In a Decoder interview, Bill Gates said humanity should brace for roughly 20 years of turbulent change as AI reshapes society, warning the period could divide people into those comfortable near the technological frontier and those who reject it. He reiterated comments from his recent essay and other interviews calling AI potentially more dangerous than nuclear weapons, and said current government policy and industry coordination are inadequate to manage the risks.
Apple will mark apps optimized for its new foldable iPhone Duo with a 'Made for iPhone Duo' badge in the App Store. Apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Zoom will use the device's dual screens for features such as split-screen viewing and desktop-style layouts. Apple says editorial collections highlighting these apps will launch alongside the device on Friday, with more updates throughout the year.
ArtCraft, the team behind PhotoCraft, WordCraft and other reverse-engineered productivity apps, has launched GridCraft, a free and open-source spreadsheet application built in Rust. It runs natively across Linux, FreeBSD, macOS and Windows, supports native XLSX files, over 500 calculation functions, pivot tables, and handles large spreadsheets without performance issues, though it currently lacks a strong template feature.
Microsoft has rolled out à la carte Cloud Playtime purchases to Xbox Insiders, charging roughly 24 to 40 cents per hour depending on the package size (10 hours for $4, 25 hours for $8, or 50 hours for $12). Purchased hours don't expire, but using them requires already owning the game or, for some titles, having free-to-play access.
Marvell, Microsoft and Oracle are collaborating on an initiative to standardize an integrated hardware security module (HSM) built to meet NIST FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification for use in cloud and hyperscale data center infrastructure. The effort aims to create a common security standard that could be adopted across hardware used by large-scale cloud providers.
Fortune's profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reports Microsoft is pursuing a two-part hardware plan: a handheld device by late next year and a full console for holiday 2028. Internal company projections reportedly put that console's price between $1,200 and $1,800, though Microsoft could subsidize costs to lower the retail price.
Xbox has begun previewing a pay-per-hour cloud gaming option for members of its Xbox Insider program who don't subscribe to Game Pass. The trial offers blocks of 10 hours for $4, 25 hours for $8, or 50 hours for $12, described as introductory launch pricing. The feature includes an ad-free streaming experience with shorter wait times and playtime that doesn't expire until used.
Microsoft is increasing its return-to-office mandate for Xbox employees within 50 commuting miles of its Puget Sound campus from three to four days a week, effective February 1, 2027. The change was announced in an internal memo from Xbox chief people officer Jacinda Chislum Pearson, who cited employee feedback and a desire for more in-person collaboration. Employees with existing remote-work exemptions will need to reapply for them.
OpenAI announced its AI models will become available to developers via Google Cloud's model garden and its Antigravity coding tool within weeks. This follows the end of Microsoft's exclusive license on OpenAI's technology and Amazon's earlier move to host OpenAI models, placing OpenAI on all three major cloud providers.
Microsoft has shipped PowerToys 0.102, adding two mouse utilities: Mouse Button Lock, which lets users hold a key to keep a mouse button engaged for dragging or selecting, and CursorHide, which hides the pointer while typing or idle. The update also brings a Command Palette quick-access shelf, new command-line scripting tools, Keyboard Manager upgrades, and a ZoomIt feature for adding dictated text to screenshots.
Microsoft says it incorrectly marked an Always On VPN connection bug as resolved in its October 2026 Windows 11 cumulative update. The company has reverted the issue's status from 'Resolved' to 'Mitigated' and says a real fix will arrive in a future update. In the meantime, it recommends IT admins work around the problem by manually selecting a single VPN tunneling protocol instead of automatic protocol selection.
A Fortune profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reveals new details on Project Helix, Microsoft's next-gen gaming hardware line. A handheld device is expected for holiday 2027, with a full console following in 2028, currently projected to cost between $1,200 and $1,800 unless Microsoft subsidizes it. The report also mentions a possible shift to a la carte Game Pass pricing and more layoffs expected this month and in November.
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