By Cristian Dina In short: Accel has raised $5 billion in new capital, comprising a $4 billion Leaders Fund V and a $650 million sidecar, targeting 20-25 late-stage AI investments at an average cheque size of $200 million. The raise follows standout returns from its Anthropic stake (invested at $183B, now valued near $800B) and Cursor (backed at […] This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

By Alina Maria Stan In short: Anthropic has received investor offers valuing the company at approximately $800 billion, more than doubling its $380 billion valuation from a $30 billion funding round closed just two months ago. The surge follows an unprecedented revenue trajectory that has taken Anthropic from $1 billion in annualised revenue at the end of 2024 to […] This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

Microsoft will cut the price of Windows 365 subscriptions for small and mid-sized businesses by 20% next month, though analysts expect little impact on uptake of the Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform. 

The price change for Windows 365 Business takes effect May 1, 2026 for new subscriptions; existing subscribers will receive updated pricing at renewal, Microsoft explained on its Partner Center page.

The company first introduced the lower rate as a promotional offer last October and is now making that reduction permanent.

At the same time, Microsoft will also introduce a new “on-demand start experience” that will result in longer time to start up Cloud PC virtual desktops when they’ve been disconnected for more than an hour.

“The impact on user experience will likely be minimal, spare a slightly longer startup time on the first connection after hibernation,” said Gabe Knuth, principal analyst at Omdia.

The Windows 365 price change comes as PC prices are set to rise this year due to global memory chip shortages.

Even so, Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, doesn’t expect the Windows 365 price cut to result in a significant boost in adoption among small to mid-sized businesses.

“I do expect that the price decrease is an incentive move to get companies to move to Windows 365, but I’m not convinced it will make that much difference,” Gold said. “TCO [total cost of ownership] is a major component of enterprise concerns about deploying PCs — in that sense this helps. But whether or not it’s enough to move adoption rates remains to be seen.”  

Windows 365 currently represents a “small minority of enterprise PC installations,” he said. 

Knuth said that while businesses will likely appreciate the lower pricing, “the use case will still dictate Windows 365 adoption more than cost.” 

The overall market for DaaS tools is set to increase from $4.3 billion in 2025 to $6 billion by 2029, according to Gartner. The analyst firm also forecast in its 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop-as-a-Service report that virtual desktops will become cost-effective for 95% of workers by 2027, compared to 40% in 2019. 

In that same time frame, virtual desktops will become the primary workspace for 20% of workers by 2027, Gartner expects, up from 10% in 2019.

Related reading:

Cheap enterprise PCs? Not anytime soon — analysts

Is it time to reconsider DaaS?

The Windows PC is dying, thanks to cloud-based services and AI

Source:: Computer World

By Hisan Kidwai OPPO has finally taken the covers off its popular F-series, bringing a strong focus on selfie…
The post OPPO F33, F33 Pro Launch in India with IP69K Rating, Dimensity 6380 Max and 7,000 mAh Battery appeared first on Fossbytes.

Source:: Fossbytes

By Hisan Kidwai The Asus VivoBook and ZenBook laptops are quite the hotcakes in the Indian market, simply because…
The post ASUS Launches Next Gen ZenBook S14, Duo, A-series & VivoBook Lineup In India appeared first on Fossbytes.

Source:: Fossbytes

By Omair Khaliq Sultan Most wearable tech asks you to make a visible compromise on how you look to get the features you want. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses don’t. They’re down to $224.25, a $75 saving off their $299 list price, and they put a 12MP ultra-wide camera, open-ear speakers, and AI assistance into a Wayfarer frame that […]

Source:: Digital Trends

By Rachit Agarwal MIT’s new device uses light to measure blood sugar levels without any needles, and a wearable version is already in the works.

Source:: Digital Trends

By Alina Maria Stan Science Corporation, the BCI company founded by ex-Neuralink president Max Hodak, is preparing to place a pea-sized, 520-electrode sensor on a human brain’s surface during already-scheduled surgery. Yale neurosurgery chair Murat Günel will lead the programme; trials could begin in 2027. The company also has PRIMA, a retinal implant that restored vision in 38 patients […] This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

By Alina Maria Stan YouTube will now automatically hold back advertisements during livestreams when its systems detect that chat engagement has peaked, a change that prioritises collective viewer experience over ad impressions in real time. The platform announced the feature on Monday alongside a suite of updates to its live-streaming tools, including personal ad-free windows for viewers who purchase […] This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web