Tag: microsoft

Snapdragon X Elite Surfaces on Geekbench, Beats Apple’s M3 Chip in Multi-Core Test

Snapdragon X Elite — Qualcomm’s flagship computer chip that is expected to arrive on laptop from popular brands this year, has been spotted in a benchmark test. A listing for the purported Surface Laptop 6 on Geekbench suggests that Microsoft’s upcoming Surface laptop could beat Apple’s MacBook Pro models that are powered by its latest M3 chip, in one CPU test. According to recent reports, Microsoft could launch Surface laptops equipped with Snapdragon X Elite chips at a hardware event in May.

The Surface Laptop 6 was spotted by WCCFTech on Geekbench, without an official product name. It is listed with the title “OEMBR OEMBR Product Name MFG” and the details show that it is powered by a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chipset at 4.01GHz, with 12 cores. It’s worth noting that there are three Snapdragon X Elite variants, and the one that was benchmarked was not the most powerful chip — that variant (XIE-84-100) boasts a 4.20GHz boost clock speed.

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Geekbench

 

The purported Surface Laptop 6 with a Snapdragon X Elite chip has a single-core score of 2,714 points, and a multi-core score of 14,078 points. This puts the chip ahead of Apple’s 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro in Geekbench’s multi-core tests — the M3 MacBook Pro scored 3,103 and 12,065 points, respectively.

If these benchmark tests are genuine, then Apple’s M3 chip should be 13.37 percent faster than the Snapdragon X Elite on the rumoured Surface Laptop 6. Meanwhile, Qualcomm’s chip is shown to be 15.4 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Pro. After all, the Snapdragon processor has more cores (12) than Apple’s M3 chip (8).

It’s worth taking these benchmarks with a grain of salt, as Microsoft is yet to announce any plans to launch new Surface models with Snapdragon laptop chips. According to a recent report, Microsoft is said to be confident that the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 can beat the latest 3nm Apple Silicon processor. We can expect to learn more about these rumoured devices soon — Microsoft is tipped to introduce new Surface laptops powered by Snapdragon chips at its next hardware event in May.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Windows 11 Start Menu Ads Rolling Out for All Users: How to Turn Them Off

Windows 11 Start menu is getting an update that might leave some users feeling annoyed. Microsoft is rolling out Start menu ads with the new Windows 11 update that is expected to reach all users this week. These ads are shown as part of the recommended section and the tech giant is pitching them as a discoverability feature to learn about “great” Microsoft Store apps. However, for those who prefer that their Start menu remains clean and without unsolicited advertisements, there is an easy solution to disable them.

The personalised ads are part of Microsoft’s Windows KB5036980 update, which was in preview for the last two weeks. As per a report by The Verge, the company began testing with ads earlier this month. Now, on its support page, the tech giant revealed the addition of ads and said, “The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps. These apps come from a small set of curated developers. This will help you to discover some of the great apps that are available.”

Reportedly, some users are already seeing these ads. Currently, the recommended section shows the recently used files and apps, however, based on some screenshots we have seen online, the ads will begin to feature in this area. Interestingly, there are no visual cues to identify a promoted app compared to one you already have apart from the user’s knowledge of installed apps. There is one small clue — while all other installed apps show the time when it was last used, promoted apps come with a small description of it.

Luckily, Microsoft is not pushing these ads on users without any escape. The company has also explained an easy method to disable these ads. Some users might find value in these ads as they are curated by select developers and can help in discovering useful apps. However, if you would rather not see them and want to return the Start menu to its pristine appearance, you can follow these steps.

  1. Click on the Start menu.
  2. Locate the Settings app and click on it.
  3. Click on Personalisation.
  4. Within the Personalisation menu, locate Start and click on it.
  5. Look for the fourth option from the top titled Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.
  6. Turn off the toggle for the option.
  7. The ads should be disabled for you.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Snapdragon X Plus With Oryon CPU, 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU for On-Device AI Launched

Related Stories



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Google Chat Rolls Out Cross-Platform Messaging With Microsoft Teams, Slack: How It Works

Google Chat will now allow sending messages to Microsoft Teams and Slack with its new interoperability support. The cross-platform messaging feature was first announced by the tech giant at the Google Cloud Next 2023 event, but so far the feature was available only in beta to a limited number of users. With the new update, all paid subscribers of Google Workspace will be able to send messages to Teams and Slack users. Notably, users and organisations will need to use the Mio app to access the functionality.

