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Image: X / Belle Delphine

Belle Delphine, the woman who went viral in 2019 for selling jars of her bathwater, revealed earlier this month that the stunt earned her $90K in profits. In a thread on X, the adult content creator and model also explained that because of PayPal, the payment processing system she used for the sale, she never saw a dime of that money.
“PayPal, without any warning closed my PayPal account and took the $90,000 that I earned from selling my bathwater,” Belle Delphine wrote.

Image: X / Belle Delphine

Now, according to a report from Business Insider, PayPal has reversed this decision, with the company returning to Belle Delphine all the proceeds from the bathwater bonanza five years later.
Mary-Belle Kirschner, known as Belle Delphine, is a content creator known for trolling her large fan base. In 2019, she announced that she would sell her bathwater to her “thirsty gamer boy fans” creating an instant viral sensation. The stunt spawned a flurry of articles, with some wondering who would buy such a thing and why, while others praised her business acumen by providing a product people were eager to pay for. But according to Kirschner, instead of earning $90,000 in profit, she took a loss.
“Not only did I not earn any money selling my bathwater, I in fact lost money doing it,” she wrote on X.
According to PayPal’s current terms of service, the payment processor allows “U.S.-only transactions for certain sexually oriented physical goods that are physically delivered to the customer” — which bathwater would ostensibly fall under. But Kirschner wrote that she apparently violated PayPal’s policies regardless and that each sale was counted as an individual violation worth a $2,500 fine. She also explained that the money wasn’t returned to her customers and that she shipped the product anyway, costing her $11 a jar to ship to the United States.
A spokesperson for PayPal said to Business Insider that it ended its $2,500 fine policy a year ago, but according to Kirschner, the money wasn’t returned until after she posted about it earlier this month.
“Which is so shitty because what are all the normal non-social media users meant to do in this situation?” she said to Business Insider. “I followed all the normal protocols and was roadblocked and gave up.”

Image: X / Belle Delphine

Belle Delphine, the woman who went viral in 2019 for selling jars of her bathwater, revealed earlier this month that the stunt earned her $90K in profits. In a thread on X, the adult content creator and model also explained that because of PayPal, the payment processing system she used for the sale, she never saw a dime of that money.

“PayPal, without any warning closed my PayPal account and took the $90,000 that I earned from selling my bathwater,” Belle Delphine wrote.

Image: X / Belle Delphine

Now, according to a report from Business Insider, PayPal has reversed this decision, with the company returning to Belle Delphine all the proceeds from the bathwater bonanza five years later.

Mary-Belle Kirschner, known as Belle Delphine, is a content creator known for trolling her large fan base. In 2019, she announced that she would sell her bathwater to her “thirsty gamer boy fans” creating an instant viral sensation. The stunt spawned a flurry of articles, with some wondering who would buy such a thing and why, while others praised her business acumen by providing a product people were eager to pay for. But according to Kirschner, instead of earning $90,000 in profit, she took a loss.

“Not only did I not earn any money selling my bathwater, I in fact lost money doing it,” she wrote on X.

According to PayPal’s current terms of service, the payment processor allows “U.S.-only transactions for certain sexually oriented physical goods that are physically delivered to the customer” — which bathwater would ostensibly fall under. But Kirschner wrote that she apparently violated PayPal’s policies regardless and that each sale was counted as an individual violation worth a $2,500 fine. She also explained that the money wasn’t returned to her customers and that she shipped the product anyway, costing her $11 a jar to ship to the United States.

A spokesperson for PayPal said to Business Insider that it ended its $2,500 fine policy a year ago, but according to Kirschner, the money wasn’t returned until after she posted about it earlier this month.

“Which is so shitty because what are all the normal non-social media users meant to do in this situation?” she said to Business Insider. “I followed all the normal protocols and was roadblocked and gave up.”

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Disclosure is part of a good privacy policy. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Earlier today, Apple issued a fix in iOS and iPadOS 17.5.1. Patching buggy software is a good, normal thing. But that’s not the issue here. The issue is that the fix “addresses a rare issue where photos that experienced database corruption could reappear in the Photos library even if they were deleted” — and that’s all Apple has to say about it.
On iOS, deleted photos technically spend 30 days in the Recently Deleted folder before disappearing for good, but the intent to send a photo to digital oblivion is still there. A reasonable person would expect a deleted file to stay that way. That’s why it’s understandable that people freaked out last week when photos deleted years ago had suddenly reappeared in their iPhone photo library.

Screenshot: iPadOS
What exactly does a corrupted database entail?

This is obviously a privacy concern. It raises valid questions as to how Apple stores photo data and whether iPhone owners can truly trust that their deleted data is actually deleted. The Verge has reached out to Apple multiple times to comment publicly on the matter but has yet to receive a response. Doing so would at least shed light on why this bug happened, what’s been done to fix it, and what it’s doing to ensure that this won’t happen again. However, Apple has yet to respond.
What’s troubling is that, so long as Apple remains silent, we have no idea of how far this bug goes. Some iPhone owners have reported the same thing happening with deleted voicemails. Did the bug only impact people who use iCloud photo backups? Another post claimed that old photos appeared on an iPad that was sold to another person. All today’s fix confirms that this bug did exist, it was a problem, and it had something to do with database corruption. And by ignoring requests to comment publicly on the matter, it doesn’t impart confidence that this won’t happen again.

