It’s time again for a new Windows Insider build (Build 14971) blossoming with usability changes and minor bug fixes. But first, a moment of silence for the Microsoft Command Prompt, known to its friends and users as simply “cmd.” That’s right, this latest Windows Insider build kicks the old-fashioned Command Prompt to the curb, but doesn’t kill it outright. It’s been replaced with the snazzy, not-so-new Windows PowerShell.
As Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar points out in Thursday’s Windows Insider update, this week will mark the 10th birthday of PowerShell as a Windows utility – and the beginning of a new era for Windows command line users. The venerable Command Prompt will no longer be the app that launches when you type “cmd” into your File Explorer’s address bar — instead, you’ll be treated to the somewhat alarming deep blue and white text of Windows PowerShell, a more robust and fully featured version of the Command Prompt.
Ignoring the fact that it looks an awful lot like the blue screen of death, PowerShell will reportedly allow users to leverage a more potent feature set than the old Command Prompt allowed – including rapid automation of administration tasks across multiple operating systems (Linux, OSX, Unix, and Windows).
To be fair, Command Prompt will still be a part of Windows, and you can access it directly by navigating to your Windows Utilities folder, but it will – by default – be replaced by PowerShell when you type “cmd” into your File Explorer, or when you open it up with the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + X.
Also included in the latest Windows Insider update is a preview of Paint 3D, and the ability to open EPUB files in Microsoft Edge. There are a few other, minor updates that you can read more about here.
Like every Windows Insider build, this one has a few quirks. Navigating to Settings and opening the Battery app will reportedly crash the Settings app, and adjusting your monitor’s brightness from the keyboard will no longer work as expected. Microsoft advises users to adjust brightness settings directly from the Settings menu.
As always, in order to get your hands on the latest Windows Preview Build, you’ll have to join the Windows Insider program, which you can do here.
If you’re already a member, just open up your Windows Update and check if the latest update is available.
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.