Back in 2014, Microsoft was forced to rebrand SkyDrive to OneDrive because of a legal proceeding that ruled that the SkyDrive brand infringed on the Sky brand in the UK. Microsoft is now facing issues with the Skype brand as well.
British broadcasting company Sky was involved the previous SkyDrive ruling in 2014, and now, an EU court has ruled that the Skype brand resembles Sky’s too closely to be granted an EU-wide trademark. The General Court of the European Union has issues with both the ‘Sky’ typeface of the Skype brand, in addition to the ‘cloud’ shape surrounding it.
“Conceptually, the figurative element conveys no concept, except perhaps that of a cloud. [That] would further increase the likelihood of the element ‘Sky’ being recognized within the word element ‘Skype’, for clouds are to be found ‘in the sky’ and thus may readily be associated with the word ‘sky’.” – GCEU Judge
A Microsoft spokeswoman has confirmed to the BBC that Skype is not facing a rebrand as “the case was not a legal challenge to Skype’s use of the mark, it was only against the registration”. However, today’s ruling could open the door to Sky filing for another case of trademark infringement against Microsoft.
“We’re confident that no confusion exists between these brands and services and will appeal. This decision does not require us to alter product names in any way.” – Microsoft
This also gives Sky the opportunity to demand a licensing fee for the use of the Skype brand in the EU, however the broadcasting company did not comment on this following the ruling. It instead talks about its long-running dispute with Skype even before it got acquired by Microsoft.
“This relates to a long-running dispute with Skype over the extension of its trademark applications to cover a broad range of goods and services that overlap with Sky’s own trademark registrations – including, but not limited to, TV related products and services… Our intention has been to protect the Sky brand with our research showing that similarities in name and logo have the potential to confuse customers.” – Sky
We’re glad that today’s ruling will not result in a rebrand, as it would not be as easy rebranding Skype the way Microsoft rebranded SkyDrive, nor will it be good for the company considering how much more powerful the Skype brand has become, going as far as becoming a verb.
Julia White is quickly becoming the name synonymous with Office and Office 365. With her introduction of Office for iPad and Android previews last year, it feels like Julia has been delivering keynote presentations on Office for mobile for quite some time. Today Julia gave another compelling pitch for Office 365 integration at Microsoft’s first-ever Ignite Conference in Chicago. Aside from waxing poetic about Office 365 on stages, Julia typically provides more in-depth content about the progress of the Office team, through the Office Blogs. After today’s Ignite appearance, Julia released a blog post that accompanied her presentation today on stage.
“For Office, our focus is on reinventing productivity for people and organizations. All of the new and coming Office capabilities we showed today at Ignite extend from our belief that productivity is at the heart of business success. But, how we work, where we work, with whom we work is changing rapidly and the technology must enable this modern workplace. Successful organizations have moved from static hierarchies of people and the way communication flows between them, to dynamic networks of open sharing; from individual productivity to collective value co-creation; from work being where you go to being what you do. And, for organizations, it is also about attracting and retaining the best, new talent. Today, workplace technology is a critical factor as the Millennial generation become the majority of the workforce.” – Julia White, Microsoft.
First up, Julia talks about how the Office team is building more collaboration into Office 365 with a feature called Office 365 Groups. Office 365 Groups is a ubiquitous group element that offers users the ability to email, meet, take notes, created, video, IM, tweet in order to provide themselves with all the informational context necessary for group collaborations. The previews of the new Office 365 Groups ‘hub’ was demoed on the stage earlier today, and members in the Office Delve preview program should see this update coming soon.
Next up Julia talks about human mobility and what that means to the Office 365 team. Alongside the year old chant from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, it seems Julia and the Office 365 team share the same sentiment. According to Julia, people tend to spend roughly 80 percent of their time staring at and clicking the same native applications found on tablets and phones. Microsoft is deciding to invest more deeply in order create fantastic native support for Word, PowePoint, Excel, Outlook, One Note, Skype, and OneDrive. Microsoft is building out Office universal applications for Windows 10 in order to offer those 80% of users a better native experience. Demoed at last week’s keynote was an example of the Uber app (typically a phone first app) being used to schedule a pickup on the desktop within Outlook. This level of integration will become increasingly open to other 3rd party applications, potentially making the Outlook app a one stop shop for enterprise organization.
Julia tackles the discussion of meetings as well in her post today. The Office 365 team saw an opportunity for broadening Office 365’s ability to streamline meetings. Moving forward, setting up a meeting in Office 365, users will now have an automatic Skype for Business option. Users will not need to do a lot of hoop jumping in order to collaborate in meetings using video. The goal is to make the annoyances of video conferencing a thing of the past. Ideally, video conferencing should be as seamless as walking into a conference room or clicking a link, and a video pops up. Skype for Business is rolling out currently, and the Office 365 team will monitoring feedback very carefully.
If for whatever reason video conferencing is completely out of the question, the Office 365 team is working aggressively on prioritizing co-creation and co-authoring. Earlier today, Microsoft released a public preview of Office 2016. According to Julia, the transition from Office 2013’s “me-centric” usability has now found Office 2016 being “we-centric”. With the new preview, content creators can experience real-time co-authoring in Word 2016. Unfortunately, there is no news on Excel at this point. It’s probably for the best as that could get messy quickly. Email attachments are another area the Office 365 team tweaked in the preview of Office 2016. Emails attachments are now shared from the cloud. Office 365 will also receive its second significant addition to the suite later this month. The online PowerPoint-like presentation software Sway will soon be bundled into Office 365 business and education subscriptions. Julia and the team are very encouraged by the activity they’ve been receiving thus far from Sway.
The Office 365 team will also attempt to make big data easier to digest. With services like Office Graph, Delve, and Clutter, the Office 365 team is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in menial office work. Office Graph is the backbone that can help draw signals and relationships between people, content and interactions that arise in Office 365. A combination of a service called Clutter in Outlook on top of Office Graph automatically removes low priority emails based on users past email sorting behavior. Delve is another service that uses Office Graphs underpinnings. On stage today, organization view in a preview version of Delve provided interactive dashboards to help users identify trends across employee engagement.
The running theme of today’s Ignite Conference seemed to be an emphasis on security.
The running theme of today’s Ignite Conference seemed to be an emphasis on security. With the conferences audience being an enterprise crowd, it’s a no-brainer that the security catch-phrase was dropped at the end of most presentations. Also announced today was file level encryption for all content and email in Office 365 as well as Customer Lockbox. The Customer Lockbox feature provides the user a host of controls over data access within Office 365.
