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12 May 2011 10:32

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Tech: Did the Justice Department hinder Microsoft? No. Outside forces did.

  • 93.9% Windows’ share of the desktop operating system market in 2002, after an antitrust settlement with the Justice Department
  • 91.1% Windows’ share of the desktop market today … as the Justice Department’s oversight ends; it’s like nothing actually changed source
  • » Then again, a lot has: The computer industry has evolved away from Microsoft’s model while still remaining tightly attached to it. With the growth of tablets and mobile phones (two markets where Microsoft simply struggles to stay afloat), and the evolution of open-source and Web apps into methods that get around Microsoft’s dominance, in many ways the company is weaker, even if we mostly still use Windows, even though OSX is probably better. Also, we think Google’s Chromebooks could chip into Microsoft’s market share in short order. None of these things are the Justice Department’s doing, though. The tech industry, instead, worked around Microsoft.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 May 2011 20:42

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Tech: Report: Skype held out for their magic number — $7 billion

  • Microsoft really wanted this. Microsoft right now is trying to do things to keep up with other faster-growing technology companies.
  • Bahl & Gaynor Inc. money manager Matt McCormick • Explaining why Microsoft went after Skype — offering a reported $8.5 billion for the company. They offered that much because they had to. Skype reportedly rebuffed any offers that were less than $7 billion. Steve Ballmer, during the announcement of the deal, suggested that the technology would be used for, among other things, its Xbox console, Office technology, Windows Mobile phones (where they could gain a real advantage, by the way) and corporate phone software. Skype is so widely-used that Microsoft could be sitting on the next generation of phone technology — something they need to stay in the game. (Also, a side note: Google was the only other serious bidder, but they didn’t get close to $7 billion.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 May 2011 22:12

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Tech: BREAKING: Microsoft close to buying out Skype. Holy cats!

  • $7 billion for Microsoft to prove that they’re still in the game source
  • » The deal is close: Reports suggest a deal could be reached by Tuesday, which of course would be big. See, Skype has a huge userbase — around 663 million users — and they make billions of minutes worth of VOIP calls each year. Clearly Microsoft would be a better choice to own this company than eBay, but then again, anyone would’ve been a better choice than eBay.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Apr 2011 11:23

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Tech: Microsoft’s patent case hits an unsympathetic Supreme Court

  • It’s a bad thing not to give protection to an invention that deserves it; and it is just as bad a thing to give protection to an invention that doesn’t deserve it. Both can seriously harm the economy. What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to get a better tool, if possible, to separate the sheep from the goats.
  • Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer • Offering a very smart insight during yesterday’s arguments in the Microsoft/i4i patent case which has been floating around the ether for a couple of years. Microsoft’s pushing to make obvious patents a little less patentable, and they have a lot riding on the case. See, i4i owns a key patent involving custom XML in a document — something Microsoft used heavily in Word until the patent case came up. They could end up owing hundreds of millions otherwise. Other justices, particularly Antonin Scalia and Elena Kagan, weren’t so kind to Microsoft’s case. Fun fact: Chief Justice John Roberts recused himself from this case because he owns Microsoft stock. If the vote goes 4-4, the lower court ruling stands and Microsoft loses. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2011 12:55

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Tech: Internet Explorer 6, or why most sites look really bad in China

  • Today in reasons to be critical of the influence China has on the rest of the world, we submit to you “IE6 Countdown,” a Microsoft-made site that shows why the browser remains so prevalent a full decade after its initial release. See that giant red spot, showing widespread usage? That’s China. You know, beyond awareness campaigns, Microsoft could do more to get people to stop using IE6. They’re not doing enough, really. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2011 10:53

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Tech: Why is everyone skeptical of Nokia’s Microsoft deal, anyway?

  • reason The company’s newest CEO, Stephen Elop, was an executive at Microsoft before becoming Nokia’s figurehead – and he just spearheaded the Microsoft deal.
  • evidence The new president of U.S.-focused Nokia, Inc. is Chris Weber, who spent 16 years at Microsoft. Gaining competitive advantage by trojan horse much? source
  • » Here comes the denial: While many are suspicious of Elop’s motives, he personally denies that’s what took place. “The obvious answer is no,” Elop said. “We made sure that the entire management team was involved in the process, and of course the board of directors of Nokia are the only ones that can make this significant of a decision about Nokia. They made that final decision on Thursday night.” For some reason, we’re guessing he had that response ready.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2011 11:50

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Tech: Three reasons why Microsoft’s Nokia deal really sucks for Nokia

  • one Their long-popular Symbian OS was created mostly as a reaction to Microsoft’s plans to enter the mobile market over a decade ago. This move tastes like crow.
  • two The profit margins on Nokia phones right now are roughly 30 percent. With a Windows-licensed phone, it’s much closer to 5-10 percent – a huge drop in revenues.
  • three This is the worst one by far – 20,000 Finnish Nokia employees will likely lose their jobs due to redundancy – a HUGE chunk of people by any stretch. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Feb 2011 21:59

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Tech: Nokia, Microsoft forced to fight for smartphone scraps together

  • This photo, showing Microsoft and Nokia’s CEOs, basically explains the entire story on its own. Nokia’s Stephen Elop: Down with whatever random OS we were trying to make that won’t succeed on the market because we waited too long! Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer: Up with our in-just-before-the-wire Windows Phone 7! By the way, how sad is it that Nokia, which basically wrote the script on the modern cell phone, now has to hop in bed with Microsoft to even keep up? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

12 Jan 2011 10:35

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Tech: Microsoft suddenly complains about Apple “App Store” trademark

  • then Back in 2008, Apple trademarked the words “App Store” to advertise its silo of third-party programmed application goodness. The U.S. Patent Office opened up the name for opposition in 2009, and Apple later used it for it Mac App Store.
  • now Microsoft, trying to gain a foothold with Windows Phone 7, decided to protest use of the name, saying that it was too generic. Note that the U.S. Patent Office has allowed others to protest this trademark for more than a year. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Dec 2010 12:14

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Tech: Best news ever: Paul Allen’s patent troll lawsuits thrown out

  • whatThe patent-troll lawsuit Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen filed against every major technology company in the world failed in court on Friday. Good for everyone but Paul Allen.
  • whyHis company wasn’t specific about how the many companies he was suing violated the patents. They have until December 28 to refile to prove specific damages. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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