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Copilot AI’s mission to infiltrate the Windows 11 desktop appears to have advanced another step
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Copilot is creeping into another corner of the Windows 11 interface, it seems, with the AI assistant seen in the context menu of File Explorer.

This is still in test builds of Windows 11, mind, and not officially either. Windows Latest flagged up the change, which was first noticed by PhantomOfEarth, a well-known leaker on X (formerly Twitter) who previously picked up on clues that File Explorer integration was inbound for Copilot back in January 2024.

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Now we can see how the context menu option will work, enabling you to right click on a file, and choose to send it to Copilot – open the AI’s panel with the file active, as if you’d dragged it in there – or to elect to ‘summarize’ the file. The latter choice being the standard option for Copilot to summarize a document or PDF for example.

Even though we’ve caught a glimpse of the menu now, it still doesn’t work (which is why it isn’t officially running in Windows 11 previews – yet). As Windows Latest makes clear, if you click to summarize, a summary isn’t provided.

Other options may be added down the line, too. In fact, it’s very likely we’ll see a ‘rewrite’ choice for example, allowing for rewriting a document, another task Copilot is currently capable of.

Analysis: Copilot’s future flight path

We can expect to see Copilot’s tendrils snaking into all parts of the Windows 11 interface eventually, which may not be to everyone’s tastes.

Those who don’t want to use the AI, or even see it in Windows at all, can ignore it, or turn off the functionality for the time being (one way or another) – but there will come a point where Copilot will be the beating heart of Microsoft’s OS, and you’ll have to use AI, like it or not. Although the functionality provided will probably be pretty advanced and undeniably useful (or indeed indispensable) at that stage.

This particular move is not a big intrusion into the desktop, though. We’re talking about an extra line in the right-click menu, and perhaps Microsoft will be incorporating an option to turn it off as well. In the same way you can remove the Copilot icon from the taskbar if you wish – maybe there’ll be a way to switch all the AI’s functions off with an easy flick of a toggle. (Or an instruction, perhaps: “Copilot, remove yourself from all parts of my Windows 11 interface” – we wouldn’t bank on it, mind).

As long as users have a choice, that’s a good thing, but as we’ve already said, in the future we feel there likely won’t be a choice as such because Copilot will pretty much become Windows, or the central pillar of the OS. Windows 2030 might just be called Copilot 2030.

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Anyone can now browse through Apple Vision Pro apps on the web
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You no longer need an Apple Vision Pro to look at Vision Pro apps, because the visionOS App Store is now available for browsing on the web – just like the equivalent App Stores for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS.

Head to the Vision Pro App Store in your browser (as spotted by 9to5Mac), and you're able to browse through categories including business, entertainment, and education. You can also find iPhone and iPad apps and games that'll run on the Vision Pro.

You can read our Apple Vision Pro review to get an idea of how much we love the mixed reality headset – and it's now even more appealing, because you don't have to don the device to check out new apps you might be interested in.

What's more, it gives people who don't own one of the headsets a chance to see the apps that are available for it. When you're spending $ 3,499 (about £2,750 / AU$ 5,330) and up on a piece of hardware, maybe you want to see what you'll be able to do on it before buying.

A wider roll out

Apple Vision Pro App Store

See anything you like? The Apple Vision Pro App Store (Image credit: Future)

The experience of browsing through the visionOS App Store is very similar to what you may already be familiar with when you browse for apps for other devices – and some app listings have simply had an extra Apple Vision tab added to them.

You can check out screenshots, see descriptions of the apps and reviews that have been left by other users, and get information about the data collected by each app. Details of app prices and in-app purchase prices are also shown.

It's possible that the launch of the Vision Pro App Store on the web is something to do with the headset's rumored international launch. At the moment, you can only buy the device in the US, but that could be changing in the near future.

There's also been talk that a cheaper version of the Vision Pro could be in the pipeline – though it might not break cover until 2026. It may not be selling in massive numbers yet, but there's no doubting Apple's commitment to the Vision Pro.

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Leaked Apple roadmap hints at iPhone SE 4, foldable iPhone, and AR glasses launch dates
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We've heard plenty of rumors about the iPhone SE 4, the foldable iPhone, and the Apple AR glasses, and now a leaked roadmap has given us a better idea of when we might actually see these devices get launched.

