Laptops are now common in American classrooms, with nearly 90% of schools providing devices to modernize education and prepare students for a digital future.
However, Michael R. Bloomberg, one of the world's wealthiest and most influential figures as the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, has argued the billions spent on these laptops for students have failed to improve academics, shifting focus from traditional learning and raising concerns about declining outcomes.
“As someone who built a company by developing a computer at the dawn of the digital age, I never believed that computers in the classroom were the cure to what ails schools," said Bloomberg.
‘Picking up books and pens’—A call to rethink laptop use in classrooms"Some of the most powerful educational interactions occur when a caring, well-trained teacher can look into a student’s eyes and help them see and understand new ideas," he went on. "Machines often don’t have that power."
Bloomberg argues instead of increasing reliance on screens, schools should encourage students to spend more time reading, writing, and engaging in direct interactions with teachers and peers.
Laptops for teachers can enhance instruction, but Bloomberg acknowledges that, while student laptops can be useful tools, they cannot replace the value of a well-trained educator guiding students through meaningful learning experiences.
Studies show excessive laptop use in classrooms leads to distraction, with students often taking up to 20 minutes to refocus after engaging in non-academic activities.
Despite widespread laptop use, only 28% of eighth graders and 24% of 12th graders are proficient in math, while reading scores remain low, and US students continue to lag behind their international peers, raising doubts about the effectiveness of widespread laptop adoption in schools.
While the best laptop for engineering students can support advanced computations and specialized software, excessive screen time in general education has not translated into improved academic performance.
A post-pandemic survey found over 25% of students spend at least five hours of classroom time daily on screens, often engaging in educational games that fail to build mastery. In contrast, time-tested methods like reading physical books and writing by hand have been shown to improve retention and comprehension.
You may also likeData released this week shows that EV sales are on the rise for the second consecutive month in Europe, as the market continues to grow in the US. But as more customers opt to go electric, the demand naturally increases on the public charging network – and that's where increasingly popular Superhubs come in.
A growing number of fast-charging providers (with help from local governments) are developing these purpose-built ‘Superhubs’ that not only aim to cram in as many battery-powered vehicles as possible, but also harness the power of solar and battery storage in order to reduce the strain on the grid and reduce the cost of charging.
One such site has just been opened by InstaVolt near Winchester in the UK. There are specially-designed bays for electric heavy goods vehicles, as well as smaller vehicles that are towing trailers, plus dedicated accessible charging spots for those with disabilities and extra-long spaces for electric vans.
(Image credit: InstaVolt)The site can host 44 electric vehicles, all of which can top-up in rapid fashion thanks to 160 kW DC fast chargers. During peak times, InstaVolt charges 85p per kilowatt (around $1.10), but it also offers an off-peak tariff at 54p per kilowatt (around $0.70).
Conveniently-sized charging bays aside, the site also benefits from a massive 870-panel solar array that is paired with an equally gargantuan 960kW/4MWh battery storage system, which reduces the reliance on the grid during peak hours.
Unlike current charging destinations in a typical European service station, InstaVolt’s new Superhub is located just off the main highway, where there is more space and, perhaps more importantly, land is slightly cheaper.
This has allowed the company to add things like 24/7 toilets, a Starbucks, a children’s playground area and a spot to walk the dog. Customers also benefit from air and water provisions, in order to keep those road trips rolling.
Analysis: Superhubs are going global (Image credit: Tesla)Earlier this month, the largest EV charging hub opened in South Korea, with charging network operator Water unveiling a mammoth 46-strong hub at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Goyang.
Catering for everything from tiny city cars to the largest electric trucks, the site offers both 200kW and 100kW charging facilities, while opting for a wooden structure reduced the overall construction carbon footprint compared to concrete or steel structures, according to Electrek.
While not quite on the same scale as those found in Korea or in the UK, a number of slick charging hubs are beginning to appear in the US too, with companies like Mercedes-Benz showcasing what its branded locations look like with the opening of its swanky venue at its US HQ in Sandy Springs, Georgia last year.
Tesla also opened its largest Supercharger site back in 2023, with a staggering 98 charging stalls operational in Coalinga, California, which benefits from solar canopies and Tesla’s own Megapack battery storage system to help ease the reliance on the grid.
