microsoft

Microsoft Announces Xbox One Console

Paul Lilly — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:26:44 +0000

An all-in-one home entertainment device.

Gamers have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Microsoft's next generation Xbox console, and today they finally got what they've been waiting for. Microsoft's next console, previously referred to as Durango and Xbox 720, was introduced to the world as Xbox One, a name that underscores Microsoft's intent to rule the living room with an all-in-one entertainment system that's equally adept at playing games as it is for watching live TV, chatting on Skype, browsing photos and videos, and more. The device itself looks rather large and almost VCR-like.

Microsoft's Don Mattrick took to the stage and talked about how the living room has become "too complex, too fragmented, and too slow." The Xbox One is Microsoft's answer to these problems, and much of the magic of the new console has to do with intelligent voice recognition and gesture control.

Navigation

Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, demoed several of Xbox One's navigation features. One of big differences between the Xbox One and 360 is that the console recognizes who you are right off the bat. Say "Xbox On" and it will turn on your device and launch straight into your custom profile with your personalized home screen. It will also remember what you were last doing, in case you wanted to jump back into a game or movie that you had to duck out of prematurely.

One of the most impressive demos was Mehdi showing how quickly and smoothly the Xbox One can switch between tasks, going from Internet Explorer ("Xbox Internet Explorer!") to watching movies ("Xbox movie!") and live TV. It will be interesting to see what kind of relationship Microsoft and the Xbox One has with cable providers. It can also, of course, play games. The Xbox One recognizes gestures, too. Reach out your arms, grab, and close to bring up the Home screen, or expand to go back to where you just came from.

A new Snap Mode allows you to multi-task, to an extent. While you're watching a movie, for example, you can have Skype running in a sidebar on the right or look up content on the web via IE.

Live TV figures to be a prominent feature of the Xbox One. Say "Show the guide" to bring up a listing of TV shows and then navigate through voice control, by browsing favorites, or by seeing what's "Trending," which is a new tab added to the Dashboard. If you're bored with your program, you can say "What's on HBO?" and Xbox One will respond with a listing of shows and movies on HBO.

What About the Hardware?

As for the hardware, well, the Xbox One will rock an 8-core CPU with 5 billion transistors, 8GB of system memory, 500GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive (yes, the Xbox is finally getting Blu-ray!), 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI in/output, and USB 3.0 support. Beyond that, it's not clear if that RAM will be unified like it is on the PlayStation 4 or which exact processor and GPU Microsoft is tapping into, or whether it will be x86 based like Sony's console. We suspect those details will come to light in the coming months, and potentially at E3, where Microsoft will make several Xbox 360 announcements.

On the platform side, Microsoft described a three-in-one OS architecture:

Xbox software that gives developers deep access to the sysem and hardware
A Windows kernel
Special software to connect the two above OSes

Following the press conference, Nvidia revealed to us that the company will offer the console PhysX support. Whether that is on the GPU side or CPU side is still up in the air. Maximum PC has tried reaching out to Nvidia for more clarification on the matter to only recieve a "no comment" reply. Regardless, with PhysX support coming to the Xbox One, this will be especially interesting as earlier rumors pegged the Xbox One as using AMD components for both the CPU and GPU. This could theoretically mean the green and red team may be collaborating on the console in some capacity.

UPDATE: AMD has confirmed it is indeed designing an APU for the Xbox One. “AMD is very excited to be working with Microsoft on their next-generation Xbox One. The Microsoft Xbox One leverages a single-chip, semi-custom AMD APU, with custom components co-developed with Microsoft designed to enable unique attributes of the system Microsoft is bringing to market,” said Saeid Moshkelani, corporate vice president and general manager of AMD's Semi-Custom Business Unit.

UPDATE #2: A Microsoft representative confirmed to us that AMD would be the Xbox One's primary parts maker, stating, "AMD is our primary partner for the custom silicon that makes up our GPU/CPU SOC that is the heart of Xbox One. We don’t have any further details about Nvidia PhysX at this time, but do stay tuned."

Updated Kinect Sensor and Controller

A new Kinect sensor will be paired with every Xbox One console. It expands to 1080p, can read more joints than before, understands subtle movements like a flick of the wrist, and can even detect your heartbeat when exercising. Microsoft also updated the familiar controller so that it's more ergonomic, though retains the same semi-butterfly shape as previous versions.

