Are Mac stuff generally more expensive?


Recommended Posts

It has nothing to do with Apple being close minded.

Apple opened their architecture a while back and companies like UMAX and Power Computing started building macintosh OS based systems. They were extremely succesful in their ventures. Cheaper with better hardware.

The Power Computing PowerTower 180 (I still have one) was one of the first MAC OS based systems to come with PCI slots.

It is true that the CPU is IBM, the HDD is possibly Seagate/or Western Digital, the video card is ATI or NVIDIA and the RAM is (who the hell cares)...

The key here isn't who makes it - it is who authorizes it to be put together into a cohesiveness. You cannot go and build a SUN SERVER with off the shelf components. Eventually it comes down to the system ROM/BIOS that controls everything. Sure - I could get a SPARC chip, RAM, SCSI HD and other peripherals, but the MB is manufactured by SUN or through SUN.

Now think about this... Why is it that my MAC doesn't crash but my Windows based PC crashes about 1 -2 times a week (soft crashes - i.e. misbehaving app brings system down, not BSOD)? If Apple controls the hardware and what hardware it needs to support and keeps that very small, then the support costs will go down because the OS only has to be certified for those set components. Much like Dell does with their OPTIPLEX line of computers - very seldom (1 every 1 1/2 years) does the optiplex line shift into new hardware, while the Inspirion line shifts constantly with the latest trends.

Yes - Apple Macintosh's are more expensive, in general than a PC. And although Apple does not actually have the die presses for the G5 processor on site and replicating in Cupertino, CA - this does not add up to say that Apple buys off the shelf components - they don't. They have a hand in the entire process from creation of design to implementation in delivery.

I am not here to say or spout some religious rhetoric about which is better - I am totally biased about that... But I recently had the choice of purchasing a top of the line Dell with XEON processors and Nvidia video card, or a dual G5 with ATI...

Wanna know which one I took - check the sig.

Bill

You can compare it to buying a kit car against buying a factory build car.

If you buy all the parts seperately and mash together different brands, qualities etc then you get an unstable system that doesnt work so well. It just wouldnt be such an integrated solution. However go down the dealership and get a Honda Civic and it'll be problem free for years and be backed up solidly. Kit car = PC, Factory car = Apple.

Surely another major selling point has to be Mac OSX? It wont run on anything else, both due to chipset architecture and legal small print. Its such a good operating system its worth paying more to get a machine that runs it.

You can compare it to buying a kit car against buying a factory build car. 

If you buy all the parts seperately and mash together different brands, qualities etc then you get an unstable system that doesnt work so well.  It just wouldnt be such an integrated solution.  However go down the dealership and get a Honda Civic and it'll be problem free for years and be backed up solidly.  Kit car = PC, Factory car = Apple. 

Surely another major selling point has to be Mac OSX? It wont run on anything else, both due to chipset architecture and legal small print.  Its such a good operating system its worth paying more to get a machine that runs it.

585950799[/snapback]

Sorry, I just dont buy that analogy anymore! There are too many people who can build a PC in their head that will outlast any Dell or for that matter often Apple's powermacs with no problems whatsoever.

With Apple you are sutck with wahtever features and mobo that Apple deams worthwhile, but with PC you can choose based on your budget.

Bennifer - So you're saying since the parts are made by different people they don't work right? News flash: All the parts in Apple computers aren't made by one sole company. Like ncoday said, you can buy just what you need and it comes out cheaper, and it's well built to your specifications.

Don't get it twisted though, I do want to buy a Mac soon.

ncoday -

I think you are missing the point. PCs run great for a lot of people. Macs are more of a luxury computer. One that is built to run with certain combinations of hardware. It makes everything run smoothly. The software doesnt have to worry about a million different hardware components and it also helps apple's support team. It allows them to help out. Apple doesnt manufacture all their parts, but they team up with companies (if they need something special... for example: G5 by IBM) and they program their software and hardware to support the combinations. With Apple, I wouldnt say you are "stuck" with what you get. Yes, its true that you cannot upgrade your processor or motherboard, but they give you a great one to start out with. You can upgrade your graphics, hard drives and whatever else you want to add in. If you want a new Mac, chances are if you sell your old one you can get a GREAT price for it. Since Apple's hold their retail value for a long time. You cannot really compare Macs to PCs though. Its like comparing apples to bananas :p

Hope this helps

Josh

ncoday -

I think you are missing the point.  PCs run great for a lot of people.  Macs are more of a luxury computer.  One that is built to run with certain combinations of hardware.  It makes everything run smoothly.  The software doesnt have to worry about a million different hardware components and it also helps apple's support team.