Julia admits that the Office of old was bit of a hassle, “A decade ago, rolling out experiences like this would require significant integration work, custom coding, new hardware and storage purchases, and taking on more legacy project debt.” However, Office 365 customers (particularly IT Pros) are being offered more tools and greater control over the product without the hassle of reinventing the ‘company’ wheel with each new feature or addition.
Today we learned that Windows 10 is getting a much overdue Emjoi makeover. In order to keep up with the ever-growing demands of expressive-casual communication, Windows 10 is beefing up its support of the emoji landscape. When Windows 10 finally drops later this summer, emoji fans will now be able to express themselves with newer skin tones, new facial expressions, and even ‘flip the bird’ to friends, family and possible ex-bosses.
Perhaps many of us associate emojis with messaging services like text, AIM, Facebook Messenger, and the occasional ‘winky face’ in the email. However, Windows has had a recent history of support for emojis system wide for some time now. Back in 2012 when Microsoft delivered the controversial Windows 8 installment, one of the overlooked additions of the Frankenstein OS was support for emojis. The initial limitations of Windows support may have been part of the reason it was overshadowed by the other shortcomings of Windows 8. In 2012, Windows 8 supported emojsi out of the box, but only in black and white. During the Windows 8.1 update in 2013, Windows finally gained the traditionally colored emojis. At the end of this summer, Windows 10 is expected to receive its first update to the emojis platform since 2013. In three years, a lot has happened in the world of emojis and the Windows team plans to bring all of that change into Windows 10 for users. Windows 10 will offer some changes to their current emoji line up as well as new expressions, characters, and images.
Gray is the new yellow
While Apple and Google opt for the more widely known shaded yellow-colored emojis by default, Windows 10 will offer gray. The default skin tone of emojis in Windows 10 will be gray-skinned. The Windows team is taking on board the Unicode recommendation that emoji people should be generic (nonhuman) in appearance. It looks a lot better than it sounds, but we’ll wait and see how people react to the new zombie looking ‘non-humans’.
Finally diversifying
Apple made a big splash in the news a few months ago by finally adding much-needed diversity in skin tones for emojis. Windows 10 will follow suit. The user will now be able to choose from a range of colors that start with gray to dark brown. Most emojis default to a bald emoji man as a nod to former CEO, Steve Ballmer. That was a joke. The Windows team explains, “Many human emoji in Windows use the bald man (?) character, which neatly avoids the issue of hair color altogether.”
Flipping the bird
Windows 10 will also bring the middle finger emoji. The middle finger emoji was approved as part of Unicode 7 back in 2014. While other OS’s like iOS, OSX and Android have shied away from using it, Windows 10 will offer it to the most expressive users of Windows later this year. The middle finger will follow suit in offering various skin tones.
The more subtle changes
The more commonly used expressive emojis are also receiving a makeover. Some emojis are meant to express a particular emotion but look nothing like the feeling. Windows 10 began tweaking some of those expressions to display more accurately the emotions.
Relieved Face loses its comical sheepishness, and now appears calmer with eyes closed, and a smile:
Confounded Face appears more annoyed than the previously high-eyebrowed appearance. Has an M-shaped mouth:
Face With Look Of Triumph now directly matches its counterpart from Apple and Google.
This is not what many would consider a triumphant appearance (appears to be in a frustrated huff, more than anything). It appears that conformity of cross-platform appearance has won out over the logic of the naming here:
Tired Face has lost its quiet yawn (which would have made for a good, sleepy face, and now appears tired, in the context of being fed up, or exhausted:
Face With Open Mouth And Cold Sweat now appears more upset than the previous happy-sweating face:
Face Screaming In Fear now has hands on either side of the face, more closely resembling the artwork from Home Alone iOS and Android:
Flushed Face has shaded cheeks now, implied to be blushing, but using black-and-white striped circles instead of rosy-red cheeks:
Face With Medical Mask now replaces what might have been dust mask with a surgical /medical mask:
Information Desk Person now resembles Apple’s iconic version of this emoji, showing a woman with her hand out to one side. Often used as a sassy emoji, Microsoft ups the ante by giving her a wink. Too much?
Slightly Frowning Face and Slightly Smiling Face have been added in Windows 10. Approved as part of Unicode 7 in 2014, this pair are not available on prior versions of Windows, nor iOS, OS X, or Android:
Raised Hand With Part Between Middle And Ring Fingers (aka the Vulcan Salute) has been added to Windows 10. Only just beaten to the punch by Apple in its 2015 Emoji Update:
Raised Hand With Fingers Splayed looks like a person holding up the number five on one hand. Included for the first time on Windows 10:
Haircut now displays a woman having her hair cut, instead of scissors and a comb standing alone:
As Windows 10 shapes up to be a continual work in progress (as should all tech), there are some missing items that the Windows 10 hopes to address in updates. At the time of this release Windows still will still be missing support for icon flags for:
Also missing is the support for various family and partner combinations. Same-gender parenting and or couples are still not present.
Microsoft Research’s latest project, RoomAlive, lets you turn any room in your house into your personal gaming experience. Though it is merely a proof-of-concept at this time, users can interact with the walls and floor of the room with frightening accuracy. It is a given that not everyone will be able to afford to take advantage of this technology in it current incarnation, but the fact that this is a concept is a great new way to experience games.
Using several projector-depth cameras, along with several Kinect sensors, the projectors and Kinect sensors create a complete layout of the room, creating a unified layout of the room without the need to change anything. Just set up the equipment and RoomAlive will do the rest. RoomAlive is now available as a downloadable toolkit (download here), and it is available for anyone with a little programming skills can create their own art projects or Holodeck-style interactive games or apps.
RoomAlive is not limited to just one room, it can also be utilized to take over bigger spaces like a theater or possibly even an entire building. No telling what applications RoomAlive could have with HoloLens, but check out the RoomAlive proof-of-concept video and see for yourself.
Back in March of this year, we learned about Jump Lists making a return to Windows 10. Back then, the design was incomplete and in order to utilize Jump Lists on the Technical Preview, you had to tinker with the registry to enable an early version of the feature.
During Ignite today, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore showed off a newer build of Windows 10 (build 10105), complete with a newer look for Jump Lists. As you can see in the image above, you will have File Explorer and Settings right above the Power button and All apps button. You can pin areas you want to the File Explorer and it appears right on the Start menu. It’s a convenient feature for those looking to quickly access areas of the operating system with ease.
