book the table for you, automatically adding the reservation to your Google Calendar once it’s booked.

If it didn’t tell you it wasn’t human, you wouldn’t guess. We don’t doubt it could beat the Turing test, provided the topic didn’t stray too far from booking your appointment.

This functionality starts rolling out to Google’s Pixel phones next month on a city-by-city basis, starting with New York City. Though it’s fairly limited in scope right now, we can see it growing into something we use often in our daily lives.

Another exciting exclusive for Pixel phones is the Call Screen feature. If you get an incoming call you can’t or don’t want to take, then you can tap screen call and the caller will hear this:

If it didn’t tell you it wasn’t human, you wouldn’t guess.

“Hi, the person you’re calling is using a screening service from Google, and will get a copy of this conversation. Go ahead and say your name, and why you’re calling.”

As the caller explains, the transcribed text pops up on your screen in real-time and you can choose to pick up, send a quick reply, or mark it as spam. If you do mark as spam it will automatically say:

“Please remove the number from your mailing and contact list. Thanks, and goodbye.”

We think the immediacy and convenience of this beats visual voicemail, which is worth remembering is also carrier specific and not available everywhere right now.

Amazing camera performance

One of the biggest arms races for smartphones in the last couple of years, and easily the biggest area of improvement, has been the camera. We’ve seen more and more dual-lens cameras and even triple-lens cameras as manufacturers struggle to outdo each other.

If you’re seeking proof of Google prioritizing A.I. over hardware, look no further than the Pixel camera. Google has stuck with a single-lens main camera, even reducing the megapixel count from the original Pixel for the Pixel 2 and yet it continues to outperform most of the competition.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Pixel 2 is our reigning camera phone champion, because it most often takes the photos we want to keep or share.

“That’s not a fluke,” said Osterloh at the Google event. “We spent years researching computer vision technologies, analyzing hundreds of millions of photos.”

All these A.I. features make your camera easier to use and result in you getting better photos.

Google is getting better, more consistent results by employing artificial intelligence and computational photography, than its competitors are getting by packing in more lenses. The Pixel 2 turns out awesome portrait shots with that coveted bokeh background blur. With HDR+ multiple images are merged to produce the best image every time.

The Pixel 3 brings more A.I. smarts with Super Res Zoom, which stitches together multiple shots to boost the resolution when you zoom in. Machine learning in Night Sight will re-color photos shot in low light environments to brighten them without the need for a flash. Top Shot takes a burst of photos and then selects the group selfie where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. Portrait shots in Photobooth mode can be triggered by a funny face or a smile, so you won’t miss out on the perfect photo.

All these A.I. features make your camera easier to use and result in you getting better photos. You may be able to achieve something technically better with the latest triple-lens camera from a competitor, but it will often require a little planning or tweaking. Google’s Pixel cameras are designed to be quick and easy so you can just point and shoot, which is how most people really use their phone cameras.

Really useful A.I.

The A.I. innovation in the new Pixel continues with Smart Compose in Gmail, which offers to finish your sentences with contextual phrases, cutting down on repetitive typing like addresses. It’s like a super-charged version of predictive text that could genuinely save you a lot of time.

We know that a lot of people find this stuff creepy or have legitimate concerns about privacy, but for us the utility eclipses our disquiet.

From warnings about train delays and reminders of where you parked to capturing the best possible photo, Google is doing things with A.I. that no one else can right now. Google Assistant is far closer to being the real-life personal assistant you can’t afford than any of its competitors. If you want to explore the full potential of that, you’re going to need a Pixel phone. It might not be the best-looking choice, but it’s surely the smartest.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google Pixel 3 hands-on review
• Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: Everything you need to know
• Google Pixel 3 XL hands-on review
• Google is revolutionizing smartphone photos with computing, not lenses
• Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: 5 features we love, 5 features we don’t

Kobo’s upcoming ebook reader is bigger, lighter, and not afraid of water

Kobo has officially debuted its latest ebook reader, and it’s called the Kobo Forma. The company’s new device is not only its largest ebook reader — it’s also the company’s lightest and most durable. The Forma has a revamped design, reliable waterproofing, and comes with the ability to switch between landscape or portrait orientation, among other features.

Availability and pricing

The Koba Forma will cost you $280 and is available for pre-order starting October 16. You’ll be able to purchase it in stores and on Kobo’s site starting October 23 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the Netherlands. Starting October 30, it will be available in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, and Turkey. It will be available in Mexico early next year. It will also be available in other countries at a later date.