Sure, you could push your glasses up your nose and say, “Well actually, no file is ever really deleted until it’s overwritten…” And while that is true, a reasonable customer would expect that when Apple says a deleted file is permanently deleted, this sort of thing shouldn’t even be possible.
Mistakes and goofs happen. Cybersecurity researchers find bugs and vulnerabilities all the time. Often, they report the issues to the companies involved before they can be exploited and only divulge the weaknesses after they’ve been fixed. It’d be reasonable if Apple wanted to wait until the bug was fixed to prevent bad actors from exploiting the situation. However, that doesn’t give them the pass to stay mum on the issue forever.
If anything, Apple ought to comment simply because it markets itself as a company that cares about your privacy. It’s spent countless WWDC keynotes talking about software updates to keep your data encrypted so that not even Apple knows what’s going on on your phone. That you can trust its services because privacy is a fundamental, core tenet of its philosophy. Responsible disclosure and transparency are the hallmarks of a company that truly believes in protecting your privacy. Brushing things under the rug? Not so much.

Disclosure is part of a good privacy policy. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Earlier today, Apple issued a fix in iOS and iPadOS 17.5.1. Patching buggy software is a good, normal thing. But that’s not the issue here. The issue is that the fix “addresses a rare issue where photos that experienced database corruption could reappear in the Photos library even if they were deleted” — and that’s all Apple has to say about it.

On iOS, deleted photos technically spend 30 days in the Recently Deleted folder before disappearing for good, but the intent to send a photo to digital oblivion is still there. A reasonable person would expect a deleted file to stay that way. That’s why it’s understandable that people freaked out last week when photos deleted years ago had suddenly reappeared in their iPhone photo library.

Screenshot: iPadOS
What exactly does a corrupted database entail?

This is obviously a privacy concern. It raises valid questions as to how Apple stores photo data and whether iPhone owners can truly trust that their deleted data is actually deleted. The Verge has reached out to Apple multiple times to comment publicly on the matter but has yet to receive a response. Doing so would at least shed light on why this bug happened, what’s been done to fix it, and what it’s doing to ensure that this won’t happen again. However, Apple has yet to respond.

What’s troubling is that, so long as Apple remains silent, we have no idea of how far this bug goes. Some iPhone owners have reported the same thing happening with deleted voicemails. Did the bug only impact people who use iCloud photo backups? Another post claimed that old photos appeared on an iPad that was sold to another person. All today’s fix confirms that this bug did exist, it was a problem, and it had something to do with database corruption. And by ignoring requests to comment publicly on the matter, it doesn’t impart confidence that this won’t happen again.

Sure, you could push your glasses up your nose and say, “Well actually, no file is ever really deleted until it’s overwritten…” And while that is true, a reasonable customer would expect that when Apple says a deleted file is permanently deleted, this sort of thing shouldn’t even be possible.

Mistakes and goofs happen. Cybersecurity researchers find bugs and vulnerabilities all the time. Often, they report the issues to the companies involved before they can be exploited and only divulge the weaknesses after they’ve been fixed. It’d be reasonable if Apple wanted to wait until the bug was fixed to prevent bad actors from exploiting the situation. However, that doesn’t give them the pass to stay mum on the issue forever.

If anything, Apple ought to comment simply because it markets itself as a company that cares about your privacy. It’s spent countless WWDC keynotes talking about software updates to keep your data encrypted so that not even Apple knows what’s going on on your phone. That you can trust its services because privacy is a fundamental, core tenet of its philosophy. Responsible disclosure and transparency are the hallmarks of a company that truly believes in protecting your privacy. Brushing things under the rug? Not so much.

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Image: OpenAI

OpenAI says it has been in touch with representatives for Scarlett Johansson after the company pulled one of the voices on ChatGPT for sounding too similar to the actress.
“We’ve been in conversations with ScarJo’s team because there seems to be some confusion. We want to take the feedback seriously and hear out the concerns,” says Joanne Jang, model behavior lead at OpenAI.
OpenAI pulled Sky, one of the default voices on ChatGPT, after it made headlines last week for sounding just like Johansson in her role as an intelligent voice assistant in the movie Her. OpenAI CTO Mira Murati told The Verge in an interview last week that the company did not intend to mimic Johansson’s sultry AI assistant. The Verge has reached out to Johansson’s team for comment.
Jang, who is part of the team that casts actors to provide voices to the chatbot, says that people may be hearing similarities between Johansson’s character and OpenAI’s voice because there are few examples of convincing female voice assistants around. Other voice assistants, like Siri and Alexa, “still sound robotic,” Jang says.
ChatGPT has had voices since last year, but Sky’s voice did not gain prominence until last week when the company made voice assistants more expressive through its GPT-4o model. Jang says users can prompt their chosen voice to have a personality, so Sky or any of the other voices on ChatGPT can be peppy, more measured, or even sad, depending on the user and the personality they most connect with.
“We want users to feel at ease,” Jang says, and customization is important to making the experience feel natural to users. “We know they want a product that [doesn’t make users] have to pretend to be someone else.”

Image: OpenAI

OpenAI says it has been in touch with representatives for Scarlett Johansson after the company pulled one of the voices on ChatGPT for sounding too similar to the actress.

“We’ve been in conversations with ScarJo’s team because there seems to be some confusion. We want to take the feedback seriously and hear out the concerns,” says Joanne Jang, model behavior lead at OpenAI.

OpenAI pulled Sky, one of the default voices on ChatGPT, after it made headlines last week for sounding just like Johansson in her role as an intelligent voice assistant in the movie Her. OpenAI CTO Mira Murati told The Verge in an interview last week that the company did not intend to mimic Johansson’s sultry AI assistant. The Verge has reached out to Johansson’s team for comment.