(Image credit: Mercedes-Benz USA)The company also revealed that it plans to open a mammoth 30-acre site in Lost Hills, California, which it says will play host to 168 charging stalls, making it by far the largest EV charging site in operation in the US.
According to Not a Tesla App, the proposed site in Lost Hills, which has been nicknamed ‘Oasis’, could be capable of charging 4,896 vehicles in a 12-hour period.
That said, China takes the top honors, with a staggering 637-stall charging hub located in Shenzhen, which delivers approximately 160 Megawatt-hours (MWh) of power daily and charges more than 4,000 taxis in any given 24-hour period.
But scale isn’t the only thing that electric vehicle owners are looking for, because the convenience factor is lost if you have to drive to a purpose-built hub that might be well away from a chosen route.
Instead, sites like InstaVolt’s Superhub aim to serve those using the busiest and most commonly used travel corridors, negating the need to fight over the limited number of charging stalls tacked on to service areas or gas stations.
You might also likeTesla’s current sales woes show no sign of slowing, as new data from Jato Dynamics suggests the company’s sales in Europe fell by 45% last month, resulting in its lowest market share in five years.
The issue can be partly attributed to Tesla’s aging model line-up, as customers sit tight for the more accomplished updated Model Y to appear. But many analysts have also cited a more general cooling of demand thanks to Elon Musk’s divisive foray into politics.
Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported on the Volkswagen Group’s slashing of EV production at some of its biggest manufacturing plants, owing to slow uptake of its battery electric vehicles, many early examples of which received middling reviews from the press.
However, the German marque’s BEV sales were up 180% to under 20,000 cars in February, according to Reuters, while the BMW brand and BMW-owned Mini sold almost 19,000 BEVs in February.
Comparatively, Tesla managed to sell fewer than 16,000 cars in key European markets, including the UK, Norway and Switzerland during the same period, despite overall battery electric vehicle registrations being up by 25% in February compared to the previous month.
Although still much smaller in number, BYD also recorded an 94% rise in sales in February, with over 4,000 electric vehicles sold. Similarly, Polestar also celebrated an 84% increase and newcomers, such as Xpeng and Leapmotor, have also started registering sales.
"Brands like Tesla, which have a relatively limited model lineup, are particularly vulnerable to registration declines when undertaking a model changeover," Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, explained.
But many other industry experts also point to the fact that the Tesla CEO's recent behavior has triggered a backlash from buyers, due to his affiliation with a number of right-wing political parties - particularly those in Germany.
Ahmad Assiri, research strategist at the brokerage Pepperstone, told Sky News that Musk’s political endeavors were “negatively impacting Tesla's reputation among substantial segments of consumers and investors,” adding that BYD’s continued rapid growth was “increasingly attractive to consumers and investors alike”.
Analysis: Everything rides on new Model Y (Image credit: Tesla UK)As I have repeatedly stated, Tesla’s latest crop of vehicles is by far its finest yet, with the updated Model 3 and Model Y easily among the best electric vehicles money can buy for most people right now.
During back-to-back testing of the previous generation Model Y and the latest Model 3, the gulf in build quality, refinement, comfort and interior quality is tangible, while gains in efficiency and an increased amount of standard technology is will be welcomed by buyers.
However, the Launch Edition version of the long-awaited Tesla Model Y update is now comparatively expensive, costing a whopping £60,990 in the UK and $52,490 in the US, with many customers likely not only holding for the updated car, but also more affordable variants, which aren’t due to arrive until the summer.
This will naturally skew sales figures, while Tesla has a reputation for cyclical peaks and troughs in its quarterly sales results due to the variations in its pricing and discounting strategy.
The true test of the 'Elon effect' will be later this year, when customers will be presented with a full Model Y line-up. If sales remain slow at that point, perhaps it’ll then be time for Tesla to start panicking.
You might also likeAsus has introduced the NUC 15 Pro+, its most advanced mini PC yet, featuring Intel’s latest 15th-generation Core Ultra 9 processors and Intel Arc graphics.
This compact system is designed for professional workloads and content creation, positioning itself as one of the most powerful computers in its category.
It delivers an 18% performance boost over previous-generation NUC models with AI-enhanced processing and improved thermal efficiency, but the absence of AMD’s Strix Halo APU raises doubts about its ability to compete with high-performance mini PCs from smaller brands.
