Following the July 2024 Windows security update (KB5040442) released on July 9, 2024 — which was mandatory and would download and install automatically unless you had updates disabled — multiple users became stuck on a BitLocker recovery screen once the computer rebooted.

According to Microsoft, users with Device Encryption enabled are "more likely to face this issue." If you have Windows 11 24H2, the latest version of Windows 11, Device Encryption is on by default, but oddly, this isn't one of the versions affected by the BitLocker issue.

Microsoft lists these client OS versions impacted by the BitLocker issue: Windows 11 23H2, Windows 11 22H2, Windows 11 21H2, Windows 10 22H2, and Windows 10 21H2.

Luckily, if this pesky BitLocker problem plagues you, there's a quick and easy workaround to return your computer to normal.

How to get BitLocker recovery key for Windows

Microsoft says your computer should return to its normal startup practices after you enter the BitLocker recovery key on the screen you're stuck on. But how exactly do you get the BitLocker recovery key you need? It's quite simple.

Step 1. From another computer, log into the Bitlocker recovery screen portal using your Microsoft account username and password.

Step 2. Find your device in the list and locate the 48-number string under the Recovery Key column.

Step 3. Type that Recovery Key into your affected device.

If you don't have access to your Microsoft account, that's a big problem. Microsoft explicitly states that the support team "is unable to provide, or recreate, a lost BitLocker recovery key." 

Without access to your Microsoft account, your only option is resetting your computer using a Windows recovery option, which will result in losing files and data stored on the device.

The KB5040442 Windows update has also been causing a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) loop for some users, though this issue is less common. Microsoft hasn't officially commented on this BSoD issue or paired it with the stuck-on-BitLocker-screen issue, though it is strangely similar to the massive CrowdStrike issue causing a global BSoD panic.

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Apple Music is Apple's Spotify rival music streaming platform. Since it's exclusively available on Apple devices, it tends to get updates alongside iOS updates. A recent leak hints that that's the case again with iOS 18, which brings a peculiar AI feature to the app. 

Here's what we know about Apple Intelligence on Apple Music and when you can try it out yourself. 

Generative AI is coming to Apple Music in iOS 18

Apple Music is reportedly getting an Apple Intelligence feature in iOS 18 that will allow users to create AI-generated artwork for their playlists, as first revealed by 9to5Mac. The feature was spotted in the iOS 18 beta 4 code, released on the Apple Developer site on Tuesday. 

The feature will use the Image Playground tool in Apple Intelligence to generate custom cover images for playlists. So, when you create a new playlist in Apple Music, you will soon have an option to "Create Image" rather than uploading your cover image or using one of Apple's pre-designed covers. 

As someone with many playlists on my music apps, I can see how this feature might be helpful to some people. However, it will depend heavily on the quality and style of the AI-generated playlist covers. Many users might not want all of their playlist icons to be AI-generated cartoon emojis. 

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a while to see how well this feature works. The code was reportedly spotted in the latest iOS 18 beta, but the feature is not available yet, even in the developer beta. Earlier rumors indicated that Apple is planning a slow roll-out for Apple Intelligence, so some features may not launch until 2025. 

It's unclear where the AI-generated playlist covers feature falls in that timeline. Still, it's likely one of the earlier features we'll see in a public iOS release since it's already in the code for a beta release and seems like a relatively small, low-power feature. 

Is this the type of feature users want from Apple Intelligence?

AI-generated playlist covers aren't exactly a revolutionary application for AI, but that might come as a relief to some. After all, at least Apple doesn't seem to be interested in making AI-generated music, which has been rife with controversy and copyright issues. Even so, it seems unlikely that features like AI-generated playlist covers will be exciting enough to get people interested in Apple Intelligence. 

Tim Cook clarified in an interview during WWDC 2024 that "generative AI was never off the table" for Apple. It also played a central role in the reveal presentation for Apple Intelligence on June 10, with features like AI-generated emojis in the spotlight. 

Are AI-generated images enough to get people to opt-in for Apple Intelligence and use it? After all, plenty of other AI image-generation tools exist today, such as OpenAI's popular DALL-E algorithm. Apple's Image Playground tool will need to be robust enough to compete with existing image generation tools to win users over. 

Of course, Apple Intelligence will be capable of much more than image generation. Apple claims it will also level up Siri and unlock new assistant capabilities like improved language processing, understanding on-screen context, generating text content, summarizing content, finding emails and messages, and more. 

