Fellow Canadian Dave W. Plummer is a legendary programmer who created some of Microsoft's most recognizable (and lasting) software.

Not only did he create ZIP file support for Windows and get Space Cadet Pinball running on Windows NT, but he also created Windows Task Manager. As the story goes, Plummer began working on Task Manager at home before bringing it into Microsoft. It began shipping on Windows PCs in 1996, and the rest is history.

Well, sort of.

Plummer has been a regular figure on social media and YouTube (check out Dave's Garage) for years, and I particularly enjoy his stories and insights regarding the early days of Microsoft and Windows.

Earlier this year, Plummer shared a mockup of what Task Manager would probably look like if he'd never left Microsoft in 2003 to start his own software company.

The example was bathed in neon lighting for a definitive cyberpunk vibe, and of course it was accompanied by a hard-hitting synthwave soundtrack.

It's been about six months since Plummer showed off the concept, and he's now returned with a working version of what he calls "Task Manager OG," or TMOG for short.

It's not quite as cyberpunk as the original idea. The neon lighting is still there, but it's toned down, and the synthwave soundtrack seems to have been replaced with classic rock tunes.

Plummer explains that he created TMOG to have "the clarity of Activity Monitor" from macOS with "the depth of Task Manager" from Windows. The software has all the main information about CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, temps, etc. up front, with much deeper diagnostics sitting just below.

Perhaps the best part is that Plummer says his OG version of Task Manager is "half the size of the Windows Task Manager."

Here's the rub. Plummer's Task Manager OG is, for now, only available on macOS. But as Plummer states, "Windows support will follow shortly." That's a bit of a bummer because I wanted to test it out myself; alas, I'm fresh out of Macs in my office.

Plummer has a full website set up for TMOG, where you can download the beta for free (currently for macOS only). The upcoming Windows version of TMOG is listed as native Win32, with no browser shell required.

There's another Task Manager alternative I've been enjoying

While I wait patiently to test out Plummer's Task Manager OG on Windows, I should remind readers that earlier this year I made the switch to AppControl.

It's a Windows 11 Task Manager alternative that I found quite capable, and I went so far as to say that AppControl is what the stock Windows 11 Task Manager should have been all along.

AppControl is available to download for free directly from the official website. It doesn't require any registration to use, and it's stated that the app collects "little to no data by default."

What do you think about the cyberpunk-esque look of Plummer's Task Manager OG? Is it something you'll try out on your Windows PC once it's available? Will you test it out on your Mac first? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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I made the switch to a full-time OLED monitor a few months ago, and it's been a welcome upgrade on my desk for gaming and for work.

Apparently, I'm far from the only one who decided to make this upgrade.

The latest market research from TrendForce shows that the OLED monitor market picked up momentum as it moved through the second quarter of 2026.

In fact, TrendForce saw global OLED monitor shipments rise by a healthy 26.1% in Q2 2026 compared to Q2 2025. Year over year, shipments are up a whopping 98%. No, I don't think the OLED display market is in any jeopardy.

TrendForce posits that the OLED market's growth in Q2 2026 was largely driven by the launch of new models, especially those that measure 27 inches (the industry's most popular size).

This market segment includes the awesome Alienware AW2726DM I reviewed in May, which delivers some high-end features and a beautiful picture at a very affordable price.

Another market growth factor TrendForce includes is China's 618 shopping day. It's akin to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday events on this side of the Pacific, when countless people make tech upgrades.

ASUS remains at the top of the OLED industry with a healthy 23.1% market share. It notably launched the 34-inch ultrawide ROG Strix XG34WCDMS recently, which is currently being tested here in my office.

Samsung remains in second place with 13.1% market share, with MSI and AOC coming in at number three and four with 12.8% and 8.6% market share, respectively.

LG remains in last place out of the big brands with 8.4% market share, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that number drop next quarter as the company deals with fallout from its monitors installing unwanted adware on Windows 11 PCs.

The hidden driver behind the rise in OLED monitor sales

The TrendForce report suggests that improved OLED panel supply chains have helped smaller brands compete with the big names I mentioned above, but I suspect there's another reason driving monitor sales that TrendForce doesn't mention.

The ongoing RAM and storage crisis doesn't seem to have any end in sight. The rosiest of estimates puts a market correction towards the end of 2027, but more realistic estimates are pushing into the 2030s, barring some sort of AI bubble collapse.

The shortage of DRAM and NAND chips is affecting other hardware prices as well, including GPUs. When your next PC upgrade is looking, at best, like a motherboard and CPU swap, many enthusiasts are looking elsewhere for a meaningful (and not overpriced) upgrade path.

That's where OLED monitors come into play in a big way. The difference between OLED and more traditional panels like IPS or VA is incredible. Dark colors are actually dark, with no grey, washed-out haze. Colors seem real, displayed as they should be.

The recent drop in OLED prices, highlighted by the $350 Alienware AW2726DM monitor I reviewed, is making it a perfect time to swap monitors. And when other PC upgrades are off the table, OLED really starts to make sense.

Do you agree that sky-high PC component prices are forcing people to look at other upgrade avenues? Do you think OLED sales will level out in the next quarter as the market becomes more saturated? Let me know in the comments section below!

(via PCGamer)

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Back in May, Microsoft confirmed that it was working on a Copilot super app that would merge the different consumer Copilot and productivity Copilot experiences under one app. Until now, Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot have been targeted at different users, but starting today those apps are being merged into one.

"We're updating Copilot to create a simpler, more cohesive experience for everyone," a new Microsoft Support document says. "Depending on the account and device you use, you will see changes to the Copilot app including changes to appearance and functionality, such as navigation, feature availability, or sign-in experience."