Microsoft has released an update rollup (KB3061161) for Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10074, fixing bugs and improving performance. On top of that, this update rollup also enables the Dolby Digital Plus codec. Here are the key improvements that come with this collection of fixes:
The Start menu and Cortana do not open on Windows 10 Insider Preview after upgrading from Windows 10 Technical Preview
Windows Error Reporting data remain in queue and are not uploaded
Updated versions of preinstalled apps might not install with error 0x8004264A after upgrading to Windows 10 Insider Preview
Qualcomm Atheros Bluetooth radio controllers might not function and indicate a Code 43 error in Device Manager
Automatic updates might not initiate on mobile devices if an app on the device is not in the Store catalog
Apps that are deployed to an SD card on mobile devices might not install or open
This update fixes a hang that can occur when updating battery status
This update enables the Dolby Digital Plus codec
This update was made available on Wednesday, April 29th, buried amidst the news of Build 2015. So if you are not seeing it, you likely have it installed thanks to auto-update. Remember, in order to apply this update, you will need to be running Windows 10 build 10074, which is the latest build available as part of the Insider Program. You will also be required to reboot after installing this update. Grab this update via Windows Update or via the Settings app.
How do you know if you already have this update rollup installed? Open the Settings app, go to Update & Security, under Windows Update select Advanced Options, then select “view your update history” and look for KB3061161. If you see it there, you have it installed.
The latest numbers from NetMarketShare for the month of April are in, and it gives us a glimpse of how different operating systems are performing. Similar to last month, Windows 7 continues to be the dominating force when it comes to operating systems with a market share of 58.49 percent, a slight increase compared to last month’s 58.04 percent. It’s nothing surprising to be honest, as Windows 7 has continued to be the most popular operating system from more than 12 months.
As for the decade old Windows XP, it continues to decline, but remains the second most popular operating system. It has a market share of 15.93 percent, compared to 16.94 percent last month. Windows 8.1 still fails to gain a lot of traction with a small increase of 0.61 percent to 11.61 percent. Windows 8 has a market share of 3.5 percent which is a little lower than Apple’s Mac OS X — it resides at 4.23 percent, an increase from 3.96 percent last month.
Windows 10 is no where in the top ranks, but it’s a little too early for it since its running in preview form for registered Windows Insiders. Microsoft is aiming for a summer launch, but the company didn’t give out an exact availability details at the moment. Some reports hint at its launch by the end of July, but there’s no official confirmation from the folks at Redmond.
Microsoft has acquired digital pen technology from N-trig Ltd. N-trig is the company behind the Surface Pro 3 stylus, which is shown off in a video by music composer David William Hearn as part of the post breaking the news. It’s important to note Microsoft’s phrasing in the official Surface blog post.
“Today we are excited to have acquired advanced digital pen technology from N-trig Ltd., with whom we’ve partnered closely for several years.”
Based off of that text, it does not seem that Microsoft has acquired N-trig itself but specifically “advanced digital pen technology.” The blog post then continues to show off the Surface stylus and talk about the future “We can’t wait to show you what we’ll deliver for our Surface Fans in the future.”
The Surface Pro 3 stylus also works on the Surface 3 and looks to be the way of the future for Microsoft’s “tablet that can replace your laptop.”
Join us this Friday at 3PM EDT for a special edition of the WinBeta podcast in which we talk all about BUILD and the many announcements coming from it. Me and Sean will be talking about all the big announcements of this week.
Make sure you’re tuned in as we’ll be taking your comments and answering many of them. It’s goning to be a big one, so you don’t want to miss it. You’ll be able to tune into the live event via the embedded player below.
If you’re unable to make the live broadcast, don’t fret as we’ll have a rebroadcast up on Saturday as per usual so make sure you’re subscribed to us on iTunes and the Podcasts app on Windows Phone.
In January, Terry Myerson said “it’s all Windows” but nonetheless, Windows 10 on the desktop will be launching this summer as previously announced, but launches for Windows Phone, for Xbox, and for HoloLens won’t be following the same schedule, according to Joe Belfiore today at a press event at Build 2015, as reported by Paul Thurrott.
Belfiore spoke to a bussed in cadre of tech press at an event space a few blocks from the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco where Build is being held, before allowing the journalists to mingle with engineers from Xbox, Edge, Windows Shell including Continuum, and Cortana. Because Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 were on different development schedules, said Belfiore, work done on the two once completely separate operating systems won’t be ready at the same time.
While Belfiore refrained from offering a launch date for Windows 10 on desktop, laughing off what OEMs have said about an end of July date, he did say that the new OS is on track for a summer launch, and that work will continue on the OS well after it initially launches, due both to the componentization of Windows with Universal Apps, and the “Windows as a Service” model that Microsoft has adopted.
As reported earlier, Windows Insiders will have the opportunity, once Windows 10 launches, to stay in the program and continue to get either fast or slow ring updates after the launch.
At the event, Microsoft IE Edge engineer Jason Weber talked to journalists about the new engine, which will include a new extensions model, basically the same as models used by Chrome and Firefox based on standards compliant HTML and JavaScript, although packaged differently using Microsoft’s .appx model. So, a Chrome extension won’t run directly in Edge, Weber said, but work to get it to do so would be trivial, only a matter of repackaging the app and perhaps matching Edge’s design and iconography.
Microsoft also talked a bit more about Continuum, but refused to confirm or deny any hardware requirements phones might need to run the new abilities to use a phone with a second screen and a keyboard and mouse. At the Day 1 keynote, Belfiore mentioned in passing that he didn’t have the hardware necessary to run a live demo of Continuum on the phone, instead showing off a simulation. Still, with the non-confirmation, speculation that it will take new hardware to run Continuum will continue.
One thing has been clear since Satya Nadella took the reins at Microsoft over a year ago: the old Microsoft is dead. Crippled by internal divisions and stagnation, which were somewhat inevitable given the size of its monopoly over the PC market, Microsoft in 2013 was losing ground, struggling to catch up. This seemed to hold true throughout 2014, with only vague glimpses of a brighter, Windows 10-lit future.
In January, the likes of the Hololens worked wonders to reverse this image, showing a Microsoft that was not only looking at beating its competitors, but leapfrogging them altogether. And it was yesterday at Build 2015 that one announcement was made that likely trumps even Hololens for the impact it could have: Continuum.
Continuum is the notion that one computing experience is continued regardless of the device used or the location. It allows for a consistent user interface, a familiar style of operation for the user to become accustomed to; and yet it is also more than this.
In 2014, Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, set itself a monumental task. A smartphone like no other, the Ubuntu Edge, was imagined, sleek in its industrial design. Running a full version of desktop Linux, in addition to a mobile-optimized version, this device was literally every computing device in one. With a monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse (with a dock), it was the equivalent of a desktop tower (with obvious power differences), and yet when unplugged it was a mobile phone once more.
Perhaps too niche, perhaps too forward-thinking, the device failed to make it past a 30-day IndieGoGo campaign with a $30 million goal. That day, the dream died.
Microsoft opting to revive the project in some form, despite its abject failure, is a reflection both of its potential and the future that Redmond has planned for computing. What we are faced with at the moment is something of a crossroads in the story of personal computing.
