Windows Weekly (Video)

Let's talk about Microsoft as an AI company. MS is going to look for the AI angle for every announcement this year, and many customers are right there with them. Cortana becomes less of a search front end and more of a conversational chatbot. Will MS go so far as to call Windows 10 an " AI OS" at some point? Microsoft continues to add AI smarts to its apps and services – Outlook, Office, Skype. Azure supports several AI services now – machine learning, bot service, cognitive services, predictive analytics.

Win 10 1709 is now 'fully deployed' and ready for business: what does this actually mean? Related: MS says 1709 (Redstone 3) was "fastest to reach 100 million devices"... The evil plan is working! The march to 1803 continues — Redstone 4 17074 available for PCs.

The industry marks 6 straight years of PC sales decline.

Hold onto your IMs: Skype is finally getting end-to-end encryption (in a preview for Skype Insiders now). What took so long? The OneDrive for business rollout of Files Restore is about to begin. No one seems to understand this is business only, and cloud-only.

Xbox: yes, Microsoft is FINALLY working on a gen-2 Xbox Elite Controller. The WOW starts NOW! Over 3 million people on PUBG. But it's still pretty terrible on Xbox.

• Tip of the week: Get free IT training ... From Google!?
• App picks of the week: PowerShell Core, Object Desktop 2018
• Enterprise pick of the week: A great chart for comparing Skype for Business and Teams
• Codename pick of the week: Panther
• Beer pick of the week: Cloudwater NE DIPA Citra Mosaic

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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CES 2018: what a mess. There are new PCs: Dell XPS 15 2-in-1, Miix 630 (Snapdragon), ThinkPad X1, and HP. Oh, and remember that Intel is a thing in the Always-Connected PC space, too. More mobile carriers (including Verizon!) are on board with Windows 10 on ARM PCs.

Digital assistants are the top story at CES, but where is Cortana? Google Assistant owns CES - 1 million actions, with unbelievable device and services coverage. PC makers are pushing a non-Cortana agenda. HP and Lenovo both showed off Alexa on Windows 10 PCs. Lenovo + Google = first standalone Daydream headset. Lenovo creates the first assistant-based smart display. Microsoft says it is not giving up on Cortana. Microsoft pretends that Cortana is not dead. This is Windows phone all over again. Cortana thermostat is shipping in March and is at CES. And why is it killing off Dynamics 365 integration? A solution: open up Windows 10 to other assistants.

Intel security vulnerabilities: Intel has lied to us all, but it continues to claim that it can make CPUs "Immune" to bugs. Microsoft comes clean on the real-world impact. It's bad, and worse than what Intel claimed -- especially on Server. Remember: we still don't really know how this is going to affect performance. Benchmarks are almost nonexistent. Microsoft's exact words don't tell us much, either. Paul: it's really bad on everything but Windows 10 on the latest hardware, we have heard this repeatedly. Making lemonade: Intel problems will help Microsoft a lot, as it turns out. Xbox One: there's a system update on the way.

• Tip of the week: Maybe it's time to buy a new PC
• App pick of the week: Super Lucky's Tale
• Enterprise pick of the week: Work Folders on Demand
• Enterprise pick of the week No. 2: Lots of .NET goodies including free e-books, samples, videos & other resources that any .NET architect or aspiring one would love.
• Thanks to Scott Hanselman for the beer pick of the week: Bittersweet Nitro

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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CES is coming! ARM PCs and connected cars will be there. Microsoft predictions for 2018: Windows 10 usage should finally surpass that of Windows 7 (note that June 30 was the original target for 1 billion users.) VR/MR for Xbox One. Microsoft 365 for individuals. Windows 10 S - something has to give. Maybe progressive web apps will come to the rescue. No Andromeda tablet/phone until RS5 or later. All hands on Teams! Full steam ahead, especially as a way to get more users to upgrade to O365 E5. MS continues to chip away at integrating LinkedIn. MS Graph integrations in 2018. AI-washing of everything/anything continues. FPGA access opened up in Azure to all. Outlook.com Beta - Calendar and People. Windows as a Service? Formally extend the support timeframe for businesses only perhaps?

About that Intel kernel-memory leak issue: we won't really know much until next week on the Windows side - is it 30 percent? Or .3 percent? Probably the latter is closer to reality.

Fall Creators Update usage soars to over 50 percent in just two months.

Edge (ahem) edges Chrome and Firefox in battery life again - but does it matter? And what does this say about Windows 10 on Snapdragon, which has exactly the same advantage?

Revisiting Microsoft v. Google RE: Chrome in the Store. This is still Microsoft's fault, but Google knows exactly what it's doing (and why.)

Now anyone can buy Surface Pro with LTE.

Microsoft formally kills Kinect.

Groove Music Pass is dead: Music entry disappears from the Microsoft Store in Windows 10. Remembering 11 years of ineptitude.

• Tip of the week: Windows 10 Field Guide is 50 percent off! Intel CPU bug sale! Get Windows 10 Field Guide for 50% off until Patch Tuesday! Plus: First Games with Gold of 2018! Happy New Year: Enjoy your free games.
• App pick of the week: Write! Also: Kodi for Xbox One
• Enterprise pick of the week: Avere (and its flash storage tech) join Microsoft
• Codename pick of the week: 8828080
• Beer pick of the week: Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (2017 vintage)

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

Our best moments of 2017. Windows as a disservice. Bill Gates does tech support. Xbox One X unboxing. Is Cuphead Really that hard? NYPD Switches from Windows Phones to iPhones. Petya Ransomware Attacks Worldwide. Happy Holidays!

