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Microsoft’s full-screen reminders to upgrade to Windows 11 are back for Windows 10 users, and they might be here to stay

June 3, 2024
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Microsoft has taken a new tack with its continued campaign of full-screen banner ads designed to push Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, and this time, users of suitable and unsuitable PCs – those that don’t meet the hardware requirements for the newest OS – are seeing different adverts.

Windows 11’s market share has remained relatively static in recent months, and Microsoft is clearly eager to change that, with Windows 10 holding the vast majority of market share with around 70% (according to StatCounter).

As for Microsoft's latest tactic to drive upgrades, Windows Latest noticed two separate initiatives as mentioned. The first was witnessed on a Windows 10 PC that wasn’t eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade, and it showed a screen warning that the device will stop receiving updates come October 2025, reminding users that their PC can’t run Windows 11. The full-screen notification was titled “A new journey with Windows” and appeared after monthly mandatory security updates were installed, possibly implying that this could be a repeating occurrence.

The notification screen also offers users the ability to be reminded at a later date, and to learn more about the end of support for Windows 10. It links to a support document that encourages you to consider a Windows 11 upgrade, partly by including a comparison of the two operating systems.

This differed from a PC running Windows 10 and eligible for a straightforward Windows 11 upgrade. On this system, Windows Latest received a notification encouraging them to go ahead and schedule their update or just upgrade right away, alerting them of the upcoming end-of-support date and reminding them to make sure that their device stays supported past that date. This notification has been seen before, of course (a number of times).

Microsoft Store in Windows 10 — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft's ambitions vs Windows 10 fans' devotion

Windows 10 continues to be the dominant flavor of Windows and users aren’t happy about being forced to move on or face losing support. Windows 11 was released the best part of three years ago, but it’s still struggling to get near Windows 10’s popularity, as mentioned. Part of the problem here is those hardware requirements, of course, which are a stumbling block for some folks with older PCs.

Users who want to stick with Windows 10 do have a few choices and we’ve recently discussed this in-depth. One option will be to continue getting security updates past Windows 10’s end-of-life date with Microsoft’s Extended Security Update (ESU) program. Currently, this is only available for commercial customers, but Windows Latest asserts that a version for individual consumers will arrive later in 2024. Currently, an ESU license for a single device is $ 61 a year for businesses, but the price doubles every year (for up to three years).

Windows 10 users are faced with three primary options in the longer term: upgrade to Windows 11, continue to use Windows 10 without crucial security updates (not a good idea at all), or opt into a pricey extended security update plan. I understand Windows 10 users’ frustrations as many are not sold on Windows 11 as being an improvement in quality. Additionally, many users aren’t keen on Microsoft’s insistence on integrating AI into many apps and parts of the operating system, and Windows 10 still looks and feels like a modern, up-to-date OS. Furthermore, there are those hardware requirements to consider, as already noted.

I don’t know how well Microsoft will weather this transition, but the company needs to walk a fine line between reminding users about the reality of Windows 10 running out of support, and getting too pushy with all these notifications. Right now, it feels like Microsoft is erring (again) towards the latter, but I don’t see the company backing down.

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TechRadar – All the latest technology news

June 1, 2024
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If you’ve been keeping up with the latest developments in the area of generative AI, you may have seen that Google has stepped up the rollout of its ‘AI Overviews’ section in Google Search to all of the US.

At Google I/O 2024, held on May 14, Google confidently presented AI Overviews as the next big thing in Search that it expected to wow users, and when the feature finally began rolling out the following week it received a less than enthusiastic response. This was mainly due to AI Overviews returning peculiar and outright wrong information, and now, Google has responded by explaining what happened and why AI Overviews performed the way it did (according to Google).

The feature was intended to bring more complex and better-verbalized answers to user queries, synthesizing a pool of relevant information and distilling it into a few convenient paragraphs. This summary would then be followed by the listed blue links with brief descriptions of the websites that we’re used to.

Unfortunately for Google, screenshots of AI Overviews that provided strange, nonsensical, and downright wrong information started circulating on social media shortly after the rollout. Google has since pulled the feature, and published an explanatory post on its ‘Keyword’ blog to explain why AI Overviews was doing this, as mentioned – being quick to point out that many of these screenshots were faked.