In the past, the evolution of the computer has been mostly defined by Moore’s Law; that is to say that, with every new generation of machines produced, size halves as power doubles. In the modern era of 14nm (and soon smaller) chip manufacturing, this progress has slowed somewhat.
Instead, the struggle has been waged over what shape the computer of the future will be. In the 1990’s, the large desktop flanked by the enormous CRT monitor dominated. In the early 2000’s these monitors became flatscreen, saving space. Then, then laptop craze began, and portability became the new byword.
In time, laptops became smaller and smaller, and then in 2010, the iPad was launched, redefining the computing experience for many. And now, with declining laptop and tablet sales, the ‘2-in-1’ has enjoyed something of a slow rise.
Shapes have come and gone, and yet with Continuum, Microsoft has shot for and reached the moon so to speak. With Windows 10, and its apps, working on and scaling to any device, and with phones that have the potential to be any device, the onus moves to the user to define their own experience, rather than the manufacturer.
Of course, the rationale behind this is not simply to benefit the consumer. As was the case with the Ubuntu Edge, a large part of the appeal of such a versatile device rests within the enterprise world.
Imagine you are an IT Manager of a large department, charged with upgrading both the office equipment and improving the connectivity of the working environment. To such a person, the potential offered by Continuum is considerable.
With one purchase, all towers could be replaced by Continuum devices, which could also then double as phones. If more screen real-estate is required, the Surface range offers a convenient step up. And of course, all of these devices would come well integrated into Microsoft’s suite of services, compatible with all other major OSs, and possessing a large software library.
In the face of such a choice, Windows 10 becomes a genuinely intriguing proposition, and backed by the power of Microsoft’s cloud computing capabilities and the general familiarity that many users have with its products, in many scenarios it becomes something of a no-brainer. Given that Microsoft has so far failed in its attempts to colonize the tablet space, this allows the company to avoid it entirely.
Both for the enterprise world and for the consumer world, Microsoft has come to offer something quite different from anything that has come before it with Continuum. Especially with the capability of the device to plug into televisions, allowing it to also become a media powerhouse.
Though Windows 10 with its Windows universal apps is an idea that is so far strong both in its concept and execution, it isn’t the first to offer such a state of affairs. Many other firms, most notably Apple, offer a continuous user experience between different devices in the same ecosystem.
By focusing on one single device, Microsoft has come across something that will not only allow its smartphone offerings to shine, but that will allow it to play to its strengths.
Despite all of this, questions must be asked, both for the user and the developer. Will the transition always be fully seamless? What will be sacrificed in terms of power in order to achieve this end? What, if any, differences will there be in coding in order to achieve this effect? What aid will be given to developers in order to ensure a smooth user experience between the different modes? Will this be compatible with existing devices, like the Lumia 930 and 1520?
As of the moment, we are in the dark. With Windows 10 still well over the horizon and Windows Phone still lacking a flagship with this potential (or seemingly any hope of one soon), it is difficult to predict the future. What is shown at product demos does not always translate to reality, what is so beautiful and seamless on the stage can often seldom live up to its promise.
Yet, despite all of this, no one else is offering quite what Microsoft has promised, and with the likes of the Hololens, it appears that, quite remarkably, Redmond is ‘cool’ again, and has something of a chance at becoming king once more.
What do you think of Continuum? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Microsoft has just started the day 2 keynote at Build 2015 and the focus is code. Microsoft is focusing on developers and software development in today’s keynote, with a slight chance that the company may showcase something exciting for consumers.
As usual, stay tuned to WinBeta for all the latest news from Build. Our very own Kip is currently at Build taking photos, and attending these keynotes. You can also follow along by bookmarking out dedicated Build 2015 page. You can also head over here to read a recap of yesterday’s major announcements. Watch the live stream below.
According to Reddit, there is a way to enable the aero look (blur) on Windows 10 Insider Preview for those of us that didn’t get it in the 10074 build. Some people got the Aero look, and some people didn’t. So, here’s a look at how you can get the Aero look (if you want it). Redditor skittles92 found this work-around:
“Seems some didn’t get the aero look “blur” . If you want to enabled just run Regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\themes\personalize and set blur behind to 1. There is also an option in the theme color settings though not sure if it will show for non-blur previewers. enjoy!”
Microsoft is conducting a little A/B test in build 10074, and enabled the new effects for 50% of Insiders, but the other 50% won’t see it unless they enable it. The blur effect is not yet present in the titlebar yet, but will likely be present in a future build of Windows 10.
It all depends on what you like or don’t like and what kind of hardware you are using. Let us know what you think about the Aero (blur effect) in the comments section.
Today has been filled with news on all sorts of topics ranging from Windows 10, HoloLens, Azure, and much more. Microsoft unveiled Visual Studio Code for Mac and Ubuntu, a lightweight code-based editor that aims to have app developers from rival platforms make the gentle transition to Windows 10. On top of all this, Microsoft has also released Visual Studio 2015 Release Candidate (RC), available now for download.
Visual Studio 2015, unlike previous versions of the development software, adds new tools for developers to target a wide variety of platforms — such as mobile, web, server, and the cloud. With Visual Studio 2015 RC, developers can begin working to create something beautiful for the Unified Windows Platform, which encompasses phones, tablets, PCs, Xbox, IoT, and HoloLens.
“For developers targeting the Windows ecosystem, Visual Studio 2015 RC provides great tools for building apps and games for the Universal Windows Platform spanning that run across all Windows 10 devices, including phones, tablets, PCs, Xbox, IoT and HoloLens. With new UI Debugging Tools, an improved XAML designer and enhanced profiling and debugging features, developing apps for Windows has never been easier,” Microsoft explains.
With Visual Studio 2015, developers have the tools needed to build cross-platform apps that run not only on Windows 10, but also iOS, and Android — using Apache Cordova, Xamarin, or C++. For the web and server, you can utilize Python or Node.js technology, as well as C#, Visual Basic, or F#.
There is also a new Diagnostics Tools window that gives developers access to key performance and memory usage information during debug sessions, and much more. GitHub integration has also been added, providing easy access to open source projects.
The hamburger menu in Windows 10. Based on the comments we’ve read on WinBeta and Reddit, some dislike it, some hate it, and the rest don’t care. We can’t seem to find people who actually like it and although we’re sure they exist, their voices are probably drowned in the sea of the disapproving.
So why is Microsoft actively implementing them in its universal apps for Windows 10, and ripping away our beloved pivots in the process? Microsoft provides an answer in a recent post published on the Windows Blog.
