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Trends with Benefits: New Apple MacBooks, Microsoft unveils the Surface Studio

We cover all the announcements from both Apple and Microsoft on this show. From the OLED Touch Bar on the MacBooks and a new Apple TV app, to Microsoft’s new Surface Studio and AR/VR revolution, we’ve got it all.

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Our topics this week:

OLED Touch Bar and the new MacBook: Apple’s event this week was titled “Hello Again” and featured the return of the MacBook. One of the key features Apple touted was the addition of the new Touch Bar. Will this update be enough to bring the MacBook back to it’s former glory?

Apple TV and the “TV” App: Apple seems to have abandoned any plans for original content on its platform and is now presenting a new App called “TV.” This is a move toward content curation, instead of content creation, which doesn’t seem to have the “wow factor” that used to be a hallmark of Apple innovation.

Microsoft Surface Studio with Surface Dial: The new Surface Studio is designed to be an all-in-one PC for creative professionals. It’s got a unique stand and a new way to interact with a computer– the Surface Dial. Will this be enough for creatives to shell out for the high price?

Windows 10 Creators Update: Microsoft seems fully invested in the concept of 3D. It’s a bold move forward and it is doing everything it can to sell the idea. Microsoft even reinvented MS Paint into Paint 3Dto help push its cross-platform innovation.

Windows Gaming: In a move to cater to it’s extensive base of gamers, Microsoft is introducing more ways to provide synergy between PCs and the Xbox. It has added a more efficient way to stream content and an easier way to initiate custom tournaments.

HoloLens and Mixed Reality: Microsoft seems primed to take advantage of the burgeoning AR/VR market. A HoloLens demonstration that showed a very interactive way to incorporate its 3D concept signals great potential. We think it’s exciting, but is it something that consumers would actually use?

Our latest weekly episode of Trends with Benefits features Brad Bourque, Brandon Widder, Matt Leong, and Greg Nibler.

Each week, we gather a round table of tech experts from the Digital Trends staff, along with the occasional celebrity guest, to discuss all things tech. Topics range from the big tech stories of the week to predicting the future, all while maintaining a somewhat civil decorum.

We answer your questions live at 2:45 p.m. PT.

Please subscribe and share Trends with Benefits and send in your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We also broadcast the show live on YouTube every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. PT.

Greg Nibler
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Greg has worked as a Host, Producer, and Writer in radio and television since the early 2000s, working for such companies as…
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