windows8

It may look the same outside, but the MacBook Air got overhauled on the inside.

In the case of the solid-state drive (SSD) and graphics, it's a major overhaul.

SSD: Apple appears to be one of the first to stick a PCI Express (PCIe) SSD in a thin laptop. And that makes a huge difference, according to Anand Shimpi of Anandtech.

"This is a huge deal, totally the future. And pretty much all other notebooks announced at Computex still use [Serial ATA]. Apple did the right thing here," Anand said in response to an e-mail query.

Running … Read more

Consumers looking for a small Windows 8 tablet can now preorder the Acer Iconia W3 through Amazon or Staples.

Dubbed the world's first 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet, the 32GB flavor of Iconia W3 is going for $379 through both Amazon and Staples. Amazon also lists a 64GB version for $429.

Staples promises a delivery date of anywhere from Tuesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 19. Amazon isn't nearly as quick, listing an estimated delivery time of three to five weeks for both models of the tablet.

Equipped with Windows 8, the Iconia W3 comes with an 8.… Read more

Citi Research is revising its forecast for negative PC growth as it paints a dark picture of the incredible shrinking PC market.

Citi is cutting 2013 PC year-to-year growth to negative 10 percent from negative 4 percent growth, according to a note to investors late Friday.

"The Citi global technology team is revising down its 2013 PC growth estimate to -10% y/y (from -4%) based on further sub-seasonal demand" in the first quarter and slowing notebook production.

In a section titled "Y/Y Growth in 2H? Don't Think So," Citi says that despite investor … Read more

Some Windows OEMs showed off coming small form-factor Windows 8 tablets as part of Computex this week.

Microsoft didn't take the wraps off its rumored 8-inch Surface at the show. But the company did share a few more tidbits about some of the changes it's making to Windows 8 with the 8.1 "Blue" release that will potentially make these smaller devices more usable.

Among the new small-screen devices that Microsoft's partners showed this week were the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3 (with the outsized keyboard); the Lenovo MiiX 8, an 8-inch tablet with a stylus … Read more

Advanced Micro Devices will consider Android, but that's about all at this point.

Like Intel, the No. 2 PC processor maker has made its money selling chips that power Windows systems. Unlike Intel, however, AMD is not making any commitment to Android yet.

There's "no schedule for Android/Chrome support announced [and] no specific processors mentioned for support," an AMD spokesperson told CNET Wednesday.

But he added that "we have consistently said AMD is committed to applying our [intellectual property] anywhere where it makes sense for our business and our customers."

That's about … Read more

Here's some good advice. Wait for Intel's upcoming Silvermont chip.

In a demo Wednesday at Computex, Intel seemed to instantly -- and thoroughly -- obsolete the existing Atom, known as "Clover Trail," in a head-to-head "bake off," as the Intel demo guy put it.

The "current best-in-class Intel Atom-based tablet" (Clover Trail) was pitted against a tablet with the upcoming (and completely redesigned) quad-core Silvermont Atom (aka, "Bay Trail") packing a new "video encoder and decoder."

The benchmark, TouchXPRT, tests "performance of everyday [tasks] such as photo … Read more

For all the complaining about Windows 8's lack of a Start button (much of it coming from me), the tech media has largely ignored an even bigger feature Microsoft unceremoniously pulled from the OS.

And not only pulled, but also slapped with a price tag.

I'm talking about Windows Media Center, the thoroughly awesome software that makes a Windows PC a great companion for TV -- or just a great TV, depending on how you use it.

Windows Media Center (hereafter WMC) made its debut as a specialized version of Windows XP, but was later incorporated into most versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Offering a gorgeous 10-foot (i.e., TV-friendly) interface for your music, photos, videos, and, with the addition of a tuner, TV shows, WMC quickly amassed a small but rabid following.… Read more

Fujitsu will soon launch a new 14-inch ultrabook that boasts a screen resolution of 3,200x1,800 pixels.

The upcoming Lifebook UH90/L uses Sharp's IGZO technology to attain its high resolution. Equipped with a density of 262 pixels per inch, the display offers 2.7 times the detail of a full HD screen. Text appears sharper and is easier to read, and photos are more vivid, according to Fujitsu.

Outfitted with Windows 8, the touch-enabled notebook is powered by a fourth-generation Intel "Haswell" Core i5 chip. It also offers a 500GB hybrid hard disk that combines … Read more

With the public preview builds of Windows 8.1 due out later this month, a number of users are wondering how Microsoft plans to handle the upgrade.

At TechEd North America, officials shared some details on that topic in a session entitled "Windows RT in the Enterprise."

Microsoft officials have said previously that the company plans to deliver the public preview of Windows 8.1, codenamed "Blue," via the Windows Store on June 26.

Microsoft Senior Product Marketing Manager Michael Niehaus reiterated that message in the RT in the Enterprise session on Tuesday. When the 8.… Read more