Windows Weekly (Video)

Breaksclusive: The Windows 10 1809 rollout is officially a disaster.

• After rushing Win 10 1809 to the finish line (without a Release Preview), MS starts rolling it out on October 2. Users start reporting their files, photos and other data being deleted.
• On October 5, Microsoft pulls 1809 (and Win Server 2019). Some users installed it successfully; some didn't.
• On October 9, Microsoft releases a refreshed Redstone 5 test build to Insiders in Slow, Preview rings with the data loss fix.
• On October 9, Microsoft also releases a Cumulative Update for 1809 to those who successfully installed it, which also has the data loss fix.
• Microsoft published a post-mortem claiming a tiny number were affected, but they're adding a "severity indicator" to Feedback.
• What do we propose the Windows team do now to fix WaaS? Let home users defer updates? Refocus on fundamentals? Slow the update pace? All of the above?

In Other News

• Expanding on last week's discussion, can Google + Microsoft finally happen with Terry Myerson gone?
• Project xCloud game streaming testing to begin in 2019
• Microsoft is hiring former Qualcomm engineers to its quantum-computing team
• Microsoft joins OIN and offers 60K of its patents to other members royalty-free. Important note: Microsoft has 90K patents. This deal doesn't include Windows code, for example.
• Related: Microsoft joins LOT Network and makes its patents available to members to fight trolls.
• Intel releases first 9th-generation Core processors. This time they're focusing on where the money is.
• Google has its own hardware event. And this time they're adding design to AI + software + hardware.

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: History in an Hour
• App pick of the week: Sticky notes for mobile ... sort of
• Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Learn: Self-paced free training for a variety of MS products
• Buzzword pick of the week: "Partner"
• Beer pick of the week: Threes Instant Gratification

Announcements

• Next week: Paul and MJF will be keynoting the Microwarehouse Cloud Camp in Dublin. We will be doing Windows Weekly live from Dublin, too, at our same bat time and schedule. So 2 p.m ET next week, tune in and we'll be speaking Gaelic. (We'll be doing a meetup too after the show. Details to come!)

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Microsoft refreshes the Surface Laptop, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio
• Microsoft takes on Bose/Beats with Surface Headphones
• HP launches the Spectre Folio, an unholy melding of leather and metal.
• Surface All Access - what is it? How much is it?
• Microsoft launches Windows 10 version 1809 for "seekers" with a broad release happening next week, on Patch Tuesday
• Windows 10 will soon provide Android screen and app mirroring
• Microsoft To-Do is coming to Outlook.com
• Skype Classic will finally die in November
• Microsoft open-sources early MS-DOS versions, again

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: MAGIC WINDOW
• App pick of the week: Forza Horizon 4
• Enterprise pick of the week: Croton, Forks, Jameson
• Codename pick of the week: Croton (Surface Pro 6), Forks (Surface Laptop 2) and Jameson (Surface Headphones)
• Beer pick of the week: Lagunitas 12th of Never

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

We're in the podcast studio at Microsoft Ignite. Here's the biggest news from the show!

• Microsoft Search - Arguably the biggest news from the show and the first concrete example of how Microsoft can add features across Windows, Office, and web thanks to Microsoft 365.
• Microsoft is rolling out Surface Hub 2 in stages. We went hands-on: here's what we saw.
• Windows Virtual Desktop - A redo of Azure Remote App, but also a new way for commercial customers to utilize their existing licenses and extend Windows 7 support for free.
• Office 2019 begins rolling out to commercial customers first
• Related: Microsoft clarifies Office 2019 (perpetual) vs. Office 365
• Office Ideas is AI coolness
• Microsoft Teams is the fastest-growing business app in Microsoft's history
• Microsoft is further integrating LinkedIn and Office
• OneDrive for Mac is picking up Files on Demand.
• Cortana Enterprise Skills Kit - What is this? And what does it say about the future of Cortana?
• Azure Digital Twins, Azure Sphere general availability, and Windows IoT Central services

It's not all about Ignite

• Microsoft is bringing Skype to Alexa.
• Related: What does THIS say about Cortana?
• Sticky Notes 3 is coming to Windows 10 1803+
• Google's Chrome faux pas says a lot about trust, plus how this is important to Microsoft's customers
• Two video game bits - Telltale Games is shutting down and PSNow adds game downloading