Design and display

Kobo’s Forma features an 8-inch Carta E Ink HD display, as well as ComfortLight PRO, which offers adjustable brightness along with color temperature that auto adjusts. Little by little, it reduces blue-light exposure in an effort to help reduce eye strain. That way, it won’t contribute to irritated eyes or sleep disruption, which often comes from blue light exposure.

With a look similar to Amazon’s Kindle Oasis (2017), the Forma has an ergonomic design that makes it comfortable to hold. There are also page-turn buttons on the side of the device, making it easier to flip through pages of your book whether you’re holding it with one hand or two. In terms of weight, the Forma comes in at 197 grams — almost 15 percent lighter than the Kobo Aura ONE. The Forma is only offered in black.

The Forma is also the first Kobo device with Mobius technology, which uses a flexible plastic layer within the display to increase durability. Kobo says the Forma has survived drops of more than 2 meters, as well as bends, twists, and being inside of overloaded backpacks or handbags.

Specs

Under the hood is a 1,200 mAh battery, which is only slightly smaller than last year’s Kobo Aura H2o, which features 1,500 mAh that lasted us about a month on a single charge. With 8GB worth of storage and 512MB of RAM, you’ll be able to store up to 6,000 ebooks on the Forma. Koba will also offer a 32GB version in select markets, starting with Japan on October 23.

Those who want to take their Forma to the beach or use it to read while taking a bath will be happy to know the device is waterproof. With HZO Protection, which meets the requirements of an IPX8 rating, the device can be submerged in up to 2 meters of water for 60 minutes. As for additional features, users will have the ability to highlight passages, bookmark pages, track progress, and more.

Accessories

Kobo will offer a Forma SleepCover in black or plum,tallowing users to read hands-free (in landscape or portrait mode) by flipping the front cover into a stand. It will also automatically wake up your Forma when you open the cover and put it back to sleep when you close it.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Walmart’s new eBooks store goes head-to-head with Amazon
• End of the Voyage: Amazon stops selling its $200 Kindle
• Apple iPhone XS: News, release, specs, and more
• The top-selling digital photography book can be yours for free now
• Apple iPhone XR vs. iPhone 8 vs. iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 6s: Which is best for you?

Rockstar clarifies that NPCs will always give directions

The wild west has never looked this good.

Yes, it’s finally happening my fellow outlaws. Red Dead Redemption II is real and it’s coming to PlayStation 4 this year. After Rockstar Games’ massively successful open-world cowboy game set during the death of the Wild West, fans began clamoring for a follow-up that continued the story of the Marston family or embraced a new gunslinger.

After years of rumors and silence on Rockstar’s end, they finally surprised the world on one random morning in 2016 by announcing a sequel to their critically acclaimed western. It took over a year to get any actual concrete details regarding the game and frankly, it’s still a bit of a mystery but it sounds like it could be a mix of a story of a new outlaw and also fill in a massive gap in John Marston’s story.

See at Amazon

What’s new with Red Dead Redemption 2?

Rockstar Games has been quiet lately regarding the highly anticipated sequel, but with Red Dead Redemption 2’s imminent launch approaching in just a few short months, the studio is starting to discuss the game some more. We’ll keep you up to date with everything you need to know as it’s released.

October 10, 2018

Rockstar has clarified some recent news surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 and how its NPCs will react to players whether they have their mini-maps and HUDs turned on or off. Previous reports stated that if players turned off their mini-maps that NPC dialogue would change, giving them more directions and information about where to go. This appears to have been false. According to Rooster Teeth employee Alanah Pearce, “they’ll always give you directions, people likely just noticed them more when their HUD was off.”

Seeing as NPCs will provide context and dialogue regardless of your mini-map status, it could end up working out similarly to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s exploration mode. Whether you have this mode enabled or not, NPCs can and will give you directions should you ask.

October 1, 2018

Rockstar has released its second Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay trailer showcasing just a few of the illegal activities that the Van der Linde Gang can commit. What would a Western be without a good old-fashioned train heist? You won’t just be out and about committing crimes all the time though. The world that Rockstar created feels alive, and as Arthur, you can go into taverns, have a nice meal, play some cards, and even decide when to shave or bath.

This trailer also gives us a new look into the game’s revamped Dead Eye system, which will now progress in stages. Players will be able to slow time, mark multiple targets, and view critical or fatal points of their enemies. According to Rockstar, “how and when you use it is up to you.”

