Windows Weekly (Audio)

By TWiTNews Technology Tech News

Windows Weekly (Audio) episodes

September 30WW 1003: Another Story Ruined By Keith - Windows 11, version 26H2 Is Now Available!
Why does Microsoft keep stumbling with new devices and software design... and what happens when enthusiasts start favoring AI over old-school Office? Paul, Richard, and Leo dig into shifting loyalties and what that means for the future of the desktop. And with the release of 26H2, it's time to update your install and recovery media. The build number is 26300.9457
Windows
Windows 11, version 26H2 is here

New features, none unique: Start, Taskbar, Search, etc

New defaults for some features: Windows settings backup for commercial customers, etc.

The time a UX legend interviewed for a job at Microsoft running Windows UX

WSL Containers are generally available in Windows 11

Four new Insider builds, but only Experimental gets anything interesting: Phone companion improvements and Energy recommendations directly in Quick Settings
Software
Microsoft retires the Microsoft 365 Companion apps for Windows 11 that never made sense in the first place

Mozilla ships the new Nova UI in Firefox 157
Hardware
Copilot+ PC brand could be on the way out, but it was all over IFA, including on RTX Spark-based PCs

Microsoft launches new base Surface Pro and Laptop models with Snapdragon X2 - And a new mouse, for some reason

Qualcomm brought (first-gen) Snapdragon X to Googlebook, but it's also bringing X2 to Linux

Google quietly reveals that, yes, Chromebooks are on the way out
AI
Microsoft unveils the Copilot "super app" and the notion that this is basically an OS

Open releases about 1000 new updates for ChatGPT

Claude Sonnet 5.5 joins Opus 5.5

The AI money pit, part 127: Report details Anthropic losses, spending, and revenues. Report also does a bad job at visualizing that information
XBOX and gaming
Disc to digital program is live

Minecraft Dungeons is here with a new dimension, and it's coming to Minecraft next year too

Microsoft has a new casual mobile game for some reason

XBOX now has mythic achievements
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Get the Windows 11 version 26H2 ISO

App pick of the week: Opera on desktop and on mobile

RunAs Radio this week: AI and Penetration Testing with Paula Januszkiewicz

Brown liquor pick of the week: Kilchoman Loch Gorm

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
PaloAltoNetworks.com/Idira
bitwarden.com/twit
2 hr 49 min
September 23WW 1002: Only B & D Matter - Big Reorganization & Job Cuts Within XBOX
Windows
Week D arrives, and this time we get updates - a preview of Octoberʼs Patch Tuesday
24H2/25H2 Minor update with new Copilot key remaps, Wi-Fi in WRE, more

26H1 Major update that brings all new 26H2 features—Start, Taskbar, Search —to 26H1. Finally.
Windows Insider Program
Four new builds last Friday - Biggest change is Cloud Rebuild in WRE (in Experimental) gaining new capabilities.
Software
30 years ago, Dave Plummer created Task Manager, and now heʼs vibe-coded a modern version that works on Mac and Linux too.

Stardock announces a new Windows 11 utility called Snipboard.

Clipchamp does AI upscaling to 4K now
Hardware
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15p Aura Edition is nearly perfect, with 11 hours of battery life.
Googlebook revealed!
Questions answered - $899 starting price is much lower than expected.

This is Androidʼs Copilot+ PC moment - An AI PC? What a concept!
AI/dev
Microsoft announces a OneDrive + Copilot event in October - Also a separate Copilot event before then.

Financial Times reveals internal OpenAI prediction of $278 billion in losses over the next five years.

NYT copyright case discovery reveals what Microsoft and OpenAI really think about stealing content.

Anthropic merges Cowork into chat, adds Docs and Slides.

Google Labs CC turned into Gemini Daily Brief, so now itʼs an AI agent for families.

Google opens up its Home smart home ecosystem to other AI assistants.

