Not only does Apple already make the world’s best AI PC with the M5 Max MacBook Pro capable of handling up to 90-billion parameter models, now it’s preparing to introduce what it hopes will be the world’s leading personal AI app.

Bloomberg tells us Apple has a big plan for iOS 27 with a massive Siri revamp, turning it into a full-scale chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini. The update might extend to Siri gaining its own dedicated Siri app, deeper system integration, and potentially replacing or integrating Spotlight search.  The idea is that Siri will be as good as any other chatbot you use, but will also be equipped with information personal to you — only on the device, private, and secure (insofar as there is any privacy and security anymore). 

Hey Siri, will the future be better tomorrow?

If this sounds like something to look forward to, then it’s worth noting that this isn’t really the first time we’ve heard high-placed Apple speculation claiming Siri will be better tomorrow.

Tomorrow has been a long time coming, since similar claims were made at WWDC 2024, and even now it looks as if the meat of these improvements won’t hit the table until late 2026. Supporters can make the point that the company has made major efforts to get to this point, with executive departures, strategic excursions, and unheard of partnerships put in place to enable the company to achieve its aims.

Hopefully, that will be realized by fall.

Managing expectations

The big reason this speculation is appearing now is easy to surmise. Apple announced its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference this week, and is likely working to set expectations for the event. It must, as we have until recently hoped to see some of the AI features the company has promised for Siri appearing sooner than WWDC. 

However, we’ve recently heard even some of these improvements won’t be ready by Apple’s most recently suggested deadlines. With the world’s attention — and the attention of shareholders — preparing to descend on Cupertino in early June, Apple knows it needs to avoid yet another wave of “Apple has failed in AI” headlines. Maybe the new story of tasty, tasty jam tomorrow’in iOS 27 will be strong enough to keep expectations realistic.

What Apple is doing

We do know that Apple’s is building a new Siri powered using a combination of Google Gemini and its own AI tech; we should see some of those features appear with iOS 26.5, as they failed to make the cut in iOS 26.4.

One big promise in all of the reporting concerns intent. Apple is not interested in shipping something half-baked, which means it would rather delay introduction than commit further self-harm with the rollout of anything that disappoints. 

The company is also in a good position to lean back into the advantages it does have. I mentioned its biggest advantage right at the top, which is that its current crop of A- and M-series processors are already highly-optimized for artificial intelligence. Even without its own AI services, the company already offers the world’s best combined mobile, tablet, PC, headset ecosystem on which to run AI services, on or off device. 

It’s the platform, stupid

That’s not an advantage to sniff at, since it means anyone already on its platforms can easily use all the available AI services quite effectively. More to the point, you can use many models on the devices themselves, rather than sharing data with the cloud. So what? 

Well, in this the “what” is that even if Apple fails to ship its own take on AI services (which it won’t), it already provides the best platform for the services that do exist. That advantage isn’t limited to its high-end products, either; even the newly-minted MacBook Neo is capable of doing some of this work, and will certainly be robust enough to handle the on-device models Apple is building for Siri in iOS 27.

You don’t need Siri to tell you where the wind blows

Zoom out a bit and the extent to which Apple being behind on AI is turning into an advantage for the company. After all, while competitors in the space spent vast fortunes in shareholder capital on massive server deployments and LLM development, Apple did not. 

While others in the industry become deeply reliant on vast stacks of memory to run models in the cloud, Apple’s parsimonious approach means its systems can do more with less, and as GenAI becomes a commodity, Apple remains unique in offering the best platform on which to run those services. 

The result? It’s hardware sales are going through the roof amid the emerging PC industry decline, and it is on the cusp of establishing itself as a peer player based on strategically-managed tactical investments.

While others invested in server farms, Apple invested wisely, giving it a competitive edge and a short road map to profit.The last will be another competitive advantage as some of the world’s wealthiest shareholders retreat investment as a consequence of flailing power politics in the Middle East. The endgame may yet be that unlike so many other situations likely to have existential impacts on our way of life, Apple management successfully built a strategic narrative in which victory conditions are both defined and achievable.

We’re about to find out whether that’s true. 

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Source:: Computer World

Microsoft is set to remove Copilot Chat access within Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for large M365 commercial customers starting April 15 — a “mystifying backtrack,” according to one technology industry analyst.

Copilot Chat is essentially a freemium version of the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot, which costs $30 per user per month for larger customers, and $21 per user per month for businesses with 300 or fewer users. Using Copilot from within the M365 apps used to require a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license, but in September 2025, Microsoft made Copilot Chat available at no extra cost to Microsoft 365 customers.

