It might not get the same kind of attention as Google and Apple, but Microsoft is still one of the biggest and most powerful tech companies operating today. It runs Azure, one of the biggest cloud computing services, and maintains Windows 11 and the whole Office suite of software. It also makes plenty of Surface hardware and has a whole slew of gaming products, including the Xbox Series X. But the company is ever expanding — building new hardware, acquiring new game studios, and making sure that even if Microsoft doesn't run your phone, it can touch plenty of the apps on it.
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Microsoft’s Notepad gets spellcheck and autocorrect 40 years after launch
Windows 11 users now have a new Word-like spellcheck feature inside Notepad.
Welcome to Notepad, a newsletter on Microsoft’s era-defining bets
Notepad will include analyses and scoops from a veteran Microsoft reporter.
Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative is set to impact Chinese employees in September, with the software giant reportedly set to cut off Android devices from accessing its corporate network. Bloomberg News reports that the move is due to Android devices in China lacking Google’s Play store to distribute Authenticator and identity apps for Microsoft employees. Microsoft is ramping up its internal security efforts after a series of high-profile attacks in recent years.
Here’s how Qualcomm’s new laptop chips really stack up to Apple, Intel, and AMD
We tested every Snapdragon X chip against the Intel Core Ultra, AMD Ryzen 8000, and Apple M3.
The settlement would resolve an investigation by California’s Civil Rights Department, which had for years been investigating claims from employees who said they were retaliated against for using parental, disability, and family-care leave.
Employees who used these benefits said they were denied raises, promotions, and stock awards as a result. Microsoft, which has previously been lauded for its leave policy, denied the allegations.
This is Big Tech’s playbook for swallowing the AI industry
With Amazon’s hiring of the team behind a buzzy AI startup, a pattern is emerging: the reverse acquihire.
Windows on Arm puts Intel on notice
Microsoft and Qualcomm have delivered some real Intel competition.
Microsoft’s commitment to compatibility is unwavering when it comes to the Surface Pro. I’ve managed to get the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard working on an original Surface Pro X from 2019, and the keyboard from a Pro X working with the Surface Pro 11th Edition. All you have to do is snap these keyboards into place. It’s a lot more magical than Apple’s Magic keyboards.
Windows on Arm finally has legs
Microsoft and Qualcomm have convinced software developers to lean into their latest Arm push.
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Verge Score
Surface Laptop review: Microsoft’s best MacBook Air competitor yet
Microsoft and Qualcomm finally deliver the hardware Windows on Arm needed.
New chips, new screens, new gadgets
On The Vergecast: how an E Ink screen changes a smartphone and how Qualcomm chips and AI might change the PC world.
The first wave of Copilot Plus PCs has landed, and iFixit has already posted a Surface Pro and Surface Laptop teardown.
There’s no magic AI dust to fix the Recall mess, but they are notably repairable, with icons and QR codes to ease the process if that affects your buying decision. Expect more from us soon about how these match up with Microsoft’s promises.
The new and improved Windows PCs are finally here
Plus: the excellent new Elden Ring DLC, a great calendar app for Windows, an AI history podcast, and much more.
Microsoft has started testing a new way to import photos on Windows 11 PCs. It should make it easier to grab photos from your devices, and it’s part of several new features coming to the photos app — including a dynamic zoom slider, easier access to slideshows, and improved load times.
Microsoft’s embarrassing Recall
Copilot Plus PCs launched this week, but a lack of reviews and the AI-powered Recall mess has overshadowed a big moment for Windows on Arm.
There’s a sea change happening for Windows laptops this week, with the launch of new Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs. It’s a big moment for Windows on Arm that could see more laptops move away from Intel chips in the future. If you were hoping for less laptop stickers as a result, some things never change.
Riding a valuation pumped up by generative AI and its chips that power many of the tools, Nvidia’s market cap has passed not only Apple but now Microsoft, too, at more than $3.3 trillion, as reported by Bloomberg.
The markets are still open, but the rise has been fast — Nvidia shares are up 160 percent in 2024, passing $2 trillion in February.
Microsoft is launching its Copilot Plus PCs today, with Qualcomm-powered chips inside. If you’re wondering where our reviews are, Microsoft and most of its OEM partners haven’t seeded devices ahead of today’s launch because of Microsoft’s Recall... recall. I have started testing a Surface Laptop today, and we’ll have a full review of this new Windows on Arm hardware as soon as possible.
The marketing whiplash in this press release announcing the availability of the Galaxy Book4 Edge is really something.
It starts by praising the magic of AI (14 times), saying Samsung’s “next-gen AI PC will change the way users work, create and play through the power of AI.” It ends with this teeny tiny footnote for its “popular Galaxy AI:”
Samsung does not make any promises, assurances or guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the output provided by AI features.
To be fair, Samsung didn’t say the change was good.
Phone Link already lets you share files from PC to certain Android phones — a new Windows Insider Preview now adds your phone directly to the Windows Share menu, too. Also, you can quickly summon jump lists by right-clicking an app pinned to the Start Menu. More here.
Next, can I get phone mirroring without needing to unlock my Samsung, pretty please?