Near the end, we even got a better glimpse of Red Dead Redemption 2 in its 1st-person mode, which will launch with the game unlike its later introduction into Grand Theft Auto V.

September 24, 2018

Sony has announced a new PlayStation 4 Pro bundle featuring Rockstar’s upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2. Pre-orders begin today for $400. The console will release alongside the game on October 26.

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September 19, 2018

Rockstar has officially announced Red Dead Online, a multiplayer component for Red Dead Redemption 2 similar to that of Grand Theft Auto Online.

According to the developer, Red Dead Online is “an evolution of the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways. Using the gameplay of the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 as a foundation, Red Dead Online will be ready to be explored alone or with friends, and will also feature constant updates and adjustments to grow and evolve this experience for all players.”

Though Red Dead Redemption 2 releases in October, players won’t be able to hop into Red Dead Online until the following month, where it is set to initially enter a public beta sometime in November.

September 7, 2018

Rockstar has revealed new plot details surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter

“Dutch’s presence loomed over the original Red Dead Redemption, and his influence on events was a big inspiration for the setting and direction of Red Dead Redemption 2,” said art director Josh Bass. “We all wanted to know more about him and the gang —what was it like riding in that gang? What led them to the events of the original game? What happened to them along the way?

“In Red Dead Redemption 2 you get to see that gang, including Marston, at the peak of their notoriety and at the very moment things begin to fall apart,” he continued. “This story focuses on Arthur Morgan, Dutch’s most trusted enforcer. Adopted into the gang by the Dutch when he was a young boy, Arthur considers the gang to be his family — Dutch has given his life some much‐needed purpose, and the gang has served as the one positive and constant in Arthur’s life.”

Since this is the tail end of the Wild West, Dutch’s gang is struggling with their old ways of life coming to an end as they flee through the country.

“We’ve aimed to capture a wide slice of American life in 1899, a rapidly industrializing nation that would soon have its sights on the world’s stage — and would do whatever possible to ‘modernize,’ ” said director of art Aaron Garbut. “It’s a brutal landscape with a sordid history, but also one that’s full of opportunity. One of the most satisfying aspects of creating a world of such scope and scale is the ability to experience a whole range of stories and characters in your journey across that world. The gang’s journey and the game’s epic scope makes room to touch on all aspects of turn of the century America in a meaningful, substantial way.”

Though Rockstar’s previous title, Grand Theft Auto V, switched between the perspectives of a few different characters, Red Dead Redemption 2 is centering all on Arthur Morgan.

“Sticking with a single character felt more appropriate for the structure and narrative of a western,” said Bass. “Arthur lives with and fights alongside the other members of the Van der Linde gang, and they are a group of fully realized characters with relationships to each other and to Arthur, but this is Arthur’s story and we are placing players firmly in Arthur’s boots as he and the gang deal with a rapidly changing world. We think people will really love the feeling of being in the gang. It isn’t like anything we’ve done before.”

Rockstar also revealed the entire Van der Linde gang, all 23 members, along with short character bios for each.

August 15, 2018

Digital Foundry has given us our best look yet at Red Dead Redemption 2 running on a PlayStation 4 Pro. According to the outlet, which analyzed a 68mbps version of the trailer provided by Rockstar, RDR2 appears to run at native 1920×2160 on the PS4 Pro, “halving the pixel count on the horizontal axis from a proper 4K.” This is still a 12.5% increase in pixels over a 1440p image.

They were unable to get a reading on gameplay performance as the game is set to run at 30FPS and the video itself only supported 30FPS.

August 10, 2018 — New Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay has arrived!

Rockstar today released new gameplay footage for Red Dead Redemption 2, giving us our deepest look at the wild west open world game yet. The 6-minute trailer showed us a great deal of the gameplay mechanics, a bit of the world, and more.

For starters, we got to see the sheer scope of the open world. Red Dead Redemption 2 will be massive in size, and there will be a variety of environments to explore both on foot and on horseback. From mountainous terrain and forested countrysides to those growing towns chock full of saloon-goers and merchants, it appears players will be able to take in the full breadth of the cowboy experience.

Rockstar says it was important for the game to be massive not just in size, but also in depth. That means the player — taking the reigns as Van Der Linde gang member Arthur Morgan — will have a living, breathing society around him to interact with.