XAML.io is a web-based vibe coding IDE for .NET apps and it looks amazing.
XBOX and Gaming
A big reorg and a small number of layoffs at XBOX sets off a new round of hand wringing.
Tip and Picks
Tip of the week: Get Auto SR on Panther Lake-based laptops

Auto SR was designed to make gaming viable on Windows 11 on Arm/Snapdragon X/X2, but now itʼs available on Intel Core Ultra Series 3-based PCs and it is worth experimenting with.
App Pick of the Week: Affinity
Possibly the greatest free app in existence, Affinity just got 60 new features and is even better.

Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
trustedtech.team/twit
originhq.com/windowsweekly
2 hr 33 min
September 16WW 1001: Corporate Surveillance With Watercolors - Out-of-Band Updates & the New Normal for Windows
Microsoft's record-breaking Patch Tuesday unleashed nearly a thousand fixes, but the bonus story is in the chaos that followed as out-of-band updates and AI-driven bug hunts left admins scrambling to keep up.
Windows
Patch Tuesday was so buggy Microsoft had to release an emergency fix to address all the issues

New Release Preview builds for 24H2/25H2 - I guess we're moving past the features that are also in the initial 26H2 release - New Copilot key remapping feature, they will get it right eventually

Five builds across Experimental and Beta channels - All over the map as you'd expect

Google releases the Gemini app for Windows

Adobe released Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2027

AnyType is a top-tier Notion alternative and it's about to get very interesting

Microsoft previews an October Windows + Surface event that's clearly all about Nvidia - but is this also tied to 26H2 release?

HP announces a new Ryzen-based portable workstation with an interesting detail about unified memory

Apple announced iPhone 18 Pros, iPhone Duo, Watch 12 + Ultra 4, AirPods 5, and then released its '27 OS updates - And sure whatever
AI
AI fear-mongering reaches new heights (or new lows): Is this just PR from Big AI to keep the money rolling?

Bill Gates says Gates Foundation will donate $1+ billion to solve AI inequality

Big AI could solve the PR problems by actually doing something positive for mankind. Just a thought

Copilot Work and Copilot Studio get app building capabilities

Google will bring MCP to Google Home, in early preview now

Mozilla and Mistral partner on Firefox Smart Window AI
XBOX and gaming
Gears of War: E-Day and more is coming to Game Pass in the second half of September

XBOX is going to the Tokyo Game Show and a nice surprise for Kojima fans

Valve opens up Steam Frame preorders and it's only $1060!

Amazon Prime Gaming and Luna are having a pretty g26ood September

Apple is reportedly making an iPhone game controller for some reason
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: There's a new MSA bypass for Windows 11 Setup

App pick of the week: Google Dreambeans

RunAs Radio this week: Patching in 2026 with Susan Bradley

Brown liquor pick of the week: Art of the Spirits Honored to Serve

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:
trustedtech.team/twit
2 hr 33 min
September 09WW 1000: Ensheepified - Patch Tuesday Shatters Vulnerability Fix Records!
With Microsoft shattering records for patched vulnerabilities and AI exposing even more bugs, Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell debate whether this tidal wave of fixes signals progress or just bigger trouble ahead for Windows users. Also, Sonos is back and here's something no one has been able to say for, well, forever: It's new app is great! Plus, Gemini's Daily Brief is surprisingly useful, and it's available for free to everyone in the U.S.
MICROSOFT MAKES MAJOR FINANCIAL REPORTING CHANGE
The canary in the coal mine has finally been rewarded: Microsoft will dramatically change how it reports earnings, effective immediately.

The good: Didn't see this coming, Microsoft will allegedly be transparent about Azure revenues every quarter

The bad: A simpler structure means more revenues are being hidden and you can only make accurate YOY comparisons dating back two years now

The unknown: What this will really look like in practice

How is it possible that Paul has been all over this for years and Wall Street has mostly ignored it?
Windows
Patch Tuesday arrives - And, yes, it's basically 26H2

New Start, Taskbar, and Windows Search are generally available

Is the "real" 26H2 still on track for October or does it just happen whenever?

Microsoft fixed almost 1000 security vulnerabilities this month (974), with 723 of them in Windows and 112 of them critical-severity. It has already released over double the number of security patches this year (2760) as it did in all of 2025 (1139).

Five new builds drop just ahead of Patch Tuesday updates with three minor new features

Project Zenith is a misguided attempt to make Windows better for developers that shows they've learned nothing

Microsoft Edge team promises two contrary improvements: Faster extension approvals, better quality
It came from IFA
Lenovo: Two AMAZING prototype PCs, one of which is imminent as a shipping product. Two killer NVIDIA RTX Spark-based laptops. Colorful laptops and AIO deflate the MacBook Neo balloon nicely. New ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkBook laptops, including a killer AMD-based workstation that can be daisy-chained

HP: Three new NVIDIA RTX Spark PCs, one of which is a desktop PC

Acer: RTX Spark, gaming handheld, more

Key takeaway: NVIDIA RTX Spark is a game-changer
Apps
Vivaldi adds PWA and address bar improvements

Yes, Virginia, Brave is still the fastest web browser
AI and dev
Newsday and The Seattle Times sue OpenAI and Microsoft for stealing copyrighted content at scale

There's a great new documentary about the making of Visual Studio Code out and it's free

This is a modern example of how tech limitations can spur innovation, something that happened a lot in the early home computer era and happens a lot less now

.NET 11 heads to release candidate phase ahead of November release
XBOX and gaming
XBOX Cloud Gaming is getting usage caps starting in November and a standalone service is on the way

XBOX app is coming to TCL smart TVs

XBOX Insiders are testing startup animation choices, Showcase customization, an improved Remote Play experience, background downloads for Cloud Gaming, and more
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Gemini offers a useful and free daily briefing

App pick of the week: Sonos

RunAs Radio this week: State of WSUS with Adam

Brown

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/1000

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell
Sponsor:
cachefly.com/twit
2 hr 33 min
September 02WW 999: Physical Goods - Acer SFF RTX Spark Desktop Design Showcased at IFA 2026
While Microsoft pushes Copilot+ PCs, NVIDIA storms into the Windows ecosystem with AI-focused Spark machines and game-changing specs, igniting new rivalries with Apple and upending expectations for what local hardware can do. Plus, Atari revives 39 Activision classics for a price that will make retro fans blink, while the Sonos saga continues as it pivots to an open AI platform that might finally win back old loyalties. Finally, Paul's Markdown book will be released sometime in the next week.
Windows
The mystery of 26H2 is now less mysterious

Last week: Week D came and went without a preview release, triggering speculation

Microsoft issues Windows 11 version 26H2 to Release Preview, a first

This means a September or October release to stable. Just guessing, but Preview Update in September, general Update in October is most likely

Version numbers don't matter much anymore. There are no unique 26H2 features, just a few unique 26H2 presets - These include Point-in-time restore and Memory Integrity Protection being on by default

Two 26H1 pre-release builds with little to speak of

IFA 2026 is underway in Berlin

Acer is first out of the gates with dozens of new PCs, including one based on the NVIDIA RTX Spark

EU General Court confirms that Microsoft Edge is not a gatekeeper

Visual Studio Code now has a full Markdown Editor experience

Brave now offers free email aliases, and will have a premium option soon

Firefox for iOS now has integrated ad blocking

NVIDIA - $96.2 billion in revenues, up 106 percent YOY

Dell - record $47 billion in revenues, but it's all from server/infrastructure

HP - $15.7 billion in revenues, up 12.5 percent - $11.8 billion from PCs, vs. $15 billion for all Dell client products
AI/dev
Sony and Warner sue Anthropic for stealing their music

Gemini Notebook gets first Expert Intelligence upgrade with integrated e-book support

