microsoft

Microsoft, a software giant since the dawn of the PC era, might not be so focused on software much longer.

CEO Steve Ballmer is in the process of managing a "major restructuring" that would shift his company's center of balance, All Things Digital's Kara Swisher is reporting on Monday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of Microsoft's plans. Rather than base its business on software, as it has since its inception, Microsoft would transition to a "devices and services company," Swisher's sources say.

Ballmer might have already laid the groundwork for … Read more

Microsoft's XP operating system is still used on more than a third of the installations out there, according to figures from Net Applications. Is it really still that popular?

XP was released in August of 2001, more than a decade ago. It got a new lease on life when its successor, Vista, was declared -- at least initially -- a disaster back in 2006.

On Friday, figures from Net Applications (see graph at bottom) showed XP with a robust 37.74 percent of all Windows and Mac OS installations worldwide, down only slightly from 38.31 percent in April. … Read more

Tony Scott, who as chief information officer managed Microsoft's internal IT operations for the past five years, is leaving the company.

The departure of Scott, whose LinkedIn profile describes him as the "former CIO" at the software giant, was announced to staff in an internal memo late last week, according to GeekWire, which first reported the news.

"Tony Scott decided to depart Microsoft to focus on personal projects," Microsoft said in a statement to GeekWire. "While at Microsoft, Tony was a strong IT leader passionate about taking Microsoft's technology to the next level … Read more

Microsoft is trying to drum up sales of its Surface RT tablet by kicking in a free cover.

For a limited time starting May 31, Microsoft will throw in a free Touch Cover, Touch Cover Limited Edition, or Type Cover to folks in the U.S. and Canada who buy a Surface RT tablet. Adding a Touch Cover to the purchase normally brings the overall price up by $100, while the cover itself costs $119 separately. The Touch Cover Limited Edition and Type Cover each costs $129 on their own.

The Touch Cover is available in cyan, red, magenta, white, … Read more

A Google Maps engineer who reportedly worked on bringing accurate map data to the platform is on his way to Microsoft, according to a new report.

TechCrunch reported on Thursday that Raj Shah, a Google Maps engineer, has moved on to Microsoft, where he will presumably work with the company on Bing Maps. According to TechCrunch, Microsoft confirmed his hire to its reporter.

Shah's LinkedIn page still lists his title as engineering director at Google. He started with the search company in March 2006.

CNET has contacted Microsoft to confirm Shah's hire. We will update this story when … Read more

When a product becomes a brand, it brings with it emotional values that seep into your pores and make you feel good all over.

This is something Jamen Shively hopes to do for a product that has something of a start -- in that it already seeps into your pores and makes you feel good all over.

Or so I am told.

Shively, once upon a time, was a corporate strategy manager for Microsoft. Now the 45-year-old wants to create the nation's first brand of marijuana.

His idea, as he explained to the Seattle Times, is to buy his … Read more

Chances are it'll be quite a few months before most of us have a chance to go hands-on with the Xbox One. Until then, you can at least get a very in-depth look at what to expect, thanks to this rotatable 3D model from Microsoft.

You'll see the full Xbox One kit -- console, Kinect 2.0, and new-look controller -- and you can zoom in and out on any part of it to your heart's content.

It's embedded below, or you can click here for a full-size version. … Read more

To hear former Windows boss Steven Sinofsky tell it, Windows 8 is doing just fine, despite analyst reports that PC sales have declined, in part, because of tepid consumer interest in the 7-month-old operating system.

"It's hard for me to look at selling 100 million of something and not be happy," Sinofsky said at the D11 conference Thursday, according to AllThingsD's live blog of his conversation. (Microsoft said earlier this month it had sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since Win 8's introduction.)

Asked why those Windows 8 sales haven't … Read more

Windows Phone 8 users can now add more music to their lives, courtesy of Shazam.

Officially unveiled Thursday in the Windows Phone store, the Shazam app works its musical magic by identifying the song currently being played in proximity to your phone. You can then buy the song through Microsoft's Xbox Music service or through Nokia Music if you're using a Nokia Lumia phone.

Shazam adds a social aspect as well. You can share and comment on your musical discoveries with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You can also tag any song so that other people can … Read more