Copilot is coming to Xbox consoles this year
Microsoft is bringing its CoPilot AI to its console this year, whether you like to use it or not. Sonali Yadav, product manager of Xbox Gaming AI, announced that Gaming Copilot is coming to current Xbox consoles. Games Radar The report states that this likely means that AI will be supported on the Xbox Series X/S. The chatbot will allow players to ask questions about the game they are playing, ask for tips to improve their strategy or game recommendations, etc. It’s worth noting that Gaming Copilot is already available in beta on Windows 11, the Xbox Mobile app, and the ROG Xbox Alley handheld.
Gamers have expressed concerns about the direction Xbox is heading following the departure of Xbox head, Phil Spencer, and president, Sarah Bond. Xbox is now led by Asha Sharma, who was head of Microsoft’s AI development for enterprise. But things are looking interesting. Xbox’s next big product Project HelixWhich will allow users to play games from their Xbox and PC on the same device.
Mozilla extends support for Firefox on Windows 7 and 8 until August 2026
Last month, Mozilla announced that it would no longer provide updates for Firefox for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. This meant that Firefox 115 ESR would be the last version to work on older computers, and users would have to upgrade to a newer operating system to continue receiving security updates. This may be a problem for users who are using very old computers, which may not support modern operating systems. However, it seems Mozilla’s plans have changedBecause it has now extended the support for older operating systems by another 6 months. Firefox ESR 115 on Windows 7 and 8 will continue to be supported until August 2026.
But, it’s not just for Windows, Mozilla has also extended support for Firefox on macOS 10.12 to 10.14 until August 2026. Mozilla says it will reevaluate the decision to extend support for older versions of Windows and macOS in July. This means that there is a possibility that Firefox ESR support may continue beyond August. This is great, because Mozilla is the only browser manufacturer that still supports older operating systems, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and others ended support for Windows 7, 8 several years ago.
Apple launches MacBook Neo, an affordable laptop
Apple has introduced a new MacBook, named MacBook Neo. The interesting thing about it is its affordable price of just $599. The Neo is powered by an iPhone chip, specifically the Apple A18 Pro hexa-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. It supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The laptop has 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, runs the latest version of macOS, and supports Apple Intelligence.
Apple has equipped the MacBook Neo with a 13-inch LED IPS Liquid Retina display, which supports 2408×1506 pixel resolution, 219 PPI, sRGB, and 500 nits brightness. The Cupertino company says that the laptop’s 36.5 watt-hour lithium-ion battery is capable of providing up to 16 hours of video streaming or 11 hours of web browsing on a single charge. It can be charged through USB C port. Speaking of which, the MacBook Neo has two USB C ports, one of which is USB 3 and supports DisplayPort up to 10Gb/s, while the other is a USB 2 port that supports up to 480Mb/s. The device has a 3.5mm headphone jack, 1080p FaceTime HD camera, supports Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6. Apple’s MacBook Neo weighs about 1.23 kilograms or 2.7 pounds, and is just 0.50 inches thick.
The MacBook Neo has received praise from reviewers who generally seem pleased with the price to performance ratio. In a rare win for Apple, the device has also managed to impress repair groups like iFixit, who have dubbed the Neo the most repairable MacBook in over a decade. This should be good news for those who prefer to manually upgrade their laptops, including schools and other organizations that depend on long-term use of their devices. The Neo’s price tag could help provide some serious competition to Windows laptops and Chromebooks.
Amazon Prime Video’s ad-free plans increase in price
Amazon is set to increase the price of its ad-free Prime Video plan next month. Until now, users could pay an additional $2.99 ​​for an ad-free experience at the Amazon price, and this required a subscription to the streaming service. The Verge The report says the ad-free tier will be rebranded as Amazon Prime Video Ultra, and will cost $4.99 per month, on top of the monthly subscription fee. The new price will be applicable from April 10.
To watch videos without ads, users will have to switch to the new plan. It will also be the only option that supports 4K/UHD streaming. This means that 4K will not be available on cheaper plans. The Ultra plan supports up to 5 simultaneous streams, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, and 100 downloads. It remains to be seen whether users will switch to a higher-priced plan to avoid ads.
YouTube TV introduces 30-second non-skippable ads
Continuing the topic of ads in videos, YouTube has taken a controversial step that will surely upset many users. YouTube TV has started serving 30-second ads. The Mountain View company calls these VRCs non-skips and says the new experience is available globally in Google Ads and Display and Video 360. Ads are optimized by AI. 9to5Google The report says that YouTube TV’s AI will dynamically detect whether the device being used is a TV or not, and if so, it displays 30-second ads.
However, if the device is not a TV, the AI ​​will optimize ads between 6-second and 15-second ad formats. This seems to be another anti-ad blocking move from Google, which shouldn’t be entirely surprising, given that YouTube has been aggressively circumventing ad blockers for the past few years. By doing so, it hopes to attract users to YouTube Premium, thereby generating additional revenue to fill its coffers. It cannot be denied that YouTube is The most successful streaming service, Far ahead of Netflix, Prime Video and the rest.
