After a rough first quarter, PC unit shipments in this year’s second quarter rose again. Supply-chain issues related to the coronavirus pandemic were eased, and employees working from home refreshed their systems.

PC unit shipments worldwide in Q2 rose by either 2.8% or 11.2%, depending on whether you ask Gartner or IDC. The difference is due to differences in how the two companies define a PC.

Mobile robots are coming, and they’ll need the cloud. Smart-home device shipments are poised for growth. And 7 in 10 people are now working from home full-time.

That’s some of the latest research and survey results. And here’s your tech provider’s roundup:

Cloud robotics

Cloud computing will be the great enabler of mobile robotics, ABI Research says.

Intel today introduced Thunderbolt 4, its next generation of universal cable connectivity for mobile PCs.

The biggest change: Compared with Thunderbolt 3, the new generation doubles the number of 4K monitors that can be supported, from one monitor to two.

The table below, courtesy of Intel, provides a graphic comparison:

If your customers include creators, Acer has some cool new computers and monitors for them.

The company this week expanded its ConceptD line of computing tools for designers. That includes design students, YouTube enthusiasts, CAD designers, video editors, illustrators and animators.

In the next decade, 80% of all jobs will be transformed by automation, predicts Forrester. But how?

That’s the subject of a new video interview between Amy Protexter, senior VP of marketing at Insight and editor-in-chief of Insight’s Tech Journal, and Stephanie Hallford, VP of Intel’s client computing group.

Here’s some of what these two experts discuss:

The next generation of All-Flash Array (AFA) uses Intel Optane technology as a storage tier, rather than as a cache.

That’s the idea behind a new product from StoreONE. The New York-based company, which develops software for data-center storage, recently introduced the All-Flash Array.next (AFAn).

Are your datacenter customers looking for good value? If so, then tell them about Intel’s new entry-level server, the Intel Server System M20MYP.

The new server offers not only Intel’s high-quality tech, but also the company’s server-management software, 3-year warranty and high-quality support.

Are you ready for the recovery? Right now is a great time to invest in that future by gaining knowledge, insights and capabilities. And one place you can do all that is Intel Partner University.

What recovery? The one that CIOs believe is coming. A new survey finds that more than half (56%) of IT decision-makers are actually increasing their tech budgets. And a third (34%) plan to accelerate their digital transformation projects.

There’s a slowdown coming in cybersecurity spending. Cisco rules the cybersec roost. And embedded hardware security is coming to edge devices.

These are the latest cybersecurity trends according to top IT market watchers. Here’s your tech provider’s roundup of these 3 hot trends.

Trend 1: Spending growth is slower than expected

Cybersecurity spending this year isn’t going to grow as fast as expected.

Sometimes, the best choice is not having to choose.

That’s the case with Intel Optane technology. Should you offer it as memory or as storage? The good news is, you don’t have to choose. Intel Optane technology powers both memory and storage, and they can complement each other in the same system.

As you may know, Intel Optane technology is the company’s memory and storage innovation. It combines endurance, high throughput and low latency.

For data centers, Intel Optane technology is offered in two form factors: