Windows Weekly 887

We’re one week into the Copilot+ PC, and the feedback is positive with caution! Key takeaways so far: Much improved performance and reliability, AI features mostly stink, but there is still uncertainty each time you install/do anything.

Windows 11

• Week D arrives with preview updates for Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2 only
• The second Patch Tuesday in a row with no 24H2 update (on the day)
• This preview update adds 24H2 features to 22H2/23H2 as predicted
• Beta channel (last week): Bizarre Start menu extension for Phone Link users
• Release preview channel (last week): The 22H2/23H2 builds and features that shipped to stable as a preview update on Tuesday
• Canary channel (last week):  After pausing the previous build (hint: Recall code), new build arrives with drag-and-drop address bar in File Explorer, notification tweaks

Copilot+ PC

• Paul finally got a Copilot+ PC to test, a Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14"
• App compatibility scorecard: Excellent, but with familiar Arm uncertainties
• Hardware compatibility: Excellent, but with the same person-by-person caveat
• Gaming: Lots of fiddling, but if you can find a compatible game, some great perf and visual quality. Still better than the Mac, and better than any x64 Ultrabook. But not a gaming PC. No Xbox Game Pass support?? COME ON
• In-box AI capabilities: With Recall out, there’s almost nothing to see here
• Plus, Intel and AMD are gunning for Qualcomm
• iFixit reports that Surface Laptop 7/Pro 11 repairability is “astonishingly” good. Granted, the bar was low
• Microsoft brings Surface Flex Keyboard to Surface Pro 8, 9, and 11
• Microsoft releases recovery images for Surface Pro 11/Laptop 7
• Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-In Security (ESS) is one of several Copilot+ PC protections that rendered those security researcher complaints about Recall moot. But Paul now has two PCs that use this feature, and it’s even more impressive than you think
• The Windows 11 decoder ring

Antitrust

• As expected, the European Commission announced preliminary charges against Microsoft for Office/Teams bundling
• This is antitrust, not DMA (like Apple)
• The EU has not explained WHAT Microsoft can do to fix this (unlike with Apple)
• This is based on a complaint from Slack, which was created 7 years after Microsoft first offered this type of app/service

Xbox
-Hot off a terrific Xbox Games Showcase event, Xbox promises its “biggest-ever” booth at Gamescom 2024 (which is now the biggest trade show in Europe, apparently)
-Microsoft details how Auto SR and Prism work in WOA11 to make gaming both possible and decent
-Steam Deck LCD models are on sale

Tips and Picks
-App pick of the week #1: New browser upgrades
-App pick of the week: Proton Drive
-RunAs Radio this week: The Hard Part of Machine Learning with Lynn Langit
-Brown liquor pick of the week: Cragganmore 12

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The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

• Tech: EU vs Microsoft: The Teams Bundling Controversy
• Transcripts: Windows Weekly 887 Transcript

Links

• New Preview Update Brings 24H2 Features to Windows 11 Versions 22H2/23H2
• Phone Link Features Are Coming to Windows 11’s Start Menu
• Windows 11 Field Guide Update: Thankless
• Microsoft Releases New Windows 11 24H2 Build on the Release Preview Channel
• Microsoft Drops Windows 11 Insider Build 26241 on the Canary Channel
• Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14 Gen 9 First Impressions
• Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC: My Windows 11 on Arm App Compatibility Scorecard
• Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC: Initial Hardware Compatibility
• Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC: Gaming on the Go
• Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC: In-Box AI Experiences
• Surface Laptop 7 is “Astonishingly” Repair-Friendly, Says iFixit
• Microsoft Brings Flex Keyboard to Previous Surface Pro Models
• Microsoft Releases Recovery Images for its Surface Copilot+ PCs
• Need to Know: Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-In Security (Premium)
• Windows 11 PCs, AI PCs, and Copilot+ PCs, Oh My (Premium)
• EU Commission Says Microsoft Bundling Teams With Office 365 Breached Antitrust Rules
• Turning the Screws: EU v. Microsoft Teams (Premium)
• Xbox Will Have its “Biggest Booth Ever” at Gamescom 2024
• Microsoft Details Gaming Advances in Windows on Arm
• Steam Deck LCD Models Now Start at $297 While Supplies Last
• Microsoft Highlights New AI-Powered Features in its Edge Browser
• Vivaldi 6.8 Arrives with Vivaldi Mail 2.0
• Opera Begins Testing Major Browser Update
• The Hard Part of Machine Learning with Lynn Langit
• Cragganmore