Microsoft

7 of the best laptop brands of 2019

To survive in today’s world, a laptop is almost a necessity. Whether you’re a contractor using a 2-in-1 to show off floor plans or a college student who needs a Chromebook for class, they make life that much easier.  But with all the name brands offering every laptop you could possibly imagine, how could you…


To survive in today’s world, a laptop is almost a necessity. Whether you’re a contractor using a 2-in-1 to show off floor plans or a college student who needs a Chromebook for class, they make life that much easier. 

But with all the name brands offering every laptop you could possibly imagine, how could you possibly know the best ones to shop from?

At first glance, that’s not an easy question to answer since there are laptops capable of doing everything you could possibly want or need. It can be even harder when trying to separate them by brand and trying to find out what advantages some companies offer over others.

Luckily, we’re here to help make that search a little easier. From reviews, body design, brand alternatives, and more, we’ve figured out the best laptop brands to shop from in 2019. 

Best reviewed

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Image: Lenovo
The Good

Excellent reviews across the board • Wide selection of laptops

The Bad

Poor customer support

The Bottom Line

With a huge selection of laptops, Lenovo is the brand to lean on for consistently positive reviews.

1. Lenovo

While you wouldn’t think it, Lenovo is the brand to check out if you’re looking for some of the best reviewed laptops out there.

  • Popular line:ThinkPad
  • Chromebooks available:No
  • 2-in-1s available:Yes
  • Available at:Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy
$1,759 from Amazon
A laptop could look like the best thing ever on paper, but if it’s poorly reviewed, that could be the kiss of death. Positive reviews, especially when it comes to laptops, are still the best barometer to go by when looking for a new device. And for 2019, no brand has been as well reviewed as Lenovo.
At first glance, you may find it surprising that Lenovo is the best reviewed laptop brand, especially when put up against other names like Apple or HP. While these aren’t poorly reviewed, it’s simply the fact that, laptop to laptop, Lenovo keeps a level of consistency across its products that contribute to those positive reviews.
The ThinkPad line is Lenovo’s go-to line of laptops for anyone looking for an excellent, well-rounded laptop like the T470. The biggest reasons for this is a sturdy design and build quality, fast performance under the hood, and an excellent battery life. The X1 Carbon reviewed extremely well across the board, too, from the likes of CNET, PCMag, and LaptopMag. Common praises went to the Carbon’s thin design and battery life, among other features.
Those are just two examples of the positive reviews Lenovo laptops have received in 2018. On the whole, Lenovo has kept a level consistency that has been reflected in those positive reviews, and if that matters in finding your perfect laptop in 2019, Lenovo is a go to choice.

Best customer support

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Image: apple
The Good

Excellent customer service • macOS offers smooth performance

The Bad

No major changes to hardware • Limited choice

The Bottom Line

Customer support can make or break someone’s experience, and no one does it better with laptops than Apple.

2. Apple

Apple doesn’t just offer premium laptops, but premium customer service as well to ensure those MacBooks keep going.

  • Popular line:MacBook
  • Chromebooks available:No
  • 2-in-1s available:No
  • Available at:Amazon, Best Buy
$2,799 from Amazon
As great as modern technology is, we still haven’t reached a point where everything works 100% of the time (and we probably never will). That’s why it’s important to have good customer support to keep the user base happy. And no company does that better right now than Apple.
In a way, it’s almost a necessity for Apple to invest in its customer support given the quality of their products. That doesn’t mean the 2018 MacBook is low quality, it’s the opposite. Because Apple products are of a certain quality, it only makes sense customers would expect the same of its customer support.
Thankfully, Apple consistently lives up to its user’ expectations. Agents respond quickly to questions about functions or possible difficulties, whether it be on the Apple website or social media. If you need to get your MacBook serviced, you can take it to the closest Apple store to get it  checked out. That kind of boots on the ground support is practically unrivaled in this space.
And if you have AppleCare+, accidental damage is covered for those drops and cracks. There will be repair fees, but it’s still better than dropping another $2,800 on a new MacBook Pro.
Customer support can make or break most people’s experiences with a company, though it’s true you tend to hear more about negative experiences than positive ones. Thankfully, Apple has been able to stay on the opposite side of that, so if you need your MacBook checked out, you’ll be in good hands.