Red Dead 2 may set a new standard for open-world gameplay.

You can go into shops and sell the pelts you’ve skinned off the back of your latest game hunting prey. And if you get caught trying to steal or shortchange the shop vendor, well, don’t be surprised if you have to knock him out in the street. That the townspeople gathered around to watch the confrontation as it went down is a testament to the emphasis Rockstar is placing on immersion.

That sort of interaction can be coerced out of the game by your own will, too. You can interact with almost everyone and everything. Meet some passersby on the road with a quick greeting and be on your way, or question someone you think might be doing dirt in the city. These interactions seemingly have the potential to escalate into something more, whether that be a new opportunity for Arthur Morgan and Co. or more fisticuffs to keep people in their place. And yes, that also means you can defuse certain situations.

Should the fighting become so fierce that you resort to weapons, you’ll find a new combat system that makes the deed more fluid and fun. Hand-to-hand combat, especially, seems far more involved than the original game. As far as shooting is concerned, Dead Eye is back, and it’ll be cooler than ever to put bullets into the heads of six of your enemies simultaneously.

At the end of your daily musings, you’ll head back to camp to meet up with your gang. This is likely where you’ll be getting the bulk of your missions, but it’s also a chance for the player to get to know the other characters in the group. They’ll share stories and sing and dance with you as you eat, and you can also play various games to keep morale high. There’s a gameplay benefit to all this, as Rockstar says spending time with these people could unlock new secrets.

As a pillar of the gang, you’ll be tasked with helping keep them afloat by regularly replenishing food, water, and other supplies. We’re not sure what would happen should their morale get too low, but apparently that will play a part in how others in the gang approach you.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is slated for an October 26th release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Head to Amazon and pre-order yours today.

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August 8, 2018

Rockstar has announced that we will see new gameplay for Red Dead Redemption 2 on August 9. This should be our first significant look at gameplay since the game’s announcement. The trailer will air 11AM Eastern, and can be viewed on Rockstar’s website or YouTube channel. We’ll be updating this post with details about the gameplay announcement once it arrives.

August 6, 2018

The big question on everyone’s mind: When are we finally getting gameplay? All signs point to soon. Rockstar has recently sent out Red Dead 2 care packages to members of the press, and with Gamescom taking place in just a few weeks, the developer could be gearing up for a big reveal. Red Dead II was notably absent at E3 2018, so the next biggest gaming convention seems like a good bet for it to make an appearance.

During a recent financial call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick took the chance to hype up Red Dead 2 even more, saying, “My belief is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will shatter expectations and that the online experience also will be extraordinary, but unexpected.”

Its online aspect was a bit contentious when rumors of its existence began floating around since Red Dead’s identity was tied to its single-player, but it looks like Rockstar may have something special they’ve got cooking up if they’re hyping it up so much.

He continued by saying that Red Dead II will “redefine the industry” and “captivate audiences around the world.”

PC release?

Though Rockstar only announced PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, there’s still hope it could come to PC. It appears that a programmer at Rockstar, who previously worked on GTA V and L.A. Noire, listed Red Dead II on his LinkedIn profile with its platforms being labelled as “PS4/Xbox1/PC.” This was eventually amended once word got out, but it’s unknown if this was a simple mistake or a PC version is indeed in the works.

The story so far…

Rockstar Games appears to be returning to the traditional one playable character route after successfully experimenting with three playable protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V but he’s not John or Jack Marston. Players will travel back to 1899 (12 years before the first game) to fill the boots and don the hat of a much less noble man that goes by the name of Arthur Morgan, a brute that’s running with Dutch van der Linde’s gang during their prime. While little is known about Arthur, we know he’s a much more sinister cowboy who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. In the second trailer, we see him interrogating and roughing up several people who appear to owe money to Dutch’s Gang, perhaps for protection. He’s a brutal force that is loyal to Dutch and likely only Dutch.

It’s likely we’re going to see the rise and fall of the gang, with Arthur Morgan playing a pivotal role.

The story will see Morgan and Van der Linde’s gang stealing, running, and fighting to survive the rugged and cruel world that is the Wild West. Order has not yet been established, technology is slowly beginning to evolve into something far more advanced, and people like Dutch believe it’s important that things stay the way they are. The Van der Linde gang was always viewed as a Robin Hood-type of bandits, stealing from the rich to give to the poor and resisting the government in favor of a structure where it was an “every man for himself” situation.

