Prizes!

By wanderson75
in General Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

Collaborator

malcolmst

Posted
Posted

Haven't posted for a while, so thought I'd do a bit of math about the odds of getting a prize :p

Ok... since no neowinians won one of the 15 grand prizes (and i'm assuming there were around 500 people who participated at least once in the forum during the game - who would have posted again if they won something), that means the odds are likely less than 1/500 to win one of those...

1/500 > 15/total players

so we can determine that the total # of players is most likely at least 15 * 500 = 7500 (but could be way more than that - and actually that is 7500 * the average neowinian score, not necessarily players)

now since there's about 450 additional prizes and if we assume optimistically that there really are only 7500 people... then we each have about a 6% chance of winning something. Well.. technically 0% to 6%... So optimistically, up to 30 of us should win something.

I could be way off with these numbers, and I didn't include anything about the # of points, but I'm thinking that most neowinians would have perfect or near-perfect scores..

Just a bit of math for fun while we wait for prize info :p

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588305766
Share on other sites
Apprentice

bsb001

Posted
Posted
The rest of the prizes are rolling in!

So the first thing I usually do when I get home from work is look down to the right at this little table in the entryway where the mail gets piled up. With all the people living here, it's usually covered in a mass of junk mail, bills, and things that showed up for people who have long since moved out.

But like everyone, I love getting things in the mail. The odds are that if it's not from Wilmington, DE, I'm going to open it. All of this leads up to me trying to describe the sheer and utter *joy* of laying my eyes on the plain white envelope with the Marden-Kane logo in the corner.

What followed was undoubtedly a personal best for why-is-this-stupid-envelope-in-the-way-of-my-correspondence. My eyes quickly darted from paragraph to paragraph, first confirming that yes, the letter was addressed to me. Then, the "Congratulations!" made my heart skip a beat. Account Executive Erica Valdellon instantly became my new best friend, as she was pleased to announce that I would soon be receiving three (3) Microsoft Games for Windows game titles.

All in all, it's been quite a wild ride. I look at the paper in my hands, and more importantly, feel it, as a kind of tangible and satisfying conclusion to the whole affair. After chasing this woman around the globe for a month, it's good to have something as a lasting reminder. Something that, for a change, isn't going to vanish.

.......unless the games uninstall themselves after 90 days.

Congrats!! I know it will be hard for me not to attack the mailman eveyday for awhile now. ;)

First off, Hi everyone /wave. I've been lurking for the past few weeks following your progress on the meta puzzle, it's been a blast :)

It's the city that the DHL pack entered the country by. I'm the UK 1st prize winner and it shows my pack as London, whereas I actually live half way up the country in Northampton. No idea how long it's going to be before MK contact me again, I did email Erica, the account manager at MK asking if she could confirm which pack I'd won but no reply yet. I'm guessing that they're waiting until everyone has responded or not before they kick off the next step.

Cool deal! So they had divided up the 1st place winners by location? Finially, more information is rolling in. Again congrats!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588305920
Share on other sites
Apprentice

crowen

Posted
Posted

Hey all been on and off for a few days but if you havent seen this I though I would post it, I was looking through my local tampa bay florida paper and found this,

Going to Space

Here is the written article in case the link doesent work.

"One way or another, he's going to space

Brian Emmett, 31, won a free trip on a future spaceflight in a 2005 contest. As much as he wants to take the trip, he had to turn it down, because the tax consequence of accepting the trip (estimated retail value: $139,000) was about $25,000. But where there are taxes, there are loopholes, and Benson Space Co. found it. The San Diego-area company will "hire" Emmett and send him to space on one of its first tourist flights in a consulting position as a "test passenger." The IRS is probably quite " amused." Jim Benson says he sympathized with Emmett. "He had a dream, the dream got broken and we fixed it."

Anyway thought that was cool since we all found his story online not too long ago, good to know he gets to go anyway even though the taxes stopped him......so maybe the grand prize winner can spend the 50 thousand anyway....and skip the taxes ;) lol kidding kidding

just some intresting tidbits....take care guys

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306138
Share on other sites
Apprentice

matthewlefflercomputer

Posted
Posted (edited)
The rest of the prizes are rolling in!

So the first thing I usually do when I get home from work is look down to the right at this little table in the entryway where the mail gets piled up. With all the people living here, it's usually covered in a mass of junk mail, bills, and things that showed up for people who have long since moved out.

