Windows Weekly 864

Outlook, privacy, and the terribleness of Big Tech

• New Outlook Decried as a “Surveillance Tool for Targeted Advertising
• One perspective: How terrible are other companies like Google and Meta?
• But also, how terrible are Windows 11, Teams, Microsoft Edge, etc?
• Supreme Court refuses to hear Epic v. Apple appeals
• So, Epic wins on one important count, being able to communicate to their own customers
• But Apple is still being terrible because it can be. Will the EU finally take care of this?
• Google unlinking its services in the EU, Apple removing pulse ox from Watch in the US, Google comes clean on Incognito, and Microsoft Cloud lets EU customers keep data locally, it just keeps coming

Copilot all the things

• Richard correctly predicted that 2024 would be the year that Microsoft stopped talking about AI and started implementing AI. But who could have predicted THIS in the first two weeks (!) of the year?
• Copilot Pro for consumers, Copilot for Microsoft 365 for all commercial customers with no baseline, Copilot on mobile, Copilot in Microsoft 365 mobile, Copilot GPT Builder on the way
• But there’s a real vulnerability for Microsoft and its AI aims here - Too soon, too little may be a mistake
• Microsoft and Vodafone, sitting in a tree
• Plus: No Copilot AI (SLM) on the Galaxy S24 family? Interesting. Is Google trying to undermine that partnership and bring Samsung back into the fold?

Windows 11

• PC sales for 2023: Good news, bad news. OK, it’s just bad news
• They’re doing it again: After almost literally no testing, Microsoft launches new Weather experience on the lock screen and makes it the default
• Store app install notifications are in stable now too
• Dev: USB 80 Gbps support, auto-start Copilot on 27-inch+ displays, Windows Share (as below) improvements, fixes
• Beta: More Windows Share improvements (WhatsApp, Gmail, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn URL sharing), Weather experience on Lock, Microsoft Store with instant arcade games and app install notifications
• Release Preview: New KB update gives us our second near-final peek at Moment 5, with more “Ink Everywhere,” eye control system support, 7-ZIP support improvements, other fixes
• Microsoft will reportedly bring back the Windows Insider Program’s Beta Channel for Windows 10 because they were just kidding about that whole “no new features” thing
• Dev Home comes to Windows 10

Xbox

• January’s Game Pass titles, still no Activision Blizzard
• Xbox fixes Baldur’s Gate save bug
• Ubisoft mixes up its Ubisoft+ subscriptions

Tips & Picks

• Tip of the week: Maybe this is the year of NextDNS
• App pick of the week: Brave
• RunAs Radio this week: Copilots for Power Platform with April Dunnam
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Writer’s Tears
   

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• Tech: Microsoft Outlook Has Morphed into a Targeted Ad Tool
• Transcripts: Windows Weekly 864 Transcript

Links

• New Outlook Decried as a “Surveillance Tool for Targeted Advertising”
• Supreme Court Declines to Hear Epic v. Apple Appeals, Forcing Apple to Open Up App Store (Updated)
• Epic is Right to Sue Apple for End-Run Around Court Ruling
• Digital Markets Act Will Allow EU Users to Unlink Google Services
• Microsoft Announces Copilot Pro for Consumers, Expands Copilot for Microsoft 365 for Commercial Customers
• Vodafone Announces 10-Year Cloud and AI Partnership with Microsoft
• PC Sales Fell 13.25 Percent in 2023 to 250.7 Million Units
• Windows 11 Gets Weather Card on the Lock Screen Just Days After Limited Public Tests
• Microsoft Starts Testing Support for USB 80Gbps on Windows 11
• Microsoft is Reportedly Bringing Back the Windows 10 Insider Beta Channel
• Microsoft Brings its Dev Home App to Windows 10
• Palworld, Persona 3 Reload, and More Are Coming to Game Pass
• New Xbox Update Fixes Baldur’s Gate 3 Save Bug
• Ubisoft Makes Changes to its Ubisoft+ Game Subscription Service
• How I Configure Brave
• Bitwarden Adds Passkey Support … But Only to Its Web Vault
• Copilots for Power Platform with April Dunnam
• Writer’s Tears