After failing to gain significant market share in its battle with Google’s Android, Microsoft is reportedly considering a drastic new strategy which will see the company give its mobile versions of Windows — Windows Phone and Windows RT — to manufacturers for free.
Just as Apple is about to release an updated iPad line, rival Microsoft has launched its second effort in the tablet market. The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, which feature significant performance upgrades over their predecessors, launch in 21 countries today.
A lack of product launches and the continued improvement of competing products has led to a complete flip in worldwide tablet shipments between Apple and its Android foes in the past year, according to data released Monday by research firm IDC. Although still the number one tablet manufacturer, Apple’s shipment market share declined year-over-year while rival Samsung’s tablet shipments soared. Worldwide Tablet Shipments by Vendor (Millions of Units) Source: IDC Q2 2013 Q2 2013 Market Share Q2 2012 Q2 2012…
A major selling point of tablets running ARM-based Windows RT was that Office, Microsoft’s flagship productivity software, was included for free. The company oddly chose not to extend the same offer to x86-based Windows 8 tablets, including its own Surface Pro. Those devices could still run Office, of course, but users had to purchase the software in addition to the cost of the hardware. At Computex last night, however, Microsoft Windows chief Tami Reller announced a change in policy… at…
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Microsoft is out today with a humorous new ad for the company’s Windows 8 tablet platform. The ad pits an ASUS tablet (the 10.1-inch VivoTab Smart) against the fourth generation iPad and uses Apple’s Siri digital assistant to highlight the more advanced capabilities of the Windows platform. In order, Siri informs the viewer that the iPad can’t “update like that,” showcasing Windows’ live tiles on the Start Screen; can only “do one thing at a time,” referring to Windows’ ability…
Just over six months after its release, Microsoft has sold more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses, the company reported late Monday. That number includes more than 40 million copies sold since January and is on par with the company’s sales pace for Windows 7 in 2009. Tami Reller, CFO for Microsoft’s Windows Client Team, stated that the product’s outlook should be stronger as the back-to-school season begins and new purchases are combined with the introduction of new hardware. A…
Apple’s once dominant market share in new tablet shipments continues to erode, according to preliminary data released today by research firm IDC. Apple’s share of worldwide tablet shipment in the first quarter of 2013 fell to 39.6 percent in the face of explosive growth from Android competitors, even as the company outperformed shipment expectations. Top Five Tablet Vendors (Shipments in Millions) Source: IDC 1Q2013 Shipments 1Q2013 Market Share 1Q2012 Shipments 1Q2012 Market Share Year-Over-Year Growth Apple 19.5 39.6% 11.8 58.1%…