Hands-On Windows 206: Upgrades in Windows 11 26H2

Jacob Ward explores the resignation of an Anthropic AI researcher and mounting alarms over AI's potential dangers, while Dan Moren recaps Apple's major iPhone event, new hardware, and controversial AI-powered features. AI researcher Jacob Coxon quits Anthropic, warning the company is "gambling with our lives," an admission echoed by Anthropic's own AI safety leads, as calls for regulation grow louder inside the industry. Apple's iPhone event marks the start of the John Ternus era as CEO, with Tim Cook stepping up to executive chairman and handing off the spotlight at a packed launch. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 launch with advanced health sensors and Apple Intelligence-powered "Live Rewind" transcription features, raising questions about privacy, surveillance, and brand identity. Apple finally unveils the iPhone Duo foldable, with a redesigned interface for multitasking and new workflows, aiming to set the standard for premium foldables as pricing and developer adaptation come under scrutiny. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward Guest: Dan Moren Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit-biz bitwarden.com/twit

Jacob Ward explores the resignation of an Anthropic AI researcher and mounting alarms over AI's potential dangers, while Dan Moren recaps Apple's major iPhone event, new hardware, and controversial AI-powered features. AI researcher Jacob Coxon quits Anthropic, warning the company is "gambling with our lives," an admission echoed by Anthropic's own AI safety leads, as calls for regulation grow louder inside the industry. Apple's iPhone event marks the start of the John Ternus era as CEO, with Tim Cook stepping up to executive chairman and handing off the spotlight at a packed launch. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 launch with advanced health sensors and Apple Intelligence-powered "Live Rewind" transcription features, raising questions about privacy, surveillance, and brand identity. Apple finally unveils the iPhone Duo foldable, with a redesigned interface for multitasking and new workflows, aiming to set the standard for premium foldables as pricing and developer adaptation come under scrutiny. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward Guest: Dan Moren Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit-biz bitwarden.com/twit

In this new occasional series within Home Theater Geeks, Scott Wilkinson talks about content he is particularly enjoying. This week, he is really digging Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the latest spin-off from The Big Bang Theory. It's very different from its progenitor, but just as funny and filled with geeky goodness! Host: Scott Wilkinson Download or subscribe to Home Theater Geeks at https://twit.tv/shows/home-theater-geeks Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Microsoft is shaking up how Windows 11 26H2 rolls out, flipping the script with new features, interface tweaks, and a surprise delivery method that has even longtime watchers raising eyebrows. Find out why this update's release strategy and fit-and-finish upgrades set it apart from the pack. Host: Paul Thurrott Download or subscribe to Hands-On Windows at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-windows Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord. Sponsor: canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT

With new iPhones shipping and major iOS updates around the corner, now is the moment to protect your info. Mikah shows the overlooked features and essential steps that keep your data truly safe. You might be missing crucial areas and not even know it! iCloud Backup: how it works, what it includes, and limitations Key differences between synced data and backed-up data Backing up locally to Mac or PC: process and pros How to back up via Finder on macOS and Apple Devices app on Windows Managing and locating your iPhone backups on Mac and PC Importance and benefits of encrypting local backups Using 3rd-party backup tools like iMazing for flexibility Wi-Fi scheduled snapshots, storage locations, and restore caveats Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Hands-On Apple at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-apple Want access to the ad-free audio and video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Are passwords really on their way out, or are we stuck with them a bit longer? Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard dig into Apple's latest moves in credential management and reveal why the end of passwords is only "dead-ish." Find out why this shift matters for both convenience and security, and how it could upend your digital habits. Apple Passwords app evolves: features, security, and sharing explored Passkeys adoption, magic links frustration, and passwordless future Passkeys security benefits and everyday use cases discussed Verification code autofill and cleanup Real-world quirks and reliability of code autofill features Shared groups and Wi-Fi credentials streamline family password management Comparing Apple Passwords vs. third-party managers: features and limitations Password best practices debunked: phase out bad habits App Caps: ESR magnetic matte screen protector and Spark Daily Learning Puzzles Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Contact iOS Today at [email protected]. Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

As Apple finally pulls back the curtain on its next-gen Siri AI, we break down what actually works, where it falls short, and how a wave of developer confusion could shape whether Siri becomes essential or an afterthought. Welcome to the AGI era, OpenAI says as GPT-6 Astra debuts Anthropic Researcher Quits Over 'Out-of-Control' AI Fears An Alien Mind Muse - Your Personal AI Agent Hikers rescued after using Google Gemini for planning On the Navier–Stokes Millennium Prize Problem Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels Put Students First with Nation's Broadest Generative AI Moratorium in Schools Hollywood Puts Four Tech Moguls on Trial in October Movie Pileup chat jimmy Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paris Martineau, and Mikah Sargent Guest: Matthew Cassinelli Download or subscribe to Intelligent Machines at https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/machines monarch.com with code IM scribe.how/machines horizon3.ai/intelligent