With Microsoft 365 customers unconvinced of the value of the paid version — only around 3% pay for the fully-featured version, Microsoft revealed in January — Copilot Chat has proven a more attractive option for businesses to try out the AI assistant.

Copilot Chat provides access to many of the same features as the paid version, with certain limitations: it’s grounded in web data rather than work information such as emails, files, and other data a customer has connected to Microsoft 365.

Microsoft has also expanded Copilot Chat functionality in recent months, rolling it out in Microsoft 365 apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote — via a side panel, closing one of the gaps with the paid version.

However, Microsoft now plans to remove this functionality for Microsoft 365 customers with more than 2,000 users, and place usage restrictions for others.

“Starting April 15, 2026, Copilot will no longer be available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for Copilot Chat users,” Microsoft said via a message sent to those large customers in the Microsoft 365 admin message center, according to a copy of the message archived on a third-party mirror. This access will instead require a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Access to Copilot Chat will remain in Outlook for these customers, however.

The situation is different for customers with fewer than 2,000 users. Here, Microsoft will restrict rather than remove access to Copilot features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Copilot Chat users. This means Copilot Chat will users will have “standard access” to features, with reduced quality and performance at certain points during the day, subject to service capacity. Copilot Chat users may also see “in-product notifications” for the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Microsoft said in a separate message to admins at smaller enterprises.

In both cases, Microsoft said it will introduce “in-product labels,” with Copilot Chat referred to as “Copilot Chat (Basic)” and the Microsoft 365 Copilot license as “M365 Copilot (Premium).”

Commenting on the changes to Copilot Chat, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “These updates clarify the Copilot experience available to customers and reinforce that enterprise-grade AI capabilities in our core productivity apps are delivered through Microsoft 365 Copilot, including advanced reasoning, model choice, and Work IQ.”

There are two likely reasons for the move, according to Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates. One is the resources it takes to enable Copilot Chat functionality in Microsoft 365 apps. The other is to “maximize revenues” from customers.

Gold expects the change will result in little or no increase in adoption of the paid version of Microsoft 365 Copilot in the short term, though “in the longer term it may give some companies pause,” he said.

“If this change goes through, it would represent a mystifying backtrack on Microsoft’s part,” said J.P. Gownder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, who spoke conditionally because he was not briefed on Microsoft’s announcement.

Microsoft’s decision to roll out Copilot Chat features inside Microsoft 365 apps last September appeared to undercut or at least muddy the value proposition of the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot, he said. But reversing the decision is unlikely to drive Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption, he added. “It would, however, be likely to anger customers who feel like this move is chaotic and capricious,” said Gownder.

The change would be “unhelpful” to organizations that are actively rolling out Copilot Chat for their entire workforce but that don’t currently have budget for Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses. “The gap in pricing is very significant,” he said.

The move may lead some organizations to consider other AI assistants, according to Gownder, and investigate offerings such as ChatGPT Enterprise, Anthropic Claude, and Gemini in Google Workspace.

The reversal will “undercut confidence in Microsoft’s Copilot decision-making and commitment to customer centricity,” he said.

The competition for AI chat products is pretty intense right now, said Gold, with most companies focusing on “best for their needs” tools. “Many Microsoft-centric shops are no longer simply adopting what Microsoft offers as a default,” he said.

Related reading:

Microsoft drops M365 Copilot price for SMBs, upgrades free Copilot Chat

M365 customers should explore alternatives, plan to dicker as price hikes loom — analysts

How IT leaders unlock productivity with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Building end-to-end workflows with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Source:: Computer World

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By Hisan Kidwai At its latest HP Imagine 2026 event in New York, the company launched a wide range…
The post HP Imagine 2026: New AI PCs, Z Workstations, OMEN Gaming Desktops Announced appeared first on Fossbytes.

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By Trevor Mogg Amazon has acquired New York City-based Fauna Robotics just a couple of months after it unveiled Sprout, a cute humanoid robot. Specific details of the buyout have yet to be shared, but Fauna CEO Rob Cochran said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday that he was “incredibly excited” about the development. “When we launched in […]

Source:: Digital Trends

By Shimul Sood watchOS 26.4 focuses on the little things that make everyday use better.

Source:: Digital Trends

By Ana Maria Constantin OpenAI has spent the past year fielding lawsuits from the families of young people who died after extended interactions with ChatGPT. Now it is trying to give the developers who build on top of its models the tools to avoid creating the same problem. The company announced on Tuesday that it is releasing a set […] This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

Anthropic’s Claude is getting a new feature that allows the AI model to use your computer to perform tasks automatically. Both Cowork and Code can then navigate the screen by pointing, clicking, and scrolling, open files, use the browser, and run development tools without the need for special integrations.

