The Windows Central Podcast

Welcome back to the Windows Central Podcast! In this special drop episode, Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden dive deep into Microsoft's massive new wave of Surface devices announced this week. While the consumer versions are slated for later this summer, today is all about the brand-new commercial portfolio. We break down the three newly refreshed business devices: The Surface Laptop 8 (the 13.8-inch and 15-inch flagship) The Surface Laptop 13-inch (the mid-range option) The Surface Pro 12 (the 13-inch flagship 2-in-1) (And yes, we spend a few minutes laughing about how incredibly confusing Microsoft's naming conventions have gotten!) 💻 Hands-On with the Surface Laptop 8 Daniel gives his first-hand impressions of the new 13.8-inch Laptop 8, which packs some serious under-the-hood upgrades despite keeping last gen's nearly perfect exterior design. We talk about the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" X7 chip, the surprisingly capable B390 GPU, and just how quiet those fans stay under a heavy lifting load. 🔒 Killer New Commercial Features We also dig into the features that business users are going to love, including: The Haptic Touchpad & Windows 11 Haptic Signals: How Microsoft's new API makes the digital world feel tactile when you're closing windows, snapping apps, or scrubbing video timelines. The E-Privacy Screen: Daniel explains the tech behind the new electronic privacy display option that instantly cuts down viewing angles at the press of the F1 key to keep your sensitive data safe from over-the-shoulder lookers. 💰 The Price of Business & What's Next for Consumer Models We wrap up the episode addressing the elephant in the room: the price hikes. We discuss why these enterprise units are crossing into the $1,950+ territory, the reality of component pricing, and how Microsoft's strategy compares to Apple and other PC OEMs. Plus, we look ahead to what we can expect when the Snapdragon X2-powered consumer variants drop later this summer.

This week on the Windows Central Podcast, Dan and Zac are back to break down a massive turning point for Microsoft. It feels like the company is finally "looking in the mirror," and we've got the inside scoop on what that means for your favorite devices and services. In this episode: The Return of Xbox: We discuss the major internal reorg as Microsoft Gaming officially rebrands back to simply "Xbox." From new @xbox.com emails to a leadership overhaul under Asha Sharma, the "rebel" spirit is back. A "Quality" Revolution for Windows: We go deep on Project K2, the code-named initiative dedicated to fixing Windows 11. We're talking about the new WinUI 3 Run box, the ability to pause updates indefinitely, and a "Low Latency Profile" that could boost your app launch speeds by 40%. The Copilot Correction: Microsoft is admitting where they went too far. We talk about why Copilot is being stripped out of the Xbox OS and simplified in apps like Notepad. Game Pass & Call of Duty: Big changes are here for your wallet. We break down the new $22 Ultimate pricing and the strategic shift that moves Call of Duty from Day 1 to a Year 1 arrival on the service. Surface's Identity Crisis: Are Surface devices getting too "safe"? We brainstorm what it would take to reinvigorate the brand—from Surface Pro XLs to the return of those high-energy live launch events.

On this episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel and Zac break down Microsoft's big announcement about Windows 11 and how the company is moving to address its biggest issues this year. It's a huge announcement that includes a detailed roadmap of new features and changes that the company intends to deliver throughout 2026, starting with bringing back the movable Taskbar!

On this episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Dan and Zac discuss Microsoft's plans to bring back the ability to move the Taskbar on Windows 11, plus other plans around addressing "pain points" across Windows this year. The crew also talks about Windows 12, what AI could do to software design, and more!

The Windows Central Podcast is back for 2026, and this week Zac and Dan discuss the current state of Windows 11. Why do so many people hate it, and is it really Microsoft's fault? Also on the agenda: What's next for Windows and Surface?

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel and Zac discuss Microsoft's big Windows announcement relating to new Copilot and agentic AI experiences coming soon to Windows 11. They also discuss what this means for a possible Windows 12, and where computing as a whole is headed. Also on the agenda: Windows 10 EOL and the Xbox Ally is here!

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Dan and Zac discuss the latest with Windows 11: new updates for Paint and Notepad, plus Windows 10 EOL and Consumer Reports asking Microsoft to extend support. Also on the agenda, Intel & NVIDIA are teaming up to create new chips fused with RTX GPUs, and Meta launches it first Ray Ban Display glasses with AI built-in. Should Microsoft do the same?

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Dan & Zac discuss Microsoft's new "Windows 2030 Vision" series, the first of which hints at a potential future "Agentic OS" from Microsoft. What might that look like? We also discuss Microsoft's new Windows XP crocs, WinUI going open source, Dan's thoughts on the Surface Laptop 7 now that he's used one, Lenovo's rollable laptop, and OpenAI's new GPT-5 announcement!

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Zac and Ben discuss Satya Nadella's memo on layoffs, Nvidia's ARM chip delays, the business-focused Surface Laptop 7 with 5G, new Windows features, Microsoft closing its Movies & TV storefront, Lenovo Legion Go 2 leaks, and share impressions of the new Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 and Flip 7 phones.

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Zac hosts a solo episode where he discusses his thoughts around Microsoft's recent layoffs, the closure of Xbox studios and game projects, and the general vibe being a Microsoft "fan" in 2025. He also discusses the Microsoft's rounding error that had some of us thinking Windows had lost up to 400 million devices in three years, the Surface Earbuds, and thoughts on what damage a cheap MacBook could do to the Windows ecosystem.

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel and Zac discuss the latest news with Windows 11, Microsoft's announcement that the next Xbox will be powered by an AMD chip, Windows Hello no longer working in the dark, and the latest with AI.

On this week's episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel and Zac discuss the current state of Windows 11 on gaming handhelds, and how failures like Windows Core OS and Windows CorePC have put Microsoft on the back foot in this new mobile category. Also on the agenda: Windows 11 Start menu designs, Bing Video Creator, and AI leading us down a lonely path.