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.
Google says it wants to use AI to turn Maps into an “all-knowing copilot,” but someone else in the AI space got to that name first.
pretendworld:
an all-knowing WHAT?
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The Edge browser will now let users store passkeys via the Microsoft Password Manager, making it easier to ditch traditional passwords. Passkeys are backed up to your Microsoft account, and can sync across devices. Microsoft says this feature is currently limited to Windows users, but will be expanded to additional platforms in the future.
At least according to Big Tech’s latest earnings calls.
In this episode of Version History: Microsoft’s wildly ambitious, totally hopeless music machine.
In the memo, Gates tries to make the case that there’s too much focus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and not enough on public health and poverty. It’s a narrative that lets polluters off the hook and plays into Trump’s efforts to rollback environmental protections and spread disinformation about climate change.
The Xbox Ally is better with Bazzite.
Marcus Lehto, designer of Master Chief: “It really makes me sick seeing Halo co-opted like this.”
Halo 2 and Halo 3 design lead Jaime Griesemer:
“Using Halo imagery in a call to ‘destroy’ people because of their immigration status goes way too far, and ought to offend every Halo fan, regardless of political orientation. I personally find it despicable. The Flood are evil space zombie parasites and are not an allegory to any group of people.”
Stephen Totilo spoke to both; you can read more at his Game File.
When you’re actively using Gaming Copilot in Game Bar, it can use screenshots of your gameplay to get a better understanding of what’s happening in your game and provide you with more helpful responses. These screenshots are not used to train AI models, and Gaming Copilot is an optional feature that only has access to gameplay when you’re playing a game and actively using it.
The words “will never” do not appear in Microsoft’s statement.
When Microsoft bundled Copilot into personal and family plans for Microsoft 365 last year, it raised prices for annual subscriptions by up to 45 percent. However, the Australian regulator ACCC alleges it misled consumers by not advertising a less expensive option without Copilot until consumers tried to cancel, reports The Guardian.
“Following a detailed investigation, we will allege in Court that Microsoft deliberately omitted reference to the Classic plans in its communications and concealed their existence until after subscribers initiated the cancellation process to increase the number of consumers on more expensive Copilot-integrated plans,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
It’s tough getting details about one of the tech world’s most complicated relationships, even for investors.
Microsoft’s latest annual report simply folds losses from its multi-billion dollar stake in OpenAI into a $4.7 billion expense line called “other, net,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Other important details are equally vague.
Three weeks ago today, we reported how Microsoft’s prepping a free version of its Xbox cloud gaming service. While quizzing the company about bringing its new Halo remake to rival PlayStation, The New York Times also got “a Microsoft official” to confirm it’s internally testing the free ad-supported service.
[The New York Times]
Halo Studios has rebuilt Combat Evolved for a new generation of players.
That was fast! I slapped down my $29 the day we wrote about Hallmark’s new ornament and it’s already here. Watch when I press the power button — and see how it compares to my Sega Genesis one Hallmark released in 2022! There’s an NES, SNES and OG Xbox too.
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Mico is the new face of Microsoft’s Copilot assistant, debuting for users of its voice mode today. If you tap on Mico a bunch of times, an Easter egg appears where it turns into Clippy briefly. “Clippy walked so that we could run,” joked Jacob Andreou, corporate VP of product and growth at Microsoft AI, in an interview with The Verge.
The feature, seen previously in Microsoft’s Designer and Photos apps on desktop and mobile, will start rolling out today to Windows Insiders members in the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels. You’ll need Paint version 11.2509.441.0 and a Copilot Plus PC with a Snapdragon processor to try it out.
Microsoft thinks the future of Windows involves letting AI take charge. It might be right, but only if you’re willing to embrace a little risk.
Sophisticated_Bean_3:
Tired: the certainty of clicking a button or entering a command
Wired: the uncertainty of delegating mundane tasks to a token predictor
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