What AI Overviews were intended to be

Keynote speech at Google i/o 2024 — (Image credit: Future)

In the blog post, Google first explains that the AI Overviews were designed to collect and present information that you would have to dig further via multiple searches to find out otherwise, and to prominently include links to credit where the information comes from, so you could easily follow up from the summary.

According to Google, this isn’t just its large language models (LLMs) assembling convincing-sounding responses based on existing training data. AI Overviews is powered by its own custom language model that integrates Google’s core web ranking systems, which are used to carry out searches and integrate relevant and high-quality information into the summary. Accuracy is one of the cornerstones that Google prides itself on when it comes to search, the company notes, saying that it built AI Overviews to show information that’s sourced only from the web results it deems the best.

This means that AI Overviews are generally supposed to hallucinate less than other LLM products, and if things happen to go wrong, it’s probably for a reason that Google also faces when it comes to search, giving the possible issues as “misinterpreting queries, misinterpreting a nuance of language on the web, or not having a lot of great information available.”

What actually happened during the rollout

Windows 10 dual screen — (Image credit: Shutterstock / Dotstock)

Google goes on to state that AI Overviews was optimized for accuracy and tested extensively before its wider rollout, but despite these seemingly robust testing efforts, Google does admit that’s not the same as having millions of people trying out the feature with a flood of novel searches. It also points out that some people were trying to provoke its search engine into producing nonsensical AI Overviews by carrying out ridiculous searches.

I find this part of Google’s explanation a bit odd, seeing as I’d imagine that when building such a feature as AI Overviews, the company would appreciate that folks are likely to try to break it, or send it off the rails somehow, and that it should therefore be designed to handle silly or nonsense searches in its stride.

At any rate, Google then goes on to call out fake screenshots of some of the nonsensical and humorous AI Overviews that made their way around the web, which is fair I think. It reminds us we shouldn’t believe everything we see online, of course, although the faked screenshots looked pretty good if you didn't scrutinize them too closely (and all this underscores the need to check AI-generated features, anyway).

Google does admit, though, that sometimes AI Overviews did produce some odd, inaccurate, or unhelpful responses. It elaborates by explaining that there are multiple reasons why these happened, and that this whole episode has highlighted specific areas where AI Overviews could be improved.

The tech company further observes that these questionable AI Overviews would appear on searches for queries that didn’t happen often. A Threads user, @crumbler, posted an AI Overviews screenshot that went viral after they asked Google: “how many rocks should i eat?” This returned an AI Overview that recommended eating at least one small rock per day. Google’s explanation is that before this screenshot circulated online, this question had rarely been asked in search (which is certainly believable enough).

A screenshot of an AI Overview recommending that humans should eat one small rock a day — (Image credit: Google/@crumbler on Threads)

Google continues to explain that there isn’t a lot of quality source material to answer that question seriously, either, calling instances when this happens a “data void” or an “information gap.” Additionally, in the case of the query above, some of the only content that was available was satirical by nature, and was linked in earnest as one of the only websites that addressed the query.

Other nonsensical and silly AI Overviews pulled details from sarcastic or humorous content sources, and the likes of troll posts from discussion forums.

Google's next steps and the future of AI Overviews

When explaining what it’s doing to fix and improve AI Overviews, or any part of its Search results, Google notes that it doesn’t go through Search results pages one by one. Instead, the company tries to implement updates that affect whole sets of queries, including possible future queries. Google claims that it’s been able to identify patterns when analyzing the instances where AI Overviews got things wrong, and that it’s put in a whole set of new measures to continue to improve the feature.

You can check out the full list in Google’s post, but better detection capabilities for nonsensical queries trying to provoke a weird AI Overview are being implemented, and the search giant is looking to limit the inclusion of satirical or humorous content.

Along with the new measures to improve AI Overviews, Google states that it’s been monitoring user feedback and external reports, and that it’s taken action on a small number of summaries that violate Google’s content policies. This happens pretty rarely – in less than one in seven million unique queries, according to Google – and it’s being addressed.

