Ask Paul: August 31 (Premium)

It’s the last day of August, so here’s another lengthy round of Q & A to start off the weekend.

Career alternatives?

ggolcher asks:

I know of your success with Thurrott.com (and the SuperSite before that), and your great career in tech journalism. Have you ever considered branching out into other areas? And furthermore, have you ever tried previously to start your own business?

Not sure what to say about the successful nature of my career. 🙂 I think of it more along the lines of just keeping at it. Anyone can start a blog or a podcast, for example. The trick is not stopping after two weeks.

But I will say that I love what I do. And that the big difference between what I do now—write about personal technology—and what I did before is that what I do now does define me in many ways. When I was working at a bank, or whatever, before that, I explicitly understood that what I was doing outside of work was more important, more central to who I was. This is kind of a “work/life” balance thing, I guess.

Today, the things I do outside of work don’t really define me anymore, though I do of course have interests. And I’ve thought, from time to time, about turning those pastimes into something more public-facing. But I don’t feel like I have much to offer there, for the most part. I do spend a lot of time on developer training, but I’m not ever going to become a professional developer again, most probably. I’m interested in certain self-help topics, minimalism, personal finance, nutrition/weight loss, and so on.

I’ve never really tried to start a business, no.

OneNote Online and backups

harmjr asks:

Can you point me to OneNote Online (Consumer) on line back up policy? … Any suggestions on how to back up the OneNote Online files?

Because OneNote notebooks are stored in OneDrive, I assumed they were subject to the same backup/version control functionality that you get with other document types. But looking at my own notebooks in OneDrive (which I keep in Documents > Notebooks), I see that Version History is not available for that document type.

Is this a problem? I’m not sure. I know that OneNote has its own version history functionality. And in several years of sharing notebooks (like the one for Windows Weekly) with others with edit privileges, I’ve never encountered any data loss. (You can see this in OneNote by navigating to View > Deleted Notes.)

In any event, I suppose the simplest thing you could do is sync the folder with your notebooks to a PC and then use File History or some other backup solution on that.

Microsoft vs. consumers

christian.hvid asks:

I know this is a Google forum these days, but I’d like to toss in just one more Microsoft question if I may…

A Google forum? I write about personal technology. And I have a strong Microsoft background, so what I write is disproportionately about Microsoft, not Google, if anything. Anyway….

A few weeks back, Mary Jo made an interesting remark about Microsoft being obsessed with the consumer market, because it’s the one they don’t have. Do you agree with the assessment that Microsoft spends too much energy chasing markets that are basically out of their reach, rather than consolidating, perfecting and defending what they already have? In other words, is Microsoft driven too much by envy?

Microsoft’s obsession with consumers has evolved over the years, and it’s not the same as it was during the height of what I’d describe as an obsession with Apple. Today, it’s a lot tamer. Instead of just trying to be Apple, Microsoft believes that its success with businesses (really, commercial customers, which also includes governments, schools, and other large entities) should lead naturally to success with individuals. After all, the people in these organizations are still people.

This strategy will always fail. And I have a bit of personal experience with this: In the early 2000s, I helped my employer, the company behind Windows NT Magazine (and its successors) create a new publication called Connected Home Magazine. We had the same theory: All these guys working in IT were implementing personal technology at home. So it’s the same audience, right?

Today, at my current employer, we see the same thing between Petri (which focuses on IT pros) and Thurrott.com, which is about personal technology. There is some cross-over, of course. But people who go to Petri do so because something went wrong at work and they need answers. People who come to Thurrott.com do so because they’re tech enthusiasts and want to stay up on what’s happening in this space. You know, generally speaking.

The issue for Microsoft is that the reasons its successful in the commercial space have no bearing on consumers. In fact, they could be a net negative: Most people do not have positive feelings towards work or the technology used there. Which, in many cases, is keeping them down and not helping them drive forward.

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this, but I have an editorial I’ll probably never publish called Microsoft’s Consumer Play. It starts off like this:

Microsoft’s plan for consumers amounts to “business users are consumers too.” Yes, they’ve already lost.

==

Microsoft does not have a consumer strategy. Instead, it funnels virtually everything it offers—yes, even gaming—through an ever-narrowing lens that today is built from buzzwords like “AI,” “machine learning,” and “intelligent cloud, intelligent edge.

I like what Microsoft does in the consumer space. And it has a few successful consumer brands like Xbox and Minecraft. But that’s about it, and Microsoft’s consumer offerings are contracting over time. I don’t trust them to continue with anything there long-term.

Google sign-in to Windows

dcdevito asks:

Paul, what do you think of Google + Windows 10 rumors that have recently surfaced (Alt OS for Chromebooks and the possibility of using your Google account to log into Windows 10)? These two rumors obviously seem to coincide with each other, but what do you think Google’s overarching angle is here? And do you think this could lead to Google creating more PWAs for their web apps? I sure as heck can’t figure it out myself. Thanks.

This is something I need to write about formally. So here’s the short version.

