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603 'Microsoft' stories October 2008 - December 2013
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Microsoft updates Bing for iPad to version 2.0 with iOS 7 design, SkyDrive bookmarks, and more

Avatar for Mike Beasley Dec 6 2013 - 9:07 pm PT
3 Comments

Microsoft has released a major update for its Bing app for iPad. The new app features a revamped interface to match the aesthetic of Apple’s latest OS along with a host of other features and improvements. Users are now able to save the daily image found on the search engine’s home page to their camera rolls for use as a wallpaper or whatever other purpose they decide.

Images and bookmarks can now be saved in the app and synced via Mirosoft’s SkyDrive service to other devices. Search results can now be shared to Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms. Improvements and updates have been made to maps results, the Bing logo, and other graphics throughout the app.


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Microsoft hits iPad Air in new holiday-themed ads geared towards family usage

Avatar for Sarah Guarino Nov 27 2013 - 3:38 am PT
10 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsknmA96Jv0]

Microsoft has previously aired commercials that targeted the iPad comparing multitasking and mocked Siri. Microsoft airs new commercials in time for the holidays that pits the Surface 2 against Apple’s iPad Air. These three new ads demonstrate that Windows 8 can handle hands free mode, multiple accounts and has a USB port.

Microsoft’s first ad (above) shows the Surface 2 being propped up with the kickstand, using Bing’s Food and Drink app to demonstrate hands free mode. While cooking you can turn the pages by swiping them in the air, as opposed to touching the display and getting it messy. We admit it, that’s a nice (if niche) feature – though most recipes fit on one page, of course.

The second shows the Surface 2 being used in family scenarios, with multiple user accounts on the same device. These user accounts can have different apps, games, background – with parents able to monitor what their children are using. I’m not sure too many families bother to set up different accounts on PCs, let alone tablets.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knSd7-i9u1c]

The third shows how the Surface 2 has a standard USB 3.0 port, allowing users to easily connect to an external display. Because having to use a lead is so much better than Air Play …

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENxd851LuCw&w=640&h=360]

Nokia tries teasing iPad users over lack of keyboard, fails miserably

Avatar for David Beren Nov 25 2013 - 10:20 am PT
50 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9PSnkVZ8So]

It’ll come as no surprise that Nokia and its friends at Microsoft love to take cheap shots at the iPad and Apple products in general. This time around, a gentleman who just picked up a new tablet for working on the go visits friends at the coffee shop and shows off his new purchase…


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Apple reportedly purchases PrimeSense, the Israeli 3D body sensor firm behind Microsoft Kinect for $345M

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Nov 17 2013 - 4:50 am PT
19 Comments

According to Israeli publication Calcalist.co.il, Apple has purchased PrimeSense, the company behind the original Microsoft Kinect’s technology somewhere near a valuation in the $345M range. According to the report, a delegation of PrimeSense senior executives visited Apple’s engineering offices in recent days. The purchase would bolster Apple’s living room TV interface offerings and allow Apple to add controls with body movements and hand gestures to its products.

Calcalist reported in July that Apple was mulling a purchase for somewhere in the neighborhood of $280M.  PrimeSense had issued a denial that it was in talks to be bought by Apple. As we know with past history surrounding these type of matters, company denials don’t often mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Apple purchased Israeli Flash chip optimization company Anobit in late 2011 for $400M+, also originally reported by Calcalist. The company now functions as one of Apple’s R&D centers in-country…
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Google, Samsung, and others sued over search patents by Apple-backed Nortel group

Avatar for Mike Beasley Oct 31 2013 - 4:44 pm PT
2 Comments

Google, Samsung, and several other Android handset manufacturers are being sued by Rockstar, a consortium backed by Apple and several other tech companies, over alleged infringement of several search patents acquired by Rockstar from Nortel in 2011. Last year HTC reached a ten-year agreement with Apple as part of a patent infringement settlement. That deal would result in both companies licensing existing and future patents from one another, but it seems that agreement does not apply in this case.

The seven patents in question deal with matching search terms to relevant advertisements. Google is primarily a search and advertising company, so a loss in this case could be a serious blow. At the heart of the suit is Google’s Android platform, which Rockstar says infringes these web search patents. Because Samsung, HTC, Huawei, and others build on this platform, they are also being named in the suit.

