Microsoft just celebrated 12 years of the Windows Insider Program by sharing a collection of wallpapers. But the origin of those wallpapers has drawn a bit of criticism. It turns out that they were not made on a Surface Laptop Ultra or, in fact, any Windows 11 device. Instead, they were created using a Mac.
Rafael Rivera checked the properties of the wallpapers and noticed that they were created using the Mac version of Adobe Photoshop.
New Windows Insider email: "we created new backgrounds for all Insiders inspired by 12 years of the Windows Insider Program and the latest Surface design aesthetic" https://t.co/4gzu6wPcWO Created on a Mac. https://t.co/0d8HgHlvh0October 15, 2026
Rivera noted in a follow-up post on X that the images were made by Microsoft's in-house design team. If accurate, that precludes the possibility of a contracted company happening to use Macs in their normal workflow and being commissioned to make the images.
Even if the images were made by a contracted company, Microsoft would have a little bit of egg on its face because that would indicate that even a creator that works with Microsoft prefers to use an Apple product.
Windows Central take
I don't think this is a big deal, but the situation has emerged at an awkward time. Microsoft is in the middle of refreshing Windows 11. The tech giant just shared a massive blog post positioning Windows 11 as a selling point to buy a new PC.
Having Windows Insider wallpapers created on a Mac opens the door to jokes like "even Microsoft staff prefer Mac."
It's perfectly reasonable for Microsoft to use tools created by another company. It's not as if Microsoft should force its design team to use the new Photos app instead of Photoshop. Creators, and any worker, need to use tools that can get the job done.
But considering Adobe Photoshop is available on Windows 11, it's a bit strange that Microsoft couldn't send a few Windows 11 PCs over to its design team.
Alternatively, Microsoft could call up ASUS and make a deal to get some ProArt P16 laptops to the design team. Our friends at Tom's Guide said "The ASUS ProArt P16 is an outstanding laptop for creativity."
The best news for whoever made the Windows Insider Program anniversary images is that Adobe Photoshop works on Windows on Arm, so it should run smoothly on any of the new RTX Spark laptops.
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