The PC Industry Is Digging Its Own Grave
The PC Industry Is Digging Its Own Grave | Forbes
With Windows 8, Microsoft entirely screwed the pooch. A badly conceived OS, designed to compete with Apple’s iOS and yet remain a traditional PC, did neither. It only confused and repelled users. Windows 7, a decent replacement for Windows XP, finally, could have sustained the industry easily for a decade.
Skype’s Been Hijacked in China, and Microsoft Is O.K. With It
Skype’s Been Hijacked in China, and Microsoft Is O.K. With It | Businessweek
So when a professor pulled Knockel aside after class two years ago and suggested a long-shot project—to figure out how the Chinese version of Microsoft’s (MSFT) Skype secretly monitors users—he hunkered down in his bedroom with his Dell (DELL) laptop and did it.
Microsoft hacked
Microsoft hacked | The Loop
The world’s largest software company said the security intrusion was “similar” to recent ones reported by Apple Inc (NSQ:AAPL) and Facebook Inc (FB.O).
Recent Cyberattacks | MSRC
Microsoft suffers from same hacking attack as Apple, Facebook, small number of computers infected | The Next Web
64 GB Surface Pro will only have 23 GB free
128GB Surface Pro ships with 83GB free, 64GB has only 23GB | Engadget
That 64 GB, $800 Microsoft Surface Pro you plan on buying next week? Maybe you should temper your storage expectations a bit, as the base model actually only allots 23 GB of that space for use. The larger 128 GB version offers a bit more space at 83 GB, but is still losing a massive 45 GB of space to the full Windows 8 operating system and various included applications.
Surface Pro Available Storage Space | Daring Fireball
Microsoft wastes tons of Surface storage space on bullshit | The Loop
Microsoft’s 64GB Surface Pro will only have 23GB usable storage | The Verge
A company spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that the 64GB edition of Surface Pro will have 23GB of free storage out of the box. The 128GB model will have 83GB of free storage. It appears that the Windows 8 install, built-in apps, and a recovery partition will make up the 41GB total on the base Surface Pro model.
64 GB Surface Pro will only have 23 GB free | Marco.org
Surface Pro: 64GB Of Storage, Surface Con: 23GB Actually Usable | ParisLemon
突如発表された 128 GB iPad | maclalala2
ついに怒った Paul Thurrott
Windows Phone Team: This is No Way to Treat Early Adopters | Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows
Microsoft, silence is no way to treat early adopters, the people who are your most loyal customers. It is the most disrespectful thing you can do, in fact. Combined with the weird and continued holes in your ecosystem strategy—the inability to get Xbox Video content on Windows Phone 8 as only one obvious example—it’s unclear to me why you think anyone should support you or your mobile platform.
After five months of silence, it’s time to prove you really do care, deeply or otherwise. It’s time to open up. Post something. Discuss Windows Phone 7.8. Tell us when, and why it’s taking so long. Something. Anything.
It’s Too Early to Judge Early Windows 8 Sales
Windows 8 Sales Well Below Projections, Plenty of Blame to Go Around | Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows
Windows 8. It’s a floor wax. No, it’s a dessert topping. Microsoft’s new whatever-the-F-it-is operating system is a confusing, Frankenstein’s monster mix of old and new that hides a great desktop upgrade under a crazy Metro front-end. It’s touch-first, as Microsoft says, but really it’s touch whether you want it or not (or have it or not), and the firm’s inability to give its own customers the choice to pick which UI they want is what really makes Windows 8 confounding to users. I actually like Windows 8 quite a bit and can’t imagine switching back. But I do understand the complaints of customers who aren’t getting what they wanted or asked for.
It’s Too Early to Judge Early Windows 8 Sales | TIME.com
Windows 8 was never (primarily) about driving PC sales for the 2012 holiday season. It’s a long bet on a future in which most PCs have touch capability and many of them are tablets. As such, any current conclusions about how it’s doing are hopelessly premature.
Windows 8 as a Long Bet | Daring Fireball
But why put the touch/tablet UI on all PCs? A touch-optimized UI makes no more sense for a non-touch desktop than a desktop UI makes for a tablet. Apple has it right: a touch UI for touch devices, a pointer UI for pointer (trackpad, mouse) devices. Windows 8 strikes me as driven by dogma — “one Windows, everywhere”.
In the Sinofsky Departure, Bill Gates Sided With the Other Steve
In the Sinofsky Departure, Bill Gates Sided With the Other Steve | AllThingsD
“He had no factions, except those who worked for him,” said one source. “He picked a lot of fights.”
