Microsoft’s latest internal project is reportedly a new pared-down version of Windows code-named Polaris. This new iteration isn’t a successor to Windows 10, not in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s an alternative operating system more like iOS or Chrome OS — a lightweight OS designed for devices like ultra-mobile laptops, 2-in-1s, and tablets. And according to Windows Central, it could be the future of Windows.
So what is it, exactly? Good question. Last January, we reported on efforts to develop an “adaptive shell” called C-Shell for Windows 10 so that the platform can properly scale out across PC, mobile, console, HoloLens, and embedded devices. Different products running Windows would use different iterations of that shell. And according to noted Microsoft-watcher Mary Jo Foley, Polaris is Microsoft’s effort to build a desktop Shell using C-Shell to run on top of the Windows Core OS.
Maybe, maybe not. Here’s another theory: Polaris could take over for Windows 10 S, the pared-down student version of Windows 10 that Microsoft is using to test the lightweight OS waters.
Windows 10 S could be seen as something of a trial balloon here, with Microsoft angling toward the education market to see how a pared-down Windows experience would go over with the average user.
Polaris reportedly aims to strip out all the legacy components that make Windows 10 a full-featured operating system in favor of a system designed around the basics — like Chrome OS. An operating system designed for people who typically work out of a web browser. The new Windows Polaris would be quicker, more nimble, and carry a lot less baggage.
Polaris would, according to Window Central, be built entirely on Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform, or UWP, making it a much more hospitable environment to existing UWP apps and potentially offer battery life and performance gains. (The world’s reaction to UWP has been … somewhat mixed.)
“The current Windows Shell is one of the major legacy components that Microsoft is replacing in Polaris; it is also stripping out legacy, unneeded Win32 components and apps like Notepad or Paint in favor of a UWP experience, just like Windows 10 Mobile,” Windows Central reports.
It’s an interesting move and it certainly makes sense with Microsoft’s recent shift toward unifying its Windows experience across all of its platforms, but it’s unclear whether or not Polaris would end up seeing widespread adoption. Currently, Chromebooks offer a unique niche for lightweight on-the-go computing, and Windows 10 exists in its full version on laptops and mobile devices up and down the price spectrum without any issues. Pulling out functionality in favor of marginal gains in performance and battery life might not appeal to the average laptop, tablet, or 2-in-1 user.
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.