The US is once again trying to slow advances in China’s chip manufacturing industry, a move that is unlikely to pay dividends long term, but may help US business concerns in the very short term, according to analysts and other China technology experts. The outcome will shape the semiconductor industry in the years to come.

Reuters reported on the latest diplomatic efforts on Wednesday, noting that US export policy chief Alan Estevez is traveling in an attempt to expand a 2023 agreement between the US, Japan and the Netherlands “to keep chipmaking equipment from China that could help to modernize its military.”

But experts on Chinese technology strategies are skeptical the talks will yield much and, if anything is achieved, they are even more skeptical that it will help long-term. That said, even a short-term delay in China’s chip-making progress could give US companies more breathing room.

The negotiations are tricky. US negotiators must convince key governmental and industrial concerns to stop selling chip manufacturing equipment and materials to China, even though it means surrendering a massive amount of revenue.

Lithography systems a key lever

Japan’s chip strength comes from a wide range of materials and components, whereas the Netherlands’ specialty is lithography systems, the complex machines used to etch semiconductor designs on silicon wafers, said Mario Morales, the group VP overseeing semiconductor coverage for IDC. Lithography “is what makes the most advanced silicon today. These are all critical market segments, so it definitely slows things down, but China is absolutely investing in those spaces,” he said.

The sums of money at stake make the US diplomatic efforts unlikely to succeed, Morales said.

“Some 25 percent of Intel’s business is coming from China,” he said, adding that AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm also rely heavily on sales to China. And if the US negotiators are successful, Morales said that he expects China to retaliate.

The only argument that the US can make is long-term, Morales said. These companies all know that China is heavily investing in its own manufacturing operations, and it will only be a few years — Morales projects five to seven years — before China will no longer need materials from Japan and the Netherlands. Once that happens, China will cut off revenue to those companies anyway.

The argument goes that not cooperating with the US now may make the US less likely to be there for those companies when China no longer needs them. On the flip side, it’s unlikely the US would cut back on purchases from Japan and the Netherlands even if they don’t cooperate because US companies need their support. It’s not as though the US would want American companies to buy from China any more than is absolutely necessary.

Morales specified automotive, smartphone and China’s own AI operations as representing the bulk of China’s current chip investments. “These are all critical market segments, so it definitely slows things down, but China is absolutely investing in those spaces,” Morales said. “Most of these initiatives will fail. And even if they don’t, it only contains China for a short term.”

Irina Tsukerman is a geopolitical analyst, a national security lawyer and the president of Scarab Rising, a global strategy advisory firm. Tsukerman argues that these talks are going to make things very awkward for some of these chip component and tooling manufacturers.

Short-term profit or long-term relationship

“The scramble over these restrictions means companies will hard pressed to make a choice whether to take maximum advantage of that window of opportunity to make profit, likely at escalated prices, to sell that equipment to China,” Tsukerman said, “or get on the US good side early and voluntarily start cooperating with the additional restrictions with a possibility of gaining early leverage and scoring investments or other positive incentives from Washington, before negative incentives are introduced more broadly.”

But she agrees with the US efforts, as she argues that it will likely succeed in the very short-term.

“Until now, China has been able to capitalize on weak import-export controls, including via US-friendly countries, as well as loopholes in the type of equipment banned under restrictions, to continue apace with its development of its domestic chip industry,” Tsukerman said. “Netherlands and Japan remain in possession of some of the most advanced equipment for developing semiconductors. If these loopholes and restrictions are tightened, China will have a much harder time with making the breakthroughs it needs to circumvent the overall bans on AI chips.”

Tsukerman said that US government officials should also look inward, as China has taken advantage of ineffective enforcement from multiple US agencies. The US “should look towards its own import-export controls, because the occasional and sometimes systematic unwillingness of its agencies to enforce these controls has resulted in China exploiting additional loopholes to gain access to such equipment,” she said. 

Retaliatory measures

In terms of likely Chinese retaliation, the Chinese government would have many options. “The US and its allies should be preparing for a likely eventuality of China placing additional restrictions on the rare earth minerals and other raw materials used in the development of semiconductors to prevent the US and its counterparts from advancing further and making it easier for China to catch up even under restriction,” Tsukerman said.

