Windows Weekly (Audio)

With Microsoft shattering records for patched vulnerabilities and AI exposing even more bugs, Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell debate whether this tidal wave of fixes signals progress or just bigger trouble ahead for Windows users. Also, Sonos is back and here's something no one has been able to say for, well, forever: It's new app is great! Plus, Gemini's Daily Brief is surprisingly useful, and it's available for free to everyone in the U.S.MICROSOFT MAKES MAJOR FINANCIAL REPORTING CHANGE

The canary in the coal mine has finally been rewarded: Microsoft will dramatically change how it reports earnings, effective immediately.

The good: Didn't see this coming, Microsoft will allegedly be transparent about Azure revenues every quarter

The bad: A simpler structure means more revenues are being hidden and you can only make accurate YOY comparisons dating back two years now

The unknown: What this will really look like in practice

How is it possible that Paul has been all over this for years and Wall Street has mostly ignored it?

Windows

Patch Tuesday arrives - And, yes, it's basically 26H2

New Start, Taskbar, and Windows Search are generally available

Is the "real" 26H2 still on track for October or does it just happen whenever?

Microsoft fixed almost 1000 security vulnerabilities this month (974), with 723 of them in Windows and 112 of them critical-severity. It has already released over double the number of security patches this year (2760) as it did in all of 2025 (1139).

Five new builds drop just ahead of Patch Tuesday updates with three minor new features

Project Zenith is a misguided attempt to make Windows better for developers that shows they've learned nothing

Microsoft Edge team promises two contrary improvements: Faster extension approvals, better quality

It came from IFA

Lenovo: Two AMAZING prototype PCs, one of which is imminent as a shipping product. Two killer NVIDIA RTX Spark-based laptops. Colorful laptops and AIO deflate the MacBook Neo balloon nicely. New ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkBook laptops, including a killer AMD-based workstation that can be daisy-chained

HP: Three new NVIDIA RTX Spark PCs, one of which is a desktop PC

Acer: RTX Spark, gaming handheld, more

Key takeaway: NVIDIA RTX Spark is a game-changer

Apps

Vivaldi adds PWA and address bar improvements

Yes, Virginia, Brave is still the fastest web browser

AI and dev

Newsday and The Seattle Times sue OpenAI and Microsoft for stealing copyrighted content at scale

There's a great new documentary about the making of Visual Studio Code out and it's free

This is a modern example of how tech limitations can spur innovation, something that happened a lot in the early home computer era and happens a lot less now

.NET 11 heads to release candidate phase ahead of November release

XBOX and gaming

XBOX Cloud Gaming is getting usage caps starting in November and a standalone service is on the way

XBOX app is coming to TCL smart TVs

XBOX Insiders are testing startup animation choices, Showcase customization, an improved Remote Play experience, background downloads for Cloud Gaming, and more

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Gemini offers a useful and free daily briefing

App pick of the week: Sonos

RunAs Radio this week: State of WSUS with Adam

Brown


These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/1000
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell


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While Microsoft pushes Copilot+ PCs, NVIDIA storms into the Windows ecosystem with AI-focused Spark machines and game-changing specs, igniting new rivalries with Apple and upending expectations for what local hardware can do. Plus, Atari revives 39 Activision classics for a price that will make retro fans blink, while the Sonos saga continues as it pivots to an open AI platform that might finally win back old loyalties. Finally, Paul's Markdown book will be released sometime in the next week.

Windows

The mystery of 26H2 is now less mysterious

Last week: Week D came and went without a preview release, triggering speculation

Microsoft issues Windows 11 version 26H2 to Release Preview, a first

This means a September or October release to stable. Just guessing, but Preview Update in September, general Update in October is most likely

Version numbers don't matter much anymore. There are no unique 26H2 features, just a few unique 26H2 presets - These include Point-in-time restore and Memory Integrity Protection being on by default

Two 26H1 pre-release builds with little to speak of

IFA 2026 is underway in Berlin

Acer is first out of the gates with dozens of new PCs, including one based on the NVIDIA RTX Spark

EU General Court confirms that Microsoft Edge is not a gatekeeper

Visual Studio Code now has a full Markdown Editor experience

Brave now offers free email aliases, and will have a premium option soon

Firefox for iOS now has integrated ad blocking

NVIDIA - $96.2 billion in revenues, up 106 percent YOY

Dell - record $47 billion in revenues, but it's all from server/infrastructure

HP - $15.7 billion in revenues, up 12.5 percent - $11.8 billion from PCs, vs. $15 billion for all Dell client products

AI/dev

Sony and Warner sue Anthropic for stealing their music

Gemini Notebook gets first Expert Intelligence upgrade with integrated e-book support

Sonos announces Sonos 27 OS with major AI functionality

Microsoft moves WinUI development fully to GitHub ahead of open-sourcing it

XBOX and gaming

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, more coming to Game Pass

Every Activision title for the Atari 2600 is being reissued in cartridge form, but it's going to cost you

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Markdown: A Field Guide for Writers

App pick of the week: ImageGlass 10

RunAs Radio this week: Reimagining Intranets with Susan Hanley

Brown liquor pick of the week: Macaloney's Cath-Nah-Aven

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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Microsoft tries to prove Windows on ARM is ready for prime time, but behind the PR push, unresolved questions about compatibility, branding, and a tepid market threaten to derail the company's ambitions. Also, PowerToys 0.101 is here with Windows Hopper and multiple improvements! Plus, Parallels Desktop 27 for Mac launches.

