PCs & laptops
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Education
BYO laptops led to gaming, porn, gambling in class, Shore School says
Shore has scrapped its BYO laptop policy and now charges parents for a school-supplied computer that limits what children can access and when it can be used.
- by Jordan Baker
Latest
Why you should buy a desktop PC in 2022
Laptops, smartphones and tablets may seem more convenient, but for home use a desktop PC is hard to beat.
- by Tim Biggs
Why the world is short on computer chips - and why it matters
Carmakers slash production. PlayStations are hard to find in stores. Broadband providers face long delays for internet routers. All of these phenomena had a similar cause: an abrupt and cascading shortage of semiconductors.
- by Debby Wu, Sohee Kim and Ian King
Analysis
Microsoft
Microsoft’s latest Surface strikes a better balance than M1 iPad Pro
Both devices are laptop-replacing tablets with mystifyingly sold-separate keyboards, but the Surface Pro 8 and iPad Pro are quite different.
- by Krishan Sharma
Opinion
Opinion
Apple may have just transformed the world of computers
For years, Intel was making muscle cars; Apple’s big innovation was to build the Tesla of computer chips.Â
- by Farhad Manjoo
Apple unveils new powerful MacBooks, less-expensive music subscription
The laptops are powered by a new version of Apple’s in-house M1 chip, continuing the company’s move away from Intel.
- by Tim Biggs
Analysis
Microsoft
Predictably, the Windows 11 interface is both better and worse
Windows’ first big overhaul in many years is full of refinements, but it also pushes you towards multitasking modes and Microsoft services you might not like.
- by Tim Biggs
Microsoft unveils powerful Surface laptops, another two-screen phone
The beefiest Surface ever joins a redesigned Surface Pro and second generation smartphone as Microsoft prepares Windows 11.
- by Tim Biggs
Pocketable PCs hold their own for work and play
The upcoming Panetera Pico PC, and others like it, sit somewhere between a desktop and a laptop but come in at much lower prices.
- by Tim Biggs
‘Right to repair’: New ratings could help you fix your phone rather than chuck it
Smartphones and laptops are often more expensive to repair than they are to replace with new models, but experts say there could be an easy fix.
- by Tim Biggs
Some Android tablets are true iPad competitors, if you can find them
Big screen devices running Google’s software are very hard to come by in Australia. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not worth a look.
- by Tim Biggs