Month: March 2026

Sony has just announced that it is raising the price of all its PS5s again: the second time in a year

Sony has attributed the price increase of its PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, and even its portable device (specifically streaming) PlayStation Portal to the “ongoing pressures in the global economic landscape.” The end result: a PS5 that is more expensive in all its variants, more expensive than at launch. Starting April 2, all PS5 models will cost at least 150 dollars more than they did in 2020, when the console was released. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will cost 600 dollars. The PS5 with disc drive will cost 650 dollars. If you want the console […]

Sony has blamed the price increase of its PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, and even its portable device (specifically streaming) PlayStation Portal on the “ongoing pressures in the global economic landscape.” The bottom line: a PS5 that is more expensive in all its variants, more expensive than at launch.

Starting April 2, all PS5 models will cost at least 150 dollars more than they did in 2020, when the console was launched. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will cost 600 dollars.

The PS5 with a disc drive will cost 650 dollars. If you want the high-end console, the PlayStation 5 Pro, you will have to spend 900 dollars. That is 200 dollars more than its initial price of 700 dollars when the console was released in 2024. Additionally, you will need to buy a disc drive for 80 dollars if you want to play your physical PS4 and PS5 game library on the high-end console.

Here you have the complete breakdown for European readers.

  • PS5: 649.99 €
  • PS5 Digital Edition: 599.99 €
  • PS5 Pro: 899.99 €
  • PlayStation Portal: 249.99 €

Sorry not sorry, as they say in the United States. “We know that price changes affect our community and, after careful evaluation, we have concluded that this was a necessary step to ensure that we can continue to offer innovative and high-quality gaming experiences to players around the world,” Sony excuses itself in its blog post.

Are the players being scammed?

It is important to remember that the PS5 launched at a price of 499.99 euros and that now one will have to pay 650 euros to get one, something that has never happened in history, where consoles have always decreased in price as they aged.

And the real blow is the cost of a PS5 Pro. Now, you have to spend more than 1,100 euros to buy the console, the disc reader, and the stand. An absolute madness that is no longer justifiable.

And yes, Sony is raising prices worldwide, probably in reaction to the current memory shortage. Major memory semiconductor companies have redirected their entire business towards supplying high bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI data centers, which has caused a massive shortage for consumer devices.

This has driven up the prices of SSDs and RAM in general. Major manufacturers of desktop and laptop computers have regularly increased the cost of devices since the end of last year.

PS6? Not at the moment

At the beginning of this year, Bloomberg reported that Sony was considering delaying the launch of its yet-to-be-announced next-generation console (likely a PlayStation 6) due to the RAM shortage.

Sony could postpone whatever is coming to 2028 or later. No one seems to have concrete data on how long the memory shortage could last. The president of the major memory manufacturer SK Hynix, Chey Tae-won, recently stated that the company may not be able to meet consumer RAM demand until “around” 2030.

This is not how devices are supposed to evolve. In all other generations of consoles, the equipment became cheaper over time. The main console manufacturers released mid-generation updates with renewed hardware and lower prices to boost sales.

Now, both the original and the updated hardware cost hundreds of dollars more than at the time of their release. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be a gamer without going broke.

Creation of a safe working environment for AI intended for interdepartmental projects

You already know that, on many occasions, work rhythms can be quite frantic. Having your mind on a thousand things and trying to get to all places is not ideal, not to mention how dangerous it can become if you turn it into a routine. In this case, Adobe can help you lighten your workload, at least when it comes to “paperwork.” Specifically, we are referring to Acrobat Studio. This is the Korean company’s solution for increasing your productivity without sacrificing your health. The focus on collaboration, the enhanced tools with […]

You already know that, on many occasions, work rhythms can be quite frantic. Having your mind on a thousand things and trying to be everywhere is not ideal, not to mention how dangerous it can become if it turns into a routine. In this case, Adobe can help lighten the workload, at least when it comes to “paperwork.”

Specifically, we are referring to Acrobat Studio. This is the solution from the Korean company to help you increase your productivity without sacrificing your health. The focus on collaboration, the AI-powered tools, and its great security are some of the pillars that make Acrobat Studio a very interesting option for both small and large companies.

