Wednesday, March 17, 2010 4:41 PM/CST
A new survey by Dell Kace indicates that 87 percent of responding IT professionals plan on deploying Windows 7, showing an increased confidence in the operating system. However, sizable percentages still voiced concern over Windows 7's performance or are considering alternative operating systems. Since October 2009, some 90 million copies of Windows 7 have reportedly been sold.
Friday, March 12, 2010 2:36 PM/CST
Microsoft's share of the smartphone operating system market tumbled 4 percent in the three-month period ending January 2010, reports analytics company ComScore, casting into doubt the abilities of Windows Mobile 6.5, released in October 2009, to be the market-share retainer that Microsoft needs until Windows Phone 7 Series, its newest smartphone OS, is released near the end of 2010.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 1:49 PM/CST
A group of technology journalists talked about Windows Phone 7 Series during a spot on the Fox News show "Gadgets and Games" on Feb. 26. Among the discussion points was how Microsoft is attempting to create a serious differentiator in the smartphone OS space, and the potential obstacles that Windows Phone 7 Series faces as it heads toward launch.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 3:42 PM/CST
Microsoft and Yahoo received clearance from both the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to enact their 10-year search and advertising agreement, setting up Bing to become Yahoo's underlying search engine. However, with Yahoo's U.S. search engine market share falling, the deal could have fewer long-term benefits for Microsoft than originally anticipated.
Friday, February 05, 2010 4:17 PM/CST
Former Microsoft executive Dick Brass asserted in a New York Times op-ed piece that Microsoft is "failing" due to internal infighting and an inability to innovate. Microsoft responded by saying that the company is succeeding at its goal to push its technology to a broad base of consumers.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 5:20 PM/CST
The new Sony Ericsson Aspen smartphone offers Windows Mobile 6.5.3, a tweaked version of the mobile operating system that Microsoft released last October. Although this new mobile OS offers better touch-screen functionality, it raises questions about whether Microsoft will support both Mobile 6.5 and Mobile 7 once the latter is released.
Friday, January 15, 2010 10:38 AM/CST
Microsoft veteran Bill Veghte, who helped spearhead the development and management of projects related to Office and Windows, is leaving the company after 19 years. Although Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wrote in July 2009 that a new leadership role for Veghte would be found after a Windows Division management shuffle, Veghte evidently wanted to explore other opportunities, including perhaps a CEO role at another company.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 5:10 PM/CST
The latest data from research firm Nielsen suggests that Bing's share of the U.S. search engine market fell in December 2009, while Google's rose. Was this a temporary dip, or a portent of a more sustained slide? More data from other research firms will be needed to paint a fuller picture, but in the meantime Microsoft may have to consider how much impact Bing's new features and refinements are having on the marketplace.
Friday, January 08, 2010 7:58 PM/CST
Despite Microsoft's massive physical presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company has announced precious few new products and initiatives. In a meeting with a Microsoft spokesperson, Microsoft Watch asked about the possibility of a Windows 7 service pack, group licensing in the mode of the Family Pack promotion and customers switching from XP.
Monday, January 04, 2010 4:37 PM/CST
Microsoft is prodding businesses to upgrade their older versions of Office and Windows. Users upgrading to new versions of Microsoft software platforms is one way for the company to initiate a recovery after quarters of declining revenues in 2009, but Redmond will still have to convince those users that such upgrades make sense from a cost and functionality perspective.
