Windows Weekly 846: Purple is for Jazz Hands

Mikah Sargent, Richard, and Paul discuss new Windows 11 builds but little movement, mobile advances, Microsoft 365, antitrust, Xbox, and more.

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Windows 11

New Insider Preview builds:

• Dev and Canary (today): Minor changes only
• Beta channel (yesterday) – a few minor new features/updates, many fixes. But why? Isn’t this 23H2? Is it coming in late/hot?
• Dev channel (last week): no new features
• Canary (last week): Again, no new features?

Patch Tuesday arrives – latest Windows 11 update is a non-event

Microsoft Paint is getting a background removal tool. Probably AI-based. Probably part of next week’s special event. But … why this? There are so many other basic features missing from this. Shouldn’t this be part of the Photos app?

And … we may have discussed this, but Microsoft is removing the legacy troubleshooters from Windows 11 … and killing third-party printer drivers (!)

Mobile

Microsoft announces Enhanced Windows 365 App Experience for Android. Yes, that’s the name. Yes, it’s a cloud-based version of Samsung Dex.

Qualcomm extends wireless partnership with Apple for three more years

Intel announces Thunderbolt 5 branding, surprising no one

Microsoft transitioned to the cloud, called it software + services. Apple has expanded into services, I call it hardware + services. But there is one big difference: the cloud was a huge new market for Microsoft, triggering massive growth, while services are just additive to Apple’s hardware business and will likely peek soon. What’s next? Reality Pro? Really?

Microsoft 365/antitrust/AI

PowerPoint co-creator Dennis Austin passes away. A quick look back at the highs and lows of PPT.

Apple’s new iPhones have USB-C ports – to meet the needs of a new EU law. What else might regulators fix in Big Tech?

United States vs. Google kicks off

• Day 1: Yes, Google pays Apple $10 billion per year to be default search on iPhone

Adobe’s Firefly generative AI is now generally available

Dev

.NET 8 hits release candidate

Unity might have just jumped the shark. Crazy? Or crazy like a fox?

Xbox

Microsoft reveals the full Xbox Game Pass Core library – this new offering launches tomorrow, replaces Xbox Live Gold. A moment of silence, please.

Apple envy? Microsoft announces an Xbox credit card for some reason

And … Minecraft Live is coming back – but it’s not in person

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Google rolls out privacy sandbox, seriously use a different browser

Brave, Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi are all safer and more private. Especially Brave. Please use Brave.

Or at the very least, install the right extension(s). I recommend Privacy Badger and AdBlock Plus.

App pick of the week: WizTree

I mentioned WinDirStat last week, but there’s an app called WizTree that is very similar but even faster and with a prettier UI. It’s donate-ware, so free to try/use.

RunAs Radio this week: Doing More with Less with Sonia Cuff

https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/897

Brown liquor pick of the week: Chivas Regal

https://www.chivas.com/en-US