Adobe's John Nack notes on his blog that the company's Flash Player 10.2, currently in beta testing, can offer up to a ten-fold improvement in CPU usage under certain circumstances by taking advantage of new "Stage Video" functionality to more fully utilize hardware acceleration, particularly for SWF files in which other elements have been overlaid on top of video.
Adobe MAX demo of Stage Video on MacBook Air (audio and video slightly out-of-sync)
Nack points to a demo from last month's Adobe MAX conference showing off how Flash Player 10.2 and Stage Video can reduce CPU load. The demo shows a standard Flash video playing on Apple's new 11-inch MacBook Air checking in at about 80% CPU usage, and when vector images are overlaid on the video, CPU usage spikes to over 120%. The same video using the new Stage Video API demonstrates CPU utilization of about 10% with and without vector images overlaid.
The Stage Video implementation requires that Flash developers update their video players to support the feature, but some major developers such as YouTube have already updated their players, with others expected to do so in the near future.
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub will have an iMac G4-style design and a host of unique features, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
The smart home hub is said to feature a square 6-inch display, with variants that can be placed on a countertop or mounted on a wall. It features a single FaceTime camera on the front, with microphones and speakers in its connected base. Gurman described the...
Apple plans to introduce a series of new smart home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple reportedly plans to debut its long-awaited smart home hub device, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV on the date. The new HomePod mini and Apple TV are set to retain their existing designs, but tout faster chips to support Siri AI. The new HomePod mini will...
Friday September 25, 2026 8:16 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris has uncovered an image file from Apple for an unreleased Apple TV 4K, suggesting that a new model will finally be released soon. The image is specifically for an "Apple TV 4K (4th generation)" model.
Apple TV 4K (4th generation) image (on a gradient)
The image reveals that the Apple TV will have the same external design as the current model, with all of its...
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
