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The European Commission has issued new antitrust charges against Microsoft concerning the bundling of Microsoft Teams with Office 365/Microsoft 365 commercial subscriptions. This move follows the EC’s preliminary findings from an antitrust investigation that started back in July 2023. “In particular, the Commission is concerned that Microsoft may have granted Teams a distribution advantage by…

Microsoft will soon rename its existing Outlook for Windows app to “Outlook (classic),” starting with customers using version 2407 or later. This rebranding aims to clearly distinguish the classic app from the new Outlook for Windows client. Microsoft announced in a message on the Microsoft 365 admin center that this change will only affect the…

Microsoft Intune is set to introduce a new Remove apps and configuration (RAC) feature next month. The new troubleshooting tool allows IT admins to quickly diagnose and resolve issues by temporarily removing apps and configurations from managed mobile devices. “Before RAC, removing settings involved excluding devices from policy assignments or removing users from groups, and…

Last week, the Biden administration declared a ban on all US sales of Kaspersky antivirus software starting in July, citing national security concerns. Kaspersky will also be prohibited from issuing updates and security patches for its products beginning in October. According to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Russian government…

Microsoft is getting ready to retire its SharePoint News connector service next month. The company recommends customers to switch to more advanced tools to continue receiving SharePoint team site news notifications in Microsoft Teams. The SharePoint News Connector allows customers to integrate SharePoint news updates directly into Microsoft Teams channels. Currently, IT admins need to…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss the first Copilot+ PCs being off to a good start and Apple remaining very competitive thanks to vertical integration.

Microsoft has announced a slew of updates for Teams Rooms and devices at InfoComm 2024, to enhance how meetings are conducted with AI-powered features. From intelligent meeting recaps to automatic camera switching, these enhancements aim to create a more seamless and engaging experience for both in-room and remote participants. Microsoft is enhancing Teams Rooms devices…

Microsoft has officially launched its new Copilot+ PCs today, which are now available for purchase at the Microsoft Store and other leading retailers. The Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips, support advanced AI-powered experiences across the operating system. Surface Pro 11 Microsoft claims that its…

Microsoft has unveiled its plans to phase out DirectAccess in future Windows versions, urging commercial users to switch to Always On VPN for improved security and performance. This change aims to leverage the advanced capabilities of Always On VPN, ensuring a more robust and seamless remote access experience. What is DirectAccess? Microsoft introduced DirectAccess in…

Microsoft has released a new update that adds support for comments to Loop tables and boards. This new feature allows users to ask questions, add contextual feedback, as well as discuss and address issues. Microsoft Loop, the company’s alternative to Notion launched in public preview back in March 2023. It provides a collaborative canvas that…

Microsoft has announced the public preview of alerts for policy conflicts in Windows Autopatch. The Windows Autopatch service is designed to simplify the update management process for Windows, Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft has enhanced the update reports feature to help administrators identify devices with conflicting policies, which could…

On this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss Microsoft’s decision to delay the release of Recall, the company’s flagship new AI feature that was set to launch on new Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs next week.