I’ve always been fascinated by Microsoft, and it’s led me on a somewhat surreal path to covering the company for most of my life. It all started in my teenage years, when my curiosity over the inner workings of Windows led to brief moments of fame and lots of moments of trouble with Microsoft’s lawyers.
As a nerdy teenager in the early ’00s I would spend hours building PCs to run prerelease versions of Windows, and I would regularly lug my custom machines and CRT monitors to house parties. I would DJ the latest MP3s I had downloaded from Napster and try to impress my friends with a secret new Windows feature they had never seen before.
While Windows rarely impressed my friends, my passion for unreleased Microsoft software really kicked up a gear with Windows XP. Codenamed Whistler, it was a big departure, visually, from Windows 2000 and Windows ME, and there was a lot to play around with during early beta builds.
Microsoft issued public builds of Windows XP in late 2000, but the really interesting parts were hidden away in the daily builds that Microsoft’s Windows engineers were working on. I wanted to get access to as many of these as possible, so I started to download and install leaked builds of Windows XP. My curiosity in how Windows was being developed led me to join internet forums like Neowin, where many of Microsoft’s leaks were being discussed.
I met fellow enthusiasts on these forums, and we all shared a similar interest in Windows. It wasn’t long before I was helping a small team of, ahem, passionate individuals bypass Microsoft’s product activation software for Windows XP. This #crackXP team on the DALnet IRC servers even hit the headlines at the time, with The Register covering it.
This brief moment of fame got me interested in writing about Microsoft, documenting Windows’ features and flaws. I started to blog about Windows for Neowin and was able to build up sources at Microsoft that helped me cover unreleased software and OS updates. I regularly frustrated Microsoft by posting leaked information. The company’s legal teams would usually ask us to remove screenshots, and we’d begrudgingly comply.
Things went a step further in 2003 when Microsoft’s legal reps decided to go directly to Neowin’s hosting provider to take the site offline, after a forum poster leaked a software development kit. CNET covered the story at the time, and the backlash certainly forced Microsoft to be a little more understanding of the emergence of online communities and overly enthusiastic bloggers like me.
A year later, Microsoft invited me to speak at its Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) conference to discuss the importance of online communities. It was a surreal opportunity, but I continued to write about early versions of Windows and secret features that Microsoft wasn’t ready to talk about.
During the development of Windows Vista, codenamed Longhorn, I regularly broke stories about the troubled evolution of this operating system and the many leaks about its features. Microsoft employees, frustrated at the slow progress with Vista, were quick to fill my inbox with tips about what the company was doing and helped me get access to unreleased builds. At one point, I was getting daily builds of Windows, and when Microsoft found out, it sent its team of lawyers at me in an attempt to shut me up. I was only blogging as a hobby at the time, but I remember having to tell my boss at a big investment bank that Microsoft’s lawyers might want access to the company’s machines to make sure no traces of Longhorn were left behind. He thought it was a joke, but the threat was real, and I was worried.
Despite this legal scare, I persisted with my blogging as a hobby and even managed to break a story that was big enough to get the attention of the BBC. I walked into work the next day and everyone, who had watched my early morning appearance on BBC Breakfast, cheered and clapped like I was some kind of rockstar for discovering thousands of Hotmail passwords had been posted online.
I always found it difficult to balance my career in IT and the side job of blogging about Microsoft, but breaking big stories made me realize I could one day do this full time. My employers were always understanding, and I’d often use my knowledge of Microsoft to help train coworkers on the latest versions of Windows and Office.
By 2010, I was traveling to Barcelona to cover the unveiling of Windows Phone 7, taking a vacation from my day job to blog about Microsoft’s big mobile moment. Microsoft had taken over entire hotels to market Windows Phone 7, and it invited the world’s media to see its response to the iPhone. The buzz around Windows Phone and hype about Windows 8 seemed like the perfect opportunity to break off and do my own thing.
In late 2010, I founded my own site, WinRumors, to try and make my dreams of writing about technology and Microsoft a professional reality. The following year, I traveled to Anaheim, California, to get a first look at Windows 8. It was a major departure from any version of Windows, as Microsoft was trying to bring its Windows Phone interface to tablet PCs and fend off the threat of Apple’s iPad.
I sat in my hotel room and shot an iPad versus Windows 8 video, which somehow managed to get more than a million views despite being filmed on the ugliest carpet known to man.
My relentless Windows Phone and Windows coverage caught the attention of The Verge, which had been founded by many former Engadget editors that I had competed with for Microsoft stories over the years. I left the corporate IT world in late 2011 to make a big bet on my career dream by joining The Verge just a couple of months after the site was founded.
A few months later, I returned to Barcelona for 2012’s Mobile World Congress. One of the highlights of this particular show was the Windows 8 consumer preview. I had frustrated the Windows team enough in recent months to the point where I was blacklisted from getting early access to this Windows 8 preview, but that wasn’t going to stop me in my new job at The Verge.