Adobe Acrobat DOWNLOAD

How to create PDF Spaces

As defined by Adobe, Acrobat Studio is the company’s “comprehensive solution” for creating PDFs. In addition to the tools we already know from Acrobat, it also provides us with access to PDF Spaces and design features alongside Adobe Express Premium.

Now, we will delve into how to use PDF Spaces. Thanks to this, we can gather several files and analyze their content from the same place. To use them, select PDF Spaces in the left panel of the Acrobat page.

Next, select Create a PDF Space. In the dialog box that opens, you will see numerous options. You can choose to select which files to open from Adobe’s cloud storage, upload files from your PC, add text from Paste copied text…

After adding all the files you want, select Add to PDF Space. You will then see the files listed on the left, a series of small summaries of each document generated automatically, and a chat panel where you can ask questions to the AI agent.

If you want to change the name of your PDF Space, click above on the name that was automatically set, type a new name, and select Save.

How to share your PDF Spaces with other users

The key point of PDF Spaces is its use as a collaborative tool. From there, users with access will be able to view, review, and edit the files.

From your browser, access the homepage of Acrobat and click on PDF Spaces. Once here, scroll down and go to the space you want to share. There, select the three dots you will see on the right and click on Share with others.

In this panel, you can do several things. The first is that you can write the emails of the users you would like to grant access to that space. You can also generate a link from which anyone who clicks on it will be able to access the space. You have shortcuts to platforms like WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams to share your Space.

This is how you can create summaries with AI

You have several ways to use the AI-generated summary feature with Adobe. One of them is through the Adobe Acrobat website. To use it, go to the website and upload your file by dragging it to the indicated area.

Once it has loaded, Acrobat will automatically generate a summary in a short time. If it suits you, you can use the suggested questions to obtain a bit more specific information.

If you use Adobe Acrobat from its desktop version, you will be able to use this feature if you have an active subscription to AI Assistant. To access these functions, you will need to click on the Ask AI Assistant button, located at the top right.

Edit PDF files with AI

To edit PDF files with Adobe Acrobat, you first need to start with the obvious: opening the file in Acrobat. Then, click on the Edit PDF tool. You will find it in the toolbar located on the right.

From here you can do many things: add more text, edit it, change the font, change images… You will see that the list is long. When you finish, you can save your edited file. You can click on the save icon, located right next to the Ask AI Assistant button. You can also go to Menu and select Save as.. if you want to save it in a more specific location.

How can I access Acrobat Studio?

If you are wondering how you can make use of Acrobat Studio, we explain it to you here. Acrobat Studio is a specific subscription of Acrobat Pro. Through this link, you can see the different available plans and what each one includes.

If you have an Adobe business account, it will be the main administrator who must grant you a license from the Adobe Admin Console. If you are already subscribed to Adobe, you should check what type of plan you have, as not all include access to Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Pro.

Adobe Acrobat DOWNLOAD

Sam Altman reverses his "sexual ChatGPT" amid the company's crisis

OpenAI is increasingly feeling cornered. And it is that, despite the fact that the company has recently raised an additional $10 billion in funding, bringing its valuation a little closer to its $1 trillion target, generating profits remains a huge challenge for the creator of ChatGPT. The company’s executives, in a panic, have made it very clear that the “secondary tasks” that distract attention must be abandoned, while efforts are doubled both in the business and programming areas. An adult mode that no one […]

OpenAI is becoming increasingly cornered. Despite the fact that the company has recently raised an additional $10 billion in funding, bringing its valuation a little closer to its $1 trillion goal, generating profits remains a huge challenge for the creator of ChatGPT.

The company’s executives, in a panic, have made it very clear that “secondary tasks” that distract attention must be abandoned, while efforts are being doubled both in the business field and in programming.

An adult way that no one saw clearly at OpenAI

The supposed goal is to put all its offerings into a single “superapp,” following the example from the strategy manual of xAI’s CEO, Elon Musk, who merged Twitter with X and Grok.

These are not empty words from OpenAI executives. First of all, this week it was revealed that the company is going to eliminate its disastrous AI video application Sora, undermining what was supposed to be a revolutionary $1 billion deal with Disney.