Potentially more importantly, Tsukerman said the US focus on China might prove problematic, as these chip supplies could also come from various other countries. “Working only with the Netherlands and Japan to prevent China from gaining access to equipment is clearly insufficient. China has benefited from loose import-export controls in countries willing to sell that type of equipment produced with Dutch, Japanese, and/or joint US involvement to China with the same result. The coalition should work in tandem to shut down gray zones, possibly imposing secondary sanctions on countries willing to sell such equipment,” she said. “For now, the chipmaking equipment production is dominated by the US-led coalition. It is only a matter of time before other countries develop their own capabilities, BRICS members being the prime example,” she added, referring to the intergovernmental organization founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and more recently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Tsukerman said recent US efforts to negotiate with India may be a good move, “India could still be helpful to chipmaking production in any of the expanded BRICS members in many other ways. Meanwhile, such restrictions certainly do not apply to any of the other members, including Saudi Arabia, which is dedicating billions to start a regional semiconductor hub and may receive China’s assistance in exchange for providing China with such equipment.”

Brian Levine, a managing partner with Ernst & Young who was one of the US Department of Justice’s representatives in the US law enforcement Joint Liaison Group (JLG) with China, said that he sees even a miniscule delay in China’s chip-making efforts as worthwhile for US interests. 

War is waged with microchips

“Progress is progress and the same is true for the delay of progress. These days, war is waged not with guns, but with microchips,” Levine said. “Win the war on microchips and you may win the war generally. I think the administration is trying to pull what levers it can. The degree to which it will be effective will depend on many factors that are unknowable at this point, such as the level of international cooperation with the effort.”  

Although some have raised questions of hypocrisy with the US trying to pressure China into not doing what it is actively doing, Levine disagrees. “Much of this technology was likely stolen from the US and other countries, so I have limited sympathy for those who may get worked up about the US attempting to impose such restrictions.”

Robert Khachatryan, the CEO of Freight Right Global Logistics, is also uncertain about how much of an impact the US diplomatic efforts will make. 

“Although the restrictions may slow China’s progress in the short term, it is uncertain if they will be sufficient to halt it entirely. China has been increasing its investments in domestic chip production, aiming for self-sufficiency,” Khachatryan said. “Restricting China’s access to AI chip technology could disrupt global supply chains and commerce, as China accounts for 24 percent of global semiconductor consumption. Such restrictions might slow worldwide production and distribution and shift trade dynamics, with countries seeking alternative suppliers.”

Microsoft has added generative artificial intelligence and other enhanced features to its quantum-computing platform as part of a larger strategy to deliver the game-changing technology to a broader range of users — in this case, the scientific community.

The company on Wednesday unveiled the release of Generative Chemistry and Accelerated DFT, which together expand how scientists in the chemicals and materials science industry can use its Azure Quantum Elements platform to help drastically shorten the time it takes them to do research, the company said in a blog post.

“Just as generative AI has unleashed new waves of creativity and improved productivity with collaborative tools like Copilot, we are now bringing AI and natural language processing capabilities to science,” according to the post, attributed to Jason Zander, EVP, Strategic Missions and Technologies.

Shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets dropped 67.4% year over year in the first quarter of 2024 as a result of an evolution in the market, new data from International Data Corp. (IDC) reveals.

“The decline in shipments was expected as the market transitions to include new categories such as Mixed Reality (MR) and Extended Reality (ER),” IDC noted Tuesday. “Despite the decline, the average selling price (ASP) rose to over $1,000 as Apple entered the market and incumbents such as Meta focused on premium headsets such as the Quest 3.”

The future of such products in the enterprise is in flux, with Microsoft pulling back and laying off workers from its HoloLens division last year, while Apple is clearly targeting the enterprise market with its Apple Vision Pro.

The research firm said that it recently revised its taxonomy of headsets to incorporate two new categories: “Mixed Reality which occludes the user’s vision but provides a view of the real world with outward facing cameras, and Extended Reality, which employs a see-though display but mirrors content from another device or offers a simplistic heads-up display.”

