Microsoft Weekly: new Surface devices, a lot of Build announcements and a big Copilot outage

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at Microsoft's May 20 event and the latest Surface computers, Build 2024 announcements, Windows 11 24H2 arriving in the Release Preview Channel, app updates, and a lot more.

Table of contents:

1. A big Microsoft event and Build 2024
2. Windows 10 and 11 news
3. Windows Insider Program
4. Updates are available
5. Reviews are in
6. Gaming news
7. Great deals to check
8. Random fact about Microsoft

A big Microsoft event and Build 2024

Microsoft's big May 20 event is this week's highlight and the most important part. During the presentation, Microsoft announced "Copilot+ PCs," a series of Windows 11 devices with dedicated Neural Processing Units for next-gen AI capabilities. Shortly after that, Microsoft's partners revealed their first "Copilot+ PCs." There are now models from Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, ASUS, etc.

Qualcomm understands that its new PC chips need support from software developers. After all, what's the good of new chips if apps are not optimized for ARM? To address that, Microsoft and Qualcomm partnered to release a Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows. This small form factor PC has a 12-core processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, and 512GB of storage. No info about the price so far.

But it's not just about apps—the new chips can also run some PC games, and you can check what titles are compatible with them thanks to a newly launched website.

Microsoft itself brought new Surface devices to the stage, revealing the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with ARM processors. As expected, these computers feature big display updates, powerful processors from Qualcomm, and other improvements. The new Surface Pro also got a new Surface Pro Flex keyboard, which now has quite a price tag.

If you want to learn more, check out our Specs Appeal articles for the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop.

One of the most intriguing parts of those Copilot+ PCs is the so-called Recall. That is a feature that lets you get back in time to any activity on your PC. It was rumored as "AI Explorer," and now it is official. Some users have already raised privacy concerns, so Microsoft published support documents to explain how it works and how your data stays encrypted on your device without going anywhere.

Sadly, only Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips are supported, but other manufacturers should join the party soon. Intel, for example, is planning to release its Lunar Lake chips in the third quarter of 2024.

Other features on Copilot+ PCs include advanced Copilot that can watch you play a game and offer help as you progress. Microsoft demoed the feature with Copilot, explaining what is going on in Minecraft and how to craft a sword.

By the way, see that neat wallpaper in the image above? You can get it for your PC here.

On May 21, Microsoft kicked off its annual developer conference, Build 2024. While it was not as exciting as the May 20 event, there were still plenty of interesting developments. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC is out with broader device support; It is now easier for IT admins to offer users optional feature updates for Windows 11; Windows 11 version 24H2 will bring significant performance upgrades for the file system; Microsoft Edge is getting real-time video translation; and Visual Studio Code for Education is coming at the end of May.

In addition, Microsoft made plenty of Copilot-related announcements. Copilot Studio is getting automated agents; Copilot extensions are now the official name for third-party modules; Team Copilot is coming soon to help teams and groups with generative AI; and GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code is now generally available.

The company also unveiled its first custom-made Azure Cobalt 100 processor for Azure Virtual Machines, announced a new Phi-3-vision SLM, partnered with major companies to develop AI safely, and more.

Windows 11 and 10

Here we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And of course, you may find a word or two about older but still supported versions.

Did you know that Microsoft has a special web page where you can find all the information about the now-unsupported Windows versions? The company recently revised it, adding a section with Windows 10, which is about to reach its end of life in October 2024. The updated page explains what you can do with your Windows 10 PC, how to upgrade to Windows 11, what is the difference between the two operating systems, and more. It is a pretty useful page for customers with less tech experience.

Microsoft also addressed the bug causing 0x800f0982 and 0x80004005 errors on Windows Server 2019 using a new out-of-band update.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft Released this week for testing in the Windows Insider Program:

One of the most notable changes in 22635.3646, the latest Beta Channel build, is that Windows 11 now includes the Microsoft PC Manager app in some regions. The PC Manager is a Microsoft-made app that promises to speed up the performance of your computer. Just be careful using it—users have already caught it doing some, let's say, questionable optimizations and suggestions.

