Windows Weekly (Video)

WW 979: The Nespresso of the PC World - Simplifying the Windows Insider Program

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:38:14 PDT

With Microsoft finally doing right by Windows 11 and the Windows Insider Program, it's time to start testing and provide some feedback. And then we'll see if we can really trust these people. Also, Stardock's Connection Explorer 1.0 is here! And if you want one of macOS's dumbest features on Windows 11, you can get it now.

Windows

Yesterday was Patch Tuesday - Another month in paradise
26H1 - Eh, 24H2/25H2 - Narrator, File Explorer, display, Pen settings, WRE, Remote Desktop improvements
Microsoft reveals how it will simplify the Windows Insider Program
Two top-level channels, but really three
A way to enable all features in new builds, finally, and easy channel switching. But there are complexities, of course
New builds for Canary, Beta, and Dev - Two for Canary, but nothing new, Beta and Dev get Storage, networking, Windows Security, and Feedback Hub improvements
The first Snapdragon X2-based PC is out, and Paul has that waiting in PA, and two more PCs are coming to Mexico
PC sales were somehow up 2.5 percent in Q1, but the rest of 2026 will be a bloodbath
Also, smartphone sales are doing even worse
NVIDIA reportedly wants to buy Dell or HP ahead of a big PC chipset push. Interesting

Surface/Microsoft 365

Microsoft is forced to hike Surface prices dramatically
Microsoft reportedly kills Surface Hub
Microsoft College Offer: 12 months of Microsoft 365 Premium, 12 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and a custom Xbox controller when students in the U.S. purchase a PC

AI/Dev

Microsoft AI releases a faster and more efficient image model
Amazon CEO tries to explain the AI spending
Google app for Windows rolls out worldwide, but the Mac gets a Gemini app
Claude for Microsoft Word arrives in Beta
Claude for Desktop gets a major redesign for multiple AI agents
Microsoft's reported plans to charge for AI agents
.NET 11 Preview 3 arrives right on schedule, but there's nothing to see here
Build session catalog is up - joking, but the new Windows native app strategy should just be vibe coding
Google I/O registration is open, and you are never going to believe what the main topics will be - number five will shock you

Xbox & gaming

New Xbox CEO says Game Pass is too expensive, also that the sky is blue
Xbox will show off the next Metro game soon
Starfield for PS5 is getting a fix
Amazon Luna is stripping down to the basics e.g. "pulling a Stadia"

Tips & picks

Tip of the week: It's time to get involved
App pick of the week: Stardock Connection Explorer
RunAs Radio this week: Internal Corporate Communications in 2026 with Emily Mancini
Brown liquor pick of the week: ScapeGrace Vanguard

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.

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WW 978: Pre-Peated - "Copilot Is for Entertainment Purposes Only"

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:20:23 PDT

Julia Liuson is leaving Microsoft. Liuson joined Microsoft in 1992, the same year as CEO Satya Nadella (she worked on Access at first). She helped build the first version of Visual Studio and was the first female corporate vice president at Microsoft. Liuson has been president of Microsoft's Developer Division since 2021. Also, curious about life on the other side of the fence? Paul has a tip for finding games that are optimized for Linux. Plus, Chrome joins the 21st century with vertical tabs and a real reading view. Just be sure to install those anti-tracking extensions.

Windows

Microsoft promises more native apps for Windows 11, but... which apps? New apps? Replacements for existing apps?
Thanks for making us revisit the web app vs. native app thing yet again, Microsoft
Windows 11 version 25H2 is now being pushed to all compatible PCs
Compatibility milestone, not a big deal because 24H2/25H2 features are identical, same underlying codebase - but some will complain that Microsoft is "forcing" 25H2 on them
Secure Boot certificate notifications are now available so you can see where your PC is at
Another month, another emergency Windows Update patch
New Dev/Beta builds add Xbox Mode, new haptic effects, etc., plus a new Canary build with features we've seen before
Microsoft is taking the Insider Program on the road
Component shortages trigger another Raspberry Pi price hike, but also a promise for the future
The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor will be available from leading retailers starting Apr. 22 with a retail price of $899

Microsoft's terms of service for Copilot say it's for entertainment purposes only. Yes, really.
Microsoft AI releases new foundational models for transcription, voice, and images
Word on iPhone gets Copilot co-create capabilities - used to be AI Mode, you need a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription
Anthropic has hired away a key AI executive from Microsoft, and what he has to say about the opportunity is interesting
Anthropic brings Computer Use to Windows
Google: Seriously, we are not training AI with your Gmail
Google AI Pro plans now offer 5 TB of cloud storage, yikes

Xbox & gaming

Xbox is refreshing the look of achievements on the console
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, more coming to Game Pass this month
Was this the best COD ever? In search of greatness
Also: Forza Horizon 6 launches May 19 and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and playable day one with Xbox Game Pass
Xbox will hold FanFest events around the world

Tips & picks

Tip of the week: So you want to try gaming on Linux
App pick of the week: Google Chrome
RunAs Radio this week: Securing AI Agents with Niall Merrigan
Brown liquor pick of the week: Corowa Peated Single Barrel 521

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.

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WW 977: Moonshine University - The Push for Building 100% Native Windows Apps

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:17:24 PDT

Microsoft's AI ambitions overflowed into GitHub, sparking backlash when ads appeared in pull requests and raising new concerns about where your code is really going. GitHub is going to automatically use your data to train AI, so Paul tells how to opt-out if you don't want that. Plus, there's a new Microsoft 365 alternative in town, and this one is from a little tech company you can trust.

Windows

Week D updates go live last Thursday - Smart App Control, many other minor changes
And here we go again: Microsoft issues emergency patch for March Week D optional update
Microsoft says it will replace web-based in-box apps and experiences with native apps ... somehow
Four builds across three channels - Canary with opt-in gets a huge Windows Console upgrade, Dev/Beta get Administrator Protection (again), more
AMD has a new flagship gaming processor

AI/Dev

Microsoft Research AI has a new Critique feature that uses ChatGPT and Claude together in an unholy Frankenstein's monster of orchestration
A week of Siri AI rumors/leaks - This is Apple's version of Microsoft trying to buy TikTok
Google makes it easier to switch to Gemini - This is like Mac vs. PC, but for AI
Mozilla's approach to AI in Firefox is both right and correct
The plan to the save the open web from Big Tech
The future of Firefox includes a Smart Window mode that works like Private window but for AI
SwiftUI SDK for Android is now available

Xbox and gaming

New Xbox chief seeks to reset Xbox brand image - reminder, that's not the same as changing anything
Xbox announces 14 Day One Game Pass titles coming soon
Xbox Games Showcase 2026 and Gears of War E-Day Direct are coming in June
Sony to raise PS5 prices soon
Nintendo to raise prices for physical Switch 2 games soon

Tips & picks

Tip of the week: Opt-out of training AI on GitHub
App pick of the week: Proton Workspace with Meet
RunAs Radio this week: My Home Lab
Brown liquor pick of the week: Jeptha Creed Six Year Old Wheated Bourbon

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.

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WW 976: Full Thurrottle - Microsoft's Plan To Save Windows in 2026

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:21:33 PDT

In 2015, Satya Nadella said that he wanted users to love Windows. But Microsoft has only enshittified Windows more aggressively since then. Paul wrote a book. And now Microsoft says it's changed, baby, and it's serious this time. Here's what was said ... and what was not said.

A Timeline

Early signs of positive change: Rust in the Windows kernel, numerous new security features in Windows 11 - "two sides" of Windows, the engineering side and the "let's push AI at all costs/UX" side - more recently, Baseline Security Mode and User Transparency and Consent announcement
Last September, Pavan Davuluri took over Windows and reorganized the business immediately, bringing Server/Core back in-house
In December, Paul saw the first signs of positive changes in OneDrive, while not perfect, a major step back from the enshittification there. It took a few months to understand exactly what changed.
In January, there are over one billion Windows 11 users. Davuluri first mentions a push for quality in 2026 - "pain points"
In February, Nadella announced leadership changes that included people directly in charge of security and engineering quality
Now, Microsoft has announced that it will address (some of) the complaints about Windows 11, and this includes performance and reliability improvements across the board

