In case you didn’t know, if you bring your PC to a Microsoft store, you’ll be entitled to some neat diagnostic and security services that could help you save big bucks.
Microsoft’s Answer Desks, which you’ll find in the company’s retail stores, offer five free services. They’ll provide you with “extended diagnostics on any device,” though it is unclear what “extended diagnostics” means, exactly. From there, the picture gets a little clearer though.
Microsoft reps will also perform software repair or support, remove viruses and/or malware, and they’ll also offer to give your PC a tune up in order to boost its performance. It’s unclear what these tuneups will entail, so we suggest that you ask as many questions as you can think of when you bring your rig in. Virus and malware removal seems straightforward. Microsoft’s Answer Desk page also says that you can get an appraisal on store credit for your gear through the company’s Recycle for Rewards program.
On the plus side Microsoft says that they’ll perform these free services for you regardless of where you bought your computer, whether you got your PC from Microsoft, or somewhere else. Therefore, this offer isn’t something that only applies to Surface owners.
You can also get some of these services, including a tune up and virus/malware removal online, but you’ll have to pay $99 for either of those. We suggest that you get in on the freebie if there’s a Microsoft store somewhere near you, should you be in need of any of these services.
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.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.