It might not get the same kind of attention as Google and Apple, but Microsoft is still one of the biggest and most powerful tech companies operating today. It runs Azure, one of the biggest cloud computing services, and maintains Windows 11 and the whole Office suite of software. It also makes plenty of Surface hardware and has a whole slew of gaming products, including the Xbox Series X. But the company is ever expanding — building new hardware, acquiring new game studios, and making sure that even if Microsoft doesn’t run your phone, it can touch plenty of the apps on it.
LG’s 2022 OLED TVs, select 2023 smart TVs, and other models can now download the Xbox app.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 and it’s now celebrating its 50-year milestone.
This week’s two big new RPG releases are now both available on Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud streaming service. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has been added to GeForce Now today, alongside Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Both are on PC Game Pass, so you can even access them on GeForce Now through Microsoft’s subscription service.
Ahead of Skype’s May 5th shutdown, Rest of World put together a list of stories from readers who recount how the service kept them connected with friends and family members across the globe. Some readers even recorded their blurb, complete with Skype’s iconic ringtone.
[restofworld.org]
That’s because DMA rules let iPad owners access alternative app stores like AltStore Classic. That opens the door to iPadOS apps with just-in-time compilation (JIT) for modern hardware emulation and running things like Windows 11 on an M2 iPad Air, as YouTuber NTDev demonstrates in the video below. MacRumors has some details on how it works.
Meanwhile, the best I can do is JIT-less Windows XP on an M1 iPad Pro.
Tap the video to watch! It looks glorious, and I’m so sorry to say this batch is already sold out. Hat tip to Time Extension. P.S. there’s even a Blue Screen of Death!
Doom: The Dark Ages is launching in May and Microsoft is celebrating the new release with not one, but two special edition Xbox controllers. You can pick up a regular Xbox controller with the Doom Slayer’s armor for $79.99, or go for a transparent red top Xbox Elite 2 controller for $199.99. There’s even a $54.99 Xbox Series X wrap, too.
Depending on your age, there’s a good chance Microsoft Paint was your first introduction to creating digital art. The app’s capabilities have improved over the years, but Drought’s new MS Paint Mirror captures the charm of the limited toolset included in the Windows 95 version — just supersized and a lot easier to use.
The company is “slowing or pausing” some “early-stage” datacenter projects, according to a LinkedIn post from Noelle Walsh, Microsoft’s president of cloud operations and innovation.
Walsh adds that “our commitment to advancing AI technology and delivering value to our customers is unwavering.”
[linkedin.com]
The US Library of Congress has added the Windows 95 boot sound to its National Recording Registry (NRR). That means the sound is now part of a list of recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Minecraft’s Volume Alpha has also been added to the NRR.
If you’ve ever moved a photo in Word in the past then you’ll understand the pain of your entire document shifting around. TikTok comedy duo Jess and Quinn have captured this perfectly, and you’ll want to watch it a few times to really appreciate how wonderful it is. Former Microsoft Office boss Steven Sinofsky gets it, too. “Mean,” he joked in a response to the meme.
Microsoft held a special 50th anniversary event at its headquarters earlier today. During Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s presentation, a Microsoft employee interrupted the event to protest the use of Microsoft’s technologies in Israel’s war against Hamas. A second employee interrupted the event later on, while CEO Satya Nadella, co-founder Bill Gates, and former CEO Steve Ballmer were discussing 50 years of Microsoft.
This is a laptop you might want to buy, but you won’t be able to. Microsoft has created a limited edition 50th anniversary version of its Surface Laptop 7. It has the retro 1975 Microsoft logo etched into the palm rest area, a golden accent color on the Surface logo, and there’s even a golden Windows 11 wallpaper. Microsoft is giving away 50 of these special edition laptops in competitions to mark its 50-year milestone.
Microsoft’s 50th anniversary event has been overshadowed by two employee protestors, but that didn’t stop former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer from doing his famous developers, developers, developers chant.
The model built by Bill Gates and Paul Allen remains decades later. What’s changed is how Microsoft responds to a flop.
It’s pretty rare to see Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and CEO Satya Nadella together, but the company’s 50-year anniversary has united the trio. Microsoft has used the opportunity to get Copilot to interview all three and roast them. The full conversation is available in the Copilot app.