The gang eventually evolved into something far more dangerous and unhinged according to an anecdote provided by John Marston, leading him to realize their Robin Hood act was all a front for their evil actions and crimes. The event that likely leads to the start of the downfall of the gang seems to be a heist in Blackwater which later became known as the Blackwater Massacre. In the plot synopsis for the game provided by Rockstar, it’s revealed that the gang is being hunted after they botch a robbery in the wealthy town that is seen toward the end of the first RDR.

Within the lore of the series, the Blackwater Massacre was a massive shootout that took the lives of over 30 people. Civilians, cops, and criminals were among the casualties of the bloody shootout, actual details of why the battle took place remain a mystery to the residents of Blackwater because the officials went to great lengths to cover it up. Why? Well, we’ll likely find out in Red Dead II.

Most people involved died or were criminals who escaped but one of the few survivors was the legendary lawman, Landon Ricketts. Ricketts is in the first game and Marston teams up with him in Mexico, Marston knows him for his status but the two don’t seem to know each other. It’s entirely possible that Marston was uninvolved in the heist or was playing coy and using him to further his quest for redemption.

How does it connect to the original Red Dead Redemption?

So, what’s the connection to the first Red Dead Redemption? Well, Rockstar is being very, very careful not to say much about this game and how it connects to the first game but it will shed light on the stories John told in the first game as well as provide more depth to the men we hunt down in that same game.

John Marston is indeed in the game but Rockstar has noted that this is Arthur Morgan’s story, not John’s.

Given this game takes place long before the events of the original game and has a direct link to it via Dutch van der Linde and his gang, it’s hard to imagine Rockstar isn’t trying to expand John Marston’s story in some way. With games like Grand Theft Auto, there have been very subtle connections tying the games together but none of them are direct sequels or relate to each other in any way. With Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar had the chance to name the game something like Red Dead Revolution, Red Dead Retribution, or something along those lines given that the series so far has gone Red Dead Revolver and then Red Dead Redemption. They purposely named it in a way that links the two games.

Marston was also a substantial part of Dutch’s Gang, he was taken in by Dutch when he ran away from the orphanage he lived in. He was raised by this gang and lived with them for a large majority of his life and in the fallout of him abandoning the gang, it all went to hell and it was more or less disbanded. John Marston is indeed the game, he’s heavily featured in new screenshots and is seen in the newest trailer once or twice but Rockstar says this is Arthur’s story, not John’s. That doesn’t mean that we can’t expand on the character, it just means he will not be the focal point of the narrative.

Major gameplay innovations are coming in the western sequel

Since Rockstar has been pretty prude about Red Dead Redemption II, we only have the word of the press who have seen the game in action to understand how the game plays. There will be more details in the future regarding what the gameplay will look like but for right now we’ll just give you the basic rundown of what we know. For starters, Rockstar seems to be creating their most realisitic world yet and abandoning some of the most video game-y aspects in their formula for something with more depth.

According to Rockstar, they’ve been developing Red Dead Redemption II for eight years, starting as they were wrapping up the first game. In that time, they’ve been handcrafting a world with lots of detail and creating systems that may be fairly unexpected from them. A large portion of the game is centered around managing the gang, Arthur is Dutch’s right-hand man and he helps keep everything running smoothly. This means you’ll help perform odd jobs for gang members, go hunting to get food for the camp or get money to line their pockets with, and so on.

Rockstar has been very clear that you don’t have to do this and you won’t be severely punished if you don’t but the gang will make comments if you leave them hanging for days on end. If you do choose to take care of your gang, you’ll be rewarded in ways that have not yet been revealed and your gang will grow stronger.

Also on tap is a new dialog system that allows you to approach situations with more options than just shoot and kill. Each NPC has their own set of branching dialog, with the player able to talk niceties or show a degree of impatience in any given encounter. And this isn’t just a black and white morality system either. Some choices will be gray areas, some will be lore-advancing, some will lead to friendships, and others will most certainly erupt into bloodbaths. It’s unclear if there will be any more to this system – such as a relationship mechanic that gauges each NPC’s level of warmth toward you – but it’s something.

If you do choose to go off and do things like hunting, you’ll be able to see the amount of depth that Rockstar has added to its hunting system since the original game and Grand Theft Auto V. You’ll find yourself stalking animals, choosing your weapon carefully so you don’t damage pelts/meat, and tracking an animal by following blood trails after you’ve hit it. Once you’ve tracked the animal down, you may find it still alive, bleeding out and yelping. Arthur will then take out his knife and stab the animal in the heart to end its suffering and take what you want from it.

