We’re at the end of another week, and it’s time again to recap everything big that’s happened in the Microsoft verse over the past few days. It’s been quite a busy week with a number of Windows releases and issues. With the end of the month, we also obtained market share statistics, as well as an interesting “Windows 12” concept. Without further ado, let’s dive into our weekly recap from November 26 to December 2!
Windows 11 on the rise
Statcounter revealed that Windows 11 now controls 16.12% of the market share while Windows 10 fell below 70% for the first time. This is a 0.67 percentage point increase from last month, which isn’t a massive jump, but it does indicate that adoption of Microsoft’s latest operating system is steadily increasing and chipping away. Windows 10 market share. Windows 8.1, 8, 7 and XP still capture 2.54%, 0.79%, 10.24% and 0.4% of the market currently.
On the gaming front, results from Valve’s Steam Hardware survey peg Windows 11 at 27.98%, which is a significant increase of 4.61 percentage points from the previous month. Windows 10 is shown struggling here too as it fell to 65.60%, a notable drop of 3.31 percentage points.
When it comes to the web browser market, Microsoft Edge now has an 11.17% share. This is a 0.31 percentage point increase from the previous month and a 1.65 percentage point improvement year over year. Of course, Google Chrome is still king at 66.13%, despite a slight drop of 0.36 percentage points.
At the end of the month, Microsoft also shared a bunch of updates it introduced to some of its software. These include a slew of improvements in Teams, modest updates to Excel, and November enhancements to Power BI Desktop.
Windows builds and issues
Earlier in the week, Windows 11 Insiders received build 25252 from Dev Channel. It introduced a new VPN status icon in the system tray, more search styles in the taskbar, a bunch of bugfixes, and a bunch of known issues. This build was closely followed by Beta 22623.1020 (KB5020035) bringing OneDrive storage alerts, fixes for high CPU usage, and more. Later we were treaty to a servicing pipeline release as well.
There were also some whispers from the “Moment” Windows Updates camp. Test IDs for the alleged “Moment 3” and “Moment 4” updates have been discovered in the latest beta. Microsoft has also made some “Moment 2” features available to Windows 11 version 22H2 users on the Stable channel through the latest build 22621.900 (KB5020044). These include energy recommendations, an improved task manager, and a slightly improved settings page for handling the touch keyboard.
Unfortunately, this new version also introduced an issue in Task Manager where some UI elements may not display correctly if you are using a custom color mode. The mitigation for now is to switch to light or dark mode while Microsoft works on a fix.
In related news, Input Method Editor (IME) issues can be resolved by installing the latest KB5020044 update and a performance fix to remotely copy large files is also being tested in the recent build of DevChannel.
“Windows 12″… and other stuff
An interesting concept for “Windows 12” appeared very recently and was covered in detail by us. Created by an enthusiast, the design focuses a lot on the usefulness of widgets while making nifty improvements to other UI elements. Another feature it emphasizes is splitting two apps into a single window and grouping files into Collections in File Explorer (similar to Collections in Microsoft Edge). Of course, our readers are divided on the aesthetics and utility of this design, but head over here to voice your opinion.
In other news, Microsoft has officially ended support for the original Surface Hub 55 and Surface Hub 84. Running Windows 10 Team on a fourth-generation Intel Core i5/i7 processor, this device enjoyed a seven-year lifespan, initially selling for $20,000. Although the original Surface Hub died in terms of updates, another hard product, the Surface Duo, could soon benefit from a dedicated Insider program.
Finally, in some smaller software updates, PowerToys gets a Windows 11 Quick Settings-like launcher to let you launch your favorite utilities with just a few clicks in the notification area. Meanwhile, Microsoft Forms introduced the useful capability of being able to add images as possible answers to multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
Git Gud
Regarding the ongoing issue of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard being reviewed by regulators, there were rumors this week that the Redmond-based tech giant may be offering concessions to the EU and that an agreement has already been reached between Microsoft and Sony regarding the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation. Of course, nothing has been officially confirmed yet.
What Microsoft has confirmed is that those with gaming issues will not yet be offered the Windows 11 2022 Update. This backup hold will likely be lifted around mid-December.
But speaking of the games themselves, a bunch of high-profile titles hit or are hitting Xbox Game Pass this month. Notable additions include Battlefield 2042, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Raised on lifeand Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, among others. Meanwhile, Games with Gold offers are CanyonColt and Sharp Fury.
On the sales and promotions side, there’s a huge Xbox Black Friday sale going on. And the Free Play Days event has Battlefield 2042, Batora: Lost Refugeand Rainbow Six Siege offered this weekend. But if none of that sounds good to you, check out news editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe’s list of the best PC game deals this weekend.
Development Channel
Under the projectors
News Reporter Taras Buria has compiled a list of the top 5 metrics Microsoft Edge users should consider enabling in order to get the most out of their browsing experience. Note that the abilities saved behind a flag are experimental in nature, so expect some bugs.
Taras also wrote a few more guides after the release of Windows 11 Dev Channel build 25252. The first details the process of enabling the new taskbar search box, while the other describes how to disable the search features of type Windows 10.
Taras’ final guide this week was about the existence of a hidden camera privacy indicator in Windows 11 and the process to enable it.
On the other hand, forum member Adam Bottjen detailed the steps to launch pinned apps using only your keyboard in his latest edition of Tech Tip Tuesday.
Last but not least, we had our reviewer Robbie Khan criticizing the pitiful state of the highly publicized horror game. The Callisto Protocol, in terms of PC performance. You can dive into the dedicated room here where Robbie takes you with him on his journey to get super excited about the title to pay him back after less than two hours of gameplay on Steam.
Logout
Our most interesting news of the week concerns the imminent death of the free edition of the popular Macrium Reflect. Windows Backup software will not receive any new features, but security updates will be provided until January 1, 2024. Of course, you can continue to use the tool beyond this date, but you will not be able to benefit of any assistance if a problem arises. appear. The premium version of Macrium Reflect is not affected by this interruption.
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