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A decade ago, nobody would have predicted that software giant Microsoft would be fighting with its back against the wall in certain industries. This, however, is indeed the case, with online search and mobile phone OS platforms being the most obvious examples. Speaking at the company’s Worldwide Partner Conference, though, the company’s COO had plenty to say about competitors, both the weak and strong ones.

On Google

Microsoft COO Kevin Turner made it abundantly clear his company was after IBM, Oracle, Cisco Google and several other companies’ business, saying: ‘I am grateful for those competitors. It is fun going after them in a big way.’

Speaking on Google – and Google Docs specifically – Kevin Turner said: ‘Two years ago, all of the headlines said Microsoft was in big trouble. Guess what? It hasn’t happened.’ He went on to say that ‘Office365, ladies and gentlemen, is nothing but a Google [Docs] butt-kicker,’ while taking the time to call Google Talk an ‘inferior messaging system’ to MSN, presumably.

On Apple

With Microsoft ramping up production – and marketing – of Windows 7’s successor, it is unsurprising Microsoft COO Turner spared a second to take a stab at Apple with its dual OS strategy via iOS and Mac OS X. He said that ‘your guess is as good as mine as to when [Apple will merge] the iOS and MacOS.’ This, of course, is premised on the belief that his company’s approach is superior to Apple’s, which, of course, will only be confirmed once Windows 8 is on the market.

No man was spared

While Google and Apple are the big targets, since, unarguably, they’re currently beating Microsoft on mobile devices, the company took shots at a plethora of companies with VMWare and even Salesforce.com accompanying the ones we mentioned above. That is a lot of very powerful and very intelligent companies to concern yourself with all at once, huh? Does the competitive antagonism come with the job description of being Microsoft COO?

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Microsoft has urged its customers to stop using the ageing Windows XP desktop operating system, reminding the community that there was fewer than 1,000 days of official support remaining for the platform.

Say goodbye to old legends

The company is focused on getting the remaining Windows XP users to embrace Windows 7, unarguably the best OS since XP, especially with the release of Windows 8 fast-approaching.

Taking to Microsoft’s blog, Stephen Rose wrote: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if the glory days lasted forever? But reality is trophies get dusty, records are broken, and what it took to be the best ten years ago, just isn’t enough for today’s standards.’

Please, please embrace the new

He went on to write that: ‘Things get better, faster. And eventually, it’s time to move from good enough to something much better.’ All of this culminated in him saying: ‘Windows XP had an amazing run and millions of PC users are grateful for it. But it’s time to move on.’

Naturally, those who’ve hung onto XP for so long would want reasons to abandon the OS in favour for Windows 7 – or anything else, really. Rose justifies this, by saying: ‘Two reasons: 1) Extended support for Windows XP is running out in less than 1000 days, and 2) there’s an OS out there that’s much better than Windows XP.’

Sort of your fault, though, isn’t it?

The irony of Rose – and Microsoft – so badly wanting consumers to migrate away from the old to the new is that it’s arguably Microsoft’s fault that users are still using XP. Windows Vista, XP’s successor, was comparatively a train wreck for the company, with many users either downgrading from it or never upgrading. As such, there are computer users who’ve had the OS for a decade and have grown so comfortable with XP they see no reason to upgrade.

In Microsoft’s defence, though, Windows 7 is a fantastic OS, and the true successor to XP that Vista should have been.

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At the WorldWide Partner Conference held in Los Angeles recently, Microsoft announced that it has crossed yet another significant milestones with Windows 7. The company revealed that it has sold over 400 million licenses for its critically acclaimed operating system, and that the sales run rate for the OS is dramatically outpacing that of Windows XP.

Even when adjusted Windows 7 is outpacing XP

Todd Bishop of GeekWire writes: ‘As we’ve noted in the past, the PC market itself has grown significantly larger in the ten years since Windows XP was launched, but even adjusting for that larger size, Windows 7 is doing better than its most successful predecessor,’ proving that Microsoft does have a genuine mega-hit on its hands.

