Category: Microsoft news

Microsoft news, features, events, and press materials

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Microsoft Store unveils over 20 top Black Friday offers

With many people eager to get a jumpstart on the holidays, we’re excited to provide a sneak peek of some of the best Microsoft Store Black Friday deals*. According to the National Retail Federation, four in 10 people have already started their holiday shopping this year and Microsoft Store is here to help. Whether you’re an early bird shopper, a deal planner, or a last-minute buyer, Microsoft Store will have great deals for you all season long with expert advice to help you find the perfect gift.

This holiday season, we are offering our best guarantee ever, so no need to wait until Black Friday to start your shopping. With our new Give Wonder Guarantee, you are promised our best price of the season.** If something you purchase at Microsoft Store is offered at a better price later in the season, you can receive savings back for the difference. With free 2-3-day shipping, free extended holiday returns through Jan. 31, 2020, and buy online, pick up in stores options, we’re making it easier than ever to shop at Microsoft Store.

Most Microsoft Store Black Friday deals start on Thursday, Nov. 28 at midnight at microsoft.com and your local Microsoft Store, unless otherwise noted. See our Microsoft Store Black Friday Deals page for full details. Some local Microsoft Store locations will be open on Thanksgiving Day. See full holiday operating days and hours here.

Save hundreds on the hottest Surface deals of the season, including the new Surface Pro 7 and the new Surface Laptop 3

The widely acclaimed new Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 devices are in high demand. The Microsoft Store is the best place to buy and experience the full Surface lineup and our expert associates are here to help you find the best device. This holiday, you can enjoy some incredible deals on Surface, including;

    • Surface Pro 7, powered by the latest 10th Generation Intel Core processors, remains the most versatile 2:1 device you can buy with a 12.3” touchscreen with tablet-to-laptop versatility. Starting on Nov. 22, you can enjoy our most popular Surface, for $799 including Type Cover, for the i5/8GB/128GB option (original price $1,029). Or, get more storage and save up to $330 on Surface Pro 7 + Type Cover with i5/8GB/256GB (original price $1,329) as of Nov. 24. Additional Surface Pro 7 offers are available, including the i3/4GB/128GB option, starting at $599 on Nov. 28.

Surface Pro 7

  • Surface Laptop 3 is slim and stylish. You can choose between 13.5” or new 15” touchscreen and save $300 across all new colors and finishes, starting at $999 starting on Nov. 22 for the 13.5” and Nov. 24 for the 15”.
  • Surface Go starting at $299, with savings up to $150. Our best deal ever on Surface Go, the smallest, lightest Surface with 10” touchscreen, perfect for students or those on the go. This great offer starts on Nov. 28.
  • Up to $500 off select Surface Book 2, our most powerful 13.5” or 15” touchscreen laptop. This deal starts on Nov. 28.

Microsoft Store will also offer the hotly anticipated Surface Pro X, beginning Nov. 7. The new Surface Earbuds, offering premium sound, fit and screen-free control, will be coming to Microsoft Stores later this year. A wide range of Surface accessories are also available.

Windows 10 PCs starting at $299

Surface family

Microsoft Store offers the most diverse lineup of PCs with features and prices for everyone. This holiday, we will offer incredible deals on a range of PCs and accessories, including HP Inc. laptops, featuring 10th Generation Intel chips, starting with the HP 15 Laptop (i3) $299. Need more speed and power? The HP 15 Laptop (i5) will be on sale for $399, and HP 15 Laptop (i7) for $499. Or, check out the Dell XPS 15, a 15.6” laptop with a stunning 4K UHD touchscreen and powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics, which will be on sale at $300 off for $1699. These great PC deals start on Nov. 28.

HP 15 Laptop

Save up to $400 off Gaming PCs powered by Windows 10

Gamers love the high-end performance and graphics they can enjoy on Windows 10 PCs. Save up to $400 on select great Gaming PCs powered by Windows 10, including the Lenovo Legion Y540 15 (i7), Asus ROG Strix G GL531GT (i7) and Acer Predator Triton 500 (i7). These laptops offer rich capability like the Lenovo Legion, which offers simple, built-in Mixer streaming for low-latency, interactive moments for viewers and streamers to engage with other gamers, plus the latest in gaming technology from Intel and NVIDIA. With Xbox Play Anywhere, you can buy a game once and play it on both your Xbox One and any of these Windows 10 PCs. All these deals start on Nov. 28.

Lenovo Legion Y540

Gamers, stay tuned for the unveiling of incredible Black Friday deals during a special episode of Inside Xbox live from X019, our annual global celebration of all things Xbox on Thursday, Nov. 14.  At the hotly anticipated event filled with news, first looks and surprises, we will unveil an extensive set of deals across games, consoles and subscriptions.  This will be our biggest Black Friday sale ever, and you won’t want to miss out!

In the meantime, we are unveiling the first wave of Xbox Black Friday discounts now.  Head to Xbox Wire to learn about how you can save $20 on select Xbox One controllers starting on Nov. 24 and up to 50% off Sea of Thieves: Anniversary Edition starting on Nov. 21.

If Black Friday can’t come soon enough, today you can take advantage of other great deals like the Xbox One S 1TB Console – Gears 5 Bundle for $299. Or, take advantage of an incredible deal today and save $100 and get a free select digital game when you buy an Xbox One X console, or get a free digital game when you purchase select Xbox One S consoles.

Save big on the Samsung Galaxy Note10 phones

Microsoft Store is offering incredible deals on Samsung Galaxy Note10 phones this holiday season. Starting Nov. 21, you can save up to $200 on the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and S10 phones and receive free Samsung Galaxy Buds (a $129.99 value). At your local Microsoft Store, you can save up to $400 and receive up to $650 trade-in credit towards the purchase of your device when you finance your phone with 24 month/0% financing.

Samsung Galaxy Note10

This is just a glimpse of some of our amazing deals – we look forward to sharing more great deals throughout the entire holiday season. You can also check out some great suggestions with our Holiday Gift Guide and we invite you to attend a range of activities and festive celebrations all season long at your local Microsoft Store. However you celebrate this holiday season, we invite you to give wonder with Microsoft Store.

To make sure you don’t miss a deal, customers in the United States can text DEALS to 52426 to get a link to our best Black Friday offers or follow @MicrosoftStore on Instagram and Microsoft Store on Facebook.

* Black Friday offers shown are available online and in Microsoft Stores while supplies last. U.S. prices are shown. Offers and content varies by market and may change at any time. Not valid on prior purchases. May not be combinable with other offers. Other exclusions may apply.

** Offer valid from 12 a.m. PT Nov. 1, 2019 to 11:59 p.m. PT Jan. 3, 2020 (“Offer Period”) on qualifying purchases of select physical goods made at Microsoft retail and online stores in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada during the Offer Period. Excludes certified refurbished devices, Surface for Business devices, and all digital services and products. Offer not valid on purchases made at third-party retailers. Customer eligible for price adjustment only if 1) Customer purchases eligible item during the Offer Period, (2) the price of the item is reduced during the Offer Period, and 3) Customer requests a price adjustment while the item’s price is currently reduced and in-stock for purchase. For purchases made at a physical store and online, Customer can go to any physical store and present receipt to get a qualifying price adjustment.  For purchases made online, Customer must contact Microsoft Store Sales and Support at 1-877-696-7786 with order number and any other information requested by the Store Sales representative. Refunds will be provided to Customer in same manner as item was purchased (credit card use will be credited to original card). Maximum of one price adjustment per item will be granted during Offer Period. Bulk buys of more than two of the same device, per customer’s Microsoft Account, will not qualify for price adjustments. Price adjustments do not include taxes, or shipping or other fees. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Microsoft reserves the right to modify or discontinue offers at any time. Other exclusions and limitations may apply.

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New Industry Experience Center brings digital transformation to life

We read every day about how companies are transforming their businesses through technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and the Internet of Things. But are these gains achievable across industries? Can a hospital, for instance, really see the same benefits from these technologies as, say, an automotive manufacturer?

Microsoft’s new Industry Experience Center (IEC), which opened last month in Redmond, Washington, aims to answer that question – with a resounding yes. The 23,000-square-foot center showcases 60 fascinating, real-world examples of customers and partners that are innovating their businesses and disrupting markets with Microsoft technologies.

An optical sorter shows how Bühler, one of the world’s largest providers of food processing solutions, is using visual AI to sort out poisonous corn, protecting consumers and increasing production efficiency.

Microsoft's new 23,000-square-foot Industry Experience Center in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft’s new 23,000-square-foot Industry Experience Center in Redmond, Washington.

A short distance away, a drone from eSmart Systems buzzes above, dramatically illustrating how machine learning is allowing public utilities to spot problems with power poles without sending a technician out, helping them reduce costs and ensure the safety of their workers.

In the grocery aisle, IoT-enabled displays from Kroger illuminate dynamic pricing and product information based on what the customer touches and looks at on the shelf. Visual analytics automatically alert store staff when an item is out of stock or running low.

“We often talk about technology and services that drive digital transformation, but the IEC is a chance for customers to interact with them firsthand,” says Deb Cupp, CVP of Worldwide Enterprise and Commercial Industries at Microsoft. “These are immersive experiences that demonstrate how companies are digitally transforming, and how our customers and partners are using these solutions to drive disruption in their industries.”

An optical sorter from Bühler and a compact industrial robot from ABB in the manufacturing area of Microsoft's new Industry Experience Center.
The manufacturing area of the IEC features a compact industrial robot from ABB and an optical sorter from Bühler.

Technology at work in the real world

Each interactive exhibit allows visitors to get hands-on with the technologies and explore how they are being used across industries to drive innovation. Experiences are focused on nine key industries: Retail and Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Education, Government, Health Care, Automotive, Manufacturing, Energy and Media and Communications.

That doesn’t mean a health care company, for instance, will only be guided through health care experiences in the IEC. Instead, Microsoft’s team of full-time “envisioning specialists” take each customer on a customized journey through the most relevant technology solutions for their unique business – no matter what the industry.

RFID wristbands from partner Thuzi – which every visitor gets upon starting their engagement – add to the personalized experience. As customers walk through the center, if they see an exhibit they want to learn more about, they simply tap their wristband against a “puck” on the exhibit wall. They then receive an email with a link to a customized microsite with more information, designed just for them.

A portrait of Deb Cupp, CVP of Worldwide Enterprise and Commercial Industries at Microsoft.
Deb Cupp, CVP of Worldwide Enterprise and Commercial Industries.

Cupp says, “Engagements are tailored to each individual customer and designed to spark creative ideation, inspired conversations and new opportunities. With the IEC, customers can get up close and personal with innovative technologies applied across industries so they can envision what’s possible by partnering with Microsoft.”

A showcase for industry innovation

The IEC sits in the same building in what has been, for the last 10 years, the Retail Experience Center. But late last year, the company decided to expand the center to a cross-industry offering to demonstrate the application and breadth of its technology across verticals.

Today, the IEC features everything from first-party Microsoft technologies to solutions created by startups, large global companies and everything in between. Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Capture Studios has installed a state-of-the-art volumetric stage at the IEC where visitors can get a souvenir hologram.

“We’re lighting up innovation by industry across a wide variety of customers and partners all over the globe,” says Cupp.

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Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture Studios create holograms to educate and entertain

“We move the camera for you, versus you are the camera,” Waskey says. “It’s a very similar process to creating a video, but in the end, you’re getting a hologram.”

The process brings in several cross-company initiatives and strengths. Most recently, they’ve added Azure to the mix to boost the work.

“One of the pieces of tech that really proves to be important is the way we compress and package the results,” says Steve Sullivan, general manager of the Mixed Reality Capture Studio. “Some other providers struggle with heavy files that are hard to get to consumers. But we can crunch it down to about the size of a video stream from Netflix. So basically, anywhere you can stream Netflix, you can stream our holograms. And that puts us onto phones, web, HoloLens and – you name it. We’ve built players for every major device and platform, so if you’re a creator or performer wanting to reach an audience, we can get you there.”

Azure is a new element, Sullivan says, that gives the company and its partners the advantage of better scale and broader reach. It allows them to process much more data, as they’re able to rely on the cloud to process more content, more flexibly, than an on-site render farm. This also allows them to provide services to other capture providers who may already have their own infrastructure.

“Even those who capture with different technology can process their data in our Azure pipeline to leverage our compression and playback ecosystem, giving all creators more options,” Sullivan says.

And now, they’re taking this technology on the road with two mobile stages, for more informal sessions. New as of this year, these packaged configurations are easier to deploy and able to take advantage of the cloud, versus huge on-premise computing. The mobile capture studios can have fewer cameras (64 instead of 106), are lighter in weight and built for portability.

“This gives us the opportunity to go where the action is,” says Waskey, pointing to events like the British Open, in which Dimension demonstrated golfers’ swings.

“When we look at sports as a particular scenario, we’ve generally seen it at a very flat angle. Golf is truly three-dimensional, there’s an arc and plane that gets described, there’s a full range of motion to hit the ball. Every golfer is subtly different in how they approach that task. One of our partners, Dimension, used a mobile stage and the power of Azure to process very fast huge amounts of data to show golfers’ angles that are normally ‘too dangerous to film.’”

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L’Oréal has a beautiful vision for its digital future

More than a century ago, a 28-year-old French chemist named Eugène Schueller founded L’Oréal with a secret ability to understand the needs of the market and anticipate the expectations of customers.

“A company is not walls and machines,” Schueller once said, “it’s people, people, people.”

 L’Oréal has followed that mandate ever since. Now, the beauty company is relying on Microsoft Teams to help fortify its people-first philosophy. In January, L’Oréal launched Teams, a cloud-based workspace in Microsoft 365 that enables people to share conversations and content.

“Everything is mobile and compatible, and it recreates this essential human interaction,” says Barbara Lavernos, chief technology and operations officer at L’Oréal. “This human interaction (on Teams) is creating intelligence, creating ideas, creating innovation.”

To date, more than 80% of the company’s 86,000 employees have adopted Teams, underscoring L’Oréal’s emergence as a world leader in “beauty tech,” Lavernos says.

By fusing beauty and technology, L’Oréal is pioneering a new business sub-sector, applying data insights and AI tools to its websites, points of sales and applications to personalize its interactions with customers, the company says.

“At the same time, being a beauty tech also is allowing our employees to work, interact and contribute completely differently,” Lavernos says.

An open laptop displays conversations in Microsoft Teams as hands hold perfume bottles nearby.
Microsoft Teams on a laptop screen at L’Oreal headquarters in Paris.

L’Oréal began piloting Teams in late 2018, shortly before launching it companywide.

The platform began to dissolve some of organizational barriers and layers that naturally exist inside a global enterprise and that potentially clog the work, says Satyen Pradhan, a L’Oréal IT employee experience manager based in Hong Kong.

L’Oréal’s merchandising, legal and human resources departments were early adopters, he says.

“The whole idea of introducing Teams in L’Oréal is about people not working in silos,” Pradhan says. “This has resulted in people working together. There’s more collaboration and working with fun. The GIFs and the memes available in Teams all help to lighten up the work environment.”

Teams cultivates collaboration among geographically distant workers, including group chat, online meetings and video calling – tools that also help streamline the effort needed to complete certain tasks, Pradhan says.

“The objective of using Teams,” Pradhan says, “is to reduce your time, as in your work time.

Across the company’s 43 international brands – including Garnier, Lancôme and others – employees use Teams to talk through key business operations, such as manufacturing some 7 billion finished goods each year. Examples of L’Oréal finished goods are a bottle of shampoo or a jar of skin lotion.

With parts of its workforce dispersed from New York to Paris to Shanghai, L’Oréal’s leaders say Teams helps mesh the people who oversee its wide array of brands.

“My team is spread out across the world,” says Serge Christ, vice president of global operations for L’Oréal’s luxury division. “Connecting those teams is also at the heart of the challenge we have to face.”

Brands ranging from cosmetics to perfumes to fashion must be managed the same way – developed, manufactured, marketed and sold in similar styles by L’Oréal colleagues who often work at distant locations and at opposite ends of the clock, Christ says.

“My team is set up with the right innovative solutions to provide new services and new products to the consumer,” Christ says. “In this environment, agility and collaboration are the keys.”

Learn more about L’Oréal’s use of Microsoft Teams to enhance collaboration and innovation in beauty tech by reading this case study. 

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Minecraft now more autism friendly with accessibility features

Anyone who has joined an online game knows chat can be a fun, engaging, and useful tool in teaming up, but it can also be an intimidating, cumbersome mechanism to utilize when there are many things on screen vying for your attention. Sometimes you want to turn chat off, mute certain players, or it may be too difficult to read what others are typing in a busy game. The simple concept of making in-game chat more customizable can dramatically improve your game experience. That’s exactly what a Microsoft Garage intern team set out to do for their winter 2018 Garage internship project in Vancouver: they built features to make Minecraft accessible to more audiences, like the autism community.

“We focused on features that would help people with autism especially, but anybody who plays the game in the future would also benefit.” Michaela Olsakova was a Software Engineer intern during her Garage internship. Stemming from the initial project pitch by the project sponsors, the Minecraft Education team, the philosophy of inclusive design was at the core of the project idea. “Even though we designed for one customer profile, there are multiple other customers who would find value.”

The interns handed their project off to their sponsors on the Minecraft Education team last year and the features were added to Minecraft: Education Edition. Now the team is ready to release the project’s chat-features to the Bedrock version of Minecraft as a suite of chat settings allowing players to customize font, line spacing, font size, and chat colors for all chat and player mentions. These new additions complement existing accessibility features like speech-to-text chat, making Minecraft an even more collaborative and socially connective environment with over 112 million players per month across all versions of the platform.

Garage Vancouver interns from the Minecraft Autism chat features project
Arnaud Paré-Vogt, Henry Li, Joy Zhang, Michaela Olsakova, Rose Hirigoyen, Riad Gahlouz, Charmaine Lee

“At the beginning of our internship, we attended a conference on inclusive design, it was always at the center of everything we did.” Riad Gahlouz was a Software Engineer intern. He explained how the idea of accessibility for the autism community resonated deeply with him. “I have a few family friends that are on the autism spectrum. I’ve always been inclined to help them achieve stuff, things that may seem simple for others but can be difficult for them.” That, coupled with a childhood dream to work on Minecraft, sealed the deal for Riad when it came time for the Garage intern team to give their input about which projects to work on. “When I saw the pitch from the Minecraft Education sponsors, I thought this is the perfect match. I got Arnaud interested in the project and then everyone else kind of followed.”

Arnaud Pare-Vogt was a Software Engineer intern on the project. He shared a simple but important message that guided their approach to accessibility. “Having accessibility features doesn’t have to impact the difficulty of the game.” While working on the project, Arnaud and team encountered the misconception that making games more accessible meant making them easier. The interns demonstrated that simply was not true and that these features are independent from what makes a game difficult. “Designing a game for inclusivity and accessibility doesn’t mean you have to make it easy.”

Rose Hirigoyen was a Software Engineer and quality co-champion along with Riad on the project. “This project taught us to really learn about the customer first – in our case it was meeting and talking with people of varying abilities, understanding how it feels for them when they’re gaming, what challenges they face, and what we can do to help not just in Minecraft but in general, to have a deeper understanding of their experience.”

Rose explained how sensory overload, when a person might experience sounds, visual signals, or colors that can be extremely overwhelming, can dramatically affect their ability to play. “Usually the chat was one big, white wall of text. When you see that, it can be hard to read, hard to make out the different people that are speaking. We wanted to give options like making the text bigger, and adding spacing and color, so when you’re playing with friends it will be easier to communicate with them.” Not only text, but colors, objects, shapes, and patterns are all potential culprits.

As part of making Minecraft more accessible and enjoyable, people like Melissa Boone, a Research Manager at Xbox, explores how to design better game experiences. Melissa was one of three social and behavioral scientists who provided customer research guidance to the interns. She has been closely involved with the Minecraft team for several years, watching people playing games and talking with players to uncover what they love as well as what can be improved.

“Minecraft is one of those teams that’s super progressive and inclusive, with one of the most diverse game audiences out there. We want to continue that tradition.”

“Everyone was excited for the opportunity to bring more accessibility into the game.” Melissa guided the interns on how to conduct user research studies, including how to recruit people for the study, having the right kind of audience to participate, determining what questions to ask, and how to have productive conversations. “Because there is a large existing community of Minecraft players with autism, it made a lot of sense to focus the project efforts there and meet the players where they are.” User research was a key component that informed what features should be built. “It was pretty cool to have the opportunity to teach the interns the research process so they could conduct actual studies themselves, analyze the results and uncover insights. It’s a skill they can use in other contexts no matter what they’re working on.”

Stéphane Morichere-Matte is Principal Program Manager for The Garage and runs the Vancouver Garage Internship. Over the years, a customer-focused approach remains an important pillar for each project, and as a result, he has cultivated relationships with diverse groups and communities all over Canada. “Our interns were very fortunate to be hosted by the Pacific Family Autism Network, where we got to work with the community to find out how to make games more inclusive. The game enhancements are not very difficult to do, but it can make such a positive impact.”

Communication can be difficult for people on the autism spectrum, which is why the interns decided to focus on developing chat features. “While visiting the Pacific Family Autism Network, we witnessed a lot of people who bonded over these games,” Program Manager intern Charmaine Lee explained. “People are making meaningful connections through gaming, so it’s very rewarding when they have a game experience that fits their needs.”

Another thriving Minecraft community of players of all ages is found on Autcraft, a whitelisted Minecraft Java Edition server. Teachers also have been using Minecraft to support special education classes and engage students in custom lesson plans with Minecraft: Education Edition.

Minecraft accessible chat features settings menu

Henry Li, the Designer intern on the project, recounted how it was his first internship experience and one that he won’t soon forget. “I worked with these really talented interns, my peers, on one of the biggest IP’s in the world. It was an honor to work on such a hugely impactful project.” The practice of embracing new ideas and continually learning was something he acquired along the journey. “A lot of the growth mindset I absorbed from everyone around me. Each day you get to learn something new and there’s plenty of things to do. In those four months I learned so much. Once you have a growth mindset, your life will be different.” The interns pushed each other’s limits and accelerated productivity, helping each other grow, learn from failure, and celebrate the moments of success. “Even though the pressure you have is from your peers – everyone has dependencies and ownership of the project, we get to decide what to do and what to work on – it’s having that great teamwork that helps foster growth.”

Echoing this sentiment was Michaela. “Somehow we all got really lucky and had the most amazing team to work on this. You succeed together and fail together. I think that’s rare. I’ll never forget it.”

