Windows 10 could look and feel a bit different in the year 2021, according to a report from Windows Central. It’s rumored that Microsoft could be planning a much-needed modern overhaul for the operating system’s user interface, including the Start Menu and Taskbar.
Code-named “Sun Valley” this refreshed Windows 10 UI could be coming for the holiday 2021 season in a release code-named “Cobalt.” The project is apparently aimed at “reinvigorating and modernizing the Windows desktop experience to keep up with customer expectations in a world driven by other modern and lightweight platforms,” according to Windows Central.
To be clear, though, it is rumored that Sun Valley won’t be a new Windows 10 design language for Microsoft. It is rather a desktop-based evolution of Fluent Design, Microsoft’s existing project, which aims to introduce experiences and apps that look, feel, and adapt naturally across devices.
But what does that mean for you? The details are currently scarce, but rumors do indicate that the Start Menu and Action Center could look a bit different in this release. It could perhaps be similar to the modern touch-centric dual-screen experience found in Windows 10X, but designed for the desktop instead. Also included is an updated File Explorer, and a Taskbar, too. And, for those who don’t like Windows 10’s tablet mode, a new “fluid experience” will be coming, that is apparently centered around better animations.
Sun Valley is also rumored to introduce some more rounded-off corners throughout Windows 10, possibly including app windows. There are even improvements to the dark mode that should be coming, too. And, if you’re not happy with the changes, there will be an option to switch between the new Sun Valley experiences and the old ones.
This new direction for Windows 10 is the work of the new leader of the Windows Devices and Experiences team, Panos Panay. Since he took charge of the program earlier this year, rumors say Microsoft could be working to bring features from its now-delayed next-generation Windows 10X operating system to regular Windows 10. This looks to be part of that.
Windows Central notes Microsoft could cut the plans for Sun Valley at any time between now and next year, but the changes are something that Microsoft wants to deliver. If all goes well, the update should roll out to everyone in fall 2021 via a routine cumulative update, after a testing period in the beta channel of the Windows Insider program.
Did you think hitting delete on your AI chatbot conversation actually makes it disappear? Georgia Tech researchers just proved that's not entirely true. They have built a forensic tool called ORISA that can dig deleted conversations from your phone and even rebuild them into a working chatbot session you can keep talking to.
How can ORISA bring deleted AI conversations back?
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).
Two residents of Chicago have filed a lawsuit in the US over claims that robots run by Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics captured their facial and hand measurements without consent, bringing renewed attention to the food delivery robots. The cases raise a troubling question: If a robot delivers food to your door, can it also be gathering sensitive information about you?
According to a report by The Associated Press, the proposed class-action lawsuits were filed in Cook County on Oct. 9 and allege violations of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. The complaints claim that the robots’ cameras and LiDAR sensors captured information on customers’ faces and hands as they approached the machines to pick up their orders. Both have denied the allegations.