The new feature was announced via a Google Workspace update. The company said, “Interoperability will enable organisations that use Google Chat and other messaging platforms within their domain to provide a more seamless experience for their users.” This means users will only be able to use this feature to send messages to people within their own organisation. This could be useful to text coworkers in different teams who use a separate app for communication.

However, there is a caveat. The cross-platform messaging feature is not built into Google Chat. So, users will need to download and install the Mio app to create the interoperability. This will be the tricky part since organisations will need to purchase an additional license in order to use the feature. Despite the extra steps, it can be a useful feature for large organisations that are not exclusively using a single communications platform for all the teams.

Cross-platform messaging feature between Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, and Slack was being tested by the company for the last one year and its availability was limited to some users. Google earlier announced in this year’s Cloud Next event that the feature will be rolled out to all paid customers of Workspace, and starting last week, this feature is being rolled out globally.

Separately, Slack released its artificial intelligence (AI) features to all paid users globally. Now, users with a paid subscription of the platform can purchase an add-on to activate features such as recaps, search, and conversation summaries. The company also intends to add note-taking summary generation feature for its voice and video calling feature Huddle.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Vivo X100 Ultra Tipped to Come With Vivo’s Self-Developed BlueImage Imaging Technology


Multiple Solana-Based Memecoins Abandoned After Presale Frenzy, Millions of Dollars Displaced: Report



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Pitches ChatGPT Enterprise to Large Firms, Including Some Microsoft Customers

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has hosted hundreds of Fortune 500 company executives in San Francisco, New York and London this month where he and other OpenAI executives pitched AI services for corporate use, going head-to-head in some cases with financial backer Microsoft, attendees told Reuters.

The roadshow-like events illustrate how the company credited with sparking the explosion of generative artificial intelligence with its consumer offering, is looking to grow new sources of revenue from corporates all over the world – some of it potentially on the home turf of its biggest partner.

The three meetings with senior corporate executives – two in the US last week and one in London on Monday – have not been reported previously.

Altman directly addressed more than 100 executives in each city at the events, according to attendees who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

At each event, Altman and chief operating officer Brad Lightcap offered product demonstrations, including ChatGPT Enterprise, the enterprise grade of its famous chatbot that generates text from simple prompts, software to connect customer applications to its AI services known as APIs, and its new text-to-video models.

OpenAI has promised that ChatGPT Enterprise customers’ data will not be used to train its models. Talking to potential customers from industries including finance, healthcare and energy, OpenAI executives highlighted a range of applications, such as call-center management and translation. They noted the consumer version of its chatbot is already in use by more than 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies.

Microsoft, the largest investor in OpenAI, offers access to OpenAI’s technology through its Azure cloud and by selling Microsoft 365 Copilot, a productivity tool powered by OpenAI’s models targeting enterprises.

Some executives in the audience at the events asked why they should pay for ChatGPT Enterprise if they are already customers of Microsoft, attendees said.

Altman and Lightcap responded that paying for the enterprise service allowed them to work with the OpenAI team directly, have access to the latest models and more opportunity to get customized AI products, according to attendees present.

OpenAI and Microsoft declined to comment.

OpenAI, last valued at $86 billion (roughly Rs. 7,18,998 crore) in a secondary sale, has been trying to diversify its revenue stream since its chatbot ChatGPT quickly gained popularity in late 2022. It is on track to achieve the $1 billion (roughly Rs. 8,359 crore) revenue target it projected for 2024, sources have said.

While trying to build out new products of consumers such as the marketplace ChatGPT stores, the company expects selling to enterprises to become a more meaningful part of its revenue. Lightcap told Bloomberg last week more than 600,000 people signed up to use ChatGPT Enterprise and Team, up from around 150,000 in January.

Lightcap, the main OpenAI executive focused on enterprise adoption, has also spent time in Hollywood talking to studio executives to promote the company’s Sora video creation tool. That technology, which can create and refine videos based on a user’s text description, has caused both excitement and anxiety within the creative industry.