Headset market in flux

Meta again led the market in the first quarter in terms of share, while Apple’s recent entry into the market enabled it to capture the second position. ByteDance, Xreal, and HTC rounded out the top five, IDC said.

When online pre-sales of Apple’s Vision Pro AR/VR headsets began on Jan. 19 they sold out quickly, but as Computerworldnoted soon after, stable delivery dates could indicate limited demand for the $3,500 device.

Fast forward to April, and Apple said that it had cut Vision Pro production due to low demand, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst at TF International Securities.

Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for worldwide mobile device trackers at IDC, said that with mixed reality on the rise, “expect strictly virtual reality headsets to fade in the coming years as brands and developers devise new hardware and experiences to help users eventually transition to augmented reality further down the line. Meanwhile, extended reality displays are set to garner consumer attention as they offer a big screen experience today while incorporating AI and heads-up displays in the near future.”

Meanwhile, Ramon T. Llamas, research director with IDC’s augmented and virtual reality team, said that although ASPs for the overall market crested above the $1,000 mark, this is not representative of all products.

“ASPs for augmented reality (AR) headsets have almost always been above this price point, but ASPs for VR, MR, and ER headsets have typically been lower,” he said. “Apple’s Vision Pro drove ASPs higher for MR headsets, but the addition of lower-cost devices from Meta and HTC have kept those ASPs from going much higher. Meanwhile, there were many devices for VR and ER priced below $500.”

Return to growth

Looking ahead, Llamas said that IDC is anticipating ASP erosion across all products: “Because the overall market is still in its early stages with more expensive first- and second-generation devices, prices will be high even as early adopters buy them. In order to reach scale in the mass market, vendors will need to reduce prices on later and upcoming devices.”

IDC is forecasting that “headset shipments will return to growth later this year with volume growing 7.5% over 2023. Newer headsets and lower price points will help with the turnaround expected later this year. Beyond that, headset shipment volume is expected to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 43.9% from 2024–2028.”

(Editor’s note: This column originally appeared on Computerworld Sweden on June 14, 2024.)

Just as everyone expected, and almost demanded, Apple finally started talking about artificial intelligence — in its own way, of course. The big keynote at WWDC on Monday might not have been the AI ​​event many had thought was coming. For example, the deal with Open AI, where Chat GPT will be used as an extension of Apple devices’ own AI capabilities, was negotiated in a matter of minutes.

Apple appears to be approaching AI with caution. Cautious, you might call it, but I actually think this strategy is the right one, and it aligns with what I called for earlier: AI that integrates seamlessly and easily into solutions we already know and use.

Apple Intelligence (of course Apple’s AI has been trademarked) is not a special app, or a special assistant or a “Copilot.” These are small, clever features, built on small, specialized models, sprinkled throughout the software. In Siri, in the photo app, as a writing aid, and so on, all in a seemingly non-intrusive way — an extra function, or help, that is there, if you want it.

The latter is important because it bothers me enormously is when AI is shoved down one’s throat. Just because an AI feature exists, maybe I don’t want to use it? No one but I knows what tasks I’m better at than AI, and it obviously varies from person to person.

For example, I am very good at writing and processing text. I definitely don’t want any AI getting in there (I even turn off the spell check in Word). On the other hand, sitting with transcriptions and translations is boring as hell, so I’m happy to take help there.

I’m a decent hobby photographer and don’t need an AI to make my photos “better” unsolicited. However, it can be fun or effective to take AI help to remove some ugly detail, play with the depth of field, or expose subjects.

I’m also a frequent user of chat, both privately and at work, but I think it feels a bit dirty to click on the suggested answers in Microsoft Teams chat (“Great”, “That sounds good.”) because it feels quite disrespectful to the person I’m communicating with.

BAbove all, I am seriously uninterested in Google’s new “AI Overviews,” which have now been rolled out, starting in the US. The AI ​​function in Google’s search engine takes the liberty of using AI to try to guess what you are looking for — and answer it.

I’m extremely good at Googling; it’s a skill I’ve developed over many years. And when I do research with the help of Google, it’s not one answer I’m looking for, but a balanced assessment that I make based on the information I google, thank you very much. Even if Google’s AI in the future gives “correct” answers instead of suggesting to glue the cheese on pizza, that’s just not what I want to use a search engine for.

