Microsoft has announced the rollout of several anticipated features for Teams, including avatar support and immersive spaces.
The company is showcasing the new features during its annual Build developer conference, which is currently taking place from May 23 through May 25.
Reports from March indicated that Microsoft’s product road map contained plans to roll out a new feature for Teams and Zoom that would allow users to substitute their live camera feed for a 3D avatar when on a video call.
Instead, the feature will be available starting this week with support for the Microsoft Teams desktop app on Windows and Mac, particularly for all Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise licenses, the company said. The feature will allow you to use avatars as an alternative to video or no video with a host of customizable specifications; however, it does not specify whether the avatars will be 3D.
Even so, the brand also showcased its new immersive spaces powered by Microsoft Mesh for Teams, a feature, which will work in private previews within the communications app, Microsoft said.
Immersive spaces is intended to allow people in group communication within Teams to break off into more personal interactions that simulate in-person meetings. This feature will have a 3D aspect to it as you will be able to use it with a virtual reality (VR) headset, in addition to spatial audio, though you also have the option to use it solely via a PC. Immersive spaces will be available for Microsoft Teams starting this week.
Microsoft is hosting a session during its Build conference demonstrating how Mesh works, and how workspaces can use the feature to build a virtual workspace.
Microsoft Mesh has had several false launches. The brand first announced the concept in late 2021 when several companies were invested in the metaverse. It was intended not only as a method for showcasing 3D avatars in Teams but also for users to interact in VR workspaces with other colleagues. Microsoft said at that time that the avatars were supposed to move only when users spoke, but the brand scrapped plans to have the avatars match the user’s real-time movement with their webcams.
Microsoft then intended to release Mesh in 2022, but the launch was delayed by the burgeoning interest in artificial intelligence (AI) across the industry. However, its resurgence at Build is a good sign that the brand has not given up on this technology.
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.