Windows

If a Week D falls in the woods and no one installs it, did a Week D really happen?

Theory: This is the big one, with the three big changes Microsoft promised this year. Basically, this is Windows 11 version 26H2

Three new builds across Beta, Experimental, and Experimental (26H1) with a modernized AutoPlay experience and a new "Open apps maximized" accessibility feature

Microsoft reminds business customers that Windows on Arm is terrific ahead of Nvidia RTX Spark launch

Totally coincidental that this happened on the same day that Apple announced a new Mac Mini with M6 and M5 Pro and Mac Studio with M5 Ultra and M5 Max

Microsoft 365

OneDrive for Mac gets native sync engine

Proton Mail gets automatic and customizable category filtering

AI/dev

Bill Gates issues a strong warning on the dangers of AI. And you're not going to believe what number two is

WSJ report echoes the complaints that Paul has been making for years. Again

Adobe Firefly gets production-quality music, speech, and sound effect generation capabilities

Apple Music will start labeling AI-generated music

.NET Conf 2026 on track for November with .NET 11

XBOX and gaming

XBOX testing long-awaited disc to digital entitlements

The ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 is available now for $1299, or in a $2499 bundle

Rumor: Microsoft prepping an Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition console for November

Update: it's real. The XBOX 25th anniversary collection arrives November 13

Microsoft announces (third party) Designed for XBOX 25th Anniversary Collection of hardware peripherals

IKEA has designed some XBOX-influenced furniture and it is amazing

Rockstar Games weighs in on leaks as GTA VI reveal arrives (tomorrow)

Commodore announces Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection for PC, consoles

NVIDIA brings GeForce Now to Firefox

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Expose yourself to other points of view

App pick of the week: PowerToys

RunAs Radio this week: Security Features of PowerShell 7 with Mike O'Neill

Brown liquor pick of the week: SpiceBox Spiced Whisky

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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For years, the checkbox to get a PC out of the Insider Program when that Windows version shipped in stable did absolutely nothing. That's no longer the case.

Windows

A new context menu for File Explorer heads out to Insiders along with five new preview builds

There are lots of other like UX changes happening with little communication. Will Microsoft really touch (and update) all the ancient UIs in Windows 11?

New Release Preview builds point at next Week D and Patch Tuesday updates: New Taskbar, New Start, new Windows Search, many minor changes throughout

Hardware

Now we know more about Snapdragon C ahead of IFA, where we may see the first laptops

Google is holding a PixelBook reviewers event in mid-September

You know that Commodore is back, but now the Amiga is back too!

Lenovo surges on AI spending, but it's now engaged in financial shenanigans too. More like Spotify than Big Tech, but still bad

AI

Big Tech spending on AI is finally getting more scrutiny from financial/business publications

It's happening: Microsoft "pulls a Teams" and will consolidate its Copilot (consumer) and Microsoft 365 Copilot (business apps) into a single app, evolve it in a "super app"

OpenAI's new strategy: Get 'em while they're young

Mozilla provides a progress report on Smart Window for Firefox, details new AI search partnership

Alexa+ is now free on all FireTV devices in the U.S., no Prime required

XBOX

Resonance: A Plague Tale and more are heading to Game Pass during the second half of August

XBOX August Update is here with more Achievements details, Game Hubs now support Xbox 360 titles, Game Pass subscribers can now stream a game while it installs in the background

XBOX Insiders can now test Home Improvements, local save game management, and profile badges

Apple makes major App Store concessions in the EU. But Epic Games says it is not enough.

The new Call of Duty has a public beta on Friday, and there will be a single-player episode for the first time

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Yes, Virginia, you can exit the Insider Program now

App pick of the week: Brave

RunAs Radio this week: Automatic Attack Disruption with Liz Tesch

Brown liquor pick of the week: Red Bank Premium Blended

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

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Microsoft's AI investments reveal a bizarre financial loop where billions pour into infrastructure, yet profits remain elusive. The hosts break down why the industry's most hyped tech might just be a high-stakes game of circular accounting. Plus, a developer has resurrected Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a to run natively on Windows 11! Lastly, Stardock's latest utility replaces Alt + Tab for $7.99.

Windows

25H2: new touchpad gestures, Windows Hello ESS improvements, Widgets improvements, Windows Search improvements, more

26H1: Windows Update calendar-based pausing, Picture Password EOL, Point in time restore, multi-camera support, user folder customization in Setup, etc.

Over 420 bug fixes, but that's over 200 less than last month

Follow-up on Microsoft's AI spending. It's much worse than we knew - And also much worse than we know now

Yes, Microsoft Edge is going all-in on Manifest V3

Proton Drive - Now with a CLI and business features, and it's coming soon to Linux

A developer ported Word for Windows 1.1 to x64

AI

Gemini now has one billion users. But how many pay? - Plus the new Pixel phones are one step sideways, one step back

OpenAI brings ChatGPT to Linux (!)

Xbox and gaming

A new Xbox Elite Series 3 controller leak shows it will have a mini display

Microsoft tests new console features with Xbox Insiders

Id Software brings a new episode to Quake to mark 30th anniversary!

Minecraft is coming to Switch 2

Here comes GTA VI

A Valve partner was hacked, Steam Machine customers warned

Nintendo revenues decline 9.5 percent to ¥518 billion

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: View Git status directly in File Explorer

App pick of the week: AltTabby

RunAs Radio this week: The Content Management System Landscape with Matt Garrepy

Brown liquor pick of the week: Sideshow Lincoln Straight Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon



Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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