Windows 7 Users Now Being Warned of the Impending End of Security Updates

Microsoft has been pushing legacy Windows users to upgrade to Windows 10 through a number of incentives, including free upgrades. But for a number of reasons, there are still many PC users who are not making the jump. The number is big enough for Microsoft to push a patch on Windows 7 warning users of the January 14, 2020 deadline for rolling out software fixes and security patches on the now 10-year-old operating system.

Windows 7 is present on nearly as many desktops as Windows 10, which makes it understandably essential for Microsoft that these users have a smooth path forward. We had earlier reported that the nagging notification to upgrade to Windows 10 would start soon for Windows 7 users, and surely enough, the notifications have commenced with the new patch.

Though the notification presents a deadline of January 14, 2020, enterprise users have the option to pay for security updates till 2023. For others, a lack of security updates could put their essential data and private information at risk. This makes upgrading to Windows 10 essential especially if the PC is being used for business, educational or even record-keeping purposes.

Microsoft had earlier incentivised upgrading to Windows 10 by making it free, which was an option available all the way till December 2017.

iMac Lineup Refresh Brings 9th-Gen Intel Chips, Radeon Pro Vega Graphics

Apple on Tuesday updated its iMac lineup, bringing 9th generation octa-core Intel processors into the fray and also introducing Radeon Pro Vega graphics on iMac computers for the first time. The non-Retina display 21.5-inch model continues to be available. Apple has revealed the India prices of the updated 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display and the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, as well as their availability.

With the refresh, Apple says the 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display and new Intel hexa-core processor will offer up to 60 percent faster performance. The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display with its new Intel hexa-core and octa-core processors will offer up to 2.4 times faster performance.

As for the addition of the Radeon Pro Vega graphics, Apple says users can expect up to 80 percent faster graphics performance on the 21.5-inch iMac and 50 percent faster graphics performance on the 27-inch iMac. The launch of the refreshed iMac lineup comes a day after Apple introduced its new iPad Air and iPad mini lineup on Monday.

Happy Holi..

Microsoft Surface Book 2 With Quad-Core Intel CPU Listed Online, Hints at Mid-Cycle Refresh of 13-inch Model

Microsoft's Surface Book 2 convertible is reportedly in line to get a processor upgrade, as numerous sellers have already listed a refreshed version of the laptop. Specifically, the base model of the Surface Book 2's 13-inch variant will soon get a quad-core CPU, replacing the dual-core seventh gen Intel CPU, which was present in the version launched back in 2017. The processor upgrade appears to be a mid-cycle refresh for the smaller Surface Book 2 model. However, Microsoft is yet to officially announce the upgraded variant or reveal when it will become available.

To recall, the base variant of the Surface Book 2 was launched packing the seventh gen Intel Core i5-7300U processor. This particular processor has two cores and has a peak clock speed of 3.5GHz. Now, some sellers in Germany and US have listed a new variant of the 13-inch Surface Book 2 powered by the Intel Core i5-8350U processor. This Intel offering has double the number of cores at 4 and also has a slightly higher turbo frequency of 3.60GHz. Additionally, the Core i5-8350U has 6MB of smart cache while the Core i5-7300U has 3MB of smart cache memory.