Windows 8 mockups from two years ago show more or less the same interface found in the OS today.

The mockups from 2010 were revealed in a keynote demonstration given by Jensen Harris, a director of program management for Microsoft's Windows User Experience Team. Dubbed "The Story of Windows 8," the demo was given during a UX Week conference held by design firm Adaptive Path.

As displayed by blog site iStartedSomething.com, images of the mockups show that Microsoft certainly tweaked some of the look and feel of Windows 8. But the overall design of the OS … Read more

Hewlett-Packard isn't overly impressed with Microsoft's Surface tablet.

Speaking in an interview published yesterday with IDG Enterprise, HP PC business chief Todd Bradley said that his company could "hardly call Surface competition," adding that the Microsoft-branded tablet is quite flawed.

"One, very limited distribution," Bradley said, listing what he feels are the Surface's greatest flaws. "It tends to be slow and a little kludgey as you use it....It's expensive. Holistically, the press has made a bigger deal out of Surface than what the world has chosen to believe."

Microsoft … Read more

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer decided he had had enough of Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky.

Sinofsky had developed a stellar reputation for shipping quality products on time. And he streamlined the management structure in the gigantic Windows division so that it hummed and produced the latest version of the company's flagship product on a tight deadline to solid, if not spectacular, reviews.

But a day after Sinofsky's sudden departure from Microsoft, it's also clear that Ballmer recognized that the Windows leader was too divisive of a figure to continue on at the software giant, where … Read more

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky and Apple's Scott Forstall may forever be associated with one another in business school case studies on what happens to effective product leaders who can't play nice with the other kids.

Sinofsky, who ran the Windows division with the single-mindedness of General Patton racing through the French countryside, last night abruptly announced that he was leaving Microsoft. It's too soon to say whether the company's recent Windows 8 launch is a success or disappointment, but as our Jay Greene wrote last night, you shouldn't be terribly surprised. Sinofsky battled with other … Read more

People new to Windows 8 can get a helping hand via a special course from the online training site Lynda.com.

Dubbed Windows 8 Essential Training, the four-hour course is available for free to the public until November 23.

The online course covers a variety of topics, including how to upgrade to Windows 8, how to organize your files and folders, how to print, how to use the Mail app, how to back up your files with File History, and how to use Internet Explorer 10.

People can sign up for the course by "liking" its Facebook page. … Read more

Microsoft shareholders appear to be at least a little concerned about Steven Sinofsky's departure.

In their first chance to chime in on the news this morning, Microsoft shareholders cut 3 percent from the software giant's stock price, dropping it to $27.10. Considering Microsoft closed the day yesterday at $28.22, that's not a major drop, but a notable one, nonetheless.

Microsoft announced Sinofsky's departure last night. In an e-mail to employees, the Windows boss said that after 23 years at the company, he's leaving Microsoft to "seek new opportunities." In his own e-mail to the troops, … Read more

Anyone who is surprised by Steven Sinofsky's departure as Windows boss at Microsoft wasn't paying attention.

As I wrote in a profile of Sinofsky last month, the now-former Windows boss had been sparring with other Microsoft executives, including Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Sources said at the time that the company's senior leadership was increasingly concerned about Sinofsky's inability to work across divisions at Microsoft.

Working with other groups is becoming more and more crucial for Microsoft, as it weaves its consumer offerings together. The company is racing to make Windows work well with Windows Phone and … Read more

Steven Sinofsky, the Microsoft executive who turned its Windows franchise around and just led the effort to release Windows 8, is leaving the company, effective immediately.

Sinofsky, a controversial figure at the company, was the subject of a recent CNET profile that explored his polarizing ways. Insiders said he was warring with Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

The company said the decision behind Sinofsky's departure was mutual, thought the abruptness of the announcement might suggest otherwise.

"I am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company," Ballmer said.

Sinofsky was equally … Read more

SEATTLE--Microsoft will square off with Google's Motorola Mobility tomorrow in a federal court here, arguing over how much the software giant should pay the wireless technology company to use its patents.

The case pits the two tech titans against one another in an arcane but significant battle over reasonable fees companies can charge for use of technology based on patents considered essential.

Motorola wants royalties that Microsoft says could reach $4 billion a year to use video streaming and Wi-Fi technology that it has baked into Windows and its Xbox video game console. Motorola holds patents that are part … Read more