Xbox Live

Sorry folks, Microsoft isn't giving up its subscription-based Xbox Live service in favor of free online play for everyone. The same memberships as today will exist, though the backend infrastructure is significantly overhauled. While today's Xbox Live service taps into 15,000 servers, there will be 300,000 servers powering Xbox One's Live service.

Microsoft will put that horsepower to use in part for better matchmaking. It will search for opponents in one game while you're playing another, and overall, Microsoft envisions a deeper, richer Live experience.

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Finally, Call of Duty: Ghosts made an appearance towards the end of the event. Microsoft announced that will continue its exclusive downloadable content (DLC) deal with Activision, ensuring Xbox One gamers get DLC before gamers on other devices.

There's a new game engine being introduced in Ghosts. It will run at a steady 60 frames per second while you control new characters in a new game world. The script is being hammered out by Stephen Gaghan, writer of Traffic and Syriana.

Dogs will be part of your squad and are able protect your team and sniff for explosives. Other animals, like fish, will move out of your way as you get close, which is part of a new artificial intelligence (A.I.) system. There will be dynamic events like earthquakes, and player-driven events too. You'll be able to customize your characters in multiplayer, choosing heads, bodies, helmets, and other gear.

"It will be the best Call of Duty game we've ever ever made," Activision's Erik Hirschberg declared.

That wraps up the highlights. Microsoft didn't announce a price or release date, instead confirming what we already know, which is that Xbox One will be available "later this year."

What did you think of the announcement? Are you as bummed as we are that more hardware details weren't revealed? Let us know in the comments!

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Sony Teases PlayStation 4 Console Reveal Ahead of Microsoft's Xbox Announcement

Paul Lilly — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:26:39 +0000

It's 'Game-on' between Sony and Microsoft.

Sony today provided a first glimpse of what its next generation PlayStation 4 (PS4) console will look like, though a quick peek is all you get. The reveal comes in the form of a 39-second YouTube clip that flashes between various different close-ups and a blurry shot of the square-shape console as the camera moves increasingly closer, though never coming into focus. Sony is planning to fully unveil the PS4 at E3 on June 10.

The timing of Sony's teaser video represents a bit of gamesmanship, as Microsoft is set to announce its next Xbox console (codenamed Durango) tomorrow morning. Thus will begin the next-generation console wars, though it will be a war of words and speculation since both companies are planning to make their respective platforms available to purchase this holiday shopping season.

One of the big things gamers will be paying attention to during tomorrow's announcement is whether or not the new Xbox will require an always-on Internet connection. Ex-Microsoft Studios employee Adam Orth ended up resigning after defending always-on devices on his Twitter account by talking down to other users.

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Bill Gates Nudges Past Carlos Slim to Reclaim World’s Richest Crown

Pulkit Chandna — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:32:47 +0000

Xbox 720 believed to be behind surge in Gates’ wealth

Despite having given away billions in charity in recent years, Microsoft founder and non-executive chairman Bill Gates is said to have dislodged Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim, also a noted philanthropist, from the top spot on the list of the world’s wealthiest people.

The Harvard dropout is the wealthiest man on the planet as per the Bloomberg Billionaires index, which is updated on a daily basis at 5:30 p.m. in New York. At the time of the last update, Bill Gates’ net worth was valued at $72.7 billion, a shade (relatively speaking) above his nearest rival Carlos Slim’s net worth of $72.1 billion.

So what exactly fueled Gates’ return to the top of the Bloomberg Billionaires list after a five-year hiatus? Forbes’ contributor Nigam Arora, a nuclear physicist who serves as the chief investment officer at The Arora Report, ascribes this recent rise in Bill Gates’ wealth to the prevailing market excitement over the upcoming launch of Microsoft’s next-gen console; ever since Microsoft announced the upcoming Xbox 720 launch event, scheduled for May 22, the company’s stock price and, in turn, Gates’ net worth have witnessed a steady rise.

In other words, where the markets are concerned, all this Xbox 720-related excitement has been able to offset the negative impact of disappointing first-quarter PC shipment numbers. But the question is: for how long? According to Arora, this “rally in Microsoft is overdone.”

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Microsoft Pops Its Top on Comparing Windows 8 to a Can of Soda

Paul Lilly — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:56:54 +0000

Can of soda comparison is just hyperbole, Microsoft says.

Richard Carlson advises against sweating the small stuff, and if you're Microsoft, that means not getting your knickers in a knot over sensationalistic journalism, especially when it comes to Windows 8. That's not to say Windows 8 isn't without its fair share of legitimate criticisms and concerns, but is it fair to compare the touch-friendly operating system to Coca-Cola's failed New Coke formula from yesteryear?

Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President of Corporate Communications at Microsoft, had a thing or three to say about the recent comparison.

"In this world where everyone is a publisher, there is a trend to the extreme – where those who want to stand out opt for sensationalism and hyperbole over nuanced analysis," Shaw stated in a blog post. "In this world where page views are currency, heat is often more valued than light. Stark black-and-white caricatures are sometimes more valued than shades-of-gray reality."

Shaw was responding to comments in a recent Financial Times report, in which the author quoted an analyst comparing Windows 8 to New Coke, the difference being that Coca-Cola did a better job of listening to its customers and quickly reversed course.

Seeking sanity in what Shaw likely sees as an insane comparison, he reiterated that's Microsoft's sold 100 million copies of Windows 8 to date. He called that a "good thing," noting that it's also a good thing to listen to consumer feedback and act on it. But to compare Windows 8 to New Coke? He was having none of that.

"Windows 8 is a good product, and it’s getting better every day," Shaw added. "Unlike a can of soda, a computer operating system offers different experiences to different customers to meet different needs, while still moving the entire industry toward an exciting future of touch, mobility, and seamless, cross-device experiences."

Anyone else suddenly thirsty for a carbonated beverage?

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Microsoft Releases a New Round of Cringe Worthy Ads

Justin Kerr — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:26:33 +0000

Google Docs doesn’t work well without the net, so he’s taking it with him.

Microsoft spends countless millions each year on advertising, but the bizarre tone and style of the final product sometimes leaves us scratching our heads. We’ve compiled a list of 5 recent Microsoft marketing videos, and we want to know what you the reader make of them. The clips are hosted on YouTube (who graciously picks up the bandwidth bill on the Google attack ads), and believe me when we say the irony wasn’t lost on us.

Microsoft vs. Google Docs

The first ad focuses on a pair of hopeful gambles, and a start struck business guy fixated on the Google Docs table. He gambles his upcoming promotion (we aren’t even sure how that’s possible) on the off chance he could win a pair of keychain dice, and passes out when he loses.

The second ad portrays a 3 vs. 3 half court basketball game, where Google Docs embarrass himself over and over.

Windows 8 vs. The World

The only defense I can offer on these clips is that they were intended for international audiences, so perhaps some of the cultural nuances are lost on us.

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Windows 8 Sales Reach 100 Million Licenses, Should Microsoft Reverse Course?

Paul Lilly — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:52:15 +0000

Steve Ballmer and company have some big decisions to make.

It was bit odd that Microsoft chose not to disclose in its most recent financial report exactly how many Windows 8 licenses it sold, though we now know the number is north of 100 million. Tami Reller, Microsoft's Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer, revealed the figure in a Q&A session that was posted on Microsoft's Windows blog, adding that the figure takes into account Windows 8 licenses that ship on new tablet and traditional PCs, as well as upgrades to the touch-friendly OS.

"This is up from the 60 million license number we provided in January. We’ve also seen the number of certified devices for Windows 8 and Window RT grow to 2,400 devices, and we’re seeing more and more touch devices in the mix," Reller said. "As we talked about in our last Q&A, Windows 8 is a big, ambitious change. While we realize that change takes time, we feel good about the progress since launch, including what we’ve been able to accomplish with the ecosystem and customer reaction to the new PCs and tablets that are available now or will soon come to market."

Reller also touched on Windows Blue, the codename for an update that will be available later this year. She said that Blue represents an opportunity for Microsoft to respond to customer feedback, though stopped short of saying the coveted Start button would make a triumphant return.

Regardless of what Microsoft decides to do with the Start button, you have to wonder if the company would be better served by admitting failure and going in a different direction before it's perhaps too late. Reller, who apparently has been getting around the interview circuit, spoke with the Financial Times and admitted that Windows 8's "learning curve is definitely real." More than that, at least one analyst likened the current state of Windows to that of Coca-Cola's New Coke nearly three decades ago.

"This is like New Coke, going on for seven months -- only Coke listened better," Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering, told FT.

It only took Coke three months to drop its new formula after consumers reacted negatively, and one could argue that Microsoft should do the same with Windows. Just as Coke tried to reinvent the flavor of its soda, Microsoft drastically changed the flavor of Windows to suit the trend towards tablets and mobile, but iOS and Android slates still rule the day.

