Latest news with #WindowsVista
The Drive
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Mercedes-AMG Might Be Having a Windows Vista Moment With These Four-Cylinder Hybrids
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Multi-billion-dollar companies get so caught up in innovation that they focus more on what they could do than what they should do. Sure, the products are usually impressive from a technological standpoint, but oftentimes, they're way worse to use. One example that comes to mind is Windows Vista—the fresh-looking operating system from 2007 that people absolutely hated to work with. Another more recent example is the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG models that used to run twin-turbo V8s. Like Windows Vista, Mercedes-AMG's small-displacement PHEVs are great in theory. Microsoft marketed better security and enhanced search functionality with its OS; meanwhile, Mercedes bragged about its 671 horsepower with electric turbo anti-lag and supercar-like zero-to-60 times. But just as customers grew massively frustrated with Vista and its inability to run on older computers without crashing, drivers decided that all that power from an electrified AMG isn't any good if you can't hear it. Vista's predecessor, Windows XP, was admittedly showing its age by the time the new version came along, but like the old-fashioned V8, it worked—and on the rare occasion that it didn't, its users knew how to identify, troubleshoot, and eliminate those shortcomings. See the resemblance? Microsoft / Mercedes-AMG Mercedes acknowledges this now as it's reportedly moving away from the four-cylinders to build more inline-sixes and V8s. Autocar cites a source at Mercedes as saying, 'Technically, the four-cylinder is one of the most advanced drivetrains available in a production car. It's also right up there on performance. But despite this, it failed to resonate with our traditional customers. We've recognized that.' This would also mean that, like Vista, the four-cylinder AMG C63 and GLC63 didn't last long. If you'll remember, those only launched three years ago, in 2022. That's even shorter than Vista, which received mainstream support for five years, through 2012. Still, Microsoft's faux pas was far more widespread. Estimates claim some 330 million people were tortured by Vista, while far fewer than 100,000 ever took a chance on the AMGs that whir like a vacuum cleaner. 'We jumped far ahead with this technology, but we should have explained the technology more to our salespeople and customers,' explained AMG boss Michael Schiebe to Car Magazine in April. 'We will continue to do that and further improve. There is a German saying, 'You never have a second chance at a first impression.' Maybe we missed out on the first impression, but if you have the opportunity, I'm sure you will be convinced of the technology.' The list of Vista criticisms is longer, too—enough to warrant not just a Wikipedia tab but an entire page. Everybody's beef with the electrified four-cylinders is pretty much the same: They sound bad. That's a pretty big problem considering the customers they're marketed to. Mercedes was so sure people wouldn't mind the switch from twin-turbo V8s to plug-in hybrid four-cylinders, and really, that's as crazy as it seems. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Time of India
After Microsoft and Samsung, Google makes fun of Apple's iOS 26 features
Apple announced the iOS 26 update at WWDC 2025, revealing the " Liquid Glass " design. The new look of the OS sparked immediate debate and some playful jabs from tech rivals, particularly Samsung and Microsoft. Google has now entered into the fray by releasing a funny ad that shows a humorous exchange between Google Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro. In the latest ad released by Google, a "Pixel" phone persona playfully questions an "iPhone" persona about its newly announced iOS 26 features . The "iPhone" excitedly describes "live translation for text messages," "Hold Assist," and "call screening." Each time, the "Pixel" responds by noting it had these features "four years ago," "five years ago," and "seven years ago," respectively. The "iPhone" dismisses these resemblances as "crazy coincidences" and "so wild," culminating in the "iPhone" innocently asking what the "Pixel" is working on for its upcoming Pixel 10. The exchange underlines how several of iOS 26's innovations have been staples on Android devices for years. Samsung and Microsoft also took aim at Apple's design and AI Samsung was the first to subtly mock iOS 26's redesigned user interface. Samsung shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) that referenced the iPhone's new glass-like UI, stating, "Customizable apps? Floating bars? That sleek glass UI? Looks… familiar", subtly highlighting resemblances to Samsung's own previous One UI redesigns. Samsung also took a jab at Apple's new AI-powered Live Translation feature for Messages, FaceTime and Phone. Pointing out its own established presence in real-time translation, a feature launched last year with the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung's post declared, "New to live translations? Welcome aboard! We've been translating text and speech in real-time for a while now." Microsoft also mocked Apple's "Liquid Glass" interface for macOS Tahoe 26. Microsoft posted a montage of Windows Vista screenshots on its Instagram account, complete with nostalgic boot-up sounds from 2007. The simple caption, "Just gonna leave this here," was a clear dig at Apple's perceived reinvention of transparent, glassy interfaces – a concept introduced by Microsoft's "Aero" effect in Windows Vista (and later Windows 7).
CNET
16-06-2025
- CNET
Microsoft Accidentally Replaces Windows 11 Startup Sound with Vista Chime
Microsoft briefly transported users back to 2007 this week when the company mistakenly swapped Windows 11's familiar startup chime with the iconic Windows Vista boot sound. The mix-up appeared in a recent Windows 11 Insider Preview build in the Dev Channel. Users who rebooted their systems noticed that instead of the modern Windows 11 tone, they were greeted by Vista's distinct (and now nostalgic) startup sound. Microsoft has since acknowledged the issue, calling it an unintentional change and confirming it will be fixed in an upcoming update. "This week's flight comes with a delightful blast from the past and will play the Windows Vista boot sound instead of the Windows 11 boot sound," the Windows Insider team wrote in its release notes for the latest Dev Channel build. Though the switch was accidental, the brief return of Vista's audio cue sparked curiosity and nostalgia online, with some users even preferring the retro flair. But for now, it looks like Vista's comeback is limited to this brief cameo, as Windows 11's usual startup sound will return shortly.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
This Can't Be a Coincidence: Windows Vista Sound Returns to Windows 11, Just as Apple's 'Liquid Glass' Similarities Surface
Microsoft's latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build has unexpectedly brought back the Windows Vista startup sound, replacing the usual Windows 11 chime. The best part of this release is that it happened just as Apple unveiled macOS 26, which has a new 'Liquid Glass' design that many say is similar to Windows Vista's Aero Glass look from 2006. The timing makes me wonder whether Microsoft intended this as a response to Apple's design choices, but the company says it was simply a bug. In the release notes for the latest Windows 11 preview, Microsoft addressed the issue directly, as reported by Windows Central: This week's flight comes with a delightful blast from the past and will play the Windows Vista boot sound instead of the Windows 11 boot sound. We're working on a fix. Brandon LeBlanc from the Windows Insider team also commented on social media, first joking about the return of the sound but then clarifying that it was not intentional. According to reports from users and those examining the system files, the Windows Vista sound file was found in place of the Windows 11 startup sound file, which means the change was due to a technical error rather than a planned update. There is no evidence to say this was a deliberate action by Microsoft, and all official statements say it was a bug that will be corrected soon. But when do official statements ever agree on things like this? Either way, I loved this little banter/dig from Microsoft. What do you think: Did Microsoft deliberately do it?
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
Microsoft's mocking Apple's Liquid Glass UI design, but the joke might be on Windows
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. "Delightful", "elegant" and "modern" were the three main adjectives Apple used when it launched its new Liquid Glass UI design for iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and MacOS Tahoe 26 at Apple WWDC 2025 event this week. But for some the transparent elements looked positively retro. While the Cupertino tech giant sees VisionOS as the main inspiration, there were immediate comparisons to much older software that dates back to before even the iPhone (along with big, big controversy over the corner radiuses in MacOS Tahoe 26). Even Microsoft is suggesting that Apple stole the idea from Windows Vista, but the joke may have backfired. The official Windows account on TikTok was quick to respond to Apple's new UI, dropping a video compilation of screenshots from Windows Vista and Windows 7 with the text 'Just gonna to leave this here". Back in 2006, Windows Vista introduced Microsoft's Aero UI design language, which included glass-like translucent borders that showed content behind windows. Windows 7 built on the look, but the transparent aesthetic was dropped for Windows 8. This kind of trolling goes down a storm on TikTok, and it's quickly become one of the account's most-watched recent videos with 1.5m views and over 5,000 comments. I guess it shows some personality for a brand that tends to be quite dry, but mocking rivals can quickly get cringey – just look at Pepsi's obsession with Coca-Cola. Apple does have a tendency to launch things that already existed and brand them as new and revolutionary (Apple Intelligence, anyone), but I'm not convinced Vista was its inspiration here. And for some followers, the Windows account's jesting is reminding them where Microsoft went wrong. "OK, now bring it back, and we'll forgive you for Windows 8," one person responds. "Dropping this style was a mistake," another person writes. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 Others suggest the comparison doesn't hold water as Window's Aero Glass was merely superficial, while Apple's Liquid Glass is about more than just transparent elements. "Apple made a new real glass software that uses hardware acceleration and real life physics, real reflections and distortion and blur, but Windows think they copied them when they look nothing the same, and guess what? They will copy it eventually," one person argued. "It's not always about being the first to do it but being the one that does it well," another person suggests, effectively summarising Apple's philosophy. "It took 8,000 errors, 2,500 virus y 700 blue screens to make this video," someone else jested. Others argue that Windows Vista was itself inspired by MacOS aqua from six years earlier. Perhaps we need a new adage: people who design glass UIs shouldn't throw bricks. For more UI design news, see the Apple Design Awards 2025 and the Switch 2 eShop upgrade.
