surface

Microsoft is bulking up design teams for next-gen Surface devices, despite the pleas of PC partners like Acer.

Acer recently asked Microsoft to reconsider its Surface strategy, but Redmond seems to be doing just the opposite, as dozens of job postings on its career page attest. Some of the job postings seem to imply that Surface products are the true expressions of Microsoft's vision.

"The Surface Team focuses on building devices that fully express the Windows vision," a few of the job listings say.

And that's the whole point of Surface, isn't it? Microsoft needed … Read more

Microsoft knew it was going to ruffle the feathers of some of its manufacturing partners when it unveiled plans to produce its own tablet computer, but now the feathers are starting to fly.

While the Surface is Microsoft's attempt to compete with the iPad and the slew of Android tablets on the market, the tablet will also be competing with similar devices from Microsoft's own partners, which were not informed about the Surface until just before its announcement in June.

That new competition led Acer CEO JT Wang to tell the Financial Times that Microsoft's plans to … Read more

Since May, Microsoft has dished out announcement after announcement and put on event after event. Now the company is taking a short breather.

Frank Shaw, Redmond's vice president for corporate communications, said in a blog post that the software giant is "taking a breath or two" after two months of hard work at a "blistering pace."

Since May 31, Shaw noted, the company has unveiled the Windows 8 Release Preview, the Surface tablet, showcased Windows Phone 8, and the Office 2013 preview.

The announcement comes a few days after Windows 8 had hit the release to manufacturing … Read more

Things are not looking good for PC makers in the age of the iPad.

Market researcher Canalys makes this point with PC shipment stats, which are a function of the way it sees the PC market. In short, tablets are PCs too. (And note Canalys defines "PC" generically, not the traditional definition of a Windows PC.)

That gives Apple an overwhelming lead over No.2 Hewlett-Packard. In the second quarter, Apple shipped about 21 million PCs versus about 13.5 million for HP, according to a Canalys report released today. Lenovo was a close third with 13.1 … Read more

No spam in Tuesday's top tech stories:

It's not often we get a shakeup in the email world, but say hello to Microsoft's new free email account, Outlook.com. It'll eventually be replacing Hotmail, but you might want to grab your name now. There's a new, clean look and it ties in your social media contacts. It's not too far off from what you may be used to already in Gmail, as you'll be able to tell from CNET's full overview of the features.

The Mars Science Laboratory rover, called Curiosity, will … Read more

Though it's not exactly an earth-shattering revelation, Microsoft has confirmed that Surface tablets will arrive October 26 along with Windows 8.

"The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices," Microsoft said in its annual report filed this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Microsoft has said before that Surface products "would be available the same time that Windows 8" was launched, but it's reassuring to … Read more

Those of you eyeing a Microsoft Surface tablet won't have to cough up $1,000 or $2,000 for the privilege.

The rumor mill was buzzing yesterday after Swedish Website Webhallen listed prices for the four different Surface models ranging from $1,002 up to $2,150.

But now it turns on that the site's prices weren't based on anything in the real world. Responding to a query from CNET, Webhallen confirmed that it's received no information on pricing from Microsoft. The site instead claimed that it jacked up the prices on the tablet to lure … Read more

Microsoft has finally acknowledged that its Surface device could put other Windows 8 tablet makers in a bind.

Unveiled last month, Microsoft's Surface tablet is the company's attempt to compete with the iPad and the slew of Android tablets on the market. But Surface will also be competing with similar devices from Microsoft's own partners.

In an annual report filled with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, Microsoft admitted that "our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform."

Microsoft has been pushing its … Read more

Despite all chatter about Microsoft's upcoming Surface tablet being competitively priced, rumors are swirling that it might cost $1,000 at the cheapest, according to The Next Web.

This news comes via a Swedish Web site that lists prices for all four of the future models, including the Windows RT and Window 8 Pro editions. The cheapest of the four models has the price tag of 6,990 kroner, which is $1,002, and the most expensive is 14,990 kroner, equaling $2,150.

Of course, the tablets could cost less in countries with a lower cost of living … Read more