Jang, who is part of the team that casts actors to provide voices to the chatbot, says that people may be hearing similarities between Johansson’s character and OpenAI’s voice because there are few examples of convincing female voice assistants around. Other voice assistants, like Siri and Alexa, “still sound robotic,” Jang says.

ChatGPT has had voices since last year, but Sky’s voice did not gain prominence until last week when the company made voice assistants more expressive through its GPT-4o model. Jang says users can prompt their chosen voice to have a personality, so Sky or any of the other voices on ChatGPT can be peppy, more measured, or even sad, depending on the user and the personality they most connect with.

“We want users to feel at ease,” Jang says, and customization is important to making the experience feel natural to users. “We know they want a product that [doesn’t make users] have to pretend to be someone else.”

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Image: Intel

Intel has revealed a release window for its Lunar Lake laptop processors. The new x86 chips will arrive in the third quarter of this year, and they’re designed to enable the new AI experience in Copilot Plus PCs.
Intel’s announcement coincides with Microsoft’s Surface and AI event, where Microsoft leaned on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips for Copilot Plus PCs that promise high performance and longer battery life. However, Intel claims its Lunar Lake processors are capable of 1.4 times faster performance in Stable Diffusion 1.5 compared to the Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite.

The Lunar Lake chips will feature a CPU, an integrated Xe2 GPU, and a neural processing unit (NPU). Intel says the Lunar Lake processor offers three times the AI performance compared to its Meteor Lake predecessor. That’s because its NPU is capable of performing over 40 tera operations per second (TOPS) — a far cry from the 10 NPU TOPS offered with the Meteor Lake chips included in a range of AI PCs that are already available.
Intel plans on bringing its Lunar Lake chip to over 80 new laptop designs from over 20 laptop manufacturers, with the goal of shipping 40 million AI PC processors by the end of this year.
We’ll certainly hear more about Lunar Lake and where it stands in the AI PC battleground next to AMD’s Zen 5 and Qualcomm’s Oryon during Computex next month and the Hot Chips conference in August.

Image: Intel

Intel has revealed a release window for its Lunar Lake laptop processors. The new x86 chips will arrive in the third quarter of this year, and they’re designed to enable the new AI experience in Copilot Plus PCs.

Intel’s announcement coincides with Microsoft’s Surface and AI event, where Microsoft leaned on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips for Copilot Plus PCs that promise high performance and longer battery life. However, Intel claims its Lunar Lake processors are capable of 1.4 times faster performance in Stable Diffusion 1.5 compared to the Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite.

The Lunar Lake chips will feature a CPU, an integrated Xe2 GPU, and a neural processing unit (NPU). Intel says the Lunar Lake processor offers three times the AI performance compared to its Meteor Lake predecessor. That’s because its NPU is capable of performing over 40 tera operations per second (TOPS) — a far cry from the 10 NPU TOPS offered with the Meteor Lake chips included in a range of AI PCs that are already available.

Intel plans on bringing its Lunar Lake chip to over 80 new laptop designs from over 20 laptop manufacturers, with the goal of shipping 40 million AI PC processors by the end of this year.

We’ll certainly hear more about Lunar Lake and where it stands in the AI PC battleground next to AMD’s Zen 5 and Qualcomm’s Oryon during Computex next month and the Hot Chips conference in August.

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The Copilot Plus PCs announced during Microsoft’s Surface event. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

In addition to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, Microsoft announced a crop of Copilot Plus PCs from all the major OEMs. Here are all the Copilot Plus PCs announced at Microsoft’s Surface event on Monday.
Acer Swift 14 AI
Not to be confused with the other Swift 14 laptops with AI chips, the Swift 14 AI is the only one with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processor. This one comes with either the base 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip or the 10-core X Plus chip and goes up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of M.2 SSD storage.
Asus Vivobook S 15
Asus is starting its Copilot PC adventure with its Vivobook S 15. It will have two Qualcomm processor options — the base 12-core Snapdragon X Elite and 10-core Snapdragon X Plus — and both options will support 32GB onboard memory and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Image: Dell
The Dell Latitude 7455

Dell XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude
Dell is releasing five Copilot Plus PCs with Snapdragon this year, starting with the XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus (7441). The XPS will be configured with a midtier Snapdragon X Elite chip and up to 64GB of memory and 2TB of PCIe SSD storage and will have three display options: two IPS, one touch-enabled; and one OLED that’s also a touchscreen. The OLED will have the highest resolution — but lowest refresh rate — out of the display options.
Meanwhile, the Inspiron will have the Snapdragon X Plus, support up to 32GB of memory and up to 1TB of M.2 2230 SSD storage, and only one display option, an IPS touchscreen. The Dell Latitude 7455 will have both Snapdragon X Elite and Plus options with support for up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of M.2 2230 SSD storage.
HP OmniBook and EliteBook Ultra
Along with HP’s ProBook, its OmniBook and Elitebook have replaced its now-former Envy, Pavilion, and Dragonfly series in a huge renaming effort to clean up and organize HP’s laptop portfolio. The Omibooks will be the consumer-focused devices, while the Elitebooks will be commercial, or business-focused.
HP will start shipping its new OmniBook X AI and EliteBook Ultra AI next month, and their configurations will include a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor. The Elitebook only goes up to 16 GB of memory, but the OmniBook can handle up to 32GB.
Lenovo Yoga Slim and ThinkPad
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14 and ThinkPad 14s will come with Snapdragon X Elite processors. The Yoga Slim will be the cheaper of the two due to the lack of Enterprise features that come with the business-oriented ThinkPad. Both will have OLED displays, but the ThinkPad will support up to 64GB of memory, while the Yoga Slim will support up to only 32GB.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Microsoft Surface Laptop

Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Laptop 6
The first Microsoft device to get its own Copilot Plus treatment is the Surface Pro. You’ll be able to get it with either the Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus processor, optional 5G connectivity, and either an IPS or OLED display.
There’s also the Surface Laptop 6, which also comes with either the Elite or Plus Snapdragon chips, and up to 64GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge
Samsung’s first three Copilot Plus PCs are all under the name Galaxy Book4 Edge. There’s one 14-inch model and two 16-inch models, all with Snapdragon X Elite processors, 2880 x 1800 AMOLED touchscreens, and 16GB of RAM.
All of these PCs are available for preorder now and will start shipping on June 18th.

The Copilot Plus PCs announced during Microsoft’s Surface event. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

In addition to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, Microsoft announced a crop of Copilot Plus PCs from all the major OEMs. Here are all the Copilot Plus PCs announced at Microsoft’s Surface event on Monday.

Acer Swift 14 AI

Not to be confused with the other Swift 14 laptops with AI chips, the Swift 14 AI is the only one with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processor. This one comes with either the base 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip or the 10-core X Plus chip and goes up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of M.2 SSD storage.

Asus Vivobook S 15

Asus is starting its Copilot PC adventure with its Vivobook S 15. It will have two Qualcomm processor options — the base 12-core Snapdragon X Elite and 10-core Snapdragon X Plus — and both options will support 32GB onboard memory and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Image: Dell
The Dell Latitude 7455

Dell XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude

Dell is releasing five Copilot Plus PCs with Snapdragon this year, starting with the XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus (7441). The XPS will be configured with a midtier Snapdragon X Elite chip and up to 64GB of memory and 2TB of PCIe SSD storage and will have three display options: two IPS, one touch-enabled; and one OLED that’s also a touchscreen. The OLED will have the highest resolution — but lowest refresh rate — out of the display options.

Meanwhile, the Inspiron will have the Snapdragon X Plus, support up to 32GB of memory and up to 1TB of M.2 2230 SSD storage, and only one display option, an IPS touchscreen. The Dell Latitude 7455 will have both Snapdragon X Elite and Plus options with support for up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of M.2 2230 SSD storage.

HP OmniBook and EliteBook Ultra

Along with HP’s ProBook, its OmniBook and Elitebook have replaced its now-former Envy, Pavilion, and Dragonfly series in a huge renaming effort to clean up and organize HP’s laptop portfolio. The Omibooks will be the consumer-focused devices, while the Elitebooks will be commercial, or business-focused.

HP will start shipping its new OmniBook X AI and EliteBook Ultra AI next month, and their configurations will include a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor. The Elitebook only goes up to 16 GB of memory, but the OmniBook can handle up to 32GB.

Lenovo Yoga Slim and ThinkPad

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14 and ThinkPad 14s will come with Snapdragon X Elite processors. The Yoga Slim will be the cheaper of the two due to the lack of Enterprise features that come with the business-oriented ThinkPad. Both will have OLED displays, but the ThinkPad will support up to 64GB of memory, while the Yoga Slim will support up to only 32GB.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Microsoft Surface Laptop

Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Laptop 6

The first Microsoft device to get its own Copilot Plus treatment is the Surface Pro. You’ll be able to get it with either the Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus processor, optional 5G connectivity, and either an IPS or OLED display.

There’s also the Surface Laptop 6, which also comes with either the Elite or Plus Snapdragon chips, and up to 64GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge

Samsung’s first three Copilot Plus PCs are all under the name Galaxy Book4 Edge. There’s one 14-inch model and two 16-inch models, all with Snapdragon X Elite processors, 2880 x 1800 AMOLED touchscreens, and 16GB of RAM.

All of these PCs are available for preorder now and will start shipping on June 18th.

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Image: Samsung

Microsoft announced a whole passel of Copilot Plus PCs at its Surface event on Monday, and Samsung’s entries are a 14-inch laptop and two 16-inch ones, known collectively as the Galaxy Book4 Edge. If you preorder them today, Samsung will throw in a free 50-inch TV! Come on down!
The 14-inch Galaxy Book4 Edge starts at $1,349.99 with a 12-core 3.4GHz Snapdragon X Elite processor with 4.0GHz Dual Core Boost, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD (up to 1TB). It has a 14-inch, 120Hz 2880 x 1800 AMOLED touchscreen capable of up to 500 nits brightness, with HDR and VRR and 120 percent of the P3 gamut. It has two USB 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, and a combo audio jack. It weighs 2.6 pounds.

Image: Samsung
That’s pan-Galactic synergy, is what that is.

The 16-inch model comes in two versions: one with the highest-end Snapdragon X Elite processor (with a boost up to 4.2GHz) and 1TB of storage, for $1,749.99, and one with the same processor as the 14-inch and 512GB of storage for $1,449.99. They share the same display specs as the 14-inch, just, you know, bigger. In addition to two USB 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, and combo audio, the 16-inchers each come with a USB 3.2 Type-A port and a microSD card slot. Both weigh 3.4 pounds.
According to the specs on Samsung’s press release, all three cap out at 16GB of RAM, which is the minimum for a Copilot Plus PC and feels just a little paltry. They do include Samsung’s Knox secure enclave and a bunch of features that let them share data with Samsung’s Galaxy Phones. Synergy!
You should be able to preorder all three starting May 20th. As mentioned above, Samsung’s throwing in a free budget 50-inch TV — which usually runs a cool $379 — with preorders while supplies last.

