Hints of these have been unearthed in a job listing that the company has put together.

As you may be aware, Redmond posted another titanic quarter, pulling sky-high revenue and profits across all its businesses. However, as is usually the case, some areas did much better than others. Windows OEM is one such segment that has witnessed massive declines due to market conditions.

To combat them, Microsoft wants to dip its toes into a new way to subsidize and sell hardware, something that Amazon has pioneered with its device lineup.

Kindle tablets, for instance, are available in both regular and ad-supported varieties, with the latter obviously being sold for a few less coins.

Something similar seems to be at play with Microsoft, as it appears to be planning to expand its Windows strategy while exploring new business opportunities through a mix of software and low-cost machines.

This job listing reveals that Microsoft wants to build low-cost PCs powered through advertising and subscriptions. In other words, buyers will be able to buy these affordable computers but will see more ads within the operating system.

As put:

“The team will partner with Product Management and Design to ideate and build new experiences aligned with the mission to drive cloud-first experiences into Windows, create prototypes to validate early thinking, and use on-going customer data and research to validate our ideas.”

That’s one way to do it, that’s for sure!

If Microsoft goes down this route, it will have opened up a new revenue stream for itself alongside subscriptions, which the company is big on these days.

Things, obliviously, are at their very beginning here.

Microsoft is simply exploring this avenue, and whether the company decides to go deeper remains to be seen. The same goes for whether this will turn out to be a solo undertaking by Redmond or it will get OEM hardware partners like ASUS, Dell, and HP on board.

But definitely expect to hear more on this, if there is movement.

Despite PC shipments riding much higher than they had been at pre-pandemic levels, unit sales practically dropped off a cliff during the past couple of quarters. So much so that even Intel and AMD fired off warning flares not too long ago.

And for a company like Microsoft, this decline was too step to overcome.

As a result, Windows OEM revenue was down a massive 15%. The software titan had only predicted a decline to the tune of high single digits, but demand for PCs and laptops took a much bigger dive than anticipated, making this a rare miss for Microsoft.

Redmond says that this 15% is actually offset by 5 points of positive impact from the Windows 11 revenue deferral from the previous year, hinting that things may be much worse than believed.

It did net $50.1 billion in revenue in this first quarter of its fiscal year, beating Wall Street estimates of $49.7 billion, so that is good news.

More good news is that Surface and device numbers were up 2%, also beating expectations. Of course, these figures came well before the launch of the Surface Pro 9 and the Surface Laptop 5, so we will have to wait and see what kind of performance they pull off in the second quarter.

Otherwise, things were business as usual for the technology titan, which witnessed double-digit growth across Azure, LinkedIn, Office 365 Commercial, Office consumer products, and Dynamics.

Microsoft returned $9.7 billion to shareholders in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 through share repurchases and dividends, a decrease of 11% compared to the first quarter of fiscal year 2022.

The company warns of the typical industry trade winds, competition, as well as COVID-19 related setbacks to manufacturing, shipping, and logistical issues.

Redmond is aiming this small machine at Windows developers who want to bring their apps to ARM-powered devices to help populate this category among consumers. This new device offers everything that developers need to build their software for the Windows on ARM platform.

The Dev Kit was originally introduced earlier this year at the BUILD 2022 conference.

It is based upon the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Compute Platform, which is paired with 32GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. You also get three USB-A and two USB-C ports alongside a Mini DisplayPort that allows connecting up to three monitors, including two at 4K 60Hz.

This device is now the face of Microsoft’s ARM native toolkit that includes preview versions of Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 version 17.4, the Windows App SDK, and .NET Framework 4.8.1.

Additionally, the powerful Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK is also part of the package, which gives developers access to the platform’s advanced AI capabilities, such as voice isolation and bokeh image-capturing features of the Surface Pro 9.

As you know, this new lineup now comes in both Intel and ARM flavors.

The launch of this little machine will go a long way toward opening the path for developers to easily bring their experiences to those who have opted for Windows devices based on ARM processors. This, in turn, should help make Windows on ARM a more attractive choice.

The Windows Dev Kit 2023 costs $599, and you can order one right here.

As of this writing, it is available in eight countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This was sandwiched between the arrival of new-generation processors, the Zen 4-based AMD Ryzen 7000 series, and, of course, Intel’s 13th-generation Core lineup, which goes by the codename Raptor Lake.

There is no better time than now to make some updates to the processor support for the OS.

Although the hardware requirements for Windows 11 have not changed much since the operating system’s unveiling, Microsoft has added a separate list of CPUs for the 22H2 update.

So, in case you were hoping that currently unsupported hardware would suddenly be supported, that ain’t happening, chief!

