Windows Weekly (Audio)

Chris Hoffman, a freelance tech writer and creator of the Windows Read Me newsletter, dives into Microsoft's recent protests at Building 34, highlighting employee activism against the company's technological ties to geopolitical conflicts. They explore advancements in AI image editing with Google's Gemini and the nostalgic remastering of Gears of War. The discussion also touches on the complexities of Windows user access features, Bluetooth audio improvements, and the challenges Microsoft faces in a rapidly evolving tech landscape and employee expectations.

Dive into the jestful world of tech as the hosts mock Google's Pixel 10 launch and its celebrity-centric approach. They analyze Lenovo's remarkable 22% earnings increase amidst shifting PC market dynamics. Explore AI's transformative role in Windows, showcasing new features and the balance between innovation and privacy. Gaming enthusiasts will enjoy insights from Microsoft's Gamescom 2025 showcase, packed with thrilling announcements and the future of Xbox. A playful mix of tech updates, anecdotes, and the intertwining of whiskey production with data management adds flavor to the conversation.

Discover the latest updates from Patch Tuesday, with exciting news about AI features and classic games making a comeback in stunning remastered versions. Dive into discussions on Windows 11's new functionalities and the challenges of integrating AI into everyday life. Explore the complex dynamics of browser technologies and a bold $34.5 billion bid for Chrome. Enjoy light-hearted anecdotes about libraries' valuable resources and the industry's nostalgia for gaming classics, while reflecting on GitHub's leadership changes and their implications in an evolving tech landscape.

Microsoft has reached a staggering $4 trillion valuation as it navigates a complex landscape of tech industry dynamics, substantial AI investments, and staffing changes. Their revenue figures show remarkable growth, sparking discussions on the implications of substantial layoffs despite profits. Insights into Windows' future reveal a focus on security and AI integration, while the gaming industry sees Xbox thriving amidst nostalgic reflections. Plus, humorous anecdotes about whiskey tasting and travel adventures add lighthearted moments to the tech-heavy conversation.

Ten years ago yesterday, Microsoft released Windows 10, fixing the issues with Windows 8.x and giving Windows 7 users a solid upgrade. One historical curiosity: It was the first Windows release without a major launch event. In other news, Microsoft publishes a Nadella email to the troops about the layoffs, but he never really addresses the layoffs.Windows 10 turns 10 The Bad: Its legacy is mixed, as this is when the enshittification of Windows began, really Windows as a Service Ads, crapware, and telemetry — plus some made-up privacy issues Terry Myerson gaff about one billion users Universal apps/One Windows was a bust, with Windows Phone and HoloLens failures Windows 10's launch was a missed opportunity to make the Store matter The Good: Windows Subsystem for Linux was huge WinGet was also huge, but is underappreciated and underutilized to this day It did reverse the mistakes of Windows 8, and in time it got more stable as Microsoft figured out WaaS (and then went on to abuse it) Oh, and the Windows 10 Field Guide is free to celebrate the anniversary Windows 11 Microsoft is using Rust for Surface drivers, and it wants all Windows drivers to switch to Rust too The Link to Windows app is getting a nice upgrade on Android Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2): Settings agent for x86, SCOOBE changes, Click to Do improvements, Windows Search improvements Canary: Just a couple of bug fixes (Actually, two builds, one today also with no features) Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, and Media Encoder are Now Native on Windows 11 on Arm in beta Opera files antitrust case against Microsoft in Brazil for Windows 11/Edge behaviors Another app blocking Recall in a slow-drop of negative Recall-related AI privacy news for Microsoft. Rant: More importantly, Recall is boring and not useful given the hype around it. Intel earnings are flat, but more layoffs are on the way Lenovo rollable laptop in action! (ThinkBook Plus Gen 6) Lenovo makes a lot of weird laptops now (like the dual-screen Yoga Book 9i Paul reviewed last year) — apparently they didn't get the message after Microsoft cancelled the Surface Neo and Windows 10X. Does the average modern Windows laptop really need a touchscreen? Is this a relic of the Windows 8 era? AI & Microsoft 365 Perplexity Comet is real and it shows the way forward for AI web browsers Coincidentally, Microsoft suddenly launches Copilot mode for Microsoft Edge. (But I've played with Copilot Mode, and it's no Comet or Dia.) Copilot is getting real-time expressions. It's the return of Clippy! Microsoft's long-term Copilot plans are a lot wilder than you might expect Google earned $96.4 billion in one quarter. This shows that it has not been impacted by other AIs yet Xbox & gaming Xbox is coming to Gamerscom in Germany in August, and it's bringing the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds The July Xbox Update is here and it's all about the PC Paul reviewed the Lenovo Legion Go S, and the Windows experience was so bad. Also, PC OEMs are having trouble competing with the Steam Deck's pricing on gaming handhelds. Tips & picks Tips of the week: Chris and Paul are partnering on his new newsletter App pick of the week: Perplexity Pro Beer pick of the week: Alesong Rhino Suit These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/943 Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott Guest: Chris Hoffman Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

