Is the Surface Pro X pointless?

Is the Surface Pro X pointless? -  On page 28we have a review of the Surface Pro X,which some say is sort of the unpopular stepchild of the Surface family. I’ve been using one for the lastmonth myself sowanted to chuck in some personal perspective ofwhat this device is – and isn’t.

Thismachine is fighting a perception and viable use-case war on several fronts. It’s up against the iPad Pro inmanyways, andwith that comes fiery fanboy arguments in comments sections and forums as it’s discussed. Secondly, it’s also being stacked up against the ‘proper’ Surfacemachines running a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU. Meanwhile it’s fending of a flanking attack fromthe ‘small-Surface’ – the Go – which offers competing portability. Its Venn diagramalso overlapswith Chromebooks. No wonder it’s copping some heat.

Really – it also goes head to head with any high-end tablet or low-end laptop. But as far as I’mconcerned this thing is for travelling. That’s where it shines. It’s gorgeously thin and light, has the best battery life of the whole Surface family and you can shove a SIMcard into it for data roaming. Instant-on is great, too, if you need to regularly fire it up to do something quickly.

It’s also a gemfor mucking around and surfing while at home.Which is not to say that it can’t handle proper workloads. It all depends on what you want your 2-in-1 to do. Be realistic. The Qualcomm CPU isn’t an i7, but it’s pretty capable. Nope, it doesn’t run 64-bit apps, and for sure that rules out a tonne of stuff – but for a certain type that knows what they want from a machine the Pro X is a sexy, lightweight Windows-running computer. Spec it up with 16GB of memory and it won’t choke.

The case against is cost. It is expensive compared to the Surface  Pro 7, which can be had with similar storage and memory for nearly the same price. And, a much better CPU. And will run 64-bit apps. If it’s right for you, that’s your balanced decision to make. I loved my time with the Pro X, but I have simple needs. I’d class this as a luxury item, for sure.

Most people that vaguely suspect they might want to get heavy on workloads should buy a more powerful machine, even just to provide a performance safety net. And most people, it seems, think that way – I don’t think Pro X sales are setting the world on fire, but I’m glad Microsoft made it, just like I’m glad Apple made the iPad Pro. (ben.mansill@futurenet.com/APC/MAR 2020 #478)

Beware of what you’re opting into when installing free antivirus software

Beware of what you’re opting into when installing free antivirus software - Avast is a name that inevitably comes up when discussing free antivirus software, and with good reason – the company claims it has over 435 million users. Avast’s reputation is under fire, however, following a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag into the extent it sells opt-in user data to third parties.

According to the reports, leaked documents highlight the “secretive sale” of internet browsing histories and activities to a subsidiary called Jumpshot. That information is then packaged and sold, with Google, Yelp, Microsoft, Pepsi, Home Depot, and others among some of the bigger past, present, and potential clients. In some cases, clients paid millions of dollars for an “all clicks feed,” which includes website tracking data, clicks, and detailed accounts of movement across sites, according to the report.

This only happens when users who install the free antivirus software opt into having their data collected. Motherboard says it viewed data that included Google searches, GPS coordinates, people visiting LinkedIn pages, YouTube histories, and porn site visits. (APC/MAR 2020 #478)

Windows 7 is dead, but not enough people are moving to Windows 10

Windows 7 is dead, but not enough people are moving to Windows 10 - After Windows 7 entered its End of Life phase on January 14, 2020, Microsoft was clearly hoping that people would ditch its old operating system and upgrade to Windows 10 en masse, and the latest report by NetMarketShare does suggest some movement — but perhaps not in the numbers Microsoft was banking on.

The report shows a slight dip in Windows 7 market share, dropping from 29.57% from December to 25.60% in January, and Windows 10 has seen a proportionate increase, climbing from 53.36% to 57.08%. The fact that there was such a modest shift is a bit concerning for Microsoft, plus, as we move away from the date of Windows 7’s End of Life, publicity around it will fade, which means we could see fewer people being persuaded to upgrade.

And, while the number of Windows 7 users has dropped, there is still a huge number of people using the outdated OS. Windows 7 remains the second most used operating system, after Windows 10. (APC/MAR 2020 #478)