Two major Hollywood studios told Reuters they are seeking early access to begin exploring applications, though there are some concerns about the source of the video used to train Sora, the reliability of the output and its ability to protect copyrighted works.

Fox and News Corp also hosted Altman at a leadership retreat last October, where he took part in a question-and-answer session, according to one source with knowledge of the session.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Microsoft, OpenAI Plan $100 Billion Data Centre With ‘Stargate’ AI Supercomputer: Report

Microsoft and OpenAI are working on plans for a data center project that could cost as much as $100 billion and include an artificial intelligence supercomputer called “Stargate” set to launch in 2028, The Information reported on Friday.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence technology has led to sky-rocketing demand for AI data centers capable of handling more advanced tasks than traditional data centers.

The Information reported that Microsoft would likely finance the project, which is expected to be 100 times more costly than some of the biggest existing data centers, citing people involved in private conversations about the proposal.

The proposed U.S.-based supercomputer would be the biggest in a series the companies are looking to build over the next six years, the report added.

The Information attributed the tentative cost of $100 billion to a person who spoke to Altman about it and a person who has viewed some of Microsoft’s initial cost estimates. It did not identify those sources.

Altman and Microsoft have spread the supercomputers across five phases, with Stargate as the fifth phase. Microsoft is working on a smaller, fourth-phase supercomputer for OpenAI to be launched around 2026, according to the report.

Microsoft and OpenAI are in the middle of the third phase of the five-phase plan, with a significant portion of the cost for the next two phases involving acquiring the needed AI chips, the report said.

AI chips are often sold at high prices. Chip company Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC earlier in March that the latest “Blackwell” B200 artificial intelligence chip will be priced between $30,000 and $40,000.

Microsoft had also announced a duo of custom-designed computing chips in November last year.

The report said the new project would be designed to work with chips from different suppliers.

“We are always planning for the next generation of infrastructure innovations needed to continue pushing the frontier of AI capability,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters. The spokesperson did not comment directly on the report about the planned launch of the Stargate supercomputer.

Expenses for the plan could exceed $115 billion, more than triple Microsoft’s expenditure last year on capital spending for servers, buildings and other equipment, the report stated.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Adobe, Microsoft Join Hands to Bring a Suite of Generative AI Features for Marketers in Microsoft 365

Adobe and Microsoft joined hands to announce a suite of new artificial intelligence (AI) features for marketers at the Adobe Summit on Tuesday. In this collaboration, Adobe will offer its Adobe Experience Cloud workflows and insights to Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 applications. The new capabilities are aimed at reducing data silos and the inconvenience of using multiple different applications to complete complex tasks and build strategies. The collaboration was announced shortly after Adobe unveiled the addition of new AI capabilities and an AI assistant in its Experience Cloud suite of products.

In a press release, the companies noted the complexities in the marketing discipline that have given rise to specialised tools and applications for specific tasks. Highlighting the problem of data silos and back-and-forth navigation between apps that can lead to productivity loss and slowing of impact speed, Adobe and Microsoft announced the collaboration to tackle these challenges with the help of a unified interface and AI.

“Microsoft and Adobe share a common goal of empowering marketers to focus on the work that’s most important – creating impactful campaigns and enhancing customer experiences,” said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president, AI at Work, Microsoft. “By integrating contextual marketing insights from Adobe Experience Cloud applications and Dynamics 365 within the flow of work through Copilot for Microsoft 365, we deliver on our shared goal while helping marketers streamline their efforts, break down barriers, and deliver exceptional results.”

Through the partnership, Adobe will lend relevant marketing insights and workflows from Adobe Experience Cloud applications to Microsoft, which will integrate it into its Copilot for Microsoft 365. As a result, users who use both Adobe products and Microsoft apps such as Outlook, Word, or PowerPoint, can now easily share the data across platforms to create and build marketing campaigns and strategies.

As per the announcement, one of the capabilities Copilot will gain after this tie-up includes getting data from Adobe tools such as Customer Journey Analytics and Adobe Workfront to Microsoft apps such as Outlook, Teams, and Word. Users can ask Copilot questions regarding the status of the marketing project, outstanding approvals, actionable insights, and more.