Image: Samsung

Microsoft announced a whole passel of Copilot Plus PCs at its Surface event on Monday, and Samsung’s entries are a 14-inch laptop and two 16-inch ones, known collectively as the Galaxy Book4 Edge. If you preorder them today, Samsung will throw in a free 50-inch TV! Come on down!

The 14-inch Galaxy Book4 Edge starts at $1,349.99 with a 12-core 3.4GHz Snapdragon X Elite processor with 4.0GHz Dual Core Boost, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD (up to 1TB). It has a 14-inch, 120Hz 2880 x 1800 AMOLED touchscreen capable of up to 500 nits brightness, with HDR and VRR and 120 percent of the P3 gamut. It has two USB 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, and a combo audio jack. It weighs 2.6 pounds.

Image: Samsung
That’s pan-Galactic synergy, is what that is.

The 16-inch model comes in two versions: one with the highest-end Snapdragon X Elite processor (with a boost up to 4.2GHz) and 1TB of storage, for $1,749.99, and one with the same processor as the 14-inch and 512GB of storage for $1,449.99. They share the same display specs as the 14-inch, just, you know, bigger. In addition to two USB 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, and combo audio, the 16-inchers each come with a USB 3.2 Type-A port and a microSD card slot. Both weigh 3.4 pounds.

According to the specs on Samsung’s press release, all three cap out at 16GB of RAM, which is the minimum for a Copilot Plus PC and feels just a little paltry. They do include Samsung’s Knox secure enclave and a bunch of features that let them share data with Samsung’s Galaxy Phones. Synergy!

You should be able to preorder all three starting May 20th. As mentioned above, Samsung’s throwing in a free budget 50-inch TV — which usually runs a cool $379 — with preorders while supplies last.

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Microsoft’s 13.8-inch Surface Laptop starts at a cool $999.99. | Image: Microsoft

It feels like forever ago that we got new Surface laptops, but Microsoft has taken the wraps off a handful of 2024 refreshes at its hardware event on Monday. We’re getting consumer-centric versions of the newest Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, both starting at $999.99 and launching June 18th. Microsoft calls the Copilot Plus PCs “the most powerful Windows PCs ever built.” They’ll be first in line to benefit from Windows 11’s next-gen AI features, which we expect to hear about during Microsoft’s annual Build conference this week.

Microsoft announced business-oriented versions of both laptops in March, each sporting an Intel Core Ultra CPU. The consumer versions come with Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X chipsets, which have a dedicated AI processing unit and are said to balance performance and power efficiency in a way that should help them rival Apple’s M-series chips. They also boast the new dedicated Copilot key.
We’re set to get both 13.8-inch and 15-inch variants of the Surface Laptop, which is the traditional clamshell and clearly built to take aim at Apple’s MacBook lineup. The hybridized tablet / laptop Surface Pro, meanwhile, still only comes in one 13-inch configuration that is largely similar to the Surface Pro 9 from a build perspective but is meant to be paired with the improved Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. We’ve dropped more details below, including where and how you can preorder the new devices.
Where to preorder the Microsoft Surface Laptop
Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop comes in 13.8-inch and 15-inch sizes, but aside from the display differences, they’re mostly identical. The most notable changes from the Surface Laptop 5 include shrunken bezels, an upgraded 1080p webcam, and a haptic trackpad. That said, the 13.8-inch model only comes with a single Thunderbolt 4 port, while the 15-inch version features a pair in addition to a USB-A port. Both have a Surface Connect port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
As for availability, you can preorder the base 13.8-inch model from the Microsoft Store ahead of June 18th with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD starting at $999.99. You can also grab it with 512GB and 1TB storage for $1,199.99 and $1,399.99, respectively, or with a Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage starting at $1,399.99. It’s currently available in blue, beige, black, and platinum color options.
The 15-inch Surface Laptop, meanwhile, is only available with a Snapdragon X Elite chip and the same starting memory configuration of 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage starting at $1,299.99. You can step all the way up to 64GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $2,499.99. For now, it seems, you can only get it in black and platinum.

Where to preorder the Microsoft Surface Pro
It’ll take more than a quick glance to notice the differences between the new Surface Pro and its predecessor. The machines are largely the same build-wise, but the new Snapdragon X Elite inside should make a world of difference for the overall user experience. You can also now upgrade the 13-inch display to an OLED option and, later this summer, opt for a version with 5G connectivity.
Of course, the detachable keyboard reprises its role — now known as the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, it’s usable whether or not you have it attached to the 2-in-1. The optional $349.99 attachment features the new Copilot key and a sturdier carbon fiber build with a bigger trackpad and the option to get a bolder typeface on the keys. There’s also room to store and charge the optional Slim Pen, which you can buy separately for $129.99 or bundled with a Flex Keyboard for $449.98.
Like the new Surface Laptop, the 2024 Surface Pro launches on June 18th. Right now, you can preorder it directly from Microsoft in its base configuration with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, an LCD display, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $999.99. If you want more storage, you can upgrade to a 512GB SSD for $1,199.
The Surface Pro is also available for preorder with a Snapdragon X Elite chip starting at $1,499.99, which will get you the aforementioned OLED display, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Your upgrade options go up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $2,099.99. The new Surface Pro is currently available in blue, beige, black, and platinum.

