Paul Thurrott's short film: February 22

Because I'm going to Barcelona, ​​this edition of Short Takes is of interest to Microsoft at the MWC, the "internal source" of Microsoft, the next competitor of Microsoft Chromebook, the Xbox Game Pass on Nintendo Switch, and much more .

Microsoft at MWC

Microsoft is holding a secret announcement about a product at the MWC (formerly Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona on Sunday night. I will spend 7 hours in a budget seat to see what happens. HoloLens, eagerly awaited in its second generation – in fact, the third generation, was canceled internally as the original second generation device was canceled internally as it was not in any way d & # 39; a significant improvement – especially since HoloLens co-creator Alex Kipman was enthusiastic. but vaguely tweeting about the next show. This makes sense: HoloLens has been successful in some lucrative and unique vertical markets today, and one source tells me that the new version will include a manual tracking feature that should avoid the need for controllers. (Since then, I've seen rumors about "eye tracking" online and wondering if they were referring to the same new feature.) We'll know more soon.

"Microsoft Build 2019: 5 things we are dying to see"

Dying. Ah my boy.

Microsoft is infected with open source "cancer"

You've probably never heard of this because you are normal, but apparently there is a formal open source methodology called "internal source" that describes how companies can adopt open source wherever they develop, ship and maintain in-house software. As I noted on Thurrott.com, Internal Source is an ironic end game for the relationship between Microsoft and open source – you may remember Steve Ballmer's comments about the fact that Linux is a "cancer" – and, even worse, evidence that the open source, always ironically, has Microsoft embraced and extended from within. Nowadays, it seems that nothing has been said by Microsoft, unlike its intoxicating days of aggressive heavyweight that once dominated the sector. Forgive me for forgetting the good old days when competitors were arguing instead of sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya and slapping themselves. Specifically, it is unclear what open source methodology can teach the world's largest and largest software company. I'm pretty sure they discovered these things decades ago.

"This is how Microsoft makes its money"

One dollar at a time, baby.

Microsoft will one day have its Chromebook challenger, maybe

Before trying to create Chromebooks, Microsoft was trying to find a viable competitor for Chromebooks. It could be argued that Windows-based netbooks, which were the only serious Linux challenge for Windows PCs, were in many ways the Chromebook's first competitors. . But since then, Microsoft has imposed all kinds of unpopular bullshit on its customers in the hope of finding a way to slow down Chromebooks, from Windows RT to Windows 10, from Mode S to "Mode S", the latest way to reduced to a barely functional shadow of his old self. Well, do not worry: they are still trying. The software giant is currently working on a simpler version of Windows 10 called Windows 10 Lite (or just Lite) that looks a lot like Chrome OS and that will not run desktop applications. And this system would work on a variety of devices, including a low-end Chromebook laptop and a dual-screen laptop. But no matter what form this platform takes, I always come back to the same argument: without applications, Lite is doomed to failure. And a version of Windows that does not run Windows (desktop) applications is not The Windows. Or very interesting.

"How to synchronize Microsoft To-Do and Cortana reminders with macOS"

Is a task that no human being ever wanted or needed to do.

Xbox Game Pass could arrive on Nintendo Switch

We know that Microsoft is planning to migrate its Xbox platform to the cloud via an upcoming game delivery service called xCloud, which will work with PCs, consoles, mobile devices and probably also smart TVs. And we've seen rumors that Microsoft is bringing Xbox Live to Android and iOS. It is perhaps not surprising that the rumor that Microsoft will now offer a related service, the Xbox Game Pass, to a competing console, the Nintendo Switch, will also be accessible. It's highly unlikely – OK, literally impossible – that all of the more than 100 Xbox Game Pass game catalogs will never work on Switch, as these games are natively designed for the more powerful Xbox One and Windows platforms. PC. Rumors suggest that some Xbox Game Studios will be transferred to the switch and this action is the first step for xCloud to work on the device. And that makes sense. Moreover, despite its reputation with a certain class of players, Nintendo does not have exactly access to services. So it would be a win-win for both companies.

"Huawei exploded in the fourth quarter of 2018"

I hope nobody has been hurt.

Report: Apple will move the Mac to its own ARM chips

Given the speed with which Apple's A-series mobile processors have grown over the years, I've long felt that Apple would begin using Intel chipsets on its Mac, mimicking the work that's going on. he had accomplished a few years ago by switching from PowerPC to Intel. And now, a new report confirms that everything is running: Bloomberg says that Apple will begin the transition by allowing developers to add iPad applications, then iPhone to Mac, and that they'll be able to to create a single binary application. which will work on all three platforms by 2021. The publication also notes that Apple will release its first Series A-based Macs by 2020, most likely from MacBook and other less powerful Macs. (Apple could keep Intel chips in its Mac Pro for scalability and performance reasons.) If that's true, Apple has been building macOS on the ARM-based A-series chips for years, just about as it did before with Intel. This is the secret of his seemingly rapid transition: they had been working there for years at the time of the transition.

"You will need to replace your AirPods at $ 160 every two years"

Not s # t.

Google: Sorry, we did not want this secret Nest microphone to be discovered

In terms of privacy issues, Google can not help but hit the face. The example of this week is a classic one: when a Nest customer discovered that his Nest Guard home security device had an undocumented microphone, Google, who owns Nest-coolly has indicated that it "included a microphone in the Nest Guard with features such as the Google wizard in mind. It has not been used yet and you can turn it on or off at any time using the Nest app. "Needless to say, this flippant response caused a world of wounds at Google, forcing the company to issue a statement explaining that it was just a big mistake. "The microphone built into the device was never intended to be a secret and should have been included in the technical specifications," the statement said. "It was a mistake on our part." That's right, idiots. And you wonder why no one trusts you.

"Google did not tell users that his Nest security system had a microphone"

Oops!

Fortnite fights an unexpected challenger

Even if you do not follow the world of video games, you may know that video games are a bigger market than anything Hollywood has put together. And you are certainly aware of Fortnite, a game so popular that it has become a general cultural phenomenon. Fortnite seems to be out of nowhere, but in recent weeks, a new game, called Apex Legends, stole the show. Mountain peak has grown in popularity much faster than has been done Fortnite, leading some to wonder if this last title was not a flash. So Fortnite fights: This week, the game's designers have announced that they have reached a new milestone with 7.6 million competing players, compared with 2 million for Apex Legends. But what she did not mention is that she has reached this decisive stage only after having made available to the players free of charge a Season Pass already paid. A move that has almost certainly been made to counter the success of Apex Legends. Fight!

"Apple now on iPhone Watch"

Hmm What?