This appears to be for G Suite corporate accounts only, and not for Gmail-style consumer Google accounts. As such, it should work much like Azure Active Directory (AAD) sign-ins work today. And should be viewed as Google attempting to broaden its reach with businesses, since many still demand Windows PCs on the client but may want to use G Suite in the cloud. I wouldn’t look too far past that.

On a related note, Microsoft accounts are a complex topic. There are “pure” Microsoft accounts, where you create an Outlook.com (or whatever) email address. And then you can make any account (work, Gmail, whatever) as a Microsoft account that does not get email from Outlook.com (because that’s provided by the account holder). G Suite accounts will work like that: You would have to make that account a Microsoft account. And that’s not a great idea for purchased apps and other content. You may not work for that company forever, etc.

Anyway, I will try to write about this topic more soon.

Staying current

SeattleMike asks:

I’m a huge reader and consumer of online news but sometimes it can be hard to keep up. How do you stay on top of everything that’s constantly changing in the tech world? What blogs, sites, newspapers, etc, do you follow/read daily? I’m a big fan of daily email newsletters. Which (of any) do you subscribe to? Anything you recommend?

And on the non-tech front, which news/sports/entertainment/etc. sites and blogs do you follow to stay on top of the latest information?

I use a combination of RSS feeds, email-based Google News alerts, and the Google News site for the most part. There are some sites that are more important than others, like Techmeme and Reddit as well. And Twitter, during the week.

I don’t really follow mainstream/sports news like I do technology. I read The New York Times digitally, but it’s often infuriating. So I also read some news aggregation app (lately Microsoft News) to keep up on normal news too.

There is one curious/oddball source of information I really enjoy: The Google feed in Android (or in the Google app) is pretty excellent, and it’s sort of my go-to for side interests because it learns what I like over time. Today, I see news in there about the new Halloween movie (I’m a horror movie idiot), some tech stuff, the Boston Red Sox, Star Wars, and The Walking Dead. This is all pretty much on-message for me.

I also use Pocket’s Discover list to find things to read. This isn’t “news”-based per se, but often has financial, minimalism, health, and other self-help-type topics that I find interesting. I believe this one is curated globally, however, and not necessarily to my specific tastes.

From an email newsletter perspective, I find a few to be really valuable. The best one is The New York Times’ Smarter Living newsletter. It’s not news-related, but it’s usually really useful. The rest of my non-work email is some combination of newsletters from Rifftrax, Rick Steves and other travel sources, and the like. Nothing specifically news-related.

Office 365 vs. Office 365

mmurfin87 asks:

I had been using Office 365 Home with Outlook Premium for a custom domain. Now that Outlook Premium is gone, should I upgrade to Office 365 Business?

This is a tough one. And might be worth a more in-depth article.

The issue is that Outlook Premium with a custom domain is/was Outlook.com and Office 365 Business is a commercial subscription with Outlook on the Web. If you’re just using mobile and desktop apps, that may not matter. But I really like Outlook.com and I find Outlook on the Web to be old-fashioned.

Beyond that, the ways in which you manage the account are much more complicated on Office 365 Business (and other commercial Office 365 accounts). If you’re subscribing to Office 365 Personal/Home, I recommending stick with that. I think your custom domain will just keep working. (Mine has.)

I did let my own Office 365 Business account lapse this year for the first time, too. I just didn’t use/need it that much. (I kept my Office 365 Home subscription.)

Surface Go keyboard connector

Simard57 asks:

Has Microsoft provided a rationale for changing the Surface Go keyboard connector from the one used in the Surface 3? Is there a benefit to users for the new connector?

Right now, no. But the way they described it to me back in June is that they didn’t make this change lightly. That said, they also didn’t say much about the “why” of it. They just said that there are more pins/connectors.

Assuming this is the new connector going forward—and that’s my guess, though they would not say so—it’s likely that the additional connections are beneficial for future Surface devices. And might be related to some internal upgrade that will make third-party keyboards more viable. It’s always been weird to me that we’ve not seen more Surface keyboard peripherals.

Surface Studio 2

sabertooth920 asks:

Any idea if a new Surface Studio will come out, or was this a one-off?

I have not heard specifically about a new Surface Studio. But Microsoft will hold a Surface/hardware event in October. And I do expect that to be part of the event.

Bing app on mobile

CoreyP asks:

Hi Paul. Do you know if Microsoft is going to shutter the dedicated Bing app in favor of just Edge on Android and iOS? It seems redundant to have them both in active development.

As with the Surface Studio question above, I can only speculate. Since that is fun to do, I’ll just guess that they keep the Bing app going as long as it makes sense to do so and provides unique functionality. It would look terrible if Microsoft killed Bing on mobile.

Surface Go LTE

thea2_ Alpha asks:

When Surface Go gets LTE, do you feel the battery life will worsen? Also do you think that the 9 hours of battery life was based on the Go without the type cover?

Yes and yes. 🙂

Well, the official battery life estimate shouldn’t be impacted by LTE per se, since that is always based on streaming local video. But real-world battery life will likely suffer, especially for those who use LTE a lot.

