Friday, November 06, 2009 4:57 PM/CST
Microsoft's much-rumored Courier tablet, slides and video of which leaked online this week, suggest that Redmond could be preparing a robust competitor in the tablet PC market. Scuttlebutt suggests that the Courier will run on Windows 7 and Microsoft-engineered hardware. Microsoft could potentially intend the Courier as a competitor to Apple's own (alleged) Tablet PC, which some analysts have predicted will roll out sometime in 2010.
Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:04 PM/CST
Microsoft expanded its retail foray with the Oct. 29 opening of its store in Mission Viejo, Calif., in a mall that also contains an Apple Store. Despite the massive crowds that attended the opening, time will tell whether Microsoft's strategy of aggressively challenging Apple in the retail space will succeed.
Monday, October 26, 2009 4:11 PM/CST
Microsoft's first retail store opened in Arizona on Oct. 22, and demonstrated that many of the elements present in the summer's early-concepts PowerPoint leak to Gizmodo found their way into the storefront final version. Much of Microsoft's retail store design seems reminiscent of both the Apple Store and big-box retailers such as Best Buy. Microsoft's retail experience will first compete in close proximity with Apple's in Mission Viejo, Calif.
Monday, October 26, 2009 2:30 PM/CST
Microsoft spent a portion of its Windows 7 launch event on Oct. 22 touting the multitouch functionality of some of its partners' PCs. Although Microsoft-powered touch screens have been in use for many years, the Windows 7-equipped devices represent a huge push by Microsoft into the consumer market. The only question is, does the public's enthusiasm for multitouch PCs actually match Microsoft's?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 4:38 PM/CST
Microsoft is pulling in a number of partners for the launch of Windows 7, including up-and-coming PC manufacturer Acer. While Acer grew its market-share off ultra-portable, inexpensive netbooks, Microsoft has publicly voiced its intention to persuade its manufacturers to produce ultra-thin notebooks at a higher price point.
Friday, October 09, 2009 4:20 PM/CST
Microsoft's Zune HD aims to gain at least a few points of market-share from the iPod Touch this holiday season. The third part of Microsoft Watch's match-up describes how neither device has a substantial advantage over the other in manufacturing or interface, but Apple's more substantial ecosystem might ultimately decide the battle...for now.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009 5:08 PM/CST
Microsoft has positioned the Zune HD as a tentpole of its holiday product offerings, hoping that the portable media player and its supporting ecosystem can gain traction against Apple's popular iPod. In Part 1 of a head-to-head matchup between a Zune HD 16GB and an iPod Touch, Microsoft Watch compares the physical aspects of both devices.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009 5:03 PM/CST
Microsoft launched Windows Mobile 6.5, its newest operating system upgrade, on Oct. 6. On the same day, the company also released Windows Marketplace for Mobile, its competitor to Apple's App Store, although it did so with less mobile applications in stock than predicted over the summer. Available applications include offerings from Facebook, MySpace, Netflix and Zagat.
Monday, October 05, 2009 5:18 PM/CST
Microsoft's victory on appeal against Alcatel-Lucent in court represents another bit of positive news for Redmond as it battles a series of patent-infringement suits. News of the Alcatel-Lucent ruling follows last week's victory on appeal over Uniloc, although Microsoft does face a potentially difficult court battle against Canadian firm i4i, which alleges that Microsoft Word violates its XML-related patent.
Thursday, October 01, 2009 4:55 PM/CST
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer suggested in a recent interview that IBM's footprint has become too narrow. However, Microsoft's mixed attempts at gaining market-share in mobile devices and other areas suggests that a narrow footprint may be a viable approach for solidifying user numbers and adding to shareholder value.
