Windows Weekly Ep. 963: "I've Got an Apple Guy - Windows 11's Best Updates of 2025!"

Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell

Overview

In the year's final live episode, the Windows Weekly crew takes a spirited look back at Windows 11 and the broader Microsoft ecosystem during the whirlwind year of 2025. Diving into the best updates to Windows 11, the proliferation of AI features and devices, hardware musings, and gaming on Windows ARM, the trio blends technical depth with familiar banter and a touch of holiday warmth. A candid analysis of Microsoft’s AI strategy follows, with highlights from Mustafa Suleyman’s (Microsoft's head of AI) frank Bloomberg interview. The episode is capped with gaming talk—including persistent rumors of Half-Life 3—and the traditional "Brown Liquor" whiskey review.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Windows 11 in 2025: Best Updates & Features

• Massive Volume of Updates:
  • Paul remarks that Windows 11 received so many updates in 2025, he lost count. ("I only got back to June or July and I was like, it's just too much." [08:48])
  • Dark mode improvements, Start Menu tweaks, File Explorer changes are among the "surface-level" updates.
• Security & Admin Improvements:
  • Security features like "quick machine recovery," improved administrative protection, and significant changes to Smart App Control ("...they're actually going to change that. And you'll be able to toggle this thing on and off like a normal feature, which is kind of cool." [10:09])
• Copilot+ PC Ecosystem Growth:
  • "Click to Do" and "Copilot Vision" stand out as major AI-driven interface improvements for Copilot+ PC owners. (Copilot Vision provides powerful on-screen contextual vision functions.)
  • Noted difference and confusion in features between standard Windows 11 machines and Copilot+ PCs due to diverse chipsets and AI requirements ([11:52])
• AI Features in Built-in Apps:
  • Paint, Photos, Notepad, and Snipping Tool all saw significant AI augmentation—e.g. generative fill, object selection, super resolution, and local writing help.
  • "Most controversial of all, of course, Notepad.... most of the AI features in Notepad will work on any computer.... if you have a Copilot PC… you can say, actually I want to do this stuff locally. It's not going to be as good, but ... it works offline..." ([14:15])
• Gaming Improvements:
  • "Full screen experience" rolling out, especially suited for gaming handhelds and controllers—meant to be leaner for better performance (no mouse needed). ([18:35])
• Hardware and Storage Notes:
  • Costs for RAM and component bottlenecks discussed; Leo purchases an OLED ThinkPad (immediately wipes Windows for Linux) inspired by Paul's reviews. ([03:05]–[06:25])

2. AI Hardware Landscape: MPUs, NPUs, GPUs

• Expanding Hardware Possibilities:
  • Discussion of PCIe/M.2 NPU add-in boards (Kinera chips) and their viability for bringing Copilot+ PC AI features to regular desktops ([20:06]–[22:14]).
  • "I've been reading Paul's laptop reviews all year... was not going to buy a new laptop till next year when Apple's releasing its M6 Max with the OLED screen. Because I really like OLED." –Leo ([02:48])
  • Multiple questions about AI hardware fragmentation, device specs, and the risk of further Copilot+ PC segmentation with newer AI hardware standards ([50:15]–[51:13]).

3. The Copilot+ PC Spec and the Future of AI on Windows

• Patchwork of 'AI PC' Capabilities:
  • Hosts critique Microsoft’s inconsistent AI/features/device strategy—Paul: "There's a matrix of features... This has introduced this other sort of SKU as well and confusing matters. Every PC is an AI PC, sort of." ([11:51])
• Concerns About Market Fragmentation:
  • Worries that Microsoft could stratify Copilot+ PCs further, restricting features to even higher-end hardware in the future.
  • Richard: "Will there be...a Copilot Plus PC v2 spec that has an 80 tops NPU as a requirement? ...now we have some things that only run if you have 40 or more, but some only run if you have 80 or more." ([50:21])
• Admiration & Critique for Windows AI Rollout:
  • Google’s staged rollout of AI features via Labs is lauded as a better user experience compared to Microsoft’s unilateral Copilot integrations ([76:03]–[86:22]).
  • "Maybe this is a better way to roll out AI, right?... you should never be bothered by it if you don't want it." – Leo ([85:25])

4. Mustafa Suleyman Interview: Candid View from Microsoft AI

• Frankness About AI Tech Readiness:
  • Suleyman’s Bloomberg interview gets praise for honesty: "It's the most magical thing you've ever seen. When it doesn't work, you just bought something you didn't want." ([65:07])
• Regulation, Pace, and Hype:
  • Suleyman is pro-regulation, counters job-loss hype, and calls out excessive AI marketing versus practical results. "He comes across as a real human being ... not a cold, dangerous seeming robot type." ([64:47], [70:34])
  • "I think people imagine robots literally doing their job at a desk…That's your boss making a horrible decision. That was not AI stealing a job." ([70:34])
• Partnerships & OpenAI Relationship:
  • Microsoft’s licensing, cloud exclusivity, and shifting rules with OpenAI detailed ("Microsoft was not allowed by contract to pursue AGI or superintelligence independently." [80:39]).
  • Strategic implications of Disney/OpenAI partnership and IP in generative AI discussed ([78:08]).

