Windows 10 might be at death’s door, but Microsoft hasn’t finished trying to force Bing and Edge on its users
- Windows 10 has a new update that adds a couple of features
- Unfortunately, one of these is focused on promoting Bing and Edge
- Microsoft is pushing its search engine and browser via the calendar panel off the taskbar
Windows 10 has a new update and it actually introduces a new feature – although you might wish it didn’t when you discover what this latest addition is.
That said, the freshly-released update for June (which is KB5060533 for Windows 10 22H2) does come with a tweak that could raise a smile, namely that the clock in the taskbar now displays the seconds when you click to view the time in the calendar panel.
Quite why Microsoft ditched that in the first place is beyond me, but anyway, while that might be a pleasing return of a feature for some, there’s a sting in the tail further down in said calendar flyout – namely that Bing has crept into the mix here.
Not overtly, mind, but as Windows Latest explains, there’s been a change to the bottom section of the calendar panel where normally you’ll see your own events or reminders – if you have any, that is. If you don’t, this used to be blank, but as of the June update you’ll see popular public events and their dates.
Of course, pretty much every day is now dedicated to something – for example, today, June 11, is ‘National Corn on the Cob Day’ (apparently) – and reminders for these events will now appear in the calendar panel.
How does Bing figure in this? Well, if you click on said event, you’ll get information on it fired up in… wait for it… yes, Bing search engine. And what web browser will that appear in? Microsoft Edge, of course. Why promote one service, when you can promote two, after all?
Analysis: Why risk the besmirchment?
This is a bit sneaky as it’s far from clear that you’re invoking Bing and Edge when you click something on the calendar flyout out of curiosity. Moreover, this happens despite the Windows 10 preferences you’ve chosen for your default search engine or browser, which again is an unwelcome twist.
This is the kind of behavior that impacts negatively on Microsoft’s reputation and it doesn’t help that the tweak isn’t mentioned in the update notes. We’re only told that the June patch provides a “rich calendar experience” (well, it’s making someone rich, or at least a little richer, possibly – but not you).
The kicker here is that Windows 10 is only four months from being declared a dead operating system, with its life support removed (unless you pay for additional security patches for an extra year). So, why even bother making changes like this when Windows 10 is facing its final curtain? Why take any risks at all that could cause reputational damage?
Well, one thought occurs: maybe Microsoft isn’t convinced that floods of people are going to be leaving Windows 10 when the End of Life deadline rolls around in October 2025. After all, an alarmingly hefty number of diehards are still clinging on to the older operating system. In which case, perhaps Microsoft sees the value and worth in still bugging Windows 10 users for the foreseeable, while they stick around either paying for support, or risking their unpatched PC being compromised while refusing (or being unable) to upgrade to Windows 11.
Oh well. At least we’ve got the seconds back on the calendar clock display, hurray.
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