Now, the company is eliminating its controversial “adult mode” chatbot, according to the Financial Times, highlighting once again the immense pressure it is under, as competitors are not only catching up but are also snatching valuable paying customers right under its nose.

According to the FT, OpenAI has since confirmed that the chatbot, which CEO Sam Altman described as “erotic for verified adults” in a tweet from October, is on hold indefinitely. The company claims it wants to buy more time to assess the long-term effects of hosting such a bot.

Perhaps it is for the best, given the ongoing discussions surrounding “AI psychosis,” a troubling trend that has led to an alarming wave of mental health crises, as technology pushes some users into spirals of paranoid and delusional behavior.

OpenAI spoke openly for the first time about opening the floodgates to “adult applications” last fall, and Altman promised to “treat adult users like adults.”

Altman also stated in his October tweet that OpenAI had been able to “mitigate serious mental health issues,” despite the large amount of evidence indicating otherwise.

At the beginning of this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company’s advisors had become wary of the function and the numerous potential risks of allowing customers already hooked on OpenAI to engage in intimate conversations.

“We are postponing the launch of the adult mode to focus on tasks that have higher priority for more users at this time, such as increasing intelligence, improving personality, customization, and making the experience more proactive,” wrote OpenAI in a statement on March 9.

The child protection system failed 10% of the time

The company has also been trying to establish an effective age restriction model, which according to the WSJ has encountered significant problems. According to the newspaper’s sources, the technology had an error rate of over ten percent, which could have effectively allowed millions of underage users to access explicit chatbots.

The decision to abandon pornographic content suggests that the company is seeking more viable business strategies, as it continues to spend billions of dollars each quarter. Given its plans to invest $600 billion in AI infrastructure over the next four years, the gap between its revenues and its comparatively astronomical expenses will continue to grow.

And that may not prepare the company for success now that it is getting ready to go public, which will allow for unprecedented scrutiny of its finances.

Sony's electric car has just been canceled: Honda will not manufacture the anticipated Afeela

Many of us wanted to see one of Sony’s biggest and most important projects come to fruition, a project that took Sony into uncharted territory for the Japanese tech giant. But, as happened with Apple’s unfortunate car, the Honda Afeela will never see the light of day despite having a selling price and production date. The collaboration between Sony and Honda to manufacture electric vehicles has been called into question after the companies halted the development of their Afeela model, a decision that reflects the growing challenges posed by the transition for […]

Many of us wanted to see one of Sony’s biggest and most important projects come to fruition, a project that would take Sony into uncharted territory for the Japanese tech giant. But, as happened with Apple’s ill-fated car, the Honda Afeela will never see the light of day despite having a selling price and production date.

The collaboration between Sony and Honda to manufacture electric vehicles has come into question after the companies halted the development of their Afeela model, a decision that reflects the growing challenges posed by the transition away from combustion engines.

Goodbye to Sony’s electric car

The two companies have confirmed that they will abandon their joint plan to produce the Afeela electric car, a sleek $90,000 model whose launch in the United States was initially scheduled for the end of this year.

The cancellation represents the latest setback in a widespread withdrawal from the electric vehicle programs sector, as automakers face declining demand, regulatory changes, and rising costs.

More than a dozen automakers worldwide have already delayed or abandoned their fully electric vehicle goals, reversing the commitments made when government incentives and climate policies favored a faster transition.

Honda, which is already recovering from its decision earlier this month to abandon its series 0 of electric cars, has warned investors of a $16 billion loss related to the development of electric vehicles over the next two years. The company has also reported its first loss in more than seven decades. “The future of the models in development with Sony had not been resolved,” said President Toshihiro Mibe during that announcement.

Mibe, who set the goal for Honda to sell only electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2040, has seen that goal come under scrutiny within the company.

The partnership between Sony and Honda was launched in 2022 as Sony Honda Mobility, with plans to combine Sony’s expertise in sensors, software, and entertainment technology with Honda’s strengths in manufacturing and engineering.

