Microsoft wrapped up the week with a significant firmware update to the Zune HD. The 4.3 patch sets the groundwork for upcoming 3D games and apps while also improving the web experience. Web browsing is now much faster and has the option of forcing it to show desktop websites and a better tap-to-zoom feature.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has again taken time to deny rumors of an advanced Wii shipping next year. Following assertions by analyst Michael Pachter that a new model is due in 2010, Fils-Aime tells Gametrailers TV that Pachter is the only one making such claims and that the rumored console is "not happening." Fils-Aime doesn't talk about whether or not the Wii will be updated at any point in the future but is emphatic that a replacement isn't coming soon.
Microsoft chief research officer Craig Mundie as part of his college tour this week demonstrated a unique concept for a future computing interface that would in many cases go without any touch input. Although it would support pens for precise input, the transparent glass display would also recognize voices and detect touch-free gestures, much as with the Xbox 360's upcoming Project Natal. The system can also detect eyes and navigate based on their gaze.
Windows 7 isn't having as large an impact on PC sales as initially thought, sources from manufacturers said on Friday. Although US retail sales were up 49 percent, those speaking to DigiTimes say they didn't see a major spike in late October and don't expect one for the rest of 2009. The turnout has been soft enough that some notebook producers are actually facing overstock as they ordered more portables than demand required.
Microsoft's 802.11n adapter for the Xbox 360 has surfaced in Costco's online store for a slightly discounted price of $88. The accessory previously popped up in GameStop's inventory slated for November 3rd, although the listing was later removed. Costco claims the adapter is scheduled for shipment a week later on November 10th.
The NPD Group today revealed that initial Windows 7 sales were more than twice as strong as for Vista. Although declining to provide the number of copies estimated sold, the researchers note that boxed, retail unit sales of the new OS were 234 percent higher in the first few days than the 2007 release. The jump is credited to both to steep pre-order discounts, strong marketing and similar approaches that helped ship a large number of initial copies.
Sales of Windows 7 have broken Microsoft's sales records for an initial operating system launch, company CEO Steve Ballmer said at a Japanese press event today. The executive said early sales have been "fantastic" and that the new OS has generated more revenue in its first 10 days than any earlier version of Windows during a similar timeframe. He declined to provide specific revenue or unit numbers.
Microsoft today confirmed late rumors and said it has cut 800 additional jobs. The positions are spread across many of the company's divisions and are above and beyond the 5,000 cuts planned at the start of the year. No direct explanation is given other than that the company says it still has to "manage [its] businesses closely" and watch for where it can trim costs.
A new leak of internal documentation has provided a deeper explanation of the Microsoft Courier. The dual-screen tablet prototype has a fundamentally simple interface with two-finger multi-touch gestures: besides usual navigation, it would let users tap-and-hold to clip a photo or other object and a two-finger swipe left or right to move that object to the opposite page. The pen also has two buttons and an "eraser" to both switch between drawing styles as well as to remove recent changes.
Apple stock is said to have led the pack in Piqqem's October sentiment ratings, again excelling over Microsoft, which came in last amongst a group of six major technology companies. Apple achieved a score of 3.11, considered high in a scale of 0 to 4. Google was second with 2.88, while Intel ranked third at 2.70. Below the top three were Cisco (2.69), Amazon (2.53) and HP (2.53), followed by Microsoft at 2.27.
The launch of Windows 7 has triggered at least a temporary spike in PC sales, Morgan Stanley analyst Katheryn Huberty says in an investment note issued yesterday. Pointing to NPD sales data, the researcher notes that computer sales jumped about 40 percent during the week of Microsoft's OS launch compared to the same time a year earlier. The number is partly offset by buyers holding off on purchases during the previous two weeks, when sales dropped 29 percent and then 2 percent versus 2008, but is well above earlier weeks, when sales were up by at most 19 percent.
Intel is reportedly investigating a compatibility issue involving the iPhone and certain chipsets, according to CNET News. A number of users have reported that iTunes 9 for Windows is able to recognize the iPhone, however the device cannot sync with certain machines utilizing Intel's P55 chipset and motherboards from certain manufacturers.
Thursby Software Systems has announced ADmitMac 5 and DAVE 8, two updates in the company's line of Mac networking products. The apps are designed to connect Macs to Windows networks, enabling bi-directional file and printer sharing. The latest versions of both ADmitMac and DAVE provide multi-processor and multi-threaded optimizations for Apple’s newest Snow Leopard operating system, in both 64-bit and 32-bit modes, along with continued support for the older v10.5 OS.