Meet the NUC 15 Pro+, Asus's fastest mini PC everWith support for up to four 4K displays, the NUC 15 Pro+ is designed for multitasking, photo editors, and high-resolution workflows, featuring two HDMI 2.1 supporting 4K at 60Hz and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.
It also supports a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, an RJ45 LAN port for wired networking, and a Kensington lock for security.
This workstation features Intel Wi-Fi 7 with speeds of up to 46 Gbps, and Bluetooth 5.4, enabling data transfer at up to 2 Mbps with a connection range of 240 meters.
It features a proximity sensor that locks or wakes the system based on user presence, an advanced cooling system that reduces noise by 1.2X compared to previous models and its US MIL-STD-810H certification guarantees 24/7 reliability in extreme conditions.
Asus is positioning the NUC 15 Pro+ as a direct competitor to Apple’s Mac Mini M4, combining a compact 0.7-liter chassis with premium build quality as well as an easy-access design for quick RAM and storage upgrades without tools.
Via TechPowerUp
You may also likeIn late 2021, Seagate unveiled a proof-of-concept hard disk drive that used the NVMe protocol and a PCIe interface - two technologies typically reserved for solid state drives.
Demonstrated at the Open Compute Project Summit in a custom JBOD enclosure with twelve 3.5-inch drives, the NVMe HDD featured a proprietary controller that supported SAS, SATA, and NVMe natively, without the need for a bridge.
Seen as a way to simplify data center infrastructure by unifying storage devices under a single interface, the drive promised performance improvements, lower TCO, and considerable energy savings.
CombinedFast forward to GTC 2025, and Seagate has demonstrated a new proof-of-concept system combining NVMe HDDs and SSDs with Nvidia’s BlueField 3 DPU and AIStore software to show how NVMe can help address common storage challenges in AI environments.
While other vendors are reportedly exploring similar such concepts, Seagate appears to be the only firm showing off a functional system.
(Image credit: Seagate) Working with customers and partners“Unlike SAS/SATA-based hard drives, NVMe hard drives remove the need for HBAs, protocol bridges, and additional SAS infrastructure, making AI storage more streamlined,” Seagate says.
“These drives allow AI workloads to scale seamlessly by integrating high-density hard drive storage with high-speed SSD caching in a unified NVMe architecture.”
The prototype Seagate showcased featured eight NVMe hard drives, four NVMe SSDs for caching, Nvidia BlueField DPUs, and AIStore software, all housed inside a hybrid array.
The team demonstrated that direct GPU-to-storage communication, via NVMe hard drives and DPUs, reduced latency in AI workflows. Eliminating legacy SAS/SATA overhead also simplified system architecture and improved storage efficiency.
“By using NVMe hard drives alongside SSDs, organizations will be able to optimize cost while maintaining performance, reserving SSDs for active datasets and using hard drives for long-term AI training data retention,” Seagate says.
From a design perspective, adding NVMe to HDDs potentially only requires a few changes, such as a PCIe interface and firmware updates, while retaining the familiar 3.5-inch form factor.
Compared to SSDs, Seagate says NVMe hard drives offer 10 times more efficient embodied carbon per terabyte, four times more efficient operating power consumption per terabyte, and lower cost per terabyte.
When, or indeed if, these drives will reach the market is anyone’s guess. Seagate says it is “working with customers and partners to explore how NVMe hard drives can fit into next-generation AI storage solutions,” but there’s no timeline for it as yet.
You might also likeApple might want to put a camera or two on your next Apple Watch, ostensibly to assist its AI in interpreting your environment and, perhaps, acting on your behalf: "There's a hill up ahead! You might want to accelerate your running pace, but watch out for that puddle; it might be a pothole!"
That sounds useful, but do we need a smartwatch to do a job best left to our eyes? You'll see that hill, you'll take note of the puddle, and subconsciously plan a route around it. Why would you need a camera on your wrist?
Forgive me if I am a bit against the whole concept of a wearable camera. I think that unless you're a police officer who has to record all their interactions with the public (see The Rookie for details), a chest-bound camera is a bad idea. I think most Humane AI Pin wearers (and Humane AI) quickly discovered this.
Cameras on glasses aren't as bad, perhaps because they're so close to your eyes where you are looking at and making mental notes about what you see anyway. There are privacy concerns though, and when I've worn Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, I've had a few people ask if I'm recording them. There's a little light on the frame that tells them as much, but I get the concern. No one wants to be recorded or have their picture taken without their explicit permission.