Microsoft is currently working on an adaptive UX design for its universal apps, apps that need to work across devices with a range of different screen sizes, and a range of different input methods. The hamburger menu happens to work well on PCs as it provides “better keyboard and mouse navigation”. Pivots on the other hand work better on mobile devices for one-handed use. Can you imagine having to reach a hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner of a Lumia 1520 with one hand? It’s practically impossible without ending up with a cracked screen. That’s why Microsoft is in the process of letting developers easily implement both the hamburger menu and a pivot system in their universal apps.
“We’re making it possible for an app to have both hamburger and pivot controls—but to display the right control at the right time on the right device.” – Microsoft
We should note that the hamburger menu is very familiar to those on competing platforms, as well as the web, so making it available on Windows should further encourage iOS and Android developers to port their apps, and make it less of a jarring experience for consumers to switch to Windows.
Microsoft is continuing to work on its adaptive UX design, and is still accepting feedback from Windows Insiders, so we can’t expect the company to reveal finished designs at this point in time because, well, they’re not finished. Let us know what you think of the hamburger menu on PCs compared to phones in the comments below, and whether you think pivots can work well on the desktop.
Microsoft has been beefing up Windows 10 with enterprise-grade security, making sure that both consumers and enterprises are always protected for threats. The software giant also introduced Windows Hello earlier this year in an effort to let users seamlessly, and securely log in to their PCs.
Today, following the Microsoft Build event, the company has unveiled a few more details about Windows Hello, as well as its Microsoft Passport features in Windows 10. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Hello will support three types of biomentric entry; fingerprint, face, and iris. The three will be set as the recommended entry modes on devices with supporting hardware as Microsoft hopes to stop people from using 1234 as their passwords when a more reliable means on entry is available to them.
Windows Hello also falls under Microsoft’s Windows 10 security plans, ensuring the feature meets enterprise-grade security standards. Windows Hello has demonstrated a False Acceptance Rate (FAR) of 1/100,000. That’s the probability of the feature incorrectly authorizing an unauthorized person from logging in to your device. Likewise, Windows Hello has a False Rejection Rate (FRR) of 2-4%, and also has measures to ensure that the subject is indeed human, and not a photograph.
(What Windows Hello sees when presented with anything but a live human being)
For the face detection feature, Microsoft has gone to great lengths to make that aspect of Windows Hello as reliable as possible. The Windows Hello team co-engineered the feature with the Microsoft OS Security Team, and has tested the feature with over 13,000 unique faces, with a target of capturing 30,000 by the time the feature is ready for primetime. This involved capturing the faces of peoples from a mix of ethnicities, height, weight, skin color, wearing and not wearing glasses, and more, captured in a range of different angles and lighting conditions. Microsoft used its expertise in machine learning to better prepare the feature for the potential millions of people that use Windows 10 and have hardware that supports Windows Hello.
Speaking of hardware support. Windows Hello will work with all existing fingerprint capable devices. We assume that includes those available on laptops, and possibly future Windows phone devices with a fingerprint sensor. Face detection will require an Intel RealSense camera, or a device with an IR sensor that meets the “Microsoft sensor spec”. Lastly, Microsoft claims that a selection of devices with supported iris detection hardware will arrive to market within the next 12 months, and that it will provide more details on this mode of entry soon.
As for Microsoft Passport, Microsoft will encourage users to create a PIN code during Windows 10 setup. This PIN will be tied to a user’s Microsoft Account, so the PIN can be used across devices. Users can also use the PIN to make purchases in the Windows Store. The software giant claims that not only will a PIN make it simpler for users to gain access to devices and services, but it will also reduce costs for developers as they no longer have to maintain password compromise and reset systems.
I remain hopeful that Windows Hello will encourage OEMs to include the necessary biometric hardware in their devices as the feature can also be used as a selling point. This would also, finally, bring biometrics to the mainstream. Let us know what you think of Windows Hello and whether it’s a feature that would determine your purchase choices in the comments below.
Microsoft has made available Windows 10 build 10074 for participants of the Windows Insider Program. We brought you an exclusive first-look at this build yesterday, and now you can get your hands on it too. Build 10074 features improvements to Cortana, the user interface, new Windows sounds, and much more. Oh, and the return of Aero Glass!
“ISO files of the April Update (build 10074) are now available for download. You’ll still receive this update automatically via Windows Update, but if you prefer a clean install or you want to install on a virtual machine, you can download an ISO file instead.” So how do you download it?
When the download is complete, transfer the ISO file to installation media such as a USB flash drive or DVD.
Boot your PC from the installation media, and then follow the steps to perform a clean install.
One of the new features in this build is the return of Aero Glass, but not everyone will get it right away. Here’s what Microsoft had to say:
“We’ve also heard loud in clear that many Windows Insiders want to see Aero Glass from Windows 7 make a comeback. We’ve been working out how to satisfy this request, and are trying some things out with this build to see how you like them. We’re running a little A/B test with this build. 50% of you will normal transparency on the Start menu and taskbar while the other 50% will see a blur effect on the Start menu and taskbar (like frosted glass). If Windows Insiders really like the blur effect, we will add it to more areas and even consider making it the default instead of standard transparency. Which one did you get? Send us feedback about it via the Windows Feedback app!”
You can also head over to Windows Update and download the new build, regardless if you are a fast or slow ring participant. If you’d rather have more control over your installation, you can snag the ISO instead. You can also watch our video walk-through of the new build below. Enjoy!
Today is a big day for Microsoft and for developers all across the globe. Microsoft’s top executives took the stage and showcased to the world what the company has been up to for developers. We expected to hear a lot about Windows 10, Universal Apps, HoloLens, and much more, and the company delivered.
The Day 1 keynote began at 8:30AM PST today and the on-demand version of the keynote has been embedded below for your viewing pleasure. As usual, stay tuned to WinBeta for all the latest news from Build. Our very own Kip is currently at Build taking photos, and attending these keynotes. You can also follow along by bookmarking out dedicated Build 2015 page. You can also head over here to read a recap of today’s major announcements.
Earlier today, Microsoft revealed the official name for Project Spartan, Microsoft’s new browser for Windows 10 based on the Edge rendering engine. Yup, you guessed it. The official name for Project Spartan is Microsoft Edge.
Take a look below to see the new Microsoft Edge logo. It looks like a modified version of the Internet Explorer logo — keeping things familiar while offering a new “edge” to the look. Check it out below and let us know what you think!
For those who don’t know, Edge includes new annotating features, as well as Cortana integration and more. Microsoft Edge is also replacing Internet Explorer, although IE will be present in Windows 10 too for those who need it for compatibility reasons.
Microsoft recently introduced a new Windows 10 lock experience at its Build 2015 event. The new lockscreen is designed to give the user the ability to provide feedback on the lockscreen background image directly from the lockscreen itself.
