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Report: Steve Jobs was 'furious' over Microsoft's acquisition of Bungie
Apple hasn't shown a lot of initiative on the gaming side of things (this past "Back to the Mac" event was the first time the company even mentioned Steam coming to the Mac, something even Valve has admitted is a huge deal), but apparently Steve Jobs still has somewhat of a competitive streak. Former Microsoft exec Ed Fries (who I just talked with last weekend at BlizzCon, strangely enough) has told Develop the story of developer Bungie being bought by Microsoft, which was the event that turned Bungie from a high profile Mac developer into a studio that made Halo games specifically for Microsoft's then-new Xbox console. Fries says that a very frustrated Steve Jobs placed a call to Steve Ballmer, furious that Microsoft had nabbed Bungie, and Ballmer then asked Fries to call Jobs back to "calm him down about the whole thing." Fries did, and the talk eventually spawned an initiative on Microsoft's side to get some of their PC games ported over to the Mac. But as gamers know, Apple's desktop platforms have never been very gamer-friendly, and developers still say that even with the switch to Intel, Apple still has a little ways to go to make the platform a solid choice for gamers. I'd say the real catalyst in all of this is the iPod touch, more than anything else. Apple's App Store was a real breakthrough in terms of letting developers release and profit off of their software, and the iPod touch specifically has been a real boon for gaming (which, you could argue, has helped drive the recent resurgence in Mac gaming, including the Steam for Mac release and a few other high profile developers embracing the platform). We'll have to see if that happens with the Mac App Store as well -- most of the issues with developers right now have to do with technical issues rather than a lack of distribution channels, but having an easy way to release and update software on the Mac certainly won't hurt. [via Ars Technica]
Ballmer: next release of Windows will be Microsoft's 'riskiest product bet' (video)
Windows 7 might be a massive commercial success and an undeniably rock solid piece of software, but Microsoft is apparently unwilling to rest on those soft and cozy laurels. Asked about the riskiest product bet the Redmond crew is currently developing, its fearless leader Steve Ballmer took no time in answering "the next release of Windows." His interviewers sadly failed to probe any deeper on the subject, but it might be notable that Steve calls it the next release rather than simply Windows 8, while the idea of it being risky also ties in with previous indications that Microsoft is aiming for a revolutionary leap between iterations. We'll have to just be patient and wait for more on that, though if you'd like a peek at Steve dodging question on tablets and the potential for Windows Phone 7 appearing on them, you need only jump past the break for the video. Update: It's also worth noting that Ballmer may not have been talking about revolutionary leaps as much as he's referencing the past issues the company has had when it's issued a major OS update (hello, Vista). The idea that making any big change to the operating system most of the world runs would invite a certain amount of high risk makes sense to us.
Windows 7 moves 240 million copies in its first year
Can you believe it's only been a year since Windows 7 hit the market? So much has happened in the interim, we could swear it's been a decade. Of course, Microsoft is celebrating Windows 7's birthday the best way it knows how: sales numbers. Turns out the little OS has done pretty well for itself, with 240 million licenses sold, giving it a 17 percent global operating system market share, and making it a healthy chunk of the 1.2 billion Windows PCs out there. As for the slow-to-adopt businesses out there, Microsoft still has some work to do, but it says 90 percent of companies have upgraded or "started their move" to 7. So, we've got the cold hard facts out of the way, any precious, personal, heartfelt memories of your time with the OS you'd like to share? We've got dibs on Steve Ballmer dropping by the Engadget Show on launch week.
Microsoft to spend one billion dollars advertising Kinect and Windows Phone 7
Microsoft's serious about making Kinect a success. A $500 million kind of serious. That's the latest report, courtesy of the New York Post, on the change Steve Ballmer and company intend to drop to make sure that every living and breathing creature in the US knows about the controller-free controller this holiday season. That mirrors earlier analyst estimates placing the Windows Phone 7 marketing budget at a similar figure, which in total would amount to a cool billion dollars in advertising expenditure. We already know Microsoft's scooped the Old Spice Guy for WP7, but Kinect is getting the extra special carpet bombing treatment with Burger King, Pepsi, YouTube, Nickelodeon, Disney, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, People and InStyle magazines, and even Times Square all having a role to play in spreading the word. Yup, it's gonna be pretty hard to miss it.