The final reason Google gives for why AI Overviews performed this way is just the sheer scale of the billions of queries that are performed in Search every day. I can’t say I fault Google for that, and I would hope it ramps up the testing it does on AI Overviews even as the feature continues to be developed.

As for AI Overviews not understanding sarcasm, this sounds like a cop-out at first, but sarcasm and humor in general is a nuance of human communication that I can imagine is hard to account for. Comedy is a whole art form in itself, and this is going to be a very thorny and difficult area to navigate. So, I can understand that this is a major undertaking, but if Google wants to maintain a reputation for accuracy while pushing out this new feature – it’s something that’ll need to be dealt with.

We’ll just have to see how Google’s AI Overviews perform when they are reintroduced – and you can bet there’ll be lots of people watching keenly (and firing up yet more ridiculous searches in an effort to get that viral screenshot).

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May 30, 2024
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A Microsoft Phone Link update may be in the works to make exchanging text between your phone and your PC a lot easier. In short, you’ll be able to select text in photos synced from your Android phone.

Phone Link is an app on your PC (also called Link to Windows on your phone) that allows you to sync your calls, messages, notifications, and images from your Android device onto your PC. It’s similar to how you’re able to sync much of your iPhone and its apps to your MacBook, so you can respond to messages and access photos you might need without having to pick up your phone.

The feature will use optical character recognition (OCR) to spot text within images and highlight them, so you’ll be able to copy the text over to a word processor, email, or text box. This is great news for those of us who hate having to type out important details and are looking for a simpler procedure. Unfortunately, the feature is currently only available through Microsoft’s preview channel.

Windows Central gave the new feature a go and showcased a simple layout within Phone Link that highlights all the available text in the image, with the option to copy the text to your clipboard in Windows. If you feel like this all sounds familiar, you may remember Microsoft actually started testing this feature out in the Snipping Tool, where your transferred photo would open in the app rather than with Phone Link.

Welcome to the club

Apple users like myself may be tempted to turn their noses up at an update like this, but overall it’s still a beneficial change that I’m sure will benefit a lot of people. However, from what we can tell the OCR isn’t 100% accurate, so you will have to double-check the pasted text before you send it off.

If you’re just looking to paste written notes or basic information, the new feature will probably work just fine for you, however, if you want to paste over longer or more important blocks of text, using cross-device copy and paste may be better (assuming the text isn’t solely confined to an image file).

So far, the feature is still locked behind the Windows Insider Preview Build, Microsoft’s hub for testing potential new features and changes. While we normally say that we have to take the Preview Build changes with a pinch of salt (not all features make a wide release) we’re fairly confident that this Phone Link update will come to fruition.

If you want to try it out yourself, you’ll have to make sure you’re part of the Insider Preview Build channel (which is free to join), where you’ll be able to not only play around with the new Phone Link update but also see other features Microsoft has in the works.

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May 22, 2024
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The Microsoft AI hype train is now well on its way and the next stop is Windows 11’s Photos and Paint apps getting another helping of AI integration.

Microsoft is currently holding its Build 2024 conference, where the company has already introduced its line of new AI-focused Copilot+ PCs, including a feature called ‘Recall’ that records the activity on the PC and makes it searchable. Microsoft has also brought in an upgraded Cocreator feature for the Paint app.

Cocreator will run locally on Copilot+ PCs and make use of the more powerful NPUs (Neural Processing Units) on these devices to generate images based on text prompts that you provide. The current Paint app does have an AI-powered Image Creator feature, but it’s not the same as Cocreator.

Cocreator is different because it will work locally on your computer and won’t need to go online to tap the computing power to generate images. Furthermore, it’ll produce images faster than Image Creator, although the latter isn’t being dropped – the two options will run side-by-side.

The new feature was demonstrated by Microsoft on a Surface Pro, showing the presenter putting in a prompt and drawing a basic outline of what they wanted the image to look like. Cocreator then used this information to generate the image based on the rough shapes that were drawn.

A screenshot showing the new Cocreator, demonstrating an image being generates from a rough drawing — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Cocreator is also shown to have a ‘Style’ dropdown menu, presumably to choose the style you’d like the image to be generated in, and a ‘Creativity’ slider.