We'll have to wait and see how these features perform in real-world use. Apple hasn't announced an official release date for iOS 18 or the first round of Apple Intelligence features yet, but based on Apple's release date history, we're expecting to see them in mid-September. Laptop Mag will cover all the latest rumors, updates, and news surrounding iOS 18, so stay tuned for more details. 

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple Intelligence: Everything we know so far
• iOS 18: Supported iPhones, features, and expected release date
• 'Generative AI was never off the table": Tim Cook candidly tells MKBHD about Apple's AI philosophy

It'd be easy to overlook — unless a few MacBook-competing performance stats emerged. That's what happened this week. The highly anticipated Strix Halo has reared its head.

AMD Strix Halo APU leaked benchmarks

According to a listing on Geekbench posted by the bot @benchleaks on Monday, two different models of a new AMD chip — apparently the AMD Strix Halo — ran through the Geekbench 5.4.1 overall performance test. 

One run featured a multi-core score of 13,993 (single-core score: 2,099), and the run hit a multi-core score of 7,934 (single-core score: 2,099). 

As these chips are in development, Laptop Mag has no way to verify these findings. What's more, the Twitter bio for @benchleaks advises, "Expect spam and don't trust any posted values."

X user and data leaker @HXL linked the test results to an upcoming AMD chip, the so-called Strix Halo, by asserting the CPUID associated with Strix Halo (B70F00).

AMD's new APU (accelerated processing units) chipsets target AI performance, but what does their overall performance mean for the average user? 

Unlike the typical laptop, which separates its CPU and GPU, the APU combines the two chips into a single chip.

This is similar to what Apple does with its M-series chips, except Apple uses a SoC ("system on a chip"), which combines the CPU and GPU and everything between onto a single chip.

Before we jump into comparisons, it's important to note a few things. First, we do not know which models of the Strix Halo these scores represent. Second, these are not a final representation of the performance of these chips. 

We've seen too many times where preproduction units never provide an accurate depiction. Third, Geekbench 5 is an older test that doesn't measure performance as well as Geekbench 6.

On Geekbench 6, the MacBook Air 13 M3 scored 12,087. For additional context, Geekbench 6 tests typically produce higher scores than Geekbench 5. So the Strix Halo beat the M3 even with that disadvantage.

However, jumping to the M3 Pro, it scored 14,357. Again, that's pretty tight, considering the Strix Halo's disadvantage. 

But with the M3 Max, the jump to Geekbench 6 isn't going to help AMD's Strix Halo against the M3 Max's incredible performance score of 20,863.

In May, X user @Olrak_29 created a render of what the Strix Halo may look like, which you can view below:

Outlook

This isn't the final look at the AMD Strix Halo APU, and take every leak — especially from a bot that scans Geekbench tests — you see with a dose of skepticism. 

However, I hope the Strix Halo plans to compete with the Apple M4, especially since the Halo is speculated to launch at CES 2025.

Back in April, there was a claim by a Taiwanese manufacturer that the AMD Strix Halo's GPU is comparable to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. 

That means if the AMD Strix Halo APU is slated to drop into premium laptops similar to the MacBooks, it could mean that regular laptops could be as strong or stronger than some gaming laptops. That's an exciting notion.

And while unlikely, it'd be a gamer's dream to see something like the AMD Strix Halo APU in a handheld gaming PC like an Asus ROG Ally X.

Meanwhile, the AMD Strix Point chips, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Ryzen AI 9 365, will be available in laptops starting Sunday. (The Asus Zenbook S 16, ProArt PX13, and new ROG Zephyrus G16 among them.)

Google is renovating the sometimes chaotic shopping experience into something more welcoming and organized—a place where the tech giant hopes you will spend much more time. 

It seems the Play store will dramatically change in 2024 and 2025; the updates began in earnest this month when the company announced that scores of sketchy or low-quality apps would be removed from the store on August 31. Google wants to “ensure apps meet uplifted standards for the Play catalog,” the company has announced.

App removal is the first part of the renovation job. The second part was revealed on Tuesday to reporters inside Google's warehouse-styled New York offices on the west side of Manhattan. Google product managers and one marathon-wary executive showed off the new features coming to the Play Store this week and later this month.

Sam Bright, Google Play's Vice President and General Manager, introduced how Google Play would expand "beyond the store" to include new features.

