Here is your weekly recap of Microsoft news published on Neowin between April 30 and May 6, 2023. We had a lot of interesting stories, controversies, neat Windows concepts, app updates, and fresh insider builds for Windows and Xbox Insiders.
Edge goes down.
The biggest story of this week is Statcounter"s latest browser report. According to the company, Microsoft Edge is no longer world"s second desktop browser. In April 2023, Edge lost its place to Safari, the only non-cross-platform mainstream browser.
Some users may say the decline is well-deserved since Microsoft continues pushing user-hostile practices. Numerous reports indicate that the latest cumulative updates for Windows 10 and 11 are forcing customers to switch to Edge. Also, Outlook and Teams will soon open all links in Microsoft Edge, regardless of your default browser. Yikes!
Windows 11 goes up, but not without problems.
Unlike Edge, Windows 11 shows no signs of stopping or declining—both Statcounter and Steam say Windows 11 continues its steady rise. 23% of all Windows PCs already run Microsoft"s latest OS; on the gaming side, about 33% of Steam users have upgraded from Windows 10 to 11.
However, every rose has its thorn—some Windows 11-related news this week was not-so-positive. For starters, a popular app for debloating the OS got kicked out of the Microsoft Store allegedly due to an invalid certificate. The developer said the app has everything it needs to remain in the Microsoft Store and called the latter "a tragedy."
Another head-scratching story last week involved Windows 11"s hopelessly broken "game-changing" feature. Many users noticed that the Spotify integration Panos Panay hyped so much in 2021 no longer works and returns a blank login screen whenever you try to connect to Spotify. Microsoft has confirmed that it is working on resolving the problem, but the service remains inoperable for almost three months.
Microsoft also confirmed a new known issue in Windows 11 22H2. The company says users may experience issues with speech recognition when using specific languages. Fortunately, the problem affects only two languages, and it will get a fix soon. On a slightly puzzling side, Microsoft allegedly reduced Windows 11"s OOBE quality—it now plays at 30FPS instead of 60FPS, and no one knows why.
Mouth-watering concepts.
Feast your eyes on these two fantastic Windows concepts. One imagines Windows "12" with a highly-customizable taskbar to please everyone and another imagines what could Windows 11 Mobile look like had Microsoft not abandoned its mobile OS in 2017.
Dev Channel
Let"s get to app updates, fresh Windows and Xbox Insider builds, and more. Windows Insiders received a build in almost every channel this week: 25357 in Canary, 23451 in Dev, and 22621/4.1690 in Beta. In addition to features and changes mentioned in the official release notes (you might not like some of them), those builds have several hidden improvements you can enable with our favorite ViVeTool app:
- Notable improvements for tab management in File Explorer
- An iOS-like widget picker
- A much-better virtual desktop experience with restored animations and desktop indicators
Speaking of widgets, a new report emerged last week, spilling the beans on Microsoft"s plans to finally let Windows 11 users place widgets on the desktop. It is the most-requested widget-related change, and Microsoft is finally on track to deliver it.
Here are app updates from the last week:
- Edge 113 in the Stable Channel
- UUP Media Converter now lets you download Canary builds
- New virtual backgrounds for Microsoft Teams
- Windows Photos app received a feature Microsoft removed earlier (and more)
- Xbox app for Windows with several game library improvements
- A major update for Microsoft Lists with UX optimizations and double the speed
- A revamped Microsoft OneDrive for Work and School
Finally, last week, Microsoft launched community voting for the best Microsoft Store apps in 2023. The voting is now over, so stand by for the results.
On the Xbox side of Microsoft"s Insider program, gamers received new fixes and improvements in Beta, Delta, and Omega Rings. Besides, Microsoft released a refined home experience for Alpha, Alpha Skip-Ahead insiders, and it features a simplified layout with more emphasis on users" backgrounds.
Games
Kicking off the gaming section, check out John Callaham"s look back at Wolfenstein 3D, which turned 31 years old. Hogwarts Legacy arrived on the previous-gen consoles with a dedicated Arachnophobia Mode, and a Phil Spencer interview reveals details about the disappointing Redfall (as some say Redfell) launch.
This week also offered plenty of freebies for gamers:
- Four games in the weekly Free Play Days program on Xbox
- A 7-day trail for non-Prime members on Amazon Lune (now runs Fortnite)
- Massive Deals with Gold discounts on Bioshock, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other games
Other notable gaming news includes a new referral trial program that lets you give your friends a 14-day Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass trial. After accepting an invitation, they will be able to play hundreds of games, plus several titles coming later this month.
Finally, Microsoft announced a new custom controller in partnership with the OPI nail brand, and Xbox Game Showcase and Starfield Direct dates.
Windows Security
During the last seven days, Microsoft released many security updates. A new anti-malware package for Windows images is now available, allowing configuring WIM and VHD formats with the latest security definitions. Also, Microsoft published new Defender guides to help clients enable key security features on their systems.
Another notable change for IT admins this week is email notifications about known Windows issues. Administrators can now receive an email whenever Microsoft details a new known problem in its operating system and apply necessary changes or mitigations much faster.
Reviews
This week, Steven Parker published a review of the GEEKOM Mini IT12, a mini PC powered by Intel"s 12th gen processors. It turned out to be a solid, well-built, and powerful device with a few small nuances. Be sure to check out the review via this link.
Trivia
As usual, during this week, we had several editorials and trivia articles. An article by Usama Jawad detailed why Windows 10 will turn into Windows 7 in terms of market share and users" unwillingness to move on. John Callaham"s "look back" article revives the memories of the first Microsoft Mouse released nearly 40 years ago (great read in light of the news about Microsoft stopping its mice and keyboard production).
Also, check out Aditya Tiwari"s brief history of Microsoft-owned LinkedIn as it turned 20 years old.
And that is it for this week"s recap—plenty of Microsoft news both good and not-so-much. And with the annual Microsoft Build conference upon us, I am looking forward to what this month will soon bring us. If you think I missed some interesting stories, share them in the comments section. Also, you can always find more Microsoft news under the "Microsoft" tag here on Neowin.
If you like weekly recaps like this, be sure to subscribe to Neowin Newsletter. It will deliver the most interesting news directly to your inbox. Previous Microsoft Weekly roundups are available via this link.