Intel and Microsoft CEOs give iPad a nod, plan to kill it dead with Oak Trail next year
Intel CEO Paul Otellini said a number of interesting things while explaining away $11.1 billion dollars, as did Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a post-Windows Phone 7 launch interview with CNET, but the pair individually touched on a common theme -- both desire to beat down the iPad, and both believe that Intel's Oak Trail chip might make a suitable club. Though Ballmer said that Microsoft partners would have tablets this holiday season, before Oak Trail is done, he called out the "enhancement" the new chips would bring to the Windows tablet experience, calling Oak Trail specifically "an important part of our roadmap." Meanwhile, Intel's Otellini explained just how much Chipzilla will bank on the touchscreen slates to come, saying that Intel will "utilize all of the assets at our disposal to win this segment" and calling the tablet market a viable third business alongside PCs and netbooks. "You will see Intel solutions that run on Windows, Android and MeeGo operating systems across a variety of form factors and price points," he said, and suggested that Oak Trail silicon would lead the charge. You can read the other interesting things both men said at our source links, but there is one more we'll call out now: Otellini said that Intel intends to integrate the recently-acquired Infineon's 3G and LTE wireless capabilities directly into Atom processors for tablets and phones, starting in about three years.
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 keynote video now available to watch... again and again
In case a liveblog and a never-ending stream of Windows Phones weren't enough for you yesterday, here's a chance to relive Microsoft's launch presentation of its grand OS redesign. It's kicked off by the big dog himself, Steve Ballmer, followed by Ralph de la Vega and Joe Belfiore giving us the lowdown on carrier pricing and new features. It's good, we promise. Though we can't guarantee it's quite as awesome as the UK presentation, which included a Stephen Fry soliloquy on the subject of smartphones, diversity, and Microsoft's redemption. That one we've got stored in our hearts, which, regrettably, don't yet come with a HDMI output. Video after the break.
Live from Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch event
The party starts soon! We're at the venue and about to get going, so tune back in at the times below! 03:30AM - Hawaii 06:30AM - Pacific 07:30AM - Mountain 08:30AM - Central 09:30AM - Eastern 02:30PM - London 03:30PM - Paris 05:30PM - Moscow 10:30PM - Tokyo
Steve Ballmer teases three WP7 handsets on Today, gets no respect from Matt Lauer
Today's going to be a big day for Microsoft, and Steve Ballmer's kicking it off early. Showing up on the Today show, Samsung Cetus in-hand, he let loose a humble smile and spent a little time showing off a trio of phones. Along with the Cetus, nestled in the middle in the picture below, is an LG C900 on the right and an HTC Mondrian on the left, none of which got as much face time as the man himself, who took a (tersely) polite ribbing from host Matt Lauer about the status of Microsoft's mobile efforts compared to the competition over the past year, even making mention of Ballmer's recently cut bonus thanks in part to the Kin debacle. Steve was having none of that, not interested in looking back, showing off an "always consistent" interface that is simply "delightful" according to the man. How delightful is it? Look to learn a lot more as the day progresses. Update: Thanks to muslimsteel for pointing out in comments you can watch the segment yourself right here.
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch event is Monday at 9:30AM ET, and we'll be there live!
As you may have heard, Microsoft is having a major event Monday in NYC to announce details surrounding Windows Phone 7 launch dates and devices... and Engadget is going to be there delivering the best live coverage in the universe. In case you don't already know, Steve Ballmer and AT&T's Ralph de la Vega will be on stage to delight your senses, and there will likely be lots of new hardware we'll be getting our hands on. You can see all of the news unfold in realtime right here at our liveblog post, and the whole thing starts tomorrow, October 11th, at the times listed below. Don't miss it! 03:30AM - Hawaii 06:30AM - Pacific 07:30AM - Mountain 08:30AM - Central 09:30AM - Eastern 02:30PM - London 03:30PM - Paris 05:30PM - Moscow 10:30PM - Tokyo
Microsoft and Adobe CEOs meet, purportedly plan world domination
Like any two technology behemoths, Adobe and Microsoft have certainly had their ups and downs. But now that Google and Apple are looming over them in a number of ways, it seems as if the two may be courting one another in order to help re-level the playing field. According to a New York Times report -- which was crafted after collecting reports from "employees and consultants to the companies who were involved in the discussions that took place" -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen recently met at the latter's headquarters for a closed-door meeting. Purportedly, the meeting went on for over an hour and covered a variety of topics, with one of 'em being Apple and its newfound dominance in the mobile market. Shockingly enough, a "possible acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft were among the options" of stopping the skyrocketing growth. The report accurately notes that such a deal makes entirely more sense now that Redmond isn't exactly the 800 pound gorilla that it was before Android and iOS hit the mainstream, though details beyond these assumptions were few and far betwixt. Whatever happens, no one can blame Steve Jobs for not giving Adobe every possible reason to hit Apple with everything it's got -- even if that involves buddying up with Ballmer and co.