Best for gaming

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Image: razer
The Good

High-end gaming on the go • Surprisingly thin design

The Bad

Extremely limited choice

The Bottom Line

Razer offers desktop power in a thin, laptop body for any gamers on the go.

3. Razer

When it comes to PC gaming, Razer is a premiere name offering premium laptops.

  • Popular line:Blade
  • Chromebooks available:No
  • 2-in-1s available:No
  • Available at:Amazon, Best Buy
$1,499 from Amazon
When it comes to PC gaming, the right name does make a difference. Sure, companies like Asus might offer their own gaming laptops, but in this space, there might be no better name than Razer.
Started in 2005, Razer broke into PC gaming with the Boomslang mouse and it was off to the races. Today, Razer peripherals are among the best products you can get to fill out a gaming setup. Whether it’s a mouse with high DPI for movement, a mechanical keyboard with mechanical switches for faster input, or a THX-infused surround sound headset, you can find some of the best accessories on the market from this company.
In the last few years, Razer also expanded into gaming laptops with the Razer Blade line. As opposed to other gaming laptops that lean on the bulkier side, Razer has been able to pack plenty of power into extremely slim bodies. 
The model that captures this best is the 4K version of Razer Blade Pro 17. Packing a GeForce GTX 1080 and Intel Core i7 processor, it isn’t lacking for power in any way. And since it’s VR ready, you’ll finally be able to get yourself an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. There’s also the Razer Blade Stealth for anyone who doesn’t have the dime to drop on the Blade Pro 17. Just keep in mind, af

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Microsoft

Xbox Boss Asha Sharma Announces Leadership Reshuffle in Bid to ‘Move Faster,’ Bringing in Former Microsoft AI Colleagues

UPDATE: Xbox boss Asha Sharma has confirmed that Microsoft has stopped development of Copilot on console. In a tweet, Sharma said Microsoft will retire features “that don’t align with where we’re headed.” Gaming Copilot, which was in beta, was designed as “your personal gaming sidekick with Xbox.” The idea was that players could ask for

UPDATE: Xbox boss Asha Sharma has confirmed that Microsoft has stopped development of Copilot on console.

In a tweet, Sharma said Microsoft will retire features “that don’t align with where we’re headed.”

Gaming Copilot, which was in beta, was designed as “your personal gaming sidekick with Xbox.” The idea was that players could ask for help anytime or anywhere while they were playing a game. “With in-game assistance, get unstuck, pass roadblocks, and level-up your gameplay,” Microsoft said. “The guide you want, when you want it. Brainstorm strategies and get tips or insights with personalized coaching.”

It would also provide users with gaming recommendations. Gaming Copilot is currently available in the Xbox mobile app, and on Game Bar for Windows 11, and on the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds.

“Xbox needs to move faster, deepen our connection with the community, and address friction for both players and developers,” Sharma said. “Today, we promoted leaders who helped build Xbox, while also bringing in new voices to help push us forward. This balance is important as we get the business back on track. As part of this shift, you’ll see us begin to retire features that don’t align with where we’re headed. We will begin winding down Copilot on mobile and will stop development of Copilot on console.”

ORIGINAL STORY: Newly-installed Xbox boss Asha Sharma has announced a major reshuffle of the company’s platform technology teams, as Microsoft’s gaming division seeks to rebuild its position and release Project Helix, its next-generation console.

In an internal memo shared with Xbox staff today, seen by IGN, Sharma stated that leadership change was needed to “begin building the capacity we need” to evolve the Xbox brand and “how we work.”

As part of the changes, Sharma is bringing four former colleagues from Microsoft’s CoreAI division, where she previously served, over to Xbox. IGN understands that Xbox’s previous stance on AI remains unchanged.

The 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time

“Right now, it is too hard to ship impact quickly,” Sharma wrote, adding: “we spend too much time inward instead of with the community; and we lack the capability we need in some key areas.”

For Xbox fans, likely the most widely-known name among the list of today’s changes is that of Jason Ronald, the Microsoft veteran with more than 20 years of experience building Xbox. Ronald has now been elevated to a position where he is accountable for Project Helix and the Xbox platform.

Elsewhere on the company’s hardware team, Roanne Sones, a corporate vice president for Xbox devices and ecosystem, will take a long-planned leave of absence later this year and return as an Xbox advisor.