Microsoft said it will

Let you move the Taskbar to other screen edges, finally
Improve File Explorer performance
Make changes to how users to skip Windows Updates (vaguely)
Make improvements to Widgets (but what about the quality problem?)
Remove unnecessary Copilot entry points
Make the Windows Insider Program more transparent
More relevant recommendations in Start - ??
Reduce resource usage across the board, give more resources to what you're doing (good for gaming, especially)
Reduce interaction latency - WInUI3
Reduce search latency throughout - also context menus and navigation (which is WinUI3, I guess)
Make improvements to Windows Subsystem for Linux
OS, drive, and in-box app reliability improvements
Windows Hello improvements - Wonders if this is tied to the complaint about speed here

What Microsoft didn't discuss

Of the several items in the Windows 11 Enshittification Checklist, only one was addressed by Davuluri's post, Windows Update chaos, and then only partially. Not mentioned: Forced telemetry, bundled crapware, forced Microsoft account sign-ins, forced Microsoft Edge usage and configuration harassment, hardware requirements (less relevant today), OneDrive behaviors (partially addressed already).
Recall is rare in that it's opt-in, but most of the AI and unwanted features are opt-out or worse
Controlled Feature Releases are not controlled, but they do suck
Microsoft has monthly Security Updates that include new features. Security and Feature updates should be separate and have different pausing rules
Microsoft is not removing Copilot from Windows, nor is it doing less AI; it is just removing Copilot icons from most places and trying to be more thoughtful about how it deploys AI in Windows 11
The Windows Insider Program makes 0 sense right now, and this was only partially addressed; it's not clear what's changing yet
Davuluri says that WinUI3 UIs are the solution to many performance problems, but just using an old

Mor

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/976

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

WW 975: A Bubble of Knowledge - Microsoft Reorgs, OpenAI Drama, & Xbox's Next Move

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:43:06 PDT

There's an ongoing narrative that Windows is worse than ever today and people are leaving in droves. Paul does not see that, and will simply point to Windows 8 and remind folks that it can be (and was) worse. Also, PowerToys 0.98 adds a major new feature to Command Palette, big changes to Keyboard Manager and CursorWrap, and about 100 other updates. This is a big one. Plus, Mozilla Firefox is staging a comeback and may be worth another look.

Windows

Rajesh Jha is retiring and Microsoft is reorging its Experiences + Devices team
Release Preview: A peek at next week's Week D update (and April's Patch Tuesday) shows we're getting improvements to Narrator, Settings, Smart App Control, Pen settings, Display, File Explorer, and the Windows Recovery Environment (WRE). The trend continues!
New Canary, Dev, and Beta builds - Nothing new in Canary. Dev/Beta: Drag Tray is being renamed to Drop Tray, you can change the user folder name during Setup, Restore points are getting a modern update finally
Intel goes nuts with new "Arrow Lake refresh" processors; these are not Copilot+ PC capable and it's unclear what the Panther Lake comparison looks like
IDC now expects 11.3 percent decline in PC market in 2026, 7.6 percent decline for tablets

Microsoft may sue OpenAI for contract breach - the best Microsoft divorce since IBM
Major reorg in Microsoft's AI businesses
Former Snap exec in charge of consolidated Copilot offerings across consumer and commercial
Mustafa Suleyman to focus on Microsoft's foundational models
There has been a lot of retiring and a lot of outside hires for top-level executive positions in Microsoft over the past year or more. Curious.
Rumors vs. reality in Microsoft scaling back AI ambitions in Windows
Rumor: Microsoft is backtracking on some Copilot features
Reality: Microsoft is not backtracking on its AI ambitions, it's just going to try to do a better job with branding and positioning
Microsoft launches Copilot Health in the U.S.
Google Personal Intelligence ships in the U.S.
OpenAI releases GPT-5.4 mini and nano models
GPT-5 mini is available as a reasoning model on Duck.ai

Xbox and gaming

Rumor vs. reality in Xbox strategy
Rumor: Microsoft removed "This is an Xbox" messaging from website so it must be focusing on consoles again
Reality: Literally nothing has changed
Xbox Insiders is testing per-game Quick Resume toggle
Also more groups on Home, custom colors, profile badges in guide
Big half month for Game Pass, with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, more coming
Starfield is coming to PS5 on April 7
NVIDIA launches DLSS 5, changes existing games, people are freaking out

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: The grass is always greener
App pick of the week: PowerToys 0.98
RunAs Radio this week: Sustainable AI with Darshna Shah
Brown liquor pick of the week: Teeling Small Batch Whiskey

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.