Users will also be able to draw insights from both platforms to create briefs, presentations, reports, and even imagery using Adobe Firefly generative AI. Adobe Workfront will also compile notifications from multiple applications, emails, and chats to inform the user about the project status. This collaboration has not been released yet and as per the press release, users can sign up on the platform to receive updates.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6, With Intel Core Ultra CPU Launched for Businesses: Price, Features

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for business on Thursday (March 21). The latest PC lineup has been called “the first Surface AI PCs built exclusively for business” by the company. Since these are aimed at the tech giant’s commercial clients, they will not be sold directly to consumers. The devices retain the same design as their predecessors, however, both Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 feature the latest Intel Core Ultra chipsets, new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capabilities, and a dedicated Copilot key.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 price, availability

The Microsoft Surface Pro 10 price starts at $1,199 (roughly Rs. 99,950) for the 8GB RAM and 256GB inbuilt storage variant with the Intel Core Ultra 5 chipset. The most expensive variant with 64GB RAM, 1TB inbuilt storage, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor comes at the price of $2,799 (roughly Rs. 2,33,300).

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 6 also starts at the price of $1,199 (roughly Rs. 99,950) for the base variant with the Intel Core Ultra 5 SoC, 8GB RAM, and 256GB inbuilt storage. The Intel Core Ultra 7 processor variant with 64GB RAM and 1TB inbuilt storage is priced at $299 (roughly Rs. 2,50,000). Both the Surface devices come in Black and Platinum colour options. Businesses can order the PCs via Microsoft’s commercial store. The devices will be shipped starting April 9.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 specifications

The Surface Pro 10 features a 13-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate. Microsoft claims that the display is now 33 percent brighter and has an anti-reflective coating to reduce glares. It is equipped with Intel’s Core Ultra 5 135U and Core Ultra 7 165U processors, and the Intel AI Boost NPU. The device comes with up to 64GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB 1TB Gen 4 SSD inbuilt storage.

Video and audio calling on the Surface Pro 10 has also been upgraded with the addition of a front-facing webcam with a 114-degree ultrawide 1440p sensor. The webcam also supports AI-powered Windows Studio Effects. There is also a dedicated Copilot button next to the spacebar. For connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, and NFC. It also gets two USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 and a Surface Connect port for charging.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 comes in two display variants of 13.5-inch and 15-inch. Both are IPS LCD panels with touchscreen and are protected by Corning gorilla glass 5. These display panels also get an anti-reflective coating. Under the hood, the laptop is powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 5 135U and Core Ultra 7 165U processors paired with up to 64GB LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB Gen 4 SSD inbuilt storage, just like the Surface 10 Pro. It is also equipped with the new NPU.

Webcam on the Surface Laptop 6 has been upgraded to a 1080p sensor which supports Windows Studio Effects. For connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The 13.5-inch variant gets one USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 4, one USB Type-A 3.1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and the Surface Connect. The 15-inch variant gets all of these and an additional USB-C port. Select models of the larger display variant also include a built-in smartcard reader.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Microsoft to Reportedly Introduce Arm-Powered Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 on May 20

Microsoft could introduce its Arm-based Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 during its May event, as per reports. The company recently confirmed that it will be hosting an event on May 20 via media invites. The event is focused on the tech giant’s artificial intelligence (AI) vision and it is said that during the event the company may introduce Surface devices powered by Qualcomm X series chipsets. Notably, Microsoft is also hosting an event on March 21, where it is expected that the Intel-powered Surface PCs could be launched.

According to a report by XDA Developers, the Arm-based Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 is expected to be introduced, alongside new user-centric AI features for the Microsoft Surface devices. The report also added that the new Surface products could be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset, making the PCs one of the first to feature the new SoC. However, Microsoft has not confirmed any of these details and the May 20 event is just focused on AI.

Not a lot is known about the upcoming Surface devices, however, some of its key specifications have been leaked. As per a report, the Microsoft Surface Pro 10 could arrive with a new OLED display that is brighter and features an anti-reflective coating. It is also said to support HDR content. The device could also feature a new webcam with an ultrawide sensor as well as an inbuilt NFC reader. Reportedly, the new webcam will offer AI Studio Effects. The overall design is likely to remain the same as its predecessor.