5. Windows on ARM: Gaming & Performance Realities

• Big improvements, but Still "Inconsistent":
  • Leo reports mixed results from testing games on Copilot+ PC: "From a high level, I will say it's still inconsistent. This is the problem." ([41:14])
  • Fortnite runs "great," Control and Callisto Protocol are playable, but games like PUBG, Call of Duty, and Battlefield 6 remain nonfunctional.
  • "The needle has moved...But it's still in the same general space. Meaning it's just not—you don't buy this computer for this." ([45:53])
• Emulation & Compatibility:
  • Progress on AVX support, anti-cheat improvements, and native ARM builds cited as possible future breakthroughs.
  • "Is the ultimate solution here just—they have to make them native?" –Richard ([47:29])

6. Broader Microsoft & Tech News Tidbits

• Epic v. Google & Apple App Store Litigation:
  • Epic/Google finally settle—Fortnite is back; Apple's refusal to comply with court orders costs them wide-reaching penalties ([106:10]–[107:37]).
• Xbox Updates:
  • Xbox app for mobile gets store tab; Xbox headset firmware gets a major upgrade with Bluetooth LE Audio on Windows 11 ([110:16]).
  • Xbox Developer Direct set for January, with rumors of Half-Life 3 launching with Steam's new "Gabe Cube" hardware ([112:05]).
• Seasonal Banter and Apple Cider:
  • Extended detour into holiday drinks, apple varieties, and banana stories, all in typical Windows Weekly fashion ([31:18]–[36:02]).

7. AI, Sustainability, and the Future of Tech

• AI’s Resource Demand:
  • Worries about AI's effect on RAM pricing, power consumption, and global supply chains, as well as the societal cost of "all skilled construction workers…employed building data centers" ([99:09]).
• Job Loss Hype & Universal Income:
  • Group notes that most current AI job-loss stories are employer decisions, not technological inevitabilities; touches on potential universal income remedies ([70:34], [73:10]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is about as minor of an update you can get year over year, but the number of actual functional updates you got is pretty impressive.” — Paul ([10:04])
• "There’s this matrix of features… this has introduced this other sort of SKU as well and confusing matters. Every PC is an AI PC, sort of." — Leo ([11:51])
• “There's a Copilot Plus PC v2 spec that has an 80 tops MPU as a requirement. Or something. Right. And then we have a further dividing of this market where now we have some things that only run if you have 40 or more, but some only run if you have 80 or more.” — Richard ([50:21])
• “It’s not going to be as good, but ... it works offline...And it works offline. Right. So it's kind of an interesting … it'd be better if it just handled that automatically, but maybe it will someday." — Paul on local Notepad AI features ([14:15])
• “From a high level, I will say it’s still inconsistent. This is the problem.” — Leo on Windows ARM gaming ([41:14])
• "I’m not good at retrospectives, but it was, it's at least a year and a half, but it might be close to two. But now the 10's gone, essentially. You know, Windows 11... we're actually only four and a half years into this, so I don't know, we'll see." — Leo ([52:50])
• “Mustafa Suleyman is probably a lot smarter. He's probably one of those kind of genius types... but he comes across as a real human being and this is the big thing for me.” — Leo ([64:47])
• “It’s not generally available yet. When it does work, it’s the most magical thing you’ve ever seen. When it doesn’t work, you just bought something you didn’t want.” — Mustafa Suleyman via Leo ([65:07])
• “If Gabe decides you don't get to put BPA in the Steam store until you... oh, yeah, no, then it just happens.” — Richard, on ARM gaming future ([48:14])
• "The needle has moved... But it's still in the same general space. Meaning it's just not—you don't buy this computer for this." — Leo ([45:53])
• “I feel like adults who played this as kids.” — Leo on Fortnite’s staying power ([131:58])

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp (MM:SS) | |-----------------------------------------------|----------------------| | Windows 11 2025 best features | 08:48 – 19:48 | | Copilot+/AI hardware discussion | 20:06 – 22:14 | | Copilot+/AI PC Spec, fragmentation critique | 50:15 – 51:13 | | Windows ARM gaming, state in 2025 | 37:06 – 49:13 | | Suleyman/Bloomberg AI interview discussed | 63:33 – 80:13 | | Windows AI rollout: Google vs MS | 76:03 – 86:22 | | Epic/Google/Apple game store settlements | 106:10 – 107:37 | | Xbox news, Half Life 3 rumors | 110:16 – 121:31 | | Brown Liquor segment: Tasmanian whiskey lore | 134:05 – 151:41 |

Conclusion

This wide-ranging episode provides a rich, year-end debrief on everything major in the Windows/Microsoft world—balancing deep technical insight (especially around Windows 11’s evolution and the ongoing Copilot+ AI push) with reality checks on user experience, hardware limitations, and industry trends. The inclusion of external perspectives, especially from Microsoft's candid AI chief, sets a tone of thoughtful skepticism laced with hope for a smoother, more user-centric future in both software and AI hardware. Grab your cider—or whiskey—and enjoy the most thorough wrap-up of Microsoft in 2025.

[End of Summary]