For tech giant Microsoft (MSFT), anything that “breaks Windows” is the kind of thing that should be avoided as assiduously as possible. But what happens when something Microsoft itself does breaks Windows? That is just what happened with a recent Windows 11 fix, and an emergency update is now set to follow. Oddly, Microsoft investors welcomed the news, as evidenced by shares rising fractionally in Monday afternoon’s trading.
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The new reports say that Windows 11 KB5066835 “breaks localhost connections.” For those not familiar with what that means—and who are not currently gasping on the floor in the fetal position because they already knew what that meant—it means that “…locally hosted apps can no longer connect to your network.” The update also comes with “…multiple installation failures and bugs blocking peripherals and accessories from working properly.”
Anyone hoping to find a workaround here, meanwhile, will be out of luck. Microsoft is planning an “emergency patch” that should fix the matter, but this is a serious blow to Microsoft’s credibility. This is particularly true given that Microsoft just canceled security updates for Windows 10, which was not even kind of broken by all this.
“100 Percent Looking”
On the gaming front, meanwhile, Microsoft has apparently decided to step up its transparency. Word from Xbox president Sarah Bond makes it clear that “next-gen hardware” is in the works, which does clear things up, at least somewhat. Bond spelled it out: “We are 100 percent looking at making things in the future.”
Bond carried on in that vein, noting, “We want to make sure that people have a choice. We want to make sure there’s an option for the power players who want the latest innovations, that want to push the edge of what’s possible, the most demanding players. And then, if someone is looking for PC gaming on the go, they’re a casual gamer, they’re a gaming enthusiast, then there’s Xbox Allys for them. Giving multiple choices for people, so we can actually meet people where they are.”
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 33 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 22.64% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $630.41 per share implies 21.8% upside potential.