Each day, gaming is becoming more accessible to people from all walks of life. The Xbox Adaptive Controller, games like Ear Hockey, and game-dev tools like Responsive Spatial Audio for Immersive Gaming, are only a few of the ways Microsoft is practicing thoughtful, human-centric design for technology that connects people. The interns can now add Minecraft accessible chat-features to the expanding list, with high hopes that everyone can benefit from easier to read, customizable chat, tailored by you, to enhance your Minecraft experience.

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Surface reveals new holiday lineup and introduces a new category of dual-screen devices built for mobile productivity

A collection of Microsoft devices on display

Pre-release product shown, screens simulated and subject to change.

Today in New York we announced our broadest Surface lineup ever – with five new products coming this holiday and two new dual-screen devices, Surface Neo and Surface Duo, coming in Holiday 2020.

When we started Surface, we had a vision to remove the conflict between the tablet and laptop. What started as an effort to create the two-in-one evolved into a full line of products that are more versatile, more adaptable and more personal. We know that to be your best, you need devices that adapt to you to help you accomplish your goals. These new products are about empowering you to be your most productive, and your most creative.

With that in mind we are bringing more performance and new designs to our most popular product lines with the new Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X, all available for pre-order today1 in select markets. Surface Laptop 3 delivers style and speed, now with a choice of a 13.5” or 15” display and new colors and finishes. Surface Pro remains the most versatile 2:1 device you can buy – whether you choose the new and improved Surface Pro 7 or the always-connected Surface Pro X, a bold new take on our iconic 2:1. Designed for comfort and rich sound with intuitive touch controls, Surface Earbuds are the perfect complement to your Surface.

We also shared our vision to bring the productivity of Surface to even smaller and more mobile form factors with Surface Neo and Surface Duo, our new dual-screen devices. We’ve seen how the versatility of the 2:1 has pushed the PC category forward, and we’re excited about what dual-screen devices will do for mobile computing next year.

Surface Laptop 3

The new Surface Laptop 3 balances power and elegance, making it the perfect everyday laptop. Now available in two sizes, Surface Laptop 3 is twice as fast with the same slim design and all-day battery life.2 Updated with the 10th Generation Intel® Core™ processor, Surface Laptop 3 13.5” comes in new eye-catching colors, including Sandstone and Cobalt. Choose the warmth of the tone-on-tone Alcantara® or the sleek, new machined aluminum all-metal finish.  We also introduced Surface Laptop 3 15”, adding a larger screen and industry-leading integrated graphics performance with the new AMD Ryzen Surface Edition processor. It’s the fastest 15” laptop you can buy.3 Surface Laptop 3 offers a more comfortable typing experience with a full 1.33mm key travel, now with a 20% larger glass trackpad, both USB-A and USB-C and Fast Charging, taking your Surface device to an 80% charge in about an hour. Improved front-facing cameras, OmniSonic speakers and dual far-field Studio Mics deliver crystal clear sound and audio whether you’re on a conference call, listening to music or watching a movie. Surface Laptop 3 13” starts at $999 and Surface Laptop 15” starts at $1199.

Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X

Surface Pro remains the most versatile 2:1 device you can buy – whether you choose Surface Pro 7 or the brand new ultra-mobile Surface Pro X. Redesigned from the inside out, Surface Pro 7 is now twice as fast with a 10th Generation Intel® Core™ processor, both USB-A and USB-C and an all-day battery.4 While Surface Pro 7 keeps the iconic design customers love and businesses rely on, we wanted to keep pushing our Pro line forward with Surface Pro X. At 5.33mm and 1.68 pounds, Surface Pro X is the thinnest, lightest, most powerful and most connected Surface Pro ever. The new Microsoft SQ1 processor codesigned with Qualcomm pushes 2 teraflops of graphics processing power, and is the fastest Qualcomm processor ever created for a PC. With 33% thinner bezels, we’ve given you the feel of a vibrant 13” edge-to-edge touch screen in the chassis of a 12” device.5 The new Surface Pro X Signature Keyboard includes pen docking for secure storage and charging for the new Slim Pen, so it’s always ready when you need it. Surface Pro 7 starts at $749 and Surface Pro X starts at $999.

Surface Earbuds and Accessories

Featuring an ultra-comfortable and stable fit, Surface Earbuds offer intuitive touch and voice controls for music, calls and more. Experience rich, immersive Omnisonic sound, and instantly play Spotify from your Android phone with a triple tap on either earbud.6 Screen-free integration with Office 365 lets you access your Outlook calendar and email with your voice7,8 (in the U.S.) and even get live, on-screen captions and translations in PowerPoint. Enjoy all-day battery life with the included wireless charging case.9 Surface Earbuds are priced at $249.

We’re also announcing a range of accessories that will help customize the way you work – from type covers, pens and mice designed to work with our Surface products to a selection of accessories to help you be more productive from any PC. We built on decades of experience delivering workspace comfort with the new Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse, introduced the sleek, affordable Bluetooth® Keyboard and compact, colorful Bluetooth® Mouse, and are offering new colors for our popular Arc Mouse.

Surface + Office, built for modern productivity

Today Office announced several new features that take advantage of new capabilities in the Surface lineup to make you more productive. New Office enhancements include transcription in Word for the web, inking capabilities in Excel that leverage the new Surface Slim Pen and ultra-portability of the Surface Pro X, gesture support in PowerPoint for the new Surface Earbuds, and ink and voice comments in Word that take advantage of all of it.

A new era of mobile creativity

With Surface Neo and Surface Duo we are introducing a new category of dual-screen devices designed to help people get more done on smaller, more mobile form factors. Today, people carry PCs, tablets and phones because each device performs a specific task well. Each screen does something we need when we need it.  But these devices are limited with what they can achieve when you must switch between apps on a single screen or switch between screens altogether.  When that switching happens, we break our focus.  We break our flow.