Also, Windows 11 version 24H2 is now available for testing in the Release Preview Channel. It is the last step before public rollout, although the release may still take from several weeks to months. If you cannot wait, download version 24H2 from the Release Preview Channel. Just make sure to back up important information beforehand. In addition, Microsoft started ensuring 24H2 system requirements compatibility.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

During the Build 2024 conference, Microsoft released PowerToys 0.81. It is a big feature update with a brand-new module called "Advanced Paste." The new tool uses AI to help you convert the contents of your clipboard to other formats. For example, you copied some Python code, and Advanced Paste can turn it into C#.

Speaking of PowerToys, some of its tools are now available in the latest Dev Home release. Version 0.14 Preview is out with a few integrated PowerToys tools, Quickstart Playground, accessibility improvements, and more.

Microsoft Edge, namely its Beta version, also received some AI treatment this week. Version 126 is now available for testing with a new AI theme generator and other changes. The browser can now generate pictures for themes and apply fitting colors for the rest of the UI.

Microsoft released a new firmware update for the Surface Laptop Go 3, its cheapest clamshell PC. The May 2024 update fixes display flickering and improves Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity. You can get the update in Settings > Windows Update.

What Microsoft probably did not plan was a massive Bing outage, which took down Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and other services. What made the situation extra wild is that it took Microsoft quite a lot of time to restore its service operations. For now, there is no information on what caused such a massive screw-up, especially during the flood of AI and Copilot-related announcements at Build 2024 and the May 20 event.

Other notable updates include the following:

• NanaZip 3.0 is now available with a Windows 11-like UI, MIca, no 32-bit support, and more.
• Microsoft announced new plans for Windows VBScript deprecation plans.
• Rufus 4.5 is out with various improvements.
• Microsoft Forms is getting more Copilot assistance features.
• Excel is getting more Copilot features.
• Stardock has updated Fences 5 with improved multi-monitor support.
• Microsoft announced an improved AI weather model for better rain and cloud prediction.

And here are the newest drivers released this week:

• Nvidia 555.85 WHQL with F1 24, Hellblade 2, XDefiant, and Serum support.

Finally, here is this week's Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly with the latest features, such as more Copilot for Teams, more Copilot for Forms, and more Copilot for OneNote. That is a lot of Copilot, which nowadays seems to be the thing for Microsoft.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts and more.

Now Microsoft-owned Activision-Blizzard confirmed that its next game in the Call of Duty franchise is called Black Ops 6. The company decided to promote its upcoming first-person shooter in a rather old-school media type, publishing full-page newspaper ads in The New York Post and USA Today.

Nvidia added several games to its cloud-based GeForce NOW service. The latest additions include Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Synergy, Crown Wars: The Black Prince, Serum, Ships at Sea, Exo One, and Phantom Brigade. As a reminder, you have to own every game you want to play on GeForce NOW. However, some PC Game Pass titles are also supported.

Deals and freebies

This week's Weekend PC Game Deals article is here with a lot of Warhammer specials, DC heroes, Farming Simulator giveaways, and a lot more special offers for you to spend your money on Steam, Epic Games, Humble Store, and other digital marketplaces.

Other gaming stories from this week include the following:

• MultiVersus is coming on May 28, and its first launch trailer reveals new characters from famous franchises.
• Ara: History Untol is launching a technical alpha test for Insiders in June.

Reviews are in

Here are the software or hardware we reviewed this week

Steven Parker reviewed a pair of T-Force DDR5 RAM sticks. Easy to install, great looks, and snappy performance—what not to like? Only the price, probably.

Minisforum sent us its new mini PC with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor. This computer features the latest hardware, stylish design, and compact footprint. There is even an extra display on top so that you can track your CPU, GPU, RAM, and SSD usage. It is a great powerful computer if you can accept its quite steep price tag.

Random fact about Microsoft

And here is a randomly selected piece of trivia about the company, Windows, and other Microsoft-made things.

You have probably heard that Microsoft's new uber-expensive keyboard for the new Surface Pro is wireless. Did you know that Microsoft experimented with the idea of a wireless Type Cover many, many years ago? The second-generation Surface Pro from 2013 featured a special wireless adapter for the Touch Cover 2 (remember those?) and the Type Cover 2 that allowed connecting the keyboard wirelessly. There was also a Power Cover accessory with an extra 30Wh battery. And yes, who can forget the infamous Music Cover, which failed pretty miserably?

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