The most popular operating system in the world, Microsoft’s Windows is the software that powers hundreds of millions of PCs. Introduced back in November 1985, Windows has changed and evolved over time to grow as gaming, design, development, and productivity needs have shifted. Whether XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or, most recently, Windows 11, Microsoft’s OS is one of the most important pieces of software ever made.
New chips, new screens, new gadgets
On The Vergecast: how an E Ink screen changes a smartphone and how Qualcomm chips and AI might change the PC world.
The first wave of Copilot Plus PCs has landed, and iFixit has already posted a Surface Pro and Surface Laptop teardown.
There’s no magic AI dust to fix the Recall mess, but they are notably repairable, with icons and QR codes to ease the process if that affects your buying decision. Expect more from us soon about how these match up with Microsoft’s promises.
The new and improved Windows PCs are finally here
Plus: the excellent new Elden Ring DLC, a great calendar app for Windows, an AI history podcast, and much more.
Microsoft has started testing a new way to import photos on Windows 11 PCs. It should make it easier to grab photos from your devices, and it’s part of several new features coming to the photos app — including a dynamic zoom slider, easier access to slideshows, and improved load times.
Microsoft’s embarrassing Recall
Copilot Plus PCs launched this week, but a lack of reviews and the AI-powered Recall mess has overshadowed a big moment for Windows on Arm.
Microsoft is launching its Copilot Plus PCs today, with Qualcomm-powered chips inside. If you’re wondering where our reviews are, Microsoft and most of its OEM partners haven’t seeded devices ahead of today’s launch because of Microsoft’s Recall... recall. I have started testing a Surface Laptop today, and we’ll have a full review of this new Windows on Arm hardware as soon as possible.
Phone Link already lets you share files from PC to certain Android phones — a new Windows Insider Preview now adds your phone directly to the Windows Share menu, too. Also, you can quickly summon jump lists by right-clicking an app pinned to the Start Menu. More here.
Next, can I get phone mirroring without needing to unlock my Samsung, pretty please?
Slack is getting ready for Windows on Arm, just days before Microsoft launches its Copilot Plus PCs on June 18th with Arm-powered chips from Qualcomm. A new beta version of the ARM64 version of Slack is available today, and Slack says it will appear in the Microsoft Store soon, too. It’s another important app compatibility addition for Windows on Arm.
Microsoft says it is “temporarily pausing the rollout” of its latest Windows 11 24H2 update. The software giant released this update to Release Preview testers last month, and now it’s being pulled for unspecified reasons. “We will resume the rollout in the coming weeks,” says Microsoft. We’ve reached out to the company to comment on why it has pulled Windows 11 24H2.
[Windows Insider Blog]
GPD looks like it has created one of the most interesting dual-screen laptops we’ve seen to date. The secondary display sits on top or folds over the regular one to then close flat into a tablet. It looks impressive in the GIF below, but the key will be weight and balance. We’re expecting to hear more about the GPU Duo at Computex next week.
All of Microsoft’s MacBook Air-beating benchmarks
Microsoft is confident it can beat the MacBook Air M3 on performance, price, and battery life.
Why Microsoft bet on Surface
On The Vergecast: a 12-year laptop journey, what’s new in the smart home, and why Google Zero matters.
Windows documentarian Albacore has ported the Windows 11 feature to a machine running a third-gen Snapdragon 7c Plus with 3.4GB of RAM.
Albacore says Recall — which takes periodic snapshots and uses AI to make info easier to find in your files, meeting notes, and more — runs surprisingly well considering the chipset doesn’t have the NPU required for Copilot Plus PCs.
WordPad and Tips, too. We knew they were dead, but the big Windows update coming this fall will nix them for good:
*Please note that Cortana, Tips, and WordPad are removed after upgrading to Windows 11, version 24H2.
[BleepingComputer]
Microsoft’s big bet on building a new type of AI computer
AI chips are at the core of Microsoft’s new Copilot Plus PCs, and Microsoft thinks they could change the way we use computers.