Microsoft finally kills Movies & TV show service in the Microsoft Store. This was the final vestigial minder of Zune that remained. There was Groove Video and Xbox Video, too. Microsoft previously killed eBook (2019) and music (2017) sales. At this point, you would have to be insane to buy content from Microsoft, sorry... but you can get to some of your content on other services via Movies Anywhere - and use the Movies & TV app for now in Windows, which is no longer bundled. Windows 11 It's Week D and you can't tell your Copilot+ PC features from your Windows 11 features without a scorecard A peek at next month's Patch Tuesday - Also, preview updates for 23H2, Windows 10 Copilot+ PCs only: Settings agent, Click to Do improvements, Photo relight in Photos app, Sticker generator and Object select in Paint Everyone: Copilot Vision (U.S. only) in Copilot, Edge Game Assist, Quick Machine Recovery Microsoft explains how PC transfer feature will work in Windows Backup later this year Describe image action for Click to Do (for AMD/Intel), image descriptions in Narrator (AMD/Intel), performance log improvements (!), Click to Do search bar test, Lock screen improvements, privacy improvements head to Dev and Beta channels Bug fixes in Canary, back to the usual waste of time Brave will automatically block Recall WhatsApp is going PWA, killing UWP app Focusrite finally releases drivers for Windows 11 on Arm/Snapdragon X, removing the final major compatibility issue on that platform Linux (sort of) crosses the 5 percent usage milestone Surface/Copilot+ PC Copilot+ PC is a failure as a brand because Microsoft focused on negligible on-device AI features It should have pushed reliability, performance, efficiency and battery life All Copilot+ PC features should come to at least those with GPUs, but really all customers Microsoft failed at AI, and failed with consumers, and so now it's going to tell us what consumers want from AI - a comedy Microsoft announces Surface Laptop for Business with 5G but the real "with" is Intel Inside Intel layoffs are even worse than expected and more are coming Microsoft has a problem and it starts with "C" and ends with "opilot" Microsoft SharePoint has a notably bad security flaw DuckDuckGo adds some neat customization features to Duck.ai and DuckDuckGo lets you hide all AI from search Xbox and gaming The Xbox platform unification continues: Xbox now testing cross-device play history - Not just console games on console, PC games on PC Just kidding! The Outer Worlds will cost $69.99, not $79.99 Tips & Picks Tip of the week: You hate Big Tech, but who can you trust? App pick of the week: Proton Lumo RunAs Radio this week: Copilot Studio with April Dunnam Brown liquor pick of the week: Benromach 10 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com/twit 1password.com/windowsweekly

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

This week, the hosts dive into the latest Windows 11 updates and celebrate its rise over Windows 10 in installations. They humorously discuss mixed reactions to new features and accessibility enhancements. The conversation touches on the ongoing challenges in the gaming industry, including recent layoffs and development hurdles. Insights into Microsoft Edge, AI integrations, and cybersecurity challenges add depth to the dialogue, while nostalgic reflections on classic computing provide a fun twist.

The podcast dives into Microsoft's massive layoffs affecting 9,000 employees, particularly in Xbox Gaming, despite the company's record profits. Discussions include the upcoming Windows 11 updates and the introduction of Microsoft Copilot for Mac users. The hosts explore passkey security enhancements and the evolving landscape of AI in tech, contrasting the development strategies of major firms like Microsoft and Apple. Humor and anecdotes add a light touch as they navigate through gaming innovations and the future of online security practices.

Microsoft is winding down support for Windows 10, but users can snag a year of free extra security updates! The podcast dives into the challenges of upgrading to Windows 11 and explores new features in the Insider Program. It hilariously contrasts Copilot's struggles against ChatGPT in AI adoption. Plus, discussions on Xbox layoffs reveal the industry's shifting landscape while throwing in some light banter about tech hiccups and humorous anecdotes about loyalty rewards. Don't miss insights into whiskey production in South Africa, blending tech with fine spirits!