Windows 11

Microsoft has today announced two additions to its Surface for Business Copilot+ PC family, with new versions of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop that, instead of using Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X CPUs, will be powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), giving buyers a choice.

Microsoft says the Surface Pro 11 for Business is designed to deliver high performance, versatility, and security. The device offers up to 28 percent more overall performance, 98 percent better graphics performance, and double the battery life during Teams calls, compared to the Surface Pro 9. The 13-inch PixelSense display features optional OLED technology with better color accuracy, and anti-reflective properties for improved visibility, even in direct sunlight.

When Microsoft released the January security updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 earlier this month, there were soon complaints from users about audio issues. Having only recently acknowledged a link between the update and the problems, Microsoft has now issued a fix.

The release of the KB5050094 update will give those who are willing to install preview versions of updates the chance to get their audio devices working again. The way in which this problem is being address is not ideal, and will raise questions from many people.

With the v0.88 release cycle for PowerToys, Microsoft says that it will be focusing on “new features, stability, and improvements”. And the release of PowerToys v0.88.0 gets things off to a good start with the arrival of a new tool.

But this release also sees Microsoft giving with one hand and taking with the other. The arrival of the new ZoomIt module is balanced by the departure of Video Conference Mute which has been deprecated and removed from the suite of Windows utilities.

Six-hundred-thirty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

The latest version of Windows 11 has reached broad availability. The update will be offered on more devices as a consequence and outdated devices may be forced upgraded to version 24H2.

It can hardly have escaped the notice of anyone that Windows 10 is reaching the end of support later this year. By now, it is abundantly clear that there will be no more (official) security updates as of October, but there are other casualties that are starting to become apparent.

Fans of using themes as a way of customising the look of Windows will be sad to hear that the official Microsoft page that is used to host hundreds of themes is due to be closed down.

The most recent big update to Windows 11 has been available for more than three months now, and if you have not yet opted to make the leap, Microsoft may be about to do it for you.

The Windows 11 2024 Update is now, in Microsoft’s words, “broadly available”. While there is a lot of focus on getting Windows 10 users to upgrade before their operating system reaches end of life, fans of older editions of Windows 11 need to be aware that forced updates could see Windows 11 24H2 installed whether you are ready or not.

The recently released security updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 are proving problematic for some people. Microsoft has acknowledged issues with the KB5049981 and KB5050009 updates on systems with “certain Citrix components installed”.

With Windows 10 breathing its last, users will be keen to grab all available security updates before Microsoft abandons it later in the year, so it is good that while there is not yet a proper fix for the problem, a workaround is available.

Laptop users rejoice -- Microsoft is finally getting around to making life a little easier for you. When you’re working on battery power, you really need to know how much juice you have left, and this is something that has been frustrating to access in Windows 11.

While hovering the cursor over the taskbar battery icon is not exactly a massive hardship, most other devices and operating systems provide much more helpful information that is visible at all times. Windows 11 users can now look forward to the same, with the taskbar showing the battery percentage permanently.

Six-hundred-thirty in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Next month, Microsoft will install the new Outlook app as part of the February security updates on all unmanaged PCs. Microsoft says there is no way to block that initial installation, but users can remove it again and block it afterwards.

Microsoft has been testing a new Windows 11 security feature called “administrator protection” for a few months, and now the company has rolled it out to more users to try out.

Currently available to Windows Insiders who are beta testing preview builds of the operating system, the new security feature introduces important new protections by only assigning standard user permissions to administrator accounts. Authentication prompts appear when higher privileges are needed to complete a task.

When Windows 10 first launched back in 2015, it sparked a major backlash for its aggressive data collection practices. Features like default telemetry settings and forced updates left many people feeling uncomfortable with the new OS. Microsoft eventually dialed back some of the most invasive elements, but the damage was done, and some users still worry about how much control the company has over their data.

Beyond privacy concerns, Windows 10 has also faced criticism for performance issues, especially on older hardware, and for limiting user control with automatic updates and a lack of flexibility in system customization. The good news is there is a solution.

Auslogics has unveiled its first major release of BoostSpeed for over two years with the release of Auslogics BoostSpeed 14.0. The Windows optimization suite -- available as a free cut-down version alongside a fully featured Pro version, which you can have for just $19.95 -- gains eye-catching new features, optimizations and a major revamp of its user interface.

Existing users will notice the difference immediately on launching the new program. BoostSpeed 14.0 ditches the multi-Dashboard approach by consolidating Basic and Advanced dashboards into a single interface.

Six-hundred-twenty-nine in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Windows 10 users will mass-migrate to Windows 11 this year according to Microsoft. The older version of Windows will run out of support in ten months. Users may extend support for a year officially though.

Every so often, we get hints about Windows 12 -- usually in the form of accidental slips from Microsoft partners, like Intel. So far, though, that future OS has yet to be confirmed. Instead, what we get are continuous updates for Windows 11, typically with new AI features hastily jammed in.

But it’s 2025, and a new year is when we look forward to fresh beginnings and groundbreaking innovations. It’s time for a new Microsoft operating system. Let me introduce you to Windows 25.

Lenovo made several big reveals at CES, but perhaps the most interesting is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (14”, 10). This laptop has numerous features that make it stand out from the crowd.

Not only is this a Windows 11 Copilot+ PC, it is a laptop with virtually no bezel; Lenovo boasts of a 98 percent screen-to-body ratio. The most interesting innovation, though, is the inclusion of an under-display camera (or camera-under-display/CUD) which means a webcam without the need for a notch or a bezel.