But like everyone, I love getting things in the mail. The odds are that if it's not from Wilmington, DE, I'm going to open it. All of this leads up to me trying to describe the sheer and utter *joy* of laying my eyes on the plain white envelope with the Marden-Kane logo in the corner.

What followed was undoubtedly a personal best for why-is-this-stupid-envelope-in-the-way-of-my-correspondence. My eyes quickly darted from paragraph to paragraph, first confirming that yes, the letter was addressed to me. Then, the "Congratulations!" made my heart skip a beat. Account Executive Erica Valdellon instantly became my new best friend, as she was pleased to announce that I would soon be receiving three (3) Microsoft Games for Windows game titles.

All in all, it's been quite a wild ride. I look at the paper in my hands, and more importantly, feel it, as a kind of tangible and satisfying conclusion to the whole affair. After chasing this woman around the globe for a month, it's good to have something as a lasting reminder. Something that, for a change, isn't going to vanish.

.......unless the games uninstall themselves after 90 days.

What carrier delivered the parcel? Was it DHL again? Was it an overnight parcel or just regular mail?

Edit: Where do you live?

Edited by matthewlefflercomputer
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306237
Share on other sites
Apprentice

blackhawk127

Posted
Posted
Haven't posted for a while, so thought I'd do a bit of math about the odds of getting a prize :p

Ok... since no neowinians won one of the 15 grand prizes (and i'm assuming there were around 500 people who participated at least once in the forum during the game - who would have posted again if they won something), that means the odds are likely less than 1/500 to win one of those...

1/500 > 15/total players

so we can determine that the total # of players is most likely at least 15 * 500 = 7500 (but could be way more than that - and actually that is 7500 * the average neowinian score, not necessarily players)

now since there's about 450 additional prizes and if we assume optimistically that there really are only 7500 people... then we each have about a 6% chance of winning something. Well.. technically 0% to 6%... So optimistically, up to 30 of us should win something.

I could be way off with these numbers, and I didn't include anything about the # of points, but I'm thinking that most neowinians would have perfect or near-perfect scores..

Just a bit of math for fun while we wait for prize info :p

your math is way off the guy who ran the wikipedia had over 35k unique hits since the game started, and over 4 million hits total

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306240
Share on other sites
Rookie

Codename 47

Posted
Posted
Tetravus - was an absolute joy to read your post, so expressive!

Codename 47 - yay for Northampton! Spent the first 18 years of my life there - whereabouts are you? I was an NSB-boy ;)

I started off in Daventry, then moved out to a village called West Haddon (Near M1 Junction 18) for most of my life. Moved into Northampton for easier access to work and currently living in Far Cotton. Went to the local village Secondary school - Guilsborough, IIRC we had a bit of beef with you guys at football/rugby :rofl:

Kinda a double ARG boost for Northampton recently with the Perplex City cube being found here too!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306287
Share on other sites
Rising Star

confusio

Posted
Posted
so we can determine that the total # of players is most likely at least 15 * 500 = 7500 (but could be way more than that - and actually that is 7500 * the average neowinian score, not necessarily players)

I believe you are way off the actual number, I've been trying to get some decent numbers

to guesstimate the number of players, I've been monitoring the number of visits to the

different threads here, unfiction and the wiki, etc., still nothing that can be used as a

consistent input to any calculation but my guess is that the number could be probably

between 25000 to 30000, and still I may be off.

What surprises me is that I didn't see or I've not been able to find is any new media

coverage or activity about it in the blogsphere, there are few things out there and a lot

of buzz about MSFT asking the bloggers to return back or dispose the laptops distributed

during the pre-game, probably MSFT and AMD are waiting for a couple of days until

all the winners are certified to open the marketing faucet and start spitting out press

releases or marketing buzz.

About the total cost of the campaign, while about MSFT had a $300M budget related to Vista,

probably the vpg stunt could be in the $5-10M range, just a guess.

Cheers

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306435
Share on other sites
Neowinian

rottenrichard

Posted
Posted

I believe you are way off the actual number, I've been trying to get some decent numbers

to guesstimate the number of players, I've been monitoring the number of visits to the

different threads here, unfiction and the wiki, etc., still nothing that can be used as a

consistent input to any calculation but my guess is that the number could be probably

between 25000 to 30000, and still I may be off.

I live north of Seattle and the fireworks display raised a bit of a rukus because no one knew they were going to happen. People called the police to find out what was happening and the press got into the act. The next morning it was all over the television and at that time they were told by Microsoft that there were 80,000 plus playing worldwide.

