Stop the presses! A laptop maker just announced a price reduction in 2026. Despite the ongoing RAM crisis and component shortage, Framework just dropped the price of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro.

Framework was able to source a new SSD from its partner ADATA that offers better performance and reliability while costing less.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro preorders have not started shipping, so any order that's already been placed has been upgraded to the new SSD and had pricing adjusted.

"This new SSD comes in 1TB and 2TB options, and the 1TB lands at a lower price than the 500GB SSD we had previously qualified, so we will also switch 500GB orders to the 1TB drive at the lower price," explained Framework.

Framework's website did not show the reduced pricing when I drafted this piece, so I can't share the exact costs of the new configurations. I'll update this piece as more information becomes available.

The announcement comes as good news for those shopping for the unique laptop from Framework, but it's a relatively small reprieve from the current financial climate.

Even in Framework's announcement of the price decrease, the PC maker warned that CPU price increases are expected. "We expect that we will need to adjust the overall system price on Framework Laptop 13 Pro in the coming weeks for new orders," said Framework.

Framework dropped its prices on the same day Apple unveiled several price increases, which led to a playful jab. Framework clarified in a follow-up post that the timing of its reductions was coincidental and not in response to Apple.

The unfortunate reality is that many laptop makers have bumped up prices, including Framework. Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and others have all had to raise prices. For a short time, Apple was immune to price hikes due to its stockpile of components, but that is no longer the case.

We shouldn't expect things to improve in the immediate future. When Microsoft announced another wave of price increases to Xbox consoles, the company said it expects another doubling of console storage and memory prices by the fall of 2027. The same factors that contribute to those components doubling in price will affect PC parts.

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I’ve historically been a Windows desktop guy, building my own PCs over the years and spending the majority of my years content with that situation. However, the more I travel to events and conferences, the more I see the value in Windows laptops. In that, I also subject myself to inquisitive family members and friends, who forever ask the same question: “Which laptop should I buy?”

The answer, as I’m sure many of you know, boils down to “it depends”. Naturally, I have a shortlist of the best Windows laptops that are always at the front of my mind. Then again, not everyone has the disposable income to afford my favorite ASUS Zenbook A14 or Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x examples. Here’s where the problems start. Many will then walk into their nearest supermarket (or some other megastore) and pick up the cheapest option available.

It’s not as though affordable laptops are all terrible. On the contrary, the budget laptop bracket is showing signs of significant improvement, as examples like Dell's XPS 13 respond to the introduction of the entry-level MacBook Neo. Annoyingly, few enthusiasts would previously entertain a conversation about $599–$699 Windows laptops in the pre-Neo age, but that’s all changed since Apple made its move. For many, choosing a Windows laptop is still confusing.

A big part of that disorientation comes from an onslaught of specs when shopping, and most people just don’t care. I’d argue that, aside from storage space and a laptop's physical size, the rest is just incidental number-crunching that wouldn’t matter to your average user. If you want to close out your afternoon feeling exhausted, dig into the argument of whether 8GB of RAM is enough for Windows. It all comes back to that linchpin: "It depends."

For me, there is so much more value in a laptop’s weight, display type, and battery life than the waves of other components you could spend all day comparing. However, that longevity aspect depends heavily on your choice of processor, which is one of the worst cans of proverbial worms you could ever open, as Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and now even NVIDIA ship laptop chips with complex names.

So, who’s to blame, Microsoft? It’s easy to understand the accusation when I look at Apple’s walled garden and how simplistic it can be to shop for a MacBook. But no, it’s not Microsoft’s fault. It even feels disingenuous to accuse manufacturers of saturating the Windows laptop market, because each brand presumably has its reasons for building so many variants. Everyone has different needs, but what is the everyman supposed to do?

Ironically, Microsoft came close to a potential solution with its Copilot+ PC initiative. It was part of the AI PC trend, encouraging buyers to pick up a laptop with a built-in NPU and other comparable components to support local AI apps and features. It’s a mostly forgettable affair, with only the mandatory Copilot key appearing in modern Windows laptops reminding us of its attempts.

Instead, Microsoft could take notes from a certain gaming brand and lean into a 'Seal of Approval' method, curating category flagships from each manufacturer. If you shopped for a certified 'Windows Pro' laptop, it could guarantee a 120Hz display and 32GB of RAM (or higher) with the most powerful mobile processors on the market. Too much? Opt for an imaginary 'Windows Core' alternative that sticks to IPS screens but delivers at least 16GB of memory.

Unfortunately, that implies anything outside this magical certification might be viewed as disposable e-waste, but I think consumers still need help making that distinction, anyway. The real challenge would be convincing all the major laptop brands to get on board, but then again, they already did it for confusing Copilot+ PCs, so how far-fetched could this idea really be?

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Dell unveiled its reimagined XPS 13 at Computex 2026, and thanks to an introductory $599 price for students, it was immediately likened to Apple's MacBook Neo.

Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden and I both got a chance to go hands-on with the new XPS 13 in Taipei, and we both came away with a similar opinion: it's way better than either of us expected, and it's surely going to be a great Neo alternative for Windows fans.

So, how exactly does the new XPS 13 compare to the MacBook Neo? Here's what you need to know.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) vs. MacBook Neo: Specifications

Specifications don't tell the whole story, but they're a good place to start before I get into a broader explanation of the similarities and differences between the XPS 13 and MacBook Neo.

Dell's new XPS 13 has the features you want in a laptop

Much of the hype surrounding the new Dell XPS 13 has to do with its feature set. Namely, features that fill in the MacBook Neo's blind spots.

For example, the XPS 13 has a backlit keyboard. That's a feature you expect to have in a laptop in 2026, no matter the price point.

The XPS 13 has a 1080p webcam, just like the Neo, but it adds an IR sensor for facial recognition through Windows Hello. The Neo also offers biometrics, but only of the touch/fingerprint variety.

The XPS 13 doubles up the Neo's speaker count, totaling 8W of output, and both laptops come with Dolby Atmos tuning. The XPS 13 also has newer Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, with the Neo falling back to Wi-Fi 6E.

Then there are the ports. While the Neo might still offer a 3.5mm audio jack, its main selection of USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) and USB-C 2.0 isn't exactly generous. It supports only one external display at 4K/60Hz.

The XPS 13 with Wildcat Lake chip (Core 5 320) has dual USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), and the XPS 13 with Panther Lake (Core Ultra 7 355) has dual Thunderbolt 4. If you plan on using your laptop with more than one external display, Dell's PC is the right choice.

The new XPS 13 is lighter than the MacBook Neo

Like the MacBook Neo, the XPS 13 is built from aluminum and feels every bit as premium as its more expensive siblings.

When I first handled the XPS 13, I was impressed with how light it was. At just 2.2 pounds (1kg), it's significantly more portable than the Neo at 2.7 pounds (1.23kg).

The XPS 13 is just as thin as the Neo at 0.5 inches (12.7mm), but it does have a more compact footprint.

TL;DR? The new XPS 13 has more attractive features than the MacBook Neo, including a backlit keyboard, an IR camera, four speakers, and more powerful ports.

Dell's XPS 13 has a higher-res display with 120Hz refresh rate

Dell is also putting Apple behind it with the 13.4-inch display in the XPS 13. Not only is it slightly larger (by 0.4 inches) despite the XPS 13's smaller chassis, but it also has a higher resolution at 2560x1600 compared to 2408x1506.

The biggest difference, however, is in the refresh rate. The XPS 13 pushes all the way up to 120Hz and drops as low as 30Hz. It's all handled through a variable refresh rate that adjusts the screen based on how you're using the PC.

At 120Hz, you're getting far more eye comfort than the locked 60Hz refresh rate on the Neo. And at 30Hz, battery saving gets even better in the XPS 13.

The XPS 13's touch display hits about 500 nits of brightness and has VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, as well as an anti-glare finish. It manages 100% DCI-P3 color reproduction, and it comes with Dolby Vision.

The Neo's display is not touch-enabled, but it does hit 500 nits of brightness and includes Dolby Vision certification.

TL;DR? The XPS 13's display is the superior option compared to the MacBook Neo, with a higher resolution and higher refresh rate.

Apple's A18 Pro chip has strong competition from Intel Wildcat Lake

Despite being aimed at budget devices, Intel's new Wildcat Lake CPUs offer respectable performance and efficiency that rival Apple's A18 Pro. I'll hold off on a deeper dive until we test the XPS 13 firsthand, but I can say that early Intel Core 5 320 benchmarks show a promising level of power.

In Geekbench 6, the Core 5 320 hits 2,575 single-core and 8,000 multi-core average scores, whereas the A18 Pro hits closer to 3,500 single-core and 8,500 multi-core.

👉 "We want this to be their first XPS": I found out more about Dell's XPS 13 strategy — and why it's the perfect starter PC

In PassMark CPU tests, the Core 5 320 hits 3,853 single-core and 15,033 multi-core scores. The A18 Pro managed scores of 4,086 (single-core) and 12,837 (multi-core).

If you do need more power, the XPS 13 will also be available with the Core Ultra 7 355 post-launch. It's important to also point out that the XPS 13 comes with up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD. So while the entry-level models take on the Neo, the higher-end models are much better cut out for advanced users.

Battery life will be a big point of contention, I'm sure, but for now, I don't have concrete XPS 13 numbers. I can say that Dell is using a larger 52Wh battery with 800ED cells (providing extra density without taking up as much space).

Dell is claiming up to 17 hours of battery life when streaming video. Apple claims about 16 hours of life for the same task. It should be a close comparison, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Neo take the award for best battery life, even if it's a small margin.

TLDR? Dell's XPS 13 should put up a strong fight against the MacBook Neo's performance and battery life.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) vs. MacBook Neo: Which should you buy?

If you're a fan of Windows, Dell just gave you the perfect Neo competitor with the XPS 13. Students can pay the same $599 for a laptop with a superior display, more powerful ports, a keyboard backlight, facial recognition, quad speakers, and more.

If you're a regular buyer, the introductory price only jumps up to $699, and beyond that, there are options to boost RAM to 32GB and storage to 1TB.

Apple, I think, will hold the edge on performance and efficiency, at least until the Core Ultra 7 355 config of the XPS 13 becomes available post-launch. But I'll have more to share once we actually get an XPS 13 to test first-hand in the lab.

The XPS 13 for 2026 is expected to launch in June, while the MacBook Neo is available now.

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If you're using Microsoft's Teams app on Apple's Mac devices, specifically those running macOS versions 14 (Sonoma), 15 (Sequoia), and 26 (Tahoe) under the hood, then there's a chance you might have encountered annoying non-dismissible location prompts asking permission to use your location for things like GPS and Wi-Fi.

Microsoft recently acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a recent macOS security update that prevents the operating system from retaining a user’s location permission settings (via Bleeping Computer). The issue seems to affect a small number of Mac users with location access enabled in Teams' settings.

"I have been getting this message on macOS since May 14, 2026. At first, it would go away after the first click of 'Don't Allow,'" a user lamented on the r/MicrosoftTeams subreddit. "Today, I have clicked 'Don't Allow' at least twenty times in a row, and the dialog keeps coming right back. I checked for a Microsoft Teams update, but there isn't one."

Microsoft has indicated that it is working closely with Apple to resolve the issue. "In parallel, we're investigating a potential fix within Teams to mitigate the repeated prompts," Microsoft added.

In the interim, Microsoft has provided a temporary workaround for the issue, urging impacted users to manually enable their location access for Teams with their device's settings app.

​Microsoft added that the issue affects only certain Microsoft Teams users on Mac who have enabled location access in their Teams settings. You'll need to navigate through System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, then toggle "Microsoft Teams" and "Microsoft Teams ModuleHost" on and off, before setting them back to your preferred configuration.

I'll keep a close eye on this issue and update this article as soon as an update is available.

Have you experienced this issue when using Microsoft Teams? Let me know in the comments.

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Xbox fans with an Apple TV have something to get excited about, at least in a somewhat limited way, as some fans have taken it upon themselves to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to Apple TV, and it actually looks fantastic.

I say "limited" because the setup process is not as simple as installing an app from the App Store. Instead, it requires Xcode, meaning you have to build it yourself and effectively sideload it onto your Apple TV.

With that in mind, however, Stratix is a native Apple TV app that brings your Xbox Cloud Gaming subscription to the device. It is built in Apple’s Swift language and gives you full access to your Xbox cloud library.

What's most interesting about this app is just how clean it looks. This genuinely puts what Microsoft makes to shame, and it is easily a better implementation than existing Xbox Cloud solutions on Apple TV.

Not to throw shade at OneCast, as it is currently the best solution available on the Apple TV App Store, but Stratix looks like something Apple could have made itself, and it fits the Apple TV aesthetic far more naturally.

It is unfortunate that the installation process is not as straightforward, though. That said, the developers provide a full guide, and they are open to feedback as the app is still in an early public alpha.

Stratix supports Remote Play from your console, sign in via a QR code, profiles, and achievements, etc., but there are still limitations. The app does not yet support multi-account use or party and invite features. That said, these issues are known, and the team is upfront about them.

Personally, I hope Xbox itself sees this app and potentially even decides to fund it, bringing a full Xbox Cloud Gaming experience to the Apple TV ecosystem. It would be a great way to secure another win, especially as Xbox has been on a strong run lately.

If I still had my Apple TV, I would be installing this right after finishing this write-up. Unfortunately for me, I gave it to my parents. Whoops.

Let me know your thoughts on Stratix, whether you would use it or not, and why. And as always, make sure to take part in our poll!

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When Apple introduced its new MacBook Air 15 with M5 chip on March 3, 2026, I knew it'd only be a short while before it began seeing serious competition from new Windows laptops powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X2 silicon.

ASUS has now launched its new Zenbook A16 for 2026, a laptop that Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson tested and reviewed thoroughly, only to have a hard time finding any faults.

👉 I tested ASUS' Zenbook A16 with Qualcomm's incredible Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme CPU, and I'm convinced: This is everything a flagship Windows laptop should be

I've put together this comparison between the Zenbook A16 and the MacBook Air 15 based on design, display, features, performance, and battery life to help you make the right decision.

How do ASUS Zenbook A16 and MacBook Air 16 specs compare?

Before I get into a more detailed explanation of the similarities and differences between the Zenbook A16 and MacBook Air 15, here's a table with raw specifications.

It's worth noting that ASUS lists a Zenbook A16 model (UX3607QA) sporting a last-gen Snapdragon X (X1-26) chip starting at 16G of RAM and 512GB of storage. This model is perhaps arriving later on in different markets.

The UX3607OA model I compare in the table above is the one that's arriving first for US markets.

Is the ASUS Zenbook A16 lighter than the MacBook Air 15?

Despite having a larger display, a larger battery, and overall slightly larger dimensions, the ASUS Zenbook A16 weighs less than the MacBook Air 15. It's not exactly a close margin, either, with the A16 coming in at 2.65 pounds (1.2kg) and the MacBook Air 15 weighing 3.3 pounds (1.51kg).

I also want to note that the Zenbook A16's footprint isn't wildly larger than the Air 15. The Z-height (thickness) is really the biggest difference, with Apple's laptop maintaining its lead at 0.45 inches (1.15cm) compared to 0.54-0.65 inches (1.38-1.65cm).

ASUS uses a "Ceraluminum" material for its chassis, and it's basically a magnesium alloy that's super light but durable. The MacBook Air also uses an aluminum base that's plenty rigid and refined.

Looking at ports, the Zenbook A16 easily bests the Air 15. The ASUS PC comes with dual USB4, USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), native HDMI 2.1 out, an SD 4.0 card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The MacBook Air 15 offers just two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 and a 3.5mm audio jack. That means that the Air 15 can only run up to two external displays, topping out at 4K@144Hz. With native HDMI and dual USB4, the A16 will offer better external screen support.

Both ASUS and Apple make excellent keyboards, and this area should come down to personal preference. One area where the MacBook Air 15 definitely pulls ahead, however, is with its pointer.

Apple's Force Touch trackpad uses haptics to simulate the feel of a click; this hardware is almost always preferable compared to traditional touchpads with moving parts below.

That's what the Zenbook A16 uses, and while its touchpad is certainly big enough with good accuracy, it's really the only downside we noted in our Zenbook A16 review.

Both laptops feature a six-speaker audio system, but only the MacBook Air 15 adds Dolby Atmos tuning. The webcams are similar with 1080p video capabilities, but because the Zenbook A16 is running Windows 11, its camera adds an IR sensor for facial recognition through Windows Hello. On the MacBook Air, it's fingerprint Touch ID or passwords.

And finally, both laptops feature cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. ASUS pairs it with Bluetooth 5.4, whereas the MacBook Air 15 gets newer Bluetooth 6.

TL;DR: Both laptops are impressively thin and lightweight; the MacBook Air 15 is thinner, but the Zenbook A16 is lighter. The A16 has a better selection of ports and facial recognition abilities, whereas the MacBook Air 15 has a better touchpad.

Does anyone prefer LED at 60Hz compared to OLED at 120Hz?

With the ASUS Zenbook A16, you're getting a 16-inch OLED display with a sharp 2880x1800 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and optional touch functionality.

It's a screen with 500 nits maximum base brightness, climbing all the way to 1,100 nits with HDR enabled. That makes it certified for VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000, and a killer display for creators.

The MacBook Air has a 15.3-inch display with a slightly sharper 2880x1864 resolution, which works out to a higher pixels-per-inch amount due to its smaller dimensions. However, the display tops out at a measly 60Hz and doesn't have optional touch functionality.

It also doesn't get nearly as bright, often falling short of the advertised 500 nits brightness in SDR and HDR content.

TL;DR: With an OLED panel, twice as fast a refresh rate, far more brightness, and touch or non-touch options, the ASUS Zenbook A16's display is an easy winner compared to the MacBook Air 15.

Does the ASUS Zenbook A16 have better battery life than the MacBook Air 15?

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chips are a rather significant upgrade over the first-gen Snapdragon X silicon, and that applies to performance and efficiency.

We tested the X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-94) chip in the Zenbook A16 for our review. It has 18 cores and a 4.7GHz maximum boost frequency. The Zenbook A16 is also available with the higher-tier X2E-96 chip with a higher boost frequency and a locked 48GB of LPDDR5x RAM. It costs $1,999.99 direct from ASUS.

If you want more power, it's available, but the X2E-94 chip we tested is impressive. In Geekbench 6, the X2 Elite Extreme hit 3,806 single-core and 22,872 multi-core scores. The M5 in the MacBook Air 15 hit 4,191 single-core and 17,276 multi-core scores.

Apple maintains single-core dominance, but not by a whole lot anymore. And multi-core isn't even close. We plan to test the GPU after the A16's launch when better drivers are available.

This is but a brief look at synthetic performance, and yet it suggests that Snapdragon X2 could be the true turning point for Windows on ARM that we've been waiting for.

Improved efficiency is another key ingredient in Qualcomm's latest silicon. During testing of the Zenbook A16, we basically used it for constant web browsing and some occasional photo editing and spreadsheets.

Windows 11's battery report estimates about 16 hours of life based on that type of use. In PCMark 10's local video playback test, the laptop ran for 20 hours and 30 minutes.

Streaming 4K video from YouTube with the screen set at about 65% brightness and volume at 10% resulted in 14 hours and 13 minutes of battery life.

Our friends at Tom's Guide ran a similar test on the MacBook Air 15 during its review process. With continuous web surfing and the display at 150 nits brightness, the MacBook Air 15 lasted 15 hours and 37 minutes.

That's roughly the same as what you can expect from the Zenbook A16, and it's a testament to the efficiency upgrade Qualcomm has promised from its X2 hardware.

TL;DR: The X2 Elite Extreme chip falls short of single-core performance compared to Apple's M5, yet it delivers superior multi-core performance. Efficiency is essentially the same between the two laptops.

ASUS Zenbook A16 (2026) vs. MacBook Air 15: Which should you buy?

There's one important aspect I haven't yet discussed: pricing. The Zenbook A16 makes its debut in the US for $1,599.99 at Best Buy. This price lands you the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-94) System-on-Chip (SoC), 48GB of LPDDR5x-9600 RAM, a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and the usual 2.8K OLED display.