The feature also supports the recently launched Dispatch, which allows a user to assign tasks to Claude from their phone and have them executed on the computer.

Anthropic emphasized that the system always requires a user’s approval before opening new applications, and that the process can be canceled at any time. However, the feature can make mistakes, runs slowly, and users are advised to avoid sensitive information.

The computer control feature is currently available as a “research preview” for Claude Pro and Max subscribers on macOS.

Source:: Computer World

By Cristian Dina Enterprises have spent years and considerable fortunes building data lakehouses, training models, and unifying customer records inside platforms like Databricks. The harder problem, it turns out, is not building the intelligence but deploying it, getting a prediction out of a data warehouse and into a marketing decision before the moment passes. BlueConic, the Boston-based customer […] This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

As it steadily grows its share in business markets, Apple has at last introduced its very useful collection of services for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), Apple Business Essentials, outside the US; except it’s not called Apple Business Essentials, and much of it will be free.

First introduced November 2021 following the company’s acquisition of Fleetsmith, Business Essentials is a collection of tools focused on the needs of SMBs. It includes Apple-friendly MDM tools, services, storage, and premium AppleCare and support options. It also includes free business-class domain-based email and calendar services, custom domain support, and location-based advertising within Apple Maps along with powerful tools for brand management.

The entire cornucopia of services is being made available via the all-new Apple Business portal, which combines Apple Business Connect, Apple Business Essentials, and Apple Business Manager all in one place. The idea is to make it much easier for any business to manage its tech and its presence from within the Apple ecosystem, though not every feature will be available in every place. 

“Apple Business is a significant leap forward in our decades-long commitment to helping companies of all sizes leverage the power of Apple products and services to run and grow,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of enterprise and education marketing, said in a statement. “We’ve unified Apple’s strongest business offerings into one simple, secure platform, delivering key features for organizations in every stage and sector, including built-in device management, collaboration tools, and additional ways to reach new customers….” 

Apple

What is Apple Business?

Apple Business will be available starting April 14 in more than 200 countries and regions. The new platform offers all of Apple’s key business-focused services with a few additions. For most business users, the most important tool will be the built-in mobile device management service Apple can provide. While not pretending to be anything as granular as MDM services from the likes of Jamf, Iru, or Hexnode, what is available will help SMBs manage, deploy and configure new Apple hardware.

Some of the features include:

Managed Apple accounts that separate private employee data from company information through integration with an identity service provider.

The ability to configure employees and/or employee groups.

Tools to manage device settings and security.

Tools to manage and deploy apps and settings using Blueprints and the App Store.

Zero-touch deployment of new hardware.

Apple’s APIs offering access to device, user, audit, and MDM service data are also now available to businesses seeking even more control — particularly for larger deployments. For many smaller enterprises, what matters most is that the basic MDM features are now free, rather than requiring a subscription as before. The company offers 5GB storage for employee accounts, with higher amounts starting at 99 cents per person.

The company also announced that AppleCare+ for Business coverage is available per device or per user, starting at $6.99 per month, or $13.99 per month per user for up to three devices.  When this was first introduced in 2022, it offered 24/7 access to phone support, training for both IT admins and employees, and up to two device repairs per plan — by individual, group, or device — each year. (I’m not clear yet on whether that component of the service offers as much.)

Apple

Competing with Google Workspace and M365?

What Apple now has on offer means it is putting together a viable competitor for existing productivity suites. Not only has it made it possible to use custom domains for email, and to populate your online presence with pro-seeming details such as logos that appear in outbound emails, but it also supports Apple Business with free apps such as Pages or Keynote. And it now provides fully integrated email, calendar, and directory services. 

Put it all together and you can use Apple Business to drive efficiency in business, with scheduling tools like calendar delegation, a company directory, and personalized contact cards.

Apple also offers its own collaboration tools such as Messages, FaceTime, and FreeForm, which, when you add it up, means many business users might now think Apple’s platforms offer particularly good value — particularly as the cost of entry to the ecosystem falls.

The only surprise to m, is why Apple hasn’t corralled all of this together under the iconic “Apple Works” brand. But, as predicted shortly after the service first appeared, today’s news can only intensify the company’s bid to woo business users. 

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Source:: Computer World

By Rachit Agarwal Ultrahuman Ring PRO is back in the US with 45-day battery life, no mandatory subscription, and early bird pricing starting at $349.

Source:: Digital Trends

By Deepti Pathak In Steal a Brainrot, Brainrots, or characters are the main way you earn money in the…
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Source:: Fossbytes