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The most popular operating system in the world, Microsoft’s Windows is the software that powers hundreds of millions of PCs. Introduced back in November 1985, Windows has changed and evolved over time to grow as gaming, design, development, and productivity needs have shifted. Whether XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or, most recently, Windows 11, Microsoft’s OS is one of the most important pieces of software ever made.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
This Acer laptop offers easy repairs and two generations of processor upgrades.

Acer is announcing the Vero 16: a 16-inch laptop with tool-free internal access. The battery and SSD are user-replaceable, and the hinge and ports are also removable. Acer also says the processor can be upgraded for “at least two generations.”

An Acer service center will conduct the upgrades — not the user. And for now all pricing is TBD. The Vero 16 is launching outside North America in Q1 2027.

<em>The Vero 16’s innards are accessible without the need for tools.</em>
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The Vero 16’s innards are accessible without the need for tools.
Image: Acer
An okay laptop with 16GB of RAM is better than a nice laptop with 8GB, and this $520 HP OmniBook proves it

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Verge Score

The HP OmniBook 3 16 hits different in an era of expensive laptops.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Right-clicking without the clutter.

Microsoft’s latest Experimental Windows 11 Insider Preview build introduces support for Emoji 17.0, alongside an updated context menu experience in File Explorer that’s “designed to feel faster, cleaner, and easier to tailor.” A notable personalization feature finally lets you add the “Print” command to the context menu in Windows 11.

A screenshot of the updated context menu that’s available in the Windows 11 Insider Preview build Experimental channel.
The “Customize menu” option at the bottom of the new context window takes you to a settings page where you can choose which file actions to enable.
Image: Microsoft
A RAMageddon guide to back-to-school laptop shopping

It’s a terrible time to buy a laptop (sorry), but if you gotta do it, here are some to consider.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Is this $450 laptop from an unknown brand too good to be true?

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Verge Score

Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Yeeeeeeeeeessssssss.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
This is my new favorite laptop, but thanks to RAMageddon the price already went up by $800

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Verge Score

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro has it all. But RAMageddon spiked its price.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Even Microsoft couldn’t make Windows 11 work well on 8GB of RAM

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Verge Score

The new entry-level Surface Laptop 13-inch is last year’s same great hardware with less memory and a higher price.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Microsoft might have more plans for connecting your phone and Windows.

This Windows Central rumor says Windows 11 could add a dedicated flyout menu for the phone companion to show your phone’s status and things like DND status or “find my phone.” Other possible updates could bring a standalone SMS syncing app and sync your clipboard history beyond just the last entry.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Leaked video shows Microsoft’s work on a lightweight ‘Copilot OS’ built for AI.

Zac Bowden at Windows Central posted this video of Aion, a stripped-down Windows concept made for agentic AI that popped up on the BetaWiki Discord, and says sources have confirmed to him that it is a real video made in 2024.

There’s no indication whether an OS like this would actually ship or if it’s part of something like Project Solara, but it’s very Chrome OS-like, built around the Edge browser and web apps.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Windows 10 gets an extra year of free life support.

The free Windows 10 extended support program was only supposed to last until October 13th, 2026, but Microsoft has quietly expanded support until October 12th, 2027. That gives users an extra year to avoid updating to Windows 11, or forking out for a new computer amid the ongoing RAMageddon.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Afraid the Steam Machine will be too expensive? Imagine the price of this NUC with a mobile RTX 5090.

At Computex, Asus announced the ROG NUC 16 Edition 20 — a mini-PC with Intel’s highest-end mobile chip and a flagship RTX 5090 Laptop GPU. It’s even decked out in gold accents for the Republic of Gamers’ 20th anniversary.

Like other Asus Computex announcements, there’s no pricing. But as Liliputing points out, the standard model with an RTX 5080 costs $3,799.

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1/4Image: Asus
I held the next-gen handheldI held the next-gen handheld
Sean Hollister
Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Microsoft makes it more secure to run OpenClaw on Windows.

At its Build developer conference, Microsoft is launching Microsoft Execution Containers, a policy-driven layer to make it more secure to run things like OpenClaw on Windows. It’s going a step further too, by allowing a companion app for OpenClaw to run contained on Windows PCs. It should stop AI agents like OpenClaw from deleting all your files. “You can totally run OpenClaw inside your company now,” says OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger.

OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger at Microsoft Build.
OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger at Microsoft Build.
Image: Microsoft
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Asus’ new Zenbook 14 might be another MacBook Neo competitor — if the price is right.

Asus is launching various Vivobooks and ExperBooks at Computex, but I’m most interested in the Zenbook 14 with a base-level Snapdragon X1-26-100. It’ll come in AMD and Intel configs too, but the Qualcomm version will start with a lowly 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD.

Sounds like another Neo wannabe, but we don’t know for certain since pricing is TBD.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

<em>The new Zenbook 14 will have Asus’ “Ceraluminum” finish and come in a pleasant looking coral color, as well as beige and blue.</em>
<em>All versions will have OLED screens standard.</em>
<em>Coral looks nice, at least in these renders.</em>
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The new Zenbook 14 will have Asus’ “Ceraluminum” finish and come in a pleasant looking coral color, as well as beige and blue.
Image: Asus
This could be Windows’ M1 moment — but expect it to cost a ton

Nvidia’s RTX Spark ‘superchip’ shows promise for Windows laptops. But it also comes at the worst time.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Adobe Premiere and Photoshop are optimized for Nvidia Spark laptops.

Nvidia says it’s working with everyone to get software ready for RTX Spark laptops this fall, but as for Adobe, Premiere is getting a whole new video pipeline to take advantage of Spark’s up-to-128GB of unified memory, and Nvidia says Photoshop is “transitioning from 5 percent to 100 percent GPU accelerated processing.” Just ask AI agents to transform your images, too.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
The first confirmed Nvidia RTX Spark laptops.

Nvidia tells us over 30 laptops and 10 desktops are currently in the works with its “most efficient PC chip ever built,” but today it’s only confirming these eight. Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and of course Microsoft are the primary partners for this fall’s launch. No prices or spec sheets for most of these yet.

Asus ProArt P14 and P16, Dell XPS 16, HP OmniBook X14 and Ultra 16, Lenovo Yoga Pro 9N, Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI.
Asus ProArt P14 and P16, Dell XPS 16, HP OmniBook X14 and Ultra 16, Lenovo Yoga Pro 9N, Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI.
Image: Nvidia
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Nvidia says ‘CPUs for agents’ are ‘our new major growth driver’.

Nvidia’s not just GPUs and networking anymore: it just announced its second major server CPU, Vera, and Jensen says “this is going to be our new major growth driver.” Says Vera has “the highest instructions per clock in the world” — 10 every cycle — and dramatically speeds up data processing. A few of his slides:

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Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
MSI put Vincent van Gogh paintings on two limited edition laptops.

MSI is making limited edition versions of the Prestige 14 Flip AI Plus with two different van Gogh paintings on the lid: Starry Night and Starry Night Over the Rhône. I think I prefer last year’s Great Wave edition, but these are also lovely.

I called the Prestige one of the sleekest MSI laptops I’ve seen, but it didn’t look like this.

1/2Image: MSI