Still, though, Net Applications reports that Windows XP remains installed on more than half of all the PCs around the world, showing that there remains significant room for more growth of Windows 7. In fact, XP’s market share is dropping rapidly, as Windows 7 has quickly risen to 27 per cent of the market, meaning more than one in every four PCs is running Windows 7.

Windows Vista, which never really got off to a start, has since faded to less than 10 per cent of the market share, and will disappear into the ‘we wish this never happened’ closet accompanying other ill-fated releases like Windows Millenium Edition.

Fighting for relevance

To date, 800 million Windows XP licenses have been sold. Given that Microsoft plans to release Windows 8 in 2012 already, it will take some doing for Windows 7 to eclipse the overall sales XP managed to get up to, especially given the seemingly accelerated release schedule of Microsoft’s operating systems.

All in all, though, this is a colossal achievement that should not be understated. Congrats to the team behind the massive Windows 7 sales.

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Steve Ballmer has had it rough the last few months. Influential hedge fund managers have called for the Microsoft CEO to step down, while the tech press routinely wonders (out loud) if he’s the man to lead Microsoft in a fast-changing technology climate.

At a recent Rotary meeting in Seattle where Ballmer spoke, he was questioned on the importance of Windows 8 to his company and asked what he thought about the calls for him to step down. His response was boisterous, to say the least.

My name is Ballmer!

Assunta Ng, who is the publisher of Northwest Asia, said: ‘Thank you for being here, Steve. Recently I read somewhere, someone said, “It is time for Microsoft to change its CEO. Steve Ballmer needs to go.’” What’s your reaction to that?’

The question drew nervous laughs from the audience, but Ballmer did not skip around it, saying ‘YOU TELL ME if I lack energy or conviction, or we’re not driving all the change we need to drive.’ Unsurprisingly, this drew huge cheers and clapping from the crowd who, being Seattle-based, would prefer it if Microsoft were winning big, as opposed to losing.

Windows 8 talk

Discussion quickly turned to Windows 8, and how big a deal that operating system is to the company. To that question, Ballmer responded: ‘You cut me open and saw what was inside: Windows. Windows. Windows. Windows. Our company was born on the back of Windows. Windows underpins a huge percentage of all of our success, all of our profitability, all of the important things that we do. So, how important is it? Very, would be a very fair answer.’

There you have it. Windows 8 is a very big deal to the company, and Microsoft is obviously keenly aware of the momentum Windows 7 has bought the company.  With the next OS release, they intend on keeping that momentum. Oh, and Ballmer isn’t going anywhere.

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When Windows 8 was shown off at the D9 conference, many onlookers were pleasantly surprised by how impressive Microsoft’s new OS looks. The software functions almost like two operating systems in one, with a tiled Windows Phone 7 styled Start Menu overlaying the traditional desktop interface Microsoft’s OS is known for. This is the company’s answer to both PCs and tablet PCs all rolled in one, and it looks very promising. Lenovo’s leadership seem to agree.

Satisfying everybody

Peter Hortensius, who is president of Lenovo’s product division, has been looking over Windows 8 for some time now, and he is very excited about it. He said that the shift is ‘definitely going to be a big, bold move’, with the Windows 8 having the potential to, remarkably, satisfy both consumers of traditional PCs, as well as opening up potential for mobile, ARM-based devices, too.

Exciting stuff

Hortensius says: ‘You will see both the ARM platforms and the base Intel platforms get substantially better,’ adding that ‘We find that very exciting.’

Speaking on his particular likes, the Lenovo exec said that: ‘The part that makes me most excited is not just the new look, but along with that comes features like always-on, always-connected, which really to me addresses a big sore point of the traditional PC.’ Speaking on his previous experience, he showed displeasure with how current PCs are setup, where booting and restoring connections is unavoidable.