The MacBook Air 15 M5 starts at a lower $1,299 price at Best Buy, although it has just 16GB of RAM and half as much storage at 512GB.

Bumping the MacBook Air 15 M5 up to 24GB of RAM (still half as much as the Zenbook A16) and a 1TB SSD pushes the price to $1,699, a full $100 more than the ASUS laptop.

So while you can land a MacBook Air 15 M5 for a lower introductory price, Apple's laptop does become more expensive than the Zenbook A16, even without matching memory amounts.

With pricing and everything else I've covered above in mind, it quickly becomes evident that the ASUS Zenbook A16 is going to provide stiff competition for the MacBook Air 15.

If you're a regular Windows user, the choice is clear: the Zenbook A16 should be your next laptop. It's a tougher decision for regular macOS users. If you're beholden to Apple's OS, you're probably sticking with the MacBook anyway. But if you're considering a switch to Windows 11, the Zenbook A16 should be the best way to make an easy transition.

I dare say that the MacBook Air is no longer the best lightweight laptop on the market. The Zenbook A16 offers so much more for a lower price, and in this economy, that's perhaps the most important feature.

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Apple made its MacBook Neo official on March 4, and its $599 introductory price tag is practically all that the laptop crowd could talk about for the rest of the week. Even Microsoft's former head of Windows (2009-2012), Steven Sinofsky, called the Neo a "paradigm-shifting computer" in a post on X.

Part of the Neo's appeal, aside from its budget pricing, is its straightforward design that promises some of the best repairability of any MacBook in recent memory. Industry repair pros at iFixit gave the Neo a 6/10 score, noting that "for Apple laptop repair, that counts as a real comeback."

Now, it's Framework founder Nirav Patel's turn to crack open the MacBook Neo to discover what's inside. Framework is home to the most repairable laptops around. You buy one of its PCs once, and you swap out parts as you need them.

In the teardown video, Patel compares the convertible Framework Laptop 12 with the Neo, as they're similar in the sense that they're both sub-$1,000 PCs "that you can actually love."

The 33-minute video is well worth a complete watch, but let me sum up a few key points. During the teardown, it quickly becomes clear that the Neo isn't going to threaten Framework's upgrade supremacy.

Everything inside the Framework Laptop is clearly marked, and the frequent use of POGO pins makes it easy to quickly swap hardware. The Neo's internals are the complete opposite.

But that doesn't mean it can't be upgraded. The Neo's touchpad, battery, and speakers all can be removed fairly easily, and its ports can also be replaced should they receive damage.

The difference in repair philosophy becomes much clearer once Patel arrives at the mainboards. The Framework Laptop's cooling system, memory, and storage can all be replaced, and the CPU can also be changed with a new mainboard (which otherwise stays the same from generation to generation for easy updates).

The Neo's mainboard is a lot smaller, but it's not upgradeable. Whatever RAM and storage you choose at checkout is what you'll have for the rest of the laptop's life.

For the display, you'll likely have to replace the entire top assembly on the Neo if the screen takes damage. In Framework's Laptop, the screen can slide out of the chassis and be replaced.

Framework and Apple's contrasting laptop philosophies

Once the teardown is complete, Patel explains how his company's and Apple's philosophies differ despite both products appealing to schools and students. On Apple's side, Patel explains:

Framework, Patel explains, is ideal for schools because "schools need repairability" to avoid e-waste and wasted money.

What do you think about these contrasting laptop philosophies?

Patel wraps up the video by admitting that "there's a lot to love in both of these approaches," but I want to know what you think.

Is Apple on the right track here? Is it maybe testing the waters for a future where right to repair is more commonly signed into law? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Last week, Parallels Desktop confirmed that Windows 11 can run on Apple's budget-friendly MacBook Neo after initial compatibility testing by the engineering team, marking a step in narrowing the gap between macOS hardware and Microsoft’s operating system.

Many users indicated that 8GB of unified memory barely scratches the surface for basic daily use. However, after completing full performance and compatibility testing, Parallels Desktop recently indicated that "Windows 11 running in a Parallels virtual machine on MacBook Neo delivers approximately 20% higher single-core CPU performance than natively on the Dell computer."

Apple's silicon is already well-known for its single-core CPU performance, but the MacBook Neo did struggle with multi-core tasks when Parallels Desktop compared it against a Dell Pro 14 with Intel's Core Ultra 5 235U processor running Windows 11 natively (which retails for $1,119).

The company's testing also revealed that the MacBook Neo's graphical performance was approximately 50% lower, making it unsuitable for graphics-intensive workloads. Still, Parallels Desktop indicated that the $599 entry was a good candidate for general productivity and non-GPU-intensive apps.

In the grand scheme of things, Parallels Desktop says the MacBook Neo is great for office productivity, like Microsoft Office apps, email, calendar, web apps, and browser-based tools, light development and testing workflows, and running business productivity software, most of which would be available natively on macOS.

Success in running Windows 11 in a virtual machine for specific x86-64 apps that are otherwise unavailable on macOS will vary per user, and Parallels Desktop warns that the MacBook Neo isn't suitable for more intensive workloads, highlighting:

• CAD, 3D rendering, and graphics-heavy Windows applications are not recommended on this configuration
• Workloads relying on high multi-core CPU throughput will be noticeably slower
• 8 GB unified memory is the minimum practical configuration. Running macOS and Windows simultaneously benefits from 16 GB or more
• MacBook Neo uses passive cooling. During sustained CPU or GPU load, the chip will reduce clock speeds to stay within thermal limits

Is the MacBook Neo suitable for running Windows apps?

The feasibility of Windows apps running smoothly on Apple's $599 entry has been questioned by Windows enthusiasts across social media, citing its limited hardware resources — from the iPhone 16 series' A18 Pro chip and 256GB of storage.

Based on Parallels Desktop's assessment, the MacBook Neo is only suitable for running light and basic Windows apps. Otherwise, you'll still need a dedicated Windows laptop for heavier workloads.

Alternatively, the company recommends "a Mac with 16 GB or more of unified memory, such as the MacBook Air M5 or MacBook Pro" for demanding Windows workflows and a better user experience with Parallels Desktop.

Would you consider running Windows 11 on the MacBook Neo? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.

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You might remember that just a few days ago, I covered the release of an Original Xbox emulator on Android.

Now, in a strange bit of timing, developers have released an Xbox 360 emulator for iOS and Mac.

Even more surprisingly, some games already appear to be playable. That raises an obvious question. Is this too good to be true, or can you really revisit the Xbox 360 era on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac?

What is XeniOS and how does it work?

XeniOS is an experimental emulator designed to let users run Xbox 360 games directly on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It is based on the existing Xenia emulator for Windows, but this fork of the project focuses specifically on Apple’s ecosystem.

It is an ambitious goal, and it is still unclear how far the project can realistically go. According to the project documentation, XeniOS relies on JIT to execute translated game code, which allows Xbox 360 software to run on Apple hardware.

Despite Apple now allowing some emulators on its App Store, XeniOS still has to be sideloaded. That is because it requires JIT to run games, something Apple typically restricts for security reasons.

Massive shout-out to Retro Spirit as well. They were the first to upload a guide and proper gameplay testing on YouTube, so be sure to check them out if you enjoy retro-focused content.

If you do want to try this for yourself, Retro Spirit's guide is linked down below:

As I mentioned when covering the Original Xbox emulator on Android, emulators themselves are legal. The issue usually comes down to how people obtain games, so if you attempt this yourself, you should only use copies of games you legally own.

Since the project is still in alpha, compatibility is still very limited. The documentation warns users to expect crashes, bugs, and major differences between games while development continues.

That said, it already appears more stable than the Original Xbox emulator for Android I recently covered. There are already several posts showcasing the emulator on r/EmulationOniOS, which is a promising start for something that has only just entered alpha.

🗨️ Are you excited about Xbox 360 emulation on iOS?

Emulation has certainly come a long way, and honestly, this is a development I never expected to see.

With that said, I would love to hear your thoughts on emulation in general. Would you consider trying an Xbox 360 emulator on iOS, or does this feel like a step too far?

Let me know in the comments, and make sure you take part in the poll below:

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Can Apple's $599 MacBook Neo run Windows apps? The short answer is yes. Running Windows on macOS isn’t new — especially with tools like Parallels Desktop. It's a virtualization software for macOS that lets you run Windows, Linux, and other operating systems side‑by‑side with macOS apps, without necessarily needing a separate PC.

What's more, it's the only solution with a nod from Microsoft to officially run Windows 11 on macOS. Following Apple's launch of the MacBook Neo, I'm sure many people have questioned its capabilities to run Windows apps. It's a valid concern, especially since the $599 entry ships with the A18 Pro SoC (the same chip that powers Apple's iPhone 16 series) under the hood.

But Parallels Desktop has confirmed that Apple's budget-friendly laptop can run Windows apps: "Parallels Desktop runs on MacBook Neo in basic usability testing. The Parallels Engineering team has completed initial testing and confirmed that Parallels Desktop installs and virtual machines operate stably on MacBook Neo. Full validation and performance testing is ongoing, and additional compatibility statement will follow if required."

It's worth noting that this is the first time Apple has used an iPhone A-series chip on a Mac; the company usually defaults to M-series chips for this kind of setup. However, the A18 chip is based on the same architecture as M-series chips used on Macs.

That said, the MacBook Neo should technically run Windows apps. And as pointed out by Apple Insider's Oliver Haslam, Rosetta 2, Apple’s tool for running older Mac apps, also works on the MacBook Neo — because it uses similar technology to virtualization software like Parallels Desktop.

As such, ARM versions of Windows and Linux should run smoothly on a MacBook Neo when using Parallels Desktop, but we'll have to see it in practice to assert how good it actually is.

💬 Is it possible to run Windows 11 on Apple's MacBook Neo efficiently?

While it seems possible to run Windows on the MacBook Neo through Parallels Desktop, I can't confirm how the A18 Pro chip will handle virtualization. This is especially true when it comes to running a different operating system on top of macOS in a virtualized machine, considering the entry's 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage.

If you run Windows 11 on a MacBook Neo using Parallels Desktop, 4 GB of RAM will already be in use. That means your experience may feel sluggish, and it could get worse if your daily tasks demand a lot of computing power.

Apple's new MacBook Neo has definitely struck a nerve in the tech industry. The $599 entry model has drawn mixed reactions — with our Editor‑in‑Chief, Daniel Rubino, calling it a long‑overdue admission that the iPad was never truly designed for mainstream computing.

On the other hand, former Windows lead Steven Sinofsky calls the MacBook Neo "a paradigm-shifting computer" while reflecting on Microsoft's failed vision and plans for Surface and Windows.

ASUS boss S.Y. Hsu also described the MacBook Neo as a "shock to the entire industry," but he downplayed it as a "content consumption" slab with a little extra computing power than an iPad.

Would you consider running Windows 11 on the MacBook Neo? Let me know in the comments.

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If you’re looking for me to dump on the new MacBook Neo … this isn’t that. I’ll just default to the “it’s great for $599” position for the sake of simplicity.

Instead, I want to talk about the gaslighting Apple has done here and how tech media, as usual, just goes with it without even noticing it, which makes me perturbed. (And don’t get me started on how no one in the tech press reviews low-end Windows PCs, but now they suddenly care about the category.)

The truth about the iPad

For more than a decade, Apple insisted the iPad was the future of mainstream computing. Not a companion. Not a tablet. A replacement. The company spent years telling students, families, and budget‑conscious buyers that a $599 Windows laptop was unnecessary because the iPad was lighter, faster, more modern, and (if you believed the ads) simply a better computer. “What’s a computer?” wasn’t just a slogan. It was a thesis statement.

And then Apple released the MacBook Neo.

Suddenly, the same company that tried to convince the world that keyboards were optional and touchpads were relics is now selling a $599 laptop with a real OS, real ports (well, kinda), and real productivity features (up to a point). It’s a pivot so sharp that it borders on whiplash.

But it’s also the clearest admission Apple has made in years: the iPad was never the laptop replacement Apple wanted it to be.

The shift didn’t happen overnight. You could see the cracks forming. iPadOS kept absorbing laptop features, e.g., trackpad support, desktop‑class Safari, Stage Manager, and yet still felt like a tablet OS trying to cosplay as macOS. Meanwhile, the iPad lineup ballooned into a confusing ladder of overlapping prices and capabilities. The base iPad was too limited unless you upgraded it. The iPad Air drifted into laptop pricing. The iPad Pro became a luxury item.

And the accessories? They turned the whole value proposition upside down.

Once you add a Magic Keyboard for iPad Air 13‑inch (takes breath, at $319!), the iPad stops being a budget‑friendly alternative and becomes a more expensive, less capable laptop.

Of course, we all knew this. And Apple knows this. The Neo is the correction.

Yes, the Neo makes a lot of sense for Apple

It’s not just about value. macOS is simply better suited for the $599 buyer than iPadOS ever was. Students need multitasking that doesn’t feel like a puzzle. Office workers need apps that behave consistently. Families need a device that doesn’t require a $299 keyboard to feel complete. The Neo solves all of that without asking users to rethink what a computer is. It’s familiar, predictable, and—crucially—priced to compete with the Windows machines Apple spent years dismissing.

I even tongue-in-cheek asked someone on X why they want Neo for their kid and not an iPad (which is what Apple would have said a year ago), and they replied, “I honestly don’t love iPads. His (sp) is getting old and for the price, rather just jump him to a laptop as he starts getting more homework, etc., etc.”

It's a straightforward fact: iPads have never been suitable for serious work, despite Apple's claims.

Don't believe me? Search on X for all the people talking about great Neo will be for students this fall. They're falling over themselves! What happened to iPads being the answer? Silence. Probably some embarrassment.

There’s also a bigger strategic angle. Apple wants to grow Mac market share, especially in education and the low‑end PC segment, where Chromebooks have dominated (and where Google will try again later this year with its new Android PC OS). The iPad was supposed to be Apple’s Trojan horse in schools, but it never displaced cheap laptops. Teachers didn’t want to retrain workflows. Students didn’t want to fight with file management. Administrators didn’t want to buy keyboards for every device. And let’s not bring up the lack of repairability.

The Neo is Apple’s first real attempt to fight that battle on the right battlefield.

Analysts have already framed the Neo as a turning point. IDC called it a “shift in the history of the Mac,” which is analyst‑speak for “Apple finally admitted the iPad wasn’t doing the job.” Even Apple’s pricing strategy gives it away. The company that once treated the Mac as a premium-only product now sells a $599 model with aggressive positioning. This is simply a course correction, not an experiment.

Has anyone called Apple out directly? Not in the way you’d expect. Tech journalists rarely accuse Apple of hypocrisy outright, but the subtext is everywhere. Reviewers openly say the Neo makes the iPad look like a bad deal. Analysts highlight that the Neo targets the exact market the iPad failed to win. Education writers note that the Neo “changed the rules of the game overnight.” It’s all there, just wrapped in polite industry language.

But consumers don’t need the translation. They can see the shift. Apple spent years telling them the iPad was the future of computing. Now Apple is selling them a MacBook that does everything the iPad was supposed to do. It’s better, cheaper, and without accessories that cost half the price of the device.

So, here's the deal: Apple didn’t just pivot. It corrected course. The iPad was a bold idea that never fully aligned with how people actually work. The MacBook Neo is Apple finally acknowledging that the laptop isn’t going anywhere, and that the company’s future in the mainstream computing market depends on embracing that reality rather than trying to reinvent it.

But the iPad will keep evolving, and it’ll keep being great at what it’s actually great at: playing games, streaming Netflix, and serving as a guilt‑soothing digital babysitter for parents who swear they’d never do that (sure you wouldn’t).

Apple finally owning up to the iPad myth

Over the past decade, iPad shipments have steadily drifted downward from their 2013–2014 peak, settling into a long stretch of flat‑to‑shrinking demand with only a brief pandemic bump to break the trend. The tablet market matured, the hype cooled, and the iPad shifted from “the future of computing” to a stable but contracting product line that no longer drives growth. It’s 100% still a big business, but the trajectory has been clear for years with slow erosion, not expansion, which is exactly why Apple needed something like the MacBook Neo to re‑enter the low‑end laptop fight.

Yes, Neo marks the end of an era as the moment Apple finally stopped pretending laptops were obsolete and rejoined the category it spent a decade dismissing.

And honestly, it’s about time.

Because next up is the real magic trick: Later this year, Apple will roll out a touchscreen MacBook and act like it invented the idea. After 15 years of Windows laptops doing it, Apple will stroll in, flip its hair, and watch the tech press swoon, while conveniently forgetting Steve Jobs calling touchscreen laptops “ergonomically terrible,” Tim Cook’s 2012 “toaster‑fridge” sneer, and the years Apple spent mocking Windows OEMs for chasing a “gimmick.”

And yes, Apple will get a pass. Again. The industry won’t blink. The amnesia will be instant.

But the receipts are there. And this time, people are paying attention. Or at least I am.

🗣️So, are we just pretending Apple didn't say all that?

For years, Apple told us the iPad was the future of computing. Now it’s selling a $599 MacBook and hoping no one remembers. The Neo is a quiet confession that the iPad never lived up to the pitch.

So what do you think? Is Apple finally being honest, or just rewriting the story again? Drop your take in the comments — especially if you’ve ever tried replacing a laptop with an iPad and lived to regret it.

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Last week, Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo at $599, powered by its A18 Pro chip. The news certainly hit the industry by storm and was received with mixed reactions, depending on who you asked. While the Neo is touted as an affordable and efficient entry, we have our own varied opinions.

Senior Editor Zac Bowden calls it "the nightmare scenario" for Windows OEMs, and says, "Microsoft better be panicking." A week later, the MacBook Neo is still a hot topic in the industry, after my colleague pointed out that Windows laptops with higher specs than the Neo do exist in the same price range.

Now, insights and commentary from that same Windows PC ecosystem have appeared via ASUS' co-CE, S.Y. Hsu, indicating during an earnings call that the MacBook Neo will have a significant impact on the PC market, and believes that players in the sector, including Microsoft, Intel, and AMD, should take the threat seriously (via PCMag).

While the executive admitted that the MacBook Neo is a real threat, he questioned its capabilities to handle complex tasks that may require more computing power.

macOS certainly has a reputation for processing efficiency thanks to the latest Apple silicon chips, and direct comparisons to Windows are usually held to scrutiny. As Senior Editor Ben Wilson says: "As a Windows guy, 8GB of unified memory certainly seems slim, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone buy a laptop with Windows 11 with the same count."

💬 Do you think the MacBook Neo is a threat to Windows?

Early signs are appearing for how well the A18 Pro SoC (the same chip that powers Apple's iPhone 16 series) handles productivity-heavy tasks. It seems to deliver performance similar to, and even slightly faster than, that of the Apple M1, which, as described by Bowden, "is still widely regarded as one of the best value-for-money SoCs you can find in a device."

Nevertheless, ASUS' Hsu seemingly indicated that the MacBook Neo is a "content consumption" device, more akin to an iPad. However, he says the entry differs from the use case of a mainstream notebook because it can handle more compute-intensive tasks.

It'll be interesting to see whether the MacBook Neo will actually impact Windows' market share over time, especially given software differences and its scrutinized specs. They are likely to fly off the shelves anyway, given that the average Mac buyer’s mindset revolves less around raw specifications and more around the identity of owning a Mac rather than a Windows PC.

At $599, Apple’s MacBook Neo is being called a “shock to the entire industry.” Do you think it’s worth it? Let me know in the comments!

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Despite Microsoft’s meteoric rise, and one that made Bill Gates a billionaire, the same co-founder admitted he didn’t truly see the company as a success until the late 1990s, and often felt just one mistake away from death.

Microsoft isn’t called the software giant for nothing. Long before the razzle-dazzle of AI and Copilot, its bread and butter were Office and Windows, and they still are — driving broad adoption worldwide. That dominance helped transform Microsoft into a Fortune 500 powerhouse, with a market capitalization of $3.05 trillion at the time of writing.