What's your opinion on all this? Should Microsoft admit failure and reverse course, or ride it out knowing that consumers sometimes reactive negatively to change in the beginning?

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Windows 8 Blue Update Set to Address Issues With Ultra High Resolution Displays

Justin Kerr — Sun, 05 May 2013 19:13:41 +0000

Windows Blue appears to be taking on some serious issues.

Windows display scaling is, and has always been a complete mess. Sure you can bump up the multiplier to make it look half decent if you’re using just one display, but Windows 8 tablet owners are seeing a completely different problem. The next generation of devices are shipping with ultra-high resolution panels that are 10 inches or less in size, but when you try to hook these up to a larger external monitor to get real work done, finding a setting that works with both is a bit of a nightmare. One is always too big, or too small, and you can’t set the scaling separately. Newer laptops are going to run into a similar problem, but the new Windows Blue update may finally be tackling this issue head on.

Paul Thurrott from WinSupersite.com has noticed that a leaked build of the upcoming Windows 8 Blue update includes the option to “Let Windows manage my display settings”, which at least in his testing, yielded better results when mixing and matching displays with radically different DPIs. It’s an obvious feature when you think about it, and will become an increasingly frustrating problem as manufacturers start to roll out 1080p and higher displays as a standard option on portable machines if it’s not addressed.

Its great to see Microsoft tackling real world issues with its first major update to Windows 8, but we aren’t ready to lay on the praise until we find out if it’s being offered for free or not.

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Microsoft Reportedly Prepping a Smaller, Cheaper Surface Tablet

Paul Lilly — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:29:22 +0000

Second generation Surface rumors are heating up.

Multiple sources are saying that Microsoft is currently working on another Surface tablet, one that will likely be smaller in size than the current models, and less expensive as well. If the rumors are true, then it means Microsoft received the memo that $500 tablets without an Apple logo are a tough sell. which is the same memo Google's hardware partners received long ago in reference to Android.

If you recall, Android tablets didn't fly off of store shelves when they were first introduced, either. A big reason for that is because manufacturers were trying to compete at a premium price point with an open-source operating system that many assumed would lead to lower cost devices. It may have taken longer than most people expected, but Android tablets from name-brand vendors have certainly come down in price, and size, and they're selling extremely well as a result.

Whether or not Microsoft can enjoy the same sort of success by launching a smaller, cheaper version of Surface remains to be seen, but it's worth exploring. According to NPD DisplaySearch, Microsoft is planning to launch a 7.5-inch version of Surface with a 1400x1050 resolution (233 pixels per inch), CNET reports. However, mass production won't begin until the first quarter of 2014.

News and rumor site Digitimes is also saying a smaller Surface is in the works, though it pegs the panel as being between 7-9 inches in size. Citing sources from the upstream supply chain, Digitimes says Microsoft is likely to make an announcement at the company's Build Developer Conference.

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Internet Explorer is Killing Chrome in Browser Wars, But Also Losing - Huh?

Paul Lilly — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:14:50 +0000

Conflicting data makes it difficult to gauge the browser landscape.

Depending on which data collection service you trust the most, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is either wiping the floor with Google's Chrome browser, or getting spanked by the relative newcomer. Starting with the former, NetMarketShare has IE way out in the lead with a 55.81 percent share of the desktop browser market, virtually unchanged from last month and up a little more than a percentage point from a year ago.

In that same time frame, NetMarketShare's data shows Chrome on the decline, going from being the go-to browser 18.85 percent of the time to just 16.35 percent currently. Looking at the data set, you could conclude that Chrome peaked in 2012 and is now settling into a plateau. And forget about catching up to IE, Chrome still trails Firefox, which is in second place with a 20.3 percent share of the browser market.

Don't care for the story that's unfolding at NetMarketShare? Head on over to StatCounter and you'll read an entirely different view of the online landscape. StatCounter has Chrome out in the lead with a 41.43 percent share of the browser market, up a little more than 10 percent versus a year ago. IE, on the other hand, continues to slide, goiing from a 34.07 percent share of the browser market a year ago to 27.39 percent currently, which is still ahead of Firefox at 19.73 percent.

How can these two firms report such drastically different figures? It has to do with the way each one collects data. NetMarketShare collects data from browsers of site visitors to its on-demand network of HitsLink Analytics and SharePost Clients, giving it a pool of 40,000 websites around the world to work with. StatCounter, on the other hand, uses tracking code installed on more than 3 million sites globally.

