With Windows 12 rumors blaring since last week, it’s an exciting time to follow Microsoft news. This week, the company announced a new Windows Insider Channel that will be used to test the next major version of Windows. Microsoft has also teased its AI event for next week and increased the limits of Bing Chat.
It’s also an exciting time for AI. That’s especially true as Andreas Braun, Microsoft Germany’s CTO, confirmed that GPT-4 will be unveiled next week.
Here’s a roundup of all the biggest stories from the world of Microsoft, plus a collection of editorials and reviews from our experts.
Windows canary channel
Microsoft announced a major change to the Windows Insider program this week. The tech giant introduced a “canary channel” that will receive experimental versions on a more regular basis. These builds will be used to test the foundations for future major versions of Windows, so they will be less stable than the builds Insiders have used up to this point.
There will still be a development channel for Windows Insiders, but relatively stable builds will be shipped.
The Windows Insider Program can get complicated with so many channels and build ranks. The main takeaway is that any version of Windows that has a build higher than 25000 is for the next major version of Windows.
Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden summarized the changes to the Windows Insider Program:
- If you want to try out the early platform code that’s laying the foundation for the next major version of the Windows platform coming in 2024, join the Canary Channel.
- If you want to try out features in development that are being built for Windows 11, join the development channel.
- If you want to try out upcoming Windows 11 features that are closer to completion, join the Beta Channel.
- If you want to try out the next Windows 11 feature update, join the Release Preview Channel.
GPT-4 is on the way
AI is all the rage these days. Specifically, OpenAI’s ChatGPT makes headlines frequently. We could see a big development in artificial intelligence next week. Andreas Braun, Microsoft Germany’s CTO, recently confirmed that GPT-4 will be released next week.
GPT-3.5 powers the current version of ChatGPT. GPT-4 should be significantly more powerful and capable. In particular, GPT-4 has multimodal models, which means that it will be able to generate different types of content. Braun specifically mentioned the video, though he didn’t go into much detail.
Bing Chat increases limits
Microsoft raised some of the limits on Bing Chat this week. After the chatbot ran into problems, such as getting confused or sharing rude responses, Microsoft limited sessions to five chats. The company also put a limit of 60 chats per day per user. Those limits have gradually increased, however.
This week, Microsoft increased Bing Chat to support up to 10 chats per session and 120 chats per day. Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of modern life, search and devices at Microsoft, noted the progress of Bing Chat.
Microsoft’s new chatbot is still in preview, so its limits and capabilities are likely to evolve over time.
Microsoft AI Event
Microsoft announced the new Bing and Edge at an AI event earlier this year. Next week, the company will hold another AI event, this time focused on productivity. Microsoft promises a “whole new way of working.”
Company CEO Satya Nadella and CVP Jared Spataro will host the virtual event beginning March 16, 2023. Microsoft will livestream the virtual event beginning at 8 a.m. Pacific Time (11 a.m. ET).
Intel breaks CPU world record
Intel’s Xeon W9-3495X recently broke the Cinebench R23 world record. The processor scored 132,484, which was good enough to beat the previous record holder by a good amount. AMD Threadripper 5995WX got a score of 121,215.
The Xeon W9-3495X is a high-performance processor built for workstations, so you won’t see it in any consumer PC. The system used to break the record also used liquid nitrogen to keep it cool. That being said, the record is still impressive. Progress has a way of seeping into future technology.
It’s worth noting that AMD has its Zen 4 Threadripper processors on the way, so Intel may not hold the record for long.
Reviews and editorials
Our experts take a close look at the latest games, devices, and more. This week our team reviewed what might be the “perfect controller for Xbox Cloud Gaming,” the Microsoft Audio Dock, and Alienware’s new 27-inch gaming monitor.
Our writers also add context to breaking news with a variety of editorials and opinion pieces.
