Microsoft releases Windows 10 19H1 Build 18329 with new 'Top apps' Search feature
Another week, another new Windows 10 build rolls out to Insiders on the Fast ring (although not for users in certain parts of the world -- more on this later).
Although we’re edging closer to 19H1’s official release, Build 18329 sill manages to introduce a couple of new features.
Windows 10 consolidates its lead over Windows 7
While other analyst firms, such as StatCounter, had Windows 10 overtaking Windows 7 sometime ago, it took until the end of December 2018 for NetMarketShare to show the new OS overtaking its predecessor.
With NetMarketShare’s figures, which show usage share, there was always the danger that Windows 7 might regain the lead (albeit temporarily) in January, but that never happened and Windows 10 is now comfortably ahead.
Most people are still avoiding the Windows 10 October 2018 Update
Even the staunchest Microsoft supporter has to admit that the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, aka Windows 10 1809, was something of a disaster. It caused multiple problems for users, including deleting personal data, and even after Microsoft pulled the update and fixed some problems, more issues surfaced once it was re-released.
It took until the middle of January for the update to start its phased rollout, three months after its initial release, so it should come as no surprise to hear that comparatively few Windows 10 users are running it.
Kodi 18 'Leia' is officially available -- download it NOW!
The Kodi Foundation pushed out the fifth and final Release Candidate of Kodi 18 two weeks ago, and after some minor bug fixes and improvements, the hugely popular cross-platform home theater software is finally judged ready for prime time.
If you’ve been waiting patiently for the official stable release of the new Kodi, the great news is you can download it now.
Feast your eyes on how Apple's iOS 13 should look
With iOS 12, much of Apple’s focus was on performance, but there were also updates to Siri, key apps, ARKit 2, Animoji, Memoji and much more. We won’t get our first official look at its successor, iOS 13, for a few months yet, but if you’d like to see how it should look, we’ve got this stunning video to wow you.
It takes everything we like about iOS 12, but improves on it.
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Microsoft releases Windows 10 19H1 Build 18323 with Light Theme improvements
This week’s new Windows 10 19H1 build was slightly delayed due to an outage in Microsoft’s build publishing system which meant it took a few hours to begin rolling out to Insiders on the Fast ring.
Build 18323 includes improved RAW image format support and a better Light Theme, as well as a large number of fixes.
Microsoft Office 365 arrives in the Mac App Store for the first time
Although there are lots of office suites to choose from, including plenty of free offerings, Microsoft Office remains the most popular choice.
For Mac users, previously the only way to get Microsoft Office was by going to Microsoft's website and downloading it from there. Now though, Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and the whole suite of Microsoft’s popular apps are available to download directly from the Mac App Store.
This is the redesigned File Explorer that Windows 10 should have
Windows 10 is a decent operating system, but it’s not exactly attractive. Microsoft is attempting to spice things up a little with its Fluent Design language, but it’s never going to deliver the "Wow" factor.
File Explorer is one of the blander elements of Windows 10, but a brand new concept shows us what it could look like.
Windows 10 users can now get Fedora Remix for WSL
Indie open-source startup Whitewater Foundry debuted WLinux for WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) four months ago. This new, open source Linux distribution, based on Debian stable, was specially optimized for WSL.
Now the company is back with a 'remix' of the popular Fedora Linux distribution for WSL that can be installed directly from the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft announces seven new low-cost Windows 10 devices for education, and a new Classroom Pen
Chromebooks have found a welcoming home in the education section, muscling in on what has traditionally been Windows territory. Naturally, Microsoft is fighting back, and at this year’s annual BETT conference in London, it announced that 1 million Windows 10 devices are being used by students in K-12 and higher education every month.
The software giant also took the opportunity to introduce a raft of new Windows 10 devices aimed at students, including two brand new 2-in1 devices from Acer and Lenovo that are priced from under $300.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update finally starts its phased rollout -- here's how to block it
The Windows 10 October 2018 update, aka Windows 10 version 1809, aka the botched update that deleted user files, caused default app issues, broke Apple iCloud, Edge, and Windows Store apps, and introduced a bunch of other problems, is finally rolling out to all -- well most -- users.
The update was first released at the start of last October, but then pulled a few days later when the scale of its problems become noticed. It was re-released in November, with a bunch of new problems. Microsoft has been working to fix these, and last month made 1809 available to 'advanced users' -- that is users who know how to manually check for updates.
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Microsoft releases Windows 10 19H1 Build 18317, splits up Search and Cortana
New Windows 10 19H1 builds are coming thick and fast at the moment. With some builds the focus is just on fixing problems and making general improvements, but Insider Preview Build 18317 for Windows Insiders on the Fast ring is notable mainly because Search and Cortana are no longer linked.
Yes, that’s right -- instead of being part of the search bar, Cortana’s button now sits to the right of it.
Microsoft ends Windows 7 support one year from today
It took until last month for Windows 10 to finally overtake Windows 7's usage share but the older OS remains hugely popular. Mainstream support for Windows 7 stopped in January 2015, but users have continued to receive security fixes and patches for known issues as part of Microsoft's extended support, which runs for five years. However, that's due to come to an end on January 14 2020, exactly one year from today.
The cessation of support could prove a nightmare for enterprises, as according to a new 'Death of Windows 7' report from content delivery firm, Kollective, as many as 43 percent of enterprises are still running Microsoft’s nine-year-old operating system.
Wayne's Bio
Wayne Williams has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for over 30 years now. He’s written for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a fair few of them in his time also. If you like what you read, you can Buy Me a Coffee!
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