You can then string up your kill on the back of your horse and take it back to camp to feed your people or sell it in town and take the money for yourself. Regardless of what you choose, your hunt will rot and decay over time so the longer you have it on the back of your horse (yes, it’s literally on your horse, not in an invisible pouch), the less valuable it’ll be. If you were to kill an animal (or even a person) behind and let it sit in the wild, vultures, coyotes, and other creatures would come and munch on the remains.

It looks as if Rockstar will be carrying over the heists from GTA V as we see Arthur Morgan robbing a bank and holding up a train in the second trailer. It’s unclear how much of a focal point these will be in the game since it was the core of GTA V’s campaign but one has to imagine it plays a similar role given you’re a gang of notorious western criminals.

We do know there will be some depth to those heists, though. Players can go loud or quiet, create distractions, choose who you bring with you (some can be done solo but isn’t recommended), and use a bunch of other different variables to create different outcomes throughout the heists. All of this will result on if and when law enforcement shows up amongst other things. It’s unclear if you can have gang members die or get critically wounded in these heists like in Grand Theft Auto V or just how dynamic these systems are. Grand Theft Auto V’s heists were heavily scripted, if you chose a certain crew member to come with, they’d always die on the same mission in the same spot because it was coordinated by Rockstar’s writing. It was more of the illusion of choices having consequences rather than them actually having any meaning at all.

Some major changes are also coming in combat with the ability to dual wield weapons like Max Payne, bows and arrows used for hunting and maybe even some stealth combat as we see Arthur Morgan taking a knife to someone’s back in the dead of night. We also see Arthur brutally beating people up in the third trailer, suggesting Rockstar has refined their melee combat to create more intense and fun brawls.

A cowboy’s best friend

A cowboy’s best friend isn’t his fellow outlaws/lawmen, it’s his horse. In the original Red Dead Redemption, your horse was almost supernatural in the sense it teleported to you and was basically immortal. You didn’t have much of a connection to it because outside of its speed and stamina, there was nothing too special about the horses. In Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar plans on changing that.

Your horse in the sequel will be very special. Perhaps the most significant change from the first game or any Rockstar game for that matter is that you won’t be able to carry every single weapon with you. The joke of pulling an RPG out of your rear end in GTA wouldn’t apply in this game as you’ll only be carrying small weapons such as handguns on your person, rifles and other gear will travel via your horse. We’re not sure if you can sling at least one rifle over your shoulder while walking around but you can expect most of your guns to be unavailable if your horse isn’t nearby.

Your horse won’t be disposable in this game, it’ll mean a lot more to you because it has lots of value. You’ll grow a bond that effects how scared it gets when put in danger, how far it gets from you, and more. Rockstar hopes that this bond won’t just serve a gameplay effect but a personal and emotional one to. If your horse gets critically wounded, you can attempt to heal it with medical supplies, if you don’t have any you can try and run into town quickly and gather some and run back. You may come back to your horse dead, making you realize that you left that poor animal that loved you to die thinking you abandoned it in its final moments. Brutal stuff, I know. Should it die, you’ll have to start that bond all over with a new horse and presumably any gear you can’t carry off of that horse’s corpse is lost.

It adds a whole new layer to an aspect that’s iconic to westerns but doesn’t have a lot of attention paid to it.

When you can play it and when we’ll know more

The only questions remaining are when we can play the game and when we can expect more firm details from Rockstar. The game is currently scheduled to release on October 26th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, and we can likely expect some news regarding the game in June or July via a Game Informer cover story or a new breakdown directly from Rockstar. As of right now, we’ll just have to hold our breaths and keep waiting to saddle up again.

Where to buy Red Dead Redemption 2

You can now pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its October 27th release date. You’re in for some nice goodies if you decide to give Rockstar your cash early. All pre-orders for Red Dead Redemption 2 come with the War Horse mount and the Outlaw Survival Kit. The former is a grey-colored steed that has better courage and stamina than others, while the Outlaw Survival Kit gives you extra health kits, Dead Eye replenishment, and more.

If you pre-order the digital copy on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you’ll also get some extra in-game cash to start your game, as well as a treasure map, though you’ll need to pre-order the game by July 31st to get those.