The document, apparently from finance company Samsung Securities, was leaked by well-known tipster @Tech_Reve (via Wccftech). It offers an overview of what's on the way from Apple for the next few years, up until 2027.

It's in 2027 when we'll apparently get the augmented reality glasses. We've not heard much about the specs in recent months, with the Apple Vision Pro taking most of the attention when it comes to AR and VR (or mixed reality, if you prefer). We're also, it seems, getting a cheaper Vision Pro sometime in 2026.

A foldable 20-inch iPad is slated to arrive in 2027, with the foldable 8-inch iPhone turning up a year before. That's somewhat in opposition to recent rumors that said the foldable iPad would turn up first – though considering a foldable iPhone would be about the size of an iPad mini anyway, there may be some confusion over which product is which.

Coming soon

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There's also a mention of the long-rumored OLED MacBook in 2026, and then looking at next year, we've got the iPhone SE 4 mentioned. That matches up with a rumor from last month that pointed to an early 2025 launch for the mid-ranger – with a switch to a more modern design and an OLED display also being talked about.

As for the rest of this year, it looks very much as though we'll get an 11-inch iPad Pro and a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, both running OLED screens. Most tipsters have predicted a 2024 launch for these tablets, and they could show up any day now (though you might have to get your orders in quickly for the 11-inch version).

The usual caveats about leaks and rumors apply: these dates might not be completely accurate, and even if they are, Apple's plans can always change. That said, this roadmap does  match up nicely with other bits of information that have leaked out.

If Apple does indeed launch new iPads in the near future, the next big announcements to expect will be about iOS 18, artificial intelligence, and Apple's other software. That will be at WWDC (the Worldwide Developers Conference) 2024, happening sometime in June.

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Windows 11 update is reportedly causing some PCs to crash or run very sluggishly
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Windows 11’s cumulative update for this month is causing serious problems in some reported cases.

This is KB5035853 for Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2 which started rolling out earlier this week carrying some useful new features. That includes being able to use the Snipping Tool to edit photos from your Android smartphone directly on your PC, plus adding support for much faster (80Gbps) wired connectivity with USB4 v2.0.

However, some Windows 11 users have hit major snags when installing the March update, with Windows Latest highlighting these, and the site experiencing a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) itself after running the update process.

The tech site’s BSoD arrived with an error saying ‘Thread Stuck in Device Driver’ which isn’t very helpful, and others have been hit by this problem, such as a reader running a bunch of Lenovo devices (in a business setting).

Furthermore, there’s evidence of this nasty crash on the Reddit thread introducing KB5035853. One user tells us: “This update caused a Windows to crash on startup. Got blue screen error. Had to rollback. Just a warning. That happen to anyone else?”

Someone chimes in to say they were affected too (and got put in a boot loop, with repeated reboots, before ending up at that BSoD).

There are other reports on this thread noting that the update did install, but then caused ‘random’ BSoDs afterwards.

On top of this, there are also folks who are complaining about Windows 11 running sluggishly, with their PC stuttering after the update, or even freezing up periodically.

Analysis: Fixing with one hand, breaking with the other?

These are really unpleasant side-effects here, and the cure so far seems to be simply rolling back the installation (removing KB5035853, or using System Restore to rewind time back to before the update was triggered).

On Reddit, there is a mention of a YouTube video that offers potential solutions, and we’ve had a look – there are a couple of clips, in fact – but we’d take the advice imparted with a hefty pinch of salt. Some folks in the YouTube comments have reported seeing success, and others have said the fixes outlined have failed. But for now, rather than trying what seems like shots in the dark as attempted cures, if you’re affected, we’d probably just go for reverting the update and waiting for Microsoft to investigate these glitches.

(It’s worth noting that in the YouTube comments there are also further complaints of PCs seriously chugging with slowdown post-update).

At the moment, Microsoft’s support document for the March cumulative update indicates there are no known issues.

The irony here is that this March update addresses a problem with the February update for Windows 11 whereby it failed to install (and got stuck at 96% complete with an error code and a helpful message saying that ‘something did not go as planned’). So, the patch curing that problem with the previous patch failing to install, also fails to install in a different, and in fact worse, way.

Hopefully Microsoft is on the case with this one as we type this. It’s difficult to say how widespread the BSoD problem is, but there are certainly enough reports of post-installation performance blues to suggest that something has gone awry with KB5035853.

