News


Windows Phone Left Out of Smartphone Market Boom

The market for smartphones is bigger than ever, but Android and iOS continue to vastly outperform all other platforms, including Windows Phone.

Microsoft Cloud Exec Touts Azure's Growth, Says AWS Is 'Struggling'

Amazon Web Services (AWS) may be the current cloud leader, but growing competition from Microsoft Azure and the cloud price war are putting a dent on its lead.

Report: Orgs Using Windows 7 Should Start Migration Plans Now

Windows XP isn't even cold yet, but researchers at Gartner Inc. are already urging organizations to begin making plans to move off of Windows 7.

Microsoft Picks Startups for 'Internet of Things'-Themed Accelerator

Microsoft on Wednesday announced the 10 startup firms that will participate in its first home automation-focused accelerator.

Chromebook Adoption Growing, but Enterprise Use Still Low

According to a recent report by Gartner, while Chromebooks sales are set to triple by 2017, business adoption of the Google-backed laptops is still very limited.

Microsoft Discontinues Skype for Windows Phone 7.x

Users of Windows Phone 7 will no longer be able to use Skype on their devices, according to an announcement posted last week on the Skype support page.

'Virtual Desktop' Feature Reportedly Coming to Windows 9

The next version of Windows could have a new "virtual desktops" feature, according to reports this week.

Microsoft Killing Support for Older IE Versions

Microsoft will implement a new browser support policy at the beginning of next year that will significantly limit what versions of Internet Explorer the company supports.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update Will Feature IE 11 Improvements

The version of Internet Explorer 11 that will appear in the next release of Windows Phone 8.1 will include fixes for Web site compatibility issues, Microsoft announced last week.

China's Microsoft Probe Puts Accenture in Crossfire

The Chinese government has widened its anti-monopoly investigation into Microsoft, raiding more of the company's offices, as well as the offices of one of Microsoft's largest partners.

Microsoft Confirms Updates for Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2

Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed that it will issue new updates for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 as part of this month's "patch Tuesday" rollout, scheduled for Aug. 12.

Qualcomm Veteran Named Head of Microsoft Business Development

Peggy Johnson, a 24-year veteran of semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm, is now the executive vice president of global business development at Microsoft.

Report: Windows 9 May Be a Free Upgrade

Microsoft may offer "Windows 9" as a free upgrade to entice users of older Windows editions, according to a recent report by longtime Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley.

Microsoft Sues Samsung over Android Royalty Payments

Microsoft on Friday filed a lawsuit against its hardware partner Samsung, accusing the device maker of violating the terms of a 3-year-old Android licensing agreement between the two companies.

Court Orders Microsoft To Obey Search Warrant for Overseas Data

A U.S. district court judge has upheld a search warrant ordering Microsoft to turn over e-mails stored in its datacenter in Dublin, Ireland.

Microsoft Releases Office for iPad Update

Microsoft this week updated its Office for iPad suite, just four months after its initial release.

Survey Underscores Windows XP's Staying Power

Despite years of warnings from Microsoft concerning Windows XP's end-of-life, surprisingly many organizations remain stuck on the operating system.

Wireless Industry Veteran Joins Microsoft's Board of Directors

Microsoft on Wednesday announced it has added one more seat to its board of directors, appointing longtime wireless industry executive John W. Stanton.

Microsoft Offices in China Subjected to Government Inspections

Chinese government investigators raided Microsoft offices throughout China this week in response to accusations of monopolistic practices and other, less-clear violations on Microsoft's part.

Expanded Cortana Support Coming in First Windows Phone 8.1 Update

The first update to Windows Phone 8.1 will expand Cortana's availability to more countries and introduce Start screen folders, Microsoft announced on Wednesday.