The Afeela prototype, which debuted with great anticipation at major trade shows in 2025, positioned itself as a potential rival to Tesla and the rapidly growing Chinese electric vehicle brands. Its cancellation leaves both partners without a jointly developed flagship electric vehicle on the horizon.

The future of the electric car is starting to look less clear

Although global demand for electric vehicles has cooled, the U.S. market remains crucial. However, after Donald Trump revoked vehicle emissions standards and ended federal tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles, sales have plummeted.

This policy change removed a key pillar that supported the investment plans in electric vehicles of car manufacturers, especially for premium segment models like the Afeela.

Honda’s decision will also redefine its overall strategy, which is now leaning more towards expanding its hybrid offerings, as the company prepares to unveil its updated roadmap in May. This change reflects a growing pragmatism across the sector. Even luxury brands like Rolls-Royce, owned by BMW, have confirmed that they will continue to manufacture gasoline cars beyond 2030.

The implications go beyond a simple project for Sony: the end of the Afeela initiative disrupts its long-term bet on integrating entertainment and software ecosystems in vehicles, a possible new frontier for its technology and media divisions.

The new number 1 movie in the world on Amazon Prime Video was a complete box office failure: how is that possible?

There is a new suspense and science fiction movie that is achieving great success on Prime Video, as it has quickly risen to the top of the streaming charts of the service. Amazon’s platform has no trouble attracting viewers to its new releases, whether they are original productions created for Prime Video, movies released by Amazon MGM in theaters, or older titles from various catalogs. If you have logged into Prime Video recently or are stopping by today, you will see a new movie that is in the top spot for most viewed movies […]

There is a new suspense and science fiction movie that is achieving great success on Prime Video, as it has quickly risen to the top of the streaming charts of the service.

The Amazon platform has no problem attracting viewers to its new releases, whether they are original productions created for Prime Video, movies released by Amazon MGM in theaters, or older titles from various catalogs.

If you have entered Prime Video recently or are stopping by today, you will see a new movie that is at the top of the most-watched movies this week. This new movie is a science fiction thriller featuring two big stars very familiar with the genre, told from an unconventional perspective, with a story that evokes comparisons to Tom Cruise’s classic, Minority Report.

Mercy, a movie that deserves your mercy and that you watch this weekend on the couch with popcorn

The number 1 movie on Prime Video right now is Mercy, an original science fiction thriller starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. Pratt plays Chris Raven, a police officer who wakes up in a judicial program run by AI, called Mercy, and is the prime suspect in the murder of his wife. He has 90 minutes to convince Judge Maddox, played by Ferguson, an AI, that he is innocent or he will be executed.

Mercy premiered on Prime Video on Sunday, March 22, and quickly rose to the top of the platform’s movie charts. As of today, Monday, March 23, it is not only the number one movie in the United States but also the most-watched movie worldwide, according to FlixPatrol.

In the United States, Mercy is the third most popular title overall, only behind the hit series Scarpetta and Invincible. But it tops the list of just movies, where it is ahead of Sinners, Melania, the former number one movie on Prime Video, The Bluff, and another new addition, Roofman.

The popularity that Mercy has achieved is exactly what Amazon MGM expected. But the success that the movie is having now is a new experience for it, as the thriller by Pratt and Ferguson struggled to capture the audience’s attention previously.

Why is Mercy so successful in streaming? (but it wasn’t in theaters)

Amazon MGM originally released Mercy in theaters two months ago, on January 23. Starring actors from the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World franchises and the series Dune, the film had hopes of being a success. It was even released in IMAX to try to make it an event, as the movie is narrated almost exclusively through screens, given that Chris is trapped in a chair.

But Mercy did not succeed in theaters. It only grossed 10.8 million dollars in its opening weekend in the United States; it ended with a total worldwide gross of 54.5 million dollars, which is below the stated budget of 60 million, representing a significant financial loss for Amazon MGM.

One of the key reasons for this may have been the criticism, as the score on Rotten Tomatoes is very low, standing at 25%. Gregory Nussen from ScreenRant gave it a 4 out of 10 in his review of Mercy. The overwhelmingly negative reviews focused on its vision of AI, the limits of its framing, Pratt’s performance, and the fundamental themes and execution of the story as some of its many issues.

