Laptops
Apple: Don’t cover your MacBook webcams
Might damage your screen
Lately, the conversation surround cybersecurity has ramped up. Users are making sure that no one is spying on them through their favorite devices. One of the most popular ways of doing so is placing a cover on a laptop’s built-in webcam. However, Apple has issued an official warning against the obscuring method.
Reported by MacRumors, Apple has posted a new support page on its official website about closing a MacBook with a cover attached. Apparently, doing so can severely damage your screen. The laptop wasn’t designed for such use, Apple says. Further, covering your webcam can affect the different sensors on the device.
In lieu of a physical cover, Apple is asking users to trust the green indicator light instead. According to the page, “the camera is engineered so that it can’t activate without the camera indicator light also turning on.”
Of course, trusting a device’s hardware isn’t always the best option. If absolutely needed, Apple has issued a few criteria for appropriate covers: thinner than 0.1mm (or about the thickness of a piece of printer paper), no adhesive residue, and removing the cover whenever closing the device.
With camera covers becoming all the rage, issuing some safety tips might be the best course of action for the MacBook maker. Certainly, people will still cover their devices despite warnings. And more certainly, people will still remain wary about malicious parties spying on their cameras.
Laptops
Microsoft gives up on the Copilot+ PC
The company is quietly stepping away from the branding.
The Copilot+ PC is finally coming to an end. After a few years of advertising the lineup as the next big thing, Microsoft is stepping away from the branding.
Through a new interview with Windows Central, Microsoft has confirmed that the company is slowly stepping back from the Copilot+ branding. Despite launching a series of new Surface PCs that fit the bill of such a brand, the company has not affixed any of these devices with the usual branding of the AI-infused series.
“These are not called Copilot+ PCs. They do meet all the requirements of our previous bar for what Copilot+ devices are. We still lean into the narrative around AI on the edge and being able to have a hybrid solution out there,” Microsoft Surface CVP Brett Ostrum said.
Now, the Copilot+ PC programs hasn’t been a massive success for Microsoft. For all the time that it’s been out in the market, the series hasn’t really made much of an impact. TOPS is still a difficult metric to measure. The Copilot button is still one of the most unusable buttons on a modern keyboard. Even worse, Recall, the lineup’s most highly touted feature, crashed and burned practically the same moment it came out because of privacy concerns.
Microsoft had a lot of hopes for the Copilot+ lineup. Prior to today’s deteriorating perceptions about AI, the lineup imagined a string of devices united with a focus on AI-supported performance. However, we know better today. At best, AI PCs provide moderately boosted performance without the need for top-of-the-line hardware. At worse, they’re a privacy nightmare that places an unnecessary burden on the entire industry.
SEE ALSO: Microsoft continues to shove Copilot where it’s not wanted
Editors' Choice
GadgetMatch Awards: Best of IFA 2026
Xiaomi 18 Fold, Govee, XGIMI, ARZOPA, Cuktech and more!
We’re back at IFA 2026 in Berlin, checking out some of the coolest and most interesting tech on the show floor.
From smart home lighting and portable displays to projectors, power solutions, foldables, and more, these are some of the products and brands that caught our attention this year.
In this video, we take a look at:
- AI Lighting https://bit.ly/4xmY342
- Z3FC Portable Monitor https://bit.ly/4gRk7wD
- D14 Digital Photo Frame https://bit.ly/4qYlRJ6
- 30 Ultra Desktop Charging Station https://s.whaee.com/tXBornw
- 10 Ultra Charger https://s.whaee.com/UsWT4U2
** Use code CUKTECH09, valid until September 30
XGIMI
ASUS x NVIDIA RTX SPARK
- ProArt P16: https://asus.click/h7607_gm
- ProArt P14: https://asus.click/h7407_gm
- ProArt GR1X
Watch until the end for our favorite finds from IFA 2026!
Select ASUS and ROG laptops now come with three months of Google AI Pro or Google AI Plus at no extra cost. The offer starts September 7 and covers eligible models from the 2025, 2026, and upcoming 2027 lineups.
Google AI Pro includes 5TB of cloud storage, while Google AI Plus comes with 400GB. Both plans also provide access to a range of Google’s AI-powered tools and features.
More Google AI on ASUS laptops
Eligible customers can use the Google Gemini app, Deep Research, Google Flow, Gemini in Google apps, and Gemini Notebook, among other features. Availability varies depending on the Google AI plan and supported features.
Google AI Pro offers higher usage limits and expanded access to Google’s more capable Gemini models. It also includes additional developer and agentic tools such as Google Antigravity, Jules, and AI Studio, subject to availability and plan terms.
Google AI Plus provides elevated access to Google’s AI tools alongside features for creative generation and productivity.
The offer covers more than just AI features. Google AI Pro’s 5TB of cloud storage and Google AI Plus’ 400GB give users additional space for documents, photos, videos, research, and other projects.
Available across select ASUS models
The one-year program starts September 7 and applies to selected ASUS and ROG laptops in supported markets. Eligible models span the ROG, TUF Gaming, ProArt, Zenbook, and Vivobook families, including select 2025 and 2026 models and upcoming 2027 devices.
Customers can redeem the offer exclusively through the MyASUS app. ASUS has published the full list of eligible models and the offer’s terms and conditions on its website.
Check the full list of eligible ASUS laptops
ASUS is also running its No. 1 Quality, School-Ready Deals promotion until September 15, 2026. The promo offers additional deals for students, gamers, and professionals buying select ASUS and ROG devices.
The company’s No. 1 Quality and Service package also includes up to three years of international and local warranty, service access across more than 90 countries, and over 100 ASUS Service Centers and Drop-Off Points in the Philippines. Eligible laptops also come with one year of Local Accidental Damage Protection and up to six free device cleaning claims.
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