Rockstar acquired the patents for over $4 billion last year and claims that Google’s continued use of the unlicensed technology is a wilful infringement of the consortium’s intellectual property.

Opinion: What is really driving Apple’s new-found fondness for ‘free’?

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 23 2013 - 7:44 am PT
54 Comments
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Photo: abc.e

Apple surprised many yesterday by making the update to OS X 10.9 Mavericks free, rather than the $20 it cost to upgrade to the previous release, Mountain Lion. The company also surprised some (though not us) by doing the same for its previously chargeable iWork apps.

There’s been a lot of commentary today about this being an attack on Microsoft, and I do indeed think there’s likely to have been a fair amount of sweating in the corner offices at Redmond as they watched yesterday’s keynote. But Microsoft execs aren’t the only ones I’d expect to see wearing worried expressions today: I suspect the same is true across at Mountain View.

Before we get to Google, let’s start with Microsoft … 
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Microsoft offers free iPhone app for its subscription-based Dynamics CRM enterprise service

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 23 2013 - 4:23 am PT
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Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM, a subscription-based customer relationship management tool aimed at small & medium enterprises, is now available on the iPhone via a new app.

The cloud-based service aims to help businesses identify and manage sales opportunities, and track progress from opportunity to sale. The iPhone app provides users with the information needed to prepare for a sales appointment, and allows on-the-spot updating of  notes, tasks, contacts, accounts, leads and opportunities.

The service costs £28.70 per user per month.

Former Apple employee: Apple worked on Surface-style keyboard cover for iPad, could announce at ‘haven’t covered everything’ event

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Oct 21 2013 - 4:47 am PT
24 Comments
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Apple has published multiple patent applications for keyboard covers for its iPad that sort of resemble what Microsoft did in its keyboard cover for Surface. Until now, however, Apple has relied on third-party vendors like Logitech, Zagg (who has already announced a new iPad 5 keyboard case) and Belkin to provide these covers. Logitech and Zagg have had keyboard covers for the iPad since before both the patent application above and Microsoft’s Surface announcement.

But today, Jamie Ryan, who lists Apple Developer Relations as a recent job, says that Apple has been working on a prototype of such a device and could release it at tomorrow’s event. He thinks it could be Bluetooth 4.0 to save power and was ‘told other cover like accessories are also being looked at.’

The patent shown above also includes other innovations such as solar power, big media control buttons, multi-touch, wireless charging and even a second display…
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Microsoft debuts Remote Desktop app for PC access on iOS (Update: For Mac too)

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 17 2013 - 10:23 am PT
4 Comments

Alongside Windows 8.1, Microsoft released a rather useful app for iOS as well today. Microsoft Remote Desktop allows you to access and control your Windows PC from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. It looks like a rather decent utility, especially for business users, as plenty of similar apps have tried to pull off the same function with less simplicity.

With the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, you can connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere. Experience the power of Windows with RemoteFX in a Remote Desktop client designed to help you get your work done wherever you are.

Features
•Access to remote resources through the Remote Desktop Gateway
•Rich multi-touch experience with remote desktop protocol (RDP) and RemoteFX supporting Windows gestures
•Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
•Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
•High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage
•Easy connection to external monitors or projectors for presentations

Microsoft Remote Desktop is a free for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users in the App Store.

Update: Microsoft introduced a version for Mac as well for OS X users to control Windows remotely.

VirtualBox updated with support for multi-touch platforms, in time for Windows 8.1 & Mavericks

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 17 2013 - 7:06 am PT
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VirtualBox, a free software package that allows you to run a whole range of virtual machines on your Mac, has been updated to provide support for multi-touch platforms, support for the latest CPUs and other notable additions. The upgrade comes on the same day that Microsoft launched Windows 8.1, and ahead of the expected launch of Mavericks around the end of October … 
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Microsoft working on touch-optimized Office for iPad according to exiting CEO Ballmer

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 8 2013 - 8:47 am PT
2 Comments

In what seems like a never ending story, retiring Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has announced that the company plans to introduce a touch optimized version of Microsoft Office to iPad customers (via The Verge) after it completes development.

