Microsoft’s Surface Laptop is the first system to run Windows 10 S, a stripped-down version of the company’s flagship operating system designed with low-end hardware in mind. However, anyone that picked up the laptop was given the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro free of charge for a limited time and they are being given a three-month extension.
Originally, Surface Laptop owners had until the end of 2017 to take advantage of the offer of a free Windows 10 Pro upgrade. Now, the promotion will run until March 31, 2018, at which point it will cost $49 to apply the upgrade, according to a report from On MSFT.
The biggest difference between Windows 10 S and Windows 10 Pro is the latter’s capacity to run fully fledged Win32 apps, rather than just having access to content from the Windows Store. It is fair to say that the Pro version is essential if you want to use the Surface Laptop as you would a standard PC.
However, there are distinct advantages to running Windows 10 S, in certain circumstances. It is more efficient, so if Windows Store apps are all you need, it might be worth opting for better performance and improved battery life. It also offers enhanced security, which is a major selling point for schools and businesses.
All this being said, it would perhaps be wise for Surface Laptop owners who are on the fence to upgrade their system and take it for a test drive. Microsoft released a tool that allows for the process to be reserved, so it’s no trouble at all the revert back to Windows 10 S if you try out the Pro version and find that it’s not for you.
Microsoft also announced that the Surface Laptop is making its way to 20 more countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the U.K.
The fact that the company is offering users the chance to upgrade from Windows 10 S for free should not suggest a lack of confidence in the OS variant — it os just designed for a very specific portion of its audience. Windows 10 S is intended to compete with Chrome OS, whereas the Pro version is more of a catch-all, so it makes sense for early adopters of the Surface Laptop to be given the chance to choose between the two options.
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.