At Build 2023, Microsoft made quite a big deal about its headlining announcement, the Windows Copilot. The idea is simple: build AI right into the operating system. In the same way that the Edge browser (and soon the entire stack of Office apps) have their own AI copilots, now Windows will have one too.
But in talking to the leader of Microsoft’s Windows (and Surface) group, Panos Panay, I wanted to dig into a different possible use case for generative AI as a tool for accessibility. It wasn’t presented this way, in particular, but having access to a virtual assistant that’s actually smart built right into the operating system of computer certainly seems like it would have some serious value in terms of accessibility.
When I asked Panay about it, he was enthusiastic about the idea. “I have so much passion in this space. When Copilot starts to present itself, you start realizing, regardless of your mode of input, that works for you.”
Microsoft is not new to the world of accessibility — in fact, the company’s been ramping up its offering in all sorts of ways recently, whether it’s features in Windows like Live Captions or its modular Adaptive Accessories. But with Windows Copilot, there’s a new opportunity to bring everything together.
Now, there’s always been a basic search function in Windows, but making it hyperintelligent does a lot to transform it into the ultimate accessibility tool. In particular, the Windows Copilot might help those who struggle to fully operate their computer in one way or another.
“When you think about accessibility, whether it’s a dexterity problem or if want to use voice or only write or only type — whatever the mode of input is — the Copilot will take it,” said Panay.
Being able to control your operating system entirely from the Windows Copilot via voice or text seems like an extremely beneficial feature for some. But the even broader benefit Windows Copilot has is as a discovery function.
“Imagine what you can do to enable every single accessibility feature in Windows,” Panay said. “There are things right in front of you for accessibility that we do, but there’s so much in there that’s unique to each person. Imagine if you’re able to just call for it.”
Panay mentioned the wealth of accessibility options that are already built right into Windows, whether that’s Magnifier, Color Filters, Narrator, Live Captions, Translation, or even Sticky Keys. But the problem is that many people who could likely benefit from any or some of these features might not know they exist. In theory, you could request that the Copilot help you with something, and it would automatically point you in the right direction. You wouldn’t have to go digging through settings to see if such a thing even exists.
We’ll have to wait until we’ve used Windows Copilot ourselves to see just how good it is at these things, but for now, it’s certainly promising.
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.