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Google Drive could add a smart new way to keep your files organized
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Finding your way around your Google Drive files could be about to get a lot easier: there's evidence that you'll soon be able to categorize your files into different groups, like banking and work, to keep them better organized.

This is according to hidden code spotted in the Google Drive app by TheSpAndroid (via Android Police). Apps often lay the coding groundwork for future features, before those features go live and are announced to users.

As per the app, the categories you'll be able to make use of are Auto, Banking, Expenses, Home, IDs, Insurance, Medical, Pets, School, Taxes, Travel, and Work. From this leak, it doesn't seem as though custom labels will be allowed, but those 12 categories cover the business of modern life pretty well.

As Android Police points out, these categories are similar to the labeling system that companies can use in Google Workspace. However, this should be available to individual users too, across Android, iOS, and the web.

How it'll work

Google Drive category feature leak

How the upcoming feature might look (Image credit: TheSpAndroid)

Here's how it's going to work: From the Home tab in the Android app, you'll be able to tap the three dots next to a file, then choose from the categories list. A file can be in multiple categories, potentially making the feature more useful than the current folders system.

We don't get any indication here about when the switch might be flipped to give users access to file categories: the report on TheSpAndroid says “it won't come very soon”, so presumably there's still work to do before it's ready for the public.

Given Google's recent and very committed push into artificial intelligence features, it's possible that some kind of AI processing might be involved as well, in categorizing files for you (or at least suggesting categories based on a file name or its contents). Suggested categories do appear in the screens produced by the hidden code.

We now know that Google I/O 2024 is getting underway on May 14 this year, so in between all the Android 15 and Pixel 8a news we might get an announcement or two regarding new Google Drive features – and of course we'll bring you all the news from the event.

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We may have our first look at the more affordable Meta Quest 3 Lite
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Open up our Meta Quest 3 review and you'll see the virtual reality headset has a not-unreasonable starting price of $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99 – certainly way below the $ 3,499 (or higher) you'll pay for the Apple Vision Pro. However, it seems an even more affordable Meta headset is on the way.

After teasing what's being called the Meta Quest 3 Lite earlier this month, VR Panda (via Android Authority) has posted a picture of the rumored device on social media. As you might have expected, it looks a lot like the Meta Quest 3.

There are some differences though – the passthrough cameras on the outside of the wearable have apparently been ditched, which presumably means augmented reality effects and any kind of hand tracking control are off the agenda.

The team at Android Authority reckons that further savings could come through the use of a more affordable processor. Savings are certainly going to have to be made somewhere, if Meta is going to manage to significantly undercut the price of the Quest 3.

AR/VR for less

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As with every leak, we should apply a certain level of caution before taking it at face value. Last year we did hear talk that a cheaper Meta Quest VR device was on the way, but there hasn't been an abundance of leaks and rumors about it – and of course company plans can always change when it comes to gadget launches.

The lack of any passthrough cameras would be a surprise, even if Meta is trying to save on production costs. The company has previously said that passthrough  is likely to be a “standard feature” on future headsets, so make of that what you will.

If you're wanting to strap a device to your head that mixes virtual reality and augmented reality, then the distinction between Apple and Meta is pretty clear – with the former company's offering costing seven times as much.

Affordability is a big selling point for Meta to emphasize, and it looks as though that gap will grow even more with the next device. As yet though, there's no indication about when a Meta Quest 3 Lite headset could see the light of day.

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New macOS Sonoma update is reportedly taking down printers as well as USB hubs
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Not content with playing havoc with USB hubs in some scenarios, it appears the latest update for macOS Sonoma is also a troublemaker for printers, too.

Indeed, according to various reports online as flagged up by Apple Insider, the macOS Sonoma 14.4 update is breaking printers in some cases. In other cases, there appears to be a more limited impact, in that the printer still works, but selecting page sizes doesn’t.

It seems Sonoma 14.4 is either stripping out, or messing up, printer drivers in Apple’s operating system, rendering the devices non-functional, at least for the time being in many of these reported cases.

There are users complaining about printer functionality going very wonky on Reddit and Apple’s support forums – however, there does appear to be a solution.

Namely, as stated in the above Apple post, you need to head to System Settings, and ‘Privacy & Security’ and then ‘Full Disk Access’ to grant full disk access to ‘com.microsoft.dlp’ – and that might sort the issue.

