
Zac Bowden
Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central and has been with the site since 2016. His expertise is in exclusive coverage about Windows, Surface, and hardware. He's also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices, and was fortunate enough to daily drive both the fabled Lumia McLaren and Microsoft Band 3, along the Surface Mini and even Surface Neo. Keep in touch with him on Twitter and Threads!
Latest articles by Zac Bowden

Windows Central Podcast: Is the Future of Computing Agentic?
By Zac Bowden published
Podcast Dan & Zac discuss Microsoft's new "Windows 2030 Vision" series, the first of which hints at a potential future "Agentic OS" from Microsoft. What might that look like?

Windows 10's $30 Extended Updates Program Now Covers 10 Devices
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 10 Microsoft has confirmed that enrolling a Windows 10 PC into the Extended Security Updates program by paying $30 still requires a Microsoft Account, but that one ESU license covers up to 10 devices.

Microsoft will open source WinUI, it confirms
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 The company has confirmed that WinUI 3 is on the path to become open-source, but that there's lots of work to be done first before that can happen.

Everything we know about Microsoft's Surface Laptop 8 so far
By Zac Bowden published
The next Surface Laptop is likely to launch in the new handful of months, powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 with more power and better battery life.

Limited Edition Windows XP Crocs: A Must-Have for Diehard Fans!
By Zac Bowden published
Windows XP Ever wanted to rock the world's most iconic operating system wallpaper on your feet? Well now you can thanks to Microsoft's new Windows XP Crocs.

Windows 2030 Vision: How AI Will Revolutionize User Experience
By Zac Bowden published
Windows The company has teased multiple times that the future of Windows will be one where the OS is agentic, capable of handling entire workflows on your behalf, just by asking for it.

Download Microsoft's exclusive 50th anniversary variant of the Windows 11 wallpaper here
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 There's a special variant of the Windows 11 "Bloom" wallpaper that's only available on Microsoft's exclusive 50th anniversary edition of the Surface Laptop. But don't worry, we've got it for you here.

Podcast: 10 years of Windows 10
By Zac Bowden published
Podcast Dan and Zac take a look back at Windows 10 as it celebrates its 10th anniversary and discussing how it's evolved over the years. Plus, a first look at Copilot Mode and the 50th Anniversary Surface Laptop!

This is Microsoft's canceled Surface Duo running Windows Phone
By Zac Bowden published
Surface Surface Andromeda was the successor to Windows Phone we never got. Now, we know exactly what it would have looked like thanks to leaked images of prototype hardware from 2017 and 2018.

Microsoft is killing Windows 11 SE
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 SE will not get the version 25H2 update later this year, and that support for Windows 11 SE will end in October 2026.

The Microsoft Store on Windows 11 is actually great now
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 The Microsoft Store is now an incredible, reliable, and safe place to discover and download apps on Windows. Everyone should be using it, and it's time to give it another chance if you're not.

Microsoft starts selling 100 Smurface Laptops
By Zac Bowden published
Surface Microsoft has started selling a very limited batch of Surface Laptop 13-inch devices with laser-etched Smurfs on the lid. The company says there are only 100 available.

Take our Windows 10 quiz on its 10th anniversary!
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 10 Windows 10 has been on the market for 10 whole years. That's a long time, so why not test how well you know the OS with our expert quiz? We bet you won't get them all right!

Windows 10 turns 10 years old: Looking back at its biggest moments
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 10 From modern app platforms to forced feature upgrades and telemetry concerns, we take a look at 10 of Windows 10's most controversial and defining moments on its 10th anniversary.

Windows 11's Taskbar with multi-monitor setups is getting an important update
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 The latest Windows 11 preview build finally enables the ability to view the notification center and calendar flyout from the Taskbar on secondary monitors.

Microsoft launches new experimental 'Copilot Mode' in Edge browser
By Zac Bowden published
Edge Copilot Mode in Microsoft Edge is a new experimental feature that transforms the browser into an agentic AI experience, but it's only free for a limited time.

Microsoft calls Windows 11 version 24H2 the most reliable version of Windows ever.
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 You can expect up to 24% less unexpected restarts and crashes on your Windows PC when you update to Windows 11 version 24H2.

Microsoft Copilot looks set to gain GPT-5 access via new 'smart' chat mode — right alongside ChatGPT
By Zac Bowden published
OpenAI's GPT-5 generative AI model is expected to launch next month, and it looks like Copilot is set to gain access to it right alongside ChatGPT, as references to a new GPT-5 powered "Smart" chat mode have been spotted.

Microsoft tests redesigned Widgets Board on Windows 11 with Copilot
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 A redesigned widgets panel on Windows 11 replaces the MSN feed with a new Copilot Discover layout, which curates stories based on your likes using AI.

Top 6 new features coming to Windows 11 next month
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft is rolling out a handful of big new features and changes to Windows 11 in the next month, including new AI features and improvements to how the OS handles crashes and restarts.

You can now lock your Windows 11 PC from your Android phone
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 A new update to the Link To Windows app on Android has introduced the ability to remotely lock your PC using your phone with the tap of a button.

Surface Laptop 7 with 5G is now available to order
By Zac Bowden published
Surface The Surface Laptop 7 with 5G is now available to order, but only for business customers and with an Intel Core Ultra chip. The device will ship on August 26 and starts at an eyewatering $1,799.

Windows 11 will finally let you share audio to multiple devices at once
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Microsoft is working on a "shared audio" feature that will let you connect to two devices to play audio from, a feature that other platforms have had for years.
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