2013年5月15日星期三

Microsoft votes for free Windows 8.1, collects kudos

  Microsoft today announced that Windows 8.1, the update later this year for Windows 8, will be free to current users of the operating system, confirming analysts' expectations.
  Analysts applauded the decision to give away the update. "Making the upgrade free will make the ecosystem and installed base very happy," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, in an email Tuesday.
  Tami Reller, CFO of the Windows division, made the announcement in prepared remarks at the JP Morgan Technology, Media & Telecomm Conference today. "Windows 8.1 will be delivered as a free update to Windows 8 and Windows RT," said Reller. "It will be easy to get right from the Windows Start Screen from the Windows app store."
  It's unknown whether Microsoft will use the "Windows 8.1" name for the simultaneous update to Windows RT, the tablet-centric offshoot designed for devices running ARM processors. Microsoft did not reply to questions about the naming of the Windows RT update.
  Reller declined to provide additional information on the update, such as the timing of the final release or specifics on Windows 8.1's contents.
  A public preview will ship during BUILD, Microsoft's developers conference, which will run June 26-28 in San Francisco. That preview will also be distributed through the Windows Store.
  Earlier this week analysts said that Microsoft had little choice but to offer the update free of charge.
  Today, industry experts praised the gratis status of Windows 8.1 as well as the numbering choice.
  "Microsoft made a good move on the naming and with the free upgrade," said Moorhead. "Calling it 8.1 signals that it's an improvement on its predecessor, not a sea change. This sets the right expectations."
  However, Michael Silver of Gartner said Microsoft should quickly answer several up-in-the-air questions that enterprises have about Windows 8.1.
  "We don't yet know what they're going to do to the desktop," said Silver, who also ticked off support -- specifically, how long Microsoft will support each of the expected annual updates. Will Windows 8.1 share the support lifecycle of its parent, Windows 8 -- which won't retire until January 2023 -- or have its own schedule? "Will they support 10 different updates?" Silver wondered.
  But the fact that Microsoft will make good on its promise to shift to a faster release tempo had Silver more optimistic about Windows 8's future.
  "Microsoft has a chance here," he said. "By the second half of 2014, there will be a lot more touch-enabled systems. That, and these updates, could help Windows 8 long term. I don't think Windows 8 will be more successful than Windows 7 [in the enterprise] but if 8.1 is easy to deploy, that could change over time."
  Most important to enterprises, said Silver, will be the ease of updating from Windows 8 to version 8.1. If the first "point" release is painless to distribute to Windows 8 hardware, Microsoft will have a better shot at convincing enterprises to adopt the radical OS.
  "If enterprises see that this is relatively easy to deploy, they may start thinking about Windows 8," Silver said. "What Microsoft needs to do is get some credibility here."
  After Microsoft moved to a regularly-scheduled Patch Tuesday in the fall of 2003, companies instituted a complicated process of testing and spot-deploying the updates before rolling them out en mass, said Silver. But as time went on, many halted the practice as they became confident the patches would not cripple computers or break applications.
  "Now, very few organizations do that," Silver maintained. "Microsoft needs to gain that kind of credibility for these [Windows 8] updates."

A person foremost analysis company

  A planned Windows 8 update to deal with problems and confusion with Microsoft's new running procedure will be created obtainable for free this year, the business mentioned Tuesday.
  Not charging more for Windows 8.one is according to the company's exercise of providing "decimal point" updates to working units for free. Having said that, when Microsoft Corp. introduced the update final week, it failed to mention that it might be no cost. The company also hadn't disclosed the system's formal name, leaving open the likelihood that it would be a larger update, probably to Windows nine. The update had been recognised simply by its code title, Blue.
  Tami Reller, the advertising and economical chief for Microsoft's Home windows small business, explained the business wants to guarantee buyers that they should buy Home windows 8 now and still have the advantages of Windows eight.1 later.
  Microsoft overhauled its working system using the launch of Windows eight in October. The alterations are supposed to tackle the increasing attractiveness of smartphones and pill units, which are siphoning profits from desktops and laptops -- conventional strongholds for Microsoft. The corporate made Windows eight to work with touch-screen controls well-known on cellular gadgets, while also making it possible for folks to employ mouse and keyboard instructions.
  Having said that, Home windows eight has baffled lots of consumers. Long gone is the familiar start off button that gave persons brief accessibility to packages and settings. To vary options, people should pull out a drawer of icons with the facet, using a special maneuver dependent on whether or not the management is through contact or possibly a mouse. Home windows 8 presents a completely new start screen stuffed with tiles that url to frequently used packages, but some packages work only inside a desktop manner that resemble more mature variations of Windows -- but with no get started button. Windows eight isn't going to enable folks immediately start off in that desktop manner.
  A person foremost analysis company, Worldwide Information Corp., explained Home windows 8 contributed to a fourteen % decline in around the globe Computer system sales for the duration of the 1st 3 months of the 12 months -- the largest year-over-year drop ever.


