• Neowin Newsletter
  • Posts
  • Microsoft Weekly + Windows Me is 23 years old + Windows 11 is 2 years old

Microsoft Weekly + Windows Me is 23 years old + Windows 11 is 2 years old

Issue #268

Author

Steven Parker
June 25, 2023

I hope you had a great week, meanwhile here's a recap of our most recent news, as well as the Microsoft Weekly, we hope you take a look!

Microsoft Weekly: AI generates Windows 11 keys and Xbox prices go up

Today in Microsoft Weekly: ChatGPT generates Windows keys; Windows 11 turns two; fresh builds; Microsoft presses the "undo" button, and the company explains what caused outages in June.

Remember "Me"? Most PC owners, and even Microsoft, would like to forget Windows Me

Windows Me went gold 23 years ago today on June 19, 2000. It ended up being one of the worst Windows releases ever, and Microsoft quickly replaced it with Windows XP just one year later.

PSA: Xbox Series X prices are going up in most markets, Xbox Game Pass prices are going up too

The Xbox Series X will go up to £479.99 in the UK, €549.99 in most of Europe, CAD $649.99 in Canada, and AUD $799.99 in Australia starting August 1. Xbox Game Pass prices will go up to $10.99 a month.

Software updates

Windows 11 was revealed two years ago today. Here's a quick look back

Microsoft officially announced Windows 11 two years ago today on June 24, 2021. It signaled a change in the company's marketing for the OS, as Windows 10 was supposed to be the "last Windows".

SpaceX to launch ESA's Euclid space observatory - TWIRL #120

We have just two rocket launches coming up this week. One will include a Falcon 9 carrying ESA's Euclid space telescope into orbit where it will map the universe across a third of the sky.

Leaked poll shows employees don't consider Microsoft as 'top place' to work

A leaked internal poll reveals Microsoft employees' concerns about the leadership. Layoffs, a pay freeze, and the discontinuation of an annual employee poll have negatively impacted morale.

From the Forums

Weekend PC Game Deals: German-made hits to grab and hundreds of demos to try

This weekend's PC game deals include a huge number of hits from German studios, a freebie from the Epic Games Store taking aim at hunting fans, the latest edition of Steam Next Fest, and more.

Microsoft confirms it thought about buying Zynga so it could enter the mobile games industry

Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed during court testimony on Friday that it spent "quite a bit of time" on a deal to acquire Zynga, which in the end was bought by Take-Two Interactive.

This is why Asus ROG Ally is easier to repair than Steam Deck

An Asus ROG Ally teardown video shows its repairability and internal design comparison to Steam Deck. Battery, thumbsticks, and fans are modular and user-friendly for replacements or maintenance.

This week's deals

Amazon Prime members can check out new free trials for Audible, Kindle Unlimited and more

For a limited time, Amazon Prime members can enjoy three free months of Audible Premium and Kindle Unlimited, as well as four free months of Amazon Music Unlimited. Read on for more information.

Tech deals we posted this week

Star Trek: Prodigy gets canceled and will be removed from Paramount+ next week

The acclaimed animated series will be among many other Paramount+ original shows that will be removed from the service next week even as it merges content with Showtime on June 27.

YouTube is going after fan channels that impersonate others

YouTube has updated its impersonation policy which will roll out later this year. As per the new policy, fan channels should make it obvious that they don't represent the original creator or entity.

Spotify is rumored to launch its more expensive HiFi audio streaming plan later this year

The rumored new HiFI plan from Spotify, which is reportedly code-named "Supremium", will offer subscribers a much better audio experience when streaming music, among other features.

Logging off

There will be no newsletter next weekend as I will be away. The next one will be on Sunday, July 9. Have a good one!

Cheers, Steve.