Steve Ballmer and AT&T's Ralph de la Vega to headline Windows Phone 7 launch event in NYC on October 11 -- we'll be there live!
Horror, shock, surprise! Microsoft CEO and prime fanboy of all things Windows and developer-related, Steve Ballmer, will be the keynote speaker at Microsoft's New York launch event for Windows Phone 7. He'll be joined on stage by AT&T's Ralph de la Vega and when the pep rally is over, we're promised opportunities to finally handle the official incarnations of retail Windows Phones for ourselves. We know all this because Microsoft has just dropped a kind little invite into our inbox urging us to attend its October 11 get-together. We will, of course, be there live, but don't forget Microsoft's also holding a London event on that day, ostensibly for the same reason, so make sure to be up nice and early next Monday if you don't wanna miss a thing. As we reported last night, the company is also holding a gathering centered around T-Mobile WP7 handsets, though details are more scarce on that event. We saw an official invite from the folks in Redmond, but it looks like that showing may be smaller in scale. We have to imagine that AT&T and their GSM competition don't want to share the stage, but as this is a Microsoft launch, anything is possible. Regardless, if there are multiple carriers showing hardware come October 11th, we'll have all the goods.
Steve Ballmer: Kin 'defocused activity from Windows Phone'
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been willing to admit some of the company's missteps in the past, and he's just done so again in addressing the now infamous Kin. Speaking with The Seattle Times, Ballmer said that the "No. 1 message from Kin is a message of focus," and that ultimately, "it just defocused activity from Windows Phone." Not exactly a huge surprise by any means, but it's still pretty notable to hear straight from the top, especially considering how much it cost Microsoft to learn that message. As for the rest of the interview, Ballmer didn't make a ton of news, but he did say that we'll be seeing additional Windows 7 tablet form factors starting this Christmas, and he revealed that he does in fact have a Facebook page, but he won't say which of the many Steve Ballmer pages is the real one. Hit up the source link below to read the whole thing.
Stephen Elop chants 'Developers, developers, developers' to close Nokia World (video)
It was short and sweet but ex-Microsoftie Stephen Elop closed Nokia World by handing out a one million dollar developer award (well, "investment"). But hearing him chant "Developers, developers, developers" in a mild-mannered drawl worthy of Nokia's conservative roots was definitely the highlight.
Ballmer on iPad: 'they've sold certainly more than I'd like them to have sold'
Poor guy can't catch a break. Talking to analysts today about the world of tablets, Steve Ballmer put on a brave face about his lack of a strong competitor to the iPad, saying of Windows 7 products in the works with third parties: "They'll be shipping as soon as they are ready." Unfortunately, Apple's iPad looms large, with Ballmer stating that "they've sold certainly more than I'd like them to have sold." Perhaps more revelatory, Steve likened the tablet challenge to the situation Microsoft faced when the netbook started out as a Linux product, mentioning that part of their chore is "tuning Windows 7," in addition to working with hardware partners. Obviously Microsoft is down, not out, when it comes to tablets, but will a few million iPads be their eventual demise or the impetus they need to succeed? Tune in next week someday for the thrilling conclusion!
Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue
This time last year, almost to the day, Microsoft saw its first annual sales decline in history. Things are looking much better now, with the company reporting a record $16.04 billion in revenue, a 22 percent year-over-year increase for its Q4 revenue ending June 30th. In fact, revenue is up across all divisions, with Windows and Windows Live seeing the biggest uptick (43.5 percent to $4.55 billion) followed by Entertainment and Devices (27.3 percent to $1.6 billion). Operating income, on the other hand, paints a different picture of E&D, showing a $172 million loss for this quarter (compared to $141 loss in Q4 last year), but looking over the entire fiscal year, the home of Xbox and Zune this year did $679 million in operating income -- a sizable jump to the $108 million from 2009. The overall operating income for the company is $5.93 billion this quarter (net income $4.52 billion), a 49 percent increase over last Q4, and $20.36 billion for the year (18 percent compared with fiscal 2009). We know you're interested in comparisons, so we'll just go ahead and break it down for ya: the gang in Redmond is still beating Apple in both revenue ($16.04 billion vs. $15.7 billion) and profit ($4.52 billion vs. $3.25), but that margin feels smaller than it used to. Enough to keep the rumored pressure off Ballmer? Frankly, we don't even think biplanes could knock the man off the top of a tower, but Windows Phone 7 has a lot to prove, and fast. Microsoft is hosting a webcast of its report later today -- usually much ado about nothing, as far as we're concerned, but we'll listen in and let ya know if anything interesting pops up. Update: Some interesting Xbox 360 statistics. 1.5 million consoles were sold this last quarter. Xbox Live has 25 million members, and for the first time since its inception, the revenue from the Marketplace exceeded subscription revenue.