I ventured out to meet a Windows developer outside a club in Barcelona at night, with my Verge colleagues in tow. We filmed a preview build of Windows 8 that I wasn’t allowed to officially see, and you could hear the hustle and bustle of Barcelona’s nightlife in the background. This let us publish our Windows 8 consumer preview at the same time as the rest of the world’s media the next day.
Microsoft went on to launch Windows 8 alongside its Surface RT device in 2012 at a special event in New York City. I flew out to cover this moment, and it felt like Microsoft’s own Apple launch, the likes of which I hadn’t seen since the hype around Windows 95. Microsoft executives were signing Surface devices, and the crowds were cheering and eager to see Windows 8 for the first time.
The excitement around Windows 8 quickly faded, though. Windows fans weren’t happy with the Start menu, the new full-screen apps, and the lack of a Start button. Microsoft tried to fix things with Windows 8.1, but it wasn’t until Windows 10 that the company rectified all of the issues.
I covered the Windows 10 announcement live blog solo. Microsoft didn’t stream the event, so I had to shoot photos and live blog about features almost simultaneously. It was stressful, but my years of covering the company as a side job meant I could pull it off.
Microsoft’s big hardware bet on HoloLens was also unveiled at the same time as Windows 10. When I first tried this headset, I was blown away by the augmented reality version of Minecraft and the ability to use Skype to video call someone and have them draw on the environment right in front of me.
The Windows 10 launch period also set the stage for a whirlwind of trips and launches, including a trio of new Surface devices in the form of the Surface Book, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Studio. I remember being genuinely shocked at the surprise unveiling of the Surface Book.
Microsoft surprised again with the unveiling of Windows 10X and dual-screen Surface devices in 2019. The Surface Neo was the leaked Courier tablet that everyone had longed for. It looked like a big, metal Moleskine journal when it was closed, and it was supposed to be the future of Surface hardware.
Then the covid-19 pandemic happened. Microsoft went from a vision of dual-screen computing to a new reality of everyone working from home. The focus quickly shifted to Microsoft Teams and even the launch of the company’s Xbox Series S / X consoles. I couldn’t travel to events, so Microsoft shipped me its Xbox Series X months before it was ready to be released. It was a memorable moment, because I suddenly had a long time to review an important new product, instead of just a week.
The first event I attended after the pandemic was Microsoft’s launch of an AI-powered version of Bing. It felt like the launch of a new era at Microsoft, and over the past two years, the company has increasingly focused on AI and cloud-connected features for Windows and Office. Last year, it launched Copilot Plus PCs at a special event, with a transition to Windows on Arm that has been years in the making.
As Microsoft progresses with its AI push, it feels like the Surface team is now sticking to tried-and-tested hardware like the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, instead of experimenting with new and innovative form factors. I’m also waiting to see where Windows goes next, especially during a year when support for Windows 10 is set to end.
Perhaps Microsoft will pull off another Surface or Windows surprise soon, but it increasingly feels like everything Microsoft does has to be tied to AI in some way. Even Microsoft’s 50th anniversary event is promising some Copilot AI news.
Covering one company so tenaciously for so long is not common in tech journalism. What keeps me coming back is Microsoft’s constant ability to try new things. I’ve been doing this for so long that Microsoft’s successes and failures always seem to keep things interesting enough for me to follow along as closely as I can.
I’ll be here for whatever Microsoft does next, and I’m attending Microsoft’s anniversary event today to see if there are any hints at what the next 50 years will look like for this tech giant. I’ve also reflected on Microsoft’s past 50 years and how the company always manages to stay nimble to prepare and adapt for what’s next.
Check back in to Notepad next week to see if Bill Gates jumps over a chair to celebrate 50 years, whether Steve Ballmer runs onstage screaming “developers,” and what Satya Nadella has to say about Microsoft’s future.
- The 50 best things Microsoft has ever made. Microsoft is turning 50 years old this week, so we’ve rounded up and ranked the best stuff from its first 50 years. A lot of memorable, fascinating, or simply excellent products are on the list. I’m fully aware we left out Azure, Visual Studio, and many other great Microsoft products that weren’t primarily consumer-focused, but we could have easily done another top 50 list with all of those in, too! It’s a fun roundup of Microsoft’s big moments over the years, and please drop a comment in the list to highlight your own Microsoft memory.
- Microsoft is redesigning the Windows BSOD, and it might change to black. Microsoft is testing a new BSOD that drops the frowning face, QR code, and traditional blue color. It’s a lot more basic and looks a lot like the regular black screen you see during a Windows update. I’d be surprised if this ends up shipping without something that differentiates it from a Windows update, especially as Microsoft was going to change the BSOD to black in a previous Windows 11 update and then ended up reverting to the traditional blue color.