Despite having launched less than two weeks ago, Windows 7 is already on track to have its first service pack ready in less than a year, a timetable posted today suggests. Wzor, one of the sites that slipped out pre-release betas of Windows 7 earlier this year, says Microsoft is already aiming to release its first beta of Service Pack 1 to testers by December and to offer a public beta by January. After this and a second beta, Microsoft is scheduled have two release candidates and to release to manufacturing (RTM) as early as June or as late as August.
The launch of Windows 7 in October did nothing to stop an increase in Mac share online, the latest data from Net Applications shows. Although the Microsoft OS was on sale for nine days last month, Windows' combined share of Internet traffic actually dropped to 92.52 percent while Mac OS X profited directly, reaching a new high of 5.27 percent. Windows 7 did gain share and represents 2.15 percent, but its gain was more than offset by a full percentage point of Windows users abandoning Windows XP, in many cases opting for the Mac or other platforms.
Microsoft's second-ever official retail store opened to lines resembling those of Apple's, an early estimate says. More than 1,000 are believed by the OC Register to have queued up for the Mission Viejo, California opening, some of whom had entered the line as early as the previous afternoon. It's not known how long lines remained in front of the store or how floor traffic has proceeded since the debut at 10AM local time.
Leaked images that were not made public reveal the Nintendo Wii will soon get Netflix streaming capabilities, StreamingMedia reported on Wednesday. The source is said to be someone involved with the project, who confirms the development is already in testing stages and the arrival of the service is due fairly soon.
Apple's ad budget for its 2009 fiscal year surpassed $500 million for the first time, as noted in the company's Form 10-K filing with the SEC. Spending from 2008 was closer to $486 million, while the 2007 budget was approximately $467 million. According to Fortune, the Mac maker's marketing spending is still modest compared to the $1.4 billion spent by Microsoft or the $811 million dished out by Dell.
The Windows PCs at Microsoft's first retail stores are deliberately purged of the third-party apps they would normally carry, employees and eyewitnesses have confirmed. Product Advisor Jared Marino explains these systems, regardless of the brand, are considered Signature PCs and won't include any unnecessary third-party software. In exchange, they come preloaded with the normally optional Windows Live Essentials pack as well as extras like Bing 3D Maps, Security Essentials and the Zune client.
Many Zune users, including Electronista, have discovered a fault with their Zune HD multimedia players, saying Zune software does not update song play counts from the Zune HD device. Another forum user who is also a Zune Device Product Team member was able to reproduce the problem, and the team is supposedly working on a fix for the issue. Only Zune HDs with firmware 4.1 are apparently affected, Microsoft says.
Some of Intel's Pine Trail Atoms will finally escape Intel's 1GB RAM cap for netbooks even as they drop prices, a series of leaks have indicated in the past day. While the chip maker will still officially limit certain Atoms to 1GB of memory, the 1.83GHz Atom N470 will reportedly allow running 2GB of RAM. The limit should provide a large jump in performance for small systems, particularly those with more demanding operating systems like Windows 7.
Microsoft in a sudden reversal today exited its sponsorship of a Family Guy episode due to air in just under two weeks. The company had originally signed on to tie Windows 7 to an uninterrupted half-hour episode of the show known as Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show that airs November 8th but now says the material it saw in an early cut is "not a fit with the Windows brand" and will leave any Windows 7 advertising to a 12-week Family Guy-related tour. It's believed the humor was considered too controversial for the software developer.
Lenovo today sparked life in its IdeaCentre desktops and IdeaPad notebooks by refreshing them for Windows 7 and adding a few completely new models. The IdeaCentre B500 is one of the few all-in-one PCs built for gamers and high-end media use with both a Core 2 Quad, unnamed but dedicated graphics and a built-in JBL speaker system. It also brings a 23-inch 1080p display, 1TB of disk space and a motion remote for an unspecified price.
Netflix this morning broke its once-exclusive Xbox 360 deal with Microsoft by offering Netflix for PlayStation 3. The link will let any US-based PS3 owner with a Netflix subscription stream movies and TV shows online; they can also add movies to the queue and rate titles. Early on, the service will depend on customers owning a free Blu-ray disc that draws on BD-Live for Internet access, but the service should eventually be integrated into the PS3's firmware.