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WW 974: DIY Crocs - Project Helix Details From GDC 2026

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:59:17 PDT

From bug-busting AI that's transforming Firefox to personal coding breakthroughs, the team breaks down how practical applications are cutting through skepticism and reshaping developer workflows. Plus, hear why lighter Patch Tuesdays are refreshing from time to time!

Windows 11

Patch Tuesday's familiar list of updates: Network speed test, Camera tilt and pan controls, sysmon, RSAT improvements, Quick Machine Recovery improvements, WEBP support for desktop wallpaper, Emoji 16.0, etc.
It's been a light year so far for Patch Tuesday features - that's a good thing
New builds for Canary, Dev, and Beta late last week. Canary is nothing, Dev/Beta get Administrator Protection, Drag Tray refinements, File Explorer improvements, and fixes
Android 16 QPR3 brings Desktop Mode to Android devices - and a hands-on with Pixel phones and tablets shows the way forward for Android-based laptops later this year
Intel has new gaming processors for creators and gamers and they look excellent and are inexpensive

AI and dev

Copilot Cowork is literally Claude Cowork in Microsoft 365 - "Wave 3" for Microsoft 365 Copilot begins with a lot of agentic features, in private preview at first
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive get big Gemini updates for consumers and Workspace customers
Mozilla partners with Anthropic to use AI to find bugs, and it's paying off nicely
Visual Studio Code moves to a weekly update schedule
The .NET 11 Preview 2 is here

Xbox and gaming

Microsoft starts talking up next Xbox console! It's called Project Helix and, yes, it will run Windows games
New Xbox Mode is on the way
Project Helix dev kits to game makers in 2027
Satya Nadella explains why he/Microsoft are "long" on gaming
Gaming is a core identity for Microsoft alongside platforms, developers, and knowledge workers

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Nostalgia with a purpose
App pick of the week: Stardock Clairvoyance
RunAs Radio this week: SQL Server in 2026 with Bob Ward
Brown liquor pick of the week: Canadian Centennial Rye Whisky

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.

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WW 973: Bob's Rumor Store - ASUS & Dell Unveil Windows 365 Cloud PC Devices

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:28:23 PST

Can Microsoft's push for cloud PCs and AI-powered agents redefine where and how we work? If you keep to the defaults, Windows 11 is secure. Copilot+ PC is even more secure. But you can take additional steps to secure it either way, and you should. Plus, Paul's been trying to play different types of games, and Resident Evil Requiem is better (in his opinion) than Silent Hill f and Silent Hill 2 remake... if you want a horror game. Also, there's a cheaper new Audible plan thanks to Spotify!

Windows 11

Shenanigans? If you use a third-party AI client in Edge Canary... you will not be amused.
Bitwarden (TWiT sponsor) is (possibly the 1st?) third-party password manager to support passkey sign-ins on Windows 11
New Canary, Dev, and Beta builds last Friday- Canary is more of the same, Dev/Beta get shared audio improvements, narrator improvements, new IT policies
ASUS and Dell will soon sell Windows 365 Cloud PCs
Google is moving Chrome to a two-week dev schedule. Should we assume Microsoft will follow suit with Edge?
Dell is up 39 percent, but because of AI servers not PCs
NVIDIA revenues up 73 percent to $68.1 billion

AI/dev

OpenAI closes $110 billion funding round as the AI circle jerk continues
Microsoft brings Copilot Tasks to consumer Copilot
Google introduces AppFunctions for Android, it's way to make mobile apps work like MCP (be semantic), similar to what Microsoft is doing in Windows
Windows App Development CLI updated to 0.02 with Store CLI integration and .NET project support
Build 2026 is in San Francisco, as expected, but in June - overlap with WWDC?