Recently, CEO Satya Nadella seemingly expressed his gratitude to Intel and Apple for helping contribute to Windows and Microsoft Office's success in an interview with Morgan Stanley, though, as pointed out by our friends at PC Gamer, Nadella was specifically talking about the early days.

Back then, “Wintel” was a common term because MS-DOS was built for IBM PCs running Intel chips. For years afterward, Microsoft’s operating system became the default for home computing on Intel PCs.

They explain how Excel was first released on Mac, and the first GUI version of Word also debuted there before Windows. That likely happened because Apple’s original graphical OS, System 1, was more user-friendly (and popular) than Microsoft’s post-DOS Windows 1.0.

That said, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella indicated that the company was moving away from Bill Gates' software factory vision. "That idea has guided us for decades," Nadella admitted. "But today, it's no longer enough."

The company is now doubling down on its efforts across security, quality, and AI transformation as its core business priorities.

💬 Does Microsoft still hold the fort in productivity?

Nadella’s views almost echo Apple's recent unveiling of its $599 MacBook Neo. In a promotional demo, Apple highlighted Word, PowerPoint, and Excel as the most-used apps, underscoring the software’s enduring dominance in productivity.

Even I juggle between Windows and macOS as my daily drivers, though lately I’ve admittedly been leaning toward the latter — maybe it’s the hype around the new MacBook Pro with its M5 Pro chip?

Still, when it comes to productivity, I rely more on Microsoft Office. Years of using Windows have made me appreciate its simplicity and the seamless integration across apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. That said, investors have begun voicing concerns over Microsoft’s heavy spending on AI with little return so far, especially after growth in Azure and Microsoft 365 apps fell well below expectations last quarter.

Microsoft recently highlighted its commitment to make Windows 11 better in 2026 based on user feedback and even reevaluating its AI strategy, which may include streamlining its user experience across its ecosystem and even removing Copilot in apps like Notepad and Paint.

What do you think about Microsoft's current strategy with Windows and Microsoft Office? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.

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At this point, it's hard to have missed Apple’s reveal of the $599 MacBook Neo, which definitely targets laptop buyers on a budget.

With a price tag like that, it should be an appealing package to macOS users (and those who never tried it). That, and it might put real pressure on the Windows laptop market, lighting "monstrous fire" for competition, as our Senior Editor Zac Bowden predicts.

Then again, maybe Microsoft needn't worry too much, because even Apple couldn't resist a shout-out for iconic Office apps in Microsoft 365 during a video demo of the MacBook Neo.

In a brief look at the laptop's recently used apps in macOS, Microsoft Word appears before being on the Start menu equivalent's dock, where it stays. Apple’s own equivalent, Pages, is notably absent. Score.

Did Apple say the quiet part out loud?

Now I have to make a small, possibly terrifying self-admission. I generally prefer Apple's hardware, especially compared to many Windows laptops. However, for software, I still use Windows 11 as my main operating system. Yes, I understand the hypocrisy, considering I'm part of Windows Central — I get it.

That being said, seeing Microsoft’s apps in the spotlight during Apple’s MacBook Neo demo was certainly something to behold, and it isn't the first time Apple has highlighted Office either. If you didn't know, Apple has its own "iWork" suite, which includes Pages (like Word), Keynote (PowerPoint), and Numbers (Excel).

Adding a fun touch of irony to the situation, three of the most-used apps shown on the MacBook Neo were Microsoft's, including the very same trio of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Can it be implied that Apple acknowledges how more people use Microsoft Office's suite of apps over their own iWork? Maybe.

I mean, Apple even shows Microsoft Word being dragged onto the dock, where it will presumably live permanently, quietly taunting Pages over what will likely never be.

So, despite Apple offering direct competitors, many still rely on Microsoft’s long-established Office apps. Universities and broader education also play a role here, as many provide students with free access to Office, which is the exact audience Apple is targeting with the MacBook Neo.

In the interest of fairness, Apple shifts things slightly in its shorter 35-second TV spot. In that version, the MacBook’s dock shows Apple’s full iWork suite instead, with no Office apps in sight. Microsoft gets the feature-length slot.

🗨️ A quiet admission or just standard marketing?

Did Apple really show how dominant Microsoft Office apps are, or was the MacBook Neo simply showing that it can run the apps students are familiar with? Does it put the Windows laptop market in any danger for the same reason?

Let me know in the comments!

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Apple just announced its $599 MacBook Neo, which I was eagerly waiting to see if it might shake up the ~$600 Windows laptop market any more than Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processors did. I've always found that pricing was the biggest roadblock to trying macOS, and it's the primary reason why I never built much of an opinion of its operating system.

iPad and iPhone variants have appeared several times in my life, and I can appreciate what Apple can achieve when it refines its best hardware as close to perfection as possible. Still, I've never picked up any model of MacBook, iMac, or even the far more reasonable Mac mini like one of my colleagues, because the prices never seem to match the specs — that much seemingly hasn't changed.

But, wait! Before we all get into a heated discussion about the implied efficiency benefits of macOS, and how it supposedly makes better use of lower-end hardware (something I've only been able to take at face value), let me at least explain the reason for my apprehension. There are Windows laptops with higher specs available for the same price, and that's where my mind goes first.

As a Windows guy, 8GB of unified memory certainly seems slim, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone buy a laptop with Windows 11 with the same count. My Surface Pro X (SQ1) already struggles when a few browser tabs eat up most of its RAM at the same capacity. Maybe MacBook users can educate me on what Apple has achieved here, but for now, I have a bigger, provable concern.

Is 256GB enough, even in a cloud-centric world?

I was hoping this long-rumored, affordable MacBook would have at least 512GB of (advertised) storage, but the trending $599 price tag locks us into an entry-level 256GB model with a Magic Keyboard — one that lacks Apple's Touch ID for biometric logins. Is that really enough, even for a "breakthrough" price tag?

Again, I'm painfully aware of how much I lack hands-on MacBook experience, which is a big reason why I'm writing this plea to any reader who might be able to clue me in (especially if you use both macOS and Windows). Looking around community support posts, I see comments that the latest macOS build (Tahoe) uses around 25GB for its core system and 30–60GB+ for system data.

It's no better with a fresh, space-harvesting install of Windows 11, and that's why I wouldn't suggest the same storage space would work on Microsoft's side either. Bump that MacBook Neo up to 512GB of storage, and we're looking at a $699 price tag, still relying on 8GB of unified memory. Even from an angle of intrigue and potential comparisons, this feels egregious — or is it?

I'm genuinely asking, because otherwise I'm failing to see the appeal. Can Apple's raw brand power outweigh the importance of specs to this extreme degree? In our initial coverage of the MacBook Neo announcement, Zac Bowden spoke on the average Mac buyer's mentality, saying, "Owning a Mac is less about the raw specs and more about it being a Mac, and not a Windows PC."

This is Qualcomm's stomping ground

Even if it were the case that Apple's operating system had a greater raw appeal than Windows, just on reputation and status alone (which isn't completely unbelievable, given community responses to things like Start menu changes), the MacBook Neo still doesn't feel cheap enough to sway me into directly comparing macOS against Windows and Linux with my own money.

If you came to me as a friend looking for a new laptop with $600 in your pocket, I'd point you towards ASUS' stellar Zenbook A14, previously seen with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $599 during one of its historical discounts. That, or walk them into Best Buy and show them matching storage specs in a 14-inch Dell Inspiron or some other affordable alternative.

Then again, I'm predicting comments that the MacBook Neo isn't supposed to be compared to a similarly-spec'd Windows laptop, because they're.. too different from one another(?) I can buy that to a point, but if anyone is drawn to Apple for its creator-centric advertising, then I'm not sure where they're saving their art, music, videos, or anything else outside of the cloud.

If creativity were your priority, I'd have pushed you towards an iPad before this Windows laptop vs. MacBook discussion even started anyway. At least you'd get a touchscreen and one of the best stylus experiences I've had to date, but then we'd be splitting hairs. For now, I'm passing on Apple's operating system for at least another year.

🗨️ Are you a macOS user with any insight into Apple's market potential with the MacBook Neo?

Maybe you can help me understand the appeal of macOS with specs like this. Does the OS offer enough advantages that seemingly low-end storage and memory won't matter, or is this more of an answer to Chromebooks?

Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear some first-hand opinions from anyone who uses both Apple's OS and Windows.

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It's official. Apple is making a $599 MacBook, and it's going to shake up the midrange Windows laptop space in a major way. Officially dubbed "MacBook Neo," this new low-cost macOS laptop is everything your everyday Joe or Jane would ever need from a computer in 2026.

MacBook Neo features a 13-inch display and is powered by the A18 Pro SoC, the same chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro series of phones. This chip offers similar performance to that of the Apple M1 SoC, which is still widely regarded as one of the best value-for-money SoCs you can find in a device.

Of course, that $599 price tag is the star of the show. While MacBook Neo makes several cuts to reach that price, such as removing the backlit keyboard and only coming with 8GB RAM, to most mainstream buyers, this is unlikely to deter them.

You can definitely get a more capable, perhaps even more powerful Windows laptop for $599. It would likely have more RAM and storage, but to most mainstream laptop buyers, none of this truly matters. Owning a Mac is less about the raw specs and more about it being a Mac, and not a Windows PC.

One of the reasons Windows laptops are so popular is that they're cheap. MacBooks have historically never been considered to be affordable laptops, but that changes with MacBook Neo. Because of this, someone who had no choice but to buy a midrange Windows laptop in the past now has the option of buying a MacBook.

And because Windows 11's reputation is at an all-time low, people are looking to jump ship from Windows more than ever. With millions of Windows 10 users running unsupported hardware, a $599 MacBook is going to look ever so appetising. The timing couldn't be better for Apple.

In fact, it's clear that Apple is anticipating a lot of Windows users to make the switch. It even has a dedicated "Switch to Mac" tab on the MacBook Neo page, advertising just how easy it is to move from a Windows PC to MacBook Neo.

For those of us who don't like macOS, nothing really changes today. But for the large percentage of people who only use a Windows laptop because they had to or couldn't afford a MacBook, there's now an affordable and easy way of attaining a new MacBook from Apple.

Windows OEMs are going to feel the heat, too. For years, OEMs have gotten away with shipping what can essentially be described as e-waste in this price bracket, with a few exceptions, of course. Most new $599 laptops from HP, Lenovo, Dell, or any of the other big-name brands aren't going to hold a candle to the desirability of a brand-new Mac laptop at the same price. (Although when the ASUS Zenbook A14, one of our top Windows laptops, drops to $599, it's an amazing value.)

If I were Microsoft, I'd be on full-blown panic alert at this point. Unlike Chrome OS, which was never desirable even at lower price points, a full-blown macOS laptop at $599 is a serious threat to Windows. Young people are going to flock to this, and it's going to sell like hotcakes, not giving Windows laptops even a second thought. As those young people grow up, they're only going to want to use Mac laptops as they become adults, and Windows will slowly but surely lose all relevance outside specific use cases such as gaming and enterprise.

Do you think the Windows laptop market should be worried about a $599 MacBook?

Of course, not everyone will agree with my analysis. I'm sure some of you think that a $599 MacBook won't make a dent in the midrange Windows laptop market. If that's what you think, be sure to let me know why in the comments.

As things currently stand though, I can't help but think this is nothing but bad news for the Windows ecosystem and Microsoft. I'd honestly be shocked if this $599 MacBook doesn't make a dent in the Windows laptop market.

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Since the demise of Windows Phone nearly a decade ago, I've been bouncing between Android and iOS, attempting to settle into one ecosystem. I'm currently in an iPhone cycle, complete with a set of AirPods Pro that I actually enjoy using.

Well, I enjoy using them most of the time, anyway. You probably already know where this is going. Connecting AirPods to a Windows PC is not always a fun experience. While they seemed to work fairly well on Windows 10, changes to the audio codec in Windows 11 have created some annoying issues. Slow or failed connections, lagging audio, unwanted idling; that sort of thing.

👉 Are Apple AirPods good earbuds for Windows users?

It's not entirely Microsoft's fault, of course. Apple's hardware is designed to work with other Apple hardware, at least if you want the full experience. Many of the perks I enjoy when my AirPods are connected to my iPhone, like immediate pairing, adaptive audio, and noise cancellation control, are missing when I'm using them with my Windows 11 PC.

It's just something I've put up with, but now I feel like an idiot for living like this for so long after learning about a MagicPods app (via XDA). It's an app available via the Microsoft Store, and it costs $1.99 for a one-time purchase. There's also a free trial that I used (and you can use) to test the app, but it's working well enough that a full buy is basically a no-brainer.

The MagicPods app relies on a MagicAAP driver to run advanced AirPods features on Windows 11. The driver is, unfortunately, not signed, which means you must put Windows into test mode to install it. This can cause security risks or interfere with gaming anti-cheat tools. There is a community-signed driver available that doesn't require test mode, though it too may get flagged by Microsoft Defender or interfere with anti-cheat. My advice? Don't install the driver on a gaming or company-managed PC to avoid issues.

The MagicPods app experience on Windows 11

After downloading the MagicPods app from the Microsoft Store, I grabbed the community-signed MagicAAP driver (which doesn't require Windows to be put into test mode) and installed it using the official instructions from the MagicPods website.

I then launched the MagicPods app, clicked Connect (my AirPods were already paired to my laptop), and let the app take over. An immediate connection? Yup. A little animated window showing battery status for the AirPods and case? You bet.

I was expecting these changes; what I wasn't expecting were the myriad customization options available through the app. Practically every setting I care about is here and can be tweaked, including the press speed of the physical buttons, noise cancellation, ear detection behavior, and low battery warning threshold.

Perhaps the most noticeable change is that there's no longer that awful audio delay when you hit play on your music or video, something I've put up with for far too long. My AirPods immediately begin sounding off when I click Play. Awesome.

Putting my AirPods back in the case and pulling them out again saw them reconnect to my PC almost immediately, even with my iPhone at my side. There's still a bit of a delay as my laptop's Bluetooth abilities catch up, but it's better than what I used to experience: failed connections, painfully slow connections, etc.

The app has a built-in dark mode, which I love, and there's a long list of customizable hotkeys you can set up for easier control over your wireless audio setup. Whether or not you enable hotkeys, the app's most important controls can all be handled from the tray icon.

Is the MagicPods app worth $1.99?

The creator of the app, Aleksandr Maslov, says the app works with AirPods, Beats, "fake AirPods with Airoha chips," a handful of Sony models, and some other headphones. I haven't tested anything other than my AirPods, but you might have some luck elsewhere. The app can work on a Steam Deck via the Decky Loader, which I'm sure a lot of people will love.

The creator also adds that the app involves "no data collection, no ads, no subscriptions, no paid content. Just a convenient tool that works offline. And yes—no AI."

With these promises in mind, and with my own experience coming out quite smoothly, MagicPods is absolutely an app I can recommend to most people who hate how AirPods function with Windows 11.

The only qualm I have with the app is its unsigned driver and community-signed alternative. I don't recommend you use the app on a company- or school-managed laptop, nor do I recommend using it on a gaming PC lest your anti-cheat throws up a false positive.

Now, excuse me while I go listen to the new Johnny Blue Skies album while further tweaking my audio setup via the MagicPods app.

What do you think about the MagicPods app?

Is the MagicPods app something you can see using with your Windows PC? Are you already using it? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments section!

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In 2024, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence as its contender in the rapidly evolving generative AI landscape, positioning it against rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini.

However, the company failed to deliver its promise, prompting users to troll its AI strategy as vaporware, as it has only shipped trivial features like Writing Tools and Image Playground. Consequently, the tech giant was dragged to court for allegedly using "false" Apple Intelligence ads to drive iPhone 16 sales.

Apple execs, including Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi and Global VP of Marketing, Greg Joswiak, later revealed that the company hasn't shipped Apple Intelligence yet because it was concurrently developing two versions of the offering.

The company discovered that the first version of Apple Intelligence was consistent of critical limitations that wouldn't allow it to meet their customers' expectations. As such, the company abandoned the efforts to focus on the second version, where Federighi only vowed to discuss the status of its AI strategy when the V2 architecture was already delivering in-house, beyond mere video demonstrations.

Earlier today, Apple announced that it is partnering with Google to supercharge its AI-powered features with Gemini, including a major Siri upgrade, which is slated to ship later this year, potentially with the company's new lineup of iPhones.

As such, Apple's foundational models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology. This news doesn't come as a surprise, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple and Google were already in early discussions about the deal in August 2025, further suggesting that Apple would have to pay $1 billion a year to power its models with Google's AI.

But Apple's new AI deal affirms Google's dominance in the AI space and mobile, overshadowing OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot's chances to have their day in the sun.

In 2019, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates admitted that his greatest mistake during his tenure as CEO was losing the mobile space to Android, which cost the company $400 billion. Google seized the opportunity and now owns Android, making it easy to integrate its advanced AI capabilities across its wide user base.

It's evident that Microsoft is facing a difficult time driving engagement and users to its Copilot offering. This is despite the fact that the AI tool is based on the same technology as ChatGPT.

The software giant is seemingly doubling down on its AI efforts, with plans to evolve its Windows operating system into an agentic OS. The move has been received with backlash, suggesting that users aren't particularly excited about the idea, potentially due to the privacy and security issues riddling the technology.

It remains to be seen how Microsoft plans to drive more interest and engagement in Copilot; perhaps its chances might have been a tad better if Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's strategic mistake of pulling the plug on Windows Phone. But I guess we'll never know...

The new deal also raises concerns about Apple's partnership with OpenAI. In 2024, the iPhone maker announced that it was integrating ChatGPT into SIri to handle complex queries. .

Will Microsoft be able to catch a break in the mobile landscape with Copilot after Apple just partnered with Google to power its AI efforts? Share your thoughts in the comments and cast your vote in the poll!

Competition in the generative AI landscape is becoming fierce, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declaring "code red" as Google's Gemini 3 threatens ChatGPT's massive market share. But Google isn't the only top AI research lab making significant leaps in the ever-evolving sector amid claims that we're in an bubble, which could burst anytime.

Apple might be consider a late-bloomer in the AI landscape compared to its rivals like OpenAI, which Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella claims had a 2-year runway to build ChatGPT uncontested. Until now, the iPhone maker has only shared shiny demos, highlighting what users should expect from its Apple Intelligence strategy. However, it has only delivered trivial AI features like Writing Tools.

However, the company is making strategic moves to ensure that it is equipped with the best AI talent to bolster its AI advances and development. More recently, Apple hired Amar Subramanya, who served as the Corporate Vice President at Microsoft AI.

Perhaps more interestingly, Subramanya was only at Microsoft four months after departing from Google, where he worked as the Vice President of Engineering for over 16 years.

Subramanya is now Apple's Vice President of AI. Coincidentally, his appointment comes after Apple announced that John Giannandrea retirement as senior vice president for machine learning and AI at Apple.

He'll report to Craig Federighi and will help spearhead critical operations within Apple, including Apple Foundation Models, ML research, AI Safety and Evaluation.

According to Apple:

"Subramanya brings a wealth of experience to Apple, having most recently served as corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft, and previously spending 16 years at Google, where he was head of engineering for Google’s Gemini Assistant prior to his departure. His deep expertise in both AI and ML research and in integrating that research into products and features will be important to Apple’s ongoing innovation and future Apple Intelligence features."

The change in Apple's AI leadership doesn't entirely comes as a surprise. The iPhone maker has faced major challenges and setbacks in the AI space, making it difficult to compete against rivals like Microsoft and OpenAI.

According to a Bloomberg report from earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that he had "lost confidence in the ability of AI head John Giannandrea to execute on product development," prompting him to discharge Siri's revamp to other executives.

Apple reshuffling leadership in it AI division is expected to expedite advances in the landscape, possibly allowing it to catch-up with its competitors. The company's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, and Global VP of Marketing, Greg Joswiak revealed that they were developing to versions of the revamped Siri simultaneously, but both fell below expectations, making it difficult to deliver Apple Intelligence within the communicated timeline.

Major tech corporations are scrambling to embrace generative AI, even as critics warn it may be a fleeting trend. Speculations suggest that investor enthusiasm may be waning, potentially forcing them to redirect their capital toward more promising opportunities.

