Microsoft is playing nicely with Google. At least, Microsoft is adding support for two Google-supported, open source video codecs: WebM and VP9.
Both will be included in an upcoming update for the Edge, along with support for the open source Opus audio format. The change will bring more HTML5 video capabilities to the default browser in Windows 10, Winbeta.org is reporting. The version of Edge bundled with the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition update will be the first to include these codecs.
Firefox, Chrome, and Opera users likely use WebM and VP9 every day. YouTube’s HTML5 player, which replaced Flash in recent years on those browsers, plays back WebM video encoded in VP9. Edge and Internet Explorer both work with the HTML5 player, via the proprietary codec H.264 also used in Blu-ray discs. Sites offering video encoded in that codecs must pay royalties to do so. Because WebM is open source, there are no fees for using it.
“Starting with EdgeHTML 14.14291, the open-source WebM container format and the VP9 video and Opus audio codecs are supported in Microsoft Edge,” said a post on the Windows development blog. “These are available to websites that use Media Source Extensions (MSE) to adaptively stream video content.”
The post added that Windows Web Apps, which you can find in the Windows Store, will also support theses codecs. This is because Windows Web Apps are displayed using Edge’s web engine.
Outside of YouTube, there aren’t many major sites that use WebM or VP9 at this point. Microsoft’s move could change that, because now every major web browser but Safari natively supports the open format.
For users, this doesn’t mean much in the short term. But in the long term, it could be a big deal of the online video industry. Imagine if, every time you loaded a JPEG image, the websites hosting the image had to pay the patent holder. That’s the current situation with online video, and technologies like WebM could be the solution.
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.