- Microsoft expands AI features across Intel and AMD-powered Copilot Plus PCs. All Copilot Plus PCs can now generate Live Captions as part of an update to AI capabilities on Intel- and AMD-powered Copilot Plus PCs. The update also includes Cocreator, an AI tool in Paint that creates images based on a text description and what you’re drawing. Microsoft is also expanding access to its AI image editor and generator in the Photos app. Still no sign of when Recall will debut on Copilot Plus PCs, though, after it was originally supposed to arrive at launch in June 2024.
- Microsoft has some 50th anniversary Xbox themes and wallpapers. A new Xbox Dynamic Background, some nostalgic wallpapers, and a 50th anniversary theme for Solitaire are all part of Xbox’s celebration of Microsoft’s 50 years. You can grab the wallpapers from here, apply the Dynamic Background on Xbox Series S / X consoles, grab an Xbox profile badge from the Xbox Insider Hub, and apply the 50th anniversary theme directly in Solitaire.
- ZeniMax union votes to authorize a strike. A union of over 300 quality assurance workers at Microsoft-owned ZeniMax has voted to authorize a strike. The employees have been in contract negotiations with Microsoft for two years, and the strike authorization is the latest escalation between the union and management. ZeniMax Workers United held a one-day strike last year over return-to-office policies and its outsourcing practices, so a vote for another strike leaves the door open for a similar scenario in the coming months.
- The Xbox app might get its own Steam-like big picture mode soon. We’ve been waiting to see hints of Microsoft merging the best bits of Windows and Xbox together, and Windows watcher Xeno has discovered references to “Boot into the Full screen experience at device startup” and “Choose your Full screen experience” in the gaming parts of the latest Windows builds. With Xbox and Asus hinting at a potential handheld announcement soon, it shouldn’t be long before we know more about Microsoft’s plans.
- Microsoft is closing a Windows 11 loophole that lets you skip signing in to a Microsoft account. Microsoft really wants you to sign in during Windows 11 setup, and it’s removing a way to bypass this requirement soon. Microsoft cites security as a reason for the change, but the reality is that there are other ways to work around this weird restriction. If Microsoft really wants people to use a Microsoft account in Windows, the least it could do is offer the ability to name your Windows account folder as you see fit. I think that’s a big reason people try to avoid this sign-in process in the first place.
- Microsoft tests Quick Machine Recovery to restore PCs that can’t boot. Microsoft has started beta testing its new Quick Machine Recovery feature for Windows that restores PCs that can’t boot. The feature is designed to prevent widespread outages like the one caused by a CrowdStrike update. It works by prompting a device to enter the Windows Recovery Environment, where the machine can access the network and provide Microsoft with diagnostic information. Microsoft can then remotely deploy fixes via the Windows Update system, instead of IT admins having to manually fix machines.
- Hotpatch for Windows is finally here. Microsoft is rolling out its hotpatch feature for Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows 365. It allows businesses to hotpatch a machine with a Windows update without having to reboot it, allowing security patches to be applied instantly. I’m hoping we’ll eventually see this technology arrive in the Home and Pro versions of Windows 11, so everyone can benefit from not having to immediately reboot their device to be protected.
- Steve Ballmer on his best decision and biggest mistake. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer appeared at GeekWire’s Microsoft@50 event last month, and he was asked about his big decisions as the head of Microsoft. Ballmer lists the move to the cloud as a key point in his leadership but Microsoft’s Cairo Windows project as something he wishes he’d killed sooner.
- Bill Gates reflects on the early days of Microsoft. If you’re not familiar with the early days of Microsoft or how the company put a PC on every desk, cofounder Bill Gates has reflected on 50 years of the company he helped build in a 26-minute podcast. It’s well worth a listen in a week when Microsoft celebrates an important milestone. Similarly, Microsoft president Brad Smith spoke about the company’s antitrust struggles in an appearance at GeekWire’s Microsoft@50 event.
- Bill Gates releases Microsoft’s original source code. Before Windows, Office, and Xbox, Microsoft started off life with Altair BASIC, a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800. Bill Gates and Paul Allen wrote the code for what would become the first product from Micro-Soft. Now, Bill Gates has released the origin source code to mark Microsoft’s 50-year milestone.
- Microsoft’s three CEOs get roasted by Copilot. It’s pretty rare to see Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and CEO Satya Nadella together, but the company’s 50-year anniversary has united the trio. Microsoft has used the opportunity to get Copilot to interview all three and roast them. The full conversation is available in the Copilot app.
I’m always keen to hear from readers, so please drop a comment here, or you can always reach me at notepad@theverge.com if you want to discuss anything else. If you’ve heard about any of Microsoft’s secret projects, you can reach me via email at notepad@theverge.com or speak to me confidentially on the Signal messaging app, where I’m tomwarren.01. I’m also tomwarren on Telegram, if you’d prefer to chat there.
Thanks for subscribing to Notepad.