That's not luxary computing - that's the way it's supposed to be. You're not buying hardware so you can figure out drive conflicts and lose 30 minutes a day to Word crashing are you? No? Me either, and I don't even use a Mac!

What sort of ****-poor hardware/software have you been using where you use the term "luxary" to describe when things run smoothly?

Yes, its true that you cannot upgrade your processor or motherboard, but they give you a great one to start out with.

Tell that to the people that let you upgrade a 450MHz G4 to a dual 1.8 GHz system.

Nope, Can't upgrade Mac processors - no way, not ever.

Since Apple's hold their retail value for a long time.  You cannot really compare Macs to PCs though.  Its like comparing apples to bananas :p

Product X is used by person B to do task C.

Product Y could also be used by person B to do task C.

Why the hell can't I compare X and Y's suitability to perform that task? Is it because your pet-platform might not look like such a good value at the end of it?

^^^ Obvious windows fanboy....

Why do you bother posting? We are trying to explain why Macs are more expensive. If all you have to say is Macs suck then get out of the Apple Hardware Discussion.

With that said...

Luxury computing (as I was referring to it) is just the higher standard that macs have to run flawless.

About the CPU upgrades: You physically can upgrade them (I guess) although it voids your warranty, and is not that easy. (can sometimes ruin your mac)

You cant compare macs to pcs because they run on completely different architectures. They dont run the same at all, so they may both be computers, but you cant neccesarily compare them equally.

Josh

Apple products are more expensive because:

Their hardware products are higher quality, and cost more to manufacture.

Their market range is willing to pay more for these products.

They don't need good prices, they practically sell themselves.

Accessories for apple products made by third parties are more expensive because:

Apple users are a minority, thus when demand is low, price is high.

In some cases, there is no competition for that product, so the price is high.

They don't need good prices, they practically sell themselves. (white sony fontopia vs.black)

Think about for a second. It's kinda like the same reason why parts for expensive cars are more expensive.

Note: many PC laptops are built with the same quality as Apple's, and have more features, are more powerful, have nicer screens, look nicer, and are much much cheaper.

Mac hardware hasn't been higher quality than PC hardware for many years now because they are practically the same thing. The only exclusive parts are the cases and motherboards, but like the other components they are manufactured by third parties. Macs do not have a higher quality standard, they are just as prone to hardware malfunction as PCs, and they will not last longer.

Also, the supposed advantage of having full control of the hardware and the software is just a myth. Like Windows XP, Mac OS X supports a wide range of combinations of CPUs, chipsets, firmwares, and graphics chips (going back even further than the G3 series), and likewise it will not work properly on some of those combinations. Of course a Mac will usually run flawlessly with the software it ships with, but this is no different with any competent PC seller. A more logical explanation for why Macs might run smoother than PCs is that Windows is extremely prone to hard drive fragmentation and corruption, and also the availability of spy/malware and how easy it is for an average Joe to get it onto their computers.

Perhaps you should read some of his posts in other threads and rethink that statement.

Or is everyone who disagrees with your point of view a fanboy?

"Luxury computing"...what a joke. :rofl:

585952699[/snapback]

I dont see Mac users going into Windows Hardware support and posting crap about windows sucks. The point is. If you dont belong somewhere, why are you there? I wouldnt have a problem with peoples posts except the fact that they are completely blinded and think that apple is crap. If they think apple is crap thats great, but they dont need to voice their opinion here. Thats like going into the middle of a Lakers game and saying LAKERS SUCK!! So go back to your windows and have a good ol time. I was only trying to help one person understand why Mac stuff is generally more expensive.

