Microsoft
By MacRumors Staff
Microsoft How Tos
How to Play Fortnite on iPhone and iPad for Free
Fortnite has been unavailable to play on the iPhone and iPad since Apple banned it from the App Store amid an ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, but the battle royale game has returned to iOS devices thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service. This article explains how to get Fortnite up and running on the service – keep reading to learn how it works. Apple removed popular title...
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How to Pair a PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X Controller With iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
With the release of iOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5, Apple users can now connect their PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers to an iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Keep reading to learn how it works. Since iOS 13 and tvOS 13, users have been able to connect popular console controllers to an iPhone or Apple TV to play Apple Arcade games and other iOS games, instead of having to spend extra money on...
How to Pair a DualShock 4 or Xbox Wireless Controller With iPhone and Apple TV
With iOS 13 and tvOS 13, Apple users are now able to connect their favorite console controllers to an iPhone or Apple TV. In this guide, we've provided a quick rundown of how to go about pairing the DualShock 4 Wireless Controller and Xbox Wireless Controller to both iOS and tvOS devices. Previously, MFi controllers were the only solution to playing games on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. With...
Microsoft Articles
Microsoft Updates iOS Photo App 'Pix' With Artistic Filters Powered by AI and Deep Neural Networks
Microsoft is today updating its smart camera app for iOS devices, Microsoft Pix, with new features that overlay artistic filters on top of user photos. The company said that the Pix team used neural networks to browse massive datasets of classic paintings in order to "learn the essence of what makes a given style of painting recognizable," all in an effort to fuel Pix's new features. The first ...
Microsoft Announces 'Mixer Create' iOS App for On-The-Go Live Streaming of iPhone Games
Microsoft today announced a rebranding of its game streaming service "Beam," which will now be called "Mixer," along with the launch of a new iOS and Android app that will debut today in beta form. Called "Mixer Create," the app will include a handful of self-broadcasting features that let streamers keep in contact with their audience while on the go. Additionally, down the line Microsoft will ...
Microsoft Says New Surface Pro is 1.7× Faster Than iPad Pro With 35% More Battery Life
Microsoft today introduced the new Surface Pro, choosing that name over Surface Pro 5, at a media event in Shanghai, China. Microsoft said the new Surface Pro delivers up to 13.5 hours of battery life on a single charge, a 50 percent increase over the Surface Pro 4 and 35 percent more battery life than the iPad Pro's advertised 10 hours. The notebook-tablet hybrid features Intel's latest...
Microsoft's Windows 10 Fall Update Will Link With iOS for Easy App Switching Across Devices
At its Build 2017 conference this morning Microsoft announced that its upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will include integration with iOS, allowing developers using Microsoft Graph to link desktop apps to mobile apps on both iPhone and Android devices (via The Verge). Users will be able to start apps on a Windows computer and, with the help of Microsoft's AI Cortana, pick up their iPhone...
Microsoft Officially Launches 'Visual Studio for Mac' With Cross-Platform App Coding
After spending months in preview, Microsoft today is officially launching its Visual Studio coding platform for the Mac (via VentureBeat). Visual Studio allows developers to code applications using Microsoft's integrated development environment (IDE) on Apple's macOS platform, which they can sync across both Windows and Mac devices. Thanks to integration with Xamarin, a cross-platform software ...
Microsoft Debuts $999 Surface Laptop, 'Streamlined' Windows 10 S, and More at Education Event
Microsoft today unveiled an all-new "Surface Laptop," a student- and teacher-focused Windows 10 S, new features for Minecraft: Education Edition, a new Surface Arc Mouse, and more at an education-focused event in New York. The hardware reveal of the Surface Laptop marks the first major computer launch for the company since last year's debut of the Surface Book and Surface Studio, the former of...
Microsoft Debuts New 'To-Do' Wunderlist Replacement
Microsoft today announced the preview launch of a new "intelligent task management app" that's designed to make it easier to plan and manage a day's activities. Called "Microsoft To-Do," the app was designed by the team behind Wunderlist, which Microsoft purchased in June of 2015. To-Do is designed to replace Wunderlist, which Microsoft plans to retire after all Wunderlist features have been...
Microsoft Surface Beats iPad in Design, Productivity, and Accessory Use in New J.D. Power Study
The Microsoft Surface has been ranked the highest in overall consumer satisfaction, and six points above Apple's iPad in second place, according to J.D. Power's 2017 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study. This marks the first top spot win for Microsoft in all six years that J.D. Power has published the Tablet Satisfaction Study, with the company earning a total 855 satisfaction score out of a potential...