What if we didn’t have to switch between devices, screens or apps?  What if one device had two screens to keep us in flow?  A device that is small enough to easily carry with you, but feels big in terms of productivity. That was the inspiration behind creating a dual-screen device that gives you the benefit of a larger screen or the flexibility of two screens when you want to do multiple things at once. Imagine being able to take a Microsoft Teams call on one screen and look something up on the web or view a document on another.  Or simply being able to watch Netflix while doing email or chat. Switching seamlessly between tasks, without having to switch between devices.

Surface Neo and Surface Duo are optimized for the way we naturally multi-task, helping people get more done on the go.

Surface Neo

Surface Neo is dual-screen device built for productivity on Windows 10X, an expression of Windows 10. A 360-degree full-friction hinge connects two 9” screens, enabling Surface Neo to adapt to whatever posture you need in the moment. When you open it you have a full-size 13” display in the thinnest LCD in its class. It’s built for productivity and multitasking like a true PC would be – running full productivity apps, with a removable keyboard and compatibility with Surface Pen and Bluetooth® mouse.

Surface Duo

Surface Duo is the first Surface to fit in your pocket. Surface Duo brings together the best of Microsoft productivity experiences, Android apps and Surface hardware design into a single device you can take anywhere. And, yes, it makes phone calls. It has two paper-thin 5.6-inch screens that unfold to 8.3 inches, and just like Surface Neo, it can be used in a variety of modes to let you work the way you’d like.

To support Surface Neo, we are introducing Windows 10X, an expression of Windows 10 designed for a new category of dual-screen PCs. With Surface Duo we are building upon Android to marry cutting edge hardware with familiar software and services.  We’re excited to work with developers and the industry to create the next wave of dual-screen computing and unlock a new era of mobile creativity.

Surface is built for business

Surface, combined with Microsoft 365, offers the enhanced productivity and security businesses are after, and the results are clear – more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies have purchased Surface. We’re listening to our customers and continue to design with them in mind. This means improved serviceability for Surface Laptop 3, removable SSDs in Surface Pro X, as well as new, more sustainable commercial packaging that significantly reduces the amount of waste by more than 30% in weight and volume compared to our historical retail packaging. With Windows 10 Pro, Advanced Exchange Service10 at no additional cost, and support for Windows Autopilot – users are instantly up and running securely with over-the-air updates.

Surface is driven by a singular ambition – to build the most productive devices on the planet to help people achieve more. We’ve challenged convention, invented new designs, and created devices that adapt software, services and AI to the way people naturally think and create. To keep you in flow. And we’re not done inventing.

1 Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X are all available for pre-order today in select markets, with additional availability to follow.

2 Up to 11.5 hours of battery life based on typical Surface device usage. Testing conducted by Microsoft in September 2019 using preproduction software and preproduction 13.5” Intel® Core™ i5, 256GB, 8 GB RAM and 15” AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Mobile Processor with Radeon™ Vega 9 Graphics Microsoft Surface® Edition devices. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage and other factors. See surface.com.

3 Class as defined as premium ultrathin 15” that are max 20mm in height and have a TDP of 15W and which run AMD Ryzen processors. Data measured by AMD and Microsoft in September 2019. Tests run on pre-production Software and Hardware.

4 Up to 10.5 hours of battery life based on typical Surface device usage. Testing conducted by Microsoft in September 2019 using preproduction software and preproduction Intel® Core™ i5, 256GB, 8 GB RAM device. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage and other factors. See surface.com.

5 Based on Microsoft SQ1 Processor design and optimization. Comparison to existing ARM based PCs.

6 Requires a Spotify account. Available only on Android.

7 Requires subscription to Office 365.

8 Cortana available in select markets; experience may vary by region and device.

9 Up to 24 hours of battery life with the included charging case. Eight hours continuous listening on a single charge, plus another two 8-hour charges with the charging case. Battery life varies with usage and settings.

10 Advanced Exchange Service is available at no additional charge with the following Surface for Business products: Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X, Surface Laptop 3 in 13.5”, Surface Laptop 3 in 15”, Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2. Advanced Exchange is only available in supported markets. Restrictions apply. See Surface for Business warranty page for AES terms and conditions and list of supported markets.

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Xbox Insiders: Play games from your console on a mobile device with new Xbox Console Streaming preview

Test out our newest Xbox One console feature

Today, we at Team Xbox are excited to talk about Xbox Console Streaming, our new system feature that lets you play your Xbox One games from your console on a mobile device.

If you’re an Xbox Insider in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead rings in the US and UK, you can now try a preview of Xbox Console Streaming. You’ll be able to play your owned and installed Xbox One games, including Xbox Game Pass titles, on an Android phone or tablet remotely from your home console.

Our vision at Xbox is to empower you to play Xbox games where you want, when you want. Whether you’ve got just a few minutes to complete a race in Forza, or find yourself with an hour to get some online multiplayer in before the next train arrives, console streaming allows you to play your games on the go.

We set out on this vision for game streaming earlier this month by beginning the public preview of Project xCloud, allowing you to play games directly from the cloud. And now we’re delivering on our second streaming option by kicking off the preview of Console Streaming so you can remotely play your full Xbox One library from your own Xbox.

I’ve been spending a lot of time testing Xbox Console Streaming through our internal employee takehome program, spending lunch breaks playing through Slay the Spire. I love being able to game during these moments so I can always stay in touch with my gaming community and make progress through stories that were traditionally tied to my living room. I’m excited for Insiders to experience this for themselves.

This preview is an important step in our journey to deliver game streaming to Xbox players around the world. We’ll work closely with you and the Insider community to gather feedback that will shape and define future iterations of Xbox Console Streaming.

As we learn more from all of you and continue to improve the experience, we’ll open Xbox Console Streaming to more Insider rings and expand to additional regions. Stay tuned for updates.

Xbox Console Streaming (Preview): What you need to know

Here’s what you need to know and can expect from Xbox Console Streaming (Preview):

  • You need to be an Xbox Insider in the US and UK with a console enrolled in the Alpha or Alpha-Skip-Ahead rings to participate in the preview.
    • We will expand the preview to more rings and regions in the future. If you’re interested in joining the Xbox Insider program, you can find more information here.
  • To participate in the Xbox Console Streaming preview, Insiders need:
    • A phone or tablet running Android 6.0 or higher, with Bluetooth 4.0.
    • A Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One Wireless Controller.
    • While not required, we recommend a controller mount for those gamers testing on a phone.
  • Download the Xbox Game Streaming (Preview) app from the Google Play Store:

Xbox Console Streaming

Xbox Console Streaming

  • The app will guide you through setting up Xbox Console Streaming on your enrolled Xbox One, including performing a test to ensure your home network, console and controller are ready for Xbox Console Streaming:

Xbox Console Streaming

Xbox Console Streaming

    • The network test ensures your console’s network connection and setup meet the minimum requirements:
      • NAT type: Open or Moderate
      • Upstream bandwidth: At least 4.75 Mbps required, 9 Mbps preferred
      • Network latency: 125 ms or less required, 60 ms or less preferred
      • Console settings: Power setting must be Instant-on
    • For help with improving your console’s setup, visit the Xbox Support website.
    • For additional Game Streaming help, check out the Game Streaming Support Hub, or ask questions and join the discussion at the Xbox Insider Subreddit.
  • We encourage you to test Xbox Console Streaming with a wide variety of Xbox One games, although original Xbox and Xbox 360 backward-compatible titles are not supported at this time.

We are eager to have you join us in building the best experience for Xbox gamers on all devices. Your input is crucial as we continue to improve, innovate, and expand to bring Xbox Console Streaming to all Xbox gamers. We couldn’t do it without the efforts of our fans and the gaming community.

For more information, please visit https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-streaming/console-streaming

Thank you!

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Microsoft to transfer listing of debt securities to Nasdaq

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 29, 2019 — Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) on Tuesday announced it will be transferring the securities exchange listing for its Euro-denominated 2.125% Senior Notes due 2021, 3.125% Senior Notes due 2028, and 2.625% Senior Notes due 2033 debt securities (collectively, the “debt securities”) from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Bond Exchange, effective Nov. 8, 2019, after market close. The debt securities are expected to begin trading as Nasdaq-listed securities on Nov. 11, 2019.

Their respective trading symbols and CUSIP numbers are as follows:

Series of Debt Securities Trading Symbol CUSIP
2.125% Senior Notes due 2021 MSFT U59340AC0
3.125% Senior Notes due 2028 MSFT U59340AB2
2.625% Senior Notes due 2033 MSFT U59340AA4

Microsoft is transferring the listing of the debt securities to Nasdaq to consolidate under one exchange its equity and debt listings relationships.

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

For more information, financial analysts and investors only:

Investor Relations, Microsoft, (425) 706-4400

For more information, press only:

Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications, (425) 638-7777, rrt@we-worldwide.com

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at https://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers, and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. Shareholder and financial information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor.

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Helping teams work more efficiently, new Microsoft Project rolls out worldwide

Editor’s note 10/29/2019:
Links to product pages in select international markets will be live on October 30, 2019.

With Microsoft 365, the world’s productivity cloud, we’re using the power of the cloud to help people and organizations achieve more. Last year, we shared our new vision for work management designed specifically to help teams collaborate on projects more efficiently and achieve more together. Today, we’re announcing a major step toward achieving this vision with the general availability of the new Microsoft Project along with a new subscription plan!

Collaborating in teams and projects has become an integral part of our work experience. Businesses increasingly rely on project teams to advance strategic initiatives, drive change, and solve tough problems. But keeping projects on track isn’t easy, especially when teams are working on multiple workstreams to achieve aggressive goals on tight deadlines.

The new Project is designed to be both simple and powerful, so anyone can get started quickly and take control of any project right away.

A fresh new experience

Project offers a redesigned user experience that is simple and intuitive. Teams can quickly add new members and set up tasks, and then easily switch between grids, boards, or timeline (Gantt) charts to track progress. And because Project is part of the Microsoft 365 family, project teams can save time and do more with built-in connections to familiar apps like Microsoft Teams and Office.

Animated image of a timeline being worked on in Microsoft Project.

Collaboration made easy

Designed to do much more than just track progress, Project works with Teams to support collaboration and make it easy to manage all aspects of a team project, including file sharing, chats, meetings, and much more. Team members in scattered locations can even edit tasks simultaneously, so they can get more done together, no matter where they are. To help teams stay on track, Project offers an automated scheduling engine based on effort, duration, and resources.

Animated image of Project Details being opened in Microsoft Teams.

Project with Teams.

Animated image of a Project timeline being worked on in Microsoft Project.

Coauthoring in Project.

Insights at your fingertips

The new Project provides greater visibility into your projects and powerful tools to help you anticipate future needs. Create stunning interactive dashboards in Power BI, so you can visualize every aspect of each project at a glance. Get the big picture view of all your projects across your organization with the visual, interactive Roadmap feature.

Image of a Project task open in Power BI.

Extensible platform

Built on the Microsoft Power Platform, Project enables you to quickly connect to the apps and services you already use, and to create custom desktop and mobile experiences to meet the specific needs of every project team. Easy to use tools make it simple to create automated workflow processes that streamlines compliance and increases efficiency. Do all this and more with the confidence that comes with knowing you are building on the powerful security and compliance capabilities of Azure—the world’s most trusted enterprise cloud.

Introducing a new Microsoft Project plan for all users

As part of this launch, we’re also excited to announce a new subscription plan: Project Plan 1.

Project Plan 1 is for teams that need the essential capabilities of managing task-oriented projects like assigning tasks and dependencies and scheduling and tracking project work using lists, boards, and timelines. At just $10 per user per month, this subscription is an ideal way to get started with Project.