The new lockscreen feature, which Microsoft calls the Windows Spotlight, will not only show you beautiful images from Bing, but also images of Windows devices running certain apps for example. You can choose to ‘like’ or ‘not like’ the lockscreen images so you can curate the types of images which will be displayed on your lockscreen. So for example, if over time, you’ve ‘liked’ images of nature, you’ll start seeing more images of nature show up on your lockscreen, the same goes with pictures of kittens.
This new lockscreen was seen running on Windows 10 build 10105 on stage at Build, so expect the feature to make it into the Windows 10 Insider Preview in the near future. Stay tuned to WinBeta as we report on the new Windows 10 features as they get announced.
Microsoft has today announced the name of its Project Spartan web browser, which was a codename up until today. Spartan will be known from this point onwards as Microsoft Edge, and will be the default browser in Windows 10.
For those who don’t know, Edge includes new annotating features, as well as Cortana integration and more. Microsoft Edge is also replacing Internet Explorer, although IE will be present in Windows 10 too for those who need it for compatibility reasons.
Microsoft Edge is the company’s new browser, giving browsing the web a breath of new life. Furthermore, Microsoft Edge will use an updated version of the ‘e’ logo which is widely known for Internet Explorer.
Build 2015 is going on in its full force with lots of interesting announcements, especially if you’re a developer. The company announced a number of great things to come to Windows Store, including carrier billing so you could purchase apps without linking your credit card, and more importantly support for Win32 and .NET applications in the Windows Store.
This means that developers with existing desktop apps can bring them to the Windows Store, streamlining the installation/update process for the users. There are over 16 million .NET and Win32 apps being used every month, making it extremely easy for users to install native desktop applications using Windows Store.
This will definitely offer users with an improved Windows Store experience since it will support these applications, and even allow users to pay for apps using carrier billing — really helpful in developing countries if Microsoft plans to push it there as well.
During the Build Developer Conference, we gained greater insight as to how different Microsoft products can work with each other and other companies products. One such example is the new Uber ride reminder add-in within Office Outlook. What it allows you to do is schedule a lift from your calendar appointments in Outlook. This is all part of Microsoft’s new Office add-in platform.
Build is a major developers conference and many things shown and discussed are rather technical but the end result for users is more ways to integrate technology into their lives. The Uber-Outlook integration is a great example of Microsoft allowing other companies to work directly with their platform.
There will be more details as this story develops so stay tuned and check back for updates on all of our Build articles.
*UPDATE* EN-US has now leaked too. Original story follows.
Yesterday saw Windows 10 build 10074 leak onto the web directly from Microsoft’s own Windows Update servers. And today, another build of Windows 10 has leaked, this time not directly from Microsoft and in zh-CN.
Build 10102, although rocking a more recent build number, is technically older than 10074 as 10074 was compiled more recently. What this means is 10074 is more stable and likely has the most recent code changes.
Not only that, but 10102 is pretty much identical feature wise compared to 10074, so there really isn’t much point in downloading this leak. Regardless, as per usual we will not be linking to said leak.
Windows 10 Build 10074 is available right now directly from Microsoft in ESD form, and you can download them directly from Windows Update. We’re not sure if Microsoft is going to keep the links up for long, so I’d get downloading if I were you. Keep in mind the build is an ESD file, meaning it needs to be converted into an ISO file which can be done via an ESD decryption tool.
Beta enthusiast site OSBetaArchive have the links to the WU server ready to go. As said above, get downloading quick as Microsoft could pull said links at any given moment. Build 10074 includes a number of features and changes over build 10061, including an improved Cortana UI and more. You can check out our hands on video below.
Microsoft will be unveiling a number of new features and announcements at its BUILD developer conference tomorrow. Stay tuned at WinBeta for more coverage.
This Wednesday, Microsoft will show off a brand new build of Windows 10 under a new preview name. No longer will they refer to the Windows 10 preview as ‘Technical Preview’ instead they will refer to it as ‘Insider Preview’. The most recent builds of Windows 10 are now branded as such, and rightly timed too as RTM is just a couple months away.
The Insider Preview should be its new name for the foreseeable future, as said Insider program is set to continue all the way up and after Windows 10 RTMs later this year. Microsoft is planning to use the Insider Program to continue testing upcoming updates such as Redstone, which is set to arrive sometime in 2016.
The BUILD developer conference is tomorrow, and Microsoft is expected to talk more about its plans for the future, as well as show off more HoloLens, Windows 10 for phones, and Xbox stuff. Stay tuned at WinBeta as we’ll have coverage for you LIVE as it happens.
Windows 10 has come a long way over the past several months, and it’s all thanks to participants of the Windows Insider Program. Each new build seems to incorporate highly requested features from participants. With that being said, we’ve got our hands on a new build of Windows 10 (build 10074) and we’d like to show it off to you. So what’s new in build 10074? Let’s dive right in and take a look.
Build 10074 is very similar to build 10102 which we saw leak via screenshots and video earlier today, meaning the new Cortana stuff as well as sounds and blur effect are included. Another thing to note is that this build is no longer referred to as “Technical Preview.” Instead, Microsoft is referring to this build as “Insider Preview” which makes sense considering we are inching closer to a final release. Give the video a play below and let us know what you like in build 10074 and what you’d like to see improved.
Build 2015 is right around the corner and WinBeta will be live at the event bringing you the latest Windows 10 news, so stay tuned! Windows 10, for those that didn’t know, is expected to be released in July of this year. What do you think about these new improvements in build 10074? Sound off in the comments below.
Build 10074 is the bookies favorite for being given to Insiders this week during the BUILD developer conference. So you may have your hands on this pretty soon.
One of the most requested features for return in Windows 10 is blurred transparency, something which can be found in Windows 7 today. The recent Insider builds of Windows 10 have slowly been adding transparency, however Microsoft has finally taken it a step further by ‘aero-ifying’ it and adding the blur effect back into the Taskbar and Start Menu in the most recent builds of the operating system.
We suspect Microsoft will show off the UI in more detail at BUILD, but here’s a first look at what you can expect the upcoming Windows 10 Insider Builds to look like, nice and modern with the blur effect in play. Microsoft has been fine tuning the UI of Windows 10 for the last couple of weeks in preparation for BUILD happening this Wednesday. The company is expected to show off a number of new features and changes being made to Windows 10, and will hopefully disclose its plans for the future.
Stick around at WinBeta for more news regarding Windows 10 and the BUILD developer conference, as there will be a lot more to talk about over the next 48 hours. You will not want to miss it.
