Displaying items by tag: Microsoft

As the title of this article suggests there is another new video on the internet that claims to show the Windows 9 menu and how it all works. The appearance of the video comes on the heels of more than one alleged screen shot and some other items that have leaked from Microsoft themselves. As we all know Microsoft has a lot riding on the next version of Windows simply because of the lack of consumer acceptance that Windows 8.x has had.

It is not often that we can write about a big company like Microsoft and say they are doing “the right thing”. This is even more true in light of the Snowden revelations that showed the close cooperation that Microsoft (and others) had with many data collection programs run by the NSA. Any trust that people had in Microsoft and their drive to protect their customer’s data vanished in an instant. Since those days Microsoft has been working very hard to rebuild consumer trust. They have put SSL and TLS encryption on their email service and have put a few privacy (pronounce that security if you are in government) features in place to help change the public opinion.

Oh Microsoft, how little you get the game of marketing. Despite being forewarned about the consequences of pushing the Xbox One as media center instead of a gaming console Microsoft continued this blitz right up until launch day. They were shocked and appalled that gamers were not happy with their decision to limit game trading, require internet, and require the Kinect and many more services that just did not make sense at the time.

In the current round of console wars it is pretty clear who is winning and who is not. Ever since it was first introduced Microsoft’s Xbox One has had challenges with consumer acceptance. Almost all of the reasons for this lay with Microsoft and the message they were putting out about the gaming console. The alienated the gaming community with massive restrictions and a multi-media push that Sony was able to counter from day one.

If you have been on the internet at all the last few days you have probably seen all of the articles about how great DirectX 12 is and why it will be a game changer. To be fair the next version of DirectX is looking like it is a massive refinement of the API and one that should bring about some nice benefits to the gamer… the PC gamer. For years many game developers have not made full use of the features and options in the DirectX (DX) API simply because of the extra CPU, GPU and other types of power needed to push these enhancements around the board.

Microsoft has announced that they will be closing the doors on their Xbox Entertainment Studio. This move is part of the recent job cuts that new CEO Satya Nadella announced. Nadella is slimming things down as part of a mobile first, cloud first initiative, but also with the intention of re-focusing Microsoft on things that area important to the product in question. If you remember gamers were not that happy with the “more than a gaming console” spin that Microsoft put on the Xbox One.

This morning some news flitted across my desk that made me thing of an old TV commercial. In this ad an older man in a suit ask the question: “How do we measure success?” His response is: “One client at a time.” All of this is done in black and white for an even better impression. Now that I have gone off on a tangent I should probably explain what I am talking about. The news in question was a bit of information stating that Xbox One sales had nearly doubled. The reason, Microsoft removed the Kinect from the bundle and cut the price.

After hearing from Microsoft that the world would not see the true start menu back until the Redmond team decides to push Windows 9 out the door we are hearing a new rumor that a future update for Windows 8.x will have it. This is surprising as it appeared that CEO Satya Nadella was almost trying to distance himself from Windows 8.x and many of the items that were Ballmer centric pushes.

In the wake of the Nokia purchase Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is taking a hard look at the way Microsoft is organized and will be making some rather drastic cuts in staff. This should not come as a big surprise to anyone that has been keeping up with events at the Redmond based Windows shop. Over the last few years Microsoft has tried to transform themselves from a software giant that owns a successful gaming console department to a devices and services company that looks a lot like Apple.

Have you ever heard of a PAE? No? Well it stands for Patent Assertion Entity, Still not sure what they do? You might recognize them if we call them patent trolls. PAEs are companies that own the rights to patents through contracts with inventors or that buy them from others with the sole intent to file law suits against anyone that might be infringing on any patent they currently own. It is a big business and one that costs the market millions of dollars each year.