Depending on who you ask, AI is either going to save the world or end it. Mikah Sargent has a different take: it's a tool, and what matters is what you do with it. Every week on Hands-On AI, Mikah tests the tools everyone's talking about and tells you the truth — what's worth your time, what isn't, and what's actually going on under the hood. Hands-On AI launches Thursday, October 1. Subscribe at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-ai Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Hands-On AI at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-ai Want access to the ad-free audio and video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

With Microsoft shattering records for patched vulnerabilities and AI exposing even more bugs, Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell debate whether this tidal wave of fixes signals progress or just bigger trouble ahead for Windows users. Also, Sonos is back and here's something no one has been able to say for, well, forever: It's new app is great! Plus, Gemini's Daily Brief is surprisingly useful, and it's available for free to everyone in the U.S.MICROSOFT MAKES MAJOR FINANCIAL REPORTING CHANGE The canary in the coal mine has finally been rewarded: Microsoft will dramatically change how it reports earnings, effective immediately. The good: Didn't see this coming, Microsoft will allegedly be transparent about Azure revenues every quarter The bad: A simpler structure means more revenues are being hidden and you can only make accurate YOY comparisons dating back two years now The unknown: What this will really look like in practice How is it possible that Paul has been all over this for years and Wall Street has mostly ignored it? Windows Patch Tuesday arrives - And, yes, it's basically 26H2 New Start, Taskbar, and Windows Search are generally available Is the "real" 26H2 still on track for October or does it just happen whenever? Microsoft fixed almost 1000 security vulnerabilities this month (974), with 723 of them in Windows and 112 of them critical-severity. It has already released over double the number of security patches this year (2760) as it did in all of 2025 (1139). Five new builds drop just ahead of Patch Tuesday updates with three minor new features Project Zenith is a misguided attempt to make Windows better for developers that shows they've learned nothing Microsoft Edge team promises two contrary improvements: Faster extension approvals, better quality It came from IFA Lenovo: Two AMAZING prototype PCs, one of which is imminent as a shipping product. Two killer NVIDIA RTX Spark-based laptops. Colorful laptops and AIO deflate the MacBook Neo balloon nicely. New ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkBook laptops, including a killer AMD-based workstation that can be daisy-chained HP: Three new NVIDIA RTX Spark PCs, one of which is a desktop PC Acer: RTX Spark, gaming handheld, more Key takeaway: NVIDIA RTX Spark is a game-changer Apps Vivaldi adds PWA and address bar improvements Yes, Virginia, Brave is still the fastest web browser AI and dev Newsday and The Seattle Times sue OpenAI and Microsoft for stealing copyrighted content at scale There's a great new documentary about the making of Visual Studio Code out and it's free This is a modern example of how tech limitations can spur innovation, something that happened a lot in the early home computer era and happens a lot less now .NET 11 heads to release candidate phase ahead of November release XBOX and gaming XBOX Cloud Gaming is getting usage caps starting in November and a standalone service is on the way XBOX app is coming to TCL smart TVs XBOX Insiders are testing startup animation choices, Showcase customization, an improved Remote Play experience, background downloads for Cloud Gaming, and more Tips and picks Tip of the week: Gemini offers a useful and free daily briefing App pick of the week: Sonos RunAs Radio this week: State of WSUS with Adam Brown These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/1000 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

OpenAI's latest advances have the rumor mill buzzing about "hidden thoughts" and unsupervisable models, but are AI safety experts panicking over the wrong threat? Get the clear-headed take behind the headlines. We start out with a classic old school hack against Dropbox. Next Patch Tuesday will be enabling "Memory Integrity" for many. Firefox moved to 155 and obtained a dumb Smart Window. CISA is terminating 6 most valuable cybersecurity services. OpenAI advanced to topof the heap with GPT-6 Astra. But... is it now hiding some of its thinking from monitoring? Nvidia is acquiring Hugging Face. Who's that good for? Google releases Gemini 3.8 Flash and Cyber. Is it good? Chinese cyberespionage is using AI to become more slippery. Matthew Green proposes a fascinating take on AI bug drought. A lifelong safety engineer contemplates AI-driven loss of expertise. Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1095-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: doppel.com hoxhunt.com/securitynow guardsquare.com threatlocker.com/twit