Speaking of the fireworks, I went down for the event and they were absolutly incrdible. This was a world class display played before a very small group. There couldn't have been 400 people there. The video was quite good if you moved it to Media Player and played it in full screen mode.

Rich

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306653
Share on other sites
Apprentice

Orbitjeff

Posted
Posted
The rest of the prizes are rolling in!

So the first thing I usually do when I get home from work is look down to the right at this little table in the entryway where the mail gets piled up. With all the people living here, it's usually covered in a mass of junk mail, bills, and things that showed up for people who have long since moved out.

But like everyone, I love getting things in the mail. The odds are that if it's not from Wilmington, DE, I'm going to open it. All of this leads up to me trying to describe the sheer and utter *joy* of laying my eyes on the plain white envelope with the Marden-Kane logo in the corner.

What followed was undoubtedly a personal best for why-is-this-stupid-envelope-in-the-way-of-my-correspondence. My eyes quickly darted from paragraph to paragraph, first confirming that yes, the letter was addressed to me. Then, the "Congratulations!" made my heart skip a beat. Account Executive Erica Valdellon instantly became my new best friend, as she was pleased to announce that I would soon be receiving three (3) Microsoft Games for Windows game titles.

All in all, it's been quite a wild ride. I look at the paper in my hands, and more importantly, feel it, as a kind of tangible and satisfying conclusion to the whole affair. After chasing this woman around the globe for a month, it's good to have something as a lasting reminder. Something that, for a change, isn't going to vanish.

.......unless the games uninstall themselves after 90 days.

Dagnabit! You beat me to it!

I was driving home from work last night, and I stopped at the mailbox to get the mail. I then got back in my car and as I was pulling into the driveway I glanced down and saw a letter to my wife... Didnt think too much of it until I noticed it was from Marden-Kane.

I ran into the house so she could open it (silently cursing the fact that it was her name and not mine on the envelope) but she was off picking up our daughter... I called her but she apparently was on the phone...

I tried to wait. I really did!

I opened it, and she had won fourth prize (3 Microsoft games). I was so happy for her! So, a few answers:

1) It came by regular mail from the post office... Not from an overnight service

2) For fourth prize you apparently dont need to do anything: They will pick the game titles, and they will send them without a signature or anything (other than a change of address if you move within 6-8 weeks)

3) We live in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

4) She had 1100-1200 points. I cant remember what she said... She has started the last box, but couldnt finish the puzzles... And didnt want my help. (Darnit... I had 1330. D'oh!)

So woohoo! The prizes are a-comin!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306666
Share on other sites
Rising Star

confusio

Posted
Posted
I live north of Seattle and the fireworks display raised a bit of a rukus because no one knew they were going to happen. People called the police to find out what was happening and the press got into the act. The next morning it was all over the television and at that time they were told by Microsoft that there were 80,000 plus playing worldwide.

Speaking of the fireworks, I went down for the event and they were absolutly incrdible. This was a world class display played before a very small group. There couldn't have been 400 people there. The video was quite good if you moved it to Media Player and played it in full screen mode.

Rich

Great comments Rich, yes the fireworks were spectacular, also the music they picked was perfect for it,

somebody that was there posted a 85MB video of the fireworks, very good resolution and crisp image

in 640x480, and outstanding sound, the file name was vpfinale1.wmv, I'll try to find the link again.

The size and resolution of the projection screen was also impresive by looking at the videos.

I'm sure that it created a lot of local buzz, it was one of those onetime life events where you have to be there

to fully appreciate the magnitude and excitement. I was planning to go but had other priorities and had to cancel

my flight.

I'd love to know if somebody here recognized it or from the folks that put it together if they are reading, the

names of the songs played during the fireworks.

The 80,000 number sounds credible.

Thanks for your comments !!

Cheers

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306850
Share on other sites
Explorer

tgeairn

Posted
Posted
I'll try to find the link again.

The size and resolution of the projection screen was also impresive by looking at the videos.

Try http://www.hive.net/Member/Videos/vpfinale1.wmv

Although even that video doesn't capture the impact of the pounding music and sheer excitement of the event.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306899
Share on other sites
Apprentice

matthewlefflercomputer

Posted
Posted

By my count no less than 6 winners so far have come from the Neowin/Unfiction community. That is very good! Even if there are say 800 in the community that means that there should only be about 5 winners from here. So we have at least met statistical probability even if no one else turns up a winner. But per the effort proportionally we are way below where we should be. ;)

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306987
Share on other sites
Neowinian

Tetravus

Posted
Posted
What carrier delivered the parcel? Was it DHL again? Was it an overnight parcel or just regular mail?