Increasing that Creativity slider produces a higher quality image filled in with a greater level of detail, with the AI exercising its abilities more, whereas towards the lower end of the scale, the generated image sticks more closely to the rough sketch provided by the user.

The ability to experiment with styles in the Photos app

The Photos app in Windows 11 is also getting an AI boost on Copilot+ PCs in the form of a feature named ‘Restyle Image.’ This enables you to transform your own photos with preset artistic styles, for example taking a photo of your pet and making it an anime-style picture.

There is a text box where you can enter prompts to give the feature your own specific instructions about what kind of style you’d like it to transform your photo into, and a ‘Creativity’ slider that apparently works similarly to the one in Cocreator.

One interesting aspect that was picked up on by Windows Latest is that there doesn’t appear to be a fixed number of credits limiting the amount of times you’re able to use either feature. Both Cocreator and the ‘Restyle Image’ capabilities can be run as many times as you like locally on your PC using small language models.

Both features will also require the PC to have a processor with a suitable NPU, so they won’t be available on all Windows PCs, including existing devices running Windows 11. This will be for laptops using the new Snapdragon X chip only, or other Copilot+ PCs with future AMD or Intel silicon.

For those keen on AI assistance, this is good news, as are the other AI tools Microsoft is introducing to Windows 11. It’ll make things that were unimaginable to most people not all that long ago easily accessible with a few clicks without even going online.

If you’re not a fan of AI-powered apps, then I can imagine this news will simply be a continuation of issues you may have with AI getting everywhere these days.

Either way, it doesn’t seem like Microsoft is going to be remotely discouraged from forging on this path, and it will continue to try and push to become the industry standard for AI-focused consumer products.

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May 22, 2024
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The second Android 15 beta came out not too long ago, on May 15. According to the official Android Developers Blog, the patch continues Google’s efforts at creating a platform that improves productivity, maximizes app performance, and protects user privacy.

However, the post didn’t mention all the different ways Android 15 will upgrade system customization. As people have dug deep into the OS’ files, many of its other features have been unearthed, with several of them providing new ways to customize a smartphone.

Below is a list highlighting the most notable of these possible tools. Android 15 won’t launch for a while, so there's a chance that some will not be in the final release. It’s hard to say, but given their seemingly advanced states, we believe they will be available at launch or soon after.

1. Slideshow screensavers

Android 15's possible slideshow menu on Pixel — (Image credit: 9To5Google)

In June 2023, a mysterious Google app called Dreams was discovered on the Play Store. It was for the Pixel Tablet and allowed the device to play a “collection of screen savers” when docked and not in use. Nothing really came of it, though, as Dreams just disappeared from the store.

It appears, though, that the same feature will be making its way to Pixel phones as Android 15 Beta 2 refers to “Dreamliner” within its files. When docked on the second-generation Pixel Stand, users can select photo albums on their device to be a slideshow as a screensaver. Moreover, the Google Photos UI has been updated to accommodate Dreamliner and not the Google Assistant.

Android 15's new Widget button on Pixel — (Image credit: 9To5Google)

Adding widgets to your Android phones requires manually dragging and dropping apps from the Home screen. However, evidence suggests that Google plans to introduce an “Add button.” So, instead of having to drag the widget over, you can just push the button and attach them that way. Images in 9To5Google’s report show that there will be a big blue button right where a widget space is available.

3. Pixel Avatar

Android 15 Pixel Avatar app

(Image credit: Androig Authority)

Industry insider Mishaal Rahman discovered an unbundled version of Google Pixel Avatar inside the beta files. This is an app that allows users to select an icon to be their profile picture. Rahman states the software has been a part of Android for a while now, but it adds a new feature: “the ability to use your Google Account picture as your [main] profile picture.”

Prior to this update, Google Account and Android profile images existed as separate entities. Now, the barrier is gone, allowing one photo for both platforms. It’s important to mention that this capability actually came out on the first Android 15 beta, but the syncing process wasn’t very reliable. Things should be much better now.