Steve Ballmer feeling pressure at Microsoft for stagnating share price?
It's hard to say that a CEO whose company has grown from $23 billion in revenue to $54 billion during his 10 year tenure isn't doing his job, but The Daily Beast is reporting on a small, vocal (and of course, anonymous) minority within Microsoft that wants Steve Ballmer out on the curb. The main criticism seems to be the share price, which has oddly tracked in inverse with Microsoft's revenue: it's about half of its $48.93 value back in January 2000 when Ballmer took over. With the strong support of his board and an another supposedly positive earnings call coming later today, it's hard to call Steve's position as "shaky" at the company, but with whispers of infighting, a symbolic battle with Apple over market capitalization, and a do-or-die mobile launch coming up, it's clear that he's under a lot of pressure to deliver. Right now any talks of replacement are hearsay and analyst fodder at best, but we'll be watching to see how this rumor develops during this 30th year of Ballmer's career at the company.
Small enough to be in a pocket
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke with Walt Mossberg at the All Things Digital Conference this week. Engadget has a nice collection of video highlights. In this clip, Ballmer makes a common mistake. Namely, he uses the smartphone as the point of comparison to the iPad. This is, of course, due to the iPad's physical resemblance to the iPod touch/iPhone and the fact that it runs the iPhone OS. But it's not a mobile device as Steve -- and many others -- define them. Specifically, smart phones and PDAs. The correct point of comparison for the iPad is the laptop. It's not a full laptop replacement, of course. I wouldn't want to edit video on one, for instance. But that is Apple's aim: to commandeer the laps of millions of typical laptop users. Nearly everything that an average user does with a laptop, be it browsing the Web, sending and receiving email, looking at and sharing photos, watching videos and so on are the iPad's strengths. When Ballmer says, "I think there is a fundamental difference between small enough to be in a pocket and not small enough, really, to be in a pocket," he's right, but he's also dismissing the iPad as a mobile device, and that's missing the point. Laptops aren't small enough to be in a pocket, yet they're a crucial tool for millions of users. To compare it to a iPod, Android device or Windows phone would be silly. Don't let the iPad's looks fool you. It's not what we've come to think of as a mobile device. You can watch the full clip after the break.
Jobs: The PC is a truck. Ballmer: There's a reason they're called 'Mac' trucks.
One of the more interesting exchanges at D8 actually happened across two days as both Steve Jobs and Steve Ballmer were asked about the future of PCs: Jobs compared traditional computers and tablets to cars and trucks by saying most people will eventually only need tablets while some would still need the added utility of a PC, and Ballmer responded directly by saying, "Well, there may be a reason why they call them 'Mac' trucks!" Ballmer snap. When it comes right down to it, though, both CEOs expressed relatively similar visions about the prevalence and importance of multiple computing form factors in the future and mostly differed on semantics -- Ballmer came right out and said he thinks the iPad is actually a PC, and we're pretty sure Jobs thinks it... isn't. Check our edited video after the break to watch these two go at it across space and time, and then check our Ballmer liveblog / video highlights and Jobs liveblog / video highlights for more.
Steve Ballmer at D8: the video highlights (updated)
Steve Ballmer didn't say too much at D8 that we haven't heard him or others at Microsoft say in the past, but he's always an entertaining and interesting interview, and All Things Digital is upping the videos of Walt's session with Steve and Ray Ozzie now. Up first is a clip of Steve talking about how Microsoft is getting back into the mobile game and how RIM and Nokia are still formidable competitors, followed by Ray and Steve riffing on the potential of the cloud and how things can get even better for Microsoft. We'll add more as D's video people get them up -- check back!
Ballmer: Silverlight 'certainly doesn't run on the iPhone!'
Walt: Does Silverlight run on Android or the iPhone? Steve: It certainly doesn't run on the iPhone! My guess is if it did it would be blocked! That's just my guess! Read more of what Ballmer had to say in our D8 liveblog.
