Intel's current processor story: still shortages. But things are improving. www.pcworld.com/article/3123...

It's senior skip day at the local high school. Did y'all do that as kids?

Microsoft''s Office apps now include a Copilot model that will add and edit content, not just make suggestions. But its implementation is inconsistent and needs interaction. Testing details: www.pcworld.com/article/3123...

Intel reports Q1 2026 GAAP net loss of $3.7B (non-GAAP, $1.5B profit) with a $5.3B charge for taking Altera off the books. Year-ago net income (non-GAAP) was $0.6 billion. Revenue is $13.6B, up 7% from $12.7B last year. Outlook is positive: Q2 2026 revenue guidance of between $13.8B to $14.8B.

When Einstein developed general relativity the closest thing to a practical application that could even be imagined at the time was a slightly more precise description of where to look for the planet Mercury in the sky, and yet now we’d all be literally lost without it. Anyway: fund basic research.

I like how just one specialized test of Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 Elite PC processor can start telling its story: trading off battery life for performance. Plus, it's One Piece. www.pcworld.com/article/3119...

NASA releases insane new image of the mighty hexagonal storm on Saturn's North Pole.

We put AMD's Ryzen 9950X3D2 on the test bench! It feels like the successor to Threadripper (to me, anyway) which isn't always a good thing. @michaelcrider.bsky.social and @adampatrickmurray.bsky.social wielded the calipers. www.pcworld.com/article/3120...

OK, PC gaming and graphics hardware nerds: the Oculink optical interface for external GPUs just won a huge endorsement. www.pcworld.com/article/3120...

Hands on with the Framework Laptop 13 Pro: substantial upgrades inside and out, with solid construction and very few compromises. This feels like a good machine. Details: www.pcworld.com/article/3120...

Framework CEO Nirav Patel says that he would like a virtual marketplace for used Framework parts as well as, eventually, a physical store.

Framework has Oculink running on a Framework Laptop 16 here at the launch.

Framework also has a new wireless keyboard, with four inputs. Looks like a Surface model. (It's not.) Open source keyboard firmware (ZMK), with CAD files as well. Keyboard logic board is being sold on its marketplace, just like its laptop mainboards. Coming soon in 2026. No price given on stage.

Framework is also emphasizing battery life with the new Framework Laptop 13 Pro, with 20-plus hours of Netflix streaming, with a bigger battery and Panther Lake. Complete redesign.

Framework is unveiling a Framework Laptop 16 with a one piece touch pad module and a one piece keyboard and a translucent bezel.

Microsoft Bing gets some hate, but if you're ardently anti-AI it's worth checking out yet again. (I think it's somewhat fortunate that AI has become sandboxed in its own apps, giving straight search a chance.) www.pcworld.com/article/3115...

Oh God…

Oh so that’s why my health insurance premiums shot up and co-pays doubled this year.

Microsoft is now tipping new features in an introduction via Microsoft Edge, which is handy as well as necessary. www.pcworld.com/article/3119...

The thing that I've noticed recently is that my physical neighborhood has quieted. I was out doing yard work yesterday and there was...silence. Hardly any cars, and some of those were EVs. No neighbors working in their yards. No distant sounds of screams of kids playing soccer...or playing.

NEW: This might be the perfect visual metaphor for the war in Iran. Courtesy of today’s Virginia Tech Spring game.

If you are as infuriated as you read this as I am, know that Congress not only has the power to fix the abuse of the Shadow Docket but also that the legislation is already drafted. We just need to get it to the floor. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...

You've heard about USB C, but have you heard about USB C♭

I understand why Microsoft has monthly security updates in Windows but man do those take forever to install

I don't know too much about software development, but if I did and I was worried about the "SaaS-pocalypse," I might at least have a conversation about instead shipping a downloadable software package that could be modded, like a PC game.

Why is Microsoft raising Surface laptop prices when Apple is effectively lowering them? www.pcworld.com/article/3116...

Tell me this Apple MacBook Neo photo doesn't look AI to you. Source: www.apple.com/newsroom/202...

Both Adobe and Canva enacted a quiet, profound change this week: they want you to use conversational AI to unleash a flood of agentic AIs across ALL of their suite's apps. From pixels to prompts. www.pcworld.com/article/3116...

BREAKING: Maryland is about to become the first state in the nation to ban the use of surveillance data and dynamic pricing at grocery stores. The Maryland House has just passed the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act. Governor Wes Moore plans to sign the bill.

Netgear isn't a foreign router manufacturer any more? Apparently not according to the FCC. www.pcworld.com/article/3114...

@craftcomputing.bsky.social is on the clock

Google released its desktop search app today. Google! Searching on your PC! Well, nah. My expectations were not met. www.pcworld.com/article/3114...

Google is saving AI prompts as "bookmarks," though not with the same UI. Similar concept though. www.pcworld.com/article/3114...

In case you missed it, the Trump administration is illegally threatening to withhold billions in already awarded broadband improvement grants from states that attempt ANY regulation of AI or ANY oversight of price-gouging telecom giants

I'm assuming the new "Blockade" video from the Iranians will make it over here from the Bad Place. It's (once again) catchy af.

Microsoft is jacking up the price of Surface devices, but retailers haven't received the message yet. If you want to buy a Surface, buy it today, seriously. Like gas prices, they may jump tomorrow. www.pcworld.com/article/3113...

DOLLY PARTON IS WEAK ON ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR EXPORT CONTROLS

Given Trump's history, the poor guy who AI Trump Jesus is laying hands upon will be dead within hours

I honestly have no idea what this will mean for oil or anything else right now. I think this is just Trump's anything you can do, I can do better phase . Chaos.

Hang it in the Louvre

i firmly believe that kennedy wants preventable diseases to rip through american communities since, in his warped mind, those who survive without vaccines will have proven themselves “healthy.”

I'm out today, but there are some major welcome changes coming to the Windows Insider program: a reduction in channels (sort of) and the end of the staggered feature rollout. blogs.windows.com/windows-insi...

Hunter Biden has challenged Trump's sons to a cage match. Not a joke. www.reuters.com/lifestyle/re...

Don't even try to draft our kids to fight in Iran.

Bait and ship? In any event, reviewers weigh price when they assign ratings, or they should. This isn't a good look. www.pcworld.com/article/3109...

Awesome -- Microsoft Windows Insider meetups are back again, and there's one at Microsoft Build. blogs.windows.com/windows-insi...

Not exactly cheap. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor will be available from leading retailers starting Apr. 22 with an SEP of $899.

Our government seems to the type of people that if you piss on them and tell them it's raining, they'll believe you.

I laughed

In 2024, we watched news media lead a concerted and sustained effort to end Bidens presidency *and it worked.* If they wanted to, Donald Trumps fitness for office and mental state could be all they talk about going forward. They arent doing so bc they dont see anything theyre interested in changing.