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Today’s topics include new Federal Aviation Administration drone regulations, reports that Apple is preparing to offer replacements for defective MacBook screens, Intel wireless modem chips may end up inside an upcoming Apple iPhone model, and HP’s latest Chromebook 14 models.
The problem of irresponsible drone use in the United States has become so bad that the federal government is taking action with uncharacteristic dispatch. In a news conference at Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters on Oct. 19, Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said that a task force made up of government officials and industry stakeholder representatives are working on regulation recommendations that are expected to be ready by Nov. 20.
Those recommendations, which will include requirements for drone registration, would go into effect before the end of 2015.
Reports have emerged that Apple is preparing to replace defective displays on MacBook or MacBook Pro notebooks.
According to information in an internal service bulletin disclosed in an Oct. 19 article posted on the RedmondPie Website, these notebooks have retina displays with peeling anti-reflective coatings. However, Apple has not publicly announced the replacement program.
The problem coatings have been peeling in small portions or “simply coming away from the screen completely” on the affected machines.
Intel officials are eyeing another avenue into the mobile device space—the wireless modem chip. The chip maker’s new 7360 LTE modem reportedly will find a home in a version of one of Apple’s upcoming iPhones due for release in 2016.
According to anonymous sources cited in a report by the news site VentureBeat, Intel’s 7360 LTE modem—which is scheduled to be released later this year—will be used in a version of the iPhone that will be offered in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America.
Hewlett-Packard has unveiled its two latest Chromebooks—the Chromebook 14 and the Chromebook 14 G4, which are designed for the SMB and education markets. These two devices include new Intel processors that replace the Nvidia Tegra processors in previous Chromebook models along with a new Full HD screen option.
The Chromebook 14 G4 comes with console-based management tools that include multilayered security for employees, students and administrators. They also have enhanced virtualization and virtual private networking (VPN) capabilities that support seamless security management of multiple devices.