  Reller presented couple facts about Windows 8.1, but she reiterated that it's going to be far better suited to lesser, less expensive tablets with 7- and 8-inch screen screens. Which could enable Home windows eight devices to compete with Apple's iPad Mini and similar-size tablets from Amazon.com Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Google Inc.
  Reller explained the company could make it effortless for buyers to obtain the update from your start out display screen. She claimed the company also hopes some devices should have Windows eight.one presently set up by the point the update is prepared. The corporation didn't offer a specific date, although the update is predicted in time for that vacation period. Microsoft plans to make a preview edition obtainable next thirty day period for anybody to obtain.
  Microsoft explained it has sold much more than a hundred million Home windows 8 licenses thus far. A lot of those are to Computer makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. to ship with new machines marketed to people and companies. Microsoft also sold upgrades from preceding versions. Existing price ranges start off at $120, while some customers experienced been eligible for $15 upgrades.
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2013年5月5日星期日

YouTube reportedly near launch of paid channel subscriptions

  YouTube reportedly could launch its paid subscription service for some of its specialist video channels as early as this week.
  The a la carte service, which could involve as many as 50 video channels, would allow single channel subscriptions for as little as $1.99 a month, people familiar with the plan tell The Financial Times. YouTube confirmed to CNET in February that it was developing such a service but did not indicate when it would be ready for subscribers.
  A paid content platform could give the Google-owned video site another revenue stream while allowing channel operators to finance different content production, such as TV shows and movies, a source said.
  YouTube declined to comment on a target launch date for the service, reiterating earlier statements on the topic that it had "nothing to announce," but that it was "looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."
  YouTube has approached a handful of producers about developing content for a subscription platform that might the video-sharing site hoped to launch this year, according to an AdAge report in January. YouTube was also mulling a plan to charge for other items, such as entire libraries of videos, live events, and even self-help or financial advice shows, AdAge reported.
  Not long after that report, two lines of code appeared in YouTube for Android that referred to paid channel subscriptions. The code, apparently intended to generate messages on users' screens, say: "You can only subscribe to this paid channel on your computer," and "You can only unsubscribe from this paid channel on your computer."

Although the 2 leaders struggle it out though

  Been considering about giving up your Android cellular phone for the Microsoft Windows Telephone? Well, there is certainly now an application for that. An application identified as Swap to Windows Cell phone popped up while in the Google Participate in retail store on Wednesday. The publisher? Microsoft Company.
  The app description reads, Have you been imagining about switching to Windows Cellular phone and want a easy technique to migrate your application ordeals above? Seem no further, Home windows Mobile phone has an app for that!

  Android users who take place to get curious about another facet can install this app and it will report what portion in their device's Android apps can be obtained as Home windows Phone equivalents. The application then prompts the consumer to sign up by using a Home windows account to save lots of the listing to your cloud.
  The entire checklist of applications could be retrieved by logging in along with the exact same account with a Home windows Cell phone, but can not be considered during the Android application. Even though Microsoft has beefed up its app catalog, it however isn't going to have key Android and apple iphone apps like Instagram and Google Maps.
  The Switch to Windows Telephone Android application has surfaced during the very same week that Microsoft released a brand new advert spoofing Apple apple iphone and Samsung Galaxy cell phone customers. Although the 2 leaders struggle it out, though, Microsoft's Windows cellular phone continues to vie for sector share. Android retains 70.1 p.c with the marketplace, Apple's apple iphone 21 p.c, and Microsoft's Home windows mobile phone is down at two.6 percent, in accordance to analyst company IDC's hottest quantities.
  Despite the truth that feisty Android supporters have knocked the score of your application all the way down to 1.5 stars, the idea appears like it will be helpful for any person looking to create the working system bounce. Apple's Application Retail store, on the other hand, won't use a similar app from Microsoft. Microsoft didn't instantly reply to ABC News?ˉ ask for for touch upon the apple iphone app availability.
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