"We know that developers have come up with an app for just about every problem, situation, or interest out there," Bright said. "This is an incredible benefit for users, but many users, including myself, have great apps on their phones that sometimes go unused."

Bright said that Android app users are happy to have a wealth of apps from which to choose but conceded they need help finding them. Moreover, they don’t spend time in the app store. There hasn’t been a good enough reason to.

“App stores today have become a place where people download an app. And in some cases, they don’t visit again until it’s time for them to download the next one. We want to change that here in Play,” Bright said.

“With experiences in Play on your home screen and across apps, we’re taking Play from a destination people visit for apps to an end-to-end experience that’s more than a store.”

Below is how the company hopes users will see Play as more than just a store in the months ahead. Like most things with Google, these new features create more opportunities for the company to learn about its users — their interests, behaviors, shopping habits, and more — to gain insights to help it strike deals with retailers and app developers.

Google Collections debuts

Among the new features is one called Collections, which launched on Wednesday. Essentially, it groups updates from related apps and presents them in feeds. For example, Bright explained that if you’re running a marathon, Collections will group updates from the running app Strava, the fundraising app GoFundMe, and the fitness app MyFitnessTracker into a single feed. If you’re a shopper, it will collect updates from your browsing history on apps like Walmart, Adidas, and Best Buy.

To start, Google is only sorting apps into seven categories for its Collections feature (“watch,” “listen,” “read,” “game,” “food,” “shop,” and “social”), but there are plans for more (“health & fitness,” “travel & events,” “sports,” and “dating”) soon. Users will be able to make their own custom categories in the future—just not quite yet.

If you enjoy being reminded of what's going on in your apps — because, maybe, like me, you forget you have some apps — Collections will be a welcome addition to Play. If you're constantly pulling up individual apps all the time, this may not be that much of a game-changer. But Google rarely rolls out initiatives like this without terabytes of data to support it, and the longevity of recommendation-focused features like Google Discover indicates that Collections may be sticky among users.

Ting Mui Li, a Google product manager, tells Laptop Mag that eventually, Google Discover content—aka web pages—will be recommended in collections if it aligns with the theme of those apps.

“Web will come later, and we could totally see being able to give more content suggestions and recommendations for different collections,” Li said on Tuesday.

For example, if you have the NBA app and the Brooklyn Nets App in your “sports” collection, Google may recommend an article from The Athletic about the Nets in the collection.

Google Comics is coming to Japan

Another new Play feature is Comics, which signals how Google wants Play to become more than a store through content consumption. Comics is a curated manga and webtoons shop and reader that will first be launched in Japan.

Donisha Das, a Google product manager, said users will get personalized recommendations for comics and related content.

Das tells Laptop Mag that entertainment could come next, after Comics. As for when this new feature would move beyond comics, Das says Google wants to move “pretty fast” onto new iterations.

Google Gemini, the generative AI tool that underpinned just about every update the company announced at its annual I/O event a little more than two months ago, is, of course, at the heart of every recommendation that the new Google Play features make (unless you turn it off; more on that below).

Google Play Personalization arrives

A throttle against all these personalized recommendations in the new Play (Google reps rarely — never? — called it the “Play Store” during various demos) is a personalization feature that helpfully allows you to turn off app personalization suggestions. If you don't want to get suggestions or updates from an app (for example: The toilet paper you were eyeballing in the Walmart app has just been put on sale, and you receive a notification about it), you can turn it off.

A Google product manager confirmed that if you don’t want to receive recommendations, Google won’t show them. However, it will still collect your data about your toilet paper interest.

Google Play Games and Google Play Points

Gaming is also getting several cool upgrades. Google Play Games will enable users to switch seamlessly from their Android device to their computer via the Android app Google Play Games on PC. “You can start a mobile game on your commute and then secure the win at home on your tablet or PC,” writes Bright in a post on Google’s Keyword Blog published Wednesday.

“With our new multi-game capabilities rolling out over the next few weeks, PC gamers can play multiple titles at the same time — actively competing in one while keeping an eye on resources in another.” So, how many games could you play at once? Well, that’s likely limited to your computing power, said Google product manager Artem Yudin during a product demo on Tuesday.

Related to gaming is the Google Play Points scheme, which is also getting an upgrade. Interestingly, Google is also letting users redeem those points for physical products. Announced in 2019, the points system gets a little more real as users can cash in their points (earned via purchases in the Play store) for physical Google products like a Pixel Watch or Pixel phone.

