Though eight years old, Windows XP still powers 71 percent of all PCs, according to a recent report from Forrester. That translates to millions of users that Microsoft must convince to upgrade to either Vista or the upcoming Windows 7.
Microsoft has released a public beta of the next iteration of Exchange, called Exchange Server 2010. This latest release of Microsoft's collaborative and messaging software, currently winning the market share battle with IBM's Lotus Notes, is the first out of the gate among Microsoft's upcoming Office-related products that include SharePoint 2010 and the rebranded Office 2010 (formerly referred to as Office 14). Exchange 2010 will become generally available in the second half of 2009.
Sales of lightweight, low-powered mini-laptops, widely known as netbooks, have been growing rapidly with consumers during the past six months and are predicted to stay on this path. And the tech industry can't seem to get enough of talking about netbooks these days; the hype meter has been clicking up steadily for months. But do these little engines really have a place in the enterprise?
Microsoft and EMC recently converged in New York City to announce a three-year extension of their alliance to work together on enterprise virtualisation, storage, security and content management products.
The reaction to Microsoft's plan to open retail stores from bloggers and pundits has been mostly negative. It's likely to fail, they say. Why? Because Microsoft doesn't offer an "experience" or a "lifestyle" or that special, personality-defining, everything's gonna be OK allure that Apple stores offer.
Coming soon to a mall near you: The Microsoft Store.
IT managers are facing a perfect storm of Windows upgrade options.
Microsoft generated plenty of negative headlines in 2008. We watched as it struck out in its attempts to acquire Yahoo. And Microsoft-haters grew smug when the confusing Seinfeld-Gates commercials were quickly pulled and replaced with the "I'm a PC" campaign. Microsoft's attempts to out-market Apple and reverse the negative press of Windows Vista simply didn't work out.
Microsoft and Yahoo are reportedly at it again. No matter how firmly Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says there will be no acquisition of Yahoo, it seems these two lovebirds can't stop flirting.
We may never know why Microsoft waited so long to respond to Apple's snarky but effective "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" television ads.
Microsoft officially says it will ship the Windows 7 operating system within three years of the January 2007 consumer release of Windows Vista. But speculation abounds that the software giant is gunning to ship halfway through 2009 to be on machines for the back-to-school and holiday seasons.
Recent sales numbers for Windows Vista paint a somewhat dreary picture for the OS as consumers and enterprises try to save dollars in an economic downturn.