That said, we don’t know how efficiently the Pentium Gold chipset handles LTE/cellular usage. As with the performance issues, this will require real-world experience.

Thurrott.com traffic

simont asks:

I have seen Thurrott.com mentioned on Slashdot several time recently. Do you see any difference in traffic (slashdot effect) when this happens?

Many won’t believe this, but I’ve never looked at the traffic and I have no understanding at all of how it might fluctuate based on this kind of thing. I’ve always been pretty detached from this stuff. I do sometimes see when Techmeme picks up a story from our site. (Though I’ve never done anything to make that happen. I assume people try to do that.)

So I asked Brad.

He tells me we don’t see any major traffic influx from Slashdot. We do seem some value from Techmeme.

He also notes, and I agree, that this kind of thing is still valuable. Though which sites get the mention on places like Slashdot and Techmeme is a mystery to me.

VPNs

Shane asks:

What are your thoughts on VPNs. I understand that you have used them as you mentioned on a podcast once. Any chance you could write up something about them? I am going to need to use one soon.

My only recent VPN usage has been on international trips, when I’ve used service like ExpressVPN to try and fool online services that we’re still in the United States. (I have this silly desire to actually access the content I’m paying for and am unclear why this is so difficult.)

As I noted in What I Use: International Travel Apps and Services and What I Use: Home Swap 2018 (Premium) this past month, my VPN usage this year was minimal. The one time it came in handy is when I needed to arrange for my latest Pixel 2 XL return; the Google support website would not bring up my order history/support options when it saw I was in Sweden. When I used ExpressVPN to change my location to New York, it worked fine, and I was able to arrange for the replacement.

My basic experience is that VPNs slow down your connection, and since connection speed is often an issue when we’re away, not using one unless I really have to is the norm.

Windows 10 in S mode usage

hrlngrv asks:

Is there any data on how many machines are sold with Window 10 in S mode and how many remain in S mode a month later?

Not that Microsoft has ever shared. In fact, Microsoft does not even have a single case study to tout on its S mode website. Which I think is very telling.

I can’t stress this enough. Windows 10 in S mode makes no sense for any user. Any user. The cited benefits—better security, better performance over time, better reliability from Store-only apps—are all theoretical and may, in fact, simply be wishful thinking. But the compatibility downsides are real and will literally impact anyone who tries to use this thing.

Why anyone would arbitrarily decide to make their computing experience worse is unclear to me. No one should use S mode. Not your parents. Not your kid. Not some school. No one.

Phone display sizes

dmos01 asks:

With Apple about to announce new phones with larger screens, what are your thoughts on models (iOS and Android) with smaller screens? Watching phones push beyond 5.5 inches, it looked like Apple is [now was] the only company making high-end, small phones. (And maybe the Pixel? It counts on price, but does it count on specs?) I wonder why companies think we all want the screens increased to match the chassis, rather than the chassis shrunk to match the screens. Beyond your general thoughts, which companies/lines should we keep up with in terms of making smaller phones?

As you note, Apple is the only major smartphone maker producing small screen handsets of any quality. But there’s a reason: Customers want the bigger displays. They’re so popular that they’ve killed the market for mini-tablets.

It’s been interesting watching this happen. Not so long ago, I used to talk about a 5-inch display being the sweet spot. Today, that seems very small. Looking at the Pixel 3 lineup, you see what I now consider to be the new normal in smartphone display sizes: A 5.5-inch version and a larger/taller 6-inch version. Each has a taller aspect ratio than was typical just a few years ago, and we can thank Samsung for popularizing (not inventing) this form factor, just as we can for the “phablet” phenomenon in general.

Anyway, this trend makes sense in retrospect: Phones are the one device that most use the most often. Bigger displays make sense, and thinner/taller displays enable easier one-handed use.

Snapdragon 1000/8180

Daishi asks:

Recent benchmark sightings for the silicon formally known as the Snapdragon 1000 (now apparently going by the name of the Snapdragon 8180 because that just rolls off the tongue SO much better…) are suggesting that despite its 15W TDP it’s, at best, only about even with the performance of the 6W Pentium 4415Y in the Surface Go and in fact it’s about a third slower on single threaded tests.

Granted they’re early, pre-release benchmarks (though similarly early tests of the first generation ARM laptops wound up being pretty well spot on). But given that you routinely describe the performance of the Go as being completely inadequate does this shake your faith these are the chips that will usher in the Qualcomm powered future of the consumer PC market?

Well. As you say, it’s early. I pointed out the deception in ARM’s claims that a coming generation of their chipsets would match the performance of a Core i5. But it’s also important to remember that the Snapdragon 1000/8180 doesn’t have to match the Core i5. It just needs to be in the ballpark. Today’s Snapdragon 835-based PCs aren’t even close.

So, I will be following this closely. And before this becomes too much of a worry, I will see how or whether the Snapdragon 850 changes anything. I have hopes but I also have realistic expectations.