There is no word if it’ll work with third-party apps, as the current version only connects the Pixel Avatar with SystemUI apps.

4. Cast volume controls

Audio company Sonos sued Google for an “alleged patent infringement” back in 2020, claiming the tech giant “ripped off its patented speaker technology.” Google eventually disabled the ability to use a Pixel phone’s volume buttons to control speaker groups and other “Chrome and Google cast devices.” Sonos seemingly won the lawsuit, however a California judge overturned the verdict in 2023, paving the way for Google to bring back volume controls and that’s exactly what we’re seeing.

It’s the return of a feature people initially thought would never return. Android Authority was able to cast songs from YouTube Music to Nest Hub devices using Beta 2 of Android 15. Adjusting the speaker group volume worked without a hitch. So, after years of waiting, users may soon finally create (or recreate) their ideal listening environment.

5. Vibration strength

Android 15 on Pixel - Adaptive Vibration — (Image credit: 9To5Google)

Lastly, Google is adding a new Adaptive Vibration tool to Pixel. According to the text description, the software can automatically adjust the smartphone’s vibration level “based on your environment.” Phone vibration won’t be as powerful on a table, for example, but if it detects it’s on a couch, the Pixel would vibrate more loudly. The device will be able to detect where it’s located by using the “microphone and other sensors… to determine sound levels and context.” Maybe most importantly, no data will be recorded.

It's unknown whether these features will roll out to third-party Android phones. Google may possibily be giving Pixel owners the opportunity to try them out first before expanding their availability.

Be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best Android phones for 2024.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

May 17, 2024
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Windows 11 Build 26217 is now available to developers and testers in the Canary alpha channel, offering a few small bug fixes alongside a new page in the Settings menu dedicated to “AI component updates”.

Microsoft has been flooding Windows 10 and Windows 11 users with some pretty cool AI-related updates and features recently, most notably the addition of Copilot to the taskbar for easy access. Spotted by WindowsLatest, the new settings page is just for AI updates, but right now we don’t really know what that could entail. We speculate that users will be able to keep track of updates to features like AI Explorer and possibly Copilot as well – or Microsoft could be setting up a new space for entirely new AI-related features.

Microsoft could also be gearing up for the Build Developer conference later this year, where it seems to be encouraging developers to build their own AI features for Windows apps. This would be fascinating news for AI enthusiasts who are already feeling the positive impacts of having a tool like Copilot ready to use and may want to boost some of the apps or programs they already use with an injection of AI functionality.

Finally, some good news!

I’m pretty excited to see what kind of nifty features will make a home in the new settings page if we do see it have a public rollout. We have to keep in mind that many features and changes we see in the Windows Canary channel aren’t guaranteed to make a wide release, so while I might be excited now, I can’t get my full hype on until we get more information from Microsoft.

That being said, it does look like AI is here to stay for Windows users. That could be good or bad news depending on your outlook on large language models, but it feels like Microsoft is all-in when it comes to AI.

Overall, I am glad for some good news when it comes to Windows updates. With the influx of ads becoming the new normal in Windows 11, there’s been a bitter taste in my mouth anytime I hear about a new build or update – so if this new section of the settings does come to our desktops that’ll at least be something positive (and ad-free). Here at TechRadar, we all feel Microsoft owes us some kind of good news given how irritating ads have become – even stooping so low as to disguise themselves as recommendations.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

May 17, 2024
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Google is rolling out several new accessibility-focused features to platforms like Android and ChromeOS, timed to Global Accessibility Awareness Day, May 16. Leading the long list is the arrival of Project Gameface on Android.

If you’re unfamiliar, Gameface is software that lets people use “head movement and facial gestures” to navigate a computer UI. Up until now, the software was used to help people with disabilities play video games among other things. But with its inclusion on Android, those same groups now have a new way to control their smartphone.

The company states that Gameface supports 52 different facial gestures that can be mapped to specific functions. For example, looking to the left can be used to select items on the screen, while raising your eyebrows can send you back to the home screen. The individual controls depend on how people set up Gameface.

