Windows Weekly 955: Chewy Indifference

Podcast: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
Host: Leo Laporte
Co-hosts: Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell
Date: October 22, 2025

Episode Overview

Episode 955 of Windows Weekly — aptly titled "Chewy Indifference" — brings together Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott (broadcasting from Mexico City), and Richard Campbell (from Stavanger, Norway) for a globe-trotting, insight-packed discussion into the latest in Windows, Microsoft’s push into AI, the ongoing evolution of the PC, Xbox news, and community banter. The trio explores how Microsoft is positioning Windows at an “agentic OS” crossroads, the realities versus promises of AI PCs, emergency updates and recent patch blunders, as well as what’s next for Xbox hardware and software. The show also winds through hardware repairability, alternative operating systems, cybersecurity careers, and their ever-popular "brown liquor" pick.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Around the World Updates & Traveler’s Banter

• [00:54-05:40] Richard Campbell shares stories from his conference tour across Norway and South Africa, reflecting on the unique value of regional events and soaking in Viking lore.
• The hosts joke about business travel, noting how it often lacks real “travel” fun — “It’s almost worse if it’s a beautiful place and you have to...I never left the resort...” (Paul, 05:04).

Windows 11 and Microsoft’s AI Ambitions

Microsoft’s Latest AI Push: Agentic OS

• [06:22-17:05]
  • Paul details Microsoft’s most recent “big virtual event,” which aired new AI features in Windows 11 and an ambitious roadmap: “They...seek to redefine the term AI PC...Windows into an agentic OS or AI native OS.” (07:21)
  • The crew lampoons jargon (“All right, now you’re just making stuff up”—Richard, 07:22) while discussing the genesis and evolution of branding around “AI PC,” Intel’s “Copilot Plus,” and Microsoft’s now inclusive strategy across ARM, Intel, and AMD.
  • Paul clarifies that Microsoft’s not retroactively criticizing Copilot Plus PCs but admits “no major use case for an on-device NPU has ever emerged.”

Agentic/Programmable Apps, Appless Future?

• Paul predicts an endgame for apps: “AI is the end of apps...the natural endgame for a web browser...we’re just going to be talking to something and it will do this on the backend.” (13:50)
• Richard compares it to the ERP world: “If you had the data properly marked up with the right security rules and so forth, why couldn’t a prompt give every answer that that AR app could possibly give?” (14:59)
• The trio struggles with the shifting tech language (“I’m searching for terms, I don’t think the industry has come to the right terms for this stuff...” —Paul, 12:38).

Integration & Confusion with M365 Copilot

• [17:08-20:50] They tackle how Windows AI features and programmable apps might (or might not) work with Microsoft 365 Copilot’s business suite, the tangle of licensing, and the future separation of “free” vs. “premium” AI experiences.

New Features & Ecosystem Extensions

• Summoning Copilot by voice; Copilot Vision (screen and camera-based AI assistance); Copilot replacing Windows search; massive right-click context menus gaining AI options.
• Third-party integrations acknowledged: Manus (AI agent for document work), Filmora (video), and Zoom integration into Windows’ click-to-do menus (24:53).

Security, Recall, and Windows 11 Patch Fallout

• [43:17-46:00] The October Patch Tuesday update broke USB keyboard and mouse functionality in the Windows Recovery Environment—a serious, if niche, blunder (“You wouldn’t even notice it until you loaded the recovery environment, but then, you know, that’s kind of like the last time you want to notice that”—Leo, 43:50).
• Emergency fix and guidance issued; the importance of having a working keyboard for system recovery discussed.
• Broader reflection on Windows 11 insider builds, preview releases, new Start menu changes, icons, and persistent quirks with obscure “drag tray” and Snap feature.

Is There a Use Case for AI on TVs and Everywhere?

• [86:00-88:52] With Copilot and other AI integrations heading to Samsung TVs (“I can’t think of a place where I want Copilot or AI less than my tv” —Paul, 86:00), discussion ensues about plausible use cases (smart home orchestration, routine automation) vs. likely annoyance.
• Joke about the proliferation of assistants: “Perplexity” is the latest to join Tizen TVs — “It will coexist with Bixby that we’ve all forgotten about.”
• Privacy implications and the feeling that soon “every device is going to listen to us.”

Hardware: Repairability, Updates, and Linux Alternatives

Repairable Laptops & Right-to-Repair

• [109:50-114:41] Paul hails the return of user-serviceable, repairable laptops, citing his experience upgrading an HP OmniBook’s modest storage in 30 minutes, picturing a shift driven by right-to-repair momentum.
• “Every laptop I reviewed this past year...is user serviceable to some degree” (Paul).
• RAM often remains soldered; RAM upgrades still rare.

Linux as a Windows Alternative — Zorin OS

• Paul reviews Zorin OS 18, a Windows-like Linux distro, as a compelling post-Windows-10-support alternative, calling it smooth, hardware-compatible, and user-friendly.
• Features include Windows-like layouts, installation ease, Google and OneDrive integration, and Wine for running (some) Windows apps.
• “With the exception of the fingerprint reader...it recognized every hardware component in this laptop” (Paul, 121:41).
• Spike in Zorin downloads after Windows 10 EOS (End of Support).