How Google will monetize these new features

It’s easy to imagine how Google, which also released its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, intends to monetize these new features through direct deals or data capture. Li and Das offered the same response to Laptop Mag about the new features: Google wants to launch, see what organically sticks and what users like, and then expand.

With the “uplifted” standard Google is implementing and removing violating apps later this summer, plus the rollout of new features to make Google Play a more significant part of your phone, the image of Google Play as an open-air bazaar may soon be replaced by something like a walled garden—something where an Apple might grow.

First unveiled in Sept. 2023, Meta AI has been a core pillar in the company's push to bring AI into its services and hardware over the last ten months. The multimodal large language model (LLM) is similar in scope to OpenAI's ChatGPT, capable of natural language interactions with users across text, voice, and more recently visual inputs.

In a nutshell, Meta AI can understand and reply to anything it reads, sees, or hears, and has already begun to feature in services like WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, the Meta.AI web portal, and within the company's Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.

The world's first AI assistant for AR/VR headsets

In a post to the Meta Quest blog, Meta revealed that its AI assistant's next destination would be Quest 3 headsets — making use of the platform's mixed-reality abilities to showcase its multimodal capabilities, especially that of translating and understanding real-time video and visuals.

Meta AI will begin rolling out to Quest 3 headsets next month, with the assistant available to users in the US and Canada first. To access Meta AI, you'll need to enable it in the Horizon OS Experimental panel, found within the main Settings panel.

Initially, users will be able to interact with Meta AI through voice prompts, where you can quiz the AI on any topic you're interested in, or even ask for more contextual information about places to eat or visit nearby, as well as using your visual surroundings as part of prompts.

However, Meta state that it will improve the experience over time, which could lead to an explosion in use cases for its AI assistant.

Meta AI on Quest headsets: What we'd love to see

While not everyone is keen to see Meta's AI pop-up in their messaging and social media platforms, there's a boatload of untapped potential in seeing the assistant interact with the world around you.

In one video shared by Meta, the Quest 3's upcoming AI assistant recommends nearby spots to play basketball, another shows it passing out wardrobe advice based on an item of clothing it can see.

However, the potential applications of Meta AI within the Quest headset could stretch far beyond these more advanced Siri/Alexa-like interactions — with the AI gaining an entirely new arsenal of mixed-reality tools and features.

Let's look at some of the ways we'd love to see Meta AI use these tools to transform the Quest experience. 

• In-game assistance: We saw the potential for AI to collide with gaming in a unique way during Microsoft's 2024 Build event, with the company's Copilot AI getting involved in a game of Minecraft to instruct users how to play or what actions they should take next.
  
  Meta AI's ability to "see" what the wearer sees could extend beyond its passthrough lenses and reach into the virtual domain, where it could, in theory, recognize certain games and provide similar assistance.
  
  With a lot of Quest titles following an escape room-like format (like the impossibly fun I Expect You to Die 3), having a little mental assistance from time to time could be a great way to make use of the headset's new AI wingman.
   
• Room setup: The Quest 3 has the capability of scanning its surroundings and identifying key pieces of furniture within your play space already. However, combine that with Meta AI and you could automate things even further.
  
  Imagine taking your Quest 3 headset with you on a trip, ready to break it out in your hotel room to enjoy a cinema-like, large-screen movie night in AR. Now imagine asking Meta AI to set up everything for you while you go about unpacking.
  
  Meta AI could load up your favorite streaming service, prime the film you're waiting to watch, and even position the virtual display in the perfect place for you — meaning all that's left for you to do is crash out and hit play.
   
• Automatic passthrough: Meta AI's ability to recognize items, landmarks, locations, animals, and people could be used to give you a heads-up as people or pets enter the room, preventing them from catching those hands as you swing your way to victory in Creed: Rise to Glory.
  
  Better still, Meta's assistant could enable passthrough if it notices someone enter the room, pausing your play session and letting you interact with them without ever having to fiddle with controls or remove the headset.
   
• Hands-free navigation: The Quest 3 has a solid pairing of control methods. The Quest Touch Plus controllers offer incredible accuracy in fast-paced games, while hand tracking gives you a more natural interaction with AR and VR apps.
  
  However, Meta's assistant could unlock a hands-free way of navigating the headset's many menus and interfaces — letting Meta AI do the work for you as you prompt it with voice commands.