Sonos announces Sonos 27 OS with major AI functionality

Microsoft moves WinUI development fully to GitHub ahead of open-sourcing it
XBOX and gaming
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, more coming to Game Pass

Every Activision title for the Atari 2600 is being reissued in cartridge form, but it's going to cost you
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Markdown: A Field Guide for Writers

App pick of the week: ImageGlass 10

RunAs Radio this week: Reimagining Intranets with Susan Hanley

Brown liquor pick of the week: Macaloney's Cath-Nah-Aven

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
outsystems.com/twit
threatlocker.com/twit
helixsleep.com/windows
2 hr 19 min
August 26WW 998: Laptop Fort - Bill Gates Warns About the Dark Side of AI
Microsoft tries to prove Windows on ARM is ready for prime time, but behind the PR push, unresolved questions about compatibility, branding, and a tepid market threaten to derail the company's ambitions. Also, PowerToys 0.101 is here with Windows Hopper and multiple improvements! Plus, Parallels Desktop 27 for Mac launches.
Windows
If a Week D falls in the woods and no one installs it, did a Week D really happen?

Theory: This is the big one, with the three big changes Microsoft promised this year. Basically, this is Windows 11 version 26H2

Three new builds across Beta, Experimental, and Experimental (26H1) with a modernized AutoPlay experience and a new "Open apps maximized" accessibility feature

Microsoft reminds business customers that Windows on Arm is terrific ahead of Nvidia RTX Spark launch

Totally coincidental that this happened on the same day that Apple announced a new Mac Mini with M6 and M5 Pro and Mac Studio with M5 Ultra and M5 Max
Microsoft 365
OneDrive for Mac gets native sync engine

Proton Mail gets automatic and customizable category filtering
AI/dev
Bill Gates issues a strong warning on the dangers of AI. And you're not going to believe what number two is

WSJ report echoes the complaints that Paul has been making for years. Again

Adobe Firefly gets production-quality music, speech, and sound effect generation capabilities

Apple Music will start labeling AI-generated music

.NET Conf 2026 on track for November with .NET 11
XBOX and gaming
XBOX testing long-awaited disc to digital entitlements

The ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 is available now for $1299, or in a $2499 bundle

Rumor: Microsoft prepping an Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition console for November

Update: it's real. The XBOX 25th anniversary collection arrives November 13

Microsoft announces (third party) Designed for XBOX 25th Anniversary Collection of hardware peripherals

IKEA has designed some XBOX-influenced furniture and it is amazing

Rockstar Games weighs in on leaks as GTA VI reveal arrives (tomorrow)

Commodore announces Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection for PC, consoles

NVIDIA brings GeForce Now to Firefox
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Expose yourself to other points of view

App pick of the week: PowerToys

RunAs Radio this week: Security Features of PowerShell 7 with Mike O'Neill

Brown liquor pick of the week: SpiceBox Spiced Whisky

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:
canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
2 hr 43 min
August 19WW 997: Bear Swamp & The Boathouse - New Context Menu Customization Debuts for Insiders
For years, the checkbox to get a PC out of the Insider Program when that Windows version shipped in stable did absolutely nothing. That's no longer the case.
Windows
A new context menu for File Explorer heads out to Insiders along with five new preview builds

There are lots of other like UX changes happening with little communication. Will Microsoft really touch (and update) all the ancient UIs in Windows 11?

New Release Preview builds point at next Week D and Patch Tuesday updates: New Taskbar, New Start, new Windows Search, many minor changes throughout
Hardware
Now we know more about Snapdragon C ahead of IFA, where we may see the first laptops

Google is holding a PixelBook reviewers event in mid-September

You know that Commodore is back, but now the Amiga is back too!