Edit: Where do you live?

It was regular USPS First Class. The letter was dated February 2nd, but the postmark was February 6th. So two days to get from them in Manhasset to me in Seattle sounds about right.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588306990
Share on other sites
Community Regular

EcPercy

Posted
Posted (edited)

I just got a letter today stating that I am a Fourth Prize Winner. I did not get a call or an e-mail notifying me of this.

Fourth Prize is:

"Sponsor's Choice of three (3) Microsoft Games for Windows game titles. Approximate Retail Value of Fourth Prize: $120"

I updated the wiki. I hope that the games are good. :D

Edited by EcPercy
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/533857-prizes/page/19/#findComment-588307198
Share on other sites
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Microsoft Weekly: Xbox exclusives are back, big Windows app updates, and more

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Microsoft Weekly: Xbox exclusives are back, big Windows app updates, and more by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here. Microsoft is returning to XBOX exclusives, Windows 11 gets new preview builds, the Low-latency Profile is here, big updates for inbox Windows apps, Patch Tuesday updates, and more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. The June 2026 Patch Tuesday updates are now publicly available. Windows 11 users can download KB5094126, which introduces plenty of new features and security updates, including the Low-latency Profile for better performance, shared Bluetooth audio support, and more. Windows 10 users with PCs enrolled in the Extended Security Update program can download KB5094127. In addition, Microsoft released new Defender updates for its operating systems. Speaking of Defender, Microsoft will now deliver EDR updates via Microsoft Update for faster security improvements independent of Patch Tuesday updates. Following the release of this month's Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft also published new Windows 11 images available in the Media Creation Tool app. Now, you can create bootable USB media for clean Windows 11 installations with the latest releases. Some unfortunate stuff is going on with certain PCs from Dell and HP. Dell acknowledged that the SupportAssist bug causes black screens of death, while HP systems are suffering from Secure Boot update issues and boot loops. Both companies issued official advisories. Windows Insider Program Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week: Builds Canary Channel Builds 29610.1000 and 28120.2302 This week's "Canary" builds only contain performance improvements and fixes, including the Low-latency mode, which is now available in the Stable channel for all Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 users. Dev Channel Build 26300.8687 Microsoft brought some useful File Explorer changes with this build. You can now open folders in a new tab by middle-clicking them in the address bar. Beta Channel Build 26220.8680 and 28020.2298 Screen Tint, improved Windows Widgets, and other enhancements are included in this week's Beta releases. Release Preview Channel Builds 26200.8728 and 26100.8728 These builds also feature better widgets, new Windows Update controls, point-in-time restore, File Explorer improvements, and more. In addition to new Windows 11 preview builds, Microsoft announced that inbox Windows 11 apps now have their dedicated release notes in the official documentation. Also, Microsoft dropped massive feature updates for six apps, including Paint, Clock, Calculator, Camera, Media Player, Photos, and more. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. Google has some bad news for those still using MV2-based extensions in Chromium-based browsers, particularly Chrome. The company is now removing flags responsible for Manifest V2-based extensions (uBlock Origin is one of the most popular). However, some browsers resist this change, and Opera issued a statement that it will allow users to continue using MV2 extensions for as long as possible. While Microsoft is still not ready to share new details about MV2 extensions in Microsoft Edge, the company shared important details about the way it will be updating the browser going forward. Now, Microsoft wants to update Edge every two weeks across all platforms instead of the current four-week schedule (only the Extended Stable is exempt from this change). This week, Microsoft confirmed a useful new Teams feature that is coming to the messenger soon. It also detailed all the improvements that made the platform better for users in 2026. However, not all changes are great, as the company is moving ahead with the check-in feature, which many believe will lead to employee monitoring. PowerToys received a feature update this week. Version 0.100 arrived with a big rework for the Shortcut Guide, a new extension gallery for Command Palette, new Dock features, and plenty of other changes. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: Microsoft is bringing big performance improvements to OneDrive on Mac Popular Windows 11 file manager Files gets improved tags, layouts, and a new OneDrive icon New Outlook for Windows and Web is getting a simple but very useful email feature Microsoft had to shut down 70+ GitHub repos after getting hacked, bringing back some Microsoft AI boss no longer believes that AI will replace human workers Microsoft wants to end printer driver headaches with Windows Ready Print SQL Server Management Studio 22.7 brings "What's New" page, T-SQL formatting, and lots more Microsoft releases Visual Studio Code 1.124 with smarter autonomous AI agents Windows Server gets DNS over HTTPS (DoH) support Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: NVIDIA 610.52 Hotfix with multiple fixes for black screens of death, sleep issues, G-SYNC, and more. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week Steven Parker reviewed a rather unorthodox device here on Neowin this week. He took for a spin the DWARF mini, the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures. It tracks objects in the sky, has a sun filter, and has a low learning curve. There is also nice build quality and a quite affordable price. Pulasthi Ariyasinghe reviewed 007 First Light. The game turned out to be a satisfying spy adventure in the James Bond universe with great gunplay and combat, impressive crowds, over-the-top action sequences, and more. There are a few quirks here and there, but overall, the game scored high on our scale. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. Microsoft held the latest XBOX Games Showcase this week. There, the company announced plenty of cool stuff, including a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, a special 25th anniversary XBOX Series X with a classic translucent green design (coming in November 2026), details about Gears of War: E-Day, Spyro: A Realm Beyond after nearly 20 years since the last release, a new Hellblade game from Ninja Theory, a new expansion for DOOM: The Dark Ages, fresh details about State of Decay 3, and even a new entry in the Crazy Taxi series. More improtantly for XBOX fans, Microsoft announced the return of XBOX exclusives, with Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution kicking it off. Microsoft also has some good news for Nintendo Switch 2 owners. Minecraft is coming natively to the second-gen Switch, offering better performance and new features, including the visual overhaul called "Vibrant Visuals." Playground Games revealed a 30-minute gameplay video of the upcoming Fable, showcasing combat, action, NPC simulation, relationships, and player choices. Additionally, the studio confirmed a bug with Forza Horizon 6 wiping saves for some gamers. It also had to shut down one of the game's online modes after users discovered an infinite money glitch. NVIDIA announced new games for the GeForce NOW streaming service and a big Summer sale that lets you get 12 months of GeForce NOW for $35 or $70 less, depending on the tier. Speaking of discounts, check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals article, full of discounts and the latest freebies from the Epic Games Store. Great deals to check Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need. GIGABYTE Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming OC ICE 16G - $649.99 | 13% off 1TB Samsung T7 Portable SSD - $189.98 | 31% off AirPods Pro 3 - $179 | $50 off Edifier R1280Ts Powered Bookshelf Speakers - $129.99 | 24% off This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
    • Microsoft Flight Simulator's City Update 15 enhances Midwest cities

      By LoneWolfSL · Posted

      Microsoft Flight Simulator's City Update 15 enhances Midwest cities by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe The third major city update of the year has landed for the original Microsoft Flight Simulator and the 2024 release. The latest drop is upgrading the visuals and regional accuracy of three metropolitan regions in the American states of Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The 15th city update is adding eight new areas of interest that have been enhanced with high-fidelity TIN (triangulated irregular network) surface texturing in the mentioned regions. The free update highlights Chicago, Elgin, Cicero, and Arlington Heights in Illinois, as well as Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Duluth, Brooklyn Park, Woodbury, Lakeville, Plymouth, and Blaine in Minnesota. In Wisconsin, the development has also upgraded the lands and buildings of Milwaukee, Madison, and Racine. The update lands just as one of the world's largest enthusiast flight simulation conventions, FlightSimExpo, kicks off in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 14. The Flight Sim development team's 40-minute keynote at the event can be watched here. At the same time, Microsoft is bringing the 6-seat, single-engine, multi-use light civil airplane Piper M600 into the game as a part of its Expert Series 2 program. This premium plane can be purchased from the in-game marketplace for $24.99. City Update 15: The United States Midwest is now available in Microsoft Flight Simulator, as well as the newer Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, as an optional download. It can be accessed across Steam and the Microsoft Store for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, as well as Xbox and PC Game Pass subscriptions. Xbox One, mobile, and PC players can also jump into the new content using Xbox Cloud Gaming if they have a Game Pass Ultimate membership. The game must be updated to the latest version to download this free update from the in-game marketplace.
    • Five things you might have missed during Apple's WWDC 2026

