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Microsoft Defender May Hurt Performance
by John Lister on December, 2 2022 at 02:12PM EST
Microsoft Defender has come in last in two separate tests of Windows 11 security software. It's a surprise result given it generally did well on Windows 10. There's some comfort for Microsoft, however, as the nature of the testing means many users ... won't notice that much difference in practice. That's important given Microsoft Defender (previously Windows Defender) is built-in to Windows 11. The first rankings came from AV-Test, which describes itself as "The Independent IT-Security Institute." It ran a series of tests on 19 products using "realistic test scenarios" and "real-world threats." ( ... (view more)
Windows 11 Tackles PC Slowdowns
Windows 11 will soon give users extra controls to stop applications hogging resources. The Task Manager change will help users balance performance and control. The new Efficiency Mode works in a similar way to power-saving mode on some PCs and ... mobile devices, though in this case the emphasis is on the processor. At the moment, users have several options for dealing with "greedy" applications but they all involve compromises. One option is to put the entire computer into a "Best Power Efficiency" option through the power mode settings. The problem is that this affects all ... (view more)
Apple to Pay Price for Purposely Slowing iPhones
Apple is to compensate customers after claims it intentionally slowed down old iPhones to make people more likely to upgrade. Each person eligible in the class action lawsuit will get around $25, but Apple isn't formally admitting any wrongdoing. ... Back in 2017 Apple admitted it had intentionally slowed down the performance of old iPhones through a software update. However, it denied this was a marketing move and instead said it was a necessary step to extend the lifespan of ageing batteries of older iPhones . Specifically it said sudden spikes in processor demand could cause older batteries to ... (view more)
Apple Vows Clearer Information on Slowed Phones
Apple has promised to warn users when a software update could slow down their iPhone or decrease battery life. It follows concerns from a government agency. The effects of iOS updates on phone performance has long been a controversial topic for ... Apple. Critics accused it of deliberately limiting the performance of older phones to encourage users to upgrade to newly released handsets, with some even producing what they called "diagnostic evidence." Apple has always denied this accusation. It says reduced performance such as decreasing battery life may simply be the cumulative effect ... (view more)
Microsoft: New Processor Bug Could Leak Data
Both Microsoft and Google are warning of another bug in computer processors. It's similar to previous bugs known as 'Spectre' and 'Meltdown'. For now the new issue has the less dramatic codenames 'Speculative Store Bypass Variant 4' and ... 'CVE-2018-3639'. As with Spectre and Meltdown , it involves a processor function known as speculative execution that's meant to improve computation processes. Unlike some bugs, it's classed as a low risk to users but is significant because of the sheer number of computers that could be affected. The processor is the part of the computer that physically carries ... (view more)
Apple Admits: Older iPhone Models Purposely Slowed Down
by John Lister on December, 27 2017 at 01:12PM EST
Apple has admitted it deliberately slowed down older iPhones, saying the move improved performance. It's ended years of speculation, but sparked a flurry of lawsuits. Every time a new iPhone comes out, a conspiracy theory emerges that older iPhones ... suddenly started getting slower. Critics claimed Apple was deliberately slowing down the models so that people would be more tempted to upgrade to the new model in the hope of regaining their former performance. Apple has always denied this and a study a couple of months ago found no clear pattern of processor performance and speed slowing down, ... (view more)
How to Fix: "Windows has detected your computer's performance is slow" (color scheme) Error
by Dennis Faas on April, 17 2017 at 01:04PM EDT
Infopackets Reader Judy G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm running Windows 7. Throughout the day, I often receive a message from Windows that says: 'Windows has detected your computer's performance is slow ... To improve performance, try changing the ... color scheme to Windows 7 Basic.' I click the option to 'Keep the current color scheme, and don't show this message again', but the error message 'Windows has detected your computer's performance is slow...' returns about 5 minutes later. I don't understand why this message appears, and I can't stop it from reappearing! It's incredibly annoying! Can ... (view more)
How to Fix: Make Firefox Faster; Enable Multi-Processor Support
by Dennis Faas on August, 5 2016 at 10:08AM EDT
Infopackets Reader Jesse T. writes: " Dear Dennis, A friend of mine told me that the new version of Firefox is a lot faster, but requires special configuration changes in order to get the speed boost. Do you know what she is referring to? How can I ... make my Firefox faster? " My response: Your friend is correct - the latest edition of Mozilla Firefox (version 48) includes a major overhaul to allow for multi-processor support, though it may not be enabled by default on some systems. That is because some systems may use older add-ons that may interfere with the multi-processor support feature, ... (view more)
Study: Apple is for Women, Samsung is for Men
by Brandon Dimmel on March, 3 2014 at 01:03PM EST
A new study suggests that most Americans favor Apple when it comes to mobile devices, though Samsung isn't too far from the top. The study was performed by KS Mobile, a San Francisco-based app maker for the Android and iOS platforms. The study was ... carried out between February 6 and 10, 2014, and involved 1,000 people aged 18 and older. Apple is for Women, Samsung is for Men: Study Suggests Of the people interviewed, nearly half of all women said they favored Apple mobile products, such as the iPhone. Only women aged 40 to 49 said they favored Samsung products. On the other hand, most men ... (view more)
New 'Haswell' Chips to Boost Battery Life, Intel Says
by Brandon Dimmel on May, 28 2013 at 08:05AM EDT
Intel says its new line of Core processors, tentatively known as 'Haswell' chips, will completely change the way we think about laptop battery life. The firm says its new chips could extend laptop battery life by up to 50 per cent. Intel says that ... it focused exclusively on laptops and tablet computers when designing the new Haswell chips. Rani Borkar, Intel Architecture Group's corporate vice president and general manager, insists that the goal all along was to produce processors that simply consume less power. Intel Seeks Tricky Balance Between Power Consumption and Performance However, ... (view more)