Xbox News & Microsoft’s Consumer Focus

Xbox Handhelds, Next-Gen Teases, and Pricing

• [94:50-101:19] Asus ROG Ally Xbox handheld launches and sells out, revealing strong demand for portable PC/console hybrids.
• Xbox head Sarah Bond teases a “very premium and high-end” next-gen console—implying a $1000+ price tag, foreshadowing an era where “console” blends into “powerful Windows PC in a box.”
• Reflections on Microsoft’s ambitions for Xbox everywhere/game streaming, device cross-compatibility, and the evolving importance of subscription revenue (Game Pass).

Microsoft’s Consumer Math: Do They Care?

• [57:18-75:06] Paul dissects Microsoft’s latest SEC annual filing:
  • Microsoft struggles to audit and meaningfully segment consumer vs. commercial revenues.
  • Xbox gets far more attention in the annual report than Surface or consumer Windows.
  • Despite perception, the consumer side (~1/3 of revenue) is NOT insignificant: “It’s got to be somewhere around there...still billions of dollars and they’re still trying to grow the user base and grow revenue” (Paul, 74:16).
  • Windows, despite being seen as “work first,” remains the dominant consumer desktop OS (if not including mobile).

Notable Quotes & Highlights

• “No major use case for an on-device NPU has ever emerged that would benefit some large population of people.” —Paul Thurrott (10:08)
• “AI is the end of apps...Do we even need the browser anymore? I mean, we’re just going to be talking to something and it will do this on the backend.” —Paul Thurrott (13:51)
• “What are the chances that they’re going to let the user have any control? ... Oh, there’ll be tons of language about how you’re always in control.” —Richard Campbell & Paul Thurrott (34:01)
• “Does anybody ask for this, or is it...big tech’s agenda because it’s great for them?” —Leo Laporte (32:15)
• “I can’t think of a place where I want Copilot or AI less than my TV.” —Paul Thurrott (86:00)
• “It’s going to be an AI middleman that sits between your wallet and the services where you might want to spend money.” —Paul Thurrott (31:10)
• “If Framework is successful as an initiative, it will disappear because everyone will be doing that thing.” —Paul Thurrott (114:44)
• “The failures here are going to be pretty dramatic, some of them anyway.” —Paul Thurrott on autonomous “agents” (28:35)
• “The article I wrote at that time was called so easy, even a child can do it. You know, it just works.” —Paul Thurrott on unintended in-app purchases (28:13)
• “Where we’re going, we don’t need keyboards.” —Richard Campbell (65:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:54-05:40 – Global conference travels, business travel ruminations.
• 06:22-20:50 – Microsoft’s AI event, “agentic OS," redefining “AI PC”.
• 20:50-24:53 – Copilot’s new features, Copilot Vision, third-party integrations.
• 34:01-35:04 – User control and privacy concerns around AI.
• 43:17-46:00 – Windows 11 update breaks USB functionality in recovery.
• 57:18-75:06 – Microsoft's SEC annual report: consumer vs. business focus, revenue opacity, Xbox’s strategic weight.
• 94:50-101:19 – Xbox handhelds, next-gen console hints, price speculation.
• 109:50-114:41 – Tip of the Week: Repairable/upgradeable laptops.
• 121:41-125:16 – Linux alternative: Zorin OS review.

Back of the Book — Tips, Picks, Brown Liquor

Tip of the Week (Paul)

• Embrace the new wave of repairable and upgradeable laptops — most major brands now allow at least storage (and sometimes RAM) upgrades, a win for right-to-repair.
• “Four screws, unscrew the thing, disconnect the battery...pop the thing out, pop the new one in... Worked the first time, super easy.” (Paul, 111:10)

App/Tool Picks

• Epic Games Store: Free games every month, works well even on low-end ARM devices.
• 1Password Beta: Now supports system-level passkey management on Windows 11.
• Balena Etcher: For reliable USB installer creation, especially for Linux images.
• Zorin OS 18: A polished, easy-to-use Linux distro with strong Windows-likeness and broad hardware support.

RunAs Radio (Richard)

• Interview with Paula Januszkiewicz about cybersecurity career paths, importance of insatiable curiosity, and why practical experience trumps certifications in InfoSec.

Brown Liquor Pick (Richard)

• Laphroaig 10-Year Islay Single Malt: The legendary, peaty Scottish whisky with maritime notes. “This is not the first peated whiskey you should drink...but it’s a legit product at about $70 a bottle.” (Richard, 136:42)

Memorable Moments

• Ongoing struggle with Copilot/AI assistants popping up unintentionally — “I’m doing it to myself, so I get what I deserve.” (Paul, 23:31)
• Joking about “chewy indifference” — referenced in the closing as a metaphor for polar bear lethality (“£2,000 of chewy indifference” — Richard, 145:26)
• Leo’s ongoing home renovations and “I haven’t left the house in 14 days” refrain.
• Banter over Discord, TikTok, and the challenge of streaming everywhere: “The TikTok was complicated...six or seven different locations is sufficient for most.” (Leo, 142:37)

Tone & Style

The episode sustains its usual sharp, humorous—and sometimes sardonic—tone with expert-level discussion, abundant asides, and the kind of easy chemistry that invites the audience to feel at home (or in a Norwegian art-loft-turned-brewery). The hosts balance nostalgia, skepticism, and technical depth, making the episode accessible to both power users and casual tech watchers.

In short:
Episode 955 is a playful yet deep-dive examination of how Microsoft is pushing AI everywhere—from PCs to TVs—and what it means for users, with healthy skepticism, plenty of irreverence, and practical insights for Windows, Xbox, and even Linux-curious listeners.