I think were all missing one point here.

Macs are made to run the software and Apple Computers designs the computer to run their own software

Whereas the PC world is pretty much open architecture and the software is designed to run the computer.

There is a big difference between the two. Both have their pros and cons which can be discussed in a lengthy matter, heck thesis papers for your masters degree can be written about how different the two platforms are.

However just think about the two differences.

^^^ Obvious windows fanboy....

Find one of my posts where I've been a blind fanboy of anything. Just one, it shouldn't be hard: I've only made about 150. Even if I was what you say I am, does that somehow make my argument less valid? "You don't agree with me so everything you say must be wrong!"

Clearly your intellect will crush me.

About the CPU upgrades: You physically can upgrade them (I guess) although it voids your warranty, and is not that easy. (can sometimes ruin your mac)

Is that the sound of moving goal posts I hear?

I dont see Mac users going into Windows Hardware support and posting crap about windows sucks.  The point is.  If you dont belong somewhere, why are you there?  I wouldnt have a problem with peoples posts except the fact that they are completely blinded and think that apple is crap.

Way to drop to the ad-hominems to support your argument. I thought you would have been able to last at least another 2 or 3 posts before you started attacking me rather than my arguments. Oh well, at least you proved me wrong one way - even if it wasn't by supporting your claims.

Good show! I'll credit you in my new book: "How to win arguments by ranting like religous fundamentalist"

Macs are made to run the software and Apple Computers designs the computer to run their own software

No, they're made to run software. period. OS X is the primary operating system used on Macs but the software available for that platform is what peole are really interested in.

If Apple was designing computers to run only the code that they produce then they'd be an embeded system's provider (like they people writting code for refridgerators and VCRs). They sure as heck wouldn't be providing an IDE with every machine and making developer documentation available on their website.

Did you even think about Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia, ID, Digidesign, Quark, Omnigroup, etc. when you made that post?

Your wrong. Since Apple controls both hardware and software when they develop OS X they develop to run it only on their OWN hardware. When they develop their hardware they develop it to run Mac OS X and not Windows or Linux. Sure Linux has PowerPC distributions however they are more generic then anything whereas Mac OS X is optimized and designed to run on a PowerPC.

Also the software your listed runs under OS X, without OS X all the titles made by those companies wouldn't be able to run. People generally get a Mac for the OS if anything these days. Apple doesn't advertise "Look Adobe has this" no they advertise the OS.

Sure I may have worded what I said wrong but your argument to what I originally said is a bunch of balony.

Macs are designed for Mac OS X and Apple Computers designs the computer to run their own software (meaning operating system).

Yes a Mac will still run a linux distribution but the "Apple" or "Mac" experience won't ever be complete without Mac OS X.

Yes a Mac will still run a linux distribution but the "Apple" or "Mac" experience won't ever be complete without Mac OS X.

585954065[/snapback]

He didn't say anything about Linux and I think he's right about the Macintosh being as much about the software it runs as the hardware that runs it. Head over to the iMac or PowerMac product pages. They're flogging OS X but they also show off they're capabilities for Halo, Quicken, Photoshop, Lightwave, After Effects, BLAST, and the ability to create custom software that takes advantage of the operating system's features. One choice page is the Powermac solutions section of the Apple site: the focus is on the things owning Apple's kit will let you do, either by creating your own software, or by purchasing software purchased by someone else. The bundled applications and hardware are mentioned as supporting components that work together to get something done.

If what you wrote isn't what you meant in your first post that's fine, but I completely agree that Macintosh systems are built to run software: Apple's, Microsoft's, Adobe's, or mine - it's all moving Macs out the door - and that's where the bulk of Apple's profit comes from. I'm sure they don't really care if I took my machine and installed Linux, BSD, Windows, TRON, BeOS, or any other operating system on it (assuming it'd work) provided they still got their $1800 from me.

