PCWorld November 2023

Microsoft’s next huge Windows 11 feature update, code-named Windows 11 23H2, has a big addition: artificial intelligence. Microsoft is readying for the era of the AI PC with the addition of Windows Copilot, powered by Bing Chat. The update debuted on Sept. 26 in preview form before its wider release in the fourth quarter, when it will be called the Windows 11 2023 Update. It’s the closest thing to a theme that we’ve seen within a Windows 11 update in some time. AI will power Windows Copilot, of course, but also recommended files in File Explorer and Start as well as a designated AI-specific section within the Microsoft Store app. You should also expect various small improvements across Windows in terms of both ease of use and functional updates, like…

The AI PC, propelled by Intel’s Meteor Lake, is almost here. So why should you care? It’s the billion-dollar question. Intel is building NPU AI inferencing engines into its processors beginning with its 14th-gen Core chip, Meteor Lake, also known as the Core Ultra. Robert Hallock, an AMD veteran now overseeing technical CPU marketing for Intel’s microprocessors, has said that Intel’s goal by 2025 is to ship 100 million “AI PCs,” a term Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger began using in July. Intel announced the architecture behind the 14th-gen Core Ultra chip on the same day its Innovation conference began in San Jose, California. Intel used the conference to pitch developers on what an AI-powered future will look like, especially one powered by Intel. Intel’s Core Ultra is notable for several things,…

In the span of a long weekend in September I took two separate trips to New York City. First, to see Microsoft’s latest offerings for the Surface line, which took a backseat to the AI-infused update to Windows 11. And second, to see Google reveal its Chromebook Plus push, a new standard for the company’s operating system along with its hardware partners. At the end of it all I had to ask myself: What the hell is Microsoft thinking? Never mind the underwhelming implementation of the AI Copilot in Windows. As both an old-school Photoshop user and a professional keyboard jockey, I found its image- and text-generation powers less than compelling. No, it’s the newly revealed Surface Laptop Go 3 that really sticks in my memory. Specifically the price—800 American…

With Mozilla’s takeover of the online service Fakespot, a new security feature will soon find its way into the Firefox browser. With Review Checker, Firefox users will in future be able to check whether a product review is fake or genuine. GRADING FROM A TO F Fakespot’s technology will be integrated into the Mozilla browser as a new Review Checker feature. The tool grades whether product reviews come from real customers or were possibly written for payment or to artificially pump up overall review ratings. The product reviews will be rated by the Review Checker with grades ranging from A to F. A and B stand for “reliable reviews,” while “unreliable reviews” are graded with D and F. Product reviews with a murky grade of C fall in between. In…

Artificial intelligence will change the way that we work. Or so say the most fervent purveyors of the tech, now including Microsoft. But after seeing ChatGPT, Dall-E, and other AI systems integrated into the latest versions of Windows 11, Office, and the company’s Microsoft 365 platform, I can’t say I agree. Make no mistake, Microsoft is pushing new tools like its Copilot system hard, integrating it into systems that are staples for the company and hundreds of millions of users. But speaking as a power user—and accepting the limited perspective that gives me for many who are not—I can’t see these new tools being anything more than an occasional curiosity. They won’t change the way that I work, and I think even those who stand to benefit the most from…

Holiday cheer is coming early for makers and single-board computer enthusiasts: The Raspberry Pi Foundation recently announced the successor to the Raspberry Pi 4, and it looks totally badass. The new Raspberry Pi 5, which arrived at the end of October, has been unveiled with just two variants named so far: a $60 4GB version and a $80 8GB option. It’s a departure from leading with a $35 model (currently the 1GB Raspberry Pi 4), but given the long history of that entry price, it’s not unlikely that we’ll see additional variants announced down the road. Right now, the focus is on power, and it’s understandable why. Not only does the Raspberry Pi 5 appear ready to deliver a sizable step up in performance compared to its 2019 predecessor, but…