CoreAI vice president of product Jared Palmer, will join Xbox’s platform-level content push “investing in the systems that make it easy to build, submit and scale high-quality games,” with a focus on “developer tooling, taste and infrastructure.” Tim Allen, another key CoreAI staff member, will join Xbox to lead experience design, in a role that merges “product design, design engineering, research, and creative with a fan-first focus.”

Jonathan McKay will become Xbox’s head of growth. Evan Chaki will run a new engineering group focused on removing repetitive work and simplifying development. Both are also moving over from Microsoft’s CoreAI division.

Other changes will see David Schloss, a former colleague of Sharma’s at Instacart, lead the Xbox subscription and cloud business. Kevin Gammill, a 20-year Microsoft veteran who has worked on the Xbox user experience, will meanwhile leave the company.

Tier List

Xbox Games Series Tier List

Xbox Games Series Tier List

 
 
 
 
 

While the quartet of additions to Xbox from CoreAI will likely raise eyebrows — as Sharma’s own move did earlier this year — the changes are believed to be positioned internally as simply about bringing in the best talent, with experience working in Microsoft’s AI division seen as just another part of the company.

The changes follow another bruising quarter for Microsoft’s gaming division. In the three months ending March 31, 2026, Microsoft’s Gaming revenue decreased 7%, Xbox content and services revenue decreased 5%, and Xbox hardware revenue (money made from the sale of Xbox consoles) declined 33%.

“While we have made progress expanding the business and our margins, player and revenue growth has not yet met our ambition,” Sharma wrote last week via a post on social media. “We know we have work to do to earn every player today and into the future.”

Last month brought a new mission statement from Sharma an

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Microsoft

Microsoft Edge stores your passwords in plaintext RAM… on purpose

If you tend to save your passwords in your browser, you need to be more careful. A security researcher from Norway has uncovered a serious vulnerability in Microsoft Edge that shows passwords are stored in memory as plaintext, as shown in this social media post. Any malicious user with local access could easily intercept all

If you tend to save your passwords in your browser, you need to be more careful. A security researcher from Norway has uncovered a serious vulnerability in Microsoft Edge that shows passwords are stored in memory as plaintext, as shown in this social media post.

Any malicious user with local access could easily intercept all your stored passwords…
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Microsoft

Xbox “has work to do”, but is “recommitting” to core fans following hardware revenue drop of 33% year-on-year

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Home News Xbox “has work to do”, but is “recommitting” to core fans following hardware revenue drop of 33% year-on-year Player growth has “not yet met our ambition”. Image credit: Xbox News by Victoria Phillips

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Xbox “has work to do”, but is “recommitting” to core fans following hardware revenue drop of 33% year-on-year

Player growth has “not yet met our ambition”.


green Xbox logo on a dark background
Image credit: Xbox

Earlier today, Microsoft shared its earnings results Q3 FY2026, covering for the period between 1st January and 31st March. Microsoft’s revenue is up 18 percent, at $82.9bn, though gaming revenue fell seven percent. Xbox content and services also saw a drop of five percent year on year. Microsoft attributed this to “a prior year comparable that benefited from strong first-party performance”.

Meanwhile, Xbox hardware revenue dropped 33 percent. This follows a price rise for Xbox Series X/S consoles in the US towards the end of last year, the consoles’ second in six months. In November, Microsoft said this price increase was due to “changes in the macroeconomic environment”. Despite this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company had “set new records for monthly Xbox active users in the quarter, as well as game streaming hours”.

A little teaser for Xbox’s Project Helix.Watch on YouTube

Writing on social media platform X, Microsoft’s newly-appointed Xbox boss Asha Sharma said “while we have made progress expanding the business and our margins

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Microsoft

IREN Doubles Down on AI Cloud Pivot as Bernstein Cuts Target but Keeps Top Pick Rating

IREN stayed Bernstein’s top AI-focused Bitcoin miner after a target cut to $100, as Microsoft-backed GPU expansion keeps its $3.7 billion cloud revenue target central to the stock story. The post IREN Doubles Down on AI Cloud Pivot as Bernstein Cuts Target but Keeps Top Pick Rating appeared first on Crypto News Australia…

IREN stayed Bernstein’s top AI-focused Bitcoin miner after a target cut to $100, as Microsoft-backed GPU expansion keeps its $3.7 billion cloud revenue target central to the stock story.
The post IREN Doubles Down on AI Cloud Pivot as Bernstein Cuts Target but Keeps Top Pick Rating appeared first on Crypto News Australia…
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