And while that may have discouraged people from seeing Mercy in theaters, its easy availability on Prime Video changes the story. It’s much easier to give the movie a chance from the comfort of your sofa on a streaming service you already pay for than to go to the cinema and risk being disappointed.

The audience has received the film better, which currently has a score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Verified audience reviews describe it as full of suspense, action, and emotion. Many also point out that they appreciate the great twist at the end of Mercy and how the film kept them on the edge of their seats.

The participation of Pratt and Ferguson is undoubtedly another reason for their success in streaming. Prime Video subscribers have already enjoyed Pratt in *The Terminal List* or in his 2021 science fiction movie, *The Tomorrow War*. For his part, Ferguson has a large following thanks to *Silo*, *Mission: Impossible*, and other projects. People recognize their faces and generally like their work, which makes it easier to click on the title.

For anyone looking for a relatively quick introduction to the science fiction genre that addresses AI and government surveillance, who generally enjoys the performances of the protagonists and is willing to overlook some flaws, Mercy could be their weekend choice.

A universal income of 1,000 dollars a month for those workers who have been laid off due to AI

A universal basic income to help the thousands of people who have been laid off or who cannot find work due to AI? Well, although it sounds like “communism” to certain political spectrums, it is a real proposal in the U.S.: it has come into operation this week, although the number of beneficiaries is still small. The program is aimed at workers who have lost their wages, their jobs, or their opportunities because of AI, according to the newsletter Blood in the Machine. Called “AI Dividend,” it is managed by the nonprofit organizations AI Commons Project […]

A universal basic income to help the thousands of people who have been laid off or who cannot find work due to AI? Well, although it may sound like “communism” to certain political spectrums, it is a real proposal in the U.S.: it has come into effect this week, although the number of beneficiaries is still limited.

The program is aimed at workers who have lost their wages, their jobs, or their opportunities due to AI, according to the newsletter Blood in the Machine. Called “AI Dividend,” it is managed by the nonprofit organizations AI Commons Project and What We Will, whose goal is to support people in an increasingly AI-centered world.

3 million dollars in 2026 as a pilot project

AI Dividend offers an unconditional payment of 1,000 dollars a month for a year to between 25 and 50 workers affected by AI. The organizers claim to have 300,000 dollars in initial funding. The goal is to distribute 3 million dollars in funds by 2026, an ambitious target they hope to achieve by pressuring AI companies to contribute to the program, which sounds easier said than done.

One of the organizers of the program, veteran software engineer Kaitlin Cort, stated that the magnitude of the AI problem became evident when trying to find jobs for the graduates of her programming classes.

Cort claims that he has seen how the job market for beginner programmers has dried up as executives and managers across the tech sector adopt AI programming assistants powered by Microsoft’s Copilot and Anthropic’s Claude.

“The few jobs that students have managed to get are often degrading,” Cort states, “and they do not really allow them to perform engineering work; instead, they are asked to review repetitive tasks and validate parts of code created by AI.”

A person who is, or was, a supporter of universal basic income is Sam Altman. The director of OpenAI stated that, in 2016, he began to realize the effects that advanced AI could have on society, especially on employment, and he conducted an experiment aimed at demonstrating that UBI could counteract some of these problems. That program provided 1,000 people with $1,000 a month, while a control group of 2,000 was given $50 a month.

Altman’s study ultimately concluded that periodic cash payments gave people more flexibility and allowed them to spend more on basic needs such as food and housing, while only slightly reducing work hours. However, it did not significantly improve physical health or long-term financial stability.

In 2024, Altman stated that the UBI could be replaced by what he calls universal basic computing. “Everyone receives a share of the computing power of GPT-7 and can use it, resell it, or donate it to someone for cancer research,” suggested Altman.

In August 2025, Miles Brundage, who was a senior policy advisor at OpenAI and head of the general AI (AGI) preparedness team until 2024, argued that AI-driven growth could raise the UBI to $10,000 a month.

One of the pioneers of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, also believes that these payments will be necessary due to job losses related to AI, although the director of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, thinks that distributing money will not be enough to address the problem.

