Wednesday Newsbytes: Twice as Many People Use Windows 10 Than Windows 11; March Windows 11 Update Causes Problems; New Monopoly Game Making Billions; Scammers Posing as FTC Employees… and more
Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!
Windows 10 is used by twice as many people as Windows 11, and that’s a problem for Microsoft
Windows 10 is still powering twice as many PCs as Windows 11, the latest figures show. Data shared by StatCounter shows Windows 11 sitting at a 28.18% market share when compared to all other versions of the Microsoft desktop operating system. Meanwhile, Windows 10 sits at 67.23%.
Despite its best efforts, Microsoft is struggling to convince people to upgrade to Windows 11.
Microsoft is not charging Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, so it’s not a question of cost. Instead, the strict minimum system requirements introduced with the latest operating system from Microsoft meant many PC owners were unable to install the new software.
These minimum requirements meant that of the 25 Surface devices released by Microsoft’s in-house hardware team by the time Windows 11 was announced, only 13 were eligible for the upgrade.
Does it matter that laptop and desktop PC owners prefer Windows 10 over Windows 11?
While it doesn’t make a difference for Microsoft today — aside from the disappointment that a majority of Windows users are missing out on the latest features developed by teams inside the company — it could cause havoc down the line…
Windows 11 KB5035853 update is crashing some PCs with vague “Thread Stuck in Device Driver” errors.
Microsoft recently shipped Windows 11 KB5035853 as part of the Windows 11 March 2024 update, which featured several exciting features, including the capability to edit a new image or screenshot captured on your Android phone using the Snipping Tool on Windows 11. It also shipped with several bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.
While the update was predominantly in place to fix issues identified in previous updates, including a persistent 0x800F0922 error, it’s seemingly brewing more trouble for users. According to a spot by Windows Latest, the update is reportedly causing Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors for some users.
Multiple users have shared similar accounts across social media platforms. Some have even lodged complaints citing slow boot times and degraded system performance after installing the update…
Monopoly Go hits $2B in revenue just 10 months after launch
Scopely announced that Monopoly Go has generated $2 billion in revenue just 10 months after launch and three months after hitting $1 billion.
The reimagined take on Hasbro’s iconic board game has garnered a massive player base, solidifying its place as a beloved, highly engaging title in the free-to-play market. It’s a big score not only for Scopely but its new owner Savvy Games Group, which bought Scopely in April for $4.9 billion in a deal that is starting to look like a bargain. (Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy, and Scopely leaders are expected to speak at GamesBeat Summit 2024 in Los Angeles on May 20-21).
Debuting 10 months ago, Monopoly Go has rapidly gained momentum, amassing a vibrant community of millions of players. That’s an extremely short window to hit $2 billion in revenue. It has been downloaded 150 million-plus times…
FTC warns scammers are impersonating its employees to steal money
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned today that scammers are impersonating its employees to steal thousands of dollars from Americans.
FTC staff has received numerous reports from consumers who have fallen victim to scams in which fraudsters exploited the identities of agency personnel to coerce them via phone calls, email, or text messages into transferring or wiring money.
The median financial loss attributed to these FTC impersonation schemes has surged during the last five years, from $3,000 in 2019 to $7,000 in 2024.
Last year alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received [PDF] over 14,000 government impersonation complaints, mostly from the elderly. These complaints led to losses of more than $394 million, a 63% increase compared to 2022.
In response, the agency has released guidelines aimed at helping identify such fraudulent activities, urging U.S. consumers to report any FTC impersonation scams via ReportFraud.ftc.gov in English or ReporteFraude.ftc.gov in Spanish.
“The FTC will never tell consumers to move their money to ‘protect’ it. The FTC will never send consumers to a Bitcoin ATM, tell them to go buy gold bars, or demand they withdraw cash and take it to someone in person. It will also never contact consumers to demand money, threaten to arrest or deport them, or promise a prize,” the agency said…
Read more at Bleeping Computer.
What is Suno? The ‘ChatGPT for music’ generates songs in seconds
How easily can this AI tool produce an original song with realistic vocals, lyrics, album art, and a beat? Just enter your text prompt and click ‘Create’.
Several text-to-music generators are now on the market, including offerings from Meta and Google. However, the Suno AI music generator is becoming increasingly popular — likely because it creates original lyrics and vocals, and because it leverages the power of ChatGPT.
So what is Suno and how does it work?
What is Suno?
Suno is an AI music generator that uses a text prompt to generate a song with original lyrics and beats. The generator can be accessed via its free standalone website or via Microsoft Copilot by enabling Suno’s third-party plug-in.
What makes Suno stand out from other music-generating models? In addition to creating the music — which you can do on Meta’s AudioCraft and Google’s MusicFX — Suno also produces original lyrics and vocals. This is a reflection of the company’s mission to make it possible for everyone to create music, regardless of background or musical knowledge.
Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope these articles were informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. Darcy & TC