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• Tip of the week: Paul's favorite podcasts, audiobooks, and mobile apps of 2017
• App pick of the week: Oxenfree
• Enterprise pick of the week: Add AI and stir: MS brings new AI-powered features to O365, Bing, Cortana
• Enterprise pick no. 2 (just cause you need a nice holiday gift): MS to cut prices by up to more than 50% on its Hadoop service
• Beer pick of the week: Ninkasi Ground Control (2017)

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

Guest: Chris Capossela

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

Top 5 Microsoft stories of 2017!

MJF's picks - stuff that fell under the radar:

• MS reorganizes sales staff
• Growth mindset mania
• Windows as a service
• Big bundles
• Everybody's a friend, nobody's an enemy

PT's picks - hottest stories:

• Windows as a service
• Progressive web apps
• Xbox One X
• AR and VR
• Windows 10 Snapdragon

More information and more questions since last week's event. There are obvious issues, but this is the future of the platform and it matters. Snapdragon 845 is huge, but how will these new features impact the PC? MS is working on more eSIM and power management capabilities for Always Connected PCs. Microsoft Edge usage is apparently even worse than we thought. Cortana now works with Google Calendar. Windows 10 whiteboard app is now in public preview. Microsoft claims education gains, but are they true? Team me up, Scotty! Teams is starting to get some of the advanced calling features MS promised, but full guest access for Teams is delayed until next year. MS Quantum Computing dev kit is here minus the quantum computers.

Tip of the Week: 12 Days of Microsoft Deals. Today's deal is $200 off Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

App Pick of the Week: Stardock Groupy is here and PUBG arrives on Xbox One!

Enterprise Pick of the Week: Biz users beware of possible Microsoft support price hikes.

Codename Pick of the Week: Cobalt.

Beer Pick of the Week: Firestone Walker Helldorado.

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

Paul is live in Maui for the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit, and we have a special guest...

Windows 10 on ARM officially arrives. The first ARM-based Always Connected PCs won't really arrive until early 2018. PT: This is the future of the platform. What's the value proposition for the platform?

These first Always Connected PCs will run Windows 10 S, but be upgradable for free for a set period (Sept. 2018?) to Windows 10 Pro. Price for the Asus: $599 to $799 (plus a mobile carrier subscription). So what about Intel? They power some 'Always Connected' PCs, too, and they won't talk about their patent threat.

Questions: Days vs. weeks of battery life? Performance? What about the Snapdragon 845? Where are all the PC makers (and is this a Windows 10 S thing, limiting its future)?

And how about that Snapdragon 845? A few details from today about the 845, coming to phones in early 2018. A reminder why PC makers sometimes use older chips in newer models.

Windows: No new builds of Redstone 4 until Friday at the earliest. Windows 10 collaborative whiteboard app is going public preview. Windows Update problems hit Windows 7 users (now fixed).

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

Windows 10 now at 600 million active monthly devices. Related: Fall Creators Update in on 1/5th of all Windows 10 PCs already.
In a change from the normal way it reveals such things, Microsoft said this week that it will add Timeline, and a newly announced feature called Sets, to Windows 10 in coming Insider Builds. But... Microsoft is doing A/B testing on Sets, angering Insiders again.
Sets may be just the UX change that Windows needs to stay relevant.Related: Microsoft is working on a new Photos companion app for mobile and Raf reveals the new Game Bar.
Microsoft has made its Android Office apps available on Chromebooks.
Microsoft is killing Facebook login to Skype. Microsoft is selling more phones in its Store. But it needs to sell its own phones. Here's why. What makes a phone a phone? Enter, Andromeda.
Microsoft is going to expand its corporate headquarters: more info on the plans.

• Tip of the week: Write, don't type
• App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge for Android/iOS
• Enterprise pick of the week: Azure-based location services
• Codename pick of the week: Project Rome
• Beer pick of the week: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2017

Hosts: Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, 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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

Surface Book 2 loses power when plugged in while gaming. On purpose. Related: Surface Book 2 first impressions. Plus: SB2 gets its first firmware updates. Coming Windows 10 features leak: Quick Pair, Tabs in UWP apps, Spotlight-like search. Related: Windows 10 S still sucks at 6 months. Skype pulled from app stores in China. Skype shows ads now, too. Remember the slippery slope?

• Tip of the week: Save with Microsoft's Black Friday deals: Big deals on games, Xbox One S, and more.
• App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge for Android/iOS
• Enterprise pick of the week: Hosting VMWare on Azure
• Codename pick of the week: Outings
• Beer pick of the week: Whaler's Brewing Hazelnut Creme Stout

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

Visual Studio Live Share: Coming soon to a pair of programmers near you. New collaboration service coming in early 2018: VS Live Share. New Visual Studio Tools for AI extension. MariaDB as an Azure service; Databricks (Spark) as a service; and Cassandra as a service. VS App Center is now GA.
Microsoft v. perception: how can Microsoft make itself part of the conversation? Related: Microsoft half-asses another phone.
Windows (7, 8.1 and 10) news: Paul is starting a Redstone 4 features deep-dive series, starting with Fluent Design System. Some Windows 10 1511 users get a 6-month support extension. Some apps are coming back from the dead. SteamVR is coming to Windows Mixed Reality today.
Surface: two big releases this week. Surface Book 2 and Surface Precision Mouse are out tomorrow.
Xbox controversy of the week: What's a launch title?

• Tip of the week: You can now gift games on Xbox
• Tip #2: Get the Invoke for just $99! Or an Xbox One S for $175!
• App pick of the week: Groupy
• Plus: Firefox Quantum
• Enterprise pick of the week: New Skype Professional service integrates productivity tools with Skype
• Skype Professional preview coming soon (US only at first).
• Beer pick of the week: Prairie Birthday Bomb!

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

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors: