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| PC World - 19 Jun (PC World)One of the big questions surrounding the launch of the Microsoft Surface Pro (2024) and new Copilot+ PCs is how well those laptops will run the broad ecosystem of Windows applications. So will they run just about everything? Pretty much, says a senior Microsoft executive, minus gaming.
I’ve asked the Windows on Arm “app compat” question before — in April, for example, of Kedar Kondap, the senior vice president and general manager of Compute and Gaming for Qualcomm, told me that the days of app issues on Arm were pretty much over. But Pete Kyriacou, the corporate vice president of Microsoft Devices, said in an interview that Microsoft is focusing in on productivity apps first and foremost.
I asked Kyriacou what we should expect in terms of application compatibility running on the new Surface devices.
“It’s great,” Kyriacou responded. “The app compat gets better. Like I would say three different [points]….One of them is many more app developers have gone native with their app. So we’ll see that — especially browsers, where people spend most of their time. All major browsers are native. Now we’ve got… input from Adobe. And we saw some of the creative apps across Blackmagic and DaVinci. Slack is now native as well. And so we just see people coming natively.
“The second [point] is our Prism emulator where you’re able to run the apps faster,” Kyriacou added. “Windows is redesigned from the bottom up to take advantage of it. So that helps a lot in terms of when apps are being emulated. They’re being emulated in a really fast way, efficiently by Windows.”
Kyriacou also said the Snapdragon X Elite’s multithreaded CPU would not only increase the performance of emulated apps, but also increase the responsiveness of apps as they launch. “So we’ve done some pretty awesome things to make sure app compat has made a big leap,” Kyriacou said. “We feel like the world is ready for it, and we’re going to see that in the response.”
All right, so it will run everything that consumers want to run?
“Pretty much, yeah,” Kyriacou responded. “We were focused on making sure it runs everything, specifically on productivity and what people are doing.
“When it comes to gaming, that’s probably the one area we’re not — we don’t have anti-cheat on Arm,” Kyriacou added. “And so we’re not able to run some of those triple-A titles that are in that space. But we’re also making sure we’re meeting our customers where they’re at in their expectations, like when they’re running a pro device. We want to focus on cloud gaming and be able to stream and run things from the cloud.”
That’s consistent with what we’ve heard from Qualcomm, whose executives have said that they “won’t ever be done” optimizing games for its Snapdragon chips.
But will everything work out as planned? Microsoft’s new Surface devices usher in the new era of Copilot+ PCs. We’ll see if they live up to the promises.
CPUs and Processors, Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | BBCWorld - 18 Jun (BBCWorld)What do young people in Newport think about the general election, and why are they voting? Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 18 Jun (Stuff.co.nz)Basil Walker stood in the general election in Invercargill in 2020 and later admitted failing to file election returns. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | PC World - 18 Jun (PC World)Microsoft has split the future of Windows between two user groups: those with AI-powered Copilot+ PCs and those without. Microsoft now says that the latest version of Windows 11—that’s Windows 11 version 24H2—will only be offered to those with Copilot+ PCs.
Microsoft said last Saturday that the company has now resumed rolling out Windows 11 version 24H2 to the Release Preview Channel with Build 26100.863. But in a support note, Microsoft adds: “Important: Windows 11, version 24H2 is only available for Copilot+ PCs devices.”
It’s an odd choice for a company that has been mildly obsessed with migrating all of its users to a single code base.
As of May 2024, Statcounter found that Windows 10 is still the dominant OS worldwide, with 64.7 percent market share in the United States. By contrast, Windows 11 makes up about 32.3 percent of the US user base. By gating Windows 11 upgrades behind Copilot+ hardware, Microsoft is probably limiting Windows 11’s reach, at least for now.
To recap, Microsoft is essentially splitting its development into three groups: Windows 10, Windows 11 (legacy hardware), and Windows 11 (Copilot+ hardware). It’s—and I’m editorializing here—just plain nuts.
The update migrates Copilot back to the taskbar, where it will behave like an app. In May, Microsoft detailed many of the changes now available for those with Copilot+ hardware to try in Windows 11 24H2, including Wi-Fi 7 support, HDR backgrounds, Sudo for Windows, and more. “We will be sharing more details in the coming months on many of the new features and improvements included as part of Windows 11, version 24H2 leading up to general availability,” Microsoft said.
For now, however, those features won’t include Recall, which Microsoft put on hold for testing through the usual Windows 11 Insider channels.
The bottom line? Windows 11 24H2 is available to test, but only by those who own Copilot+ hardware. Does this mean that Windows Copilot+ PCs won’t ship with 24H2 on board, so they can optionally test it later? For a launch that’s supposedly all about artificial intelligence, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of smarts involved in this Windows 11 update.
