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Hidden feature in Windows 11 suggests we could get the ability to uninstall AI components – and maybe even Copilot eventually?

December 16, 2023
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Windows 11 often has incoming changes hidden away behind the scenes of the operating system, and another of these has just been spotted – and it’s a big one pertaining to AI.

Windows Central stumbled upon a tweet by regular leaker PhantomOfEarth on X, who has been digging around in Windows 11 preview build 26016 (in the Canary channel).

Hidden in Canary 26016: a settings page for AI components. Currently incomplete and just shows the contents of the system components page.vivetool /enable /id:47688503 pic.twitter.com/VfAZkaa367December 13, 2023

PhantomOfEarth discovered a Settings page for AI Components which, as mentioned, is hidden, but can be turned on using a Windows configuration tool (ViVeTool).

This lists system components related to AI functionality, although it doesn’t do anything when enabled (unsurprisingly, it’s tucked away in the background for a reason – namely it doesn’t work yet).

The leaker also found strings related to the page, with one of those being: “View and remove AI components that are installed on Windows.”

So, it seems that this panel in Settings (under System) will allow you not only to view any AI-related system components, but also uninstall them if you wish.

Analysis: A necessary choice?

The AI components listed in the screenshot provided by PhantomOfEarth include Windows Security, the Microsoft Store, Phone Link and Xbox Game Bar – suggesting maybe that these will be furnished with AI extras at some point? Or they could just be placeholders, which is probably a more likely story – though we can certainly see the Microsoft Store, for example, getting augmented with AI (that suggests apps you might like based on the usage of your PC, or past downloads).

The latter brings up a point that may worry some Windows 11 users, namely privacy and exactly what AI might be doing in terms of profiling you, and building up a more in-depth picture of your likes, dislikes and so on, extrapolating from that. We should note at this point that this discussion is entirely theoretical, of course, but the general point is that some folks won’t want AI in their operating system – either for privacy reasons, or because they don’t trust it, perhaps.

It makes sense, then, that Microsoft will cater for those who want to remove AI abilities and provide these uninstallation options. Not that the presence of this Settings page in testing means anything yet – it could be scrapped in preview. Indeed, it isn’t even present in preview builds yet, it’s hidden in the background.

That brings us to another point – it’s very early work on this feature. The likelihood is that a wider swathe of AI functionality – and these options – won’t fully debut until next-gen Windows is released. (That’ll be next year, in theory, although we’re still not sure whether this will be Windows 12 – though whatever the case, big plans are afoot for AI, going by the latest rumors).

An interesting observation Windows Central makes here is that we don’t know how far AI uninstallation capabilities will reach – and whether that might include getting rid of Copilot? Yes, Copilot is in the cloud right now (so not on your PC anyway, or at least its ‘brain’ isn’t, only the interface), but Microsoft seemingly has plans to make the AI local – and if so, it’s possible that it could be made removable.

We doubt it, mind you, seeing as Copilot is such a central aspect of the OS – but at least some components relating to AI should be viable for uninstallation if this new finding is anything to go by.

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TechRadar – All the latest technology news

May 25, 2023
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MoviePass has made its long-awaited return as it launches a new subscription service in the United States.

We first saw the service as a limited beta all the way back in September 2022. It looks like the current version is mostly the same as the original although it is a bit more expansive. The way it works is you pay a monthly fee to watch a certain number of movies in theaters without having to buy a ticket. There are four tiers with prices ranging from $ 10 up to $ 40. However, rather than giving people a flat number of films they can watch in a month, MoviePass opts for a credit system with each tier giving users a fixed amount to use.

The $ 10 Basic tier offers the least, with 34 credits that allow people to watch somewhere between one to three movies a month. The $ 20 Standard Plan gives 72 credits for three to seven viewings a month. Premium ($ 30 a month) gives 113 credits for five to eleven films.

The most expensive plan, the $ 40 Pro, grants 640 credits allowing people to watch up to 30 movies across 30 days. You can think of Pro as the “spiritual successor” to the previous (and disastrous) version of MoviePass.

MoviePass Plans — (Image credit: MoviePass)

Varying costs

A MoviePass representative told us the cost (in credits) of a single movie is tied to the “day of the week” plus what time you’re watching, although they didn’t provide any further details. A recent report from TechCrunch claims Tuesdays are the cheapest whereas opening weekends are one of the more expensive options. Unused credits do roll over to the next month. Company CEO Stacy Spikes told TechCrunch people “can have up to a maximum of two months of unused credits” on their account.

These prices are for the general user in the US. The plans are more expensive if you live in either Southern California or the New York metropolitan area. Basic is $ 20, Standard is $ 30, Premium is $ 40, and Pro is $ 60 with no option to purchase a cheaper tier, according to a company representative. But users in those areas do get roughly double the number of credits. Standard, for example, offers 140 in Los Angeles instead of 72.

Availability

As for why MoviePass is adopting this system, the company states it lets members “choose the plan that best suits their viewing habits and budget.” The idea is whether you’re a casual theatergoer or a movie nerd, there’s something for everyone.

There are a couple of things we haven’t mentioned yet. You can’t watch 3D movies with the subscription, although there are plans to include “large format and premium screens” (presumably IMAX) soon. The service is supported by over 4,000 theaters across the country. A full list of every location can be found on the official website. The service is now open – just in time for Memorial Day. This holiday should provide an interesting proving ground for MoviePass.

We asked the same representative if they could provide us with exact numbers on how much it’ll cost to watch a film because that’s the one piece of information strangely missing from all this. And if there are plans for an international launch. This story will be updated at a later time.

TechRadar’s picks on the 32 best movies to watch on Netflix for May 2023

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

December 21, 2021
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The thing you didn't even know you wanted is here: SimulaVR have been working hard on bringing Linux to the VR world and the result is the SimulaVR One and, well, it actually looks pretty cool.

Now, you might be thinking, do we need Linux in a VR headset? It's a good question and the answer, in our view, is why not. The year of Linux has been coming for a while and SimulaVR might have just found the missing piece.

According to SimularVR's technical preview, Intel's NUC is being used by Simula as the guts of the One, specifically an 11th-gen Intel NUC with a four-core i7, Iris Xe integrated graphics, Wi-Fi 6, and 3-4 USB ports, Thunderbolt, and two DisplayPorts, although the IO is still under discussion.

On the actual VR side, Sharp has provided two 2448 x 2448 panels, which, when paired with an innovative three-lens design, offers 100-degree field of view and 36.2 pixels per degree (PPD), which SimulaVR is quick to note beats the Valve Index and Oculus Quest 2.

The year of Linux, here at last

But let's get into the meat: the SimulaVR One is, above all else, a Linux-toting VR headset and it runs Simula, a desktop environment that runs on the Godot game engine. The OS is capable of running any desktop app, which is pretty neat.

You can install Simula OS, available for download on Github, on other VR headsets, including the HTC Vive and Valve Index.

We've attached a GIF below to show you how this looks in practice. Without actually using the headset it's hard to say how good choosing Linux over other OSes will be, but it's certainly interesting.

If you want to buy the SimulaVR one then sadly you're out of luck for now, as the company has yet to put a release date on the device and we don't expect to see it any time soon. Making VR work is really hard – just ask Oculus – and we applaud SimulaVR's tenacity, so hopefully we'll get to try it out soon.