
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

The Surface Neo was a masterpiece of design — and a disaster of execution
By Zac Bowden published
Surface Almost 6 years after it was first announced, I finally got my hands on Microsoft's canceled Surface Neo with Windows 10X. Here's what the dual-screen PC future could have been like.

Microsoft's Windows boss teases the next version of Windows will redefine computing
By Zac Bowden published
In a new video, Microsoft CVP and Windows boss Pavan Davuluri has teased that the future of Windows will consist of a truly ambient and multi-modal experience made possible by AI that will redefine our usage of computers.

Microsoft commits to improve gaming on Arm-based Windows 11 PCs
By Zac Bowden published
Gaming Microsoft has announced an update to the Xbox app that enables the ability to download Xbox PC games on Arm-based devices, while also committing to improving gaming on Arm devices as a whole.

Microsoft trialed a revamped Edge UI with Copilot
By Zac Bowden published
News Microsoft recently built a prototype UI for its Edge web browser codenamed Olympia that placed emphasis on Copilot. Here's what it looked like, and what it might have been for.

Microsoft Is Building AI Into the Taskbar—Windows 11 Could Soon Have a Built-In Copilot Button
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 11 Agentic companions for the Taskbar could be Windows 11's next big AI upgrade, but what form could this take and how would it be useful?

Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 Can Now Enable 80% Charge Limit
By Zac Bowden published
Surface Microsoft's flagship Snapdragon-powered devices can now enable an 80% charge limit directly from within Windows 11 thanks to the latest firmware updates.

Still Rocking Windows 10? Microsoft’s Giving You Free Edge Updates for 3 More Years
By Zac Bowden published
Windows 10 The company has committed to supporting Edge on Windows 10 for three more years for free, regardless of whether you intend to pay for security updates on the EOL platform.

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.
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