Windows Weekly 986: Liminal AI

Leo, Richard, and Paul discuss all the announcements from Build 2026 and Computex, Windows 11, AI and dev, gaming, and much more.

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Build + Computex = OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD

Build 2026 is underway in San Francisco this week, and it started with a big, overly-long keynote as always. And Computex is this week, too. There’s a lot going on and some of it is fascinating.

• And WWDC is next week because you cannot relax

Nvidia finally announces Arm-based N1X as the RTX Spark

RTX Spark is an Arm-based portable workstation chip for Windows 11

Microsoft announces Surface Laptop Ultra – It and other RTX Spark-based PCs will appear in late 2026

• Some of this leaked earlier, including a lower-end N1 chipset

Windows

Microsoft continues to optimize and evolve Windows 11 for developers

• Windows Developer Configuration, Windows Developer Skills + WinApp CLI, Terminal, more Linux, and more on-device (”unmetered”) AI – Tied to this, Copilot+ PC features are coming to more PCs, with CPU/GPU support – this, plus the RTX Spark stuff hints at answers to some obvious questions but there’s nothing concrete from Microsoft

Microsoft Edge is getting three new on-AI features

Agents

Scout is a personal work agent powered by OpenClaw

GitHub Copilot app arrives on desktop for your agentic coding and management needs

MAI

Microsoft AI announces seven new foundation models

Stevie Bathiche is back, baby

And he’s talking about those AI app structures and how they’ve led to Project Solara

Windows

Microsoft discusses the progress it’s made on Windows 11 pain points

Windows Insider Program

• You can now test the new Start menu in Experimental – Paul did so along with the new Taskbar

Hardware

• Qualcomm announces low-cost Snapdragon C for $300+ PCs to take on MacBook Neo
  • And Acer is the first to announces a Snapdragon C laptop
• New Surface Pro with Snapdragon X2 leaks for June release (!)
• Dell XPS 13 is coming soon with Intel Wildcat (also to take on MacBook Neo)
• Dell revenues are through the roof, but not because of PCs
• HP revenues are up, and it is because of PCs

AI and dev

Anthropic gets a new valuation exceeding OpenAI and then it files for an IPO

OpenAI adjusts GPT5.5-Instant for less sucking-up and releases computer use in Codex on Windows

Flutter takes the lead on Flutter desktop development

• Somewhat related: What is this little curiosity?

XBOX and gaming

Asha Sharma says you can’t please everyone and then immediately jumps the shark trying to please everyone

XBOX delays Fable reboot because of GTA VI

New titles coming to Game Pass in early June across platforms

XBOX starts early testing of new console features

ASUS announces ROG Xbox Ally X20 with OLED display and XReal R1 glasses

Intel announces Arc G-series for gaming handhelds

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 is next and it’s the COD we’ve been begging for

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Now you can vibe code a native Windows app from the CLI

Microsoft GA’s WinApp CLI and announces the Windows Platform Skills plug-in for native app creation and you’re not going to believe what I did next. OK, you will believe it.

App pick of the week: iA Writer

You can now purchase this Markdown editor on Windows or Mac without going through an app store

RunAs Radio this week: Data API Builder and SQL MVP with Jerry Nixon

https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/1039

Brown liquor pick of the week: Old Malt Casking of Longmorn 20

https://www.longmorn.com/en/

https://hunterlaing.com/range/old-malt-cask/