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Windows Phone Leapfrogs BlackBerry for Third Place in Mobile Space

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 8:26 am

Trio-Windows-Phone-8X-HTC Windows Phone is now the third-largest mobile platform worldwide, gaining more than triple its market share year-over-year and leapfrogging the recovering BlackBerry in the midst.

According to the latest numbers from IDC, a leading market research firm, 7 million Windows Phone units were shipped in the first quarter for 3.2 percent market share. BlackBerry moved 6.3 million units, but dropped to 2.9 percent market share. (more…)

Bill Gates Recounts His Last Conversation With Steve Jobs

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 6:38 pm

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

The competitive nature of the relationship between Bill Gates, founder and (until fairly recently) CEO of Microsoft, and Steve Jobs is well-publicized. What isn’t as well-known is that the two became friends later in life, close enough so that Jobs invited Gates over for what would become the last conversation between the two.

60 Minutes has interviewed Bill Gates, and the program includes some thoughts of Steve Jobs, as well as some details of that final conversation. The conversation was emotional:

Gates grew emotional as he recalled visiting Jobs just before his death. The billionaire welled up as he described their last conversation, which he described as “forward-looking.”

“He showed me the boat he was working on,” said Gates, “and talked about how he’s looking forward to being on it, even though we both knew there was a good chance that wouldn’t happen.”

The full interview can be seen after the break.

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Opinion: Don’t Expect an iTunes Windows 8 App Any Time Soon

Posted by Stephen Hall at 2:25 pm

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In an interview with CNN Money, Tami Reller of Windows said that Microsoft has been trying to get Apple to build a native iTunes application for Windows 8. ”The welcome mat has been laid out,” she said, but the Cupertino corporation is apparently reluctant; she says you shouldn’t expect it to come “any time soon.” (more…)

3 Android Smartphones Shipped For Every iPhone in First Quarter

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 11:17 am

Android-Eating-Apple The latest numbers from research firm Canalys are in for worldwide smart mobile device shipments, and Android continues to hold a significant lead. A staggering 183.7 million Android devices were shipped in the first quarter, accounting for 59.5 percent market share. Meanwhile, Apple shipped an estimated 59.6 million devices for 19.3 percent share of the market.

Microsoft finished a close third place behind Apple, capturing 18.1 percent of the market on shipments of 55.9 million devices. It’s important to note that Canalys factors in notebooks alongside tablets and smartphones, so much of Microsoft’s success lies in its strength in the PC market. On the contrary, Windows Phone handset and Microsoft Surface tablet sales have been dismal compared to market leaders Apple and Samsung. (more…)

Bill Gates Claims iPad Users ‘Are Frustrated’

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:12 am

iPad Surface

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, a very intelligent individual and leading philanthropist, appeared on American cable channel CNBC this morning to speak primarily about interest rates and other corporate matters. But the Microsoft co-founder was also probed about the post-PC era and continued emergence of tablets, to which he provided some interesting remarks.

Gates acknowledged that while Microsoft is still attempting to compete in a market that is dominated by iPad-like devices, that “a lot of those users are frustrated” because “they can’t type, they can’t create documents [and] they don’t have Office.” While I have tremendous respect for Gates, I simply disagree with that statement. It is more than possible to use the iPad as a professional workstation. (more…)

Report: Microsoft to Announce Next-Generation Surface in June

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 9:27 am

Blue Microsoft Surface

Taiwanese publication DigiTimes, citing upstream supply chain sources, claims Microsoft is preparing to launch the second-generation Surface next month. According to the report, the Redmond-based corporation will announce the tablet at its Build conference, scheduled for June 26th-28th, and has already ordered components for between 1 and 1.5 million Intel-based units.

To better compete with the myriad of smaller tablets on the market, Microsoft is said to shrink the Surface screen size to between 7- and 9-inches. Comparatively, the Nexus 7 and iPad mini have 7-inch and 7.9-inch displays respectively. Since estimated sales of the original Surface RT have been weak, at less than 1.8 million, Microsoft is reportedly playing it cautious about this forthcoming model.

Microsoft released the original Surface tablet last October to little fanfare, and quarterly sales figures are the evidence. In the past two quarters, it is estimated that Microsoft shipped 900,000 units or less of the tablet. If the company wants to compete with the likes of Apple and Google, it will have to seriously step up its game. Since the Surface launched, Apple has sold over 42.4 million iPads.

Microsoft Ships Just 900,000 Surface Tablets in Second Quarter

Microsoft Ships Just 900,000 Surface Tablets in Second Quarter

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 12:57 pm

microsoft-surface-small-2 Tom Warren for The Verge writes:

Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets during the recent quarter, according to data from IDC. Following rumors of strong initial Surface Pro sales, IDC says the combined total for Surface RT and Surface Pro was under just one million, with most of the units made up of Surface Pro.

That’s less than 1.8 million Surface tablets shipped in the past two quarters, compared to 42.4 million iPads.

Apr

Microsoft Mocks Galaxy and iPhone Users in New Windows Phone Ad

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 11:01 am

iPhone and Android smartphone users, it’s time to put your differences aside for at least a few moments. Microsoft has just released a new TV advertisement for Windows Phone, mocking the flame wars that often occur between people that use either an Apple or Samsung smartphone. I think, for at least one time, everyone can agree that it’s pretty comical.

In the one-minute spot, promoting the Lumia 920, Microsoft makes fan of both the enormous size of Galaxy devices and Siri voice assistant on iPhone as part of an overall mockery of the heated rivalry between users of each platform. Just as a man and woman are about to be wed, guests at the wedding begin making sarcastic remarks about each other’s smartphones, and it soon erupts into full-out mayhem.

Apr

Microsoft Announcing Next-Generation Xbox on May 21st

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:58 am

Xbox_720-570x380[1]

Call of Duty fans rejoice, as Microsoft has invited members of the press to a special event next month to unveil its next-generation Xbox console. The gaming rig will be unveiled at Microsoft’s corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington on May 21st at 10:00 AM Pacific, and is rumored to feature a 1.6 GHz eight-core AMD processor, 8 GB of RAM, an 800 MHz graphics processor, Blu-ray support and gigabit Ethernet connectivity. Will you be getting one?

[BGR]