Microsoft cancels universal Recall release in favor of Windows Insider preview
- Reference: 1718346726
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/06/14/microsoft_recall_release_delayed/
- Source link:
Recall was announced on May 20, when Redmond touted it as a handy tool to help users do things like remember the name of that really great website they visited last week but didn't bookmark, or find that email they sent to The Register with a really great tip-off. Recall uses AI to unravel queries that should, in theory, find that website or email – or anything else users did on their PCs and want to dredge up.
That idea was not met with enthusiasm. Instead, it quickly [1]stirred controversy after an FAQ was unearthed in which Microsoft admitted that the tool could also record passwords or personal data – like bank account numbers. The prospect that anyone able to login to a PC running Recall could access such data has obvious privacy implications.
[2]
Criticism flowed thick and fast.
[3]
[4]
Recall was announced on the same day as the Copilot+ PC – Redmond's term for a machine equipped with a 40-TOPS NPU tuned to handle AI applications – and suggested as a demonstration of those machines' power.
Tinkerers, however, quickly [5]found Recall could run on more modest hardware – meaning more PCs might therefore at risk once the tool was widely released.
[6]
Microsoft's woes only deepened when it was [7]discovered that the tool was on by default, and disabling it required a journey deep Windows Settings. There be dragons.
A pile-on ensued. Analysts suggested Microsoft had made a big mistake. Science fiction author Charles Stross – who occasionally mentions The Register in his work – [8]opined that Recall is a lawyer's delight as the fact it records everything means every act performed with a PC would be available to discover during preparation for litigation.
Microsoft resolutely backed Recall for 17 days, but on June 17 the mega-developer [9]caved and announced that the tool would be made opt-in instead of on by default, and also introduced extra security precautions –such as only producing results from Recall after authentication, and never decrypting data the tool stored until after a query.
[10]Microsoft's Recall should be celebrated as the savior of SMEs and scourge of CEOs
[11]Fired-up Pat Gelsinger shoots from the lip at Qualcomm and Nvidia
[12]Qualcomm wants to target all ‘all form factors’ with SoCs that power Copilot+ PCs
[13]Rivals and legal action cast shadows over Windows on Arm market
Those decisions didn't end criticism of Recall, as Microsoft's obliviousness to privacy problems was not felt to reflect well on its culture.
On Thursday, the wounded software titan took another step backwards: an update to the [14]announcement of Recall's reversion to opt-in brought news that the tool won't be delivered to all users of Copilot+ PCs as of June 18.
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Instead, Recall will be delivered to members of the Windows Insider Program "in the coming weeks."
Once those dedicated Windows aficionados have had their way with Recall and offered feedback, a preview for all Copilot+ PCs will be "coming soon," according to Microsoft's corporate veep for Windows+ devices, Pavan Davuluri.
Delaying Recall's debut is unwelcome for Microsoft after it decided to strike out on its own by coining its own term – Copilot+ PC – at a time its key silicon partners Intel and AMD were keen on "AI PC."
The first Copilot+ PCs to be announced, however, were powered by Qualcomm silicon – a major move for the chip design firm that dominates mobile devices but has struggled to crack the PC market.
In the weeks since Recall caused such consternation it, and now Qualcomm-powered PCs, has been a far more prevalent topic of discussion than the merits of those new machines.
And now Qualcomm's finest won't immediately get the app that Microsoft shows them off to their best advantage.