That included with former chief software architect Ray Ozzie — who left Microsoft in 2010, in part after battling against Sinofsky over how the cloud-based world was shaping up and how Microsoft should respond.
Likewise, former Entertainment and Devices unit leaders Robbie Bach and J Allard also found themselves on the losing end of a corporate battle with Sinofsky, as Microsoft axed their planned Courier tablet and agreed to give tablet responsibilities to the Windows team. Both left the company in 2010.
Sinofsky also clashed with former Microsoft Business division head Stephen Elop, who left the company in 2010 to run Nokia, now an important partner in the smartphone business.
Having sided with Sinofsky in all those fights, though, Ballmer belatedly decided that he wasn’t the right choice to bring the company together in the future. Sources said Ballmer raised those concerns with Gates, who agreed.
Kara Swisher: ‘In the Sinofsky Departure, Bill Gates Sided With the Other Steve‘ | Daring Fireball
Of course he did. No way could Ballmer have done this without Gates’s (and thus, the board’s) approval. That’s a lot of heads that have rolled at Microsoft in recent years.
The Sin(ofsky)s Of The Father | parislemon
Yes, there are obvious parallels to the Scott Forstall situation inside of Apple. But the overall situation is different as Tim Cook is only one year into the job and felt the need to consolidate power while streamlining internal processes (his M.O.). Ballmer has been on the job (as CEO) with Sinofsky for 13 years. Again, what changed?
My (unsubstantiated) guess remains Windows 8 and the Surface. I think we’ll see this play out in the months ahead.
Sinofsky was the driving force behind the “no compromise” approach to Windows 8. I believe that approach is at the heart of the ultimate problem with the OS. As two separate halves, Windows 8 and Metro seem fine. As a whole, the OS seems like a schizophrenic mess. Microsoft should have copied the Apple approach with OS X/iOS, keeping them separate and slowly merging them over time by taking the best of both.
Ultimately, I have this strange feeling that the strict adherence to “no compromise” with Windows 8 is what led to there being no compromise when it came to Sinofsky staying with the company. We may never know if my feeling is right or not, but the numbers over the next few months should be at least directionally revealing.
Microsoft shares fall after departure of key executive | Reuters
Shares of Microsoft Corp slid on Tuesday after the surprise departure of a key executive, who analysts said marks the loss of the driving force behind the company’s biggest product.
The shares were down 2.8 percent in afternoon at $27.21.
Microsoft doesn’t have a Jony Ive to save them | The Loop
Wall Street took Apple’s executive changes in stride when they learned that Jony Ive and Eddy Cue would assume some of Forstall’s duties. It had a calming effect on everyone. Microsoft, indeed most companies, don’t have that.
Sinofsky speaks, denies he tried to take over Windows Phone division at Microsoft | The Verge
Windows Head Steven Sinofsky to Leave Microsoft
Windows Head Steven Sinofsky to Leave Microsoft | AllThingsD
The move comes less than a month after Sinofsky presided over the launch of Windows 8 and Microsoft’s Surface tablet–products seen as key to the future if the PC software pioneer is to retain its position amid a market increasingly dominated by phones and tablets.
Sources have said the move came amid growing tension between Sinofsky and other top executives. Sinofsky, though seen as highly talented, was viewed at the top levels as not the kind of team player that the company was looking for. The move is likened by some to the recent ouster at Apple of iOS head Scott Forstall.
Windows Head Steven Sinofsky to Leave Microsoft | Daring Fireball
How many heads are left to roll before we get to Ballmer’s? I’m thinking none.
UPDATE: But of course now, if and when the board finally does can Ballmer, who takes over? Sinofsky and Ray Ozzie are gone, and Gates presumably isn’t interested in coming back. I really thought Sinofsky was Microsoft’s next CEO.
CEO fires ambitious leader … | John Gruber
CEO fires ambitious leader of company’s primary OS. First Forstall. Now Sinofsky. If these thing come in threes, Andy Rubin is next.
Sinofsky’s memo regarding his departure from Microsoft | CNET News
Sinofsky’s and Ballmer’s memos to employees | The Loop
CNET got their hands on Steven Sinofsky’s memo to employees announcing his departure. They also received a copy of Steve Ballmer’s memo to employees.
Ballmer doesn’t exactly gush with emotion for the man that lead the Windows team and has been with the company since 1989. Word on the street is that Sinofsky wanted Ballmer’s job as CEO, but it doesn’t look like that was going to happen.
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