Xbox and gaming

Here come the first Game Pass titles of March
Microsoft highlights some indie games to consider
Xbox ROG Ally gets AI-based game recaps
Legion Go Fold is the star of the new PCs at MWC
Sony might be backtracking on its PC games plans
Developing: Epic/Google settlement was approved

Tips & picks

App pick of the week: Resident Evil Requiem
Tip of the week: Secure your Windows 11 PC
RunAs Radio this week: Hiring in 2026 with Suzi Edwards-Alexander
Brown liquor pick of the week: St. Augustine Florida Straight Bourbon

Hosts: Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell, and Mikah Sargent

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.

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WW 972: I'm A Tolkien Scholar - Phil Spencer & Sarah Bond Depart Xbox

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 12:14:53 PST

Just last week, we asked about Phil Spencer and why he's been so quiet lately. Now we know why! Also, OneDrive for the Mac is finally going to look like it belongs on the Mac. And Google Chrome finally picks up a split view like the rest of the planet, plus a few other new features.

PHIL SPENCER OUT AT XBOX

Phil Spencer has retired from Microsoft and his heir-apparent, Sarah Bond, left Microsoft as well
Report details the Xbox reorg
Ex-Xbox executive issues an old guy shouting at sky assessment
New Microsoft Gaming CEO discusses "return to Xbox"
Hot-take: This person seems unqualified to run Xbox/MS Gaming, but let's give her a chance
Alternative hot-take: She is literally here to wind down this business, which makes no sense... unless there's a spin-off

Windows

WSJ report sheds some light, and adds a lot of confusion, to Nvidia's Windows PC plans
Week D arrived on time this month
Preview of March Patch Tuesday updates
Network speed test, pan and tilt in Camera settings, sysmon, RSAT improvements, Quick Machine Recovery improvements, WEBP background image support, Emoji 16.0
And you thought the Canary channel was weird already
New builds for Canary, Dev, and Beta. Canary gets features we already saw elsewhere, Dev and Beta get context menu, settings, and Taskbar improvements
Paul has published (an incomplete version of) De-Enshittify Windows 11
De-enshittifying Copilot and AI is doable but not yet automated
What about the alternatives?
Next step: Security and Apps chapters
HP revenues up 6.9 percent to $14.4 billion but RAM warning is more dire than expected
Apple to add multitouch to MacBook Pro lineup in late 2026. Oh the irony

Xbox February update brings 1440p streaming to Xbox consoles, updates for Xbox ROG Ally, more
Xbox app is delivering post-game recaps on Windows 11 for Insiders
EA had the most game downloads on PC and console in 2025, thanks to having the three most popular AAA games of the year (BF6, EA Sports FC 25, and EA Sports FC 26). Microsoft was number two, followed by Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Sony. Fortnite is somehow still the biggest game overall on console, and Counter-Strike 2 (!!!!) is the biggest on PC. 20 million Fortnite players on PS, 15 million on Xbox

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: OneDrive for the Mac
App pick of the week: Google Chrome
RunAs Radio this week: SaaS on Multiple Clouds with Steve Buchanan
Brown liquor pick of the week: Sons of Vancouver Wheated Rye Whisky

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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WW 971: Texas English - Where Does Xbox Go Next?

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:04:01 PST

Microsoft might finally give power users what they've been demanding: the ability to move the Windows 11 taskbar wherever they want. Plus, 3 major new chapters in Paul's next book, and a strange pick that solves his big issue with Windows Spotlight.