Project Plan 1 joins our current subscription offerings, Project Online Professional and Project Online Premium, now renamed to Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 respectively. Customers using Project Online can continue to do so with confidence knowing that we’re committed to your success no matter which Project service you choose.

The rollout of the new Project began in mid-October. If you already have a Project subscription plan, you should receive a notification inviting you to try the new Project experience. If you don’t have a Project subscription yet, we invite you to either learn more or try out Project Plan 1 today!*

What’s next?

Looking forward, we will release more exciting capabilities in the new Project, including resource management, budget analysis, and time and expense tracking. These powerful features will enable you to streamline more complex initiatives and help your business maximize ROI.

As we continue to innovate with the new Project, we rely on customers, like you, to help shape the direction of future releases. You can reach us via the Feedback button in the new Project UserVoice or through your Microsoft representative, to share your feedback and ideas on how Project meets your needs today and into the future.

Visit the Project blog on Tech Community and follow Microsoft 365 on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for our latest news.

Microsoft Project

Streamline project, resource, and portfolio management with Microsoft Project to help you keep track of projects successfully.

See products and pricing

Frequently asked questions

Q. How does new Project compare to Microsoft Planner?

A. Planner remains the starting point for individuals and teams to collaborate on tasks. Many teams find that they need more power—like tracking task dependencies and scheduling—and the new Project is the right step up for them. Planner and the new Project have a similar look and feel, so that teams can move between both tools easily.

Q. Can I continue to use Project desktop app?

A. Absolutely, you can continue to rely on the full power of the Project desktop app.

Q. Does Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 include Project Plan 1 capabilities?

A. Yes, both Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 will include the Project Plan 1 capabilities.

*Plan 1 is available for purchase starting October 29, 2019 in the U.S. and select international markets. It will be available for purchase starting mid-November in other international markets (except for France and South Korea).

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Xbox unveils lineup of bundles for the holiday season

It’s hard to believe, but the holidays are quickly approaching, and if you’re in search of the perfect gift, look no further than our lineup of Xbox One bundles that pair consoles with the season’s hottest games, and new and customizable controllers. By gifting an Xbox One to friends or family, they’ll have access to more than 3,000 games, as well as must-have services and features that can’t found anywhere else, like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox One Backward Compatibility. Every Xbox One X and Xbox One S bundle includes a built-in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, 4K streaming with High Dynamic Range and Dolby Vision, and premium audio with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Xbox is the best place to play, and this holiday season, we have something for everyone on your list, at every price point.

We recently unveiled now includes an all-new upgrade option for the next Xbox console, Project Scarlett once it’s available in Holiday 2020. Xbox All Access is available

Additionally, if you enjoy gaming with your children, every Xbox One console comes equipped with industry-leading family settings. The more than 20 customizable settings empower parents to set spending limits, install content filters based on the age of each child, and apply the newly announced app and game limits as you see fit.

See below for an overview of all the Xbox offerings available this holiday, and make sure to check with participating retailers – including your local Microsoft Store near you or online – for more information on availability and pricing.

Xbox Game Pass

Give the gamer in your life the ultimate gift of unlimited access to over 100 great games with Xbox Game Pass – it’s the perfect way to discover your next favorite game.

  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($14.99 per month). The ultimate gift this holiday season, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, as well as access to a curated library of over 100 high-quality console and PC games with new games added all the time. You can get your first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1 right now.
  • Xbox Game Pass for Console ($9.99 per month). With Xbox Game Pass for Console, gamers get access to a highly-curated library of over 100 great games on Xbox One. You can join the fun in new games or catch up on a recent hit because with Xbox Game Pass, you always have something new to play.

Xbox One X Bundles

This holiday is the perfect time to gift the world’s most powerful console to a friend or family member. We’re offering seven Xbox One X bundles this holiday featuring the season’s hottest games plus Xbox Game Pass for Console and Xbox Live Gold. Xbox One X bundles available this holiday include:

Xbox One S Bundles:

The Xbox One S offers the best value in gaming, and this holiday, we have six bundles available that come packed with games like Gears 5, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Fortnite Battle Royale plus Xbox Game Pass for Console and Xbox Live Gold. If you’re looking to gift the newest member of the Xbox One family, check out the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. Xbox One S bundles available this holiday include:

Xbox Wireless Controllers:

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is the world’s most advanced controller designed with the most passionate gamers in mind. This highly anticipated controller is now available, in addition to a variety of special edition controllers.

  • Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 ($179.99). Designed to meet the needs of today’s most passionate gamers, the all-new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 features over 30 new ways to play like a pro. Enhance your aim with new adjustable-tension thumbsticks, fire even faster with shorter hair trigger locks, and stay on target with a wrap-around rubberized grip. The controller is available starting November 4.
  • Xbox Wireless Controller (Starting at $59.99). Fans can expand their collection of Xbox Wireless Controllers with a variety of special edition and limited edition designs, including Midnight Forces II Special Edition, Night Ops Camo Special Edition, Sport Blue Special Edition, Gears 5 Kait Diaz Limited Edition, Fortnite Special Edition and Phantom White Special Edition. Every Xbox Wireless Controller is compatible with all Xbox One consoles and includes fan-favorite features such as 3.5mm stereo headset jack and Bluetooth technology for playing your favorite games across multiple devices.
  • Xbox Design Lab (Starting at $69.99). With Xbox Design Lab, fans have more than a billion design combinations to choose from to personalize the controller, including new colors, metallic finishes for D-pads and triggers, and rubberized grips. Or, players in the U.S. can choose a design featuring their favorite NFL Xbox Design Lab is available to residents in Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and more than 20 additional European countries.

No matter who you are shopping for this year, we’re excited to offer a variety of options to help you gift the perfect gaming experience.