Microsoft’s 13.8-inch Surface Laptop starts at a cool $999.99. | Image: Microsoft

It feels like forever ago that we got new Surface laptops, but Microsoft has taken the wraps off a handful of 2024 refreshes at its hardware event on Monday. We’re getting consumer-centric versions of the newest Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, both starting at $999.99 and launching June 18th. Microsoft calls the Copilot Plus PCs “the most powerful Windows PCs ever built.” They’ll be first in line to benefit from Windows 11’s next-gen AI features, which we expect to hear about during Microsoft’s annual Build conference this week.

Microsoft announced business-oriented versions of both laptops in March, each sporting an Intel Core Ultra CPU. The consumer versions come with Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X chipsets, which have a dedicated AI processing unit and are said to balance performance and power efficiency in a way that should help them rival Apple’s M-series chips. They also boast the new dedicated Copilot key.

We’re set to get both 13.8-inch and 15-inch variants of the Surface Laptop, which is the traditional clamshell and clearly built to take aim at Apple’s MacBook lineup. The hybridized tablet / laptop Surface Pro, meanwhile, still only comes in one 13-inch configuration that is largely similar to the Surface Pro 9 from a build perspective but is meant to be paired with the improved Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. We’ve dropped more details below, including where and how you can preorder the new devices.

Where to preorder the Microsoft Surface Laptop

Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop comes in 13.8-inch and 15-inch sizes, but aside from the display differences, they’re mostly identical. The most notable changes from the Surface Laptop 5 include shrunken bezels, an upgraded 1080p webcam, and a haptic trackpad. That said, the 13.8-inch model only comes with a single Thunderbolt 4 port, while the 15-inch version features a pair in addition to a USB-A port. Both have a Surface Connect port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

As for availability, you can preorder the base 13.8-inch model from the Microsoft Store ahead of June 18th with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD starting at $999.99. You can also grab it with 512GB and 1TB storage for $1,199.99 and $1,399.99, respectively, or with a Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage starting at $1,399.99. It’s currently available in blue, beige, black, and platinum color options.

The 15-inch Surface Laptop, meanwhile, is only available with a Snapdragon X Elite chip and the same starting memory configuration of 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage starting at $1,299.99. You can step all the way up to 64GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $2,499.99. For now, it seems, you can only get it in black and platinum.

Where to preorder the Microsoft Surface Pro

It’ll take more than a quick glance to notice the differences between the new Surface Pro and its predecessor. The machines are largely the same build-wise, but the new Snapdragon X Elite inside should make a world of difference for the overall user experience. You can also now upgrade the 13-inch display to an OLED option and, later this summer, opt for a version with 5G connectivity.

Of course, the detachable keyboard reprises its role — now known as the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, it’s usable whether or not you have it attached to the 2-in-1. The optional $349.99 attachment features the new Copilot key and a sturdier carbon fiber build with a bigger trackpad and the option to get a bolder typeface on the keys. There’s also room to store and charge the optional Slim Pen, which you can buy separately for $129.99 or bundled with a Flex Keyboard for $449.98.

Like the new Surface Laptop, the 2024 Surface Pro launches on June 18th. Right now, you can preorder it directly from Microsoft in its base configuration with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, an LCD display, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $999.99. If you want more storage, you can upgrade to a 512GB SSD for $1,199.

The Surface Pro is also available for preorder with a Snapdragon X Elite chip starting at $1,499.99, which will get you the aforementioned OLED display, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Your upgrade options go up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $2,099.99. The new Surface Pro is currently available in blue, beige, black, and platinum.

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Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air currently starts at just $949.99. | Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Chris Welch

Apple’s new iPad Air and iPad Pro are impressive, but personally, I prefer laptops with built-in trackpads and keyboards for getting work done. If you feel the same way, the new M3-powered MacBook Air is our top pick for most people, and right now, you can buy the 13-inch base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for an all-time low of $949.99 ($150 off) at Amazon. If you want a few extra years of service, you can also buy the higher-specced model at Amazon with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM for $1,349.99 ($150 off) when you clip the on-page coupon.

Thanks to Apple’s newer M3 chips, the 13-inch Air offers even better performance than its fantastic predecessor. It comes with a few minor upgrades that make it easier to use, too, including Wi-Fi 6E support as well as faster download and storage speeds. Most notably, though, it’s better for multitasking, as the laptop can now power two external displays as opposed to one when the lid is closed. Other than that, though, Apple’s latest entry-level laptop is similar to the M2 Air, with long battery life and solid port selection options that include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm input, and a MagSafe charging port.

Read our MacBook Air M3 review.

A few more deals worth your time

In honor of National Streaming Day, DirecTV Stream is offering new subscribers discounts to multiple streaming packages through May 21st. Prices start at $49.99 ($30 off) a month for the first three months of the Entertainment plan, which grants access to ESPN, CNN, Paramount Plus, and more than 90 other channels. Other discounted packages — including the Choice ($69.99), Ultimate ($89.99), and Premier ($134.99) tiers — offer up to 185 channels, including more regional sports networks and even subscriptions to streaming services like Max.

Amazon and Best Buy are both selling the latest Echo Show 8 for $94.99 ($55 off), which is only $5 more than its all-time low. Much like the prior model, the eight-inch Show 8 remains an excellent smart display for streaming and video calling, one that offers superior sound and supports up to four widgets at a time. Plus, you can use the smart display to control almost any smart home device, as it now functions as a Matter controller, a Zigbee hub, and a Thread border router. Read our review.

Anker’s 511 Charger is on sale at Amazon and Walmart starting at $13.95, which matches its all-time low. The 30W USB-C charger is tiny enough to carry on the go and can quickly juice a wide range of electronics, from smartphones and earbuds to handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch.

Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air currently starts at just $949.99. | Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Chris Welch

Apple’s new iPad Air and iPad Pro are impressive, but personally, I prefer laptops with built-in trackpads and keyboards for getting work done. If you feel the same way, the new M3-powered MacBook Air is our top pick for most people, and right now, you can buy the 13-inch base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for an all-time low of $949.99 ($150 off) at Amazon. If you want a few extra years of service, you can also buy the higher-specced model at Amazon with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM for $1,349.99 ($150 off) when you clip the on-page coupon.

Thanks to Apple’s newer M3 chips, the 13-inch Air offers even better performance than its fantastic predecessor. It comes with a few minor upgrades that make it easier to use, too, including Wi-Fi 6E support as well as faster download and storage speeds. Most notably, though, it’s better for multitasking, as the laptop can now power two external displays as opposed to one when the lid is closed. Other than that, though, Apple’s latest entry-level laptop is similar to the M2 Air, with long battery life and solid port selection options that include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm input, and a MagSafe charging port.

Read our MacBook Air M3 review.

A few more deals worth your time

In honor of National Streaming Day, DirecTV Stream is offering new subscribers discounts to multiple streaming packages through May 21st. Prices start at $49.99 ($30 off) a month for the first three months of the Entertainment plan, which grants access to ESPN, CNN, Paramount Plus, and more than 90 other channels. Other discounted packages — including the Choice ($69.99), Ultimate ($89.99), and Premier ($134.99) tiers — offer up to 185 channels, including more regional sports networks and even subscriptions to streaming services like Max.

Amazon and Best Buy are both selling the latest Echo Show 8 for $94.99 ($55 off), which is only $5 more than its all-time low. Much like the prior model, the eight-inch Show 8 remains an excellent smart display for streaming and video calling, one that offers superior sound and supports up to four widgets at a time. Plus, you can use the smart display to control almost any smart home device, as it now functions as a Matter controller, a Zigbee hub, and a Thread border router. Read our review.

Anker’s 511 Charger is on sale at Amazon and Walmart starting at $13.95, which matches its all-time low. The 30W USB-C charger is tiny enough to carry on the go and can quickly juice a wide range of electronics, from smartphones and earbuds to handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch.

Read More 

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

The Surface Laptop for non-business types is here, and Microsoft hopes that after four years of Apple Silicon, its new Arm-based “AI PC” has a shot at MacBooks.
The sapphire and slightly pink dune color options are fetching in person, and the 13.8-inch screen size feels generous for the machine’s small footprint. I spent a few minutes playing around with the new Recall feature, which lets you search for things you were looking at on your computer — whether they were in an email, on a website, or in a slide deck. AI-powered search helps you find the right information and presents it in a kind of everything-timeline so you can (hopefully) find the info you’re after and see it in its context. Honestly, it looks like a super useful feature I could use, like, yesterday.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Recall is accessible via a shortcut in the lower right of the screen.

Announced at Microsoft’s Surface AI event today, the Surface Laptop 6 comes equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X Plus or Elite, a 10 (or 12)-core Arm chip that Microsoft believes will make Windows laptops competitive with Apple Silicon-powered, energy-efficient MacBooks. One way Qualcomm means to set the Snapdragon X apart is in its core makeup — the company says its chip is all performance cores. Apple and Intel both use a mix of lower-performing “efficiency” cores and performance cores to divvy up tasks and save battery.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Looking good in a cool blue.

The Surface Laptop 6 starts at a base 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and Snapdragon X Plus processor and can be configured all the way up to a Snapdragon X Elite processor, 64GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. It goes on sale June 18th starting at $999.99 (13.8-inch) or $1,199.99 (15-inch), with preorders starting today.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, and a headphone jack.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

The Surface Laptop for non-business types is here, and Microsoft hopes that after four years of Apple Silicon, its new Arm-based “AI PC” has a shot at MacBooks.

The sapphire and slightly pink dune color options are fetching in person, and the 13.8-inch screen size feels generous for the machine’s small footprint. I spent a few minutes playing around with the new Recall feature, which lets you search for things you were looking at on your computer — whether they were in an email, on a website, or in a slide deck. AI-powered search helps you find the right information and presents it in a kind of everything-timeline so you can (hopefully) find the info you’re after and see it in its context. Honestly, it looks like a super useful feature I could use, like, yesterday.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Recall is accessible via a shortcut in the lower right of the screen.

Announced at Microsoft’s Surface AI event today, the Surface Laptop 6 comes equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X Plus or Elite, a 10 (or 12)-core Arm chip that Microsoft believes will make Windows laptops competitive with Apple Silicon-powered, energy-efficient MacBooks. One way Qualcomm means to set the Snapdragon X apart is in its core makeup — the company says its chip is all performance cores. Apple and Intel both use a mix of lower-performing “efficiency” cores and performance cores to divvy up tasks and save battery.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Looking good in a cool blue.

The Surface Laptop 6 starts at a base 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and Snapdragon X Plus processor and can be configured all the way up to a Snapdragon X Elite processor, 64GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. It goes on sale June 18th starting at $999.99 (13.8-inch) or $1,199.99 (15-inch), with preorders starting today.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, and a headphone jack.

