Posts tagged microsoft
SPE at Microsoft MIX10 for Windows Phone 7 Series — The Competition!
Mar 15th
I had the chance to talk to Microsoft’s Loke Uei about Windows Phone 7 Series at GDC last week and he was cagey and super-secretive about the version running on his pre-production unit. He did, however, promise more would be revealed at MIX 10 this week in Las Vegas. Well, our very own editor-in-chief, Dieter Bohn, is at the show right now to seek it out. He’ll be covering the keynote live at 9am PT, 12pm ET over at WMExperts.com.
What might be interesting to TiPb readers is the approach Microsoft is taking — it looks to be one of the first truly different post-iPhone smartphone concepts that’s not really app-centric but rather aggregation centric. They haven’t sold me on the UI yet, but the flow between “experiences” looks stellar, as does the logical way in which information is grouped and made available. It’s going after consumers, which is the heart of the iPhone market.
Will Apple have to up their game for iPhone 4.0 in face of what the competition is (finally!) bringing to market in 2010?
SPE at Microsoft MIX10 for Windows Phone 7 Series — The Competition! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
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10% of Microsoft Employees Secretly Using iPhones?
Mar 13th
Much to the chagrin of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Devices and Entertainment honcho Robbie Bach, the Wall Street Journal reports that even publicly stomping on employee iPhones hasn’t stamped them out:
Nearly 10,000 iPhone users were accessing the Microsoft employee email system last year, say two people who heard the estimates from senior Microsoft executives. That figure equals about 10% of the company’s global work force.
Outside of specific development units like Bing for iPhone, while using an iPhone at Microsoft isn’t forbidden, it’s discouraged. Microsoft will only re-emburse expenses for Windows Phone-based devices. Likewise, several executives have spoken out against using iPhones, including Ballmer who quipped that his father worked at Ford and so his family always drove Ford.
While a few use the openly, others hide them in generic cases — or make sure not to answer them if they’re in a room with Ballmer. (Or use them if they’re a member of the Gates family!)
Apple employees, of course, are not thought to be using Windows Mobile devices in any perceptible quantity. Could Windows Phone 7 Series change that…?
10% of Microsoft Employees Secretly Using iPhones? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Will Microsoft Hold Android Hostage?
Mar 6th
Right now, we’re all worrying about Apple’s patent claims against HTC, but Android may face a similar attack from Microsoft.
It’s not terribly well known that Microsoft claims that it owns significant intellectual property used in Linux, the operating system at the heart of Android. Starting in 2006, Microsoft began reaching licensing deals with a number of companies that use the open source OS, among them Novell, I-O Data, Samsung, LG Electronics and most recently, Amazon.
All these deals are similar, but as an example, Amazon has agreed to pay Microsoft licensing fees to use Linux on Amazon.com and on the Kindle. Read that again and let it sink in.
Many have voiced skepticism that Microsoft could successfully defend their claims, but so far, companies have rolled over and complied rather than take the question to court.
So, what about Android? Is it far-fetched to wonder if Microsoft might bring similar claims our way as they prepare to launch Windows Phone 7 Series? And if they do, will they be looking for cash, or will they prefer to cripple a competitor or try to shut it down entirely? Even if they just pursue a licensing deal, as they have before, it would mean an end to Android as a free operating system. And licensing fees paid to Microsoft would, of course, be passed on to consumers.
It will be instructive to see how the Apple vs. HTC case proceeds. I’m sure Microsoft would prefer bringing IP claims like this to the device manufacturers and carriers to taking them up with a big fish like Google, and if Apple is successful it may signal to Microsoft that this is a viable path.
What are your thoughts on this possibility? Is it something we should be worried about?
Source: Ryan Gallagher
Might We Suggest…
Will Microsoft Hold Android Hostage?
Mar 6th
Right now, we’re all worrying about Apple’s patent claims against HTC, but Android may face a similar attack from Microsoft.
It’s not terribly well known that Microsoft claims that it owns significant intellectual property used in Linux, the operating system at the heart of Android. Starting in 2006, Microsoft began reaching licensing deals with a number of companies that use the open source OS, among them Novell, I-O Data, Samsung, LG Electronics and most recently, Amazon.
All these deals are similar, but as an example, Amazon has agreed to pay Microsoft licensing fees to use Linux on Amazon.com and on the Kindle. Read that again and let it sink in.
Many have voiced skepticism that Microsoft could successfully defend their claims, but so far, companies have rolled over and complied rather than take the question to court.
So, what about Android? Is it far-fetched to wonder if Microsoft might bring similar claims our way as they prepare to launch Windows Phone 7 Series? And if they do, will they be looking for cash, or will they prefer to cripple a competitor or try to shut it down entirely? Even if they just pursue a licensing deal, as they have before, it would mean an end to Android as a free operating system. And licensing fees paid to Microsoft would, of course, be passed on to consumers.
It will be instructive to see how the Apple vs. HTC case proceeds. I’m sure Microsoft would prefer bringing IP claims like this to the device manufacturers and carriers to taking them up with a big fish like Google, and if Apple is successful it may signal to Microsoft that this is a viable path.
What are your thoughts on this possibility? Is it something we should be worried about?
Source: Ryan Gallagher
Might We Suggest…
Augmented Maps with Photosynth
Feb 14th
I don’t have anything intelligent to say about it, but I was compelled to post it. I’m a big Photosynth fanboy, and always believed it has great potential for augmented reality. On this talk from last Thursday at TED, We see that Microsoft has similar ideas in mind. I would expect more surprises coming from Redmond in 2010
You can read more details about it over at MIT Technology Review or on Bing’s blog.
Microsoft’s Office Suite Coming to iPad?
Feb 12th
According to the gadget website T3, Microsoft Senior Product Manager Mike Tedesco recently let it be known that the Seattle based company is currently toying with the possibility of creating a version of their Office suite for Apple’s iPad.
“Yeah, it’s something that we’re looking at,” said Microsoft’s Mike Tedesco, who is the Senior Product Manager for WindowsBU. “Obviously the announcement (of the iPad) is really fresh and there’s nothing to announce or nothing that I can talk to you about today. We’ve had tablet technology forever and both Windows 7 and Windows Vista automatically detect that and you can be running your Office on there.”
This is great news as it is has the ability to attract a huge sector of business users to the iPad. Perhaps this is just a sign of things to come between Apple and Microsoft. We first heard the rumor of the two companies trying to oust Google by making Bing the default search engine on iPhone. Now we learn Microsoft is interested in Office on iPad and what’s next, Office on iPhone?
Microsoft’s Office Suite Coming to iPad? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
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Gates/Allchin Email: iTunes “Smoked” Microsoft, Caught them “Flat Footed”
Feb 11th
Former Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates, and Windows Vista honcho, Bill Allchin, had an email exchange back in 2003 when Apple launched iTunes and were rather candid about how well Steve Jobs put it together, and how badly Microsoft was caught off guard.
Gates says Microsoft was caught “flat footed”. He also praises Jobs and doubts the subscription model Microsoft now uses for the Zune HD:
Steve Jobs ability to focus in on a few things that count, get people who get user interface right and market things as revolutionary are amazing things.
[...] With the subscription who can promise you that the cool new stuff you want (or old stuff) will be there?
Allchin was much briefer:
How did they get the music companies to go along?
We were smoked.
Gizmodo, via Groklaw have the full emails online. The question now becomes, is Apple still catching the competition flat-footed, or is Apple the one who now needs to be careful, lest they be smoked?
[Image via WikiMedia Commons]
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Gates/Allchin Email: iTunes “Smoked” Microsoft, Caught them “Flat Footed” is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
