News
- Windows 11 just got a new test build in the Release Preview channel
- It comes with a fair chunk of AI features, but only one I actually want
- That's the AI agent in Settings, which is rolling out to more people - but sadly, I won't get this, as it's for Copilot+ PCs only
Windows 11 just got a new preview release, and there's quite a bit of work with AI here, including a new home page for the Recall ability and a wider deployment of the AI agent in the Settings app.
This is preview build 26100.506,1, which has been pushed out to testers in the Release Preview channel, and as you might guess, much of the fresh introductions on the AI front are for Copilot+ PCs only.
One of the most important moves is that the AI agent in Settings - which works as a natural language search to find the options you want easily - is now rolling out to Copilot+ laptops with AMD and Intel processors.
Previously, this ability was only available to Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X (Arm) CPUs, but it's now functioning with all of these devices (though the feature still only works when your primary language is set to English in Windows 11). Sadly, I don't have a Copilot+ device, so I'm more than a bit jealous, as I feel like this is very much an AI feature worth having - and those are a rarity.
Speaking of which, still in Copilot+ PCs territory, the Recall feature - for those who've turned it on, and that won't be everyone, even though it's a core pillar of Microsoft's drive with AI - now has a new home page which is based on your recent activity.
So, this surfaces your most-used apps and websites, and will also present you with the latest snapshots taken so you can quickly get back into tasks you were previously engaged in (assuming you have snapshots set to be saved in Recall, of course). Essentially, it's a bank of useful and personalized shortcuts to get back into what you were doing in a swifter manner.
Along with this, Click to Do (AI-powered context-sensitive suggestions) now comes with a short tutorial (an interactive one, apparently). This shows how it works to offer shortcuts with images or text, a useful touch for those new to the idea.
All of this is for Copilot+ PCs, but there are some fresh AI additions coming to all Windows 11 systems. That includes AI actions in File Explorer, which are shortcuts in a similar vein to Click to Do, based around editing images or summarizing documents.
With images (JPG and PNG formats) in File Explorer - which is the app that displays the folders on your desktop - there are now four AI-related actions. That includes a Visual Search (image search on the web), and the Erase Objects ability, which is AI-powered object removal in the Photos app - plus there's the self-explanatory Blur Background option in that app, too. On top of that, Remove Background will do just that with an image in the Paint app.
In the case of summarizing documents, however, this functionality is restricted - you need a Microsoft 365 subscription to benefit from AI actions here.
Away from AI, there are quite a few other changes with this new preview build, and a whole host of minor tweaks all over the place - check out Microsoft's extensive blog post for the full details.
Other nifty non-AI changes worth noting include Windows 11 users outside of Europe getting the ability to fully customize which widgets appear on the lock screen (previously this was exclusive to the European Economic Area).
Windows Hello - the secure login system - now has a revamped interface, and a bug where facial recognition failed has been fixed (plus fingerprint login now works better after the PC wakes from sleep).
(Image credit: Foxy burrow / Shutterstock / Microsoft)Analysis: The importance of being artificially intelligentThe agent for changing Windows 11 settings is one of the more useful applications for AI that I've seen introduced by Microsoft, so while it's good to see it coming to Copilot+ PCs that don't have an Arm processor, I'm still jealous that I'm missing out. Yes, I get it - you need that powerful NPU to make it work - but still, it doesn't feel great to not be receiving one of the genuinely laudable AI concepts that Microsoft has on the boil.
At any rate, as this is the Release Preview channel, this means the AI agent should hit the finished version of Windows 11 soon enough for those with the necessary hardware.
The rest of us can feel like we're missing out, or maybe you won't even care about this - or the other steps forward Microsoft has taken with AI here. Okay, so it's not that there wasn't anything else for normal (non-Copilot+) Windows 11 machines in this preview, but a fair chunk of the major moves were to do with AI.
And it's likely that the focus on AI features here might elicit some groans from quite a few folks - but despite that, and the relatively niche appeal of Copilot+ devices still, we can expect a lot more of Microsoft pushing this kind of tech.
Recent visions of the future of Windows from a couple of Microsoft executives have underlined the importance of AI (as well as the cloud and voice commands for input), so it's clear that this is a path Microsoft is going to be forging down with even more vigor in the coming years. In short: you'd best get used to this.
You might also like- Code in macOS Tahoe hints that a 5G MacBook could be on the way
- Apple is apparently testing it in a MacBook with M5 Pro chip
- There’s no guarantee a 5G MacBook will ever launch, though
Apple’s best iPhones and iPads have all been imbued with 5G goodness, but MacBooks remain left out in the cold. There are hints now, though, that that could soon change, and I think this could bring with it some serious benefits.