Laptops, Windows Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | RadioNZ - 18 Jun (RadioNZ)The US surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those on cigarette boxes. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | BBCWorld - 18 Jun (BBCWorld)Vivek Murthy says social media increases the risk that children will experience anxiety and depression. Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | PC World - 18 Jun (PC World)At a glanceExpert`s Rating
ProsUp to 6TB of capacitySuper-low price per terabyteGood looking and portableConsMicro-B, not Type-C as intimatedHard drive level performanceOur VerdictThe “WD My Passport, Works with USB-C” offers a ton of capacity for a small outlay compared to SSDs. It’s also easily fast enough for streaming and background backup. The only caveat is that it’s not Type-C as its name might suggest — it’s Micro-B with an adapter.
Best Prices Today: WD My Passport, Works with USB C
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Full confession. I still use hard disk drives for archiving data despite having a boatload of SSDs. Why? Because HDDs, such as the one in this review, offer a lot of capacity in a single unit for less than half the price-per-terabyte of SSDs.
Alas, I hate to be the one to break the spell created by WD’s tortuously (for writers) long-winded name, but the My Passport, Works with USB-C isn’t a Type-C drive, as might be surmised by a quick glance of the package.
It actually sports the traditional SuperSpeed Micro-B connector and WD bundles a Type-A to Type-C adapter (hence the “works with”) for the Micro-B to Type-A cable.
What are the WD My Passport’s features?
For simplicity, let’s call it the My Passport going forward. The drive is a 5Gbps, external 2.5-inch USB hard drive that’s available with up to 6TB of capacity. It measures approximately 4.2-inches long, by 2.95-inches wide, by 0.8-inches thick, and weighs 7.7 ounces sans cable.
Works with USB-C actually means you get a Type-A to Type-C connector that fits on the end of the included Micro-B to Type-A cable.
Works with USB-C actually means you get a Type-A to Type-C connector that fits on the end of the included Micro-B to Type-A cable.
Works with USB-C actually means you get a Type-A to Type-C connector that fits on the end of the included Micro-B to Type-A cable.
I’ll now point out that a Type-A to Type-C adapter costs around $4 and will make any drive “Work with USB-C.” If you’re looking for a true Type-C HDD from WD, look for “Ultra” in the name. But really, WD? SEO with product titles?
The drive is a great deal, nevertheless, and a good performer for its ilk, and while I’m giving WD a hard time about the awkward name, it’s not a lie, just possibly misleading.
How much does the My Passport cost?
The My Passport is available in 2TB/$85 ($42.50 per TB), 4TB/$135 ($33.75 per TB), 5TB/$150 ($30 per TB), and 6TB/$185 ($30.83 per TB) flavors. That makes the 5TB model the sweet spot in price per terabyte, but unlike with some of WD’s pricier external HDDs, just barely. Go for the 6TB.
By way of comparison, current pricing for even the cheapest external SSD is around $65 to $70 per terabyte, and performance with those can drop to almost HDD-like speed during long writes. Also, note that the WD My Passport Ultra series with actual Type-C ports is no faster than this drive, and a bit pricier.
If you need a lot of portable space for backup, or storing a multimedia collection, you won’t find a better deal than the My Passport, Works with USB-C.
How fast is the My Passport?
As mentioned, the My Passport hard drive is a 2.5-inch model. While 3.5-inch hard drives can sustain transfers at around 250MBps, 2.5-inch models, especially those in external USB enclosures, generally deliver about half that. You want speed? Get an SSD. You want cheap capacity, get an HDD and live with the performance you see documented below.
All three of the drives in the chart are WD 6TB units, hence the almost identical scores, though 2.5-inch external HDDs in general read and write between 110MBps and 140MBps.
The G-Drive ArmorATD displayed a slight advantage in all the tests, but not enough to concern yourself about. On the other hand, it’s ruggedized and IP65-rated.
The My Passport is about average for an external 2.5-inch SSD with sequential transfer. Longer bars are better.
The My Passport is about average for an external 2.5-inch SSD with sequential transfer. Longer bars are better.
The My Passport is about average for an external 2.5-inch SSD with sequential transfer. Longer bars are better.
The 4K random reads weren’t actually zero, but so slow (0.3MBps to 0.4MBps) that they rounded down to that non-number. CrystalDiskMark 8 is slanted towards modern SSDs, but still valid for HDDs.
The 4K random reads weren’t actually zero, but so slow (0.3MBps to 0.4MBps) that they rounded down to that non-number. As you can see, random performance is not a specialty of hard drives. Longer bars are better.
