Microsoft is rumored to announce its next-generation Xbox console at a press conference on May 21st, according to blogger Paul Thurrott. The date was corroborated by The Verge just moments later. The Xbox 720 was originally slated for unveiling in April, but the special event will now fall just a few weeks prior to the E3 gaming conference in June, where full details surrounding the console are expected to be announced.

The release date of the Xbox 720 is expected to occur later this year, prior to the holiday shopping season. A refresh to the Xbox console has been long-anticipated b gamers, but the Xbox 360 remaining the top-selling console for several months in succession has put little pressure on Microsoft to follow through with the next-generation system.

[BGR]

Windows 8 shipped late last year to mixed reviews. Most people enjoyed the performance gains, though the duality of the operating system was perplexing for many as well. Another issue was the relative lack of features in the stock applications that shipped with Redmond’s shiny new OS. It was assumed, however, that those applications would soon be updated.

According to Mary Jo Folley on her ZDNet blog, those updates will arrive for both Windows 8 and Windows RT, despite the latter’s poor performance in the computing market. It’s unclear what exactly will be included in these updates, though new features and better performance are likely.

[ZDNet]

Let’s take a brief moment to look at Microsoft Surface sales. Or, lack thereof. According to a Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the matter, sales of the first two Surface tablets currently on the market have fallen short of expectations, with just 1.5 million devices moved.

Microsoft has sold little more than a million of the Surface RT version and about 400,000 Surface Pros since their debuts, according to three people, who asked not to be named because sales haven’t yet been made public. The company had ordered about 3 million Surface RTs, they said.

While the Surface is overpriced and falls short of the iPad, which was purchased 22.9 million times last quarter alone, one underlying reason for its poor traction has been ineffective marketing. While it might have amazing commercials, the marketing for the Surface has been taken in the wrong direction. (more…)