Windows 10 is in for a series of small changes thanks to Microsoft’s Project Neon, a revamp of the familiar, old MDL2 user interface currently in use on the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. All those little changes and refinements add up to a refreshing and new look courtesy of a renewed focus on simple, clean animations, and overall consistency.
According to MS Power User, the new UI will focus on clean animations and a new style reminiscent of Windows 7’s Aero Glass, with plenty of semi-transparent windows and sidebars — not unlike what we currently see on MacOS Sierra.
The new transparent effects also have some new branding. Microsoft calls the semi-transparent elements “Acrylics” — these are the parts of the window that blur whatever is in the background. Again, it’s similar to what you can currently see on the most recent versions of iOS and MacOS, and that blurry glass look is very familiar and pretty slick overall.
Unlike the Apple-branded alternatives, where these effects are used sparingly, Microsoft plans to bring a lot of blur and transparency into the Windows 10 UI, according to MS Power User. It’s part of Microsoft’s plan to make the user interfaces for all Windows devices (mobile, HoloLens, and desktop) a consistent user experience.
The Project Neon user interface relies heavily on 3D and HoloLens interactions as part of that push from Microsoft, highlighting menu items as you hover over them in a much more visible way than we currently see on Windows 10. Instead of a simple color change, menu items are more likely to “pop” with highlights and 3D effects.
With all of these new graphical changes, you might expect that the Project Neon UI could easily become bogged down when you have a lot of apps open, a lot of things going on. But according to MS Power User, the animations — no matter how flashy — stay smooth and consistent throughout.
We don’t yet have a timeline for Project Neon, but it could be on the horizon for 2017. Chances are, we’ll see it rolling out incrementally after the Windows 10 Creators Update comes out later this year.
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.