During a Thursday third quarter earnings report, Netflix has revealed increased revenues thanks to a 22 percent increase of streaming video use, and this from a smaller subscriber base. At the same time, CEO Reed Hastings revealed Netflix will become available for streaming on another electronics device, though he did not offer any other specifics. Hastings did indicate game consoles are also key to the expansion of the service, which could spell an end to the exclusivity of Netflix on Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Microsoft today reported its third consecutive decline in quarterly revenue. The company's total revenue during the summer dropped a sharp 14 percent year-over-year to $12.92 billion and is attributed almost exclusively to the Windows division, whose own revenue fell 38.76 percent to $2.62 billion. It also saw a decline in the overall health of its Business and Online Services groups.
Xbox Live Programming Director Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb tonight quickly denied Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's statements pointing to an Xbox 360 Blu-ray player. He now claims that Ballmer was referring to PC drives and repeats Microsoft's frequent public statements that it has "no plans" to add Blu-ray. He maintains instead that the Zune Video Marketplace will be the only HD video option in the near future.
Microsoft has kept netbook and other optical drive-less PC owners in mind with a new downloadable version of its just-released Windows 7 operating system. While downloads of Windows 7 were expected to arrive, the netbook-oriented versions are unique as the OS can be downloaded in a form that will boot from a USB drive instead of requiring a DVD. The downloadable OS is only available through the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft today opened its promised first Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, Arizona, marking its first significant effort in retail beyond experiments. The store matches leaked presentations showing a bright, spacious design resembling Apple stores and is now known to more directly imitate Apple in its staff and openings. As shown in an official video (available below), staff wear shirts in Windows-themed colors and, in today's launch, were grouped in lines to cheer the first customers entering the store.
Apple has pledged full support for Windows 7 through Boot Camp in Snow Leopard before the end of the year. Many Macs already can run Windows 7, although users have reported varying levels of compatibility. Not all systems are able to run in 64-bit mode, while certain hardware drivers currently create problems. The Boot Camp software update will enable Macs to load Microsoft's Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate variants.
Microsoft today saw a relatively muted reaction to the debut of Windows 7 with limited lineups. No reports have surfaced of significant lineups in Western countries, but in Japan the company saw relatively limited queues at Yodobashi Camera and other major retail locations. The lineups were partly spurred by contests; those who bought early were given shirts as well as entries to win travel tickets, Disneyland passes and gift cards.
Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer may have inadvertently tipped off his firm's plans for an external Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 in a talk in advance of today's Windows 7 launch. The executive is doubtful that it will ever be built-in but does tell Gizmodo that an external Blu-ray drive will be an option. He doesn't provide details but is unexpectedly confident that the hardware is enroute.
Microsoft has taken the unusual step of promoting Windows 7 in Japan with Burger King's launch of a Windows 7 Whopper. Fitting in with the software theme, the burger stacks seven patties in an otherwise normal Whopper and measures 5.1 inches tall. It also has an appropriate 777 yen ($8.53) price.
Advance sales of Windows 7 at Amazon UK set an all-time record, the online retailer said this morning. Pre-orders for the Microsoft OS, which began in July, have been higher than for even the final Harry Potter book and in sheer numbers has only been outweighed by the release of Dan Brown's Lost Symbol. Windows 7 has also significantly outsold Windows Vista and took only eight hours to exceed what its predecessor sold during its entire pre-order run.
An image has surfaced that allegedly shows comparative screenshots between Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Mobile 7 interfaces, including several attributes that appear to be more touch-oriented. The screenshots, posted by WMExperts, reportedly originated from an internal mockup used by Microsoft for design planning.
The Windows Mobile development team today indirectly criticized Apple with a video (available below) promoting Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The spoof makes fun of Apple's tendency to reject certain iPhone apps and allow novelties, and instead portrays imaginary apps that Microsoft would have rejected, such as ones that would provide a fake mustache or that regularly shock the owner. Apple isn't mentioned directly in the roughly two-minute spot.
Altec Lansing on Tuesday introduced a new gaming console speaker system, its Stage-Gig. Resembling a guitar amp, the amplified speaker is made to work with Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and DJ Hero titles on any gaming console. The 6.5-inch woofer contains a horn-loaded silk tweeter and has 40W of power. For easy portability, a carrying handle is built in, and the device can be daisy-chained with others thanks to a built-in AC outlet and RCA connections.