However, NVIDIA is seemingly making the most out of the AI bubble, as it briefly became the world's first company to hit $5 trillion in market valuation. The chipmaker's success can be primarily attributed to the rise in demand for AI chips to facilitate sophisticated advances and development in the ever-evolving landscape.

On Wednesday, NVIDIA's shares rose by more than 3%, causing its market capitalization to cross the coveted $5 trillion threshold (via CNBC). This news doesn't come as a surprise, as the chipmaker's market capitalization has been steadily growing as demand for AI chips increases.

After the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, NVIDIA surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalization, swiftly rising to $2 trillion in February 2024, and then $3 trillion in June later that year. In June this year, the chipmaker became the first $4 trillion company in the world, followed by Microsoft and Apple.

And as it now seems, the sky is no longer the limit for the chipmaker, as it recently hit the $5 trillion market valuation threshold. It doesn't appear that the company will be stopping anytime soon...

For context, CEO Jensen Huang recently revealed that the company expects up to $500 billion in AI chip orders. In 2023, NVIDIA was named the most profitable semiconductor chip brand in the world, with Microsoft and Facebook's Meta among its A-list clients.

Despite concerns that the world is trapped in an AI bubble that is poised to burst, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang dismissed these claims. The executive indicated that the boom in the AI landscape is driven by real demand, not speculation (via artificial intelligence on IG).

The executive claims that AI will stand the test of time, revolutionizing innovation at a global scale for decades. He says the technology will be as revolutionary (if not more) that the rise of the internet rather than just a passing fad.

FAQ

Windows 10's decade-long run ended on October 14, 2025, when Microsoft pulled full support for the OS. Windows 10's End-of-Life status means that it no longer receives important security updates — barring a few steps on your side — driving users to search out a new Windows 11 PC.

At least, that's the idea that Microsoft had in mind. It has spent a significant amount of money marketing Windows 11 as the next best thing, but users have been hesitant to make the switch.

👉 Related: Windows 11 dominates PCs, yet users keep finding reasons to hate it

A study published in July suggested that roughly 50% of Windows users were still on Windows 10, and despite the cutoff date for the OS having come and gone, I suspect there are a lot of people who haven't yet made the change.

Or, perhaps, those Windows 10 users have simply found somewhere else to compute.

A new study from Counterpoint Research (via Tom's Hardware) suggests that the end of Windows 10 is actually pushing previous Windows users towards macOS, which runs on Apple's MacBooks.

Apple's global PC shipments rose by an impressive 14.9% in Q3 2025 compared to the same quarter in 2024, which Counterpoint suggests is "thanks to popular new MacBook models and enterprise adoption."

Indeed, MacBooks are becoming ever more popular for enterprise customers, especially as the AI boom has introduced an entirely new sector of users and employees. Fan of Apple or not, it's hard to deny the power and efficiency of Apple's custom ARM-based silicon.

No matter the root cause, seeing Apple's global shipments climb by more than all but one of the major Windows PC manufacturers around the same time that Microsoft pulled support for Windows 10 is surprising.

Lenovo has gained the most from the end of Windows 10

It's important to point out that global PC shipments rose by 8.1% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year, which Counterpoint aptly states was mainly driven by Windows 10 End-of-Life (EoL).

The study also suggests that just less than 40% of PC users are still using Windows 10, naturally down from a few months ago, as users made last-minute switches to a modern Windows 11 PC.

Apple might have shipped 15% more MacBooks in Q3 2025 compared to 2024, but it's not at the top of Counterpoint's list.

Global PC shipments in the third quarter of 2025 benefited Lenovo the most, which saw a 17% increase in sales year over year. Lenovo has been all-in on AI for years, and the company's Executive VP and President of Intelligent Devices, Luca Rossi, believes Lenovo is primed to take over the market completely.

ASUS, which has lately made some of our favorite Windows laptops — including one of the lightest and longest-lasting notebooks of 2025 — also made a 14% gain in Q3, while HP hit a 10% increase year over year.

Unfortunately, Dell's global PC shipments fell by 1% in Q3 2025. Counterpoint suggests this was due to "more cautious enterprise buying in its core segments." It's fun to entertain the idea that Dell's massive January 2025 rebrand, which killed XPS, Inspiron, and more, had something to do with it.

However, HP also rebranded its entire PC lineup in 2024, and it has only grown since then, according to Counterpoint's research.

Altogether, the five major brands — Apple, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo — make up about three-quarters of the global market. Counterpoint says that "smaller OEMs, by contrast, saw flat or declining volumes."

The AI PC boom is only beginning in 2025

Apple might have gained a chunk of users who are seeking refuge from the end of Windows 10, but Counterpoint Senior Analyst Minsoo Kang suggests that the AI PC boom is only getting started.

And it seems that it will benefit Windows PCs the most.

Counterpoint expects a "significant ramp-up in AI PC shipments" after 2026, and it will be powered mainly by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite silicon, Intel Panther Lake, and NVIDIA's collaborative chips, which are all being built for Windows laptops.

FAQ

Apple revealed its new M5 silicon for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro on October 15, 2025, roughly three weeks after Qualcomm unveiled its new Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme ARM-based chips for Windows PCs.

I'm not expecting to see any of Qualcomm's next-gen X2 Elite and Extreme chips arrive in PCs until early next year, and Apple is remaining tight-lipped regarding any performance benchmarks before the M5 officially arrives in the MacBook Pro 14 October 22.

Regardless, I've put together an early comparison of the Apple and Qualcomm chips, including some early leaked benchmark numbers.

Snapdragon X2 Elite vs. Apple M5: CPU performance

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite platform is divided into three parts. There's the flagship X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-96-100) System-on-Chip with 18 cores, clock speed up to 5GHz, GPU clock up to 1.85GHz, and 228GB/s memory bandwidth.

One step down is the X2 Elite (X2E-88-100) with the same 18 cores but a lower 4.7GHz clock speed and 1.7GHz GPU clock. Then there's the X2 Elite (X2E-80-100) with 12 cores, 4.7GHz clock speed, and 1.7GHz GPU clock. Both of the X2 Elite chips offer up to 152GB/s memory bandwidth.

The new Apple M5 is home to just one chip for now; if Pro and Max versions are on the way, Apple still hasn't made anything official. Like the X2 Elite chips, Apple's M5 is built using 3nm technology.

👉 Related: Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme vs. Apple M4

Apple lays claim to "the world's fastest performance core" in the M5, and there are up to four of them in the 10-core CPU option (the other six cores are of the efficiency type). Compared to the M4, Apple says this combination delivers up to 15% faster multithreaded performance.

The M5's memory bandwidth hits 153GB/s, which is 1GB/s faster than the X2 Elite chips and 75GB/s slower than the X2 Elite Extreme.

A recent Geekbench leak (via Tom's Hardware) shows the M5 in a MacBook Pro ahead of the X2 Elite Extreme chip for single-core workloads. The M5 hit 4,253 in the leaked single-core result, higher than the 4,080 score that Qualcomm provided.

However, the X2 Elite Extreme comes out ahead in multi-core testing, hitting a score of 23,491 compared to the M5's 17,862. The performance difference there is mainly based on the X2 Elite Extreme's extra 8 CPU cores, so this result is a lot closer than I imagine Qualcomm would like it to be.

Qualcomm has mainly provided X2 Elite Extreme performance numbers at this point, which makes it hard to compare the non-Extreme versions of the chip. However, it's safe to assume that the M5 will maintain its single-core supremacy while inching closer to overtaking multi-core performance.

Snapdragon X2 Elite vs. Apple M5: AI performance

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips kicked off the Copilot+ PC era thanks to the inclusion of a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with enough power to run local AI tasks smoothly.

With the new X2 Elite and Elite Extreme chips, the NPU has improved greatly, hitting 80 TOPS compared to 45 TOPS in the older hardware. That bump essentially prepares the chip for the future of local AI tasks, inside and outside of Copilot+.

Qualcomm shows off a Procyon AI Computer Vision score of 4,151 for the X2 Elite Extreme, besting Apple M4's score of 2,121.

But Apple has also improved its 16-core Neural Engine for the M5. It's optimized for Apple Intelligence tools, and it complements the Neural Accelerators in the CPU and GPU.

Apple hasn't yet provided numbers I can use for comparisons, so this section will have to wait for post-launch benchmarks. However, I do know that the M4 boasted 38 TOPS of power for AI, so the M5 should surpass that.

Snapdragon X2 Elite vs. Apple M5: GPU performance

Qualcomm has buffed its integrated Adreno GPU for the X2 Elite chips, significantly boosting the frequency and, in turn, performance.

For the X2 Elite Extreme, Qualcomm used 3DMark's Solar Bay benchmark — which tests performance in ray-traced games — to test. The chip hit a score of 90.06. To compare, Apple's last-gen M4 scored 62.7 in the same test.

Within the Windows world, the X2 Elite Extreme's new GPU, combined with increased ARM compatibility in popular anti-cheat systems, has the potential to make gaming a whole lot easier on the next generation of Snapdragon laptops.

According to Apple, the M5 represents "the next big leap in AI performance" for its custom silicon. Thanks to a redesigned 10-core GPU architecture and a Neural Accelerator within each core, it's touted as being capable of delivering more than four times the peak GPU compute power than the M4.

Buffed M5 shader cores are also expected to boost graphics performance by about 30% compared to the M4, and a new ray tracing engine should boost performance by up to 45%. That puts it roughly in line with the X2 Elite Extreme's early benchmark numbers.

External display support continues to favor Qualcomm. The M5 in the MacBook Pro can support up to dual 6K@60Hz displays, each running on Thunderbolt 5. It can also run one 6K@60Hz display and one 4K@144Hz display at the same time using Thunderbolt and HDMI. For one display, the ceiling is 4K@240Hz or 8K@60Hz.

The X2 Elite series can run up to three 4K displays each at 144Hz, or three 5K displays each at 60Hz.

Snapdragon X2 Elite vs. Apple M5: More to come

I plan to revisit this comparison once more information becomes available, but for now, it's looking like the flagship X2 Elite Extreme has some serious competition from Apple's baseline M5 chip.

It will be interesting to see how Apple's M5 Pro and Max versions, if they do arrive, compare as well to these chips, and I'm also looking forward to the potential of Qualcomm releasing something more powerful than the X2 Elite Extreme.

In an 8-minute-long ad titled "The Underdogs: BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) | Apple at Work", Apple attempts to assert its dominance in the operating system landscape, promoting macOS as a superior alternative to Microsoft's Windows, particularly in terms of security.

It places two startups, The Underdogs and Seaweed Packaging Solutions, against each other in a trade show called Container Con. The goal is simple — "find Trev Smith," the buyer of all Daily Organic Grocery, and make a compelling pitch that could potentially secure a 2 million bag sale (via Windows Latest).

Apple consistently and strategically markets its entire ecosystem across the entire ad film, showcasing how they neatly complement each other. However, the film takes a different turn during the trade show.

Despite using Macs for their workflow, The Underdogs seem to have a decided competitive disadvantage over Seaweed Packaging solution. Unfortunately, they encounter a PC outage and the Blue Screen of Death, which threatens their chances of securing the 2 million eco-friendly bags sale.

Consequently, this flips things back in The Underdogs' favor, as their Macs aren't affected by the massive outage. At this point, the ad film takes a different approach and seemingly turns into an anti-PC campaign, touting Macs as more secure and dependable, since they aren't susceptible to outages and critical issues like BSODs.

The Underdogs get a winning streak and their sales are off the roof, while Seaweed Packaging solution bump heads trying to circumvent the BSoD issue. "Did you try unplugging it? Maybe try yelling at it," the startup suggested.

Ultimately, The Underdogs end up winning the competition and securing the 2 million bag sale with Trev Smith. Funny enough, Smith says that his decision is solely based on the fact that they helped Seaweed Packaging solution out of a tough spot by advising them to "upgrade" to Macs, which are less susceptible to such kind of issues.

According to Trev Smith:

"I saw what you did. You had this competition on the ropes, and instead of going for the slam dunk, you helped them. Now, some of you might call that altruistic, supportive, even confident, but I wouldn't. I would call it foolish, weak, and naive, which makes you exactly the kind of people I want to be in business with."

The Crowdstrike saga continues to haunt Microsoft

Earlier this year, Microsoft changed the iconic blue error screen to a simplified black. The goal behind this move is to ensure third-party security software follows the new rules designed to stop bad updates and drivers from taking down the OS.

Last year, a buggy CrowdStrike software update left over 8.5 million Windows devices with Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors for hours. Businesses and users pointed fingers at Microsoft, but this wasn't the cause.

This consequently prompted the tech giant to implement new measures to prevent the issue, including restricting security software like CrowdStrike's Falcon from accessing Windows 11 at a kernel level.

Still, the tech giant continued to face harsh criticism, with Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian referring to it as "the most fragile platform" and potentially hinting that the company could be taking its business elsewhere. "When was the last time you heard of a big outage at Apple?" Bastian concluded.

While it's clear that Microsoft wasn't responsible for the buggy CrowdStrike update, Apple is still capitalizing on the situation to persuade Windows users to switch over to its ecosystem.

Qualcomm announced its new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip on September 24 at its annual Summit in Hawaii, and the press — including our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino — attended a live benchmarking session to analyze performance.

The second-generation ARM64-based chips from Qualcomm provide strong competition for Apple's M4 series of chips, which are also based on the ARM architecture.

While I won't have any real-world performance numbers until laptops with the X2 Elite Extreme chip launch early next year, I can provide details as to how they're expected to compare against the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Systems-on-Chip (SoC) are designed to incorporate a processor (CPU), graphics (GPU), and Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and that's what I've focused on in this comparison.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme vs. Apple M4: CPU performance

Qualcomm uses a "reference design" laptop with 48GB of embedded RAM for these tests, so it's worth noting that the X2 Elite Extreme that OEMs use in their own laptops might differ depending on thermal and power designs.

Nevertheless, the X2 Elite Extreme's Oryon CPU comes out ahead of the Apple M4 — tested in a 14-inch MacBook Pro in this case — when benchmarked using Geekbench 6.5.

The X2 Elite Extreme scored 4,080 points compared to the M4's 3,872 points for single-core, and Qualcomm's chip also came out ahead of the M4 in multi-core, scoring 23,491 points compared to the M4's 15,146.

It's worth pointing out that the standard M4 has either 8 or 10 CPU cores, while the X2 Elite Extreme has 18 cores. It's unclear which version Qualcomm used for its comparison.

Apple's M4 Pro is likely a better comparison to the X2 Elite Extreme, sporting either 12 or 14 CPU cores. That pushes its Geekbench 6.5 multi-core score to around 22,500 points, which is still about 1,000 behind the Qualcomm chip.

For Geekbench 6.5 single-core, the M4 Pro usually hits around 3,800-3,900 points. The X2 Elite Extreme remains out front with a score of 4,080.

Apple's top-tier M4 Max chip with 14 or 16 CPU cores can achieve multi-core Geekbench 6.5 scores beyond 25,000 points, placing it well ahead of the X2 Elite Extreme's 23,491 posting.

However, the X2 Elite Extreme continues to best the M4 Max in single-core, where Apple's chip generally tops out at about 3,850-3,900 points.

TL;DR: Qualcomm's X2 Elite Extreme beats the Apple M4 and M4 Pro in Geekbench 6.5 tests. It also bests the M4 Max's single-core benchmark, though the M4 Max comes out ahead in multi-core testing.

What about Cinebench?

Qualcomm also provided some benchmark numbers for Cinebench 2024, which again measure single- and multi-core CPU performance.

In Qualcomm's reference laptop, the X2 Elite Extreme hit a 162 single-core score and a 1,988 multi-core score.

Using similar performance ranges for Apple's full line of M4 chips, I can see that the X2 Elite Extreme comes in below single-core scores by about 10-15 points.

Multi-core results are a different story, with the X2 Elite Extreme besting the 10-core M4 and 14-core M4 Pro, only falling behind the 16-core M4 Max by about 60 to 70 points.

TL;DR: Qualcomm's X2 Elite Extreme falls slightly behind the M4 lineup in single-core Cinebench 2024 scores, but bests the 10-core M4 and 14-core M4 Pro in multi-core results. The 16-core M4 Max remains at the top for multi-core scores.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme vs. Apple M4: NPU performance

The NPU is designed specifically to run AI locally, and it's becoming ever more important as AI PC features ramp up.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme features an NPU with 80 TOPS of power, which is currently unmatched by Intel, AMD, and Apple. M4 chips have an NPU with 38 TOPS of power.

Using the Procyon AI Computer Vision benchmark, Qualcomm showed off a score of 4,151. Apple's M4 managed a score of 2,121.

In Geekbench AI 1.5, the X2 Elite Extreme topped out at a score of 88,919. The M4 generally sits at around 52,000.

TL;DR: The NPU in the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme with 80 TOPS easily beats the NPU of 38 TOPS in Apple M4 chips.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme vs. Apple M4: GPU performance

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme contains an integrated Adreno GPU that has received a substantial upgrade compared to the first-gen X Elite chips. It's more than twice as strong as its predecessor, and it now supports ray tracing.

Qualcomm's testing using a reference laptop shows the X2 Elite Extreme hitting a 90.06 score in 3DMark's Solar Bay benchmark (great for testing ray tracing), trouncing the Apple M4's score of 62.7.

The M4 Pro with a 20-core GPU, however, hits about 126.1, keeping it ahead of the X2 Elite Extreme. The Apple M4 Max GPU with either 32 or 40 cores remains the top dog.

Turning to 3D Mark's Steel Nomad Light test, Qualcomm posts a high score of 42.61. The standard M4 chip won't touch that; however, the M4 Pro with 20-core GPU bests it with a 58.1 score.

TL;DR: The X2 Elite Extreme's integrated GPU bests that of the Apple M4, but M4 Pro and M4 Max chips score higher in Solar Bay and Steel Nomad Light benchmarks.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme vs. Apple M4: Major takeaways

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme demonstrates a massive upgrade over the original X Elite lineup, and it's now better positioned than ever to take on the awesome M4 lineup from Apple.

These early performance numbers show the X2 Elite Extreme ahead of the M4 and M4 Pro in terms of CPU performance, with the M4 Max retaining its title in multi-core performance.

Qualcomm now has the most powerful NPU for local AI work at 80 TOPS, easily besting the 38 TOPS in the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max.

And for the GPU, the X2 Elite Extreme beats the M4 but falls behind the M4 Pro and M4 Max in the 3DMark results provided. I'll have more information to share once we can actually test the X2 Elite Extreme first-hand.

It's well worth noting that Apple plans to launch its next-gen M5 chips around the same time as the X2 Elite Extreme hits markets next year, providing a whole new set of numbers to pore over.

Hungry for more information? Check out my Snapdragon X2 Elite vs. X Elite comparison to see how the two generations compare.

Apple and Intel were once closely tied. Intel powered Apple’s line of Mac devices, and for years, the partnership looked solid.

Their history actually dates back to the 1990s with the secret Star Trek project, an early attempt to get Mac OS running on Intel processors. That effort never launched, but the two companies finally came together in 2005 when Steve Jobs announced at WWDC that Apple would transition from PowerPC to Intel chips. At the time, Intel’s processor roadmap looked far stronger, marking a major shift in Apple’s computing strategy.

Now, years after their split, Intel appears to be seeking Apple’s help once again.

In 2006, Apple launched its first Intel-based Macs. The iMac and MacBook Pro both shipped with Intel’s Core Duo processors, and by August of that year, Apple had already completed the transition across its entire Mac lineup.

Things looked strong for the partnership, but Apple was already planning ahead. In 2008, it acquired P.A. Semi for $278 million to develop custom ARM-based chips for mobile devices. This move marked the start of Apple’s long-term strategy to reduce its reliance on external chipmakers.

By 2010, Apple had introduced the A4 processor in the original iPad. It was a single-core chip running at 1GHz, a modest start that would see rapid improvement in the years that followed. By 2015 and 2016, Apple’s A9 series had arrived, and this is where the relationship with Intel began to show strain.

The relationship strain and the final break

Apple had already begun looking elsewhere to meet its LTE demands, turning to Qualcomm for support. By 2018, Intel struggled to keep up with Apple’s performance requirements.

In 2019, Apple acquired the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion. The deal gave Apple control over a key iPhone component, and later that year, Intel sold the rest of its modem business to Apple.

The real breaking point came in 2020 with the announcement of the M1 chipset. It was Apple’s first ARM-based processor for Macs, and it proved to be a breakthrough. The M1 was so successful that Apple fully discontinued the use of Intel processors in 2021.

Investments offer hope for Intel’s future

It’s no secret that Intel has struggled in recent years. Between 2021 and 2024, it lost market share to AMD and missed out on the AI boom dominated by Nvidia. During this period, Intel’s stock declined by more than 30%.

Even Intel’s leadership has been blunt about the situation. CFO David Zinsner admitted the company “fumbled the football” with its Arrow Lake CPUs, and CEO Lip-Bu Tan has warned there are no quick fixes for Intel’s problems.

Still, it’s not all bad news. SoftBank recently invested $2 billion in Intel, while the U.S. government acquired a 9.9% stake worth $8.9 billion. Nvidia has also invested $5 billion, giving it a 4% share in the company.

Now, according to reporting from Bloomberg, Intel has even approached Apple about a potential investment and closer collaboration. Talks are still in early stages, and there’s no guarantee of a deal, but it shows how far Intel is willing to go to secure its future.

Apple is reportedly building a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, over a decade after it first dismissed the touchscreen laptop category as being a fad. "You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user," Apple CEO Tim Cook famously said in an earnings call back in 2012.

According to reliable Apple leakster Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to put an OLED-based touchscreen MacBook Pro into production as soon as next fall. The device will likely run the full-blown version of macOS, and not iPadOS, meaning the Cupertino giant is planning to do the exact same thing Microsoft did with Surface and Windows 8 in 2012, and again in 2015 with Windows 10.

Famously, Windows 8 was met with strong criticism right out of the gate for being too touch focused. It was clearly designed for the new wave of 2-in-1 laptop touchscreen devices, but the world wasn't ready for such a category just yet. With hindsight, the touch experience that debuted on Windows 8 was ahead of its time. It was fast, fluid, and beautiful to look at and interact with.

Now, Apple is planning to do the exact same thing with macOS. Apple users have already noticed that the design of the latest OS version seems very touch-optimized, with buttons and general system elements now appearing larger with more empty space, as if to accommodate for finger input.

That could also be a result of Apple converging its design guidelines across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but it's clear that touch input design ideologies are finally making their way to the Mac platform. macOS can even run iPad apps, positioning the Mac as a contender for one of the best touchscreen laptop platforms out there.

For a long time, Apple fans have claimed that the idea of a touchscreen on a laptop makes no sense. I think that's an ignorant claim, from people who haven't actually used a touchscreen laptop before. Being able to reach out and confirm a dialog popup or dismiss a notification is liberating. You don't have to use the touchscreen all the time, but it's nice that it's there.

Of course, Apple has actually been building its own toaster fridges for years. The iPad Pro is Apple's stab at Microsoft's 2-in-1 idea, especially so today as iPadOS becomes more and more desktop-like. So, it's no surprise to me that Apple is finally considering adding a touchscreen to its flagship MacBook lineup, because they ultimately want to make the product better, and Microsoft already figured out how to do that years ago.

Microsoft released its first touchscreen computer in 2012 with the Surface RT and Surface Pro, though one might argue those were tablets with keyboard accessories like the iPad is today. It wasn't until 2015 where Microsoft launched its first touchscreen laptop with the Surface Book, which was an incredible device that I wish Microsoft still made to this day.

In 2017, Microsoft finally built a straight up laptop with a touchscreen. The Surface Laptop was, and still is, Windows' MacBook Air, but with a touchscreen, better display, more ports, and overall better design. Actually, the current Surface Laptop 7 is an overall better laptop than the MacBook Air M4 if you think about it. But I digress, Apple is finally on the right track when it comes to laptops.

What are your thoughts on Apple finally building a laptop that can compete with Surface when it comes to touch input? Let us know in the comments.

Windows 11's Widgets Board, launched in 2022, faces scrutiny as only 50 widgets clutter the space while a cumbersome news feed dominates. With Microsoft testing an AI-curated experience, users may be left questioning the board's true purpose.

And now Windows 11 users have another reason to be jealous of those on macOS. Apple just announced a new sports widget that extends the iOS and iPadOS experience to the desktop.

While the new sports widget on macOS is nice, it's not what taunts me and other Windows 11 users. Microsoft has actually had a sports widget available for quite some time on Windows 11. What's frustrating is that Apple has made an effort to promote widgets on macOS, which is a stark contrast to what Microsoft has done over the years and of late.

Microsoft first launched the widgets board on Windows 11 in 2022. Shockingly, it took until the end of 2023 for the tech giant to start testing the option to disable the news feed within the widgets board.

The widgets board doesn't feel like a dedicated section for useful tools. It feels like a billboard for MSN. For over a year it wasn't even possible to use widgets without seeing a news feed.

The most meaningful update to Widgets Board this year is the addition of an AI curated news feed that replaces the MSN feed — because that's what a Widgets Board needs, AI and more news. That update actually requires an extra click to even get to widgets.

The tabbed layout is still in testing, so Microsoft has a chance to shift back to presenting widgets first when you open the widgets panel. If the layout that's in testing ships to everyone, Microsoft should just rename the Widgets Board to "News Board." What kind of Widgets Board opens to everything except widgets by default?

A new app gap

Long-time readers are familiar with the app gap that plagued Windows Phone for years. A similar issue affected Windows 11, though the Microsoft Store is great in 2025 — with one glaring exception. The widgets section of the Microsoft Store looks like a shopping mall that's about to close down.

There are 50 widgets in the Microsoft Store. That's it. Many of those widgets are for niche use cases or variations of already existing widgets.

Even the widgets from well-recognized companies are poor. The Spotify widget just presents trending playlists. It doesn't even let you control the Spotify app on your PC.

There are some nice widgets available, including a handy package tracker. But overall, the selection is an embarrassment. HowToiSolve has a list of the 21 best widgets for macOS. A similar roundup for Windows 11 would include over 40% of all widgets available.

Considering there are several clock and calendar apps among the 50 widgets available, I doubt you could find 21 widgets worth trying at all.

Growing up, my home was always filled with the hum of multiple PCs. It wasn't uncommon for me to walk into our den only to see computer parts scattered on a table as my father, an electrical engineer, rebuilt PCs and updated them to suit our needs.

And for a time, Apple was part of that story, but then the rise of the "walled garden" turned us away from Apple computers forever, gradually moving to Microsoft.

Recently, while talking with my dad, I learned more about the exact moment when Apple changed from offering open PCs to closed ones. I found this historical retelling interesting, since I lived through it but wasn't old enough to internalize it, so I decided to relay it here.

Apple once offered open PCs, and this allowed my father to build one on a budget in the 80s

The first computer my father ever built was a Frankenstein’s monster of various Apple PC parts, made in 1982 when personal computers were rare and wildly expensive. At the age of 23, my dad was a broke college student with more ingenuity than cash. When the opportunity presented itself for him to customize an Apple II motherboard that had several mistakes on it, he jumped at the chance.

First, he cut traces and soldered dozens of jumper wires to make the motherboard usable. To build the rest of his computer, he ended up scouring catalogues and visiting Radio Shack to piece together a working machine, often with parts he had to socket or solder himself.

Remember, this is back when computer parts weren't as widely available, so he often had to rig his own setups. He was even lucky enough to come across people getting rid of an old monitor and a printer at different times. He loved the freedom this Apple machine gave him to make his own cards, utilize PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory) programmers, and plug in various devices so he could use the PC as desired.

You see, back then, Apple was open enough for hobbyists like my dad to reverse-engineer processes and customize its devices. He even created a custom EPROM to make a torndown keyboard he bought from a surplus store compatible with his 'Frankenstein machine'.

And when he couldn’t afford a case, he went to his college's wood shop, cut a case that perfectly fit his keyboard, and proudly drilled vent holes in the side in the shape of an “S” for Spear. This wooden case had a flat top so he could place a monitor on it.

All in all, he ended up only spending $800 (~$2,665 modern-day equivalent) to make this Frankenstein computer, while a comparable PC in 1982 would have cost him $2,400 (~$8,034 equiv.), insanely pricey for the time.

With this completed computer, he was able to use a word processor and a spreadsheet program to complete his homework while many of his classmates were using typewriters or handwriting their assignments.

The computer worked well and was still around by the time I was old enough to start using a computer several years later. Some of my earliest memories are of playing Donkey Kong on that machine, my tiny hands fumbling across a keyboard embedded in the wooden frame as the monitor displayed an orange gorilla on a black screen.

No one else I knew had a computer like this. It was a one-of-a-kind creation made possible via an open design that allowed my father to learn about PCs and create a machine that served his needs.

Apple put my family off its computers when the walled garden reared its head

But by the early to mid-90s, everything changed when Apple released a new Macintosh computer. My dad excitedly brought it home, opened the box, and realized the computer was sealed, unlike previous Apple PCs.

Of course, he opened it anyway, but only to find the parts on the motherboard were soldered rather than socketed, meaning users weren't meant to replace the parts.

Upon further investigation, he also discovered that the Macintosh used SCSI communications, a new proprietary protocol that was different from the known protocols of the time. What's more, Apple either wouldn't share its SCSI protocols or didn't know how to share them, meaning computer hobbyists, or engineers like my dad, couldn't upgrade or tweak them.

That was the moment Apple lost him and many of his engineering friends. As he told me recently, "Apple forces you to do it their way or no way."

MS-DOS, Windows, and Linux to the rescue

Soon thereafter, the Macintosh became the “kids’ computer,” which my brothers and I used to play basic games or draw the Cool S in drawing programs (you '90s kids know what I'm talking about). Meanwhile, my dad, dissatisfied with the Macintosh, bought an IBM PC, which was an MS-DOS device that was open and unsealed. It not only served his needs better, but caught my attention as well.

I remember playing far more interesting games like DOOM, Duke Nukem, Commander Keen, Street Fighter, Avoid the Noid, Wolfenstein, and more on that computer as he continued to tweak and customize it.

Over time, my father started acquiring "broken" computers and fixed them until we eventually had a fleet of machines. While I don't recall the exact day that it happened, I remember that we eventually had a den full of Windows 95 computers. I can't tell you how many hours I spent playing games like Age of Empires II against my brothers, drawing in MS Paint, or writing stories in Word in our home computer lab.

While Windows wasn't always perfect, my dad loved that he could swap parts, tweak software, and build systems that reflected his needs, not just Apple’s vision. This is also why he eventually was drawn to Linux.

As I grew up, I also gained an appreciation for open devices, and I prefer to build my own computers. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as an engineer, but I frequently upgrade the devices I own so they better suit my needs. The times I've used Apple PCs as an adult have been tedious and frustrating in comparison.

The walled garden is not for people who like customization.

Forcing limitations pushes your user base away

I found it interesting learning about the moment when Apple's walled garden first impacted my family and switched my dad from being an Apple PC user to a Microsoft PC user.

This decision ended up impacting my life and helping me learn more about computer customizations. More than anything, I believe people should have control over their tech, rather than it controlling what they can or can't do.

Windows isn't always the best when it comes to customizing, but it's a lot better than the tedious and frustrating limited experience Apple has on offer (and it offers far more widespread software compatibility than Linux).

I'll always fight to keep my PCs as customizable as possible.

Apple is rumored to be making a cheap MacBook, and the latest reports suggest it will feature a screen size of around 13-inches and cost as low as $599. Additionally, it sounds like Apple could be readying this cheap MacBook for launch as soon as this fall, timed perfectly with Windows 10's end of support.

Until now, new MacBook's from Apple have always costed upwards of $999, pricing them out of consideration for a large chunk of people. In recent months, we've seen sales that bring the excellent MacBook Air down to as low as $799, but we've never seen a new MacBook, sold directly by Apple, for anywhere near the $599 price point.

At that price, it takes square aim at the midrange Windows PC market, a segment that is dominated by Windows 10 PCs that are about to be out of support come October. For anyone looking to buy a new laptop to replace their aging Windows 10 one this year, a $599 is going to be darn near irresistible to pass up.

Apple launching a $599 MacBook is the nightmare scenario for Microsoft, who is eager to push as many Windows 10 users to Windows 11 as possible before the year ends. Lots of Windows users have been unhappy with Microsoft's conduct around Windows 11, especially when it comes to ads and bloat.

That means more people than ever are potentially looking to jump ship, and have been waiting for the right time to make the switch to something else. As millions of PCs are left unsupported by Microsoft this fall, a $599 MacBook is going to feel like being handed a life jacket on a sinking ship to many people.

So, what do we know about this $599 MacBook, and are there any Windows PCs that can even attempt to compete at this price point?

As things currently stand, we know Apple's cheap MacBook will be powered by an Apple A18 Pro SoC, the same chip that powers the current iPhone 16 Pro. This chip is plenty powerful, offering performance similar to that of Apple's M1 chip. The laptop is also expected to feature a 12.9-inch display, an ultra-thin and lightweight design, and come in a handful of fun colors.

Microsoft just recently launched its own cheaper Surface Laptop, featuring a similarly sized 13-inch display and Snapdragon X Plus SoC. However, this laptop comes in at $300 more than Apple's rumored cheap MacBook. Admittedly, the Snapdragon X Plus is quite a bit more capable than Apple's A18 Pro, but in day to day usage this will be unnoticeable to the average user, and might even result in better battery life on the MacBook.

Ultimately, to get a good laptop for anywhere near $599, you'll need to watch out for sales. For example, Samsung's Galaxy Book4 Edge, which features a Snapdragon X Plus and Full HD 15-inch display, is usually $899 but can be had for $579 right now. That's a great deal, but it still runs Windows, which I think a lot of people want to do away with right now.

That's the uphill battle that Windows OEMs and Microsoft are going to face in the wake of a $599 MacBook. It's not just whether or not the hardware is good, but if the OS is good too. Windows 11 has a rather undeserved poor reputation in the mainstream media, and no amount of hardware that competes with a $599 MacBook is going to change that.

So the onus lies on Microsoft to fix up Windows and improve its reputation to the point where people aren't looking to abandon it so willingly. People should love to use Windows, but I feel that for a lot of people, they've been using it because they can't afford anything else.

That's going to change if a $599 MacBook enters the scene. Timed perfectly with Windows 10's end of support, it's the perfect storm to shake up the midrange Windows market, and potentially steal a significant chunk of the Windows userbase in the process.

Of course, for Windows users that want anything more than a clamshell laptop, such as a 2-in-1 form factor or touchscreen, Windows laptops are still going to be your only choice. But if you're in the market for a straight up laptop, why would you choose a $599 Windows device over a $599 MacBook?

What are your thoughts on Apple's rumored $599 MacBook? Do you think the company has deliberately timed the release of such a device with Windows 10's end of support window? Let us know in the comments!

Apple's "Think Different" and "not first, but best" have been its worst enemies in the generative AI landscape. While its competitors like Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Google are making bank in the ever-evolving category, the iPhone maker hasn't made any significant headway, save for trivial features like Writing Tools.

Last year, during the annual WWDC event, the company promised to overhaul its digital assistant Siri with a flagship and next-gen AI experience. It also unveiled Apple Intelligence, the answer to Microsoft's Copilot, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Google's Gemini.

But it has now been well over a year and change since the iPhone maker made the promise, but it all seems to be vaporware. The company recently announced that it had delayed Apple Intelligence's launch to 2026 without an explanation.

However, this move has received backlash, with multiple users indicating that the company used false AI ads to push iPhone 16 sales. The company has landed itself on the wrong side of justice, battling the lawsuit.

More recently, Google capitalized on Apple's misfortunes with AI in a hilarious advertisement (soundtracked to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's The Next Episode banger) for its upcoming flagship Pixel 10 phone (via artificial intelligence on IG):

"If you buy a new phone because of a feature that's 'coming soon,' but it's been 'coming soon' for a full year, you could change your definition of 'soon' — or you could just change your phone."

The ad then flashed "Ask more of your phone" text alongside the launch date, which is slated for August 20, 2025. Perhaps more interestingly, the advertisement evoked a futuristic vibe with the camera roving up and down the sides of a jet black phone, the kind featured in previous Apple ad campaigns.

Apple has been building 2 versions of Apple Intelligence concurrently

In June, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, and Apple Global VP of Marketing, Greg Joswiak, discussed the company's AI approach, highlighting the reason for Apple Intelligence's delayed launch.

As it turns out, the iPhone maker has been working on two versions of the Siri architecture simultaneously. The executives revealed that the first iteration (V1) was inferior compared to the second one (also known as V2), which boasts "a deeper end-to-end architecture that we knew was ultimately what we wanted to create, to get to a full set of capabilities that we wanted for Siri."

Federighi indicated that he could share a demo of the V2 architecture in action as it's already in in-house use, but admitted that it has not reached the quality to make a great Apple feature."When we started with Apple Intelligence, we were very clear: this wasn't about just building a chatbot," he added.

To that end, it seems highly unlikely that Apple will announce the launch date of its AI strategy until it is ready to seed it.

Hey, would you look at that, another story about the CMA. I feel like it's been a year since I've heard about them, but lo and behold, they're somehow on the wrong side of the law, again.

In a statement released on X, Epic announced that it would not be releasing the Epic Games Store in the United Kingdom on iOS this year as a result of the recently released CMA roadmap. As a result, Fortnite's return to iOS is also questionable.

Further hammering the CMA in its statement, Epic unleashed a haymaker proclamation: "Four years after concluding that the App Store and Google Play Store are parallel monopolies, the CMA has done nothing to allow competing stores."

Years after taking Microsoft to court over its acquisition of Activision/Blizzard, it seems the CMA has lost its bite. Whether you supported the overall process or not, we're now entering a phase of the CMA where they've yet again chosen to go against the rest of the world.

Further in Epic's statement, they highlight how the E.U., and even the United States, have better practices in place than the U.K. does.

When it comes to the E.U., Epic praised them for their efforts, "The signature accomplishment of the Digital Markets Act in the E.U. was introducing competition through alternative stores on iOS devices, leading to the launch of the AltStore, Aptoide, and the Epic Games Store in Europe. But the CMA has deprioritized store competition entirely, to be considered sometime in 2026."

Next, Epic addressed payment methods on storefronts, noting that the CMA will enable developers to advertise alternative payment options.

Epic said, "The CMA also made a vague announcement about allowing developers to steer customers to payment services outside of apps, without referencing the kinds of restrictions, obstructions, and junk fees that Apple introduced in Europe to make a mockery of the Digital Markets Act."

Continuing, they highlighted how the lack of clarity will lead to Apple being Apple: "Unless Apple and Google are completely blocked from imposing fees and discriminating against apps using out-of-app payment, we can expect years of malicious compliance ahead, and no genuine restoration of market competition."

Will Apple be the better man and not impose those fees? Did you laugh yet, or do you want to reread the joke?

If the last few years have proven anything, it's that Apple will do anything to take its cut from developers from iOS devices. I get it, a business is here to make money, but when every country has ruled that you've monopolized your storefront in some form or fashion, maybe it's time you start being a little bit better?

For example, when you look at markets like Windows PCs and Apple computers, you can see why both Apple and Google have been accused of being a monopoly on mobile. Could you imagine if Microsoft banned Epic Games Store, Steam, and every other store available on Windows?

Looks like Apple's walled garden is growing some rotten fruit, huh? Not exactly Epic, is it?

What do you think about the ongoing battle between Epic and Apple? Are you surprised this is still happening? Let us know below or on social media. I want to keep talking about this until the day I pass.

The iPad Mini is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed tiny tablets for a lot of good reasons, and right now it's on sale for $479.99 at Best Buy — a $120 discount on a great companion.