Microsoft plans to first deliver the tablet version of its productivity suite to the Microsoft Surface, its tablet competitor to the iPad, but this is the first we have heard of such plans.
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Adobe working on an iPad app for presentations called ‘Ginger’

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Oct 3 2013 - 4:30 am PT
1 Comment

Adobe is currently testing a new presentation app for the iPad similar in purpose to PowerPoint and Keynote, via CNET. The project is currently called Ginger. Although details are sparse, it seems to be focused on the creation of sales pitches and what Adobe calls “explainer videos”. Adobe has said that the app is in the beta stage of development, but is yet to confirm whether the app will ever be publicly released.

On Ginger’s minisite, there are a few demos of what the app could create. One example presentation is embedded below …


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iPhone as standalone business would be bigger than Microsoft, Coca-Cola, McDonalds & more

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Sep 26 2013 - 4:20 am PT
2 Comments

Businessweek has a fun chart showing that Apple’s iPhone business alone would make it the 9th largest stock in the Dow Jones top 30 companies, ahead of such giants as Microsoft, Coca-Cola and McDonalds.

It’s not a terribly surprising fact – the iPhone represents the bulk of Apple’s business, with its $88.4B sales greater than all of Apple’s other products and services combined ($81B), but it is quite a graphic illustration of the strength of that one product line. Apple, of course, just announced that it sold 9M iPhones in the first three days of the 5s and 5c.

Perhaps more surprising is the company that just scrapes ahead of that nominal iPhone business: IBM. While giving every impression of an out-of-date business model, the company is still making billions from large-scale IT infrastructure products, services and software. Including, I kid you not, mainframes.

Microsoft ads distastefully take jabs at new iPhones, quickly get removed

Avatar for Mark Gurman Sep 13 2013 - 10:31 am PT
58 Comments
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avO5FXj7K-c

Following the release of the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, Microsoft has uploaded a video poking fun at the new Apple smartphones. The video pretends to be a “fly on the wall” during an Apple product development meeting, apparently attempting to make fun of the plastic materials and colors of the 5c.

The videos don’t exactly position Windows Phone against iOS, simply taking jabs at iOS without explaining any benefits of the Microsoft platform.

The ad also mentions iWatch development and the new gold iPhone 5s with fingerprint scanner. The video above follows our roundup of the latest iPhone parody videos (and some additional ones below). Several more videos from Microsoft are also below:

Update: The videos have been removed. 

Update 2: Mirror of one of the ads replaced above


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Microsoft offering up $200 discounts on Surface with iPad trade-in

Avatar for Mark Gurman Sep 12 2013 - 2:33 pm PT
11 Comments

Microsoft has recently kicked off a new campaign that offers iPad users a $200 Microsoft Store gift card to trade-in their Apple tablet. While the gift card is applicable to any item inside of Microsoft’s stores, the company is positioning the offer as push for sales of the Surface tablet. The deal ends on October 27, 2013.

This campaign is just one aspect of Microsoft’s attempts at trumping Apple’s iPad. Over the past several months, Microsoft has been running TV ads that position Windows 8 for tablets the Microsoft Surface against the iPad. These ads have highlighted the multitasking capabilities of Windows 8, and have panned the iPad for the lack of a kickstand and USB ports. 

As for the Surface, the tablet has essentially been a flop, leading the company to take a $900 million write-off on the device. Nonetheless, the company will be upgrading the more-than-year-old tablet later this month. Apple, for its part, is expected to unleash its new iPads about a month later.


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Microsoft/Nokia already attacking Apple’s new iPhone 5s & 5c

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 10 2013 - 2:11 pm PT
27 Comments

Following today’s iPhone event where Apple unveiled its new colourful “lower-cost” iPhone 5c and the gold iPhone 5s with built-in fingerprint sensor, the competition is already weighing in on what it thinks about Apple’s upgraded smartphone lineup. Microsoft’s Windows Phone Twitter account sent out the tweet above with the headline “5 things Apple didn’t announce today” while promoting Nokia’s Lumia 1020’s 41MP camera.