Nevertheless, you can view the updated list of supported processors for Windows 11 version 22H2 on their respective pages for the breed of CPUs.

• Intel
• AMD
• Qualcomm

This is likely to be continually updated as new processors make their way out in the wild or maybe even when older chips are removed from the list due to the sudden discovery of flaws and vulnerabilities.

You never can tell these days!

Still, that does not stop people from running the latest and greatest version of Windows on terribly outdated hardware.

Some even exclaim that it runs like magic!

Announced a while back, these new chips are now in the hands of those who seek optimum performance. Soon enough, they will find their way into a whole range of new Windows 11 hardware from the usual suspects.

Including, hopefully, Microsoft for its Surface line.

Intel first announced them back this September at their special event, confirming availability a month later for the first batch of processors that includes SKUs from the Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5 series. A little while later we can expect the Core i3 lineup to be released.

Though that budget series is not really the true Raptor Lake in form and finesse.

In case you are not familiar with Raptor Lake, this is the codename for the 13^th generation Core architecture from Intel.

They follow the 12^th generation Alder Lake, which was the company’s first hybrid architecture. This idea, basically, is to combine large and small cores for use in different tasks as needed, just like in the mobile space.

The chip giant calls them P-cores and E-cores, short for Performance cores and Efficiency cores.

Windows 11 itself is optimized for this new architecture, which clearly is the company’s future as far as processors are concerned.

And as for what this 13th-generation lineup brings, well, Intel’s mantra seems to be that more is better. It has packed in more cores in these new CPUs than their predecessors, which help them handily deliver class-leading performance in a range of tasks, gaming, productivity, and multimedia.

These chips are now competing with AMD’s Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 processors, which are the new kid on the block.

Initial impressions have the Intel chips defeating their competition without pulling a sweat, and that much is given considering the architectural and hardware improvements that Intel has packed into these new processors.

Intel launched these 7nm chips on October 20, with mobile versions expected before 2022 is out.

The company says these new accessories are here to improve the hybrid meeting experience, which is of paramount importance today.

Or, you can say that these two devices are designed to improve your Teams meetings.

As a matter of fact, the Presenter+ is the first certified presentation control for Teams, while the Audio Dock comes with the ability to provide great audio and noise-reducing microphones to boost the experience of your meetings.

The Presenter+ works just as you expect it to. It can be used to move between slides in your presentation, mute and unmute the volume, direct the audience’s attention with the screen pointer, and even quickly join meetings.

Additionally, long pressing the Teams button on the controller lets you raise or lower your hand, so you can more easily engage with the meeting.

Better yet, the device is connected via Bluetooth, meaning you don’t have to stay too close to the computer to make good use of it. It also comes with customizable controls that are sure to come in handy for folks who would rather have the device work exactly according to their needs.

The Audio Dock is another product that does exactly what it says on the tin.

You get HDMI, two USB-C, and one USB-A connection port, as well as a pass-through PC charger. The peripheral is quite small, making it suited for all shapes and sizes of desks.

Despite its small size, the company promises premium sound with the Omnisonic speakers. This means that other meeting participants will have no trouble hearing you well with the dual forward-facing, noise-reducing microphones. It also has integrated mute control for when you need to go silent.

Good stuff, all around.

However, pricing for these two products is unavailable at the time of writing.

When the technology giant unveiled these earlier this year, it confirmed that these accessories would become available for purchase in select markets, though without revealing which ones exactly. Well, it still has not been confirmed which ones, but we have other necessary details regarding these gadgets.

Redmond has revealed that its Adaptive Accessories will hit the store shelves starting October 25.

The range includes a whole bunch of peripherals that make using and interfacing with computing devices easier for folks with disabilities. The big idea behind them is to address common pain points that prevent these people from getting the most out of their PCs.

Accessibility, if you will.

For starters, we have the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse, which can be customized to your needs, and then there is the Microsoft Adaptive Hub, which lets you connect things like a D-pad, joystick, or dual button.

Business and education customers will also be able to print adaptive grips for the Microsoft Business Pen and Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 from Shapeways, a 3D printing service. These grips come in different shapes, so you can decide on the one best suited for you until you find one you like.

The software titan has also confirmed that the Adaptive Accessories require Windows 10 or Windows 11 to operate. But the good news is that they can be made to work with companion devices running macOS, iOS, Chrome OS, or Android.

This can be done via the Microsoft Accessibility Center.

We still do not have pricing details, and the firm is yet to reveal which countries these will be available in, so our only option now is to wait and check when they hit Microsoft’s online shopping websites.

But a newer one claimed the opposite.

Well, as it stands, the earlier rumor has been invalidated.