A vision of of the future

After seeing the videos accompanying yesterday's announcement, it's hard not to see a vertical slice of Meta's vision of the future when it comes to the merging of wearable tech and AR/AI.

The company is dead-set on its VR/AR ambitions, and a recent sighting of a strange pair of smart glasses in a months old Mark Zuckerberg post to Threads has ignited rumors that the company is preparing to showcase its long-rumored 'true' AR glasses later this year.

Could this new Quest experience be an early example of what Meta hope to achieve in the smart glasses market over the coming years? It's highly likely. However, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that there'll be news to share about future frames this year, Meta's AR smartglasses are still said to be in the prototype stage.

More from Laptop Mag

• I caved to the Apple Vision Pro hype and bought a Meta Quest 3 — did I make the right call?
• 'Google has no real vision or ambition in driving the XR space': Former department lead pours cold water on Google Glass 2 rumors
• Meta to unveil new smart glasses this year after Threads post outs its AR frames

A few months ago, The Information reported on Apple contacting a manufacturer about parts for foldable phones. Now, it seems Apple is one step further in the process, creating an internal code name for the foldable iPhone: V68.

According to The Information, this move could "[signal] that the idea has moved beyond the conceptual stage and is now an official product in development with suppliers." If true, we might see an iPhone fold launch as soon as 2026.

Of course, it's worth noting that just because the 'iPhone Fold' has an internal code name and is seemingly moving forward in production. That said, this is a positive sign for the future of foldable iPhones. And if Apple is business-savvy — which historically, it is — creating a foldable iPhone soon to compete with Google's and Samsung's foldable phones would be a smart move.

The report from The Information also details a few design specifics, including one major problem Apple may have overcome.

Apple's foldable iPhone design moves forward

According to The Information, Apple's engineers working on the foldable iPhone were facing a big problem: making the phone "half as thin as current iPhone models so it wouldn't be too thick when shut." Now, it seems this problem may have been solved.

Reportedly, Apple has developed a "significantly thinner iPhone, internally code-named D23." If this innovation can translate from a traditional iPhone to a foldable iPhone, Apple's teams can move on to other potential issues, like preventing a display crease after multiple folds and making sure there's a market for the 'iPhone Fold.'

That said, if the foldable iPhone has really moved past the conceptual stage and into the development stage, I'd argue that most major issues have already been resolved.

The foldable iPhone will supposedly "fold widthwise like a clamshell," according to "two people with direct knowledge of the matter" via The Information. This means it'll resemble Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip series, not the Galaxy Z Fold series.

Apple is known for delivering a polished product, even for the first-gen, whether it's hardware or software, even if this means extending its release date. After all, Apple was fashionably late to the AI game, but it seems to have paid off — Apple Intelligence isn't here yet, but it looks quite promising.

If you don't anticipate needing to upgrade your iPhone until 2026, it might be worth holding out for the 'iPhone Fold.' Otherwise, your options include the existing iPhone 15 lineup, or the upcoming iPhone 16 series.

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Thanks to reliable tipster Ice Universe via Weibo, the iPhone SE 4 will likely ditch its smaller form factor. A 6.06-inch OLED display will reportedly replace the iPhone SE 3's existing 4.7-inch LCD display.

This new rumor aligns with an old report from The Elec in March 2023, which predicted the iPhone SE 4 would switch to OLED. The report speculated that Apple would likely use old parts previously designated for the "iPhone 13 from 2021 or the iPhone 14 from 2022" (translated from Chinese), which also have 6.06-inch, or 6.1-inch rounded, displays.

With the iPhone 13 mini and its 5.42-inch display already gone, Apple will no longer offer new iPhones with displays smaller than 6.1 inches.

Although this is the biggest rumored change for Apple's iPhone SE 4, it's not the only upgrade we're expecting.

More anticipated changes for the iPhone SE 4

The iPhone SE 4's expected display upgrade—from a 4.7-inch LCD screen to a 6.1-inch OLED screen—will most likely raise its price.

The current iPhone SE starts at $429, and it's possible the next-gen iPhone SE could jump to $469 or even higher, but we're hoping it stays under $500 to retain its 'budget-friendly' nature. This $469 price is based on an estimate from The Elec that the cost to produce OLED for the iPhone SE 4 is around $40, but if the iPhone SE 4 receives other hardware upgrades, the price could go up more than $40.