Touch is the big thing

Beyond speaking about the Windows 8 framework, the Lenovo executive also expressed his liking for where things are going with touch computing, and his company’s desire to reintegrate the stylus into the experience. He says: ‘The touch interface is amazing. If you are trying to quickly look through stuff it is wonderful. There are a lot of other instances where you clearly would rather use a pen.’

With Windows 7 being the revelation it was, returning Microsoft to XP and Windows ’95-esque heyday, it would be a lie to say I’m not particularly excited about Microsoft’s latest desktop OS.

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has spoken about Windows 8 in public for the very first time. While we’ve known for months now that the software giant is deep into the production cycle of their next desktop OS, Ballmer confirmed that the software will arrive in 2012.

From Tokyo, with love

The Microsoft CEO used a developers’ conference held in Tokyo, Japan on Monday as the location to announce both the official name of and release window of the successor to the insanely popular Windows 7. He confirmed that the software would arrive next year, and is being developed with PCs and tablet PCs in mind.

The march is on, full swing

He told the devs at the conference that: ‘We’re obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year.’ He continued, pointing out the hard work MS has done on the OS, including adding a new UI, ink, touch and speech features.

To which he added: ‘And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there’s a whole lot more coming.’

This is where he officially pulled the cat out of the bag, saying: ‘As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.’

Here we go

Ballmer, infamous for his passionate talks to developers, likely sees Windows 8 as a very important entry in the company’s history. Microsoft has all but missed the tablet PC revolution, and the company will no doubt look to correct this when their brand new operating system lands in 2012. Given the colossal success of Windows 7, you ignore this new entry at your peril.

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Microsoft is fed up with the inroads Apple has made in the student market and is pulling out the big guns. The company has just announced a colossal incentive for college students based in the US to purchase a new Windows 7 PC because they will be throwing in a free Xbox 360 with the deal!

Boom, what now Apple?

The deal encourages students – the frequently cash-strapped looking-for-beer-money generation – to purchase a PC over a Mac or Linux machine, since spending $699 or more on a brand new Windows 7 PC will net them a 4GB Xbox 360.

This deal is similar to what Apple has done in the past, previously offering students iPods and later iPod Touches with every purchase of a Mac. No disrespect to Apple and its hugely popular iPods, but an Xbox 360 just seems the better deal, and oftentimes perception is all you need.

Everything the student needs

Kathleen Hall, who is general manager of Windows Marketing for Microsoft, was expectedly excited about the deal. She said: ‘A hot new Windows 7-based PC with a free Xbox 360 is the ultimate productivity, social and entertainment package for students.’ She continued, saying: ‘In one shot, with this great offer, Microsoft is giving students everything they need for a successful new school year.’

Successful? I nearly failed my first year of college due to an unhealthy obsession with Gears of War’s online multiplayer. Microsoft is also overlooking a healthy beer budget – something that is part and parcel with the college experience, or so we’ve been told.

Nevertheless, who will turn their nose up at a free Xbox 360? The Windows 7 platform is fantastic, so being rewarded for buying something you might’ve bought anyway is fantastic. Americans get everything, while the rest of the world is left looking on longingly.

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Microsoft has just broken a major record, announcing yet another milestone for their desktop OS, Windows 7. The company says that the OS has crossed 350 million licenses since its release in late 2009.

That’s a lot of sales

The company announced it has recently crossed the milestone since the Windows 7 OS went on sale on 22 October 2009. Though the company failed to say what the sales breakdown was with regards to how many licenses the various versions sold, they did reiterate that it was ‘the fastest selling operating system in history.’

A little help from before

While it is unfair to deny the brilliant Windows 7 OS all its dues, chances are high that sales wouldn’t be this good if Windows Vista wasn’t a disaster! With reviews widely panning W7’s predecessor, many users held off purchasing the OS, choosing to stick with XP instead. By the time W7 came out, many folks had had the same OS for close on a decade, meaning the number of people keen to make an immediate switch was very high.