That's all well and good, but what are YOU using to browse the web these days?

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Windows Phone Ad Pokes Fun at Samsung and Apple Feud

Paul Lilly — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:20:12 +0000

Nokia's Lumia 920 is a lover, not a fighter.

It does seem at times as though Apple and Samsung almost enjoy fighting with each other, doesn't it? A new ad promoting Nokia's Lumia 920 smartphone and the Windows Phone platform it runs on comes right out and says it, and then implores viewers, "Don't fight. Switch." The 1-minute ad spot does little to promote the Lumia 920's features or Windows Phone software, but you have to hand it to Microsoft for at least trying to get into the thick of things.

The setting for the ad is a wedding where everything seems to be going well, that is until a guy with a Galaxy phone blocks the view of someone with an iPhone who's attempting to snap a picture of the bride and groom.

"Excuse me. Would you mind moving your enormous phone?," the iPhone toting attendee asks in snarky tone. Verbal jabs are then tossed around like rice at the end of a wedding ceremony, only it never gets that far because eventually a massive scuffle breaks out between Samsung and Apple users. At one point, a guy rips open his shirt to reveal an Apple logo tattoo on his chest. While all this is going on, a pair of waitstaff record the shenanigans on their Lumia 920 phones.

They also appear to be the only two out of a crowd of about 100 toting Windows Phone devices, so kudos to Microsoft for keeping things accurate, even if unintentional.

Here's the ad:

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Microsoft Packs in Free T-Mobile Hotspots With Select US Forbes Magazines

Justin Kerr — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:45:29 +0000

Nothing makes us think subscription based software quite like 15 days of free Wi-Fi. Wait what?

It’s not easy to get your ad noticed these days, but packing in a T-Mobile hotspot, complete with 15 days of complimentary access sure doesn’t hurt. Select US editions of Forbes are arriving on door steps today with built in routers, and its all part of a marketing campaign by Microsoft to draw attention to Office 365.

The packed in routers will serve up to five devices at once, and Engadget reports the battery life is around 3 hours per charge. We have no idea if its possible to renew the hotspot subscription once the 15 day trial period expires, but they certainly got our attention.

Considering how well Microsoft Office works offline compared to Google Doc’s, we are a bit surprised to see Redmond taking this approach. On the other hand if free press was the only goal here, then mission accomplished.

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Microsoft's Refreshed Artist Series Mice Bring Flair to the Desktop

Paul Lilly — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:17:17 +0000

Underneath the new designs sits a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500.

Looking to add a little style to your home or work office environment? If so, you may find something that tickles your fancy from Microsoft's latest batch of limited edition Artist Series mice. Microsoft said it tapped some of the best artists from the around the world to use its Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 as a canvas to bring their designs to life, and they responded with seven custom pieces of art.

Featured artists this time around include Dana McClure, Deanne Cheuk, Kustaa Saksi, Matt Lyon, Joy Deangdeelert Cho, Si Scott, and Liu Qing, each of which brought a decidedly unique design to the desktop. Saksi, for example, went with a liquid landscape motif, while Lyon made use of various shapes and patterns.

"These Artist Series mice bring an array of choices and are perfect for those who want to add some color and flash to their mobile computing setup," Microsoft told Maximum PC in an email.

Whether you like the designs or not, Microsoft deserves kudos for leaving the MSRP intact. There's no pricing premium attached to the Artist Series SKUs; they run $30 each, same as a standard Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500.

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Microsoft Dismisses Study That Claimed Bing Delivers Five Times More Malware Than Google

Pulkit Chandna — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:43:13 +0000

Expresses faith in search engine’s malware warning system while questioning the study’s methodology

Microsoft is no stranger to seeing Security Essentials come up woefully short in German security and antivirus research firm AV-TEST’s bimonthly antivirus certification tests, but last week it was Bing, and not Security Essentials, that had the honor of being thoroughly trashed in an AV-TEST study.

A recent AV-TEST study “Search Engines as Malware Providers”, which involved over 40 million sites and spanned 18 months, concluded that Bing was responsible for delivering “five times as many websites containing malware as Google.”

Published on April 12, AV-TEST’s findings did not prompt an immediate response from Microsoft despite their alarming nature. The software giant waited until April 19 to refute the German company’s claim regarding the world’s perennial number two search engine’s affinity for malware.