Based on historical trends, the iPhone SE 4 will likely receive an A16 Bionic chip — a generational upgrade over the current iPhone SE's A15 Bionic chip — but chip upgrades don't usually amount to an increase in a phone's base price.

The iPhone SE 4 could also receive a much-needed refresh on its camera setup, and we're hoping to see improved battery life. However, there's a long wait between now and its potential release date in 2025. Check out all the iPhone SE 4 rumors we've heard so far to see if this upcoming budget-friendly phone is worth waiting for.

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While Black Friday tends to offer the best end-of-year discounts, there are plenty of noteworthy gaming deals going on right now. 

I found some fantastic deals on gaming laptops, game consoles, and video games. Retailers are also letting gaming essentials go for the cheap like controllers, headsets, and comfy gaming chairs. 

So if you want to take your gameplay to new heights, there are plenty of opportunities to save. 

Browse today's best gaming deals below. 

Best gaming deals right now

Best gaming deals — Quick links

• HP Victus 15 RTX 2050 (2024): $699 $599 @ Amazon
• Acer Nitro V RTX 4050: $949 $799 @ Best Buy
• Dell G15 RTX 4060: $1,199 $809 @ Dell via code, "SAVE10"
• NEW Asus ROG Ally X Gaming Handheld: $799 @ Best Buy
• Nintendo Switch Hyrule Editon Preorder: $209 @ Best Buy
• Lenovo Legion Slim 5 RTX 4060: $1,349 $799 @ Best Buy
• Razer Enki Gaming Chair: $499 $449 @ Best Buy
• Asus ROG Ally: $599 $399 @ Best Buy
• Lenovo Legion Go: $699 $629 @ Best Buy
• Pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 w/ Free Beta Access: $69 @ Best Buy
• Sony PS5 Slim Spider-Man 2 Bundle: $499 $449 @ Walmart

PC gaming

Nintendo Switch

Xbox

PlayStation

VR headsets

Acade1Up

Handhelds

Gaming Chairs

Gaming retailers

• Amazon: up to 50% off gaming accessories
• Best Buy: up to $1,100 off gaming laptops
• Target: up to 50% off gaming accessories 
• Walmart: up to 60% off video games, accessories
• GameStop: up to 50% off games. collectibles

It's no secret that Chrome is by far the most popular browser option available, regardless of how hard Microsoft tries to shove Edge down our throats. In fact, it's not even close, with Backlinko highlighting that Chrome's 2024 market share is at 64.73%, whereas Edge is at a measly 4.97%. 

But among all of Google Chrome's praise comes frequent criticism, whether it be around its privacy concerns, vulnerability issues, or problems with it simply being too demanding on CPU or RAM. In fact, our very own Rael Hornby stepped away from the browser, citing that it no longer "Feels all that lightweight and speedy" anymore.

However, it seems like Google is taking a page out of Opera GX's book, which features a resource management setting that provides a detailed breakdown on how much performance is being dedicated to each individual tab, whether it's involving RAM or CPU usage.

Chrome's implementation isn't completely identical to this, but it's similar in that it will help users get a greater understanding of where the application is consuming so much of your PC's power.

Chrome's upcoming feature changes everything

Google has yet to confirm when the update is coming to the public version of Chrome, but it's currently available within its experimental versions.

Yes, you no longer have to worry about Chrome absolutely destroying your computer with its RAM-hungry habits. This comes in the form of a new experimental flag present within Google Chrome Canary, which will give Chrome permission to warn the user if the application is sapping an extraordinary amount of processing power. 

But Chrome won't just warn the user by vaguely gesturing towards the overabundance of the CPU being used, and will instead highlight which tabs in particular are the culprit.

This is massive for anyone guilty of keeping a hundred tabs open at a time, some of which might be tearing your PC apart without you realizing it. 

I've had situations where my computer will suddenly crash and require a forced restart, and I can only assume my dozens upon dozens of Chrome tabs are the culprit, although it probably doesn't help when I have other applications open alongside it.

Being warned that a particular tab is especially doing damage would address one of the biggest criticisms many users have been tossing at Chrome for years about its performance zapping behaviors.

How to activate it on Google Chrome Canary

If you've downloaded Google Chrome Canary and are looking for how to activate this new setting, here's what you do, as discovered by WindowsReport.

1. Type chrome://flags into Google Chrome Canary's address bar. Heed the cautionary statement at the top that says WARNING! EXPERIMENTAL FEATURES AHEAD!

2. Go down to Enable performance intervention suggestions and toggle it to Enable.

3. Right below it, do the same for Enable performance intervention demo mode.

4. You'll be prompted to relaunch Chrome. Do it!

And just like that, it's active. You can manually trigger the feature by going to chrome://discards and selecting Trigger Performance CPU intervention at the top, which will then make the little notification appear about which tabs are draining the most performance.

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• Meta to unveil new smart glasses this year after Threads post outs its AR frames
• The Samsung Galaxy Ring may have new competition soon: Oura Ring 4
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However, as Laptop Mag exclusively revealed yesterday, one former department lead believes Google's smart glasses goals may not be so ambitious. That same can't be said about Meta, as a resurfaced Threads post from CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier in the year may have revealed the next step in its smart glasses journey.

The success of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses caught many by surprise, including Meta itself. While face-worn wearables like these are gaining popularity, smart glasses are still a fringe accessory and have yet to emerge into the mainstream.

However, when it comes to pushing new products into the public limelight, Meta is an unwavering force. As seen with its Quest VR/AR headsets, the company is willing to spend big and take the kind of risks others won't to ensure they're at the forefront of the tech they believe will mold the future.

Post by @zuck

View on Threads

Eye spy: Have Meta's new smart glasses been hiding in plain sight?

Over the weekend, an overlooked element of an image shared by Mark Zuckerberg on Threads from February was brought to light by Boston Globe general manager Matthew Karolian.

Scanning the background of the image, Karolian noticed a pair of smart glasses that didn't fit the profile of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses' luxury frames. These glasses were much chunkier and showcased a hinge design that folds mid-way down the temple.

While the front of the glasses retains a similar aesthetic to Meta's popular AI smart glasses, adopting the same Wayfarer-esque frame shape, its temples more resemble current AR smart glasses options like the VITURE Pro XR or XREAL Air 2.

This has led many to believe that Meta's next pair of smart glasses could go all-in on AR, 

More interestingly, after Karolian messaged the Meta CEO publically asking for more information, Zuckerberg seemed to confirm as much by responding "Will be ready to share more later this year." The ideal time to do so may be during Meta's upcoming AI/AR/VR-focused Connect event in September.

Meta AR smart glasses: What we know so far

During a recent interview with YouTuber Kallaway, Zuckerberg claimed that Meta is "almost ready to start showing the prototype version of the full holographic glasses." This is something mirrored by reports from Business Insider that suggest Meta's AR team is pushing to unveil its Orion AR glasses later this year.

In a blog post shared in April, Meta spoke further about their AR glasses ambitions, stating "We’re building a new kind of computing platform that will help you better connect with the people and things you care about in a way that’s much more natural and intuitive than what’s possible with today’s 2D screens."

Speaking on the progression from Meta's current glasses to their new AR glasses, the blog continues "Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses give you access to the utility and entertainment of Meta AI, AR glasses will deliver the best of both worlds as these two technological paths converge."

Outlook

Interestingly, this wouldn't be the first time that objects in the background of pictures or videos have revealed future Meta products.

In June, Meta seemingly revealed the upcoming Meta Quest 3S in a video showcasing passthrough improvements for v66 of its VR/AR Horizon OS. The long-rumored headset has been subject to several leaks, though this would be the first glimpse of it through official sources.

Meta's Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth (who posted the original video) replied to users on X who were pointing out the cameo of the headset, taking a moment to cheekily plug the company's own social media platform by directing users on where to go for a better look in saying "Love that higher quality video over on Threads..."

Post by @boztank

View on Threads

Clearly, Meta isn't worried about audiences gaining brief glimpses of products in the pipeline. In fact, it may be a part of their marketing campaign. Especially seeing as its higher-ups have no issue replying to or interacting with eagle-eyed folk who catch these background Easter eggs.

The sighting of these Meta smart glasses in an older post doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be the ones featuring in one of Meta's showcases later in the year, but it has given us direct confirmation from Zuckerberg himself that something is, at least, ready to be announced.

To know exactly what that might be, it seems we'll have to wait until this year's Meta Connect 2024 event, which takes place September 25-26.

More from Laptop Mag

• What are smart glasses? Yesteryear’s ‘next big thing’ is finally finding an audience
• 'People have to see it to believe it': We asked an expert about AR laptops and the challenges in this booming market
• 'Google has no real vision or ambition in driving the XR space': Former department lead pours cold water on Google Glass 2 rumors