So that’s why I think Apple is right here. It is through these kinds of simple, friendly and optional functions that do not require advanced “prompt engineering” that the masses will be introduced to and actually use AI tools. Because even though it might sound like it sometimes, most people don’t use Chat GPT at all.

Now Apple has the luxury, if you call it that, of not having to position itself as an “AI company” as a number of other tech giants want to do, although there has been pressure from investors to start delivering in this area. Apple sells mobile phones (and other hardware, but mainly phones). Therefore, it can be worthwhile to focus more on data protection and privacy, and on introducing features at a pace and in a way that makes mobile phone buyers see value in their presence.

Moreover, Apple isn’t charging extra for it, as most others do. Of course, Apple Intelligence is so far only available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (and Mac computers with M-chip). And, presumably, that sprinkling of AI isn’t so sparkling yet as to warrant an immediate upgrade for most people.

But even if this particular iteration of Apple Intelligence will not become everyone’s everyday AI — anymore than the first iPhone became everyone’s smartphone — I believe, this is the way development will go. AI is fundamentally a commodity, a general-purpose technology.

It’s a feature, not a product.

This column is taken from CS Veckobrev, a personal newsletter with reading tips, link tips and analysis sent directly from Computerworld Sweden‘s editor-in-chief, Marcus Jerräng. Do you also want the newsletter on Fridays? Sign up for a free subscription here.

Adobe Acrobat users can now generate and edit images in PDFs via text prompts with the addition of Adobe’s Firefly AI image model.

The update gives Acrobat and Reader users access to some of the same image creation and editing capabilities available in Adobe design apps such as Photoshop, without the need to switch tools. This means it’s possible to create new images from scratch using Adobe’s latest Firefly Image 3 model — which Adobe claims will enable greater realism and more control over the images produced compared to previous models — or manipulate existing content with Generative Fill and Remove Background tools.

The Firefly image feature, announced Monday, is available for Adobe Acrobat Standard and Pro customers; they will receive 250 “generative credits” to use with the Edit Image and Generate Image features each month at no additional cost through January 2025 an Adobe spokesperson said. The price after that date point has yet to be determined. 

“Adobe has done workers a service by building technologies like the generative capabilities of Adobe Firefly and working to integrate them across a range of their applications and tools,” said Matt Arcaro, IDC research director for computer vision and AI. By building Firefly into familiar apps such as Acrobat, the level of friction involved in accessing a new technology is reduced, he said. 

Adobe has also added new features to the AI Assistant for Acrobat and Reader apps announced in February. 

The generative AI (genAI) assistant can now summarize information from multiple documents — including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and other file formats — at the same time. That lets users identify common trends and generate an overview summary with citations that point to the source of information, Adobe said. Users can then direct the AI assistant to format the content for a specific purpose, such as turning it into an email that can be sent to colleagues. 

The ability to query multiple documents adds value to Adobe’s “document chat” tool, said Arcaro. “This creates a significant speed up for gathering key insights, but also to put together a more comprehensive perspective across multiple similar or different documents,” he said.

The Acrobat AI assistant can also be used to summarize the transcription of a Microsoft Teams meeting or webinar, or upload a “VTT” transcript file generated in another meeting app. 

The Acrobat AI Assistant is available for free until June 28, after which it will cost an additional $4.99 each month for individual Acrobat Standard and Pro subscribers under Adobe’s “early access pricing.” This pricing is available up to Sept. 4. 

Adobe didn’t respond to a request for pricing details after this date. 

If you have an Apple ID, you can use iCloud with Windows, which means you can access your email, videos, photos, calendars, bookmarks, files and other iCloud data from your PC – useful when you’re at your desk or traveling without an Apple device, or if you are inside Boot Camp on your Mac.

How to use iCloud with Windows

There are two ways to use iCloud with Windows: via a browser or using a dedicated application called iCloud for Windows, but there are differences between the two:

The browser

On the surface, the most straightforward approach to using iCloud with Windows systems might appear to be accessing your iCloud account from your favorite web browser.

