News

Spotify Desktop Gets A New Look And Upgraded Features

The update includes a “now playing” view plus access to tour dates and artist merchandise.

Published

3 years ago

June 21, 2023

Nour Nasir

Spotify

In recent years, the Spotify desktop app has fallen by the wayside as the music streaming giant focused its attention on mobile devices and podcast content. Now, however, the original desktop version of the service has received a welcome overhaul, which the company claims is “one of the biggest revamps yet”.

The main content and music-playback panels remain unchanged, with the same browsing functionality and recommended songs. However, the app window now features a “Your Library” panel on the left side, which Spotify began testing a few months ago. The library gives immediate access to saved music and podcast collections and helps to save time when changing between playlists. If you’re not using the panel, it can also be collapsed by clicking on the Library icon.

On the right side of the screen, a new “Now Playing” view displays the current track you are listening to, complete with artist information and access to merchandise, plus a look at upcoming tour dates. When listening to podcasts, a transcript will also be automatically generated and populated — though this feature won’t yet work with all content.

Also Read: Best Music Streaming Services In The Middle East

The “Friend Activity” feed has been moved to make room for the new features but can be moved back easily by dragging and dropping the “friends” icon next to your profile picture in the top-right corner of the main window. On the other hand, users preferring a more minimalist look can remove both the “Friends Activity” and “Now Playing” panels entirely.

The latest changes to the Spotify desktop app come with an eye-catching color upgrade to make everything feel more cohesive and polished.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

2 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.