The idea of a 5G MacBook hasn’t been put forward by a dodgy leaker or an industry analyst – no, it comes from Apple itself. According to Macworld, Apple’s macOS Tahoe code contains references to an unreleased Mac codenamed “t6050” that will feature an M5 Pro chip, indicating that it’s going to be part of the next generation of MacBook Pro laptops.
Crucially, the code suggests that this MacBook will come with a “Centauri” chip, Macworld claims. Centauri is the codename for Apple’s 5G modem, which found its way into the iPhone 16e under the C1 name. If Macworld’s report is accurate, that would make the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro chip the first Apple laptop to feature 5G connectivity.
The timing makes sense, as Apple outfitted its iPhone 16e with its first in-house 5G modem last year. With more control over the chip’s features and manufacturing process, Apple might feel that the time is right to bring 5G capabilities to its laptop range.
And with the efficiency of Apple silicon added to the mix, there would be less concern over the chip unduly draining your laptop’s battery.
Connectivity off the grid(Image credit: Apple)On the face of it, adding 5G to a MacBook might seem like a strange idea. After all, no one is about to hold a clunky laptop up to their ear to make a phone call. And when I first heard this rumor, I was pretty unconvinced.
But the idea has been growing on me over the past few months. Far from being an anachronism, 5G could actually bring some pretty upsides to your Apple laptop, both in terms of connectivity and security.
For instance, it could help you stay connected to the internet in places where Wi-Fi is unavailable, such as when you’re traveling or off the grid. As well as that, it would mean you wouldn’t need to connect to free Wi-Fi in bars and restaurants, avoiding what can be a serious security risk to your laptop.
Still, there’s no guarantee that Apple will ever actually release a 5G MacBook. While it has been rumored for many months now, the company could simply be testing the device and ultimately decide not to launch it.
But with the M5-series MacBooks expected to arrive in either late 2025 or early 2026, we might find out relatively soon.
You might also like- ChatGPT might not be ad-free forever
- Head of ChatGPT Nick Turley says ads could be implemented in the future in some OpenAI products
- ChatGPT could remain ad-free, but at what cost?
The head of ChatGPT says OpenAI could implement ads on its products in the future, but only if they are "thoughtful and tasteful."
Speaking to The Verge, Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, was quizzed on the possibility of the AI chatbot getting ads in the future. While reluctant to respond, he did give an insight into how he views advertising for ChatGPT, and couldn't rule it out completely.
Turley said, "Look, since you’re really trying to get me to comment on ads, I have become humble enough not to make crazy, extreme, long-term statements on a question like that, because maybe there is a certain market where people aren’t willing to pay us, yet we want to offer the best, latest, and greatest. Maybe that would be a place to consider other indirect forms of monetization."
He added that if the company were to ever implement ads, they would need to do so in a "very, very careful and deliberate because I really think that the thing that makes ChatGPT magical is the fact that you get the best answer for you, and there’s no other stakeholder in the middle."
While that sounds pretty positive for the future of an ad-free ChatGPT experience, Turley couldn't rule it out altogether, instead opting for a more diplomatic approach. He said, "I’m humble enough not to rule it out categorically, but we’d have to be very thoughtful and tasteful about it."
Maybe more positive, however, is that he seems to think that if ads were to appear on OpenAI products, then it's likely to be on other offerings from the company, not the world's most popular AI chatbot with over 700 million weekly users.
He said, "We will build other products, and those other products can have different dimensions to them, and maybe ChatGPT just isn’t an ads-y product because it’s just so deeply accountable to your goals."
ChatGPT is ad free, but subscriptions will likely ramp upWhile Nick Turley's comments leave me feeling hopeful for an ad-free ChatGPT experience for the foreseeable future, I feel less positive about an even more heavily tiered platform that paywalls its best features.
Just yesterday, ChatGPT started to roll out Gmail connectivity, but its best capabilities are paywalled behind ChatGPT Pro, a $200 / £200 a month subscription.
As a ChatGPT Plus subscriber who pays $20 / £20 a month, I've noticed the sheer difference in capabilities between the paid version and the free one, and while I understand OpenAI needs to make money as a business, $240 / £240 a year feels like a steep ask.
I'm worried about the future of AI being paywalled behind premium subscriptions, and I think it's the direction we're heading in. Even companies like Google have offered premium AI subscriptions with the best Pixel smartphones for a year; however, following that initial period, the same Gemini AI capabilities become paid.
If subscriptions and basic free tiers are the way AI companies justify ad-free chatbots, then I'm more pro-ads than I ever thought I'd be. In fact, give me an ad-riddled ChatGPT with full access to the same as a Plus account for free; I'd take that over forking out a hefty amount of money every single month.
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