The 4K random reads weren’t actually zero, but so slow (0.3MBps to 0.4MBps) that they rounded down to that non-number. As you can see, random performance is not a specialty of hard drives. Longer bars are better.
The 4K random reads weren’t actually zero, but so slow (0.3MBps to 0.4MBps) that they rounded down to that non-number. As you can see, random performance is not a specialty of hard drives. Longer bars are better.
The My Passport was faster than the My Passport Ultra for Mac, but fell behind the G-Drive ArmorATD in the 48GB transfers.
There’s little to choose from between the three drives when it comes to 48GB transfers. Shorter bars are better.
There’s little to choose from between the three drives when it comes to 48GB transfers. Shorter bars are better.
There’s little to choose from between the three drives when it comes to 48GB transfers. Shorter bars are better.
The story was much the same with the 450GB write, though the difference is minimal: All three took 75 minutes plus a few seconds. This is why we recommend using HDDs for background tasks.
75-plus minutes for the 450GB write is about average for a 2.5 inch external hard drive. Shorter bars are better.
75-plus minutes for the 450GB write is about average for a 2.5 inch external hard drive. Shorter bars are better.
75-plus minutes for the 450GB write is about average for a 2.5 inch external hard drive. Shorter bars are better.
In the end, the My Passport is nearly as fast as the true Type-C G-Drive ArmorATD and faster than the Type-C My Passport Ultra for Mac by a very slim margin, and noticeably cheaper.
Should you buy the My Passport, Works with USB-C?
I say why not? If you need a lot of portable space for backup, or storing a multimedia collection, where speed of transfer isn’t that important, then you won’t find a better deal than the My Passport, Works with USB-C.
As to my confession up top… The HDDs I use primarily are 16TB 3.5-inchers in my NAS boxes, with 2.5-inch USB types hanging off the back of the NAS for backup. Occasionally, however, I do back up my main computer using 2.5-inchers. I do it overnight — it takes a while.
How we test
Storage tests currently utilize Windows 11, 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4 are integrated to the back panel and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro which also runs the OS.
Each test is performed on a newly NTFS-formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This is less of a factor with the current crop of SSDs with their far faster NAND.
Caveat: The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped and to the capacity tested. SSD performance can and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching. Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report, by all means, let us know.
Computer Storage Devices, Storage Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | BBCWorld - 17 Jun (BBCWorld)John Curtice examines the latest opinion polls ahead of the 4 July general election. Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | BBCWorld - 15 Jun (BBCWorld)Continuing coverage of the 2024 General Election Campaign, from BBC News Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | PC World - 15 Jun (PC World)“The desktop PC is dying.” It’s something we’ve been hearing for decades—hell, at this point there might even be writers covering desktop PCs who’ve heard it their entire lives.
But Qualcomm’s push for Arm hardware and Intel’s somewhat frantic defense of the x86 has lots of people repeating it again. At Computex, Adam picked the brain of Steve from GamersNexus on this topic.
In the consumer market, standalone desktop PCs are going to remain a small slice of the pie compared to laptops. But what’s prompted this speculation is Qualcomm’s latest generation of Snapdragon chips and Microsoft’s wholehearted embrace of Arm-based hardware.
The Surface line’s latest refresh is chock-full of it, and plenty of other OEMs are onboard. What does this mean for desktop PCs and the enthusiasts, like us, who love to tinker with them?
Assuming the entire market doesn’t switch over to Arm hardware overnight—and give Intel’s board simultaneous heart conditions—Steve is most concerned about the idea of a split market.
“If it’s not a better thing for desktop, the thing that I would consider a challenge is, suddenly you’re splitting development support, like with software and some extent hardware. What’s that gonna translate to for the smaller market, like enthusiast DIY?”
The prospect of desktop PC hardware—and user-accessible x86 hardware in general—becoming an isolated sliver of the market is a grim one.
We’ve all but abandoned the idea that laptops can have their memory upgraded, with the latest Intel processors baking it right into the processor package with an upper limit of just 32GB. The thought of that happening to desktop PCs, or the category becoming so isolated that it slides into irrelevance, isn’t something us nerds would welcome.
But we’ve seen the writing on this particular wall before. Intel and AMD continue to release more and more powerful hardware, with the latter even dedicating entire sub-categories to gaming desktop PCs.
Steve says the song sounds familiar: “…But this has been a topic forever, right? ‘PCs dying?’ I guess the question I would have is like, is it different this time? Or is it just another, ‘Here’s a different reason it’s dying.`”
And there’s always the prospect of a market-wide shift to Arm, in which desktops just follow along. In that case, there’s nothing stopping manufacturers from keeping hardware modular and upgradeable… assuming they think that market is worth it. For more chin-scratching on the future of the PC, subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube.
Desktop PCs Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
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