This episode features Paul, Richard, and Leo discussing Microsoft's new "checkpoint cumulative updates" and HP's announcement of its AMD-based AI PC. Afterward, Paul goes over his review of the Yoga Slim 7x laptop, which features a 14.5-inch OLED display. Other topics include the hiring of Inflection staff, Microsoft's settlement with the Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe, Leo's ZDTV hat, .NET 9 Preview 6, OS/2 Warp, the Xbox Game Pass mess, Amazon Prime Day, and a controller designed by Deadpool!

Windows

• Windows 11 version 24H2 introduces a new way to update Windows because WTF Microsoft
• HP announces an AMD-based AI PC that is/is not a Copilot+ PC - lots going on here
• AMD comes clean on the new chips, which ship at the end of July
• With a Snapdragon X-based ThinkPad on the way, Paul reviews the Yoga Slim 7xp
• Windows 11 Photos app now integrates with Microsoft Designer
• Dev (last week): Testing/deployment of new features resumes after long pause
• Beta (last week): More changes to the home page in File Explorer
• Release Preview (last week): Duplicate a File Explorer tab, drag and drop to pin from Start to Taskbar, more. Also a Windows 10 build (hooray?)

AI/Antitrust

• UK CMA investigates Microsoft for its Inflection AI hirings
• Microsoft settles with (most of) CISPE on cloud licensing in EU
• iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia public betas arrive, but with no Apple Intelligence features
• Opera beta on iPhone and iPad has new UI, some AI

Dev

• .NET 9 Preview 6 arrives
• Paul makes massive progress on Windows 11 port of .NETpad with the updated WPF. Plus a neat third-party add-on that might put this project over the top
• Google is bringing Android Studio to the web

Xbox

• Xbox controversy of the month, but this one is real: Microsoft ensh*ttifies Xbox Game Pass - more info now that the dust has settled, but still no announcement from Microsoft
• Microsoft, you HAVE to announce what's going on with AB and Game Pass
• Now that Microsoft owns Call of Duty, Xbox gamers are getting next beta on day one - well, Game Pass members anyway
• Microsoft offers a cheap Xbox streaming bundle on Amazon
• The Deadpool Xbox wireless controller is priceless
• Microsoft announces three day-one titles for Game Pass, none from AB

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Amazon Prime Day is here
• App pick of the week: Proton Pass
• RunAs Radio this week: The Power of Data in the Cloud with Arun Ulag
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Crown Royal Blender's Mash

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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In this episode, Paul seems to be sitting in a familiar room! Could this be a sign that a game-changing enhancement to Notepad is rolling out? That's not all, as OneDrive seems to be undergoing some behavioral changes in a positive direction. After 3 weeks since the Copilot+ PC launch (2 weeks since Paul got his 1st model), the future of Intel and x86 may not be as dire as some think. Plus, Affinity announced that its award-winning Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps are now free for 6 months with no obligation to buy!

The Morning After

• The end of Intel and the x86 era? You guys are cute
• Comparing the HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft entries: A few differentiators, but these things are very, very similar. There's a reason why
• IDC throws cold water on the AI PC/Copilot+ PC parade
• We still need official Windows 11 on Arm ISOs, Microsoft. Until then, there are workarounds.

Windows 11

• GAME CHANGER: Notepad FINALLY supports spell-checking and auto-correct!
• ACTUAL GAME CHANGER: Microsoft is apparently stepping back some of the OneDrive terribleness in Windows 11 version 24H2
• Patch Tuesday: BIG deal for Windows 11 22H2, 23H2 with 24H2 features
• Nothing to speak of for 24H2, as predicted - just security updates
• It's nice when things happen as expected for a change
• Canary: Lock screen widget changes
• Paul put the Windows 11 Field Guide on a diet - and then the other books too
• PDF went from 377 MB to 107 MB, EPUB went from 344 MB to just 86 MB (!)
• Similar gains for Windows Everywhere, Windows 10 Field Guide
• Updated the Win10 add-in that comes with the Windows 11 Field Guide too

Surface

• Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 get second firmware updates

AI

• The OpenAI drama consumes Microsoft
• Opera brings Aria AI features to its GX gaming browser too

Xbox

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gets a price hike
• Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on newer Fire TV Sticks. Also, free Fortnite!

Tips and Tricks

• Tip of the week: Get all three Affinity apps on all three platforms for free for six months!
• App pick of the week: Firefox 128 and Vivaldi 6.8
• RunAs Radio this week: The Hardware of Azure with Rani Borkar
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Raasay Single Malt

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Guest: Mary Jo Foley

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

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• bigid.com/windowsweekly
• 1password.com/windowsweekly

It's only been one week, but it's really been 14 years, and Paul is calling: Microsoft and Qualcomm have finally made Windows 11 on Arm both viable and desirable. Nothing is perfect, but this platform is pretty incredible. Some notes from the past week:

Mission Accomplished

• As a reminder, Paul finally got the Yoga Slim 7x last week and updated on app compatibility, hardware compatibility, gaming, and in-box AI experiences in time for WW - only found one non-working app, Google Drive. Then...
• More app and game compatibility testing. Since then, played a lot more DOOM (2016), ran into one issue that's surely WOA-related (note beta graphics driver, though)
• Video encoding performance: Snapdragon X vs Snapdragon X vs Core Ultra 9 H-series vs MacBook Air M3
• Initial thoughts on battery life and then More thoughts on battery life. The Yoga Slim 9x and Surface Laptop both get about 10 hours of real-world battery life (so far), compared to 15 hours for the MacBook Air 15-inch M3.
• Hardware compatibility update: Only one of my devices doesn't work, the Focusrite.
• Surface Laptop 7 first impressions and second impressions
• HP Elitebook Ultra first impressions

Windows 11

• After skipping Week D last Tuesday, Microsoft belatedly delivers a Week D preview update for Windows 11 version 24H2
• No new features, so next Patch Tuesday will be light for 24H2
• 22H2 and 23H2 got a big Week D update last Tuesday, so Patch Tuesday will be meaningful
• As of July's Patch Tuesday, 22H2, 23H2, and 24H2 will all provide the same basic feature set
• Canary, Dev, Beta (last Friday): nothing exciting, a few small features or changes

AI & Microsoft 365

• European Commission "shifts" investigation of Microsoft/OpenAI partnership. Is Ken Starr in charge of this thing?
• Microsoft highlights new Copilot features coming to Microsoft 365 in July
• Copilot in OneNote can now recognize handwritten text. It's 2002 all over again!
• Pixel 9 family will promote unique "Google AI" features
• Brave introduces a BYOM plan for its web browser
• Thanks to AI, Google Translate now supports 110 new languages

Xbox

• Xbox Cloud Gaming Fire Sticks it to Amazon
• Another two weeks of Xbox Game Pass
• Forza Horizon 4 (from 2018) to be delisted December 15. Why?

Tips and Picks

• Tip of the week: Get $10 off Tony Redmond's Office 365 for IT Pros 11th Edition
• App pick of the week: Docs in Proton Drive
• RunAs Radio this week: NGINX as a Service with Buu Lam
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Jack Daniels Old No. 7

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
• cachefly.com/twit