Of course I'm biased: my last job was writting custom software for Macs.

expensive? ja! i got my ibook (60bg/256mb..)+apple care protection(3 years) +case+keyboard protection+ printer+office mac (student /teacher edition)+a portable flash drive(256mb) all for$1800. (and waiting for a mail in rebate( $100 for the printer and $20 /flash drive) uhmm good quality and design...for me apple is the best.

He didn't say anything about Linux and I think he's right about the Macintosh being as much about the software it runs as the hardware that runs it.  Head over to the iMac or PowerMac product pages.  They're flogging OS X but they also show off they're capabilities for Halo, Quicken, Photoshop, Lightwave, After Effects, BLAST, and the ability to create custom software that takes advantage of the operating system's features.  One choice page is the Powermac solutions section of the Apple site: the focus is on the things owning Apple's kit will let you do, either by creating your own software, or by purchasing software purchased by someone else.  The bundled applications and hardware are mentioned as supporting components that work together to get something done.

If what you wrote isn't what you meant in your first post that's fine, but I completely agree that Macintosh systems are built to run software: Apple's, Microsoft's, Adobe's, or mine - it's all moving Macs out the door - and that's where the bulk of Apple's profit comes from. I'm sure they don't really care if I took my machine and installed Linux, BSD, Windows, TRON, BeOS, or any other operating system on it (assuming it'd work) provided they still got their $1800 from me.

Of course I'm biased: my last job was writting custom software for Macs.

585954595[/snapback]

Considering your a programmer, you should know better. Your developing software for Mac OS X not for the Mac computer. The two, while developed by the same company, are two different subjects. Your software would not function if Mac OS X were not installed on your computer. It would just be lines of code sitting in limbo.

That is the point I am trying to make. Apple develops or builds both making the software (mac os x) great with the hardware (their mac hardware) and vice versa. Your software simply runs UNDER Mac OS X. It does not run on top. It does not make calls to the OF, it makes calls to the OS or its kernel.

you said: "Apple Computers designs the computer to run their own software".

Apple's own marketing and our resident know-it-all contradict you. If what you wrote is not what you meant then just withdraw the statement. Otherwise you're going to have to come up with some pretty impressive evidence to back that claim: You'd have to show that Apple's own website was not actually marketing Apple's products for the reasons they say they are.

They're posting performance comparisons between PCs and Macs running third party applications on the iMac and powermac pages. The iBook, Xserve, and Mac mini pages both drop notes about the availability of 3rd party software (Halo is feature prominently on the consumer products, BSD Applications on the XServe page).

Considering your a programmer, you should know better. Your developing software for Mac OS X not for the Mac computer.

It depended on the job. Sometimes I was working with a specific version of Mac OS/OS X in mind, sometimes times I was working specifically with the G4 in mind. Other times I was targeting "UNIX-like" systems as a platform. It depended on what the needs of the day were.

All the same, I think the only safe thing to say about the programs I wrote was that I was targeting Macintosh as a platform.

The two, while developed by the same company, are two different subjects. Your software would not function if Mac OS X were not installed on your computer. It would just be lines of code sitting in limbo.

Some would some wouldn't. It depended on what my primary consideration was when I wrote it. Some of it only runs on OS X 10.2/3, some on OS 9, some of it only runs on a G4 but would work on linux (assuming you did the configure, make, make install dance), some of it would work out of the box on pretty much any unix-like platform. Some of it even worked on Windows even though my primary consideration was making it accessible to Mac users.

That is the point I am trying to make. Apple develops or builds both making the software (mac os x) great with the hardware (their mac hardware) and vice versa.

Apple ships a platform for further development. Isn't that what I said in my last post?

Your software simply runs UNDER Mac OS X. It does not run on top.

What exactly do "under" and "on top" mean WRT software execution? As far as I can see you could use the terms interchangeably unless there is some obscure definition I'm not aware of.

Like I said earlier, I targeted the Macintosh as a platform because that's what we used. The importance of the OS or the hardware for any given project was weighed to make sure I could deliver the best application to the people that needed it in the shortest amount of time possible.

At no point did I ever feel like apple designed the hardware to run their own software to the exception of my own. That was the statement that I think macssuck to exception to.

It depended on the job.  Sometimes I was working with a specific version of Mac OS/OS X in mind, sometimes times I was working specifically with the G4 in mind. Other times I was targeting "UNIX-like" systems as a platform. It depended on what the needs of the day were.

All the same, I think the only safe thing to say about the programs I wrote was that I was targeting Macintosh as a platform.

Some would some wouldn't.  It depended on what my primary consideration was when I wrote it.  Some of it only runs on OS X 10.2/3, some on OS 9, some of it only runs on a G4 but would work on linux (assuming you did the configure, make, make install dance), some of it would work out of the box on pretty much any unix-like platform. Some of it even worked on Windows even though my primary consideration was making it accessible to Mac users.

Apple ships a platform for further development.  Isn't that what I said in my last post?

What exactly do "under" and "on top" mean WRT software execution? As far as I can see you could use the terms interchangeably unless there is some obscure definition I'm not aware of.

Like I said earlier, I targeted the Macintosh as a platform because that's what we used. The importance of the OS or the hardware for any given project was weighed to make sure I could deliver the best application to the people that needed it in the shortest amount of time possible.

At no point did I ever feel like apple designed the hardware to run their own software to the exception of my own. That was the statement that I think macssuck to exception to.

585956600[/snapback]

Good points all together. You have some great points and I'll agree to just bury the whole topic. Water on the bridge type deal.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • BATorrent 4.1.0 by Razvan Serea BATorrent is a lightweight, open-source BitTorrent client built with modern C++ and Qt 6, offering a clean, fast, and privacy-focused alternative to traditional torrent apps. It supports magnet links, .torrent files, resume data, sequential downloading, per-file priorities, and even imports from qBittorrent. Power users benefit from integrated RSS auto-download with regex filtering, duplicate detection, and automatic tracker lists from Stremio. Streaming is seamless thanks to auto-detected players like VLC and IINA. BATorrent includes robust VPN tools—interface binding, auto-detection for WireGuard-based services like Mullvad and NordLynx, kill switch, proxy support, and IP filtering. A full WebUI enables remote control, while integrations with Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby automate library updates. With themes, speed scheduling, system-tray alerts, and cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, and macOS, BATorrent delivers a polished, high-performance torrenting experience. BATorrent features: Core .torrent file and magnet link support Resume data — picks up where you left off after restart Import torrents from qBittorrent Create .torrent files from any file or folder Sequential download mode Per-file priority control (skip, low, normal, high) Seed ratio limits with auto-pause DHT, PEX, UPnP, NAT-PMP RSS Auto-Download Subscribe to RSS feeds — automatically download new torrents as they appear Regex filters — match only what you want (e.g. 1080p|720p, S01E\d+) Per-feed settings — custom save path, check interval (5–1440 min), enable/disable Auto-download — matched items are downloaded automatically in the background Supports magnet links, .torrent URLs, and tags Tray notifications when items are auto-downloaded Duplicate detection — never downloads the same item twice Stremio Stremio Addon System pre-installed — works out of the box Auto tracker list from ngosang/trackerslist Streaming Play while downloading — stream video files before the download is complete Supports mp4, mkv, avi, mov, wmv, flv, webm, m4v, ts Auto-detects installed players (VLC, IINA, system default) VPN & Privacy Interface binding — lock torrent traffic to a specific network interface (e.g. tun0) Auto VPN detection — identifies VPN interfaces (tun, tap, WireGuard, Mullvad, NordLynx, ProtonVPN) Kill switch — automatically pauses all torrents if the VPN interface drops Auto-resume — resumes only the torrents paused by the kill switch when VPN reconnects Proxy support — SOCKS5 and HTTP proxy with optional authentication IP filtering — load P2P blocklists to block unwanted IP ranges Protocol encryption (enabled / forced / disabled) WebUI Remote management — control torrents from any browser at http://localhost:8080 REST API with JSON responses Add torrents via magnet link or .torrent upload Pause, resume, remove torrents remotely View peers and files per torrent Dark theme matching the desktop app HTTP Basic Auth with SHA-256 password hashing Configurable port and remote access (localhost vs 0.0.0.0) Interface 3 themes: Dark, Light, Midnight (bat/vampire aesthetic) Real-time speed graph Detailed panel with tabs: General, Peers, Files, Trackers Filter bar: search by name, filter by state (Active, Downloading, Seeding, Paused, Finished) Drag & drop .torrent files and magnet links Drag & drop reorder in torrent list System tray with notifications (download complete, kill switch events, RSS auto-downloads) Splash screen with bat animation Bilingual: English and Portuguese (BR), auto-detected from system locale Bandwidth Scheduler Alternative speed limits — set different download/upload limits on a schedule Time range — configure active hours (e.g. 01:00 to 07:00), supports overnight ranges Per-day control — choose which days of the week the schedule applies Automatically switches between normal and alternative speeds Media Server Integration Plex — automatically trigger library scan when a download completes Jellyfin / Emby — same automatic library refresh via API Configure server URL and authentication token/key in Settings System Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, macOS Auto-shutdown — automatically shut down PC when all downloads complete (60s cancellable countdown) Auto-update system (AppImage on Linux, installer on Windows, DMG on macOS) CLI arguments: pass .torrent files or magnet: URIs directly Keyboard shortcuts: Space to toggle pause, Ctrl+A to select all, Ctrl+O to open BATorrent 4.1.0 release notes: A community-driven release: everything here came straight from your reports and requests. It closes the remaining gaps with qBittorrent and fixes the Windows settings/tray/splash issues several of you hit. Fixed Settings now actually save. A whole class of preferences — speed limits (and the alternative limits), max active downloads, seed ratio, listen port, max connections, DHT/uTP/encryption, VPN interface, kill switch and proxy — weren't being persisted and reset to defaults on every launch. They now round-trip correctly. (Thanks to everyone who reported "the upload limit always goes back to 0".) Splash and tray toggles stick on Windows. Turning off the startup animation (or "close to tray") no longer reverts — the Windows registry stored these booleans as integers and the UI was misreading them. Close-to-tray hint. The first time the window hides to the tray you get a one-time notification, so the app doesn't look like it vanished (Windows 11 tucks new tray icons into the overflow). macOS Dock icon size. The icon filled its canvas edge-to-edge and rendered larger than neighbouring apps; it now uses the standard safe-area padding. Native file picker language. The "Torrent file / All files" filter in the open dialog follows the app language instead of being hard-coded. Added — qBittorrent parity Alternative speed limits toggle — a turtle button in the toolbar flips your throttled limits on/off instantly, independent of the scheduler. Follow system theme — switch light/dark automatically with the OS (Settings → Appearance). Pre-allocate disk space — reserve the full file size up front to reduce fragmentation (Settings → Downloads). Recheck data on add — optionally force a hash check when adding a torrent, so existing or partial files on disk are detected. Port status indicator — a 🔴 dot in the status bar shows whether your listen port looks reachable (UPnP/NAT-PMP + listen state; fully local, no external check). Add torrent from URL — File → Add torrent from URL (Ctrl+U) fetches a remote .torrent and routes it through the normal add dialog. Export .torrent — right-click a torrent → Export .torrent to save its metadata file. Already there (in case you missed it) Watch folder — auto-add .torrent files dropped into a monitored directory (Settings → Files). This release just surfaces it. Incomplete files already carry a .!bt suffix until they finish. Under the hood Regression tests for the settings-persistence and Windows boolean bugs. A new Qt Quick Test harness covering the startup splash and the design-system widgets. Download: BATorrent 4.1.0 | 37.5 MB (Open Source) Download: BATorrent Portable | 51.7 MB Links: BATorrent Website | Screenshot | Changelog Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Disabling open on hover, great! That was so stupid! They need to do a fix, where if a network share is disconnected, it doesn't hang when opening "This PC" for 20 seconds.
    • Microsoft releases major feature updates for stock Windows 11 apps by Taras Buria In addition to releasing new Windows 11 preview builds, Microsoft announced that inbox Windows apps now have dedicated release notes in the official documentation. At long last, users have access to all the release notes for each app, with changes listed in chronological order. Microsoft used to announce feature updates for stock apps with each build. Now, with Windows Insider release notes hosted on the Microsoft Learn website, each app has a dedicated space for its changelog, which is very useful for those who want to track new features and improvements. Alongside that, Microsoft dropped massive feature updates for six stock apps: Clock, Media Player, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Photos, and Paint. Each app packs quite a lot of changes and new capabilities, so here are the release notes. Here are quick notes so that you can jump to the app you are interested in the most: Calculator Camera Clock Media Player Paint Photos Sound Recorder Here is what is new for the Calculator in version 11.2605.9.0: More accurate square-root results — Fixed rare cases where a calculation that should equal zero (like sqrt(2.25) - 1.5) returned a tiny leftover value instead. Readable text in High Contrast themes — Settings text now shows the correct colors in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes. Fixed layout for right-to-left languages — For languages like Arabic and Hebrew, the graph, number pad, equation fields, and scroll buttons now appear correctly oriented. Reliable launch after upgrading — Fixed an issue where upgrading from much older versions could leave outdated settings that stopped the app from opening. Here is what is new for the Camera app (version 2026.2605.7.0): Zoom slider works on more cameras — The zoom slider now works on the latest cameras, respects your system zoom settings, and updates instantly when you change those settings. Full range of zoom levels — Fixed an issue where the zoom slider only showed three steps on some devices that zoom in finer increments. Front camera works on more devices — Resolved a problem that blocked the front-facing camera on certain wide-angle devices. More video resolution choices — You can now pick video resolutions that were previously hidden; the app shows a heads-up warning instead of removing them. QR links you can still use — When a scanned QR code points to something with no matching app, the link is now copied to your clipboard (with a notification) while still offering a Store search. Smarter default settings — When you haven't set a preference, the app now follows your system settings by default. The Clock app has a massive changelog with the following improvements in version 11.2605.9.0: Timers keep counting after they hit zero — When a timer runs out, it now keeps counting up (for example, -00:27:31) so you can see how far past the time you've gone. You can turn off the daily goal — Focus Sessions now include an "Off" option so you can skip setting a daily goal entirely. New 15-minute snooze option — Alarms now offer a 15-minute snooze interval. Run up to 3 countdowns at once — The Countdown Widget now supports three simultaneous countdowns, up from two. Timer Widget notifications now appear — Fixed an issue where the "timer finished" notification didn't show when the timer was started from the widget. Less clutter in Focus Sessions — Tasks you've already completed no longer show up in the Focus Session task list. More accurate focus progress — Fixed a rounding issue that could show your daily focus progress as a minute short (for example, 49 minutes instead of 50). Smoother World Clock comparisons — The World Clock compare page now loads dates as you scroll, so it feels more responsive. Up-to-date World Clock locations — Refreshed country and city names to match their current names. Correct sun and moon icons during midnight sun — Fixed an icon that wrongly showed a moon during all-day daylight in polar regions. Fixed back-button behavior in clock comparisons — Pressing back once now takes you back as expected, instead of jumping the date to 1926. Corrected the Newfoundland time zone — Newfoundland now uses the right time zone (St. John's). Disabled alarms stay looking disabled — Editing a turned-off alarm no longer makes it appear turned on. Cleaner timer cards — The expand button is now turned off on timer cards that have no time set, preventing actions that wouldn't do anything. Clearer theme setting — Updated the wording to "Choose your preferred app theme." Smoother Settings links — The "About" links in Settings no longer trigger an unexpected "switch apps" prompt. Fixed spacing in Spotify settings — Corrected uneven spacing in the Spotify settings card. Better focus visibility in High Contrast — The focus highlight in World Clock is now clearly visible in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes. No more double announcements — Screen readers no longer read the timer value twice. Countdown names read correctly — Screen readers now properly announce the name of each countdown. Keyboard focus stays put — Focus no longer disappears after you press the Timer Reset button. Clearer alarm toggle for screen readers — Tidied up how the alarm on/off switch is announced. The Media Player app received plenty of changes as well (version 11.2605.14.0): Custom captions — You can now personalize how closed captions appear, with caption styling tied to your Windows caption settings, plus a quick link to open those settings directly. "Indexing" banner in the play queue — When your media library is still being scanned, a banner now explains why some items may not appear yet. Fixed the look of selected items — Corrected a layout glitch with selected items in lists. Fewer playback failures — Improved how the app recognizes supported file types, so more files play without issues. Playlists need a name — You can no longer accidentally save a playlist with a blank name. Cleaner look for empty playlists — Improved how a playlist appears when it has no items yet. More stable play queue edits — Fixed a crash that could happen when changing the play queue while the app was switching between sessions. Clearer "missing codec" message — Improved the dialog that appears when a file needs a codec you don't have, with clearer guidance on what to do. A big update is also available for Paint in version 11.2605.61.0: Adjustable eraser transparency — You can now control how transparent the eraser is. Cleaner stamp brush strokes — Fixed visible color shifts and artifacts when using stamp-style brushes. JPEG photos save in place — Opening a rotated JPEG and pressing Save now overwrites the original instead of unexpectedly prompting "Save As." No more crash on bad image files — Opening a damaged or invalid image, from within the app, by double click, or commandline, now shows a clear error message instead of closing the app. Classic selection behavior restored — The selection outline now hides while you move, resize, or rotate a selection, just like in classic Paint. Tidier AI image panel — Fixed missing spacing at the bottom of the AI image generation panel for a cleaner layout. Visible button hover in light theme — Toolbar split buttons now show a clear hover highlight in the light theme. Snappier toolbar — Streamlined how the ribbon lays out, giving a small speed boost at startup. Fewer background crashes — Fixed a crash that could happen while background tasks were finishing up. Stable app shutdown — Prevented rare crashes when closing the app. Fixed layer removal glitch — Deleting the active layer no longer leaves the layers list in an inconsistent state. Here is what is new in the Photos app (version 2026.11060.2004.0): AI watermarking — AI-generated or edited images can now carry a visible Copilot watermark. You choose Never, Always, or Ask Every Time in Settings, with a confirmation when saving. The watermarking is off by default in settings. Better viewing of small images and pixel art — Tiny images (like 16×16 pixel art) now zoom in far more to fill the screen and stay crisp instead of looking blurry. Select scanned text with the keyboard — When text is detected in an image, you can now navigate and select it using the arrow keys, Shift+Arrow, Home/End, and Ctrl+A, with a clear focus highlight. Fixed a crash in text recognition — Resolved a crash that could close Photos while detecting text in images; the app now recovers gracefully. Easier keyboard navigation — Tabbing through the navigation bar no longer stops on hidden controls, so it takes a single Tab to move past it instead of three. And finally, here is the Sound Recorder (version 11.2605.1.0): Waveform shows with Bluetooth mics — The live waveform now displays correctly when you record using a Bluetooth audio device. No more stray scrollbar — A non-working horizontal scrollbar no longer appears at the bottom of the waveform unless you've zoomed in. Mark button ready right away — The Mark button no longer looks grayed out until you hover over it after opening the app. Markers hidden for WAV files — Markers are now turned off for WAV recordings, since that format can't store them — so they're no longer lost silently. Smoother deleting — Quickly pressing Delete and Enter to remove several recordings in a row no longer triggers a "file doesn't exist" error. Fixed a memory issue — Resolved a memory leak that occurred each time a recording started. You can find all these changelogs in the official documentation here.
    • again, an article about Microsoft Edge and ridicules hater's comments
    • From this very same article: "For organizations that prefer a “more deliberate pace”, the Extended Stable channel remains an option."
  • Recent Achievements

    • AndrewSteel earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Taliseian went up a rank
      Veteran
    • Clizby earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Timaximus earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Timaximus earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      515
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      170
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      162
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      84
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      78
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!