Microsoft
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With its newest redesign of Windows, Microsoft wants to win back developers.
For the last few years, Microsoft has been on a comeback. The company has captured the developer audience by acquiring GitHub and reviving it, as well as building the world’s most popular code editor, VS Code, and bringing Linux to Windows 10.
Despite that success capturing the developer market, however, Microsoft struggled to find traction that got them to embrace building great new native apps for Windows. …
Yes, there’s a lot in Windows 11 that will remind you of something from that Cupertino company
Change can be a disruptive force, especially in technology where new interfaces, features, and innovation can lead to chaos. However, sometimes change is about transmogrifying into something familiar or at least similar to what's around it. It’s like a chameleon’s skin taking on the characteristics of the branch it’s sitting on.
In the case of technology, change can be a move to the middle. Laptops and tablets all look quite similar, and, with each passing year, smartphones all look more and more like glossy glass and metal slabs. Software is not immune to this trend. …
Microsoft has delivered fantastic noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones with great multi-device connectivity and rock-solid stability
For the last year, most of my work day has revolved around being on calls thanks to Pandemic-induced working from home–but I’ve spent far too much of that time fidgeting with Bluetooth, trying to get my headphones to connect. Microsoft’s new Surface Headphones 2+, which are specially designed for the new remote world, promise to solve pairing woes forever.
The Surface Headphones, which originally debuted in 2018, were Microsoft’s first foray into personal audio. They feature two giant dials on each cup; turn the left ear and you’ll ratchet up the noise cancelling, or turn the right dial to change…
Windows 11 is coming, and Microsoft is quietly signaling that you should get ready
As Microsoft plans to usher in the next major edition of Windows (ostensibly Windows 11), it’s also quietly preparing to show the door to its 6-year-old Windows 10 operating system.
That news, which Microsoft certainly didn’t make news (no press release that I could find), was discovered by Windows platform watchers like Paul Thurrott on a Windows Lifecycle page that now lists October 14, 2025, as the Windows 10 “Retirement Date.” That’s roughly 10 years since the launch of the Windows edition that revitalized the brand after the magnificent stumble of Windows 8.
Pondering the next Windows 10
Windows isn’t software. It’s an iconic entity that’s allergic to change. Think of it as a cherished work of art that needs regular upkeep: Everyone is happy with the brighter colors and fresh shine, but no one is pleased with the redrawn contours, painted over a blemish, or poorly recreated visage.
Windows 10 bears little resemblance to the Windows I first encountered in 1991, roughly around the time of Windows 3.1. In the 30 years since, I’ve seen and beta-tested countless iterations, each promising better functionality, performance, and utility. Later came assurances of better security. …
This year’s refresh is focused on internals, so it’s what’s on the inside that counts
For the last few years, Microsoft has been on a tear building some of the best laptops on the market alongside the most exciting developer tools available. For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing the company’s new 15-inch Surface Laptop 4, which is no exception.
From the outside, the Surface Laptop 4 looks and feels similar to the previous generation of laptops; it’s ultra-thin at 14.7 mm with a tall 3:2 display and comes in a slick set of colors to choose from as well as metal or Alcantara fabric finishes.
But this year’s refresh is focused on internals…
It’s a great all-day computer as long as it natively runs the apps you want to use
When Microsoft debuted the Surface Pro X in late 2019, its chip made it an anomaly. The computer, a radical redesign of the Surface Pro, featured an ARM-based processor (the SQ1) instead of a chip from Intel.
At the time, it seemed like a flight of fancy or perhaps a simple warning shot for Intel that indicated the company was actively flirting with the idea of ARM-based processors.
Microsoft is all-in on ARM processors, and it’s serious about continuing to invest in them — which may spell trouble for Intel’s x86-based processors in the long run.
Just don’t get the base model
Microsoft’s latest device, the Surface Laptop Go, is a modern netbook done right.
As soon as you put your eyes on a Surface Laptop Go, you’ll get Chromebook vibes. It’s ultra-light at 1.1kg, tiny enough to throw in a bag at 15mm thick, and it sports a 12.4” touch screen. …
I’m a big fan of the tech explainers that Sarvesh Mathi writes on Medium. He explained the magic of airplane Wi-Fi (back when we used to fly on planes), introduced…
Earlier this week in Debugger, columnist Owen Williams pointed out that the future of device ownership may be subscription services: Why buy an Xbox for $500 when you can spread the cost into small chunks over a series of two years?
In a more recent piece on our sibling publication Marker, James Surowiecki illustrates exactly how far Microsoft is willing to go to support this model, dropping $7.5 billion to acquire ZeniMax Media (owner of Bethesda Game Studios, the company behind Doom and the Elder Scrolls series) in large part to bolster its nascent Game Pass service.
As Surowiecki explains…
Debugger
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