Remember when Microsoft boldly proclaimed Windows 10 will have 1 billion users by mid-2018? Microsoft isn’t so sure about that anymore, ZDNet is reporting. Now Microsoft says a 10-digit user base total is going to take longer than that.
Part of this is because of mobile: Windows Phones haven’t exactly had a banner year, and they were supposed to be part of this legendary billion. So far 350 million users have Windows 10, which is an unprecedented year so far as Windows releases go, and almost on pace for a billion. But installs will presumably slow down soon, when Windows 10 stops being free.
Not only will Windows 10 no longer be free, but Microsoft’s aggressive “marketing” for the operating system, which caused more than a few users to install the operating system accidentally, will stop at the end of the month. From that point forward new device purchases will make up the bulk of new Windows 10 users.
“Windows 10 is off to the hottest start in history with over 350 million monthly active devices, with record customer satisfaction and engagement,” a Microsoft representative told ZDNet. “We’re pleased with our progress to date, but due to the focusing of our phone hardware business, it will take longer than FY18 for us to reach our goal of 1 billion monthly active devices. In the year ahead, we are excited about usage growth coming from commercial deployments and new devices — and increasing customer delight with Windows.”
That last point about commercial deployments could get interesting. Companies traditionally wait a couple of years before upgrading Windows. In part this is to avoid any bugs that come with new releases, and in part this is because upgrading a bunch of computers takes a long time.
But some large entities have committed early to deploying Windows 10. For example, the U.S. Defense Department will install Windows 10 on 4 million PCs in a bid to lower IT costs. If enough organizations do the same, Windows 10 could keep growing. We’ll be watching closely.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.