Stuart J. Johnston

Out with the old, in with the new. Microsoft has been trying to get Windows XP diehards to upgrade to the newer Windows 7 operating and a recent report indicates some progress is being made on that front. As Datamation reports, the latest Net Applications survey shows most of those testing Microsoft’s new IE9 browser […]

Microsoft loves to go on about the future potential of what is called “natural user interface” or NUI. Although NUI includes technologies such as voice recognition and computerized transcription, Microsoft — among other companies — has been just as committed to the idea of using gestures in three-dimensional space to control systems. In fact, it’s […]

Lync may not be a familiar name Microsoft watchers or the IT community at large, but the software giant is working mightily to raise the profile of its renamed unified communications software. As VoIP Planet reports, Microsoft plans to officially unveil the latest version of its unified communications solution at event in New York next […]

Steve Ballmer likes to describe his company as “all in” on the cloud. That is to say, Microsoft plans to compete vigorously with Google, Salesforce and myriad other vendors pedaling cloud-based services. So how are the company’s plans progressing? In one important measure, Microsoft said its Azure cloud-computing platform now counts more than 20,000 paying […]

Microsoft revved up its cash machine in the first quarter of the software giant’s fiscal year for 2011, a period that ended Sept. 30 and saw 25 percent year-over-year increase in revenues, well ahead of analysts’ expectations. Microsoft credited its healthy earnings to the strong showing of Windows 7, Office 2010 and the Xbox 360 […]

Just in time for the holiday advertising and shopping blitz, Microsoft and Yahoo have completed an important part of their search integration. Microsoft’s Bing platform will now power all of the paid search ads on Yahoo’s search engine, which means that advertisers’ accounts with Yahoo have been transitioned to Microsoft’s AdCenter. Now, advertisers will be […]

Windows 7 has been shaping up as a cash cow for Microsoft, and sustained strength in the consumer sector for the new operating system could lift the company to yet another record quarter when it reports financial results on Thursday. Just last week, Microsoft announced a major milestone in adoption of the new operating system, […]

Microsoft pushed its core Windows line past another milestone this week, advancing the Windows Server 2008 Release 2 and Windows 7 service pack to the release candidate phase, the last stage of testing before the products are released to the public. Microsoft’s service packs are closely watched by IT buyers, who often wait until their […]

While the stunning success of the iPhone and iPad has driven Apple to new heights of success, it’s stalwart Mac line of computers has seen a far modest, but steady improvement in sales the past several years. Part of its success can be attributed to the availability of Microsoft Office for the Mac, the well-established […]

Each time Microsoft refreshes one of its signature product lines, it faces the familiar challenges of convincing decision makers at IT shops that the upgrade is worth it, that the features and benefits outweigh the cost, and that there’s no time like the present to make the transition. At present, Microsoft is in the midst […]

What’s next from Microsoft? Bloggers, reporters and other interested parties, are constantly trolling for the latest news and inside information about what the software giant plans to do next. The latest example is an apparent unauthorized leak by a Dutch news site owned by Microsoft about the next release of Windows. As detailed in Datamation’s […]

You had a good run, Windows XP. But now that Windows 7 has been on the market for a year, Microsoft has decided that it’s time to pull the plug. On Oct. 22, the one-year anniversary of the consumer launch of Windows 7, Microsoft announced that OEMs may no longer include Windows XP pre-installed on […]