The BUILD developer conference is just around the corner, and Microsoft has been making a number of changes based on the feedback submitted by Insiders. One popular bit of feedback concerned the way Search works, and how instead of searching from the Start Menu like in previous versions of Windows, it was done through Cortana. A large amount of people didn’t like this change, so Microsoft has changed how Search and Cortana behave when the Start Menu is open.
In the most recent builds of Windows 10, searching from the Start Menu will morph into Cortana with a nice animation, listing results much like you’d expect her to. Not only that, but Cortana now features a handy hamburger menu on the left hand side which makes Cortana feel even more integral to the Start Menu. You can adjust Cortana’s height by simply adjusting the height of the Start Menu too.
These changes definitely make searching feel more integrated with the UI, and although the way search works in Windows 10 hasn’t actually changed, we think Insiders are going to prefer the new Search behavior over the old. Stick around at WinBeta for more Windows 10 coverage over the next 48 hours as BUILD is tomorrow.
For those of you enrolled in the Windows Insider Program, you have an exclusive ability to test Windows 10 Technical Preview before it’s released this summer. On top of that, you are given the ability to test a pre-release version of Project Spartan, the company’s new browser. To take things a step further and to entice testers to discover bugs and vulnerabilities, Microsoft is offering up to $15,000 USD if you find security bugs in Project Spartan. Here is what the company had to say:
“Microsoft is pleased to announce the launch of a vulnerability bounty program for Microsoft-branded internet browsers shipping with Windows 10 technical preview. The program begins 22 April 2015, and ends 22 June 2015. For the duration of the program, individuals across the globe have the opportunity to submit vulnerabilities found in Microsoft-branded internet browsers shipping on our latest pre-release Windows platform. Qualified submissions are eligible for payment from a minimum of $500 USD to $15,000 USD, and bounties will be paid out at Microsoft’s discretion based on the quality and complexity of the vulnerability. Microsoft may pay more than $15,000 USD, depending on the entry quality and complexity,” Microsoft stated.
As long as you are over 14 years of age, you can tip Microsoft on an original and previously unreported vulnerability in Project Spartan, including Remote Code Execution (RCE), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities, and Sandbox Escape Vulnerabilities. Explain how to reproduce the vulnerability in your submission, which allows Microsoft to quickly verify it and gives you a chance to earn a greater payout. Head over to the VIA link below to take a look at the bug bounty program and get started!
Welcome back to another edition of the weekly Windows 10 news recap. On Monday, April 20th, we learned that Windows 10 will launch in July. According to AMD’s CEO, Microsoft is looking to launch the Windows 10 operating system by the end of July. The news slipped during the recent conference calls of the company, and mentioned that the company aims to get it out to the market before the back-to-school promotions begin.
We held a poll on WinBeta.org asking readers if they felt July was too soon for the operating system’s release, and the results are in. Out of 1,852 votes, 47.19% felt that Microsoft should wait a few more months, while 41.47% believed Windows 10 would be ready for release in July. Interestingly enough, 11.34% of voters didn’t really care.
In the Windows Store (Beta) in the Windows 10 Technical Preview, Xbox users can download the Avatars app and get started on tweaking and fine tuning their avatars appearance. Microsoft made this app available at the start of this past week.
In a video posted on the Office Blogs Garage Series, Ben Walters and host Jeremy Chapman walk us through Outlook for Office 2016, the new Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar apps for Windows 10, and the Outlook cross-platform play on iOS and Android.
Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 build 10061 to participants of the Windows Insider Program earlier this week. Build 10061 includes a new transparent taskbar, improvements to the Start Menu and more customization options in the Settings app. You can check out the change-log here and read about the known issues here. You can also watch our hands-on look at the new build below.
With Windows 10 build 10061, we’ve learned that Solitaire will be making a return to Windows, and you can actually get technical support through the Contact Support app (which has been refined in build 10061). We learned that Windows 10 builds will stop booting shortly after they expire, so make sure you are using the latest Technical Preview build or upgrade to the final version when it arrives.
Build 2015 takes place this coming week and we will be on the show floor gathering news and photos for you. Stay tuned for yet another exciting week of Windows 10 news!
Many times Microsoft’s technologies are held as the gold standard for business productivity, so when the healthcare IT company Epic was looking for a partner, Microsoft was the obvious choice. Microsoft has a rich history of developer tools and data privacy to reinforce their software offerings. The most valuable tool to Epic was Microsoft’s virtualization tool Hyper-V which was used to provide seamless access to private data from a range of access points.
Azure was used to archive records using the same highly secure measures which are taken when storing records locally. Microsoft has an extensive list of certified technologies for EHR making their products not only easy to use and seamless to upgrade but also compliant right out of the box without extra third party software to achieve compliance.
Lots of hospitals already run Windows on their computers which makes running and managing Windows Server and using Hyper-V a no-brainer. Doctors and nurses are already familiar with Windows devices which lowers the learning curve and gets hospitals going with new technology but requires less training. Microsoft remains firmly positioned at the center of business and productivity and this position is reinforced with this new partnership with Epic.
It would seem, in recent years, Microsoft’s marketing and PR departments have left consumers and some enterprise users, a bit confused. Botched messaging against Chromebooks, misguided attempts to mock the competition in smartphones, and constant branding overlaps and mishaps, are making a recent Microsoft transition that much harder for the company. When it comes to messaging, Microsoft has been at war with the company’s divisions as well as the media’s perception of it for quite some time.
It looks like Microsoft would like to help other companies avoid some of the same pitfalls and messaging misfortunes. Today, Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM team is announcing a new addition to the Spring 15’ release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The new application titled Microsoft Social Engagement, will be available to businesses soon. The new tool is planned to boost the analytic output of customer engagement with companies and service providers, by focusing on five key elements: Productivity, Social, Mobility, Analytics, and Knowledge.
Productivity:
Dynamics CRM will further integrate with Office 365 in order to connect sales and marketing teams with the software they use daily. Items like Excel are being retooled to offer a more dynamic (pun not intended) experience. CRM vendors will now be able to surface ‘what if’ scenarios in Excel and the project forecast within CRM. A collaboration with OneNote and CRM will also offer much easier brainstorming sessions real-time sharing of information with teams.
Social:
Possibly the biggest front-facing change in the Spring 15’ update is a new social experience. Companies will now have access to new social capabilities and a new area for dense information called the ‘social center’. This dashboard is an area where marketing, sales and service teams can easily translate and monitor social engagement and trending topics. Even more social capabilities have been built into the update, Microsoft claims that it as “also added social CRM capabilities so companies can create end-to-end customer engagements from social posts and teams can monitor social topics,” according to the Dynamics team. Also built into the update are enhancements to social analytics so companies now can use tools like text mining, cloud visualization, and view real-time global activity through a social activity map. All of these features have been bundled into a new visualization app that should be easier to use.