Microsoft, in announcing its new Surface Laptop 5, has confirmed that it will not be offering an AMD Ryzen option—at least not yet. Redmond may have multiple reasons for skipping this alternate choice, ranging from poor feedback to simply low supplies of these Ryzen 6000 chips.

These shiny new devices currently only offer the 12th-generation Intel Alder Lake U option.

Sadly, the forgoing of AMD Ryzen means that with the Surface Laptop 5, Microsoft is not implementing its very own Pluton security processor that is currently only available on these Rembrandt CPUs in this space.

The company, nevertheless, claims that this new machine has over 50% the horsepower compared to its predecessor, which is, all said and done, a massive increase.

Available in two sizes, 13.5” and 15”, the Surface Laptop will come in both Windows 11 and Windows 10 flavors, the latter as business models. The reason for this is the fact that not all businesses are ready to make a move to the latest operating system just yet.

All these Surface Laptop 5 SKUs are built on the Intel Evo platform, and you get a choice of either the Core i5 1235U or the more powerful Core i7 1255U processor for the consumer variant, and either the Core i5 1245U or the faster Core i7 1265U processor for the commercial one.

Intel Iris Xe Graphic handles graphics duties.

You also get a choice of either 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, while storage options include capacities of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.

Color choices range from Platinum with Alcantara, Sage, Matte Black, and Sandstone,

And it comes packing exactly what we expected it to.

Save for the name, which in this case is a more apt description of what this device is instead of a true successor that Surface Studio 3 denotes.

Microsoft announced this premium new machine at its annual October event. This unit comes with newer, powerful hardware and a selection of minor changes. The new model keeps up with the formula introduced in late 2016, down to the chip choices.

This 28-inch all-in-one machine comes with the Zero Gravity hinge, which effortlessly transforms the computer into a massive drawing tablet—let’s just say that this is one of its draws!

But this is where things change from the other Surface devices that Microsoft offers.

Unlike the myriad options and choices available, the Surface Studio 2+ is available in only one configuration. It gets you the Intel Core i7 11370H processor to go with the NVIDIA RTX 3060 graphics card, 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD.

As feared, Redmond has decided to go with last-generation hardware, which is particularly stingy when it comes to the CPU. The 12th-generation processors from Intel are a massive improvement over what is on offer here.

Speaking of what’s on offer, we have other improvements in the form of WiFi 6 support, Bluetooth 5.1, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and redesigned out-of-box accessories.

The Surface Studio 2+ is compatible with the original Surface Dial and its on-display mode, which Microsoft ditched in the newer Surface Pro tablets. However, this also means that this new AIO does not support the Surface Slip Pen 2.

It also lacks a high refresh rate for its display, which is the norm on the Surface Pro 9 or the Surface Laptop Studio.

This latest creation is priced at an eye-watering $4,499.

But at least, you get one of the more stylish and unique computers for your coins.

It is still a Surface Pro through and through, but these latest models pack a bunch of improvements to not just its internal circuitry but also processors and 5G connectivity, along with new vibrant colors and refreshed accessories.

Rumor has it that the flagship tablet will be Microsoft’s first to feature both Intel and ARM processors within the same lineup.

Buyers have the choice of opting for either the 12^th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 models, or they can pick one that houses the Microsoft SQ3 processors that are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon.

Microsoft highlights how the ARM models pack in a neural processing unit as well as high-speed 5G connectivity for the first time in any Surface. These units also offer better battery life and improved video calls with automatic framing, eye contact, voice focus, and background blur.

In terms of looks, the Surface Pro 9 is very similar to its predecessors, with the same anodized aluminum body. It serves as the perfect frame for the 13-inch PixelSense display, which offers a resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate.

It does become Microsoft’s first tablet to feature a vibrant chassis. Alongside the classic Platinum and Graphite color variants, users also have the choice of the new Sapphire and Forest.

You can also customize your Surface Pro 9 with the new Surface Pro Signature Keyboard made with partially biobased Alcantara with at least 12% renewable content derived from sugarcane waste.

Redmond has, however, ditched the 3.5 mm audio jack. This leaves the device with only one Surface Connect, two Thunderbolt/USB-C 4.0 ports on the Intel variant, and two USB-C 3.2 ports on the ARM-based ones.

The company claims up to 15.5 hours of battery life with typical use on the Intel models and up to 19 hours on the ARM variant.

Microsoft plans to make the Surface Pro 9 available for both regular and commercial clients, with the latter units featuring the vPro processors from Intel and the option to ship with Windows 10 Pro instead of Windows 11 Pro. Regular folks will get their devices powered by Windows 11 Home preinstalled.

Pricing starts at $999 for the Intel variants, while the ARM ones with 5G connectivity will cost at least $1,299.