Windows Weekly 872

Can we have a Windows experience tailored for enterprise efficiency? Paul, Richard, and Mikah unpack the freshest updates from Windows 11's March 2024 Patch Tuesday, dissect Microsoft's transparency behind Midnight Blizzard's November attack, and speculate on Microsoft's much-anticipated Surface/AI event. Plus, Paul offers insights from his time with Copilot Pro's custom GPT builder.

Windows 11

• Patch Tuesday new features: Phone Link settings is renamed to Mobile devices, USB 80 Gbps support, more - Windows 10 users get some love (hate?) too
• Microsoft confirms that Moment 5 will be delivered in the March preview update, fully deployed in late April
• Microsoft details how it is changing Windows in the EU - and now we all want to move to the EU
• Beta (last week): New Copilot actions experiment
• Dev and Canary: Unified Teams experience, Copilot updates to more people, Power Automate via Copilot in Windows, Live Captions quick settings tile, progress bars in Taskbar icons, File Explorer file copy improvements, etc
• Beta (today): Most frequently used apps now appear in Recommended

Microsoft

• Microsoft continues to dribble out details about that Russia-sponsored hack and the news is predictably getting worse each time
• We have an event! March 21st will focus on Copilot, Windows, and Surface

AI

• Microsoft brings Custom GPT Builder to Copilot Pro subscribers
• Here comes Copilot for Security. April 1 rollout is perfect
• Teams app developers get AI capabilities via a free Microsoft toolkit
• Opera Feature Drops to bring new AI features early to Opera One
• EU moves to the AI Act

Microsoft 365

• Microsoft finally spells out its commercial deployment schedule/plans for the new Outlook. Let the complaining continue
• Skype is updated with new Channels features, prompting questions about Skype still being alive
• Parallels Desktop for Mac is updated with Clipboard and game improvements for Windows VMs

Xbox

• Some Activision QA works vote to unionize
• More Microsoft Studio titles come to Boosteroid, that service you only heard of because of the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Tips & Picks

• Tip of the week: Time zone math
• App pick of the week: Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is now available! Plus, Joplin (a Notion alternative)
• RunAs Radio this week: Understanding Large Language Models with Jodie Burchell
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Bushmills 21
   

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The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

• Tech: Unpacking November's Midnight Blizzard Hack on Microsoft
• Transcripts: Windows Weekly 872 Transcript

Links

• Microsoft Releases March 2024 Patch Tuesday Updates
• Microsoft Details How it is Changing Windows to Comply with the EU DMA
• New Windows 11 Beta Build Brings Copilot Actions to the Taskbar
• Windows 11 24H2 Build 26080 Brings Unified Teams Client and Copilot Updates
• Microsoft Says Russian State-Sponsored Hackers Accessed its Source Code
• Microsoft Announces March 21 Event Focusing on Copilot, Windows, and Surface
• Copilot GPT Builder Now Lets Copilot Pro Users Create Custom GPTs
• Some Thoughts About Copilot Pro Custom GPT Builder and the Future (Premium)
• Microsoft Copilot for Security To Become Generally Available on April 1
• Microsoft Brings AI Capabilities to Teams App Developers
• Opera Starts Opera One AI Feature Drops Program
• EU Parliament Approves Artificial Intelligence Act
• Microsoft Will Support Classic Outlook for Windows Until at Least 2029
• Skype Doubles Down on News Content With New Channels Feature
• Parallels Desktop for Mac is Updated to Version 19.3.0
• Activision QA Workers Vote to Unionize
• Microsoft Makes More of its PC Games Available on Boosteroid
• World Clock App
• Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story Arrives on March 13
• Joplin
• Understanding Large Language Models with Jodie Burchell
• Bushmills 21