Read More 

Image: Allison Johnson

Microsoft just wrapped up its special event ahead of Build 2024, and it had a lot of exciting news to share. Along with updates to its Surface lineup, Microsoft made some major announcements related to AI and a new era of PCs in partnership with Lenovo, Asus, Dell, and others.
Microsoft didn’t livestream this event, so if you want to catch up with everything it revealed, check out our roundup below.
The launch of Copilot Plus PCs

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed how Microsoft is “bringing the AI wave to PCs,” and that involves a new category of computers called Copilot Plus. These devices come with the Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors from Qualcomm and will later feature Intel and AMD chips.
The chips have neural processing units (NPUs) designed to power new AI features in Windows 11. As a result, Microsoft says Copilot Plus PCs are 58 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Air. In addition to Microsoft’s new Surface devices, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Asus, and HP are launching Copilot Plus devices designed to support new AI features.
A new Recall feature keeps tabs on everything you do on your PC

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

One of the major AI features available within Copilot Plus PCs is Recall. The new tool runs locally on your device and logs everything you do on your computer, allowing you to search for and retrieve the content you’ve interacted with. That makes it possible to uncover a conversation you’ve had in apps like Discord, or even a specific PowerPoint slide you were working on.
New Copilot integrations within Windows 11

Image: Allison Johnson

Microsoft is bringing Copilot to more areas of Windows 11. The AI assistant will be able to provide suggestions within the Settings menu, edit files within File Explorer, or write responses to notifications you receive.
Copilot is also getting OpenAI’s new GPT-4o model, allowing the AI to answer questions based on what you see on your screen.
The Surface Pro gets a speed boost and an OLED display option

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro — sans model number — swaps out the last-gen’s Intel Core Ultra processor for Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips from Qualcomm. It’s up to 90 percent faster than the previous Surface Pro, and it comes with the option for an OLED display panel for the first time.
The 13-inch Surface Pro starts at $999.99 and is available in four colors, including blue, beige, black, and platinum. It’s compatible with a new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard that works when attached or detached from the device.
A Surface Laptop that’s “faster than a MacBook Air”

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft also announced the new Surface Laptop, which similarly offers the AI-ready Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips. The device features a refreshed design with thinner bezels and a haptic touchpad. Microsoft says the device is more than 80 percent faster than its previous generation and offers up to 22 hours of local video playback.
The Surface Laptop 6 comes in 13.8- and 15-inch display options, starting at $999.99. It also comes in blue, beige, black, and platinum.
Adobe, Davinci Resolve, Capcut, and more are coming to Copilot Plus PCs

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft is partnering with companies like Adobe to optimize their apps for Copilot Plus PCs. The native Arm64 versions of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Firefly, and Express will be available on Copilot Plus PCs today, while Illustrator and Premiere Pro will be available this summer. Copilot Plus PCs will also benefit from AI features within DaVinci Resolve, CapCut, Cephable, LiquidText, and Djay Pro.

Image: Allison Johnson

Microsoft just wrapped up its special event ahead of Build 2024, and it had a lot of exciting news to share. Along with updates to its Surface lineup, Microsoft made some major announcements related to AI and a new era of PCs in partnership with Lenovo, Asus, Dell, and others.

Microsoft didn’t livestream this event, so if you want to catch up with everything it revealed, check out our roundup below.

The launch of Copilot Plus PCs

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed how Microsoft is “bringing the AI wave to PCs,” and that involves a new category of computers called Copilot Plus. These devices come with the Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors from Qualcomm and will later feature Intel and AMD chips.

The chips have neural processing units (NPUs) designed to power new AI features in Windows 11. As a result, Microsoft says Copilot Plus PCs are 58 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Air. In addition to Microsoft’s new Surface devices, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Asus, and HP are launching Copilot Plus devices designed to support new AI features.

A new Recall feature keeps tabs on everything you do on your PC

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

One of the major AI features available within Copilot Plus PCs is Recall. The new tool runs locally on your device and logs everything you do on your computer, allowing you to search for and retrieve the content you’ve interacted with. That makes it possible to uncover a conversation you’ve had in apps like Discord, or even a specific PowerPoint slide you were working on.

New Copilot integrations within Windows 11

Image: Allison Johnson

Microsoft is bringing Copilot to more areas of Windows 11. The AI assistant will be able to provide suggestions within the Settings menu, edit files within File Explorer, or write responses to notifications you receive.

Copilot is also getting OpenAI’s new GPT-4o model, allowing the AI to answer questions based on what you see on your screen.

The Surface Pro gets a speed boost and an OLED display option

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro — sans model number — swaps out the last-gen’s Intel Core Ultra processor for Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips from Qualcomm. It’s up to 90 percent faster than the previous Surface Pro, and it comes with the option for an OLED display panel for the first time.

The 13-inch Surface Pro starts at $999.99 and is available in four colors, including blue, beige, black, and platinum. It’s compatible with a new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard that works when attached or detached from the device.

A Surface Laptop that’s “faster than a MacBook Air”

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft also announced the new Surface Laptop, which similarly offers the AI-ready Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips. The device features a refreshed design with thinner bezels and a haptic touchpad. Microsoft says the device is more than 80 percent faster than its previous generation and offers up to 22 hours of local video playback.

The Surface Laptop 6 comes in 13.8- and 15-inch display options, starting at $999.99. It also comes in blue, beige, black, and platinum.

Adobe, Davinci Resolve, Capcut, and more are coming to Copilot Plus PCs

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Microsoft is partnering with companies like Adobe to optimize their apps for Copilot Plus PCs. The native Arm64 versions of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Firefly, and Express will be available on Copilot Plus PCs today, while Illustrator and Premiere Pro will be available this summer. Copilot Plus PCs will also benefit from AI features within DaVinci Resolve, CapCut, Cephable, LiquidText, and Djay Pro.

Read More