Never a good ideaWe've seen cameras on smartwatches before. Back in 2013, Samsung unveiled the beefy Samsung Galaxy Gear, which I wore and reviewed. Samsung's idea for an on-wrist camera was, shall I say, unusual.
Instead of integrating the camera into the smart watch's body, Samsung stuffed it into the wristband. This was one bad idea on top of another. By placing the camera on the wristband, it forced you to position your wrist just right to capture a photo, using the smartwatch display as a viewfinder. Moreover, there was concern about damaging the wristband, which could lead to ruining the 2MP camera. It took, by the way, just passable photos.
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Apple's apparent idea for a smartwatch camera is less about capturing a decent photo and more about ambient awareness. Information that one or more cameras can glean about your environment could inform Apple Intelligence – assuming Apple Intelligence is, by then, what Apple's been promising all along.
Powerful AI works best with data, both training to build the models and real time for analysis by those same models. Our best iPhones and best smartwatches are full of sensors that tell these devices where they are, where they're going, how fast they're moving, and if you've taken a fall or been in a car crash while carrying or wearing them. The watch has no camera, and your phone does not use its camera to build a data picture unless you ask it to.
Currently, you can squeeze your Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 and enable Visual Intelligence. This lets you take a picture and ask ChatGPT or Google Search to analyze it.
An eye on your wristA camera on your smartwatch, though, might always be on and trying, even as you pump your arms during a brisk run, to tell you about what's around and in front of you.
It might be looking at the people running toward you, and could possibly identify people on the fly, assuming it can get a clear enough shot. The watch could then connect to your phone or AirPods and identify people: "That's Bob Smith. According to his LinkedIn, he works in real estate." I'm not sure how those other people would feel about that, though.
I get that some of this sounds very cool and futuristic, but are we really meant to know that much about everything around us? Wouldn't it be better to explore what we want to with our eyes and ignore the rest? Exactly how much information can a human take?
It needs this but...There are no guarantees that this will happen. It's just a rumor from Bloomberg News, but it makes sense.
It's high time for Apple to do the first truly significant Apple Watch redesign in a decade. Apple also needs some exciting new technology to remind people it can still innovate. Plus, more hardware sensors open the door to more powerful Apple Intelligence, and with all the recent missteps in that space, Apple is in dire need of an AI win.
I'm fine with all of that, as long as it does not involve putting cameras on my Apple Watch.
You might also likeWhile it’s not another 12 days of news from OpenAI – or at least, we hope not – the company behind ChatGPT did have a quick live stream on March 25, 2025.
The news? Well, while the AI behemoth was tight-lipped in the lead-up, OpenAI did debut native image generation for the 4o model.
It makes the teaser image of someone writing “Livestream at 11AM PT” on a classic, dark green chalkboard make a lot more sense.
OpenAI's much-improved image generation skills are debuting shortly after Google added native image generation to Gemini inside its AI Studio.
Ahead, you can see TechRadar's live blog during the event as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman walked us through the news and updates since the stream wrapped of us putting the new feature to the test.
(Image credit: Future)Well, the livestream title is shedding a lot more light as to watch we can expect ... way more than the intitally teased image. It's titled "4o Image Generation in ChatGPT and Sora" so that means we're likely getting improvements to creating images within ChatGPT and Sora.
The mention of the latter might mean more general improvements for text-to-video generation as well.
Under 15 minutes to go now!
OpenAI's live stream has begun, and in the lead-up to the 2PM ET / 11AM PT / 6PM GMT start time, we're being treated to various images. Some of these overlap, but it refreshes every few seconds and shows off all the different styles.
The live stream description notes we'll be hearing from Sam Altman, Gabriel Goh, Prafulla Dhariwal, Lu Liu, Allan Jabri, and Mengchao Zhong discussing 4o image generation.
(Image credit: Future) OpenAI debuts native image generation in the 4o model (Image credit: Future)And we're off to the races – Sam Altman is calling this one of the most fun advancments, and it's native image generation in the 4o model. He quickly noted 'it's a huge step forward' and something that OpenAI has been excited to rollout for quite some time, for a whole host of folks.
Altman notes the best way to explain it is to show it off, so we're already in a demo. In just a few seconds after the prompt, OpenAI showed off an image with what the team said has 'perfect text.' Seemingly showing a leap in terms of understanding the prompt and creating the image with clear text, and a unique point of view effect.
(Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future)In the second demo, the OpenAI team took a selfie and then asked ChatGPT to make it into an 'anime style.' It took several seconds, but it did indeed generate what was requested. You can see it above.
Sam Altman was then quick to note that the improved image generation is starting to roll out now in ChatGPT and Sora for Pro users, and it will be available for free users as well.
We also are seeing the process of the native image generation model within the 4o model, turning that generated selfie into an "AGI meme."
(Image credit: Future)Sam Altman also teased that the native image generation model within 4o is designed to be a little offensive within reason if that's what you direct it to. The key phrase there is "within reason," and no doubt many users will put that to the test.
Now, the second demo asks for a colorful image describing the theory of relativity, with some added humor. Altman also noted that the image generation model is a bit slower but that the result is much higher in quality.
(Image credit: Future)Considering the improved image generation is already available – or at least rolling out – TechRadar's editor-at-large, Lance Ulanoff, already tested the feature.
Lance took a selfie and uploaded it to ChatGPT via the iPhone app. He then asked for it to be turned into anime style. The first time, it gave him a full head of hair, but then corrected when he asked for it to be bald.
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff) (Image credit: Future)Back to the live demos, OpenAI is showing that we can now chat with ChatGPT more visually. This means that you can ask for requests to images in a row, and it will remember the context.
In this example, a photo of a coin was sent, and then the team asked ChatGPT to make it transparent, among other requests.
(Image credit: Future) That was fast!OpenAI certainly covered quite a bit of ground in just about 15~ minutes. Sam Altman and the team debuted native image generation in the 4o model. Then, presented some demos, and before it was wrapped, we already tested the feature in the ChatGPT app for the iPhone.
Now, as OpenAI announced, the improved model is rolling out now to Pro users, but is also coming to free users. Altman also confirmed it will eventually arrive in the API as well.
We just put image generation in the 4o model through another test, this time asking for a cartoon strip in the style of Charles Schulz's "Peanuts." While ChatGPT acknowledged the request, it turned it down due to copyright.
Instead, the resulting funny comic strip is in a similar style, with two familiar characters who have new names and other qualities to distinguish them from the original.
(Image credit: Future)The head of OracleNetSuite has laid out his vision of getting business technology to work by ensuring your organization is connected as much as possible.
Speaking at the company's SuiteConnect London 2025 event, Evan Goldberg highlighted the importance of ensuring all your data is connected, noting how successful businesses don't work in silos.
"If you're a business leader in 2025, you probably feel pressure to get the most out of your technology - and you're not alone," he declared. "The best-run businesses operate in a unified way, with every function connected to every other."
Time for SuitenessWith NetSuite's platform offering such a wide array of accountancy and finance tools for businesses, Goldberg introduced the idea of "Suiteness" - by which all the elements of your suite work together, meaning all your data, your processes and teams are unified in one system.
This approach means users can get more insight by analyzing data together, but also see greater productivity benefits, as workflows are united from end to end and across departments, meaning your teams can truly collaborate because they're all working in the same system.
"(Suiteness) means you can achieve more in every department across your business," Goldberg concluded.
(Image credit: Oracle NetSuite)Goldberg also noted how finance is critical for every area of a business, and this is why NetSuite was built to be, "an operating system for your entire business, not just a system for accounting or operations or HR or any single functional area."
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation, to let you get more out of the suite in every area of your organization,” Goldberg added.
“Our partnership with Oracle (means) we're able to deliver powerful enterprise-grade solutions, once available only to the largest organizations, at a scale and price that's appropriate for your organization."
AI was unsurprisingly at the heart of the company's latest innovation, with Nicky Tozer, Senior Vice President, EMEA, Oracle NetSuite, noting how AI "is no longer the tech of the future, it's here today."
The company also unveiled a host of AI tools and services centered around AI agents, including Text Enhance for custom fields, allowing for faster and more customized data entry, and a Financial Exception Management agent which can automatically detect any potential issues with suspicious transactions.
“Organizations in the UK are looking to AI to help them be more productive and do more with less, but knowing where to start can be overwhelming,” said Goldberg.
“With our AI built in, not bolted on and by offering it at no additional cost, NetSuite is helping customers reduce the barrier to entry and quickly and easily benefit from the latest advancements to gain deeper insights and boost efficiency.”