INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Windows 10, which witnessed what can only be described as a staggering run of blunders and bugs, as fixes for various glitches created fresh
problems in turn.There were highs, too, as Microsoft made impressive strides with the revamped Edge browser, and also a number of nifty
moves on the gaming front, not the least of which was the reveal of a powerful next-gen Xbox.Speaking of Xbox Series X (formerly known as
computing front here (meaning PCs and Windows).(Image credit: Microsoft)Windows 10 bug blundersSadly, the first thing that comes to our mind
resolved bugs on one hand, but caused others at the same time.This episode began at the start of September, with a patch to fix some
whereby Cortana started spiking CPU usage
connectivity for some users
Windows Defender effectively disabling the most commonly used virus scans) and how they could be causing Microsoft serious reputational
damage which might have long-lasting repercussions.Things quietened down a little on the bug front towards the end of the year, but then
Microsoft put its foot in it again, when in December the software giant embarrassingly deployed an update meant for businesses to Windows 10
has been busy working on its revamped Chromium-based Edge browser all year, and it has shaped up nicely, introducing some nifty elements
hog).That said, Microsoft still has a hell of a mountain to climb with Edge, as the existing browser has a pitifully small market share, and
in the most recent stats from Net Applications at the time of writing, it slipped slightly (again) to under 6%
fronts (including seriously bolstering support for Linux within Windows 10).Of course, Edge is coming to Linux, and a big part of
exclusively to Windows 10).Overall, then, the rebooted Edge hit a positive note for Microsoft this year, but the real test will come in
2020, when those best laid plans are tested in post-launch reality.(Image credit: Microsoft)SurfacingOn the hardware front, Microsoft
impressed with its Surface products in some respects, and remained distinctly static in other ways.Most of the excitement was around the
The Neo is a dual-screen device which is essentially two tablets hinged together like a book (with a small physical keyboard that
magnetically attaches to the lower screen when needed, taking up about half the display).Coupled with Windows 10X, a fresh spin on the
desktop OS purpose-built for dual-screen products, Neo promises a tight integration of software and hardware which will hopefully deliver
Although Microsoft is pitching it as more of a pocket-sized computer, and trying to get away from the concept that this is a dual-screen
exciting future of Surface, but sadly the products actually released in 2019 fell short
The Surface Pro X at least represented a shot at something different, but in our review, we found that while it was a very slickly designed
and highly portable 2-in-1, the device is just too pricey for the basic performance levels delivered by the ARM processor, and battery life
forgotten in the shadow of all the aforementioned products
And otherwise, the Surface Pro 7 remained pretty much identical to its predecessor, which was disappointing
what we actually got in the here and now was pretty pedestrian at best
of dual-screen hardware is encouraging, so we have to give Microsoft a tick in that respect.(Image credit: Shroud / Microsoft)Mixing it upIn
the world of live streaming, Microsoft did its best to push Mixer against dominant services like Twitch
Back in July, Microsoft set its stall out by declaring it was instigating measures to help combat some of the toxic behavior which can
big-name Twitch streamers
And when we say big-name, we mean really-huge-name: Ninja and Shroud
hell of a long way to go to become anything like competitive with Twitch, which holds something like three-quarters of the streaming
And more broadly, it shows how much emphasis Microsoft is placing on pushing the gaming side of its business these days.(Image credit:
Microsoft)Xbox-ing cleverSpeaking of that grand push on the gaming front, Microsoft had a lot to say at E3 back in June
Top of the bill, naturally, was the revelation of the next-gen Xbox, with the console being heralded as (up to) four times as powerful as
the Xbox One X, no less; and that it would be launching with Halo Infinite.Xbox Series X will go on sale in Holiday 2020 (and was further
The service is a little confusing, and still in beta, but we cover everything you need to know about it here
The short version is you access it via the new Xbox app in Windows 10, and it offers a library of over 100 games currently for a
Indeed, throughout the year, Microsoft was making all sorts of noises about how it has rather let down PC gamers in the past, and that all
The idea is to let you stream games to any device, and although it only supports mobile phones currently, Windows 10 PCs will be covered in
they already own.Again, Microsoft is apparently flexing its muscles and potentially leveraging those deep coffers, with reports that the
But we can well believe this is the case.As to the reality of Project xCloud right now, our impressions are that Microsoft is nailing things
in the crucial department of latency, and overall performance is good, despite some issues (but again, with a beta, gremlins are
expected).So this is another bright spot, but Google Stadia does have the jump on Microsoft in this sector, having already launched with
laying a hefty weight of foundations for a successful next year.So we had a pretty underwhelming set of Surface devices, and a particularly
uninspiring launch in the Surface Pro 7
And the reputation of Windows 10 copped a load of flak thanks to all those incidents of bugs causing yet more bugs, although at least
outing of 2019 effectively being a mere service pack with no major new features
That included pushing forward with some impressive work on Edge, which has generally been well-received anecdotally, and could make a big
right.Along with a lot of promising stuff on the beta front in the gaming world, namely Project xCloud and Xbox Game Pass for PC
Microsoft is even trying to gain some momentum with Mixer against the might of Twitch, which may seem a little on the futile side, arguably,
but certainly shows a commitment to driving forward across all facets of gaming
terms of being successful in 2020
