In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at major changes in the Windows and Surface department, a massive Xbox leak revealing the upcoming hardware, and refreshed Surface devices.
In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at a massive Xbox leak, big changes in the Windows and Surface team, new computers from Microsoft, extremely confusing updates, copilots, software updates, and many more.
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One of the biggest stories in the world of Microsoft from this week is about Panos Panay leaving the company after 19 years. Panos was in charge of Microsoft’s Surface brand and took the lead in Microsoft’s Windows hardware and software efforts. According to an unconfirmed report, Panay is now heading to Amazon to rule its hardware division responsible for Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers, Echo smart speakers, and more.
Panos Panay’s departure from Microsoft is a big change for the company, which means more shifts will follow. Yusuf Mehdi, previously Corporate Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Office, will lead the Windows and Surface business. Pavan Davulury is the new leader for Windows planning and release management, and Mikhail Parakhin will take over the all-new Windows and Web Experiences Team.
We wish Panos Panay all the best in his new ventures and thank him for great Surface devices and quirky presentations!
Following the news about Panos Panay leaving Microsoft, a new report revealed details about Microsoft’s plans for Surface devices. Rumors claim the company has decided to cut back on some of its Surface products and focus on well-established lineups instead of taking risks and creating unique and bold form factors. Therefore, you probably should expect Surface-branded devices akin to the Surface Neo, Surface Duo, or Surface Studio.
To prove the report, Microsoft revealed a somewhat uninspiring set of new Surface devices during its special event in New York on September 21, 2023. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is now official with more ports, a better display, and much more capable hardware. However, the laptop is now notably pricier, with the base configuration starting at $1,999.
The Surface Laptop Go 3 received much less exciting updates. The new version received only a more recent processor (not even the latest) and more RAM. Also, all configurations now come with 256GB SSD. Although Microsoft has not mentioned the Surface Go lineup during the event, this tiny tablet also got some attention. However, curb your enthusiasm if you are looking to buy one. As it turned out, the new Surface Go 4 will be available only through commercial channels, just like the new Surface Hub 3.
If you are on the market for devices like the new Surface Laptop Studio 2 or not-so-wallet-friendly Surface Laptop Go 3, check out our latest Specs Appeal articles detailing the difference between the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and its predecessor and three generations of the Surface Laptop Go.
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.
In addition to the Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Go 4, Surface Laptop Go 3, and Surface Hub 3, Microsoft announced Copilot and the next feature update for Windows 11, coming September 26, 2023.
Contrary to popular belief, the upcoming release is not version 23H2. It is allegedly a Moment 4 update, with the proper 23H2 is coming later. You can see what features the Moment 4 update will bring in our dedicated article. Our full Windows 11 23H2 review is available here. If you are unhappy with what Microsoft crammed inside version 23H2, check out this „Windows 11.2“ concept daydreaming about a better OS made by Microsoft.
In August 2023, users noticed a document detailing Wi-Fi 7 support in Windows and other operating systems, which led to speculations about Microsoft limiting Wi-Fi 7 to Windows 11 and future iterations of the OS. However, this week, Intel released specs of two Wi-Fi 7 modules, namely BE200 and BE202, with explicit Windows 10 and 11 support. Those afraid of being unable to use Wi-Fi 7 on the soon-to-be-unsupported Windows 10 can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Windows Insider Program
Are you testing Windows 11 or 10 preview builds? Here is what Microsoft released this week:
Dev Channel: 23550 with Voice Access in OOBE, WSL updates, and various fixes in File Explorer, Start menu, Search, Task Manager, and more.