The unified Copilot experience begins its rollout today, but not everyone will see it right away. Microsoft says the experience will land on mobile first, with the unified Copilot on Windows and macOS being an opt-in experience at first, made available over the coming weeks.

The rollout should make it easier to move between using Copilot as an AI assistant for personal matters and using Copilot for productivity based tasks. For most people, not much will change with the unified app, which will simply appear as "Copilot" now. With that said, Microsoft does say that some features are going away with the unification. Those features include:

• Group Chat
  • All group chat threads, messages, and images will not carry forward after August 18, 2026.
  • Users must manually copy or download anything they want to keep.
• Podcasts
  • The Podcasts feature is being fully retired on August 18, 2026.
  • Users will no longer be able to create or access podcasts in Copilot after this date.
  • Individual podcast files can still be downloaded before retirement.
• Deep Research
  • Deep Research is being retired for consumer users starting August 18, 2026.
  • Existing Deep Research content will remain accessible, but the feature itself will no longer be available.

For those using Copilot with a work or school account, Microsoft says the unified Copilot app is also coming to those accounts too. The personal and commercial accounts will be separated within the app, meaning data from your work or school account won't be shared with your personal account, and vice versa. "Work and personal accounts remain separate. Your organization's security, privacy, compliance, and administrative controls continue to apply when you use Copilot with your work or school account."

For those using the personal consumer Copilot app, you will notice an updated UI that more similarly matches the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Those who use the Microsoft 365 Copilot app likely won't notice much of a difference, outside of the rebranded app to just "Copilot," along with a slightly updated logo.

For those curious, this is the new Microsoft Copilot icon and branding. Can you tell the difference? No, us neither.

Lastly, Microsoft has confirmed that all your Copilot data (except for the features that are being taken away) will migrate automatically to the new experience, meaning users won't need to do anything to ensure their chats and data are carried forward. All of that will happen automatically when the unified app lands on your device.

The unified Copilot experience begins its rollout today, though it's happening in waves so most users won't see the changes right away. Worldwide rollout for the mobile starts today, with rollout for Windows and macOS expected to start in mid September. Here's the full rollout schedule:

• Mid‑August 2026 — Worldwide rollout begins for mobile and web apps; early‑access opt‑in opens for Windows and Mac apps; copilot.cloud.microsoft URL available in Frontier for testing.
• Late August 2026 — Standard rollout of the URL redirect begins.
• Mid‑September 2026 — Worldwide rollout begins for Windows and Mac apps.
• Late September 2026 — Deferred rollout of the URL redirect begins for the web app.

Microsoft's unification of Copilot is a long time coming, and one that is setting the company up to deliver a Copilot super app experience that can do everything across Microsoft's platforms and services. It never made sense for Microsoft to split Copilot up between consumer- and productivity-based use cases, especially since users commonly want to do both.

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We now have more details about Qualcomm's Snapdragon C chips. The processors were officially announced in May, but we did not have full specs or details at the time.

Snapdragon C chips are designed to power budget laptops that start around $300. Qualcomm has updated its product pages for the processors, including full specs.

The specs are promising and stack up well against offerings from competitors, such as the Intel N250. Qualcomm shared some favorable comparisons between Snapdragon C and Intel N250 that suggest Qualcomm's new chip could compete very well in the budget laptop space.

Snapdragon C specs and details

Snapdragon C promises up to 67% faster performance than Intel N250 according to Qualcomm. The biggest difference between the chips appeared in Cinebench MT testing, but Snapdragon C defeated Intel across a range of Qualcomm's tests.

Those performance tests are when both chips are running on battery power, which leans in Qualcomm's favor. Snapdragon processors often thrive in unplugged testing.

Qualcomm claims Snapdragon C delivers 106% better power efficiency during Netflix playback. Microsoft Teams (99% better) and YouTube (86% better) are both wins for Snapdragon C as well.

Power usage by idle apps is 39% better in power efficiency, according to Qualcomm.

Snapdragon C has a dedicated NPU, which helps with AI tasks. I doubt AI usage will be heavy among budget laptop users, so CPU performance and other specs will likely be bigger factors for those shopping for affordable PCs.

Windows 11 on ARM has improved greatly when it comes to app compatibility, so that should not be as much of a concern as it would have been just a few years ago. For many people, app compatibility is no longer a concern for Windows 11 on ARM.

There are some legacy and enterprise apps that are not compatible with Snapdragon C and other ARM-based processors, but the list of the best native Windows on ARM apps continues to grow and includes big-name and niche apps.

For non-native apps, Microsoft's Prism emulation has improved over the years as well. That means even apps running in emulation perform better.

What we still don't know about Snapdragon C

The official specs of Snapdragon C are promising, as are the figures shared by Qualcomm. But there are still several key facts we do not know, some of which won't be confirmed until laptops with the new chips launch.

We also need to know how the chips perform when laptops are plugged in and how that performance compares to that of Intel chips.

All of the claims about performance and efficiency come straight from Qualcomm, so we'll need to see them verified independently.

Qualcomm has a good track record with claims like this. Benchmarks and comparisons shared with the press about previous chips proved accurate in real-world testing.

Qualcomm has always been bullish about how well its Snapdragon processors perform when unplugged compared to Intel's chips. Qualcomm had an entire ad campaign highlighting differences on that front.

I'm confident that Snapdragon C chips will perform well and compete with similar chips from Intel, but we need concrete figures from the wild and hands-on experiences to know exactly how the new chips stack up.

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