      By Aditya Tiwari · Posted

      Five things you might have missed during Apple's WWDC 2026 by Aditya Tiwari Image: Apple Apple's annual developer event, WWDC 2026, happened from June 8 through June 12. We have already covered several new features and updates that the iPhone maker unveiled during the official keynote. Apple took Google's help and finally announced the upgraded Siri AI personal assistant, which now comes with an app. Moreover, a truckload of Apple Intelligence features took the center stage. That said, this year's WWDC is a bit different, and you might have noticed or missed the following stuff: Apple's ongoing unification of platforms Image: Apple One thing Apple is widely known for is its seamless hardware-software ecosystem. The company added a new chapter in 2020, when it began the Apple Silicon transition and launched macOS 11 Big Sur with native ARM support. Some major changes happened last year as well, when Apple renamed all of its operating systems to version 26 and introduced the Liquid Glass design language. Until WWDC 2025, Apple keynotes had dedicated segments for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and other operating systems, in which the company discussed each in detail. The WWDC 2026 keynote was different, and Apple allotted most of the screen time to Apple Intelligence and Siri. It didn't even publish separate press releases on its website for different operating systems. While it might seem surprising at first, it shows how Apple plans to move forward with its software ecosystem. Be it the Liquid Glass changes, child safety updates, or other features, they are mostly rolling out across multiple platforms. In other words, Apple is slowly blurring the line between its operating systems and achieving feature parity wherever possible. It's easy to rule out that someone in Apple's marketing team forgot to press the publish button. Everything is a calculated move when it comes to a company like Apple. Putting Apple Intelligence left, right, and center hints that the OS itself is no longer the product anymore. It's Siri, not Pepsi Time and again, various Apple products have been compared to unrelated things and turned into meme material. You might have heard about the "cheese grater" Mac Pro or the "trash can" Mac Pro, to name a few. It's Siri's turn this time. The upgraded AI assistant got a fresh logo, and people have started comparing it with Pepsi. There are other contenders, such as the Sony Ericsson logo and the Yin and Yang symbol. Shot on iPhone. Edited on Mac Image: Apple Apple has been putting the iPhone's camera muscles to the test on various occasions. Even NASA astronauts took it to Space earlier this year and captured some out-of-this-world photos. Recently, Apple TV streamed the first major live sporting event shot entirely on iPhone 17 Pro: an MLS match featuring the LA Galaxy vs. the Houston Dynamo FC. The 'Pro' iPhone has also been used to shoot Apple events in recent years. It's "Scary Fast" Mac event in 2023 was among the earliest attempts, and the tradition trickled down to the WWDC 2026 keynote, which ended with the tag line "Shot on iPhone. Edited on Mac." It's unsurprising to see Apple flexing the camera capabilities of its Pro models, especially when it has been baking professional-grade features, including ProRes RAW and Genlock. Hints for the foldable Apple has been sitting on the foldable iPhone for so long. There is still confusion over when the company will make it official. A recent report said that the iPhone Fold might get delayed as Apple is struggling to perfect its hinge mechanism. But Apple has been dropping hints here and there. A developer dug into the iOS 27 beta code and found internal references about device folding states. As verified by Macworld, the code includes references to "foldState" and "angleDegrees" internal status values, which are apparently designed to tell apps if a device is folded and at what angle. As of now, no other Apple device uses these states. The publication also found internal code suggesting Apple has been testing a device with both Touch ID and Dynamic Island, a combo that doesn't exist today. Last event as Apple CEO Image: Apple Tim Cook's bond with Apple is now almost three decades old, having started in 1998 as the SVP of Worldwide Operations. Back in August 2011, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO months before his passing, and Cook took charge. Now, the baton has been passed to the hardware chief, John Ternus, who will take over the role on September 1. WWDC 2026 is the last major Apple Event for Tim Cook as CEO. We have seen so much during Cook's tenure over the years, much of which defines Apple as we know it today. From new hardware product lines like Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Silicon, to boosting Apple's services business with Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Pay, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Care One, and more. That said, the first developer betas for Apple's latest operating systems are now available. You can check if your device is supported on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, and other platforms. What's your favorite feature that Apple announced this year at WWDC 2026? Tell us in the comments.
    • EA Sports UFC 6 review: Brutal, satisfying, and surprisingly accessible to newcomers

      By PSG1 · Posted

      Trailer park trash “sport “, fits the current White House
    • EA Sports UFC 6 review: Brutal, satisfying, and surprisingly accessible to newcomers

      By +pmrd · Posted

      Is there a White House level? lol

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      ssd21345 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Contributor
      MarkHughes4096 went up a rank
      Contributor
    • Dedicated
      jordanspringer earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Rookie
      Rimplesnort went up a rank
      Rookie
    • One Year In
      Markus94287 earned a badge
      One Year In

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      486
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      172
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      138
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      94
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      79
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!