Mobility:
The idea is for CRM to become a seamless user experience across most mobile devices in a configure once and deploy fashion. With that, the Dynamics team is offering a new mobile SDK so CRM users can extend and create the necessary mobile apps to reach their audiences.
Analytics:
The update will offer a better marketing experience out of the box with tighter integration. With the use of interactive dashboards and reports in Power BI, sales, service and marketing teams will be able to analyze and gather insights faster.
Knowledge:
While tot fully baked in yet, Dynamics CRM is beginning it’s integration with Parature’s to offer integrated knowledge management out of the box.
All in all, Microsoft’s Social Engagement tool is shaping up to be a one-stop shop for companies looking to manage their brands messaging and social media engagement.
On the eve of Microsoft’s Build 2015 Developer Conference and the company’s brand-pitch for its future, the software company just received some encouraging validation regarding its current brand image. Today Microsoft won the Global Randstad Award for 2015. The annual award identifies the most attractive employer brands worldwide. Of the 225,000 respondents surveyed from 23 countries worldwide, 67.8% indicated that they would like to work for Microsoft. Microsoft managed to take the lion share of votes away from competitors like runner-ups Sony and Samsung.
Other notable Global Randstad Award 2015 nominees include Coca-Cola, GE, HP, IBM, Philips, Siemens, and Tata Consultancy Services. Not only did Microsoft manage to win out against larger international businesses, but the company also managed to receive No. 1 on all drivers of choice for potential job seekers; that is a Randstad first. According to Randstad CEO, Jacques van den Broek, “That is quite remarkable, considering the fierce competition of employers in finding and retaining talent.”
More than a simple survey, the Randstad Award offers insight into of the potential employee landscape and the large international companies that are being presented. When interviewed, participants reveal information about their drivers of choice for potential employment.
Drivers of choice
Globally the most important drivers of choice according to all respondents are salary & employee benefits, long-term job security, and a pleasant working atmosphere. However, employers are not recognized for these drivers – the top 3 attributed to companies are financial health, active management, and excellent training.
Stay or go?
The Randstad Award survey reveals that the most important reason employees leave their employer is a limited career path. People who are considering to leave in the next 12 months mostly do so because of dissatisfaction with compensation. The most mentioned reason to stay, however, is an excellent work-life balance.
The survey also takes into account:
Largest numbers of employees;
Corporate/profit (public sector organizations are excluded);
Operating in at least 25 countries;
Same company name in all countries;
Min. 30% of employees outside the home country
Microsoft can pat itself on the back for now, but as quickly as technology shifts, so do the opinions of job seekers. Microsoft will have its work cut out for itself in the coming years as it looks to complete its transition into a newer company with a more refined brand.
Well, the licensing bubble may have finally burst. Microsoft rode an impressive wave in licensing revenue over the course of a rocky Windows 8 situation. When investors thought, Windows 8 would single-handedly doom Windows, and competition from tablets sales threatened PC makers, licensing revenue from enterprise business upgrading to Windows 7 masked some of those realities. Unfortunately for Microsoft, those days have come to an end.
Windows & Office
According to the company, during its FY15 Q3 earnings report, Windows OEM revenue declined 22%. In particular Windows OEM Pro revenue declined 19% as the final rush of Windows 7 upgrades leveled out to “pre-Windows XP end-of-support levels”. This news is also compounded by the fact that PC makers are struggling even more on the consumer side of things. Licensing for Windows on consumer PC is down 26% due to the many hardships consumer PC manufacturers are facing when trying to sell new hardware. Luckily for Microsoft, consumer licensing of Windows only resulted in 2% actual transactional revenue.
Windows wasn’t the only red mark on their earnings sheet. Consumer licensing for Office also saw a sharp decrease of 41%. However, as Microsoft pivots into becoming a cloud-based software provider, the decrease in wholesale licensing made way for subscription-based purchases. This tactic is becoming increasingly evident, as Microsoft is offering PC manufacturers the ability to bundle the full Office suite on their devices for a year, in hopes of gaining subscriptions later on.
In the last bit of bad news, Windows Phone revenue also saw a decline of 16%. That is amazing considering that Windows Phone was made free for device makers a little under a year ago.
Bing
Now for the growth. Microsoft is still in a transition period, but they are coming around a corner, and hopefully investors can start to see the results. Microsoft’s Online Advertising saw its revenue increase 21% with the increase in traffic to Bing also up 150 basis points YoY. Possibly why the renegotiating with Yahoo were so important.
Gaming
While loosening the belt on Xbox Live restrictions, Microsoft also saw a transactional increase in revenue growth per user for the service. Minecraft also helped skew some gaming numbers for first party revenue gains to the tune of 49% YoY
Office 365
While Office licensing numbers were down, Office 365 Consumer numbers are on the rise. With a 35% sequential growth, Office 365 subscriptions number have now topped over 12.4 million.
Conclusion
From the looks of it, Microsoft is seeing the seeds from the last few years of transition finally blossoming, albeit at the cost of their traditional bank-breaking profits. Many of the company’s cloud driven businesses are seeing growth. Commercial Cloud revenue grew 106% with annualized revenue run rates of 6.3 billion dollars. Azure is experiencing doubled growth in usage as well enterprise mobility customer growth of over 70%, resulting in a 7x increase in the company’s install base. I’m pretty sure investors will continue to see a mixed bag of results for the next few quarters as Microsoft continues to consolidate and transform its business strategy. While Microsoft’s plan B may be taking a bit longer to develop than investors would like, fortunately for the company, they enacted plan B while there is seemingly time to do so.
During Microsoft third quarter fiscal year 2015 earnings call, the software giant revealed new details on how well Windows performance in the quarter, and it appears that revenue generated by the OS is on the decline.
It appears that in general, Windows OEM revenue has declined by 22%. Specifically, that’s a 19% revenue decline for Windows OEM Pro versions as many businesses have already upgraded following the Windows XP end-of-life. Additionally, Microsoft attributes the lower revenues to the declining business PC market. As for the Windows OEM non-Pro revenue, the decline of 26% is reportedly due to channel inventory drawdowns and the introduction of free versions of Windows on devices smaller than 8-inches.
“Windows volume licensing revenue declined 2% (up 1% in constant currency), with transactional revenue declining following the XP refresh cycle partially offset by annuity revenue growth”
Making Windows free for small devices seems to be a double-edged sword. On one hand it hurts Microsoft in the short term, but on the other in allows for the introduction of the very affordable small tablets we’ve seen of late. This would allow Microsoft to regain the profits from more people using its services in the long-run. Let us know what you think of Microsoft’s strategy here and the latest Windows performance numbers in the comments below.