Microsoft and T-Mobile today said they have begun restoring Sidekick data and have offered a guide for owners. The two now say they can restore contacts they might have lost that already existed on October 1st. Those Sidekick owners who created contacts to supplement or replace entries lost during the major outage can either keep both on-device and online sets, merge them or use only the set originating from the cellphone.
Although Microsoft has only just released Windows Mobile 6.5 on shipping phones, the company is already readying a noticeable fix to add many major touch elements to the platform, unofficial previews of interim builds show. A 6.5.1 update appearing in test versions has completely dropped the top-mounted Start menu and instead has one at the bottom with a button much easier to hit with a finger than before. Many of the other context-sensitive buttons, checkboxes and radio buttons have also been made larger.
Microsoft today confirmed more of its retail opening plans with sites for its first two stores. In addition to confirming the Scottsdale opening this Thursday, the Windows creator now says the Mission Viejo, California store is due to open a week later, on October 29th. It should partly mirror the Arizona opening with Justin Bieber performing a concert at the second location for the first 1,000 to ask for free tickets.
UK-based digital camera maker Vicon said it will soon release a digital camera that hangs from a user's neck and is meant to document the wearer's life. The ViconRevue can be set to capture an image every 30 seconds, and the included 1GB memory card can store up to 30,000 still images. There is also a built-in accelerometer and light sensors that will trigger the shutter when the wearer changes locations, while an infrared sensor will also capture an image when the body heat of another person is detected.
Microsoft has confirmed plans to open its first Microsoft store on Windows 7's launch for Thursday. The Arizona Republic ad promises the Scottsdale store will open at 10AM and is providing multiple incentives to spur early traffic: the first 1,000 visitors get gift bags and tickets to an Ashley Tisdale concert at 5PM. Every PC buyer on launch day gets a free HP printer and a copy of Office 2007 Home & Student.
Video game retailer GameStop is now offering a specially made Xbox 360 controller. The limited-edition device is the first official multi-colored gamepad for the Xbox 360, and will begin shipping the week of October 19th. The controller includes a Play & Charge Kit and is covered in faux carbon fiber with red accents.
Michael Dell today on Thursday said in a public talk on Thursday that the company plans to bring smartphones to the US. While unspecific on details, he claims that any devices that show will be "family members" of the mini 3i from China. At least one will be based on Android, but he stresses that other open platforms are candidates.
Microsoft may owe T-Mobile millions of dollars for its just-concluding Sidekick outage, an inside tip may have revealed today. Like most carriers, T-Mobile is believed to have a service level agreement (SLA) with Microsoft and Danger to guarantee uptime but may have a particularly costly deal with Microsoft. The MobileCrunch source claims that Microsoft will likely pay a rate roughly equal to $700,000 per day for the period it couldn't guarantee 99.5 percent availability of Sidekick services.
Microsoft's planned retail store openings will start just in time for Windows 7's appearance next week, a leak late yesterday may reveal. A single source for the WSJ says the first store, in Scottsdale, Arizona, should open either on Windows 7's October 22nd release date or within a few days afterwards. However, it would be the only store to launch near the OS as the Mission Viejo, California store would only open a few weeks later.
Dell's namesake Michael Dell in a talk late Tuesday criticized both his own products and Microsoft. Despite his company offering multiple netbooks, including the Mini 10, the CEO largely dismissed the category and said a "fair amount" of buyers are unhappy with them for both their smaller screens and slow performance. Many existing notebook owners in particular often come back disappointed as they lose what they liked about their larger portables.
Acer on Wednesday announced it will soon launch a number of new Windows 7 powered PCs, including its first multi-touch notebook, the 15.6-inch Aspire AS5738PG notebook. At the same time, Acer updated its Timeline series of Aspire notebooks with dual-core CULV processors and the new Microsoft OS.
Microsoft's launch next week of Windows 7 could paradoxically help Apple's Mac sales, analyst data shows today. Broadpoint AmTech researcher Brian Marshall notes that, historically, every major Windows release in the past 10 years has coincided with a significant spike in Mac purchases either during the same calendar quarter or within a few quarters afterwards. The effect was particularly pronounced for Vista, as Mac sales surged in fall 2007 and have been very high ever since.
(Update #2 with T-Mobile plans) T-Mobile may let Sidekick owners affected by the permanent data loss drop their contracts and move to other phones, one subscriber says today. At least one customer reports to Gizmodo that he has been offered an early exit from his contract as well as having the option of buying a T-Mobile G1 for the same $130 price new or eligible customers would pay. BlackBerries and other smartphone-class devices have also been made options.