Lenovo surges on AI spending, but it's now engaged in financial shenanigans too. More like Spotify than Big Tech, but still bad
AI
Big Tech spending on AI is finally getting more scrutiny from financial/business publications

It's happening: Microsoft "pulls a Teams" and will consolidate its Copilot (consumer) and Microsoft 365 Copilot (business apps) into a single app, evolve it in a "super app"

OpenAI's new strategy: Get 'em while they're young

Mozilla provides a progress report on Smart Window for Firefox, details new AI search partnership

Alexa+ is now free on all FireTV devices in the U.S., no Prime required
XBOX
Resonance: A Plague Tale and more are heading to Game Pass during the second half of August

XBOX August Update is here with more Achievements details, Game Hubs now support Xbox 360 titles, Game Pass subscribers can now stream a game while it installs in the background

XBOX Insiders can now test Home Improvements, local save game management, and profile badges

Apple makes major App Store concessions in the EU. But Epic Games says it is not enough.

The new Call of Duty has a public beta on Friday, and there will be a single-player episode for the first time
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Yes, Virginia, you can exit the Insider Program now

App pick of the week: Brave

RunAs Radio this week: Automatic Attack Disruption with Liz Tesch

Brown liquor pick of the week: Red Bank Premium Blended

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:
scribe.how/windows
2 hr 31 min
August 12WW 996: Security Through Lack of Features - MV3 in Edge, Quake Turns 30, & AltTabby
Microsoft's AI investments reveal a bizarre financial loop where billions pour into infrastructure, yet profits remain elusive. The hosts break down why the industry's most hyped tech might just be a high-stakes game of circular accounting. Plus, a developer has resurrected Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a to run natively on Windows 11! Lastly, Stardock's latest utility replaces Alt + Tab for $7.99.
Windows
25H2: new touchpad gestures, Windows Hello ESS improvements, Widgets improvements, Windows Search improvements, more

26H1: Windows Update calendar-based pausing, Picture Password EOL, Point in time restore, multi-camera support, user folder customization in Setup, etc.

Over 420 bug fixes, but that's over 200 less than last month

Follow-up on Microsoft's AI spending. It's much worse than we knew - And also much worse than we know now

Yes, Microsoft Edge is going all-in on Manifest V3

Proton Drive - Now with a CLI and business features, and it's coming soon to Linux

A developer ported Word for Windows 1.1 to x64
AI
Gemini now has one billion users. But how many pay? - Plus the new Pixel phones are one step sideways, one step back

OpenAI brings ChatGPT to Linux (!)
Xbox and gaming
A new Xbox Elite Series 3 controller leak shows it will have a mini display

Microsoft tests new console features with Xbox Insiders

Id Software brings a new episode to Quake to mark 30th anniversary!

Minecraft is coming to Switch 2

Here comes GTA VI

A Valve partner was hacked, Steam Machine customers warned

Nintendo revenues decline 9.5 percent to ¥518 billion
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: View Git status directly in File Explorer

App pick of the week: AltTabby

RunAs Radio this week: The Content Management System Landscape with Matt Garrepy

Brown liquor pick of the week: Sideshow Lincoln Straight Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
helixsleep.com/windows
cirasync.com/Windows
cachefly.com/twit
2 hr 22 min
August 05WW 995: The Greatest Depression - Microsoft Reports $90 Billion in Revenue for FY26 Q4
Behind the headlines about skyrocketing revenues and AI investments, the actual costs and future risks for Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are shrouded in strategic accounting moves. Plus, Paul finished rewriting and adding new chapters to the Windows 11 Field Guide - mostly just clean-up now, and then whatever new monthly features. Lastly, The Document Foundation issues a friendly reminder about the Office 2021 EOL and how that never happens with their software
Microsoft earnings
Microsoft earnings up 18 percent to $90 billion

Analysis: Microsoft finds a new way to not account for AI costs
Windows
Pavan Davuluri says he's "energized" about what's happening to Windows in 2026.

OK. But what's really happened so far? When will the biggest changes land? And when, if ever, will you address the real enshittification in Windows 11?

