Microsoft has offered 5G connectivity on the Surface Pro 11 since the laptop launched, but for the first time ever, Microsoft is expanding 5G support to its Surface Laptop 7, which ranks at the top of our list of the best laptops. There’s just one small caveat; it’s only available for business customers, at least right now.
There aren’t a ton of details right now, but Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 7 for Business with 5G — I don’t make the names, folks — will start rolling out “later in 2025.” The company also promises to share more details on the laptop in the “coming months,” which will hopefully clear up if this model is coming to the consumer market, as well.
Microsoft has been accepting pre-orders for the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 for Business since August of last year, according to a report from Windows Central. Now, however, Microsoft is offering the two devices with both Snapdragon X and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors, otherwise known as Lunar Lake. The Lunar Lake models, which are certified Copilot+ PCs, will be available for businesses starting on February 18, starting at $1,500 for both models.
These are ostensibly the same devices that you can get from your local Best Buy, but the security and management capabilities are cranked to the max. In addition to Windows 11 Pro preinstalled, these devices will have access to the new Surface Management Portal for IT admins who are managing a fleet of devices.
Although it’s unclear if Microsoft will eventually release a consumer-facing version of the Surface Laptop with 5G, you can buy the “for business” Surface devices directly from Microsoft, though at a bit of an upcharge. For instance, you can get the Surface Pro 11 with the Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $1,000 directly from Microsoft. The business version starts at $1,100 for the same configuration. The actual price difference depends on your configuration.
The new Lunar Lake versions are significantly more expensive than their Snapdragon counterparts — around $400 more expensive, in fact. Both models can go up to a Core Ultra 7 268V chip with 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. However, the base model comes with a Core Ultra 5 236V, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of (user-upgradable) storage.
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.