Microsoft claims new Game Pass pricing offers better value, fires back at FTC's "degraded" label
Microsoft has also accused FTC of moving goalposts
Opinion: The rapidly evolving world of AI PCs
We're already seeing some interesting shifts and redefined comparisons in the Copilot+ PC era
Something to look forward to: Even though it's only been two months since they were first announced and just a month since they've shipped, Copilot+ PCs are already having a noticeable impact on the PC market. Major OEMs like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft's Surface group have released slick new NPU-accelerated "AI PCs." Other vendors such as Samsung, Acer, and Asus have also joined with impressive new devices.
Windows developer shares origin story of the iconic NT Start Menu banner
Remember that blue-to-black gradient? Here's how it came to be
In context: If you were a Windows user in the '90s, you're likely to be intimately familiar with the iconic Start Menu that shipped with Windows NT. That signature vertical banner proclaiming "Windows NT Workstation," or whichever variant you were running, is an image seared into the minds of many PC users from the era, and we have programmer Dave Plummer to thank for bringing the branding element to life.
Microsoft is changing the way it updates Windows, introduces "checkpoint cumulative updates"
It sounds like a net win, but concerns remain
Microsoft is developing an AI model for Excel spreadsheets, enabling natural language prompts
Productivity booster or job killer?
Google's $512M sweetener for Europe firms failed to derail deal with Microsoft
The EU cloud group said no thanks
Survey shows most people wouldn't pay extra for AI-enhanced hardware
84% of people said no
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta begins August 30 on all platforms
Game Pass subscribers receive the beta, but the new standard tier misses out
Microsoft fixes zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer abused by cyber-criminals for over a year
IE's dead husk keeps on making life (and security) harder for Windows users
Judge dismisses most claims against Microsoft, GitHub, and OpenAI in Copilot lawsuit
Ruling undercuts the argument that the DMCA provides protection to AI generated code
Microsoft steps down from OpenAI board, Apple will not take observer seat
Just as Big Tech's relationship with AI startups comes under regulatory scrutiny
Game Pass to receive another price hike as Microsoft reboots console offerings
Standard console tier loses new-release games and rises to $14.99
AMD's brand is now more valuable than Intel, Samsung, and Xbox, but Apple still reigns as king
Nvidia saw the largest yearly gains
Microsoft bans China-based employees from using Android devices for work, mandates switch to iPhones
Part of Microsoft's global security push
Microsoft starts rolling out Notepad's spellcheck and autocorrect features to all Windows 11 users
More than 40 years after the text editor launched
AMD engineer tells the tale of when the PlayStation 4 saved the chipmaker from bankruptcy
Jaguar kept the lights on during the post-Athlon, pre-Zen days
Microsoft patents a system that encrypts documents so you can read them in public without being visually hacked
There are other ways to prevent visual hacking, but they all have limitations
Microsoft Office adds support for OpenDocument format 1.4, raising interoperability concerns
The latest ODF 1.4 standard adds new features but isn't finalized yet
Windows 11 "Government Edition" is Microsoft's anti-bloatware nightmare
The build of our dreams
Steve Ballmer's net worth just passed Bill Gates for the first time ever
Ballmer is now the sixth richest person in the world
Reviewers seem to both love and hate Microsoft's latest Surface Pro
The Surface Pro 11 is among the first Copilot+ PCs to feature Qualcomm's Arm silicon. Early mixed reviews point to nice performance and battery life upgrades, an impressive display, and promising AI features, while the bad concern pricing and early-stage software issues.
Windows 11 will offer new secure application "enclaves" to protect sensitive data through virtualization
Much VM, Very Secure: Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) is a controversial security feature enabled by default during Windows 11 installation. By turning the OS into a virtual machine running on top of the Hyper-V hypervisor, data protection and integrity are greatly enhanced, though performance is negatively impacted.
Windows 11 is now installed on 30 percent of all PCs
The big picture: Windows 11 suffered a worrying market share dip in the spring, according to Statcounter, but Microsoft's latest operating system might have recovered to a new all-time peak. Although Windows 10 remains overwhelmingly dominant, Microsoft's enforced end-of-life date for the OS is approaching, and new hardware could drive the growth of its successor.
FreeDOS, now 30 years old, will soon run Windows 3.x
The command prompt of yore is still alive and kicking despite hardware incompatibilities