So what are the five things Apple didn’t announce according to Microsoft? The company’s link takes us to an image of the Lumia 1020 highlighting some of the device’s features including the 4.5-inch AMOLED display, the ability to personalize the device’s start screen, a 41 megapixel sensor with a “reinvented zoom,” and the Nokia Pro Cam to “control shutter speed, focus, and white balance.” While Apple’s new iPhone 5s includes the same 8 megapixel camera as the iPhone 5, Apple has made some major improvements with the addition of a a dual LED true tone flash, a new five-element lens designed by Apple, a F2.2 aperture, a sensor with a 15 percent larger active area, auto stabilization, and bigger 1.5 micron pixels. It’s also added a burst mode that will continuously take photos a rate of 10fps, and the 120fps slow mo mode. The new flash specifically is meant to improve photos taken in low lightning conditions, something Nokia has focused on in past parody ads attacking the iPhone.

Microsoft isn’t the only one commenting on today’s announcement, as Nokia’s own account also sent out the tweet below noting that it did smartphones in various colors before the new iPhone 5c and joking that “Real gangsters don’t use gold phones.”

https://twitter.com/nokia_uk/status/377483408043036672/

While Apple did pack some big shiny new hardware features into the iPhone 5s with a fingerprint scanner, much faster A7 processor, and the new “M7” motion co-processor chip, it’s yet to be seen if Apple’s upgrade will be viewed as a minor refresh by the average consumer. One thing is for sure, Apple’s competition will definitely be focusing on the fact that today’s iPhone upgrades did not include a higher megapixel camera or larger display.

https://twitter.com/nokia_uk/status/377488875075035136

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OneNote for iPad update untethers app from PC-based OneNote program

Avatar for Scott Buscemi Sep 6 2013 - 9:51 am PT
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Microsoft OneNote, the software giant’s note taking application, has been updated to version 2.1 today. With this update, the iPad app can act as a standalone and doesn’t require a PC to create new notebooks or edit sections. As noted on the OneNote blog, the functionality is now live in the iPad app, but while the iPhone app received an update today the new features aren’t available there.

New SkyDrive notebooks

Notebooks are an essential part of OneNote and play a significant role in helping you organize all of your content. Many of our customers submitted feedback requesting the ability to create new notebooks.  We’re happy to announce that OneNote for iPad now has full support for creating new SkyDrive notebooks.

On the Notebooks list, tap Create Notebook. 

Enter a name for your new notebook, then tap Create. You’re all set!

Add, rename, and delete sections

Sections are a great way to help you group your notes within a notebook. With this update, you can add, rename and delete sections.

It’s really easy to add a section on OneNote for iPad: On the sections bar, tap the plus button, enter a name for your new section, and you’re on your way.

Tap the desired section title to bring up the two options, Delete and Rename.

If you’d like to rename a section, select that option, and the section title will be automatically highlighted. Just start typing and tap Done on your keyboard to save the new name.

The update also brought a few other bug fixes and features. Microsoft OneNote for iPad and Microsoft OneNote for iPhone are free in the App Store.

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Microsoft acquires Nokia’s Devices & Services divisions for ~$7.1 billion

Avatar for Scott Buscemi Sep 2 2013 - 8:20 pm PT
7 Comments

Microsoft has just announced that they are purchasing Nokia’s devices and services divisions. Nokia has been the main manufacturer of Windows Phone 8 devices, and it looks like Microsoft will be using this acquisition to further merge their software and hardware engineering and design.

In a joint statement from (outgoing) Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, the two executives stated, “Today’s agreement will accelerate the momentum of Nokia’s devices and services, bringing the world’s most innovative smartphones to more people, while continuing to connect the next billion people with Nokia’s mobile phone portfolio.”

This is not a complete takeover, as Nokia will still be its own entity with its own patent portfolio. However, Microsoft will be granted a “10-year license” to Nokia’s patents.

The purchase is expected to close the first quarter of 2014 and will net Nokia EUR 5.44 billion (~$7.1 billion).

Some interesting tidbits from the announcement:

  • “At closing, approximately 32,000 people are expected to transfer to Microsoft, including 4,700 people in Finland and 18,300 employees directly involved in manufacturing, assembly and packaging of products worldwide.”
  • “Microsoft is acquiring Nokia’s Smart Devices business unit, including the Lumia brand and products.”