What if I told you that there's an even better mini tablet that's always $50 less than the iPad Mini — and it's also $120 off right now. Yes, the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) is just $429.99 at Lenovo, and I'd choose that premium gaming tablet over Apple's offering every day of the week.

You can even get the Lenovo Tab Plus Pen for $49.99 at Lenovo without paying more than you would for the iPad by itself (and Apple's pen will cost you $69 at Best Buy, so there are even more savings there).

One of the best Android tablets, even if you don't care about gaming

• Shop all Prime Day deals at Amazon

Miniature tablets hold a special place in a lot of people's hearts, but there aren't a lot of great options — especially if you want a more premium product. In that department, the iPad Mini has historically dominated.

Right now, though, Lenovo is challenging that position with the Legion Tab (Gen 3). This 8.8-inch tablet is designed with gaming in mind, sure, which means it's equipped with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and a smooth 165Hz display, but it's a premium tablet all around.

It's less than 8mm thick, boasts a large battery with great endurance, and rocks two USB Type-C ports — so you can dock it, charge it, connect a mobile controller, and more without worrying about a thing.

Normally $550, the Legion Tab does compete on the same playing field as the iPad Mini (and Apple has never been known for value), but Lenovo offers a lot of bang for your buck. You get a folio case, a screen protector, and even a 68W fast charger in the box (wild, I know), and it all costs $50 less than the equivallent 256GB iPad Mini.

Of course, the Legion Tab is also on sale for $120 off, and that makes it a killer deal in my opinion. I praised the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) in my review, calling it the "best Android-powered iPad Mini alternative."

I ranked it #5 on my list of the top 10 tech products I've reviewed in 2025, and even wrote about how the Legion Tab has become my go-to gaming handheld when paired with my favorite mobile controller.

Yes, it even made an appearance on my round-up of the best deals on my favorite reviewed tech for Amazon Prime Day.

The sleek design, beautiful display, the shockingly beefy speakers, and the top-notch performance make the Legion Tab great for gaming, but it's also awesome for media consumption, web browsing, notetaking, and everything else you could need a mini tablet for.

I truly wouldn't consider the iPad Mini over the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) at all, but I will admit there are exactly two areas where Apple's product has an edge. iPadOS does boast more tablet-optimized apps than Android's Google Play Store (and you obviously get more integration with the Apple ecosystem), and the stylus experience with the Apple Pencil is a step above the Legion Tab and Lenovo's active stylus.

Lenovo's software is actually quite good, though, adding extra features on top of Android without getting in the way, including a desktop mode for when you want to dock the Legion Tab and get some serious work done.

I won't fault anyone for going the Apple route. Honestly, getting an iPad Mini with 256GB of storage for $479.99 at Best Buy is pretty tempting, and even the Apple Pencil is slightly discounted at $69 at Best Buy.

For me, though, the clear winner this Amazon Prime Day is the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3), which offers far more value and is — in my opinion — the better tablet for most people, even if you're not a gamer. You don't need an Amazon Prime membership for this deal, either.

If you're in the market for a capable and premium mini tablet, take my advice and pick up the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) for $429.99 at Lenovo instead. If you want the complete experience, I also recommend the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus for $49.99 at Lenovo.

Of course, gamers should also consider investing in a mobile controller for the ultimate gaming experience, and my pick is absolutely the Razer Kishi V3 Pro for $149.99 at Amazon. You can go read my Razer Kishi V3 Pro review if you want some more info on that.

Major platforms were recently hit by what cybersecurity experts are calling "the largest data breach." The Cybernews research team uncovered a whopping 16 billion leaked login credentials, including passwords to Facebook, Google, and Apple accounts buried under massive datasets (via Forbes).

The number of cybersecurity threats threatening the safety and privacy of your confidential data is on the rise, with bad actors leveraging sophisticated tools like generative AI to deploy their deceptive ploys.

Now, Cybernews has been looking into this issue since the beginning of the year, discovering "30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each."

Perhaps more concerning, none of the exposed datasets had been previously reported, further elaborating the magnitude of the data breach. However, there might be an exception for the 184 million record “mysterious database” uncovered by security researchers, as reported by WIRED.

According to the research team:

"This is not just a leak – it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation. With over 16 billion login records exposed, cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing."

"What’s especially concerning is the structure and recency of these datasets – these aren’t just old breaches being recycled. This is fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale."

The research team revealed that the data was packaged as a URL, featuring login credentials and a password. They further revealed that the data breach could provide malicious users with access to "pretty much any online service imaginable, from Apple, Facebook, and Google, to GitHub, Telegram, and various government services."

To that end, those behind the data breaches remain unknown, making it impossible to issue action items to wipe the data stored in these batches. The team also indicated that they could not pinpoint what kind of attacks the hackers were planning to deploy with the exposed login credentials at hand.

However, BleepingComputer claims that the data breach is not newas the websites involved weren't recently compromised to steal the login credentials. According to the outlet:

"These stolen credentials were likely circulating for some time, if not for years. It was then collected by a cybersecurity firm, researchers, or threat actors and repackaged into a database that was exposed on the Internet."

In the interim, frequently changing your passwords, using up-to-date software, and avoiding suspicious links is often your last line of defense against malicious attacks. Keep your accounts secure.

Apple can be considered a late bloomer in the generative AI space compared to its rivals like Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic. The iPhone maker is well-known for its "not first, but best" mantra, which could potentially be attributed to its late investment in the landscape.

The tech giant announced its AI strategy, Apple Intelligence, last year, promising to overhaul Siri with next-generation capabilities that would evolve it beyond a simple digital assistant, allowing it to compete on an even playing field with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

However, it has now been over a year since Apple overpromised but ultimately underdelivered. Even before the company unveiled its AI suite of tools across its tech stack, insiders expressed concerns, citing that Apple's AI might already be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Admittedly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella argued that OpenAI had a 2-year runway to build and develop ChatGPT uncontested. Up to this point, Apple has only delivered minor AI features, such as Writing Tools and Image Playground, prompting some users to refer to Apple's flagship AI tools as vaporware.

Earlier this year, the company announced that it was delaying the launch of Apple Intelligence to 2026 but didn't explain why. The delayed AI strategy has seemingly brewed trouble for the iPhone maker, landing it in the corridors of justice as it fights a lawsuit for allegedly using "false" Apple Intelligence ads to drive iPhone 16 sales.

Apple Intelligence had two iterations yet none shipped

There has been considerable speculation about the reason behind Apple's delayed launch of Apple Intelligence. However, Tom's Guide Editor-in-Chief Mark Spoonauer and TechRadar's Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff recently connected with Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, and Apple Global VP of Marketing, Greg Joswiak, to discuss the company's AI strategy.

As you may know, Apple recently held its annual developer conference, WWDC 2025, where it made a host of announcements, including iOS 26, which ships with Liquid Glass, a new UI reminiscent of Microsoft's Windows Aero UI in Vista. However, Apple Intelligence wasn't in the fold, a clear indication that the company plans to unveil it at a later date.

While speaking to the outlets, Federighi shed more light on Apple's delayed Apple Intelligence launch:

"We found that when we were developing this feature that we had, really, two phases, two versions of the ultimate architecture that we were going to create. Version one we had working here at the time that we were getting close to the conference, and had, at the time, high confidence that we could deliver it."

"We thought by December, and if not, we figured by spring, until we announced it as part of WWDC. Because we knew the world wanted a really complete picture of, 'What's Apple thinking about the implications of Apple intelligence and where is it going?'"

The executive revealed that Apple was working on two versions of the Siri architecture simultaneously, with the second version, which Federighi referred to as V2, featuring "a deeper end-to-end architecture that we knew was ultimately what we wanted to create, to get to a full set of capabilities that we wanted for Siri."

He further disclosed that the video demos showcased during Apple's WWDC 2024 were for the V1 Siri architecture. Apple doubled down on its efforts to develop and improve Apple Intelligence, as well as the overhauled Siri.

However, Apple quickly realized that the V1 architecture was consistent with critical limitations, which "weren't getting us to the quality level that we knew our customers needed and expected."

Apple says it came to this realization during the spring and decided to share the information with the world, announcing that it would not be able to deliver Apple Intelligence or the overhauled Siri within the previously communicated timeline.

At this juncture, Apple shifted its focus to the V2 Siri architecture. Federighi indicated that the company learned from its mistakes with the V1 architecture, vowing not to pre-communicate a launch date for Apple Intelligence and an overhauled Siri.

The executive indicated that the company would only discuss the status of its AI strategy when the V2 architecture is already delivering in-house, beyond mere video demonstrations.

Federighi joked that he could demo the V2 architecture Apple has been working on, but wouldn't, although he claimed that it's already working in-house, "but we're not yet to the point where it's delivering at the quality level that I think makes it a great Apple feature."

The executive indicated that the software and hardware giant wouldn't announce the launch date of its AI strategy until it is ready to seed it. He further shed more details about the V2 architecture Apple has been working on, stating:

"The V1 architecture was sort of half of the V2 architecture, and now we extend it across, sort of make it a pure architecture that extends across the entire Siri experience."

"So we've been very much building up upon what we have been building for V1, but now extending it more completely, and that more homogeneous end-to-end architecture gives us much higher quality and much better capability. And so that's what we're building now."

The executives indicated that Apple's AI vision isn't to deliver a chatbot for its users. "When we started with Apple Intelligence, we were very clear: this wasn't about just building a chatbot," added Federighi

Instead, Apple aims to integrate Apple Intelligence across its tech stack. "In a way that meets you where you are, not that you're going off to some chat experience in order to get things done," the executive concluded.

We've come a long way from the early days of OpenAI's ChatGPT launch and Bing Chat (now Microsoft Copilot). Key players in the AI landscape, including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, are seemingly leaning more toward reasoning models as their core focus.

Last year, a report emerged claiming these top AI labs would soon be unable to develop advanced AI models due to a lack of high-quality content for model training. However, the OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, dismissed the claims, citing that "there's no wall" with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt indicating that there's no evidence showing scaling laws have begun.

A new research paper by Apple seemingly raises concerns about the reasoning capabilities exhibited by the latest LRMs (large reasoning models). The research findings reveal that while the LRMs outperform standard LLM AI models at moderately complex tasks, they both struggle to produce desired results as the complexity of tasks increases.

The research paper specifically singles out Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet Thinking, OpenAI's o3, Google's Gemini, and DeepSeek's R1 LRMs, assessing their reasoning capabilities across a wide range of benchmarks beyond standard math and coding benchmarks, and designing controlled puzzle environments, including the "Tower of Hanoi".

The researchers wanted to establish and evaluate the models' reasoning capabilities, rather than their capability to arrive at the desired outcome or answer. According to the Apple researchers' findings:

"While these models demonstrate improved performance on reasoning benchmarks, their fundamental capabilities, scaling properties, and limitations remain insufficiently understood."

Apple researchers referred to large reasoning models as merely an "illusion of thinking." The study revealed that standard LLMs and LRMs posted similar results and responses when tasked with simple queries. However, LRMs seemed to have the competitive edge as the queries became more complex.

The researchers attributed the competitive edge of LRMs to their structured reasoning mechanisms, which promote "Chain-of-Thought" prompting. Interestingly, LRMs and standard LLMs without reasoning capabilities failed to deliver results when the queries became too complex.

Perhaps more interestingly, the research suggested that the reasoning models took longer to process complex queries; however, as they edged closer to failure, they surprisingly shortened the process despite "having an adequate token budget".

Despite being provided with correct algorithms, the LRMs appeared to struggle with handling complex tasks in the conventional step-by-step reasoning process, highlighting their flaws and inconsistencies in logical computation.

This news follows a separate report suggesting that Apple might be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella argued that the ChatGPT maker had a 2-year runway to build and develop ChatGPT uncontested.

Apple continues to lag behind in the AI race, delaying its Apple Intelligence AI strategy to 2026, prompting multiple users to brand it as vaporware and an afterthought designed to push iPhone 16 sales.

Apple has just unveiled Liquid Glass at WWDC 2025, its new design language for Apple platforms launching later this year, starting with iOS 16, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26. The first developer beta is available now, giving the world a first look at this new design ethos from Apple, and I'm shocked at how much it reminds me of Windows Vista's Aero Glass.

Don't get me wrong, Apple is no stranger to copying and stealing features and ideas from other platforms. In the very same event, Apple lifted Call Screening and Direct My Call from Google Pixel straight onto the iPhone, and last year, it finally implemented its version of Windows Snap on macOS.

I often find Apple's copying is always late, and generally worse than the competition. But with Liquid Glass, I can't not be reminded about how much nicer Aero Glass was (and is.) Microsoft first unveiled Aero Glass in 2006, which first shipped with Windows Vista that same year.

Aero Glass came after Apple's Aqua design language debuted with Mac OS X, but Aero Glass was different enough that it's clear Microsoft took initiative and went in its own direction. With the new Liquid Glass, it just seems like a worse version of Aero Glass.

While Windows Vista itself was received rather poorly, nobody ever denied that the OS looked good. It was the first to introduce blurred glass effects across the entire desktop interface, including the Taskbar, Start Menu, and app window titlebars. For the time, it was very futuristic, so much so that most PCs couldn't even run it properly.

This design language was carried forward with Windows 7, which only improved upon it with more glass panes, glow, and blur effects across the board. It was a perfect blend between old and new Windows interfaces, as even the older interfaces didn't really look that out of place alongside Aero Glass.

I loved Aero Glass and was sorry to see it go with the debut of Windows 8 in 2012, which set the stage for a decade of flat design ethos, which was also copied by Apple with iOS 7 in 2013. iOS 7 was also poorly received by users, and it seems the same is happening here with Liquid Glass.

So far, the biggest problem with Liquid Glass appears to be contrast, or a lack thereof. A lot of areas of the OS that are relying on blurred glassy aesthetics don't separate themselves well enough, causing text to become hard to read in front of whatever interface is behind it.

Aero Glass solved this by simply ensuring the blurred, glassy effects were strong enough so that objects behind it were barely visible. This ensured that the user could always read the text at the top level of the interface, making it easy and accessible for most people.

Apple looks to have missed that memo, as there are multiple cases where the glass effects are too translucent. The new control center, for example, is a barely blurred sheet of glass, meaning you can read large text straight through it. That's a terrible design that's going to cause headaches for a lot of people.

Liquid Glass does make some interesting UI choices that Aero Glass never did, made possible because computers and phones today are way more powerful than they were in 2007. The glass materials have more realistic aspects to them, bending light around edges like real curved glass does.

On paper, this does sound like a really cool idea. In practice, however, it looks dreadful, introducing more noise than necessary to interfaces that simply don't need it. It kind of makes everything look like a virtual bubble, rather than realistic glass.

And I think that's the main problem with Apple's new design language. It's trying too hard to be realistic, and that's a problem for software design. Microsoft struck the perfect balance between realism and digital design with Aero Glass, mainly because that's what PCs could handle back in the day.

Now, Apple is unrestricted in just how realistic it can make these interfaces look, and it's becoming clear that this doesn't really translate well in software. I think Liquid Glass needs to be significantly dialled back if Apple wants users to like it. On paper, I think it's a great idea, but in practice, it needs a lot of fine-tuning.

I really love how Windows Vista and Windows 7 found an excellent balance with effects like glow and light. You could only really find it in certain places, like window controls and app icons on the Taskbar, and it was used to signify that you were currently hovering or highlighting a clickable item.

Some elements of the system had faux light effects, like the Taskbar, which looks like it's lit from above, with a blue light appearing underneath app icons when you hover over them. Of course, this effect was built-in, not rendered in real time, but it still looks great even today.

Ultimately, it feels like Liquid Glass is Apple trying to one-up Aero Glass and fumbling it during the process. Of course, this is still developer beta 1, and I'm certain Apple will fine-tune this design language as testing progresses. Just like with iOS 7 in 2013, Apple will address people's biggest complaints with Liquid Glass.

They'll just do so quietly and never admit they were wrong, because that's Apple for you.

Just over one year ago, Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed that Microsoft would launch its Xbox mobile store in July 2024. But as of May 2025, no such store has been launched. The delay is due to Apple, according to a recent Microsoft filing.

According to The Verge, Microsoft filed an amicus brief (a kind of brief shared in support of one side of a case) in support of Epic Games' case against Apple.

Apple is fighting against developers being able to advertise alternative payment methods within apps and games in the App Store. When Fortnite returned to iOS, the app included a prompt to earn 20% in Epic Rewards by making purchases through the Epic Games Store or to make in-app purchases within the game.

That type of promotion is what Apple is appealing against, and the company's efforts have ramifications that extend beyond Fortnite.

As of today, it's possible for Microsoft to launch the Xbox mobile store, but it appears Microsoft wants to wait until there is a ruling on Apple's ongoing appeal.

The Verge shared an excerpt of Microsoft's amicus brief:

"The district court’s injunction allows Apple to maintain its in-app exclusivity but at least should have enabled Microsoft to offer consumers a workable solution by launching its own online store — accessible via link-out — for in-app items to be purchased off-app and used in games or other apps. And that is what Microsoft wants to do. But even this solution has been stymied by Apple. Prior to the district court’s most recent order, Microsoft had been unable to implement linked-out payments (or even inform customers that alternative purchase methods exist) because of Apple’s new anti-steering policies that restrict Microsoft’s communication to users and impose an even higher economic cost to Microsoft than before the injunction.

Similarly, Microsoft has long sought to enable Xbox app users on iOS to both buy and stream games in the app from the cloud or their other devices. Apple’s policies have restricted Microsoft’s ability to offer these functionalities together; the injunction allows Microsoft to explore this possibility. Microsoft’s own experience managing app stores confirms that Apple’s policies could be restored if Apple ultimately prevails on appeal."

Microsoft also noted in its filing that Apple could restore its previous policies limiting links to out-of-app purchases if Apple's appeal is successful. That could cause complications for Microsoft if there was a temporary stay put in place or if Apple won its appeal.

Microsoft just unveiled a new, smaller Surface Pro 12-inch with Snapdragon inside, and it leans more into the modern slab tablet design that Apple shares.

Apple also recently updated its iPad Air lineup with a new M3 series, available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes.

👉 Related: Surface Pro 12-inch — First impressions and hands-on review

Considering how close these devices are in price and design, you might be wondering which one is better suited to your needs.

I can help with this detailed comparison between the Surface Pro 12-inch and the iPad Air M3.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: Specifications

I've laid out the raw specifications that make up the new Surface Pro 12-inch and the iPad Air M3 before I get into a detailed comparison.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: Price and availability

The Surface Pro 12-inch was revealed on May 6, and preorders are now live with shipping expected on May 20, 2025.

Prices start at $799.99 for a model with an 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It's available in a Platinum finish.

There's also an $899 model with the same Snapdragon System-on-Chip (SoC), 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. It's available in Platinum, Violet, and Ocean colors.

Here's a breakdown of pricing, including the Slim Pen 2 and new Surface Pro 12 Keyboard; Best Buy has everything in stock and ready to go.

• Surface Pro 12-inch, Platinum, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD: $799.99 at Best Buy
• Surface Pro 12-inch, Platinum, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $899.99 at Best Buy
• Surface Pro 12-inch, Violet, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $899.99 at Best Buy
• Surface Pro 12-inch, Ocean, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $899.99 at Best Buy
• Surface Slim Pen 2: $129.99 at Best Buy
• Surface Pro 12 Keyboard: $149.99 at Best Buy
• Surface Pro 12 Keyboard with Slim Pen: $249.99 at Best Buy

The 11-inch iPad Air M3 starts at a more affordable $599, but it has half as much RAM and storage as the introductory Surface Pro 12-inch model.

Unfortunately, 8GB is the maximum amount of memory in all models, and there's no way to upgrade after purchase. The same goes for the soldered storage.

For an 11-inch iPad Air M3 with 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, you're looking at about $699, or $100 less than the new Surface Pro.

The 13-inch iPad Air M3 models start at $799 and have 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. Prices quickly climb from there.

Apple offers more colors and configuration options for its iPad Air M3, mostly due to there being both 11- and 13-inch sizes.

Also noteworthy is the ability to add 5G connectivity to the usual Wi-Fi, something that the Surface Pro 12-inch lacks.