Another product that could launch alongside the Surface Pro 10 is the Surface Laptop 6. As per rumours, it could feature a display with thinner bezels and rounded corners. A new haptic touchpad is also expected to be added to the laptop along with dedicated key for the Copilot AI next to the Windows key.

Notably, Microsoft announced this new key in Windows laptops last year. Apart from that, the Laptop 6 might also get a new set of ports including two USB Type-C ports and one USB Type-A port on the left side. A magnetic Surface Connect charger is said to be placed on the right.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 With Support for Wi-Fi 7, On-Device AI Generative AI Models Launched



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Microsoft, Meta and X Join Fortnite Maker Epic Games’ Battle Against Apple

Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Elon Musk’s X and Match Group on Wednesday joined “Fortnite” video game maker Epic Games’ protest that Apple has failed to honor a court-ordered injunction governing payments in its lucrative App Store.

The technology companies, which developed some of the most popular apps in the App Store, said Apple was in “clear violation” of the Sept. 2021 injunction by making it difficult to steer consumers to cheaper means to pay for digital content.

Apple declined to comment specifically on the accusation, which was contained in a filing with the Oakland, California federal court.

It referred to its Jan. 16 statement that it had fully complied with the injunction, which it said would protect consumers and “the integrity of Apple’s ecosystem” while ensuring that developers do not get a free ride.

Epic had sued Apple in 2020, saying it violated antitrust law by requiring consumers to obtain apps through the App Store and charging developers up to 30% commissions on purchases.

The injunction required Apple to let developers provide links and buttons to direct consumers to alternative payment options.

Last week, Epic demanded that Apple be held in contempt, saying new rules and a new 27% fee on developers made the links effectively useless.

In Wednesday’s filing, the technology companies said Apple’s conduct “for all practical purposes” entrenches anti-steering rules that the court found illegal, propping up Apple’s “excessive” commissions and harming consumers and developers.

“Apple’s restrictions on where and how developers can communicate with their users about their options for purchasing in-app content create significant barriers to competition and artificially inflate prices,” the filing said.

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear Apple’s appeal from the injunction. It also decided against hearing Epic’s appeal of lower court findings that Apple’s policies did not violate federal antitrust law.

Apple has until April 3 to formally respond to Epic’s filing. The company is based in Cupertino, California, while Epic is based in Cary, North Carolina.

The case is Epic Games Inc v Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-05640.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

LinkedIn to Add Games to Its Platform That Will Rank Firms Based on Employees Scores: Report

LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned professional social media platform, is working on diversifying its offerings beyond job searches and business networking. The company is reportedly going to add games to the platform to increase user engagement. LinkedIn would be the latest in the line of several social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube that have experimented with adding in-app games.

According to a TechCrunch report, LinkedIn is working on bringing several puzzle-based games on the app, three of which are called “Queens”, “Inference” and “Crossclimb.” The social media platform confirmed its gaming plans to the publication, but did not reveal a launch window for the upcoming games.

“We’re playing with adding puzzle-based games within the LinkedIn experience to unlock a bit of fun, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations,” the report quoted a LinkedIn spokesperson as saying.

Nima Owji, an app researcher, also found evidence of in-app LinkedIn games, posting screenshots on X (formerly Twitter) that suggest that companies on the platform will be ranked in the games based on the scores of their employees. The screenshots showcase three games — “Blueprint”, “Queens” and “Crossclimb,” all of which seem puzzle-based games.

While LinkedIn confirmed its plans to offer games to its users, there are no details yet about the number and genre of games that will be available on the platform. The games could likely be offered as part of LinkedIn Premium subscription.

Earlier this month, LinkedIn disclosed sales figures for its premium subscription for the first time, confirming that the service reached $1.7 billion (roughly Rs. 14,091 crore) in revenue in 2023 after the company added AI tools to the platform.

In November last year, YouTube introduced “Playables” game arcade, collection of over 30 arcade games that can be played on the YouTube app on iOS, Android and Web, for its premium subscribers.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version