Project Gameface on Android — (Image credit: Google)

Also, it’ll be possible to adjust the sensitivity of a function to establish “how prominent your gesture has to be in order to” register an input. A slight open mouth can be attached to one action, while a wider open mouth can work for another. Over in the bottom corner will be a live camera feed of yourself. Google states their team added the view so users can make sure they’re making accurate facial gestures.

Project Gameface is open-sourced and available for down l oad on Github complete with instructions on how to set it up. Do note it requires the Android Studio developer tool to configure it so you may need someone to help you out.

Notable features

The rest of the features in the update may not be as individually impactful as Gameface, but together, they become greater than the sum of its parts. Google’s Lookout app is receiving a new Find mode to help blind people locate real-world objects across seven different categories. It can tell where the tables are in a restaurant or where the door to the bathroom is. Users have to hold their smartphone in front of them, and through the rear camera, Lookout’s AI will tell you the “direction and distance” of an item or exit. Keep in mind, Find mode is in beta so it may be a little buggy.

Google Maps is seeing a similar upgrade, and it’ll soon provide more details about the area around you. The app will tell you the names of nearby places and how far you need to go to reach your destination.

Lookout app's new Find mode — (Image credit: Google)

Next, Android’s Look to Speak is adding a text-free mode. This mode lets you communicate with the app’s speech function by selecting emojis, symbols, and images. For example, a hand-waving emoji can be used to say “Hello.”

Chromebooks are set to receive their own accessibility patch, too. Google is giving owners a way to increase the size of the mouse cursor, and the screen magnifier tool will follow along with the words as you read them.

Those are all the major updates coming to the Google platform; however, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Other small upgrades include Google Maps on desktops, pointing out wheelchair-accessible entrances. Everything mentioned here is already live except for the Chromebook changes, which will roll out within the coming weeks.

Google isn't the tech giant celebrating Global Accessibility Day. Apple recently revealed multiple accessibility features including Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues for its hardware; however, they aren't arriving until later this year. It's unknown exactly when they'll come out, but they'll most likely be made available as a part of iOS 18, VisionOS 2, “and the next version of macOS.”

While we have you check out TechRadar's list of the best Android phones for 2024.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

May 15, 2024
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Reports from iOS owners have recently surfaced claiming their device is bringing back old deleted content out of nowhere after updating to iOS 17.5. A Reddit user on the iOS subreddit said they saw pictures taken in 2021 reappear even though the images were “permanently deleted.”

The same thing happened to a former iPad owner who sold the tablet to a friend who then called them after vacation photos from September 2024 returned.

And it’s not just first-party software that’s being affected. User ssmithdev on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) posted an image of their iPhone XR showing 26 voicemail notifications on WhatsApp even though he had already deleted them a long time ago.

People are understandably freaked out. You'll see comments in Reddit posts of users experiencing the same thing – old deleted photos from as far back as 2010 coming back. What’s worse is that some of the content at the heart of this problem is highly sensitive.

New bug, old problem

At the time of writing, this problem doesn’t seem to be widespread. Reports currently originate from social media platforms only. However, if it is affecting a lot of people, Apple will certainly need to address it with a fix.

No one knows exactly why this is happening, but iPhone owners are pointing the finger at iOS 17.5. Each of these reports states that the deleted images started to reemerge after installing the latest update. It’s also worth mentioning this bug has been known for some time. Over on the iOSBeta subreddit, you’ll find posts from testers saying the same thing – previously deleted content is returning without direct input. This issue goes as far back as nine months, so it’s not a new problem.

Theorycrafting

Similarly, no one knows exactly how this is happening, although there are theories.

TheVerge states that the returning files could be originating from an iPhone’s on-device storage. They mention how “computer data is never actually deleted.” Also, “[Operating] systems simply cut off references to it,” so they may continue to exist in some dark corner on your phone. iPhones may keep these files tucked away and this bug is making them resurface.

Other people think that there's an “obscure photo library corruption issue. MacRumors believes this is the result of Apple attempting to fix a photo syncing bug in iOS 17.3. But instead of properly patching it, the company just made another problem. A few think it’s less severe, blaming improper deletion. Perhaps these users didn’t fully wipe their devices clean, and iCloud brought everything back.