Windows Insider Program: Five new builds - New Taskbar comes to Beta channel

This leads to questions of timing, and here, WIP is not all that transparent still

Another antitrust win: Apple to allow Copy and Paste between Windows and iPhone

AMD revenues up 50 percent to $11.5 billion, but it's all AI datacenter

Amazon: up 20 percent to $200 billion

Apple: up 16 percent to $109 billion
AI
Satya Nadella mentions AI super app again, not clear why anyone cares about this

Proton Lumo can do data visualization now
Xbox and gaming
Asha Sharma details the priorities for XBOX in the next year and number 5 will shock you

XBOX console prices going up in the EU and UK

Thanks, Caption Obvious: Yes, Backward Compatibility on PC will support Xbox 360 games too

XBOX plans new FanFest tour dates - there's SO much to celebrate!

Gears of War: E-Day leads the charge for new Game Pass titles in August

XBOX Insiders is testing new console features

XBOX app comes to Hisense and VIDDA TVs

EA goes private for $55 billion in cash, but also some debt

Sony has sold 95.3 million PS5s

Sony responds to concerns about no more discs (with "pffffftttt")
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: It's done!

App pick of the week: LibreOffice

RunAs Radio this week: Ransomware Readiness with Heather Renze

Brown liquor pick of the week: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
cirasync.com/Windows
threatlocker.com/twit
2 hr 44 min
July 29WW 994: The Best Kind of Correct - Can Windows Survive the 8GB RAM Comeback?
There's been so much drama over what options Microsoft will allow for the Copilot key. But you don't have to wait for a future Windows update; you can remap any key with Microsoft's own Keyboard Manager PowerToy. More people should take advantage of this. Also, Paul just finished his major 2026 rewrite of the Windows 11 Field Guide! Every single chapter was rewritten or consolidated, with several new chapters added. Lastly, the OG Halo remake is a great reminder of how good this series was in the beginning. And it looks and plays terrific.
Windows
Week D updates arrive on time this month

Windows Hello ESS support for external fingerprint readers, many small improvements

Experimental (Future Platforms) finally gets an update, but it's just the features we saw elsewhere first

Several in-box app updates for July, nothing major

Microsoft convinces LG to drop the McAfee ads, but HP's Bing ads are A-OK

Chris tested Windows 11 with 8GB of RAM and the experience is not great

Paul has a Wildcat-based laptop waiting for him in PA

Microsoft is testing a "Do nothing" option for the Copilot key

Your Windows 11 PC now has a OneDrive Photos app for some reason

Opera One gets vertical tabs, deeper Google Lens integration
Earnings
Google/Alphabet - net income of $28 billion on $120 billion in revenues, but negative cash flow for the first time in the company's history

Intel - net loss of $11 million, no Foundry customers leaves Wall Street swooning for some reason
AI
Microsoft begins shifting to its own MAI models, but the forward progress is minimal

NVIDIA, Microsoft, more team up for AI empire, er, Alliance

Anthropic launches Claude Opus 5
Xbox and gaming
Halo: Campaign Evolved is here

XBOX went down for the count for most of the day on Monday. But disc-based games still worked

XBOX begins testing ad-supported Cloud Gaming

Ubisoft game purchases on Xbox now carry over to PC for free

Luna comes to Prime Video app
Tips and picks
Tip of the week: Remap keys with PowerToys Keyboard Manager

App pick of the week: Halo Campaign Evolved

Chris's pick of the week: His new newsletter! https://preferences.pcmag.com/PCMag/windows-guide

Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott

Guest: Chris Hoffman

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
joindeleteme.com/twit-biz
cirasync.com/Windows
canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
2 hr 18 min

About Windows Weekly (Audio)

From the publisher's feed

Windows Weekly is about more than Windows. Veteran Microsoft insiders Paul Thurrott and Richard Campbell join Leo for a deep dive into the most valuable company in the world. From consumer to enterprise, AI to Xbox, Windows Weekly is the only Microsoft podcast you'll ever need.

You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month.