Here's a breakdown of the prices you can expect to pay for the iPad Air M3.

• Apple iPad Air M3, 11", 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD: $599 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 11", 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD: $699 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 13", 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD: $799 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 11", 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 5G: $849 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 11", 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $899 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 13", 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD: $899 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 13", 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 5G: $1,049 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 11", 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD: $1,099 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 13", 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $1,099 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 13", 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 5G: $1,249 at Best Buy
• Apple iPad Air M3, 13", 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 5G: $1,449 at Best Buy
• Apple Pencil Pro: $129 at Best Buy
• Apple Magic Keyboard (11"): $269 at Best Buy
• Apple Magic Keyboard (13"): $319 at Best Buy

Apple's Magic Keyboard is more expensive than the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, though the Apple Pencil Pro is about the same cost as the Surface Slim Pen 2.

Overall, you can spend less on the iPad Air M3's basic configurations, but you'll have to make peace with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Apple's pricing quickly catches up to and far surpasses that of the Surface Pro 12-inch.

The table below shows how Apple's pricing compares even before adding more than 128GB or 256GB of storage (and with half as much RAM).

While the iPad Air M3 starts at a lower price, a full setup with keyboard and pen quickly makes the Surface Pro 12-inch a better buy, especially when RAM and storage amounts are considered.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: Design and features

The new Surface Pro 12-inch is the most modern, slab-like tablet Microsoft has created, and it's made for users who are usually on the move.

It retains the built-in stand on the back to prop it up like a notebook — a crucial part of the full keyboard and tablet setup — but it's been slimmed down significantly compared to the Surface Pro 11.

👉 Related: Surface Pro 12-inch vs. Surface Pro 11

The new look is mostly thanks to a lack of venting around the edges. The Pro 12-inch doesn't have a fan inside, so, like the iPad Air M3, it's an uninterrupted slab of hardware with clean lines.

The Surface Pro 12-inch has, unsurprisingly, a smaller footprint than the 13-inch iPad Air M3. The 11-inch iPad Air M3 is the smallest of the three tablets, coming in at roughly an inch less in length and 0.40 inches less in width.

Both of Apple's iPad Air models are thinner at 0.24 inches compared to 0.30 inches. They're both lighter than the Surface Pro 12-inch, which weighs 1.5 pounds; the 11-inch iPad Air M3 weighs 1.01 pounds, the 13-inch model 1.36 pounds.

It's worth noting that the iPad Air M3 does not have a built-in stand on the back. Instead, the Magic Keyboard covers the entire back of the iPad Air, and it has a thicker, heavier hinge/stand mechanism that gives way to the keyboard and touchpad.

The Surface Pro 12-inch's new keyboard is the sleekest yet, with a thin hinge portion and no backing on the tablet. It rotates all the way around to lie flat on the back of the PC, allowing you to use it as a tablet without removing the keyboard.

Apple's Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air M3 lacks a backlight for the keys, which could be a dealbreaker for some, especially since it costs so much more than the Surface keyboard ($269 or $319 compared to $150).

The iPad Air M3 has just one USB-C port with 10Gbps bandwidth and support for DisplayPort and charging (with passthrough USB-C on the keyboard, since it uses the port to connect).

It supports one external display at a time, but it can handle up to a 6K resolution.

The Surface Pro 12-inch has done away with the traditional Surface Connect port, but it retains dual USB-C ports with 10Gbps bandwidth each.

Both support charging, data, and DisplayPort 1.4, supporting up to dual 4K monitors at 60Hz each. The Surface Pro keyboard connects to a separate set of pins along the bottom edge.

If you often use your device on a desktop with external displays, the Surface Pro should be the better choice.

Wireless connectivity falls in the Surface Pro's favor, but only if you don't desire 5G connectivity.

The Pro 12-inch uses the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard (with Bluetooth 5.4) for the fastest and most reliable wireless internet possible. The iPad Air M3 falls back on Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The iPad Air M3 also offers optional 5G LTE connectivity, allowing you to access data practically anywhere. If your phone has data, so will your iPad Air. The privilege adds about $150 to the total cost, and you'll also have to consider data plan costs from major providers.

👉 Related: Best data plans for 5G Windows laptops

I'll wait until we test the Surface Pro 12-inch to comment on the audio quality. I do know that the Surface and iPad Air M3 models all have a dual-speaker setup and Dolby Atmos support.

The same goes for the camera quality; I'll wait to comment until we test the new device.

Going off of raw specs, the iPad Air M3 should come out ahead with its front- and rear-facing 12MP cameras.

The Surface Pro 12-inch falls to 1080 for the front-facing camera, and it hits a lower 10MP for the rear-facing camera.

The Surface device does have an IR sensor for Windows Hello facial recognition, while the iPad Air M3 relies instead on a fingerprint reader for biometrics.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: Display

The Surface Pro 12-inch — you guessed it — has a 12-inch LCD touchscreen with uniform bezels, a 2196x1464 resolution, and a 3:2 aspect ratio.

That works out to 220 pixels per inch (PPI), which isn't bad in terms of clarity.

However, the iPad Air M3 pushes its pixel density past the Surface Pro with its 11-inch 2360x1640 resolution (264 PPI) and 13-inch 2732x2048 resolution (264 PPI).

While the iPad Air bests the Surface Pro 12-inch in pixel density, Microsoft's device has a higher maximum 90Hz refresh rate.

The iPad Air tops out at 60Hz, which makes a difference when it comes to eye comfort and smoothness.

Screen brightness goes to Apple. The 11-inch model hits up to 500 nits brightness, the 13-inch up to 600 nits. The Surface Pro 12-inch tops out at about 400 nits.

If you often use your tablet outdoors, Apple's larger iPad Air should be the right choice.

In terms of inking, the Surface Pro relies on the Surface Slim Pen 2 with support for haptic feedback. The pen can be stored on the back of the tablet; the cradle there holds it in place magnetically, with wireless charging to boot.

The iPad Air relies on the Apple Pencil Pro for inking. It attaches magnetically to the top edge of the tablet, and it too charges wirelessly when docked.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: Performance and battery

The 8-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC that's inside the Surface Pro 12-inch is a relative newcomer to the product lineup.

Microsoft claims that the new chip "outpaces the MacBook Air M3" when used in the new Surface Laptop 13-inch, and considering it's the same M3 chip in the iPad Air, it will be interesting to see how performance plays out.

Early Geekbench 6 results from Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino's Surface Pro 12-inch hands-on review hit 2,422 single-core and 11,080 multi-core.

Looking at Tom's Guide's iPad Air M3 review, it hit 3,042 single-core and 11,804 multi-core. The iPad Air M2 hit 2,600 and 10,066 scores in the same test.

That puts the iPad Air M3 ahead in one benchmark, and I'll update this guide when we have more results that provide a more accurate picture.

The Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42) has 8 cores, a 3.2GHz multi-core boost clock, and a 3.4GHz single-core boost clock. Its integrated Adreno GPU is capable of 1.7 TFLOPS.

The Apple M3 also has 8 cores, split equally between performance and efficiency. The performance cores reach up to a 4.06GHz clock while the efficiency cores hit 2.75GHz.

Qualcomm's Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is what's used for local AI tasks, including those under the Copilot+ umbrella. It manages 45 TOPS of performance, pushing it beyond the 40 TOPS required for Copilot+.

Apple's M3 chip manages just 18 TOPS, seemingly putting it at a disadvantage when it comes to local AI via Apple Intelligence.

Memory and storage amounts also play a big role here. The iPad Air is limited to 8GB of soldered RAM in all models. The Surface Pro 12-inch also only has one option, but it's 16GB (also soldered).

Microsoft skipped the 128GB storage configs this time around, offering 256GB and 512GB options. It is UFS storage, so expect it to be more efficient but slower than a true SSD.

Storage in the Surface Pro 12-inch is upgradeable after purchase, although it will require you to open the case (which could prove difficult). Storage in the iPad Air M3 is soldered and permanent.

Apple offers 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB SSDs in its iPad Air to at least partly make up for the soldered solution.

Battery life is another area where I won't make any bold claims until we've tested the Surface Pro 12-inch.

Microsoft claims up to 16 hours of local video playback or up to 12 hours of active web usage. Apple's claims aren't as impressive, with 10 hours of active web usage (or 9 hours with 5G enabled).

There are countless factors that play into these estimates, and I'll have more to share soon.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: OS and AI

It's difficult to compare two operating systems directly without writing an essay. I'll try to sum it up.

The iPad Air M3 runs on iPadOS 18. It's an OS that's a lot closer to Apple's iPhone system than its MacBook setup, which for some people makes sense.

It definitely has its limitations for more advanced users, but I'd say the iPad Air can deliver a superior touch tablet experience.

Windows 11 on Snapdragon, on the other hand, is the full Windows experience, for better or for worse.

It's no secret to Windows 11 users that the tablet mode isn't particularly impressive or exciting. But because you get a no-compromise version of Windows, the Pro 12-inch particularly excels at being a notebook (especially with the built-in stand and detachable keyboard).

Windows 11 on Snapdragon has some limitations surrounding app compatibility due to its ARM64 architecture, but the vast majority of popular apps have been recoded for ARM64 or have emulation layers in place.

You can check out which apps are compatible at the WorksOnWoA website; our roundup of the best native Windows on Snapdragon apps also has some great suggestions.

Apple's M3 chip also uses the ARM64 architecture, and some of the same limitations apply. And because the MacBook and the iPad don't run the same OS, many apps you can find on the MacBook aren't available on iPad.

The iPad Air M3 is compatible with Apple Intelligence. Its 18 TOPS NPU handles AI tools for writing, image creation, audio transcription, highlighting, and more.

It's all handled locally thanks to the NPU, meaning your data doesn't get sent to Apple.

The Surface Pro 12-inch is compatible with Copilot+ thanks to its 45 TOPS NPU.

Alongside launch features like Cocreator image creation, Click to Do, Live Captions, live text edits and suggestions, advanced Windows Studio Effects, Windows Recall, and more, Microsoft added some new Copilot+ features expected to roll out within the month.

Both Apple Intelligence and Copilot+ are in their infancy, and their usefulness for the average user isn't exactly a selling point.

I'd focus on other aspects of this comparison before looking at AI capabilities, but know that Microsoft's PC at least has the potential for a lot more due to its more powerful NPU.

Surface Pro 12-inch vs. iPad Air M3: Which should you buy?

I'll have more information to share regarding performance once we've put the Surface Pro 12-inch to the test, but for now, it looks like the M3 chip has a slight edge in terms of raw power.

That's far from the whole picture, and ultimately, the Surface Pro 12-inch is what I recommend to most users who aren't afraid of Windows 11.

It's the more versatile option by far; it has a superior keyboard with a built-in stand, and it has dual external display support, to name a couple perks.

On the other hand, I recommend the iPad Air M3 for anyone who desires a better tablet experience.

iPadOS is made specifically for the form factor (for better or worse), there are two tablet sizes available, and it starts at a cheaper price.

Once you add a keyboard, pen, and more storage, however, the iPad Air M3 quickly becomes more expensive than the Surface Pro.

Bottom line? Stick with the iPad Air M3 if you prefer a superior tablet experience. For just about anything else, I recommend the Surface Pro 12-inch.

Apple has been hitting the headlines for the past few months. Aside from iPhone 17 phone leaks, its delayed AI (Apple Intelligence) strategy and President Trump's stringent tariffs that could shoot the iPhone's price to as high as $3,900, have left the company in a tough spot while Microsoft moves forward with AI features like Copilot Vision.

iPhone sales have dwindled over the past few years, especially in the Chinese market. Recently, the iPhone maker was placed on the spot for using its well-publicized AI strategy to push iPhone 16 sales.

Apple delayed Apple Intelligence's launch to 2026 without really providing a credible reason for its change in plans, despite concerns among insiders that Apple Intelligence might already be two years behind ChatGPT, even before it ships.

Last month, Apple made a not-so-subtle change to its Apple Intelligence page, removing "available now" from its marketing.

The National Advertising Division (NAD), an independent ad standards body, highlighted that the Apple Intelligence page listed several AI-powered features that were yet to ship and others that shipped at a later date than expected (via Tom's Guide).

These findings prompted the body to recommend that Apple scrap any ads that suggest the listed AI tools were already available. Apple has since made this change quietly.

It's worth noting that Apple has already highlighted some of these issues in the Apple Intelligence page footnotes. However, NAD claims that they weren't "obvious enough."

According to Apple:

"While we disagree with the NAD’s findings related to features that are available to users now, we appreciate the opportunity to work with them and will follow their recommendations."

Scrapping the messaging could suggest to me that the company was already anticipating the NAD's report. That, or it was anticipating backlash from its delayed AI strategy.

To that end, the company has only delivered trivial features, like Writing Tools (for text editing) and Image Playground (for image generation), while its flagship AI features remain its best-kept secret.

Veteran Apple commentator John Gruber described Apple Intelligence as "vaporware" masked behind deceitful demo videos that may never see the light of day, and it feels even more accurate with this recent (forced) marketing change.

Apple has had a rough couple of months, predominantly because of its flopped AI strategy, President Trump's stringent tariffs, and depressed iPhone sales. Compared to its competitors like Microsoft and Google, the iPhone maker can be considered a late bloomer in the AI landscape.

Tim Cook, the company's CEO, has often touted the "not first, but best" mantra, potentially referring to one of the key ingredients that has heavily contributed to its success. However, the same cannot be said about Apple Intelligence, the company's AI strategy unveiled at WWDC 2024.

While Apple Intelligence seemingly passed the privacy and security test, but it's almost been a year and the company is yet to deliver an overhauled Siri assistant. A recent report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggested that Apple might already be 5 years behind Microsoft in the AI arm's race, even with OpenAI's ChatGPT backed into its overhauled assistant.

Perhaps more interestingly, The Information reports that Apple seemingly fumbled its chance to make Siri great again with an injection of sophisticated AI capabilities.

According to the outlet, Apple was supposed to develop small and large language models. The former would have handled simple tasks on-device like setting an alarm, as the latter took on complex tasks like hailing a cab for the iPhone user.

However, Apple pivoted from the plan and decide to develop a unified model that would handle every task thrown at it. The downside is that the company had veered off its safe AI promise, as the model would run in the cloud.

Consequently, several Apple staffers in the Siri division departed after their efforts to revamp the AI assistant were seemingly watered down by top management. The report further details that the abrupt change in plans predominantly contributed to Apple Intelligence's delayed shipment to 2026.

Poor leadership might be holding Apple back in the AI race

OpenAI's ChatGPT in undoubtedly the most popular AI app in the world, recently gaining one million new users in one hour after the company's ChatGPT-4o image generator shipped — flooding social media with Studio GhIbli-inspired memes.

A separate report revealed that ChatGPT's daily visits surpassed Microsoft Copilot's monthly visits in February 2025. For context, ChatGPT had over 52 times more visits than Microsoft Copilot in February 2025 in the U.S., with 173.3 million daily visits compared to Copilot's 98.9 million monthly traffic.

The Information reports that half a dozen former Apple employees who worked in its AI and machine-learning division under John Giannandrea, the company's Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI strategy blamed the executive's poor leadership skills, suggesting that it outrightly held back execution plans.

They further indicated that the leadership lacked ambition to take risks on designing future versions of Siri. On the tails of the company's sluggish AI strategy, the team working on the new and improved voice assistant has been branded an unsolicited nickname by other engineers within the company — AIMLess. For context, the nickname is a playful combination of the division's name, AI and machine-learning.

Former Apple staffers refer to Siri as a "hot potato" being passed around different teams with little results to show in terms of performance and improvements.

Elsewhere, Apple has been placed on the spot after allegedly marketing "vaporware" in the form of Apple Intelligence demo videos. Analysts have indicated that the company has barely scratched the surface with its bold gold-plaited promise, only delivering "trivial features," like Writing Tools and Image Playground.

Consequently, the company has found itself in the corridors of justice after complaints emerged, indicating that it used "false" Apple Intelligence ads to drive iPhone 16 sales. The lawsuit cites that the company has violated multiple false advertising and consumer protection laws.

OpenAI has undoubtedly cemented its name as a force to reckon with in the AI landscape. This can be attributed to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's description of a two-year runway to build and develop ChatGPT uncontested. Interestingly, ChatGPT recently added one million new users after unveiling its new GPT-4o image generator.

And as it now seems, the ChatGPT maker may soon dabble in the mobile landscape, too. According to a report by The Information, the AI firm is in discussions to acquire io Products, co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

While io Products has blatantly dismissed claims of the development of an AI-powered phone, the outlet indicated that the company is working on a wide range of products, including a screenless phone concept and smart home devices.

Sam Altman and Jony Ive have reportedly secured investments from multiple investors, including Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The funding is expected to hit $1 billion by the end of last year.

More interestingly, OpenAI is trying to forge a strategic partnership with io Products, allowing the ChatGPT maker to access its tech stack and engineering team behind the AI-powered devices.

This isn't the first time we've heard about OpenAI's plans to expand and diversify its portfolio by entering the mobile landscape.

Last year, OpenAI's CEO admitted that the company wants to dabble in the hardware space with an AI-specific device while expressing his keen interest in partnering with former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive on the project. Altman indicated that the project could lead to the biggest tech disruption since the original iPhone launched in 2007.

Jony Ive confirmed that he's working closely with OpenAI to develop a flagship device that could take on Apple and Samsung in the mobile landscape. Reports suggest the device will "use AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone.”

To that end, details about the device remain secret, with some speculating that it might be called the "iPhone of Intelligence," featuring a “more natural and intuitive experience.”

It'll be interesting to watch how things pan out, especially with President Trump's stringent tariffs saga, imposing hefty importation taxes on electronics, including gaming consoles, smartphones, TVs, and laptops.

Apple has recently found itself in a difficult situation. Between President Trump's tariffs, Apple Intelligence delays, and the exorbitant price tag on the rumored/leaked iPhone 17, things are likely to worsen.

Apple is no longer the most valuable company in the world; Microsoft is, following the rollout of President Donald J. Trump's imposed tariff on imports from over 60 countries (via CNBC).

These countries are described as the "worst offenders" and subjected to additional taxes ranging between 11% and 104% for Chinese products. Implementing Trump's tariff plans has negatively impacted Apple since it assembles approximately 90% of its products, including the iPhone, in China.

Consequently, the iPhone maker's shares dropped by more than 20%, which wiped out up to $700 billion in market valuation. As a result, Apple's market cap dropped $2.6 trillion, a tad lower than Microsoft's $2.64 trillion.

Apple's lifeline is too costly

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple is considering making supply chain changes, including shipping iPhones from India to the United States. Compared to its current arrangement, which could attract up to 104% in additional taxes, the Indian way would only attract 27%.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is seeking an exemption from President Trump's stringent tariff plans. Still, the administration wants the iPhone maker to uproot its production operations from China to the United States. This is part of the administration's broader plans to boost US manufacturing and protect jobs.

While speaking to CNN, Wedbush's Dan Ives claimed that if Apple caves and fully transitions its production to the US, the price of an iPhone could rise to $3,500 amid depressed sales, especially in the Chinese market, and a delayed Apple Intelligence rollout.

Apple's operations in China seem shaky at best, considering the negative impact of President Trump's tariff plans on its shares. The President said he'd raise the tariff rate on Chinese goods by 34% from April 9, 2025.

Interestingly, China countered Trump's tariff plan with a 34% tariff rate on goods from the US. As a result, President Trump indicated that he'd raise tariffs on Chinese goods by an additional 50%. In response to that, China has announced 84% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump.

Needless to say, this economic rollercoaster is likely to continue for some time until the US and China reach a new agreement. But for now, Microsoft is poised to fare better than its immediate competition in the tech space.

Apple Intelligence is arguably Apple's most anticipated feature drop. However, the tech giant recently delayed the launch of its AI strategy again, which has seemingly raised eyebrows among interested parties, including investors and consumers.

While Apple's AI strategy shows great promise, at least on paper, insiders within the company expressed concerns, indicating Apple Intelligence might be 2 years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The iPhone maker officially announced Apple Intelligence's delayed launch but didn't throw a bone highlighting the reason behind this decision. And it now seems the company may be trapped between a rock and a hard place after reportedly being slapped with a lawsuit for falsely advertising its AI strategy (via Axios).