There’s also a special edition of the game available. It comes with 2 extra side missions, a black thoroughbred horse, gameplay bonuses through medllian and talisman charms, in-game cash bonuses, gameplay boosts, and discounts, a gunslinger outfit, and three additional weapons. You’ll also get a real map of the game world.

If that’s not enough, the Ultimate Edition comes with everything that the Deluxe Edition does, but you can add two more in-game outfits, another black thoroughbred with an exclusive saddle, a Survivor camp theme for the game’s online mode, three additional free weapons, and XP bonuses for online play up to rank 25.

As an added bonus for Grand Theft Auto 5 players, all digital pre-orders also come with in-game currency for GTA Online. Standard Edition gets $500,000, Special Edition gets $1,000,000, and Ultimate Edition gets $2,000,000.

Then there’s the big kahuna reserved for the most die-hard Red Dead fans. It’s a full-blown Collector’s Box, a red-tinted metal tithing box with a lock and key that comes with an assortment of real world goodies. There’s a collectible coin, a double-sized puzzle, a red bandana, a treasure map, a pin set, commemorative playing cards, a real 150-page Wheeler, Rawson and Co. catalogue, and 12 collectible cigarette cards.

You can pre-order your preferred digital edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 at the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or direct from the Rockstar Warehouse. Those opting for the Collector’s Box, however, can only get it through the Rockstar Warehouse.

Wanting to catch up and play through the original Red Dead Redemption before the sequel drops? You can find the Game of the Year Edition for $20 at Amazon

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Updated October 2018: Rockstar has clarified some recent news surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 and the dialogue its NPCs will give players if their mini-maps are turned off.

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Apple’s Mac Sales Down in Q3 2018 Amid a Lack of Updates

Apple’s worldwide Mac shipments were down in the third quarter of 2018, according to new preliminary PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

During the quarter, Apple shipped an estimated 4.9 million Macs, compared to 5.4 million in the third quarter of 2017 for an 8.5 percent drop. Apple’s market share also declined, dropping from 8 percent in 3Q17 to 7.3 percent in 3Q18.

Gartner’s Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q18 (Thousands of Units)
Apple continues to be the number four PC vendor in the world, ranking below Lenovo, HP, and Dell, but above Acer and Asus. Lenovo was the number one vendor during the quarter, shipping an estimated 15.8 million PCs for 23.6 percent market share.

HP came in second with 14.6 million PCs shipped for 21.8 percent market share, while Dell was third with 10.7 million PCs shipped and 16 percent market share. Acer and Asus both shipped around 4 million Macs for 6.1 and 6 percent market share, respectively.

Apple’s Market Share Trend: 1Q06-3Q18 (Gartner)
Apple’s decline in Mac sales is no surprise as the company has yet to update much of its Mac lineup for 2018. The only Mac that has seen a refresh so far is the MacBook Pro, with MacBook, MacBook Air, and Mac mini updates still on the horizon for a fall launch.

Falling Mac sales come amid stagnant growth for the overall worldwide PC market. A total of 67.2 million PCs were shipped during the quarter, an 0.1 percent increase from the third quarter of 2017.

Apple also saw a decrease in Mac shipments in the United States during 3Q18. Apple shipped a total of 2 million Macs during the quarter, down from 2.2 million in 3Q17, for a 7.6 percent drop in growth and 13.7 percent market share.

Gartner’s Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q18 (Thousands of Units)
HP was the number one PC vendor in the United States, shipping 4.5 million PCs for 30.7 percent market share. Dell came in at number two with 3.8 million PCs shipped and 25.9 percent market share, while Lenovo was third with 2.3 million PCs shipped and 15.4 percent market share.

IDC also released its own shipment estimates this afternoon, noting a similar decline in sales for Apple. According to IDC, Apple shipped 4.8 million Macs during the quarter, down from the aforementioned 5.4 million, a decline of 11.6 percent.

In IDC’s rankings, Apple falls below Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Acer, coming in as the number five worldwide PC vendor. IDC’s data also suggests an overall worldwide PC market decline of 0.9 percent rather than the 0.1 percent growth noted by Gartner.

Apple could see its Mac shipments jump back up during the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019 as there are multiple Mac updates that we’re expecting towards the end of the year, perhaps as early as October.

It’s important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner said that Apple shipped 4.6 million Macs worldwide during the third quarter of 2017 when the actual number was significantly higher at 5.4 million.

Tags: IDC, Gartner
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