What’s Up With Windows Software Updates and New Surface Devices

Microsoft Announces Skype Classic End of Life Date - Again

It has been an on and off situation over the last several weeks, but it appears Microsoft has made a final decision about the end of support for their classic Skype software.

This one blog post from the Skype team was originally posted on July 16 and stated that the classic version of Skype, aka Skype Version 7, would shut down on September 1, 2018.

Then, six weeks later, on August 31, 2018, they updated the blog post for the first time and stated they would keep classic Skype working for a limited time based on customer feedback. There were no specifics given beyond that vague time reference — for all we knew, “limited time” could include the few hours between August 31 and September 1.

Last week, during Microsoft Ignite on September 27, 2018, they updated the blog post for the third time with the new end of life dates for classic Skype. Desktop versions will stop being supported on November 1, 2018, and mobile/tablet versions will see the end of support two weeks later on November 15, 2018.

They do add a caveat that classic Skype (Version 7 and below) might continue to work past those dates but they encourage users to upgrade to Skype (Version 8) to get the latest features and full support.

Over this same period of time, as Microsoft went back and forth about the end of support for classic Skype, they have released further updates to the latest version of Skype to try and gain feature parity with the older versions moving forward.

Among those new features, which are either in preview or the current shipping version, you will find:

• Call Recording
• Conversation search (transcript)
• Add phone numbers to existing contacts
• Customized Availability Status
• Support for SMS Messaging

To get Skype (Version 8) for your desktop and your mobile devices, use any of the following options.

• Windows 10 (Microsoft Store)
• Windows 10 (Mobile)
• Windows 7/8/10 (Desktop)
• Xbox One
• MacOS
• Linux
• Android Phone
• Android Tablet
• iPhone
• iPad
• iPod Touch
• Amazon Kindle Fire HD/HDX
• Amazon Fire HD Tablet

Note: Use the web browser on your listed device to browse to the above links in order to get the appropriate version of Skype for that hardware.

Remember, you may see options for Skype with version numbers below 7 on these download sites. Be sure to select Version 8 or higher to get the latest supported edition for your device.

Ask @WinObs: What's Up With Windows Software Updates and New Surface Devices

Earlier this week, I traveled up to New York City to attend Microsoft’s October event where, as expected, they revealed updated Surface hardware, the availability of the Windows 10 October Update, and even surprised everyone with a new Surface product line.

This was not your typical product launch with a couple hundred media and analysts in attendance. Instead, it was a small group of 50 or so people, in what likely used to be a warehouse. The one-hour briefing was headlined by Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi, the Corporate Vice President for Windows & Devices. However, the bulk of the session was presented by Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer Panos Panay. If you have watched a Surface hardware event or launch in the past, you know that he has a particular style of presentation, interleaving the development behind the Surface’s latest features with the end-user experience of those features.

Windows 10 October 2018 Update

The first piece of news from the event was that the latest feature update for Windows 10 has been released. The initial release will be for what Microsoft calls seekers. They are users who go looking for an update by manually checking Windows Update or using either the Update Assistant or Media Creation Tool to get the latest release.

Beginning next week, on this month’s Patch Tuesday, it will start rolling out to users with automatic updates via Windows Update. Once again, Microsoft is using machine learning and telemetry to manage this role out and will clear devices for the update as they see the upgrade experience will be a good one for that set of hardware.

There are reports filtering in across the web of some issues around the upgrade including an incompatible Intel sound driver and users losing personal files. If you are a seeker or want to help your family, it is always smart to have a current backup of files and important data during an upgrade cycle.

Ecosystem Software Updates

We learned about a few new integrations that will be arriving with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update or Microsoft Apps on Android and iOS with some to become available soon.

• Microsoft To-Do is now integrated into Outlook.com so you can drag and drop emails to create action items on your list.
• Microsoft Launcher now supports Timeline on Android devices using the latest beta of the app (version 5.0). Note: I saw a demo of Timeline on an iOS device as well. It is integrated into Microsoft Edge because of restrictions in the iOS ecosystem that do not allow a unique launcher to be used.
• Your Phone app now available to Windows 10 October 2018 users. This app provides access to your phones last 25 camera roll images and allows SMS texting (in preview) using your mouse/keyboard on Windows 10. The texts are sent via your mobile phone and currently, MMS messages are not supported.
• Android App Mirroring was demoed as an unreleased future enhancement of the Your Phone app. The mirroring feature will create a secure remote connection to your Android and uses the same technology that enables Xbox console streaming to your Windows 10 devices. The way it works is like this. An alert from that app will appear on your Windows 10 desktop and by clicking on that alert, your phone’s screen will be streamed/mirrored to your Windows 10 desktop and then you can interact with the app using a mouse, keyboard, and touch.