There is a lot of speculation going on, but unfortunately, no one has an official answer. We reached out to Apple, asking if they’re aware of this issue and if they would like to comment on it. At the time of this writing, they have yet to respond, but we’ll update this story if we hear back.

While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best photo storage and sharing sites of 2024.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

May 15, 2024
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The Windows 11 emulator for Mac, VMware Fusion Pro 13, is now free for personal use, as the software developer has waived the previous $ 199 fee.

Announced in a blog post, VMware Fusion Pro 13 creates a virtual Windows machine for macOS devices, allowing you to run Windows apps on the likes of MacBooks and iMacs powered by Apple's M-class silicon.

Without question, it's among the best virtual machine software available but its price tag was previously alienating to casual consumers. Professional usage, however, will still require a license, but if you want to boot it up and play around with the software, you can do so without spending a cent, which is exciting.

Keep in mind that running VMware Fusion Pro 13 on Apple's own silicon such as the M2 and M3 chip, means you'll be restricted to the performance of the SoC. While the current slew of Apple laptops and computers are powerful, with respectable integrated graphics, they can't quite hold a candle to what the best graphics cards can do.

To use VMware Fusion Pro 13 you will need an account which can be created through the Broadcom support website, and then you'll be able to download the software. It's bittersweet news when considering that the company's Fusion Player is being discontinued, but you're getting a big upgrade.

Unlike the Fusion Player, you'll be able to run multiple virtual machines with Fusion Pro 13, meaning you can essentially have your own virtual network localized on one device. That's exciting news for building and launching servers, or for cloud computing, among other uses.

An excellent pro-consumer move

VMware's decision to make its Fusion Pro 13 software free is an excellent move on the company's part to gain visibility for the application. While there's no faulting the performance capabilities, asking $ 200 at the gate seriously limited the overall install base. Now people who were using Fusion Player can get the full-fat user experience at no charge.

We've had excellent things to say about the VMware Workstation Player over the years and consider it to be the best virtual machine on the market. Now with Fusion 13 Pro being free, it gives the likes of VirtualBox (also free) and Parallels Desktop a run for their money – especially as you also aren't spending any.

Jumping in before Apple can

With such a jump between the public version of ChatGPT and the new GPT-4o model (which is also set to be available for free, albeit with limited use), OpenAI will surely want as many people using its product as possible. So, venturing into macOS territory makes sense if the firm wants to tap into a group of people who haven’t gravitated to its AI naturally.

So far Apple has not made any great efforts to integrate AI tools into its operating system in the same way that Microsoft has Copilot embedded into a user’s desktop taskbar. That leaves OpenAI with the perfect opportunity to jump onto the desktops of Mac users and show off what GPT-4o can do before Apple gets the chance to introduce its own AI assistant for macOS – if it does so.

We'll have to wait for WWDC to find out if Apple has its own take on the Copilot concept ready or if Mac users interested in artificial intelligence tools will find a new bestie in GPT-4o. That’s not to say I wouldn’t eat up whatever Apple has up its sleeve for Mac users – just that swapping over may be a little harder once I’m used to the way GPT-4o for Mac works for me.

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TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Posts tagged "users"

Microsoft’s full-screen reminders to upgrade to Windows 11 are back for Windows 10 users, and they might be here to stay

Microsoft's ambitions vs Windows 10 fans' devotion

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Google explains why AI Overviews couldn’t understand a joke and told users to eat one rock a day – and promises it’ll get better

What AI Overviews were intended to be

What actually happened during the rollout

Google's next steps and the future of AI Overviews

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Windows 11 and Android users will finally get a feature iPhone users have had for ages – the easy copying of text from phone photos over to a PC

Welcome to the club

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Windows 11 Photos and Paint apps are set for major upgrades with new AI features – but most users won’t get them

The ability to experiment with styles in the Photos app

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5 ways that Android 15 on Pixel is going to be way more customizable for users

1. Slideshow screensavers

2. Widget buttons and previews

3. Pixel Avatar

4. Cast volume controls

5. Vibration strength

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Notable features

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New bug, old problem

Theorycrafting

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An excellent pro-consumer move

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