Category: Microsoft

Microsoft’s new desktop has drawn a lot of attention, and some reviews went up earlier today.

The Verge’s Tom Warren thinks the large touch screen and pen support are going to tempt current Mac users:

The fact that Microsoft is even being considered an alternative to Apple’s line of machines for creatives is not something anyone, not even Microsoft, was expecting for the Surface devices. The Surface Studio won’t take over Mac-focused design houses just yet, but that it’s even a possibility is remarkable. The Studio is special because it knows exactly what it is and who it’s for — and it’s largely spot on. If Microsoft keeps developing its strengths here, some of Apple’s most loyal customers might well be tempted to switch camps.

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With that quote, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella closed yesterday’s big keynote in which the company announced a new Microsoft Band, new phones that can become computers when docked, a new Surface and its first-ever laptop computer.

The Surface Book is an incredibly interesting product. It’s a convertible (with an insane hinge) that can become a tablet with the release of a button. It’s built by Microsoft, something that I didn’t expect from a company who has depended on a bunch of OEMs for hardware for decades.

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If you need Microsoft’s Office programs but don’t want to pay a monthly subscription fee, the company now has the new version for a one-time price of $149.

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I grew up in a PC household, and didn’t use a Mac with any regularity until my sophomore year of high school.

The first computer I ever used was my dad’s NEC laptop, running Windows 3.1. A few years later, my parents bought a Gateway PC running Windows 95, which blew my mind as a 9 year old kid.

What I remember most is being impressed was the user interface. It was much easier to use than Window 3.1, with the Start menu leading the way to a new, more organized world.

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Apple:

You can use Boot Camp to install Windows 10 on supported Mac models that have OS X Yosemite installed.

Finally.

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Tom Warren, opening his Windows 10 review on The Verge:

Windows has a cycle. Windows XP saved us from Windows ME, Windows 7 saved us from the Windows Vista mess, now Windows 10 is here to save save us from Windows 8.

It’s nice to be on the good part of the cycle.

I’ve been playing with the pre-release versions of Windows 10 on and off for a while now, and I like what I’ve seen. Microsoft has reigned in some of the insanity of Windows 8, and the whole thing feels faster and more modern than its predecessor ever did.

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Another month, another acquisition by Redmond. This fits in line with Microsoft’s other recent purchases, including Sunrise and Acompli. Like Google, Microsoft is taking platforms other than their own seriously these days, and it’s a good thing.

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I can feel many of you rolling your eyes already, but Office plays a central role if you have to live in a cross-platform world, as I do.

I haven’t played with this yet, but from Microsoft’s site, it looks like a welcome update to the applications so many people rely on everyday.

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Today’s Microsoft’s keynote was packed full of announcements, from previews of Windows 10 and a post-IE browser to Xbox improvements and a virtual reality headset.

Really.

Like many who have been in the Apple camp for a long time, my natural tendency to dismiss Microsoft as old and boring, reserved for people stuck in the enterprise, but the truth is that Redmond is more relevant than they have been in years, and today’s event proves it in several ways.

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Wait, what year is this?

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At least that version didn’t insist on installing Silverlight.

via @monkbent

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Ina Fried:

In his first few months, Nadella has gone to great lengths to show he is a new type of leader in Redmond — from speaking frankly about the competition and challenges to sporting hoodies rather than the Oxford shirts and sweaters of his predecessors.

I like Nadella, and I think he’s going to be great for Microsoft.

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