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.
I think I got them all!
At 9am PT / 12pm ET, I’m answering subscriber questions live in the comments on this story, with an Xbox Ally in my left fist and an Xbox Ally X in my right. Ask me anything about the new handhelds, or the future of gaming in general!
While you’ll need a Microsoft PowerToy to do it, you can now automatically switch between light and dark modes on Windows 11 based on a schedule or when the sun rises and sets. The latest Light Switch PowerToy is very similar to the Auto Dark Mode app that’s been around for years, and you can also use it to set whether the shell, apps, or both should switch automatically.
Windows 10 reached end of support today, and now Microsoft appears to be teasing what’s next. “Something big is coming Thursday,” says the official Windows account on X, with some vague clues about your hands and fingers getting some rest. Is it gestures? Voice controls? The return of Clippy? I guess we don’t have long to find out.
The latest Dev Channel Windows 11 Insider Preview Build brings dark mode to Run. Why did it take this long?
Former UK leader Rishi Sunak has taken on a “senior adviser” role at Microsoft and Anthropic, where he’ll deliver “high-level strategic perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends.” It sounds a little less involved than former deputy PM Nick Clegg’s role at Meta, but one more of these and we’ve got a trend.
The No Azure for Apartheid group are at Microsoft’s campus again today, protesting against the company’s continued contracts with the Israeli government after it blocked some cloud and AI services. Scott Sutfin-Glowski, a 13-year Azure software engineer, also sent a resignation email to thousands of Microsoft employees. “I can no longer accept enabling what may be the worst atrocities of our time,” says Sutfin-Glowski.
If you’re feeling particularly spreadsheet-y today, this BBC podcast highlights some interesting details about the creation of Excel, including Gabe Newell’s involvement and how developers wanted to name it “Number Buddy.”
Also, make sure to check out this wild piece on competitive Excel from my colleague David Pierce.
A new Agent Mode comes to Office apps today, alongside an Office Agent in Copilot chat.
There’s been a bit of backlash to the Xbox Ally handheld’s $999 price tag, which will be a stiff test of consumer interest in expensive console hardware. But it’s also a test of Microsoft’s “everything is an Xbox” philosophy, because this sure is expensive for an Xbox that only plays PC games, and not everyone is sold:
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Only Microsoft can release a thousand dollar device branded “Xbox” that can’t play Xbox games. Only a millionaire executive at this specific company could have hallucinated this.
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