The app

That’s great up to a point, but to unlock the power of sync across all the devices you have logged into your iCloud account, including your Windows systems, it is far better to download and install Apple’s iCloud for Windows software on your PC. The software is available for free download directly from Microsoft’s app store.

Once installed and set up, you’ll be able to use iCloud to get to all your photos, documents and bookmarks on your Windows PC to update automatically across all your Apple devices, and vice versa, which is what you get when you use iCloud for Windows. 

Borrowed from One Drive

The most recently published version of iCloud for Windows uses Microsoft’s Cloud Files API, (One Drive’s Files On Demand feature) which makes the solution more robust and faster.

This means new assets will swiftly sync across all your devices, “enabling users to be more productive offline on mobile devices and quickly share files on iOS,” according to Microsoft Engineering General Manager Giorgio Sardo. In part, this is because the system is smart enough to just download a “breadcrumb” (around 1k in size) of each of your files, downloading the full item on request.

How does iCloud Drive work?

If you already use iCloud Drive, you’ll be familiar with what it does. If not, then the easiest way to understand the feature is as online storage for all the files and projects you are working on. Anything you save into any folder of the iCloud Drive will sync across all your Apple ID devices (it’s very like Dropbox in this). You will also be able to access items saved to iCloud Drive on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad within this folder on your PC using File Explorer. Fully searchable, the service also lets you share your files with others.

How do I access iCloud using a browser?

At those times when it makes sense to use the browser to access your iCloud data — such as when travelling and using a borrowed machine.  It’s easy: just navigate to iCloud.com using your browser and log in using your Apple ID and password. 

In a neat touch, any active Reminders you might have will appear at the top of the iCloud main page when you log in. You’ll also find an icon-based set of links to take you to your  iCloud apps and services, including your iCloud Drive.

• Mail
• Contacts
• Calendar
• Photos
• iCloud Drive
• Notes
• Reminders
• Find iPhone
• Account Settings

You’ll also find fully functional online versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote, which you can use to create documents compatible with both Mac and PC. You may also find News Publisher, if you have enabled that app.

NB: There are a small number of useful tasks you can only achieve using iCloud via your browser, such as creating rules to help improve email management across all your systems.

Accessing iCloud using a browser is especially useful on borrowed machines, during emergencies, while visiting Internet cafes or even using a machine you don’t own that you happen to have access to. Just remember to log out.

Of course, the beauty of iCloud is its ability to sync across all your devices, but to sync from a Windows system you need to install iCloud for Windows.

How to set up iCloud for Windows

Apple’s iCloud for Windows software should install automatically once downloaded. If it does not, open File Explorer, launch iCloud Setup and restart your PC. 

Setting up the app will create iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive folders on your Windows 10 device. These will sync with your iCloud account and connected devices, and should automatically appear in File Explorer’s Quick Access menu.

What are the system requirements?

The current iteration of iCloud for Windows requires that you are running at least Windows 10 and that you re signed into your Microsoft account. You’ll also need Outlook and a web browser (Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome).

If you use Windows 7 or Windows 8, you can download compatible versions of iCloud for Windows directly from the Apple website. (Some iCloud services might work differently, as detailed here.)

Once the software is installed and open, you’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID to sign into iCloud, and you’ll then need to choose which iCloud features you want to use. To do this, you’ll be shown a window in which you check or uncheck each feature:

• iCloud Drive,
• Photos & videos, including sharing albums of images and videos.
• Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks
• Bookmarks.

As you enable each of these categories, iCloud for Windows will create folders for those categories in File Explorer, so you can dive in to access or add to your iCloud content. You can also share and collaborate on files held in your iCloud Drive from within File Explorer, with edits synced across your devices.

Here is how to use each of these features:

How does iCloud Photos work?

When enabled, iCloud for Windows creates an iCloud Photos folder in File Explorer. Any images of videos you add to this folder will then be synced across all the devices you own that logged into this Apple ID. You can share galleries of images using iCloud Photo Sharing.

iCloud for Windows will keep lightweight copies of your images on your PC, only downloading full-res versions on request.