Another factor worth considering, of course, is that Microsoft’s market share of the desktop OS space is so big, only its products have a legitimate chance of being the fastest and/or best-selling operating systems in history.

Momentum moving forward

As the Windows 7 OS continues to rack up big sales, Microsoft is readying the release of the successor to the ‘fastest selling operating system in history’ in the form of Windows 8. While concrete evidence on what’s next is still difficult to come by, the leaked feature set, which includes system-wide cloud functionality, fast boot speeds, and the ability to take your OS and its settings on the road with you on a memory stick, are very exciting.

Congrats MS on a job well done with those Windows 7 sales. Now please, let’s not go down Vista lane again when you release Windows 8. Thanks.

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MS has finally done what hackers have been encouraging them to do since day one – release a standard developer’s kit for Kinect on Windows. The software giant has officially announced the Kinect SDK for PCs, opening their operating system to a gesture-based interface that could fundamentally change the way we use our computers.

Beta on 16 May

The Microsoft Kinect for Windows SDK will receive a Beta release on 16 May 2011, giving third-party devs access to the core tech behind the gesture-based system. Considering the motion controller is the fastest selling consumer electronics device ever, chances are high that developers could flock to the platform en masse.

With consumer interest being sky high, too – as the sales have proven – the prospect of controlling a PC in the same manner you do a Microsoft Kinect game is enticing, too.

What’s in the box

The Microsoft Kinect for Windows SDK will feature the ability to track up to two people’s movement in the Kinect sensor’s field of view, using tech called ‘robust skeletal tracking.’ This will likely be the most used feature, since it’s in the gesture controls – and the unique way of interfacing with Windows – where Kinect’s strength lies.

However, the Kinect SDK will also ship with technology to take advantage of its audio capabilities. Microsoft promises it will include ‘four-element microphone array with sophisticated acoustic noise and echo cancellation for great audio.’ The first area where Microsoft will leverage this is through the integration of their Windows speech recognition API.

MIX11 the big dev push

Microsoft has announced that developers who come to their MIX11 Forum, held in Las Vegas, will be given the Kinect SDK so they can get creating. The company clearly intends on supporting the software, and with Windows 7 being the great desktop OS it is, it will be interesting to see how Windows 8 – presumably an OS with the gesture controls in mind from day one – will turn out.

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Microsoft has reached yet another milestone in its development of Windows 8, as the software giant has reportedly begun distributing early copies of its upcoming operating system. This is evidence that the company’s next release has been on a steady development curve, and is looking to pick up where the critically acclaimed Windows 7 left off.

Windows rumour indeed

This rumour is according to Winrumours.com, a highly respected Windows website. They suggest that build 7971.0.110324-1900 of Windows 8 has been shipped off to key OEMs by the Microsoft Connect testing team. For some time now 2012 has been earmarked as the release period for Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, and while the folks in Redmond have yet to confirm that date, this release at this time would suggest it’s so.

What you’re going to get

Unusually, information on the feature set in Windows 8 has been circling for some time already. We’re expected a dedicated gaming experience, reminiscent of Xbox Live, system reset functionality, built-in support for 3D technology, significantly improved touch capabilities and support for Kinect-like input systems supported out of the box.

Building on the shoulders of giants. Literally

What’s interesting about the Windows 8 release that was not the case with Windows 7 is that there is a lot of excited anticipation surrounded it. With 7 launching after the universally panned Vista, Microsoft was redeeming itself. They did that and some. Now with the release of W8 following groundbreaking sales, and with the critical appraisal W7 has, Microsoft is under a different kind of pressure – pressure to exceed even the most passionate Windows fans’ expectations.

If OEMs already have builds of the software reaching them, chances are high Microsoft will be unable to keep W8 away from the public eye for too long.

What do you hope to see when they do finally parade their new desktop OS?