It's been another week of wild AI memes that included dog-to-people creations and even ChatGPT figuring out where you were based only on a photo. It's almost enough to make you forget that AI is for work, too. We tried it as a powerful research assistant and all the while appreciated just how polite our AI chatbots can be (who knew they spent money making them that way?).
We also learned the shocking limits of Apple Intelligence when it comes to photo cleanup, at least compared to what Samsung Galaxy AI provides. Perhaps that will change when Apple finally releases the full version of Apple Intelligence, which now might not be until iOS 19.
Even in the world of Windows, AI nudges its way into almost every new PC in the form of Copilot. This, and other Microsoft-intrusive Windows activities, has really gotten under the skin of Computing Editor Christian Guyton. He has some harsh words for the company currently celebrating its 50th birthday.
Speaking of birthdays, next week marks 10 years of Apple Watch, a wearable that arguably changed the market, and definitely changed my life.
Sometimes things change slowly or not at all, and I'm beginning to wonder about the folding phone space. Oppo, which made one of the best options, is pausing its flexy phone plans. I have to wonder if that's a larger and more worrisome sign for the segment.
In the world of entertainment, get set for a Millennium cargo bay worth's of Star Wars news from Celebration, which just kicked off in Japan. Also, I suggest you use this weekend to catch up on the return of The Last of Us. Season 2 episode 1 was so good, and you’ll want to be ready for episode 2, which promises to be very intense. For those celebrating holidays, enjoy, and we'll see you next week.
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The week in Computing
Microsoft could be digging its own grave (Anna Kucherova / Shutterstock / Microsoft)
Microsoft's incessant push to get everyone to upgrade to Windows 11 is starting to wear very thin – and at the moment, Apple's approach to OS updates is the much better one.
ChatGPT is now on another level in terms of its underlying AI, with developer OpenAI rolling out new o3 and o4-mini models that are faster and smarter than ever.
Both Samsung and Apple offer on-board AI editing on their smartphones, but as our series of tests shows, there's a clear winner when it comes to removing objects from images.
The first Apple Watch landed on wrists in March 2015, and our own Lance Ulanoff looks back on how a decade of wearing the smartwatch has changed many of his daily habits.
There's lots to enjoy on the biggest streaming services this weekend, from the unsettling and absorbing Companion on Max to the Texas charm of Ransom Canyon on Netflix.