When you set yourself up with iCloud for Windows you’ll see an ‘Options’ item appear beside Photos. Tap this and you’ll find the following choices:

• iCloud Photo Library: Enable this and any images/videos saved to the iCloud Photos folder on your Windows device will be stored in iCloud. You can also change which folders are used for photo and video sync.
• My Photo Stream: Downloads all your most recent images from your devices to your Windows system.
• Download new photos and videos to my PC: This option appears when you enable iCloud Photo Library, and is self explanatory.
• Keep high-efficiency originals if available: Check this if you have plenty of drive space.
• Upload new photos and videos from my PC: Disable this if you only want to view items captured by your other iCloud devices.
• iCloud Photo Sharing: You can view items shared with you by others.

Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks and Bookmarks

The final selection of iCloud items you can access using Windows. Once you enable this all your iCloud mail (typically sent to [email protected]) will be made available in the folder pane on Outlook. You’ll also find all your other calendaring data there, and bookmarks will be made available through your browser.

Apple recently made an extension available for the Chrome browser on Windows to ensure it remains compatible with iCloud and iCloud for Windows. Once the new version is installed, users should find a new “Passwords” section in the app with an iCloud Keychain logo.

Everything else

If you have any problems with these features, please refer to Apple’s extensive Support pages that should help you resolve them. (Don’t forget, you won’t receive email if you failed to create an iCloud email address when setting up your Apple ID).

There are some iCloud services that just don’t work on Windows: Find My iPhone, Back to My Mac, Backup, Notes and Reading List. All these require deeper OS integration, though in the case of Find My iPhone you will be able to track lost devices using iCloud in your browser.

However, if you have valuable data that you want to sync between your Macs, iOS devices and Windows PC, iCloud for Windows should help – though that 5GB of storage Apple supplies remains miserly at best.

(Find out more on how to synchronize iCloud — and what to do when it won’t sync.)

Can I use a Managed Apple ID?

Unfortunately, iCloud for Windows isn’t yet supported if you use a Managed Apple ID.

More useful iCloud tips

Here is a short collection of what may be useful tips for iCloud users on any platform, not just Windows:

• Even more useful iCloud storage tips
• How to fix iCloud when it stops working
• 5 clever little iCloud tips you’ll probably use
• 10 Mac tips for Windows users
• How and why to use Rules in iCloud Mail
• How to fix iCloud sync in seconds

Got a story? Please drop me a line via Twitter and let me know. I’d like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know about new articles I publish and reports I find.

Microsoft this week released 49 updates (including two recent additions) on Patch Tuesday with no reported zero-day flaws, public disclosures, or newly released working exploits for the Microsoft ecosystem. This came as welcome news and is paired with low-risk changes to Microsoft Office. The company’s development platforms saw minor updates to Visual Studio, and both SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange were patch free for the month.

The team at Readiness has provided a useful infographic outlining the risks associated with each of the updates. 

Known issues 

Each month, Microsoft publishes a list of known issues that are part of the latest update cycle, including the following reported minor issues:

• After you install KB5034203 (dated 01/23/2024) or later updates, some Windows devices that use the DHCP Option 235 to discover Microsoft Connected Cache (MCC) nodes in their network might be unable to use those nodes. Microsoft is still working on this one. In the meantime there is a workaround that involves setting the Cache Hostname to 1. 

We recognize and respect Microsoft’s recent efforts with artificial intelligence (note, I did not say “AI” as that is an Apple thing now) but it would be nice if Microsoft resolved the profile picture (that you can’t change) known issue soon. 

Major revisions 

Microsoft published the following major revisions to past security and feature updates including:

• CVE-2024-30080: (see below for mitigations). This patch was updated late in the June release cycle. As this was an information update, no further action is required, unless you want to action the Microsoft recommended mitigations.

Mitigations and workarounds

Microsoft published the following vulnerability-related mitigations:

• CVE-2024-30070: DHCP Server Service Denial of Service Vulnerability. Microsoft (helpfully) notes that if you’re not using DHCP, you are not affected by this potential vector for DDOS attacks. 
• CVE-2024-30080: Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Message Queuing security issues are tough to find, mitigate and test, so this might need some careful attention from your internal developers. At the very least, ensure that you have changed your ports from the MSMQ listening default (1801) to help reduce your attack surface. Microsoft also recommends you check to see whether the MSMQ HTTP-Support feature is enabled.