This isn’t guaranteed, mind, but there are a number of users giving the thumbs-up and saying this move did get their printer (or printers) working in macOS again.

Analysis: A cocktail of possible causes?

Seemingly the issue pertains to Microsoft Defender (which is what the above disk access change relates to), and/or JAMF mobile device management software, and possibly some other factors. It’s difficult to know exactly what, but the most prominent commonality seems to be Defender.

The good news is that this doesn’t seem to be affecting too many macOS Sonoma 14.4 users, as while there are a number of reports, they aren’t too widespread. And they appear to relate to particular configurations, too, mainly in office scenarios.

Given that, hopefully your average user at home isn’t seeing this problem – or only in rare cases. In short, you’re probably pretty unlucky if you hit this snag outside of a business network setting – but it seems that there are isolated incidents of this occuring with individual Macs.

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Windows 11 speech recognition feature gets ditched in September 2024 – but only because there’s something better
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Windows 11’s voice functionality is being fully switched over to the new Voice Access feature later this year, and we now have a date for when the old system – Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) – will be officially ditched from the OS.

The date for the replacement of WSR by Voice Access has been announced as September 2024 in a Microsoft support document (as Windows Latest noticed). Note that the change will be ‘starting’ in that month, so will take further time to roll out to all Windows 11 PCs.

However, there’s a wrinkle here, in that this is the case for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 users, which means those still on Windows 11 21H2 – the original version of the OS – won’t have WSR removed from their system.

Windows 10 users will still have WSR, of course, as Voice Access is a Windows 11-only feature.

Analysis: WSR to go MIA, but it’s A-OK (for the most part)

This move is no surprise as Microsoft removed Windows Speech Recognition from Windows 11 preview builds back at the end of 2023. So, this change was always going to come through for release versions of Windows 11, it was just a question of when – and now we know.

Will the jettisoning of WSR mean this feature is missed by Windows 11 users? Well, no, not really, because its replacement, Voice Access, is so much better in pretty much every respect. It is leaps and bounds ahead of WSR, in fact, with useful new features being added all the time – such as the ability to concoct your own customized voice shortcuts (a real timesaver).

In that respect, there’s no real need to worry about the transition from WSR to Voice Access – the only potential thorny issue comes with language support. WSR offers a whole lot more in this respect, because it has been around a long time.

However, Voice Access is getting more languages added in the Moment 5 update. And in six months’ time, when WSR is officially canned (or that process begins), we’ll probably have Windows 11 24H2 rolling out, or it’ll be imminent, and we’d expect Voice Access to have its language roster even more filled out at the point.

Those on Windows 11 21H2 will be able to stick with WSR as observed, but then there’s only a very small niche of users left on that OS, as Microsoft has been rolling out an automatic forced upgrade for 21H2 for some time now. (Indeed, this is now happening for 22H2 as of a few weeks ago). Barely anyone should remain on 21H2 at this point, we’d imagine, and those who are might be stuck there due to a Windows update bug, or oversight during the automated rollout.

Windows 10 users will continue with WSR as it’s their only option, but as a deprecated feature, it won’t receive any further work or upgrades going forward. That’s another good reason why Windows 11 users should want to upgrade to Voice Access which is being actively developed at quite some pace.

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Here’s more proof Apple is going big with AI this year
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The fact that Apple is going to debut a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool in iOS 18 this year is probably one of the worst-kept secrets in tech at the moment. Now, another morsel has leaked out surrounding Apple’s future AI plans, and it could shed light on what sort of AI features Apple fans might soon get to experience.

As first reported by Bloomberg, earlier this year Apple bought Canadian startup DarwinAI, with dozens of the company’s workers joining Apple once the deal was completed. It’s thought that Apple made this move in an attempt to bolster its AI capabilities in the last few months before iOS 18 will be revealed, which is expected to happen at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

Bloomberg’s report says that DarwinAI “has developed AI technology for visually inspecting components during the manufacturing process.” One of its “core technologies,” however, is making AI faster and more efficient, and that could be the reason Apple chose to open its wallet. Apple intends its AI to run entirely on-device, presumably to protect your privacy by not sharing AI inputs with the cloud, and this would benefit from DarwinAI’s tech. After all, Apple won’t want its flagship AI features to result in sluggish iPhone performance.