In a post on the official Bing blog Friday, the company responded by calling into question the technique deployed by AV-TEST for this study, arguing that the security research firm’s results are not reflective of the actual threat posed to a real user, as it did not do any actual searching on Bing, but instead “used a Bing API to execute a number of queries and downloaded the result to their system for further analysis.”

“By using the API instead of the user interface, AV-TEST bypassed our warning system designed to keep customers from being harmed by malware,” wrote David Felstead, Senior Development Lead, Bing,

“Bing actually does prevent customers from clicking on malware infected sites by disabling the link on the results page and showing the below message to stop people from going to the site,” he further wrote, adding that the company preferred warning customers over the outright suppression of such malicious content for the sake of “both completeness and educational reasons.”

According to Felstead, the company’s data shows that Bing’s malware warning system is able to dissuade users from clicking through to sites with malware in the vast majority of instances (94 percent).

“We show results with warnings for about 0.04% of all searches, meaning about 1 in 2,500 search result pages will have a result with a malware warning on it. Of those, only a small proportion of malicious links ever get clicked and the warning therefore triggered, so a user will see the warning only 1 in every 10,000 searches. In any case, the overall scale of the problem is very small.”

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New Windows 8 Blue Leak Confirms Additional Features

Justin Kerr — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:05:48 +0000

Microsoft just can’t seem to keep a secret these days.

Microsoft has a security problem, and as a website devoted to PC technology we have absolutely no problem with that. Two new leaked builds of Windows 8.1 (Blue) have emerged online, and we've had a chance to check out what’s changed. Experts with inside sources at Microsoft have confirmed that these leaks are still not feature complete, but with a public preview expected sometime in June, we won’t have to wait much longer. So what’s new?

Kiosk Mode

Anyone who has visited a Best Buy to check out new PC’s will know exactly why this feature is needed. Half the time floor models are either locked up, blue screened, or barely functional. The other fifty percent of the time they are shut down and unplugged. Windows 8.1 Kiosk mode will present potential customers with a “single immersive app experience”, allowing them to swipe around the interface without getting into trouble.

All Apps

Looking for an application installed on your machine, but can’t remember what its called? All apps will add an option to the start screen to see everything installed on your PC, and sort by date installed, most used, size, etc. You can bring up a list of all apps now by selecting search from the charms bar, but you can only see an alphabetical list currently.

Modern UI Synchronization

Settings already synced across PC’s in Windows 8 if you’re logged in using your Microsoft account, but now your start screen moves across as well. Log in from any PC, and feel right at home. This makes perfect sense, and we were sort of surprised this functionality wasn’t available at launch.

Rumor: Start Button and Boot to Desktop

Neither of these features are in the leaked build, but we have it on good authority that the start button and boot to desktop are both returning to Windows 8 Blue. The start button won’t bring back the start menu, and boot to desktop is easy to accomplished with third party tools, but these small concessions make a huge difference when you look at enterprise customers.

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Microsoft Exec Dismisses Surface Phone Rumors, Disses Android and iOS

Paul Lilly — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:41:26 +0000

So much for not throwing stones from within a glass house.

Microsoft may seem destined to launch its own brand Surface Phone, and though it's possible the company eventually will, there are no immediate plans, said Terry Myerson, corporate vice president of Redmond's Windows Phone Division, at AllThingD's Dive Into Mobile conference earlier this week. Fair enough, but it was Myerson' comments about competing mobile platforms that we found most interesting.

When the conversation turned to mobile apps, Myserson called Android a "mess" and basically said iOS has become stale.

"It's a challenge, but if you look at the top 50 apps globally, we've got around 48 of those. There's tremendous innovation happening in apps. We love checking them out and promoting them, and it's exciting to watch them," Myerson said, according to AllThingsD. "At the same time, our unique experience comes from the built-in features. With iPhone, I sense that it's running out of steam. With iOS, [Apple] just added a fifth row of icons. Android is... kind of a mess. Look at Samsung -- there's clearly mutiny going on. The only OEM making money off of Android is Samsung."

Despite his criticism of the competition, Android and iOS sit at the top of the heap and collectively account for around 9 out of 10 mobile devices sold. Can Microsoft's Windows Phone platform compete? That remains to be seen, but one thing Myerson said his company is doing is focusing on just a handful of partners.

"We want the partners that are building Windows Phones to be successful," Myerson added. "We aren't going out and pushing for lots and lots of OEMs. For us, seeing HTC and Nokia successful is most important to us right now."

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