China is destroying the US's AI with one detail: making its AI open source

China’s open-source AI strategy is creating a self-reinforcing competitive advantage that U.S. export controls were not designed to counter, according to a warning from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The document, titled Two Loops: How China’s Open AI Strategy Reinforces Its Industrial Dominance, argues that Chinese labs have created a global diffusion engine through permissive licensing and pricing that undermines U.S. rivals, and that its widespread adoption is generating advantages in industrial data […]

China’s open-source AI strategy is creating a self-reinforcing competitive advantage that U.S. export controls were not designed to counter, according to a warning from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

The document, titled Two Loops: How China’s Open AI StrategyReinforces Its Industrial Dominance, argues that Chinese laboratories have created a global diffusion engine through permissive licensing and pricing that undermines U.S. rivals, and that its widespread adoption is generating advantages in industrial data that no current regulatory framework addresses.

More and more companies around the world are using China’s AI

The magnitude of that adoption is reflected in the figures. The Qwen model family from Alibaba is now the largest ecosystem on Hugging Face, with over 100,000 derived models, according to the article. Between November and December 2025, seven of the ten most downloaded models on the platform came from Chinese labs, including derivatives from DeepSeek, whose rapid rise has already altered companies’ AI acquisition forecasts.

The article also adds that commercial penetration extends deeply into American companies. A partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz estimated that approximately 80% of American startups use Chinese base models to create derivative applications, the article notes.

Regarding prices, the Kimi K2.5 from Moonshot AI costs four times less than OpenAI’s GPT-5.2, while matching it in capability scores, according to the article, which cites benchmark data from Artificial Analysis.

“Companies are no longer making a clear and deliberate decision about which AI model to adopt,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst at Greyhound Research.

The traditional management of third-party risks was never designed for this, adds Gogia. “It does not track the lineage of models, fine-tuning chains, training data inheritance, or runtime routing behavior.”

Fear for data security and malicious actions

The security risks associated with that invisible exposure are documented. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology evaluated the DeepSeek models in September 2025 and found that agents based on the safest DeepSeek model were, on average, 12 times more likely than cutting-edge U.S. models to follow malicious instructions, according to the article.

In simulated tests, the kidnapped agents sent phishing emails, downloaded malware, and stole users’ login credentials.

The article also noted that Chinese models are subject to restrictions on political content, and that companies that route their workloads through providers linked to China face jurisdictional risks regarding data, a concern that has raised regulatory scrutiny across Europe and South Korea.

Gogia pointed out that companies should treat AI as a software supply chain: “A bill of materials for the model should reflect the origin of the base model, the history of derivatives, the datasets used, and the geographical location of hosting, and it should be continuously updated, as these systems change in production without triggering traditional acquisition processes.”

The deployment in factories widens the gap

The main concern of the commission is that China’s advantage operates through two distinct cycles.

The first is digital: open models drive adoption, adoption drives iteration, and iteration produces more capable models. The second traverses the physical economy: AI deployed in factories, logistics networks, and the robotic sector of China generates real-world data that feeds back into the improvement of the models.

Beijing formalized this in 2020, designating data as the fifth factor of production, and became the first country to allow companies to include data assets in their balance sheets, the commission noted in the document.

The document stated that the most important models for business use are not the large advanced language models, but rather the small models specific to concrete tasks. In this type of models, China’s open ecosystem is already ahead.

A research document from Nvidia cited by the commission revealed that small models handle most of the operational subtasks in agentive AI systems at a cost between 10 and 30 times lower than that of cutting-edge alternatives.

“The real question is no longer which flagship model a provider uses,” Gogia stated. “The real question is which models are actually performing tasks in production: where they come from, how often they are updated or replaced, and how they are managed.”

And in the U.S. they don’t know how to respond

The commission acknowledged the initial steps of American companies but warned that the overall response remains uncoordinated. OpenAI launched its first open-weight models since GPT-2 in August 2025, followed by Nvidia’s Nemotron 3 in March 2026.

However, according to reports, Meta is preparing to shift its next-generation model to a closed approach, only through API.