It could be months before they do. Between the small size of the Windows Insider community relative to the entire Windows user base, and the fact that Recall needs a Copilot+ PC, not many people will be able to put the tool through its paces in the next few weeks. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/22/windows_recall/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZmwUxawe9IT7lpu-sIFqAQAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZmwUxawe9IT7lpu-sIFqAQAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZmwUxawe9IT7lpu-sIFqAQAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/28/microsofts_recall_preview_on_non_ai_pc/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZmwUxawe9IT7lpu-sIFqAQAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/28/microsofts_recall_preview_on_non_ai_pc/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/06/microsoft_research_recall/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/07/microsoft_recall_changes/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/12/microsoft_recall_sme_benefits/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/04/intel_gelsinger_computex_keynote/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/03/qualcomm_arm_pc_ambitions/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/12/windows_on_arm_market/
[14] https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2024/06/07/update-on-the-recall-preview-feature-for-copilot-pcs/
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZmwUxawe9IT7lpu-sIFqAQAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"Microsoft resolutely backed Recall for 17 days, but on June 17 the mega-developer caved"
They do stuff in the future now?
No, that's just El Reg who has let slip that it has a portal it can use to see what's happening in the near future.
They could see further, but it would require a nuclear power plant . . .
And to paraphrase (the alt text from) [1]an old XKCD , they could see into next month, but couldn't hear anything over all the screams.
[1] https://xkcd.com/875/
They do stuff in the future now?
Their testing, mostly.
I Still Don't Understand Why
What value does Recall add to the OS? Is it even needed? Is this something users have been campaigning to have added to Windows? Who even thought it was a good idea?
If Microsoft were actually paying attention and wanted to do something useful, they'd be:
Fixing the broken Start menu
Removing all telemetry and adverts
Making local search the default with web search an option to include if you want it
Adding themes to give you a Win 2000, XP, Vista, Win 7, Win 8.x, Win 10 UI complete with the correct icons and sounds
There's probably a lot more but those would be a start.
Re: I Still Don't Understand Why
But they don't want to do something useful. They want to make more money.
Constantly slinging ads at you and running a series for forced upgrades achieves that, at least in the short term until they piss off enough people that there's finally sufficient momentum to see customers abandon them en masse.
Re: I Still Don't Understand Why
I suspect that three letter agencies are loving the idea, and are putting pressure on MS devs to leave a handy back door into it. I can imagine a lot of countries with reason to be suspicious of American three letter agencies are starting to get itchy feelings just reading about this.
It's only a tool......
I know it's a controversial opinion, but I used to find Windows helpful, facilitating access to a number of other features which made my workday useful and productive. I became rather an expert on it (in my limited fashion). Through Windows I ran a variety of local and remote devices which in my line of business saved a lot of production, time and money. It was important that it just 'worked' and didn't require constant nurturing.
Now, I feel completely lost with features in Windows I don't want and being a bit of a dinosaur, can't see a use for. We make things. Technical products, not cutting edge but not far off. We used to (still do) strive to make things leaner, faster, better, cheaper..... You only sell what the customer wants to buy. Competition is a tough driver. It's a lesson others might learn?
Anyway, it's Friday ----->
If anyone thinks...
...that this has gone away, don't be so sure. As with many other stupid ideas, that even the general public can see are bad, it will be come back eventually with a different name, and a slight tweak to the way it works, probably also losing the opt in/out along the way.
Re: If anyone thinks...
The general public probably won't even think twice about the feature when buying their next Windows machine. They may not even know the feature exists or wouldn't care if they did.
Recall of Recall...
I cannot recall a time when a recall of (a) Recall has ever been initiated...
Unless I recall incorrectly
On Thursday, the wounded software titan took another step backwards
It's gone from Total Recall to Total Embarrassment. Trying to force this on everybody, without thinking through the consequences, has caused a lot of damage to their already less than stellar reputation, especially as so many people quickly spotted the disastrous consequences and they didn't, or ignored any internal reservations in their enthusiasm to market a new feature.
The whole thing should be canned, too many of the fundamental risks of doing it cannot be mitigated.
"available only to Windows Insiders"
Until the day that Borkzilla screws up again and rolls it out to everyone including Windows 7/10 users.
And I love that Borkzilla "discovered" that Recall could run on configs that didn't actually conform to its initial previsions. Oh, and yeah, the whole on by default thing.
Way to go to stay true to your normal form of not having a clue . . .