Windows 10 news recap: Surface Pro 4’s affected by firmware issue are being replaced, testing of splitting Search and Cortana now taking place, and more

Welcome back to our Windows 10 news recap, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Microsoft’s flagship operating system.

Microsoft addresses faulty Surface Pro 4 firmware issue with device replacements

Surface Pro 4 devices that have suffered the fate of a firmware issue are being replaced by Microsoft. Specifically, the issue is caused by a firmware update that took place in July.

Windows 10’s People Bar set for the chopping block

The People Bar in Windows 10 is reportedly being deprecated soon. It’s a relatively new feature that aimed to surface those you communicate with most to make it easier to get in touch with them, but it appears Microsoft no longer has the same feeling for the People Bar as it did when it first touted the feature.

In upcoming 19H1 Insider builds, the People Bar will show a deprecation notice. It's a shame to see something like this with rather interesting engineering behind it kick the bucket.

— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) December 13, 2018

Microsoft starts testing splitting Search and Cortana in two

It looks like Microsoft may be in the Christmas-giving spirit, as it begins testing the break-up of Windows 10 Search and Cortana.

@thurrott @bdsams @maryjofoley @TheRichWoods Looks like more A/B testing happening with 18298. 'Type here to search' and 'Talk to Cortana' separated on Taskbar. pic.twitter.com/iuAEd4tLvg

— Michael Reinders (@mdreinders) December 12, 2018

Mozilla Firefox gains native Windows 10 sharing in latest update

Firefox has released a new update that adds direct integration with Windows 10’s sharing functionality, making it easier to share across apps and with those you communicate with regularly.

That’s it for this week – we’ll be back next week with more Windows 10 news!