Microsoft Launches New iOS Camera App 'Sprinkles' With Machine Learning Features
Microsoft recently debuted a new iOS app called "Sprinkles - Camera with Fun Ideas" [Direct Link], which launches alongside the recent explosion of camera-centric application updates that offer various filters, emojis, lenses, and captions for users to mess around with. The app officially launched on April 1, suggesting the company intended it as an April Fools' prank, but it's only recently...
Apple Joins Group of Companies Supporting Google in Foreign Email Privacy Case
Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Cisco have filed an amicus brief supporting Google in an ongoing case dealing with security and privacy, topics that Apple has been known to advocate in the past (via Business Insider). Most recently, Google's case has led to a court in Pennsylvania requesting the company to comply to an FBI warrant asking for emails residing on foreign servers. Although it's...
Cortana for iPhone is Now Faster and Freshly Redesigned
Microsoft today updated Cortana for iPhone with a significant redesign that has been available to Android users since December. As noted by Paul Thurrott, version 2.0 of the app is more responsive with redesigned calling, texting, and reminders and more immersive full-page answers with quicker page transitions. Cortana's mobile redesign launched on Android in December Cortana is Microsoft's...
Touch Bar Support in Microsoft Office for Mac Rolls Out to All Users
Starting today, Microsoft Office users who own one of Apple's new 2016 MacBook Pro models can update their Word, Excel, and PowerPoint software to gain new Touch Bar integrations. Touch Bar support for Microsoft Office was first announced at Apple's October keynote event where the updated MacBook Pro with Touch Bar debuted. At that time, Microsoft outlined the Touch Bar's capabilities,...
Microsoft Outlook for iOS Gains Add-Ins Including Translator, Trello, Evernote and More
To celebrate the two-year anniversary of Outlook Mobile, Microsoft is today introducing a major feature for the iOS version of the Outlook email app -- add-ins. For the first time, add-ins are able to be used with the mobile version Outlook, mirroring functionality available on the desktop.Add-ins can help you get more done on the go, and save you valuable time spent switching between apps. This...
Microsoft Says Windows PC Makers Seeing 'Continued Growth' in Premium Market Led by Apple
Microsoft on Thursday reported a 5% increase in revenue from licensing Windows to PC makers as part of its latest quarterly earnings results. In a subsequent conference call, Microsoft's chief financial officer Amy Hood said its "partner ecosystem continued to see growth and share gains in the Windows premium device category," according to Business Insider. The comment has been interpreted...
Microsoft Opens Cortana Virtual Assistant to Third-Party Hardware Makers
Microsoft has announced it is making its Cortana voice assistant AI available to third-party device makers, with third-party developers also set to get access to the platform for integrating into their services on Cortana-powered devices. The company's approach is based on two software kits currently available for preview: A Skills Kit that allows developers to build apps that can be called up ...
Microsoft Says 'Disappointment' of New MacBook Pro Has More People Switching to Surface Than Ever Before
Microsoft has announced November was its best month ever for consumer Surface sales. In a blog post, the company said more people are switching from Macs to Surface devices than ever before following the "disappointment" of the new MacBook Pro, particularly among professional users. More people are switching from Macs to Surface than ever before. Our trade-in program for MacBooks was our best...
Redesign Coming for Cortana on iOS With App to Debut in the U.K.
Microsoft has announced that Cortana for iOS is coming to the U.K. and that the company is readying a significant design overhaul based on user feedback. Cortana is to Windows what Siri is to macOS, but Microsoft's voice-activated virtual assistant has been available on iOS in the United States for precisely a year now, allowing PC users with Apple devices to sync their reminders,...
Microsoft CEO Stokes Surface Phone Rumors With 'Ultimate Mobile Device' Comments
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has stoked speculation this week that Redmond is prepping a new line of smartphones under the Surface brand for launch in early 2017. In an interview with the Australian Financial Review published on Monday, Nadella said the company was conducting innovative research that would ensure it continued to have a presence in the smartphone market. However, rather than...
Microsoft Launches Classic Solitaire Game on iOS
Microsoft today launched the "Microsoft Solitaire Collection" on iOS and Android, a package of classic Solitaire games that include Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, and Tripeaks. As noted by The Verge, Microsoft's version of Solitaire has been available on Windows for more than 25 years, but this marks the first time that the game has been extended to other platforms. The app will offer...
Microsoft Surface Studio Reviews: Apple Fans Might Be 'Tempted to Switch Camps', Despite High Price
A few weeks after Microsoft unveiled the Surface Studio to the public at a media event in New York City, a few websites have begun publishing the first reviews for Microsoft's new desktop PC/tablet hybrid. During its announcement in October, the Surface Studio was revealed to have a 12.5mm thin touch screen, with a 28-inch PixelSense Display that packs in 13.5 million pixels. Microsoft said that...