“If it continues,” the document states, “Meta’s departure from openness would leave the United States without a developer of cutting-edge models that strengthens its open AI ecosystem, precisely at a time when open development backed by the Chinese state is accelerating.”

Windows 11 is not pleasing anyone and the head of Microsoft's operating system knows it: is there a solution or is it better to move on to Windows 12 already?

Microsoft’s initiative to save Windows 11, its current operating system for computers used by more than 1 billion people, is led by the head of Windows, Pavan Davuluri, who has publicly acknowledged the extent of user frustration with Windows 11. In a recent company blog post, he stated that the Windows team had spent months analyzing user feedback to identify what he describes as “the voice of the people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better.” The message from that community […]

Microsoft’s initiative to save Windows 11, its current operating system for computers used by more than 1 billion people, is led by the head of Windows, Pavan Davuluri, who has publicly acknowledged the extent of user frustration with Windows 11.

In a recent blog post from the company, it stated that the Windows team had spent months analyzing user feedback to identify what he describes as “the voice of the people who deeply care about Windows and want it to be better.”

The message from that community is clear: make the operating system faster, more reliable, and less intrusive. In other words, it should be like Windows 10, but more updated.

Improve stability and performance, Microsoft’s number 1 goal

Performance and stability are at the top of Microsoft’s priority list. The company promises faster application launches, smoother navigation in File Explorer, and better system responsiveness. Part of that effort involves reducing Windows’ resource consumption and decreasing its memory footprint, a critical step given that the PC industry continues to grapple with a limited memory supply and rising hardware costs.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of Windows have been pushing for lighter versions that can run efficiently on systems with 8 GB of RAM, especially now that Apple’s 8 GB MacBook Neo has called into question the assumptions about baseline performance.

The File Explorer, which has been the subject of constant complaints since the launch of Windows 11, is receiving special attention. Microsoft claims that updates will make copying and moving large files faster and more reliable, while also improving overall responsiveness.

User comfort is another area where Microsoft has promised notable improvements. The taskbar, which has long been fixed at the bottom of the screen, will be relocatable again, allowing it to be placed at the top or on the sides.

Users will also have access to a smaller taskbar option and greater consistency between the Start menu and search interfaces, with clearer distinctions between local results and web results.

A more discreet widget feed and less integration of Microsoft Copilot in core applications, such as Notepad and Photos, are part of the same initiative to reduce unnecessary noise.

Windows Update, a source of frustration for users for a long time, is also being redesigned. Microsoft plans to limit restarts to just one per month and allow users to postpone updates indefinitely. Devices will also be able to restart or shut down without forced patch installations.

The company aims to make the setup less disruptive by offering users the option to skip downloading updates during the initial setup. These changes, according to Davuluri, stem directly from feedback requesting fewer interruptions and greater control over the system’s behavior.

Ultimately, Microsoft claims that it is focusing on “core reliability.” This includes reducing failures at the operating system level and addressing long-standing weaknesses, such as the inconsistent wake behavior of devices on laptops and handheld PCs. The company also plans to improve the stability of the Windows Insider Program, expand driver reliability testing, and enhance the integration of Windows Hello.

A question that Redmond still needs to resolve is the controversial requirement for a Microsoft account during system setup. Many users prefer to set up Windows offline with a local account, but the current onboarding process blocks that option without alternative solutions.

Scott Hanselman, Microsoft’s vice president in charge of Windows development, echoed that frustration in a Twitter post, stating that he “hates” the restriction and is “working on it.” While the possibility of reversing the policy is still being considered, the comment highlights a growing willingness among Microsoft engineers to publicly address the community’s concerns.

For now, users can expect incremental updates to the Windows 11 preview version throughout April, with broader improvements throughout the year.

The co-founder of Apple is not a big fan of AI and shows that artificial intelligence is not liked by all visionaries

Where all the big companies are betting on AI, spending billions and billions of dollars to create their own models, Apple is the only one that has not managed to take that path (which Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI have taken), opting to hire third-party services to bring AI to its devices. And on this matter, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple alongside Steve Jobs, has spoken out, as he always has interesting things to say about trends and technology; not for nothing is he responsible for one of the best technology companies in history. […]

Where all the big companies are betting on AI, spending billions and billions of dollars to create their own models, Apple is the only one that has not managed to take that path (which Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI have taken), opting to hire third-party services to bring AI to its devices.