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer calls it quits, will leave within 12 months or when a successor is found

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Aug 23 2013 - 6:05 am PT
23 Comments
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Microsoft’s stock is surging, up 8% in pre-market on the news that Steve Ballmer will be vacating the CEO role within the next year.:

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 23, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has decided to retire as CEO within the next 12 months, upon the completion of a process to choose his successor. In the meantime, Ballmer will continue as CEO and will lead Microsoft through the next steps of its transformation to a devices and services company that empowers people for the activities they value most.

“There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time,” Ballmer said. “We have embarked on a new strategy with a new organization and we have an amazing Senior Leadership Team. My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our company’s transformation to a devices and services company. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction.”

The Board of Directors has appointed a special committee to direct the process. This committee is chaired by John Thompson, the board’s lead independent director, and includes Chairman of the Board Bill Gates, Chairman of the Audit Committee Chuck Noski and Chairman of the Compensation Committee Steve Luczo. The special committee is working with Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., a leading executive recruiting firm, and will consider both external and internal candidates.

“The board is committed to the effective transformation of Microsoft to a successful devices and services company,” Thompson said. “As this work continues, we are focused on selecting a new CEO to work with the company’s senior leadership team to chart the company’s course and execute on it in a highly competitive industry.”

“As a member of the succession planning committee, I’ll work closely with the other members of the board to identify a great new CEO,” said Gates. “We’re fortunate to have Steve in his role until the new CEO assumes these duties.”

Microsoft’s stock has been flat since Ballmer took over the CEO roll from Bill Gates at the turn of the century. Ballmer has faced increasing criticism lately over the failure of the Surface RT and Windows Phones in a market dominated by Apple’s iOS devices and Android/Google devices. Perhaps his biggest gaffe was laughing off the importance of the iPhone (below).


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Apple Stores to push Macs to businesses with new Parallels/Windows 8 demos

Avatar for Mark Gurman Aug 17 2013 - 6:06 pm PT
18 Comments
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Apple is pushing its business-focused Apple Retail salespeople to sell Macs to businesses currently running in Windows environments, according to Apple retail employees briefed on the new initiative. Apple Retail Stores, in their business/professional sections, will now have a 27-inch iMac prepared with the Parallels Virtualization Software and Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system.

Select Apple Retail employees will also be trained on the Parallels and Windows software, and special Parallels demos have been created for Apple Stores. The goal of this new initiative is to push employees to be able to show businesses that currently work on Windows that all purposes of Windows could either be replaced or used (with Parallels) on a Mac computer.

For a number of years, Apple has pushed reasons how a Mac could replace a PC. This was heralded mainly via Apple’s Mac vs. PC ads. This new retail campaign, instead, focuses on the Mac operating system and Windows working together. Apple wants to leave no room for business customers to not know that they could switch to a Mac computer…


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Microsoft takes its first hit at iPad mini with new ad showcasing 8-inch Acer tablet

Avatar for Mark Gurman Aug 8 2013 - 10:05 am PT
28 Comments
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J09HaPkExA&feature=youtu.be

Following its string of ads pinning up Windows 8 tablets against the full-sized iPad, Microsoft has just posted a new ad that pits the 8.1-inch Acer Iconia W3 against Apple’s 7.9-inch iPad mini. The point of this ad is to demonstrate that Windows 8 can even handle Microsoft Word documents and powerful gaming even at the small screen…


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Even after disastrous $900M write-down on discounted Surfaces, Microsoft still attacking iPad in new ad [Video]

Avatar for Zach Kahn Jul 19 2013 - 7:04 am PT
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE7AQY5Xk9w&feature=youtu.be

Despite Microsoft’s disastrous quarterly earnings report, in which it took a $900M writedown on discounted Surfaces, the company has just pushed out a new ad for its Surface v. iPad campaign.

As with its previous advertisements, Microsoft bashes the iPad’s inability to perform certain tasks that the Surface is specifically designed to handle. This particular ad highlights the iPad’s lack of built-in back stand, USB port, and keyboard accessory, all of which are not built-in to or included with the iPad.

Interestingly, in this ad, the Siri-inspired voiceover says, “This isn’t going to end well for me, is it? Nope definitely not ending well,” which is particularly intriguing given yesterday’s financial results. As evidenced by these results, it would appear that Microsoft’s Surface is  in a precarious position, and not Apple’s iPad.
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