Apple’s AI plans

Siri

(Image credit: Unsplash [Omid Armin])

This is apparently just the latest move Apple has made in the AI arena. Thanks to a series of leaks and statements from Apple CEO Tim Cook, the company is known to be making serious efforts to challenge AI market leaders like OpenAI and Microsoft.

For instance, it’s been widely reported that Apple will soon unveil its own generative AI tool, which has been dubbed Ajax and AppleGPT during its development process. This could give a major boost to Apple’s Siri assistant, which has long lagged behind competitors such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. As well as that, we could see generative AI tools debut in apps like Pages and Apple Music, rivaling products like Microsoft’s Copilot and Spotify’s AI DJ.

Tim Cook has dropped several hints regarding Apple’s plans, saying customers can expect to see a host of AI features “later this year.” The Apple chief has called AI a “huge opportunity” for his company and has said that Apple intends to “break new ground” in this area. When it comes to specifics, though, Cook has been far less forthcoming, presumably preferring to reveal all at WWDC.

It’s unknown whether Apple will have time to properly integrate DarwinAI’s tools into iOS 18 before it is announced to the world, but it seems certain it will make use of them over the coming months and years. It could be just one more piece of the AI puzzle that Apple is attempting to solve.

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Google I/O 2024 will take place on May 14 – here’s what to expect
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The big day has been set: Google I/O 2024 will kick off on Tuesday, May 14 at 10am PST (1pm ET / 6pm BST) and continue into the following day.

Assuming history repeats itself, the keynote will be hosted by CEO Sundar Pichai at the Shoreline Amphitheatre up in Mountain View, California. That’s where last year’s event took place and the year before that. It’ll be broadcast in front of a live studio audience, and of course everyone will be able to watch the event as it unfolds via livestream.

No one knows what will be revealed at Google I/O 2024. The tech giant suddenly dropped the news out of blue after posting an interactive puzzle game on its website. But despite the limited information, we can speculate about what we might see at the event, because the company has been dropping hints these past few months or so. 

Potential Gemini updates 

The most obvious pick here is artificial intelligence. Even though we’re only about a quarter in, 2024 has been a big year for Google AI. We saw the launch of the Gemini models, the brand’s very own LLM, as well as the rebranding of several other AIs under the Gemini moniker. Expect to see multiple demonstrations of what the tech will be able do in the near future. We could also find out more information on the mysterious Gemma, which is slated to be the open-source version of big brother Gemini.

It’s possible Pichar, or one of the hosts, will talk about improving their AI’s performance. If you’re not aware, Gemini has had some issues lately regarding, shall we say, inaccurate depictions of ethnic groups. Plus, hallucinations remain a problem.

Google Gemini AI

(Image credit: Google)

New hardware and Android 15's debut

When it comes to hardware, Google I/O 2024 will most likely see the debut of the midrange Pixel 8A. I/O 2023 saw the reveal of the Pixel 7a, so it makes sense that the company will repeat the trick with its successor. 

Recent leaks claim the smartphone will run on the Tensor 3 chipset and that the Pixel 8a will be a little bigger than the previous generation. Certain aspects of the Pixel 8a's potential design do concern us, like the large bezels around the display.

We should also expect to see the full debut of Android 15. Mid-February saw the launch of the Android 15 developer preview, giving the world its first opportunity to get its hands on the upcoming OS. Very little is known about the OS, but we are expecting to see lock screen widgets make their long-awaited return plus the ability to save pairs of apps, among other things. 

Google Pixel 8 review back angled case

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

We're almost certain to see new AI developments, the Pixel 8a and Android 15 at Google I/O 2024, but elsewhere we're very much in speculation territory. 

For instance, we could see the reveal of new hardware like the Pixel Watch 3 or something, but don’t hold your breath. As our sister site Tom's Guide points out, the Pixel Watch 2 wasn’t announced at I/O 2023; it was instead unveiled during the Made By Google event in October. 

Same goes for the Pixel Tablet 2. The company is probably holding onto that for another day. If anything, I/O 2024 will feature smaller changes to other Google products. New Workspace tools, new Android 14 features, things of that nature. Nothing too crazy. It’s going to be Gemini’s day in the sun.

Online registration for the event is open and free for everyone. It lets you stay up-to-date on the schedule and what content will show up. Be aware that registering will require you to make a developer profile for Google, though.

There's still two month away. In the meantime, check out TechRadar's list of the best Pixel phones for 2024.

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