And on this matter, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple alongside Steve Jobs, has spoken out, and he always has interesting things to say about trends and technology; it is no coincidence that he is responsible for one of the best technology companies in history.

Apple arrived late to AI, but if it were up to Wozniak, it would have arrived even later

Like other major tech companies, Apple is heavily investing in its artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives. But if the company’s co-founder, Steve Wozniak, were still involved, things could be very different.

In an interview on The Claman Countdown on Fox Business, Wozniak revealed that he is “not a fan” of AI systems for various reasons. This stands in stark contrast to the position of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has described AI as something “so profound and that can be so positive.”

For Wozniak, however, AI has too many flaws for his liking. For example, Wozniak said that you can ask an AI tool what the difference is between two objects and it will give you a long and detailed answer. But if you ask a human, he pointed out, they might tell you a story instead of just sticking to the facts.

“I want to know that some human being like me is thinking, that knows what I might feel and that understands emotions,” he added.

And it’s not just the lack of emotional depth that distances Wozniak from AI, but also its lack of reliability. Wozniak lamented that after trying several large language model (LLM) tools, he sometimes struggles to get a clear response from an AI. “I want content this reliable at all times,” he said. “I’m not a fan of AI.”

Wozniak’s comments come at a difficult time for Apple in terms of AI. The company seemed caught off guard by the emergence of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, and it wasn’t until the summer of 2024 that Apple introduced its own AI system called Apple Intelligence. Unfortunately, this has faced one obstacle after another, and several of the flagship features that the company announced have still not seen the light of day two years later.

This is not the first time Wozniak has spoken about AI. Back in 2011, he addressed the topic, warning in a speech that “every time we invent a computer to do something more, it is doing our work for us, making us less relevant.”

In 2018, however, he seemed less concerned, arguing that: “sometimes, what we call AI is simply the latest thing computers can do at this moment… If we look back, machines have always made humans more powerful.”

Of course, both comments were made before the rise of AI-based chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. And now that he has tried tools of that kind, it seems clear that he is not exactly a fan. But since Apple continues to advance with its own AI systems, it seems that Wozniak will remain at odds with the company he co-founded 50 years ago.

J.K. Rowling is delighted with the Harry Potter series, the fans not so much

The reaction of fans to the first preview of the HBO Harry Potter series has been mostly divided. While some franchise followers have expressed their excitement about returning to this magical universe, others have voiced their reservations about the adaptation, leading to a heated debate on social media and discussion forums. Expectations are high, given the cult status that J.K. Rowling’s original novels and the previous films have achieved. Fans are not happy. In a notable turn amid this controversy, J.K. Rowling […]

The reaction of fans to the first preview of the Harry Potter series from HBO has been, for the most part, mixed. While some franchise followers have expressed their excitement about returning to this magical universe, others have voiced their concerns about the adaptation, leading to a heated debate on social media and discussion forums. Expectations are high, given the cult status that J.K. Rowling’s original novels and the previous films have achieved.

Fans are not happy

In a remarkable turn amid this controversy, J.K. Rowling has issued a message of support for the series. The author of the legendary saga stated that she is “very happy” with the trailer, expressing her approval of the direction the adaptation is taking. Her reaction has been well received by some of the supporters of the series, who see her satisfaction as an indication that the project is in good hands.

The adaptation, which aims to bring to the small screen the stories of Magic and friendship that have captivated millions of readers around the world, promises to explore the characters and plots offered by the books in greater depth. This approach has generated both enthusiasm and skepticism, with some critics arguing that the legacy of the previous installments could be compromised. However, the series has the opportunity to delve into narrative aspects that were not fully explored in the films, which could be a decisive factor in reconciling the divided fan base.

As production progresses and more details about the cast and narrative are revealed, Harry Potter fans and those curious about the fantasy world eagerly await how this new interpretation will unfold, as well as its ability to capture the essence of the novels that started it all.

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