The class-action lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in San Jose on Wednesday earlier this week. It accuses Apple of falsely advertising Apple Intelligence features for its iPhone 16 lineup.

The lawsuit further claims that the company was aware that it couldn't deliver the AI capabilities it advertised, driving "unprecedented excitement" among consumers. Interestingly, Apple advertised its AI features, suggesting they'd ship during the same timeframe as the iPhone 16 lineup release.

Related: Veteran Apple commenter John Gruber says Apple Intelligence is "vaporware"

The plaintiffs indicate that Apple used its aggressive marketing strategy, packed with yet-to-ship AI features, to deceive millions into purchasing its new iPhone lineup, violating multiple false advertising and consumer protection laws.

To that end, users ended up buying new devices for features that Apple hasn't delivered as promised. Reports suggest that the AI-powered features may not ship until 2026 or 2027, though Apple recently appointed Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell to steer its Siri efforts.

The lawsuit also claims Apple's AI strategy allowed it to gain an unfair competitive advantage over its competitors in the market "who do not tout non-existent AI features, or who actually deliver them as promised."

The plaintiff seeks compensation for consumers who purchased Apple's new iPhone lineup mainly because of the AI-powered features and the overhauled Siri assistant. The lawsuit also demands injunctive relief, which will restrict Apple from marketing its misleading features of Apple Intelligence.

Over the past few months, Apple has been placed on the spot. While the launch of the cheap entry-level iPhone 16e distracted its fans from AI for a hot minute, Apple Intelligence's delay is raising major concerns among investors and consumers about its AI strategy.

Admittedly, the generative AI space is volatile, especially with the emergence of ultra-cheap AI models from Chinese startups like Manus and DeepSeek, with sophisticated capabilities surpassing models like OpenAI's proprietary models across math, science, and coding.

Apple is religiously sticking to CEO Tim Cook's "not first, but best" mantra, but that move is seemingly losing its traction as OpenAI and Microsoft make significant headway in the AI landscape.

Interestingly, a report by Bloomberg's Apple sleuth Mark Gurman suggested Apple Intelligence might be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT.

While the company recently announced that it was delaying Apple Intelligence and the long-anticipated overhauled Siri AI assistant to 2026 with no explanation, longtime Apple commenter John Gruber shared an interesting account on the state of affairs about Apple's AI strategy — and it's rotten.

Gruber claims Apple has wrapped itself in a tangled web that it seemingly can't get itself out of, riddled with an untrue AI story that could potentially ruin its reputation in the grander scheme of things if it fails to deliver on the demos showcased at WWDC 2024.

According to the veteran Apple commenter:

"In the two decades I've been in this racket, I've never been angrier at myself for missing a story than I am about Apple's announcement on Friday that the 'more personalized Siri' features of Apple Intelligence, scheduled to appear between now and WWDC, would be delayed until the coming year. I should have my head examined."

Gruber indicates that we shouldn't have believed the AI dream Apple attempted to sell at its annual developer conference, "I am embarrassed and sorry that I didn't see what should have been very clear to me from the start," he added.

A classic case of overpromising and underdelivering?

Gruber argues that Apple was barely able to scratch the surface of its gold-plated strategy, only managing to ship "trivial features," like Writing Tools and Image Playground.

To this end, the iPhone maker has yet to deliver anything worthwhile as promised during WWDC.

Admittedly, out of the AI-powered entries demoed by Apple, the overhauled Siri AI assistant was seemingly the most exciting. However, Gruber brands the next-gen AI tools as vaporware, claiming the overhauled voice assistant was nothing more than a concept video.

Related: Apple is having trouble matching Microsoft and OpenAI's advanced efforts

According to Gruber:

"There were no demonstrations of any of that. Those features were all at level 0 on my hierarchy. That level is called vaporware. They were features Apple said existed, which they claimed would be shipping in the next year, and which they portrayed, to great effect, in the signature “Siri, when is my mom’s flight landing?” segment of the WWDC keynote itself, starting around the 1h:22m mark. Apple was either unwilling or unable to demonstrate those features in action back in June, even with Apple product marketing reps performing the demos from a prepared script using prepared devices […]What Apple showed regarding the upcoming “personalized Siri” at WWDC was not a demo. It was a concept video. Concept videos are bullshit, and a sign of a company in disarray, if not crisis."

The veteran Apple commenter backs his claims by indicating that if these features truly existed, the iPhone maker would have at the very least provided a demo to share the current state of affairs, clearly depicting what they've managed to achieve and what still needs a bit of work.

To that end, Gruber says many AI firms lie about their efforts in the landscape, branding it as "BS." He added that he never expected Apple to be part of the fray.

The emergence of generative AI has propelled Microsoft and NVIDIA to the seat, each having briefly tasted the coveted world's most valuable company crown, with over $3 trillion in market capitalization.

However, Apple seemingly kept the AI bubble at arm's length, sticking to CEO Tim Cook's "not first, but best" mantra. As you may know, Apple often attempts to stand out from the masses by developing well-crafted products rather than rushing to be the first in the market with a new product.

As is the case with Apple Intelligence. The iPhone maker unveiled its AI strategy — Apple Intelligence late last year to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, and Google's Gemini.

Interestingly, the AI strategy showed great promise at launch, propelling Apple to become the world's most valuable company ahead of Microsoft and NVIDIA with over $3 trillion in market valuation.

However, a report highlighted concerns by Apple insiders, indicating that Apple Intelligence could be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT. Now, a new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman sheds more light on issues riddling Apple's AI strategy.

Apple Intelligence might already be a flop before hitting broad availability

Apple unveiled its AI strategy in June 2024, and it features exciting features, including writing tools, voicemail transcriptions, Genmoji, and the Image Playground app.

However, its release has been somewhat of a slow burn, rolling out in waves, potentially rendering the entire plot redundant.

Apple is seemingly playing it safe with AI, and for a good reason too. Generative AI has been riddled with critical issues, including security and privacy, which has prompted most users to refrain from leveraging its next-gen capabilities.

On the other hand, OpenAI's ChatGPT is enjoying significant success in the AI landscape, quickly becoming a favorite among most iOS and Android users.

Interestingly, Apple partnered with OpenAI to integrate its technology into Siri to complement its AI efforts. However, Apple Intelligence has seemingly reported underwhelming results.

According to Apple insiders, users are seemingly struggling to adopt Apple Intelligence. And while the company claims iPhone sales are extremely high in regions where it offers the AI features, internal data shows that real-world usage is at an all-time low.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman:

"The feature feels like an afterthought and lacks conversational abilities."

Apple showed great promise in AI, especially after unveiling its Siri digital assistant in 2011. However, it seemingly failed to keep up with the ever-evolving trends in the space, lagging behind its competitors' offerings.

The launch of Apple Intelligence could have potentially presented the company with an opportunity to drive iPhone sales amid the depressed Chinese market. However, the company's slow rollout and lackluster features have made the situation worse.

As you may know, Apple was criticized after its AI summaries feature was spotted generating erroneous news alerts. This forced the company to temporarily disable it while it worked on a permanent fix.

Like Microsoft and Google, Apple has a broad user base, predominantly because of its versatile ecosystem. However, it has failed to leverage this competitive advantage to catch up with its competitors.

However, Apple could redeem itself via a new software update, slated to be released in May. The update will reportedly ship with a next-gen version of Siri, which, unlike its predecessor, has a unified brain.

The current version of Siri ships with two brains. For context, the first brain handles mundane tasks like setting timers and making calls, while the other handles more advanced and complex tasks.

Initially, Apple Intelligence was supposed to ship in this format, but Apple was pressed on time to deliver the product in this form. However, Gurman claims that Apple could potentially ship its AI strategy as first intended via its iOS 19 software update.

According to Mark Gurman:

"Apple’s plan is to merge both systems together and roll out a new Siri architecture. I expect this to be introduced as early as Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June of this year — with a launch by spring 2026 as part of iOS 19.4. The new system, dubbed “LLM Siri” internally, was supposed to also introduce a more conversational approach in the same release. But that is now running behind as well and won’t be unveiled in June."

Following Apple's miscalculations with its AI strategy, insiders have highlighted concerns, indicating "a true modernized, conversational version of Siri won’t reach consumers until iOS 20 at best in 2027."

This means Apple is approximately five years behind its competitors in the AI landscape. While Apple's AI strategy seems shaky at best, the software giant seems to be in more trouble.

Insiders claim the company faces critical issues, including a shortage of advanced GPUs to power its advanced AI efforts as tech giants like Microsoft and OpenAI's demand for NVIDIA chips continues to rise.

While the company is working to solve this issue with homegrown entries via its chips team, there are indications that rival firms are scouting and poaching talent from Apple, making the situation dire.

Elsewhere, Apple recently transitioned veteran project manager Kim Vorrath into its Siri and AI division to bolster its efforts by "whipping artificial intelligence and Siri into shape." Per the leaked memo from Apple AI lead John Giannandrea, the AI division will be focused on overhauling Siri’s infrastructure and improving the company’s in-house AI models.

Apple's long-anticipated Vision Pro AR glasses showed great promise at launch, but the iPhone maker has failed to live up to the hype. For instance, the company deterred many users from buying the entry due to its steep $3,500 price tag, seemingly limiting its accessibility to high-income markets.

The sophisticated augmented reality headset is riddled with a wide range of issues, including health concerns like eye strain and cognitive fatigue, design flaws (particularly its bulkiness), and limited app support from developers, which makes the $3,500 entry less appealing outside of its novelty.

Be that as it may, the hype around the expensive headset has quickly faded as affordable and more multi-functional entries like XREAL's AR glasses join the fold. However, a new report suggests that Apple might be attempting to make a comeback with the Vision Pro via AI-powered features (via LaptopMag).

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple plans to ship its AI (Apple Intelligence) to the Vision Pro, an updated mode for guest users, and a spatial content app to potentially spark user interest and drive more headset sales.

The AR headset will reportedly receive the highlighted improvements via a new update, visionOS 2.4, which is slated to ship as early as April. However, developers may gain access to these new features this week.

While Apple has yet to confirm any of the highlighted details, if true, Apple Intelligence will ship with a wide range of features to the Vision Pro, including Writing Tools, Genmojis, and the Image Playground app.

Will Apple Intelligence save the Vision Pro from flopping?

Apple played safe with generative AI until October 2024, when it unveiled its Apple Intelligence strategy. Interestingly, Apple Intelligence hasn't hit its prime-time yet, as it continues to ship in waves for iPhone 15 users and higher or Macs with M1 chips and higher.

Apple's iPhone sales have seemingly declined over the past few years, especially in the Chinese market. It's unclear if Apple Intelligence's debut has helped improve these figures in the grand scheme of things. It will be interesting to see if this theory proves successful for the Vision Pro.

This news comes weeks after Microsoft confirmed it was handing over the development of its military IVAS hardware and software to Anduril Industries, potentially dumping the $22 billion deal to the third-party developer if the deal pulls through.

Last year, the Redmond giant pulled the plug on its Windows Mixed Reality platform and stopped developing HoloLens 2.

Is it the Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of America? Well, that depends on who you ask. Disagreement on the name of the body of water does not just occur among political enemies, there's also a difference of opinion across map services. Google Maps and Apple Maps now show "Gulf of America." Bing Maps will soon join them in showing the new name for the body of water, though only for users in the United States.

Debate over the name of the body of water kicked off when President Donald Trump announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. At the time, the President also discussed renaming Mount Denali, annexing Canada, wanting Greenland to become part of the United States, and the United States reclaiming the Panama Canal. But I'll focus on the first here, since map debates are oh so invigorating.

President Trump has since declared the body of water the Gulf of America and made February 9 Gulf of America Day.

"As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America," said President Trump.

We'll have to wait to see if Gulf of America Day appears on Google Calendar. Pride Month, Black History Month, and Women's History Month no longer appear on Google Calendar. Google claimed that "maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable," so surely the tech giant will find a calendar showing Gulf of America Day to be untenable.

With the Gulf of America officially declared as the name for the body of water, arguments ensued over if the name should appear on maps. Apple Maps and Google Maps seem to be shifting gradually and depending on where a user is. Bing Maps will do the same.

Without comment from Microsoft, I'm not sure if Bing Maps showing "Gulf of Mexico" exclusively is a political statement or a reflection of how frequently the service's information gets updated. I have reached out to Microsoft about the Gulf of Mexico name debate and how Bing Maps is updated.

How does Bing Maps get its data?

Bing Maps gets information from several sources. A blog post from 2020 explained that using a combination of providers helps the map service evolve over time and provide the best experience. That post explained that all of TomTom's map and traffic data was to be incorporated into Bing Maps, though I have not found an update regarding the status of that project.

Who names bodies of water?

The US federal government can dictate how the government refers to a body of water. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple set their own policies. The Gulf of Mexico is not the first body of water to have its name disputed or to have multiple names. For example, the same body of water that appears as the "Sea of Japan" on Google Maps if you're in Japan will appear as the "East Sea" if you're in South Korea.

Google has a blog post from way back in 2008 discussing how it determines the names of bodies of water. That post states:

"Under this policy, the English Google Earth client displays the primary, common, local name(s) given to a body of water by the sovereign nations that border it. If all bordering countries agree on the name, then the common single name is displayed (e.g. "Caribbean Sea" in English, "Mar Caribe" in Spanish, etc.). But if different countries dispute the proper name for a body of water, our policy is to display both names, with each label placed closer to the country or countries that use it."

I have not found a similar post from Microsoft regarding its naming policies. I'll update this piece with any information Microsoft shares.

The company did share a statement on the current situation:

"We are committed to providing users with accurate and up-to-date information. In accordance with established product policies, we are updating Bing Maps to reflect the Geographic Names Information System’s nomenclature in the United States which includes changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in the US."

Some users in the United States have shared with me that they already see the change.

Every major tech corporation is seemingly rushing to chase the buzzing AI bubble. Microsoft, Google, and Anthropic are arguably among the top players in the landscape with the Redmond giant showing great potential, partly due to its OpenAI-tie up. Microsoft's deal with OpenAI grants it advanced flagship models that it has integrated across its tech stack on an exclusive basis. On the other hand, Apple may be considered a late bloomer in the AI landscape with critics indicating the iPhone maker's Apple Intelligence offering could be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT even before it ships.

However, a leaked memo from the company potentially sheds a bit of light on its plans going into 2025, specifically in its fairly new AI division. As you may know, the company’s Apple Intelligence strategy is rolling out in waves and is limited to iPhone 15 Pro or later.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is reportedly transitioning veteran project manager Kim Vorrath into its SIri and AI division to bolster its efforts by "whipping artificial intelligence and Siri into shape." Per the leaked memo from Apple AI lead John Giannandrea, the AI division will be focused on overhauling SIri’s infrastructure and improving the company’s in house AI models.

Apple only dabbled its foot in AI last year during its annual WWDC event. While companies such as OpenAI had a significant lead AI, giving it a 2-year runway to build ChatGPT uncontested, Apple has seemingly taken a safer bet and stayed true to CEO Tim Cook’s aged philosophy: "not first, but best." The company has often touted its approach of not necessarily being the first to introduce new tech, but mostly wind up developing the best product, even if it means taking longer to ship.

These efforts could be part of the iPhone maker’s broader plans to develop its own AI model to power Siri. However, reports suggest that the entry might not ship until Apple ships its iOS 19.4 update in 2026.

Elsewhere, Former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive confirmed he is working on a new mobile hardware project with OpenAI amid declining iPhone sales, especially in China. The designer plans to leverage the ChatGPT maker's AI technology to "create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone." Apple’s new AI strategy seems to be a step in the right direction, briefly helping it reclaim its crown as the world’s most valuable company ahead of Microsoft and NVIDIA with over $3 trillion in market capitalization.

Microsoft uncovered a critical security vulnerability (tracked as CVE-2024-44243) affecting Apple's macOS (via Bleeping Computer). The threat allowed bad actors to circumvent the iPhone maker's System Integrity Protection (SIP), granting them access to the macOS kernel by loading third-party code.

For context, SIP is a security feature designed to block malware from accessing important data in the operating system by restricting the root user account's privileges in critical areas. As such, if the security feature is bypassed, the operating system becomes susceptible to malicious ploys by attackers, allowing them to make unauthorized changes to privileged and important files and folders.

Related: Microsoft blocks Secure Boot loophole, protecting Windows 11 from firmware attacks

It's worth noting that the security feature limits access to the operating system's critical components to Apple-authorized processes. As such, it's difficult to make important operating system security modifications that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access to privileged information. The security feature can only be disabled during the operating system's recovery and restart process, which typically requires physical access to the device.

However, the vulnerability highlighted allowed hackers to disable the security feature remotely, allowing them to install rootkits. With access to the operating system, the attackers could inject malware, bypassing more security features, including Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) security checks to gain unauthorized access to intricate user data.

According to Microsoft:

"System Integrity Protection (SIP) serves as a critical safeguard against malware, attackers, and other cybersecurity threats, establishing a fundamental layer of protection for macOS systems. Bypassing SIP impacts the entire operating system's security and could lead to severe consequences, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive security solutions that can detect anomalous behavior from specially entitled processes."

While the security flaw has been patched, Microsoft reiterates the need for elaborate security tools that could help users easily identify when their operating systems have been compromised. Microsoft also recommends restricting third-party extensions from running in the kernel, potentially reducing the occurrence of such security flaws.

What you need to know

• Apple is slated to roll out its much-anticipated iOS 18.2 update featuring advanced Apple Intelligence features, including ChatGPT and Visual Intelligence.
• The latest iOS 18.2 beta update features a new Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus option in the Settings app, indicating that the iPhone maker is getting a cut for advertising OpenAI's $20 service across its products.
• Apple Intelligence will remain freely available across Apple's tech stack, potentially driving iPhone 16 sales and growing its user base.

Apple, seemingly a late bloomer in the generative AI landscape, is enjoying considerable success in the category. As you might remember, Apple briefly became the world's most valuable company again ahead of Microsoft and NVIDIA with a $3 trillion market cap, shortly after unveiling its new AI strategy — Apple Intelligence.

While the announcement was made during Apple's annual developer conference (WWDC 2024), the flagship AI-powered features recently shipped across its ecosystem, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, and an overhauled Siri AI assistant. This could be attributed to the privacy and security concerns around AI, explaining Apple's delay in unveiling its new AI strategy.

Apple will ship more advanced AI-powered features across its tech stack next month via the iOS 18.2 update, including features like ChatGPT and Visual Intelligence. Interestingly, the iPhone maker is raising eyebrows, especially among investors because it's availing these flagship features to its vast userbase for free.

This comes at a critical time when Apple's iPhone sales are struggling, especially in the Chinese market. It remains unclear whether Apple offering Apple Intelligence for free to users is a strategy to drive iPhone 16 sales.

OpenAI's ChatGPT is the most significant feature to ship with Apple's iOS 18.2 update. The AI-powered chatbot will support Apple's AI, allowing it to handle complex tasks.

Apple might eventually start charging for its AI services, like OpenAI's $20 ChatGPT Plus or Microsoft's Copilot Pro $20 service. Interestingly, Apple has started monetizing its AI services in a not-so-obvious way.

According to 9to5Mac, the latest iOS 18.2 beta features a new Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus option in the Settings app. While the subscription is to OpenAI's $20 ChatGPT Plus service, Apple is advertising the service on its platform, meaning it'll get a cut or commission on subscriptions.

In the grand scheme of things, Apple's AI-powered features will remain accessible, potentially driving iPhone 16 sales while growing Apple Intelligence's user base. Google's Gemini service will likely join the fold in the foreseeable future.

Interestingly, Apple insiders have raised concerns over the iPhone maker's AI strategy, citing fears Apple Intelligence could be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT:

"Some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology – at least, so far – is more than two years behind the industry leaders."

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman admits ChatGPT is more accurate than Siri, and can answer 30% more questions. "It’s hard to count Apple out," added Gurman.

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