What's next? Windows 12? Windows 11 25H2? You're not going to believe what happens next! A look back at everything Microsoft tested in just the Dev channel and then did or did not release to stable, and when. The list of unreleased features is unexpectedly long - most of this must be the next Windows version. Plus, If you have a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription, there are more benefits now and they're easier to find.
Windows 11 in 2025
- Dev channel moves to a new build sequence
- Microsoft issues Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 23H2 (But not 24H2)
- Release Preview (24H2) - AI-powered Windows Search experience is barreling towards stable
- Beta (23H2) and now Canary - Mostly just fixes
- New AI features in Notepad, Paint, and Snipping tool head to all Insiders
- Photos app update to all Insiders, adds Copilot integration, more
Microsoft 365
- Microsoft 365 Copilot gets two reasoning agents, Researcher and Analyst
- AI - Agents - Reasoning AI --- Reasoning Agents? You got your reasoning in my agent!
- Microsoft to launch Security Copilots in April
- Microsoft releases first two Microsoft 365 companion apps for Windows 11, threatens to make more
- Here comes Copilot in OneDrive, to consumer Microsoft 365 account holders
- Anonymous document sharing for Word, Excel, PowerPoint comes to iPhone/iPad (is on web already)
- OneNote for Windows 10 RIP in October after years of malaise
AI
- Browsers to change in the agentic AI era - are they still browsers? Will we still browse?
- "In Russia, the browser browses for you!"
- Sam Altman pulls a Bill Gates in executive shift
- ChatGPT gets image generation with GPT-4o
- Google brings AI search to Gmail - Hopefully, it's better than AI search in Photos
- Google releases first Gemini 2.5 model, all will be reasoning (thinking) models going forward
- Amazon is testing AI-powered Interests feature in the U.S.
- After it's success with conversational Siri, Apple to bring AI to Apple Watch, AirPods
- Speaking of which, Apple sued for advertising Apple Intelligence - maybe it's time for a level set here
- Exec reshuffle to fix Siri woes - maybe it's time to Ol' Yeller this
- WWDC is on for June 9 - [waves hands] Look, it's iOS 19!
- Opera upgrades three of its web browsers (really, four) with new Aria AI features
Xbox
- Microsoft wants to make Xbox app in Windows the central hub for all stores
- Microsoft testing new Game Hub on Xbox
- Microsoft to release Vibrant Visuals upgrade for Minecraft this year
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PS5 on April 17
- New Assassin's Creed game (Shadows) gets off to a great start, with 2 million players in first 2 days, better than Origins and Odyssey. Most played game on Steam over the weekend, second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history (behind Valhalla), best ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store. 27 percent of players are on PC
Tips and Picks
- Tip of the week: Take advantages of Game Pass in-game benefits
- App pick of the week: Google Drive for Windows
- RunAs Radio this week: Writing Better PowerShell with Jeff Hicks
- Brown liquor pick of the week: Kempisch Vuur
These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/925
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell
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