Windows 11

Potentially good news for the 13 people who want to move the Taskbar to a different screen side
Beta (but not Dev) with one new "feature"
Release Preview for 24H2/25H2 with emoji 16.0, QMR improvements, network speed test, pan and tilt controls for compatible cameras, widgets improvements, more
Lenovo revenues up 18% to $22.2 billion

AI/Dev

Google announces 30-second audio generation
Google sets a date for I/O 2026, but where in the Carmen Diego is Build 2026?
Android 17 Beta is here with an even shorter runway
With '26.3 out, Apple releases '26.4 Beta 1s

Xbox and gaming

Phil Spencer is always in the spotlight, but he's been on the down-low for months
Some hints for the future coming GDC 2026
Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Witcher 3, more coming to Xbox Game Pass
Avowed comes to the PlayStation 5 along with the Anniversary Update
Microsoft is retiring user-created Xbox social clubs
NVIDIA GeForce Now comes to Amazon Fire TV 4K Sticks

Tips & picks

Tip of the week: Major progress on De-Enshittify Windows 11, the book
App pick of the week: Bing Wallpaper
RunAs Radio this week: Hacking using AI with Erica Burgess
Brown liquor pick of the week: Lot 40 100% Pot Still Rye

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 audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

WW 970: Token Kill! - What Version 26H1's Scoped Release Implies

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:36:36 PST

After years of ignoring and maligning Windows, Microsoft has finally woken up and is making some happy noises. Last week, we discussed how Microsoft plans to improve the quality of Windows and that there are already many signs of that work in various security features and new OneDrive Folder Backup changes - plus those two new direct reports to Nadella. Then, Microsoft announced its Windows Baseline Security Mode and User Transparency and Consent initiatives with questions about the timing. And now, Microsoft just explained Windows 11 version 26H1, and it's not like 24H2 at all despite being tied to Snapdragon X2 silicon.

Something happened ... and that something is tied to 26H1

26H1: Only for Snapdragon X2, a "scoped release," based on a "different core" from 24H2 and 25H2
You cannot upgrade 24H2 or 25H2 to 26H1
You cannot upgrade 26H1 to 26H2 (!) - instead, those on 26H1 "will have a path to update in a future Windows release." - Is that future Windows release Windows 12? Probably
24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 will all have the same user-facing features, this has been the case with all support Windows (11) versions for 2+ years
(Remember, this is not what happened with 24H2. Shipped early on Snapdragon X1, but was made available to all Windows 11 PCs later that year)
So why is this happening now? Fortune 500/corporate customer pushback on AI is one guess
This is GOOD news, however it all unfolds

More Windows 11

Yesterday was Patch Tuesday, so get to work. Updates this month include: Agent in Settings (Copilot+ PCs only) improvements. Settings improvements, cross-device Resume improvements, Windows MIDI Services improvements, Narrator improvements, Smart App Control improvements, Windows Hello New ESS improvements, and File Explorer improvements
Somewhat related to the quality/security push noted above, Microsoft is rolling out new Secure Boot certificates this year for older (pre-2024/25) PCs
Microsoft announces a Store CLI that does (almost) nothing new compared to winget
New Dev and Beta builds with minor changes: Emoji 16.0, camera improvements, various fixes

More earnings

Amazon hits $213.4 billion in revenues, will spend $200 billion CAPEX/AI infrastructure this fiscal year, more than Google ($175/$185 billion) or Microsoft (estimated $150+ billion)
Qualcomm $12.25 billion in revenues, up 5 percent
Alphabet/Google - Up 18 percent (!) to $113.8 billion - 750 million MAUs on Gemini, 74 percent of revenues come from advertising
Spotify - somehow has over 750 million MAUs now

AI and dev

OpenAI and Anthropic release dueling agentic AI coding models that do more than agentic AI coding within minutes of each other
Ads appear in ChatGPT Free and Go as threatened
Duck.ai adds private, anonymous real-time AI voice chat
NET 11 Preview 1 arrives, but there's nothing major here

Xbox & games

Microsoft announces the 2025 Xbox Excellence Awards
Celebrate 35 years of Id Software - Castle Wolfenstein 3D was a wake-up call for PC gaming, but DOOM was a miracle, and Quake was a real WTF moment
Sony sold 8 million PlayStation 5s (down 16 percent YOY) in the holiday quarter, 92 million (!) overall
Valve predictably delays the vaporware Steam Machine
Epic Games is having a winter sale - for example, Silent Hill 2, GTA V Enhanced are 50 percentR

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/970

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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