If you need to fix your 2018 MacBook‘s keyboard next year, you may need to forget about taking it to the local repair shop. According to MacRumors, any repairs involving the T2 chip in 2018 systems must be completed by running specific Apple diagnostic software that’s only available as part of its authorized service provider …

Microsoft officially rolled out its Windows 10 October 2018 update (technically, version 1809) on Tuesday in conjunction with its updated Surface devices. But initial upgraders have begun to report the disappearance of files in their Documents and Pictures folders. You might want to hit pause on that update — here’s how. Users in r/Windows10 on Reddit and elsewhere have posted claims …

Google’s big event is next week on Oct. 9, but thanks to the well-developed rumor network of 2018 we know a lot already about its expected Pixel 3 phones, new Chromecast streamer and Pixel Slate tablet.  So what’s a consumer tech giant to do? Offer up clever teaser illustrations ribbing the rumor mill. The Internet has speculated that there’s a “Super …

With the upgrade to the Tile Mate and Tile Pro, the company is addressing a big complaint about its older smart trackers. Tile has improved its smart tracking tags by making the batteries replaceable, increasing the Bluetooth range, bumping up the volume and adding a new Tile Premium subscription that provides extra services. Earlier versions of the trackers didn’t have replaceable …

Only a week out from Google’s Oct. 9 event, presumably for the new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones, Google Japan posted a teaser video with 30 seconds of people squeezing things — followed by a few seconds of a hand squeezing the outline of a phone.  That seems to indicate the new phones will retain the Active Edge …

Launching on Kickstarter today, Brain Magic’s Orbital 2 joystick seems like one of the most well thought-out control devices for creatives I’ve seen in a while. I didn’t get to use it much — the interface was completely in Japanese when I met with Brain Magic to see it — but it still looks like a pretty impressive piece of …

It seems that Sigma’s ready to join the full-frame mirrorless party, but it’s bringing its own twist: a Foveon sensor.  The company’s president confirmed its plans, as well as the decision to drop its proprietary SA mount, in an interview at Photokina 2018. (Here’s Photolari’s report.) The moves are somewhat unsurprising since Sigma just joined Panasonic and Leica in the …

Hot on the heels of its dual iPhone XS and XS Max teardowns, device repair specialist site iFixit headed back to the workbench on Monday to pull apart the new Apple Watch Series 4.  The disassembly delivered good news — the battery is bigger, though still smaller than the original Apple Watch’s. Plus, it gave us a glimpse into the workings of the …

Almost an afterthought at Microsoft Ignite 2018 which is about more backend issues like security, AI and the Internet of Things, Microsoft provided a couple updates on its Microsoft Surface Hub line of collaboration systems.  The company announced the Surface Hub 2 in the spring. It’s a redesigned, sleeker and more mobile version of the Surface Hub, and it’s still …

We’ve been expecting new iPad Pro models at Apple’s annual (but as-yet unconfirmed) October hardware event, and the evidence is slowly piling up. The latest piece of the puzzle is a new device identifier for “iPad2018Fall” spotted in the assets used by the iOS 12.1 setup app. 9to5Mac found the identifier, which the site says wasn’t in the setup assets before. …