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• Microsoft's Managed Desktop: is it a new tier of Microsoft 365 or a SECRET PLAN TO CHARGE US EVERY MONTH??
• Windows 10 version 1803 might be done - and don't be confused by those known issues
• Related: Microsoft tests a terrible new ad --- and then pulls it after complaints
• Related: Nothing dramatic in the list of deprecated and removed features
• We know there's a Surface event next month. Now we know a bit more about the coming products.
• Dynamics 365: Now with more AI and Mixed Reality
• Rejoice, you NoSQLites: Microsoft is bringing Cosmos DB to Azure Stack and Azure Sphere

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Consolidating email
• App pick of the week: Microsoft Studio games on Steam and PC disc
• Plus: Forza Horizon 4 can be preordered, is coming soon - Don't forget this deal, valid through the end of the month
• Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft's post-mortem on its September 4 cloud outage
• Codename pick of the week: Modern Workplace as a Service
• Beer pick of the week: Cigar City Maduro Brown

EVENTS

• Windows Weekly will be broadcast live at Ignite. If you're there and free from 2-4 pm on Tuesday next week, come and join our live audience. (Sorry, this is open to attendees only.)
• Right after that, anyone can come to our meetup. It's at Copper Canyon Grill in Orlando. 4:30 to 6:30 pm. No RSVP needed.
• October 17: Microwarehouse Cloud Camp. Paul and MJF will be keynoting this one-day event in Dublin. There's going to be a live Windows Weekly taping, plus a meetup too. So if you're in the vicinity, come and check it out.

Hosts: Mary Jo Foley, Paul Thurrott, and Megan Morrone

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• Microsoft's 'Fall Event' on October 2: What to expect. This event is all about Microsoft's 'Modern Life Services' stuff, plus a Surface headset also is rumored, and there will be some refreshed Surfaces.
• Microsoft revamps its Windows as a Service strategy. Again. The good news for IT pros: You potentially can apply Windows 10 feature updates every other year. The bad news: The twice-yearly feature update pace will continue. And Home users remain testing guinea pigs.
• Meanwhile, in Windows 7 land... Microsoft is going to provide (again) a way to keep getting Windows 7 security updates. For a big fee.
• New Redstone 5 build actually has a new feature, sort of - actually, I'm confused about this feature.
• SMS/MMS integration comes to Your Phone. Related: Skype is getting SMS Connect too.
• Chromebooks will soon connect natively to Windows PCs on a home network
• Alexa support is coming to the Xbox One

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Xbox One S with two controllers bundle
• App pick of the week: Microsoft To-Do
• Enterprise pick of the week: Azure DevOps
• Codename pick of the week: Kusto
• Beer pick of the week: Boulevard Brewing Tank 7

Events

• Windows Weekly will be live at Ignite on Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 2-4 pm ET. We'll have room for an audience – anyone at the show can come and join in. After that, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, WW meetup. We may switch our venue, so watch for tweets.

Hosts: Megan Morrone, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• The Windows 10 October 2018 Update is coming ... in October. Goodbye, "Redstone 5." Hello 19H1
• Windows 10 on ARM: Lenovo just announced the first Snapdragon 850-based PC.
• Office 365 Home and Personal subscriptions just got better
• Microsoft is giving Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the Web the simplified ribbon UI
• Will there ever be just one Outlook? No. In fact, MS holds up Windows 10 Mail as its North Star (go figure)
• Skype: Microsoft backsteps from controversial 2017 design
• Surface Plus (for consumers) is no more. The consumer Surface financing program, largely for students, was quietly dropped last Friday.
• Xbox Adaptive Controller is now available

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Surface Pro bundle for $360 off!
• App pick of the week: Firefox 62
• Enterprise pick of the week: A bad start to the week for Azure, Office 365 users
• Small biz pick of the week: Adios, Microsoft Listings and Connections
• Beer pick of the week: Founders Brewing Double Trouble

Hosts: Megan Morrone, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Xbox All Access is real goes live in the US. What is this thing? It's a subscription-based financing option that points to the future.
• Intel announces "new" 8th-generation Core chips. But only the Wi-Fi is new.
• IFA: PC makers announce new PCs. It's like CES 2.
• Windows 10 Build 17746 puts Your Phone in Release Preview, but no new features.
• Sticky Notes 3 is official, available to Skip Ahead Insiders
• Wish List is coming to the Microsoft Store
• Related: Microsoft is warning users on Windows 10 version 1607 to upgrade
• Related: Why did the HP CEO undermine the entire PC industry?
• Related: The bizarre story of the new zero-day Windows vulnerability
• Microsoft announces OneDrive for Business features, calls it OneDrive and confuses everyone. Again.
• Microsoft Teams picks up "feature parity" with Skype for Business. Just kidding.
• Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive all have over 500 million downloads on the Play Store. So does Word.
• Microsoft is reorganizing the Games library screen on Xbox One, again
• Microsoft announces a white Elite controller - but it's the old design, wtf - WHERE IS THE NEW VERSION??? (MJF: "Settle down, Game Boy!")