The team at Readiness analyzed the latest Patch Tuesday updates to provide detailed, actionable testing guidance based on assessing a large application portfolio and a detailed analysis of the Microsoft patches and their potential impact.

For this cycle, we have grouped the critical updates and required testing efforts into different functional areas including:

Microsoft Office

• Microsoft SharePoint will require basic document opening and multi-user access tests this month.

Microsoft .NET and Developer Tools

• There are no updates to Microsoft .NET requiring application portfolio testing this month.

Windows

The following core Microsoft features have been updated:

• Changes to Secure Boot will require testing of all third-party drivers.
• Code integrity policies need to be verified for Windows Lockdown (WLDP), Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) and the Windows Driver Policy for Intune deployments. We recommend you test your Windows desktop sandbox and ensure that it boots correctly.
• Changes to Windows networking will require testing at least two DHCP servers.
• Remote desktop-related updates will require VPN connection tests. Try some administrative commands from the Microsoft Management console (MMC) such as adding, connecting and disconnecting VPN connections.

This month’s update also affects several core systems such as Kernel32 and Win32K.SYS sub-systems. Unfortunately, these changes affect how applications behave at a fundamental level, which makes testing not just hard, but broad and expansive across your application portfolio. The Readiness team suggests that the following general application tests be performed against all of your core line-of-business applications.

• Test as many windows and pop-ups as possible.
• Check window title bars for errors, or poorly formatted text.
• Check for unusual items in the Windows taskbar.
• Thoroughly test File explorer (sorry about that).
• Test multiple applications, with multiple windows.

Automated testing will help with these scenarios (especially a testing platform that offers a “delta” or comparison between builds). However, for your line-of-business apps, getting the application owner (doing UAT) to test and approve the results is essential. 

Windows lifecycle update 

This section contains important changes to servicing (and most security updates) to Windows desktop and server platforms.

• Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, Version 21H2 will no longer be serviced as of June 11, 2024

For those planning ahead, Oct. 8, 2024, is a big day as Microsoft will no longer offer general servicing for the following desktop platforms:

• Windows 11 Enterprise and Education, Version 21H2
• Windows 11 Home and Pro, Version 22H2
• Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, Version 21H2

Each month, we break down the update cycle into product families (as defined by Microsoft) with the following basic groupings: 

• Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge)
• Microsoft Windows (both desktop and server) 
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Exchange Server 
• Microsoft Development platforms (ASP.NET Core, .NET Core and Chakra Core)
• Adobe (if you get this far) 

Browsers

Microsoft has released seven minor updates to the Chromium-based browser (Edge), while the Chromium project has added six additional updates this week. These updates should have minor to negligible impact on applications that integrate and operate on Chromium. Add these updates to your standard patch release schedule. 

Windows

This month, Microsoft released one critical update (CVE-2024-30080) and 32 patches rated as important for Windows, covering the following key components: 

• Windows Win32 Kernel Subsystem, GRFX and drivers
• Networking (Wii-fi) and DHCP
• Storage and Error Reporting
• Crypto and BitLocker

The critical-rated patch relates to the core, but not often used, Message Queuing service (MSMQ) that could affect internal applications. Unusually, this patch has already been updated since the main release on Tuesday. That said, the Readiness team believes all these Windows patches can be added to your standard release schedule.

Microsoft Office 

There were no critical updates for Office this month, and only five patches rated as important. All five have low potential for exploitability (no worms, add-in vulnerabilities or Word macro issues) and should be added to your regular Microsoft Office update schedule.

Microsoft Exchange Server 

No updates for Microsoft Exchange Server or SQL Server this month, which, of course, is a good thing. 

Microsoft development platforms 

Microsoft released just three updates to Microsoft Visual Studio. These patches affect versions of the Microsoft developer platform from 2017 to 2022. All of the proposed changes are low risk and application specific. Add these updates to your standard developer release schedule.

Adobe Reader (if you get this far) 

We are back to the usual state of things, and Microsoft has not chosen to include any Adobe products this release cycle. This is a very good thing.

While the arrangement between OpenAI and Apple is attracting a lot of attention, Apple has put together a sizable number of its own large language model (LLM) tools that will run on a compatible device or in its secure cloud, Private Cloud Compute. 

Apple Vice President Craig Federighi calls Apple Intelligence, “the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models right at the core of your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.”

To achieve this, it draws on what your device knows about you and on-device intelligence, or, where necessary, in the cloud via the highly secure Private Cloud Compute system. At all times, Apple says it’s working to protect user privacy, which means your data is protected unless you choose to use a third-party AI, such as ChatGPT. 

In making these solutions, Apple has paid particular heed to creating tools that offer truly useful help. The critical idea is that they get things done for you without getting in the way of the easy user interaction you usually enjoy with your Apple product. 

Tools to help you write better

To help you write, Apple Intelligence can proofread and rewrite your text anywhere across your system, including within third-party apps. Apple Intelligence will also summarize a meeting transcript, long email, and website content; pretty much any large block of text can be made bite-sized.

Be warned, for some of these functions Apple Intelligence might need to use ChatGPT, but you’ll be told if that is the case and can cancel the request rather than sharing your information with a third-party service provider.

Mail is getting better

We wrote a little more to explain how Mail works here.

• The system works to figure out which of your incoming emails are most essential and places those emails at the top of your Inbox.
• AI will also create what it thinks are appropriate replies for you — you don’t have to use them and do get to approve them before they are despatched.

Meetings, now with AI assistants

Tap record when making a call or when inside a Note to capture audio recordings and transcripts. Once the call or meeting ends, Apple Intelligence will quickly generate a summary of the transcript.

Tools to help you stay focused

There’s a new automated Focus mode that reduces interruptions but is also intelligent enough to let important notifications break through. Apple Intelligence will also get to know which of your notifications matter to you most and make sure those are at the top of your notifications list. The idea is to optimize your attention so you can stay on top of the things.

Making images

Apple’s on-device LLM engine will create original images for you based on a typed request. Usefully, it will also remove unwanted objects in an image on request. And a new Image Playground app lets you experiment with ideas and try different image styles to create your own images.

Photos gets better at helping you find your stuff

AI features in Photos include far more powerful and contextually-aware Search results and the ability to create a Memories video based on such a search.

Introducing, Genmoji

If like me you have problems finding precisely the right emoji or aren’t really certain if any that you do choose to have a double meaning, then salvation is at hand! Genmoji makes it possible to create completely original emoji on demand; just tell your Apple device what you want and up it will pop.

Wave your Image Wand

This feature needs an Apple Pencil. It works like this: Open a Note, draw a circle where you want your generated image to appear in that Note, and Apple’s intelligence will make you a custom image that reflects the contents of it.

Siri gets serious attention

We’re being promised lots of improvements in Siri; not only will it be able to better understand more complex or poorly articulated requests, but it also gains the kind of contextual understanding you need to figure out answers to complex questions such as “Show me the recipe Sacha sent me the other day.” 

That has several implications, including:

• Siri knows what you are looking at and you can make requests that reference that, such as adding an address to your Contacts, or adding something to a note in a different app.
• The assistant can also now answer questions about any of your Apple devices or operating system features, like an Apple Genius in your pocket.
• Siri also now understands typed requests — double tap the bottom of the display and a keyboard pops up.
• Sometimes your device might need to use ChatGPT to fulfill some requests; you will be told if that is the case and can cancel the request.
• Apple has also given asking Siri questions a new vibe; when you do so, your device now will show a glowing light all around the borders of the screen. 

Is there more to come? Probably

It is likely there will be additional features in place by the time Apple Intelligence is made available in the fall product software updates. This is because developers can use App Intents to make features available within their apps also available across the system. Meanwhile, developers get to use Xcode Complete to work smarter.

Apple is also thought to be pushing other genAI firms beyond OpenAI to offer their services on its platforms, while the company hopes to generate new income streams as developers build and make available additional LLMs on its platforms.

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