Surface, Surface, Surface

Although software updates and enhancements are always enlightening, the main reason for this event was the expected Surface hardware announcements.

Turns out the rumors and leaks were mostly spot on. Hardware refreshes and black finishes – plus a surprise that caught everyone off guard.

Surface Pro 6

Configuration	Core	RAM	SSD	Price	Colors
High-End Configuration	Core i7	16GB RAM	1TB SSD	$2299	Available in platinum and black
Low-End Configuration	Core i5	8GB RAM	128GB SSD	$899	Available in platinum and black

Pre-orders for Surface Pro 6 are already open with devices becoming available October 16, 2018. Prices are also lower for both configurations in this generation of the devices compared to the 2017 Surface Pro.

Surface Laptop 2

Configuration	Core	RAM	SSD	Price	Colors
High-End Configuration	Core i7	16 GB RAM	1 TB SSD	$2699	Available in platinum
High Mid-Range Configuration	Core i7	8GB RAM	256 GB SSD	$1599	Available in black, platinum, burgundy and cobalt blue
Low Mid-Range Configuration	Core i5	8GB RAM	256 GB SSD	$1299	Available in black, platinum, burgundy and cobalt blue
Low-End Configuration	Core i5	8GB RAM	128 GB SSD	$999	Available in platinum

Pre-orders for Surface Laptop 2 are also open with devices becoming available on 16 October 2018. Prices are like last year’s models. Also, of note is that the new black finish is only available in the mid-range device configurations.

Surface Studio 2

Configuration	Core	RAM	SSD	Price
High-End Configuration	Core i7	32GB RAM	2TB SSD	$4,799
Mid-Range Configuration	Core i7	32GB RAM	1TB SSD	$4199
Low-End Configuration	Core i7	16GB RAM	1TB SSD	$3499

Pre-orders are also up for Surface Studio 2 but the devices will not be available until 15 November 2018.

Smartest upgrade for this device was removing the hybrid spinning hard drive and replacing it with SSDs. The performance boost from that alone will be significant but the quad-core processor is going to help as well.

No color changes for Surface Studio 2 and same exact form factor as the first version except for the addition of USB Type-C on the back of the chassis. It is the same style USB Type-C port that was added to Surface Book 2 last year.

Surface Headphones

This was the one more thing moment at the event and the one which no one suspected. No leaks or rumors about this one before the unveiling.

No pre-orders or availability information was released about these beyond their availability in the US and UK for the holidays. We do know they will cost $349 when they do become available. That price is in line with similar styled models from Sony and Bose. Unlike, those models, the Surface Headphones are Cortana enabled plus they have 13 levels of adjustable noise cancellation. A very nice carry case is also included in the box.

Although not available yet, we do have some specs on them:

• Length: 8.03”; Width – 7.68”; Depth – 1.89”
• Weight: .64 lbs
• Color: Light Gray
• Frequency Response: 20-20kHz
• Noise Cancellation: Up to 30 dB for active noise cancellation; Up to 40 dB for passive
• Speaker: 40 mm Free Edge driver
• Sound Pressure Level Output: Up to 115 dB (1kHz, 1Vrms via cable connector with power on); Up to 115 dB (1kHz, 0dBFS over Bluetooth connection)
• Full charge in less than 2 hours via USB Type-C
• Battery: Up to 15 hours with music playback over Bluetooth, ANC on, hands-free Cortana enabled. Will vary depending on your usage style.
• Inputs: USB Type-C
• 5 mm audio connector
• Compatibility; Windows 10, iOS, Android, MacOS
• Buttons/Controls: Power button, Mute button, Volume dial (right ear), Noise Cancellation dial (left ear)

Surface Headphones Deconstructed

The room where the showcase was held during this event was extremely noisy with all the various conversations and demos occurring around the space. When I tried out these headphones all of that disappeared and I was left with the pleasant sound of music playing from the Surface device the headphones were paired with at that moment. I could not even hear someone who was standing right in front of me. As noted above, you can rotate the left ears dial to adjust how much of the external noise intrudes on your listening.

The sound was very pleasant, and the headphones were very comfortable on my ears even while wearing glasses.

I imagine comparisons will be made to Sony and Bose, two companies very embedded in this market, and it will be interesting to hear what audiophiles think of the latest product in the Surface line.

You can learn more about Surface Headphones and get on an email list that will alert you when pre-orders open up at the Microsoft Surface Headphones page.