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: You can use your Xbox One controller on Android now
• App pick of the week: Get the Pixel launcher(ish) on almost any Android handset
• Bonus pick: Modern Warfare 2 is on Xbox One Backward Compatibility.
• Enterprise pick of the week: The end of hybrid Intune support is coming
• Codename pick of the week: TDBN (Tidbin)
• Beer pick of the week: Jack's Abby House Lager

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Major Snapdragon update! Remember that disappointing 850 benchmark? We have good news. And bad news. And then better news.
• The Redstone 5 RTM vigil continues. Another new build with no new features (the fourth in a row). The third one added a new desktop icon for some reason.
• Related: Sticky Notes in coming to mobile and getting some other new cross-platform features.• Related: One of Windows 10's nonsense features stopped working and no one noticed.
• Related: Twitter for Windows 10 picks up Timeline and video upload support.
• Microsoft 365 roadmap unveiled. I love the smell of a roadmap in the morning.
• Microsoft is killing Sway on iOS - what does this mean to the platform?
• Skype picks up end-to-end encryption.
• Microsoft launches Xbox Game Pass app on mobile.
• PUBG is exiting Preview soon.
• Minecraft: Education Edition is coming soon to the iPad. Tips and picks
• Tip of the week: Enable the new Chrome UI today
• App pick of the week: Parallels Toolbox
• Enterprise pick of the week: Whatever happened to Office 365 late last week?
• Codename pick of the week: Project Largo
• Beer pick of the week: Evil Twin (and Hoof Hearted) collab: That's What Happens When You Let Dad Outta the House

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Did Windows 10 1809 just cross the finish line? Two builds in a row with no new features. Hm. Is 1809/Redstone 5 feature complete? A look at the previous 10 builds confirms that this release is nonsense-free.
• Another Win Server 2019/1809 build with no new features (yes we are closing in on RTM).
• Lots of Patch Tuesday cumulative updates for almost every Win 10 build (except 1511).
• Windows Store and Xbox Store get a shopping cart. How 1990's.
• Your Phone (for Android) now works with Windows 10 1803 – not just Insider builds.
• Cortana-Alexa integration finally hits public preview. But who is going to use this in real life? Preview is U.S. only and fairly limited; no streaming music or audiobook support yet.
• Google may be adding Windows 10 dual boot support to Chromebooks.
• Snapdragon 850 gets benchmarked. And it's not great.
• One year late, Microsoft fixes Surface Pro/Pen issue

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Enable OneDrive folder protection
• Bonus tip: Buy Any Xbox One, Get a Free Copy of Madden NFL 19
• App pick of the week: Google Chrome
• Enterprise pick of the week: BizTalk v.Next
• Codename pick of the week: Madrid
• Beer pick of the week: AleSmith Vietnamese Speedway Stout

Mark your calendars:
Ignite 2018 in Orlando: Windows Weekly will be live at the show on Tuesday, September 25. No RSVP – attendees can come to the podcast center and join. Meetup is happening too. Details to come.
Dublin or bust: We're going to Dublin in October and will be doing Win Weekly live from the MicroWarehouse cloud camp. October 17. There will be a meetup, too. Details to come.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• Surface Go first impressions. The reviews are in, too: Consensus is that performance is slow but OK, but the battery life is terrible.
• Related: Tear-down reveals tiny battery
• Related: Many Surface models are getting massive sets of firmware updates related to Spectre and Meltdown. Most recent example: Surface Book 2. Even Surface Go got a Day 1 update (albeit a minor one).
• Let's revisit the Microsoft Managed Desktop.
• Windows 10 Redstone 5: Build 17730 ships last week, adds "retail" OOBE. But not really. Build 17733 just shipped before the show. File Explorer's Dark Theme finally is really dark. Your Phone is finally available in working form. Sort of.
• Skype Classic isn't going away on September 1, after all. Microsoft is testing new compact view options for Skype. Microsoft is bringing Spotify to Skype.

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Surface is on sale
• Bonus tip: Link your MSA to Movies Anywhere, get a free movie
• App pick of the week: Surface Diagnostic Toolkit
• Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Ignite 2018 sessions are live
• Codename pick of the week: Carmel and Capitola
• Beer pick of the week: Lemon Cucumber Gose from Westbrook Brewing Co.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors: