Related Tickers: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Microsoft: Windows Competitor to iPad Mini Coming Soon (Mashable)
It’s been rumored before, but Microsoft has dropped the first official word that it’s working on Windows 8 tablets smaller than 10 inches. In a call with investors about the company’s latest earnings report, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) CFO Peter Klein said small-screen Windows tablets were in the works. Klein said the software giant was working with its manufacturer partners to develop “a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows” at “competitive price points,” The Verge reported. He didn’t elaborate on details, and neither did Microsoft spokespeople.
Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein is leaving at the end of June after 3-1/2 years in the post, as the world’s biggest software company struggles with sharply declining personal computer sales and a lukewarm reception for the new Windows 8 operating system. The 11-year Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) veteran becomes the latest in a line of top-level executives to leave the company, following Windows head Steven Sinofsky last November. Some have questioned whether Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is still the right leader for Microsoft, whose shares have remained essentially flat for the last decade. Microsoft said a new CFO would be named in the next few weeks from within its ranks.
Microsoft, IBM Struggle to Manage Mobile-Computing Shift (Bloomberg)
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), two architects of the U.S. computer industry, are feeling the pain as consumers and businesses flock to mobile devices. Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, yesterday reported no growth in Windows sales in its latest quarter, after accounting for upgrades sold in the past. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is struggling to boost hardware sales as more companies let employees use their own devices at work. Meanwhile Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), which is expanding beyond its search-engine roots with Android software for smartphones and tablets, is keeping pace with the shift, reporting better-than-projected profits from mobile advertising.
Microsoft Finally Reveals How Well Its Google Apps-Killer Cloud Is Doing (Business Insider)
Microsoft has finally, cautiously, given a few statistics about how well its Office 365 software-as-a-service cloud is doing. Office 365 is Microsoft’s cloud version of its popular Microsoft Office suite aimed at businesses. It is also its answer to Google Apps. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has big, aggressive plans for Apps. In December, Amit Singh, head of Google’s Enterprise unit said that Google plans to grab the 90% of Microsoft Office users who don’t need the advanced features of Office.
How Microsoft got Windows revenue to go up despite PC sales going down (The Guardian)
How, exactly, did Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) do it? It’s like a magician’s trick. The raw numbers for Windows revenue in Microsoft’s Windows division were very substantially up – from $4.633bn (£3bn) in the first three months of 2012, to $5.7bn in the same period this year. That’s a 24% increase, at a time when we’ve been hearing that PC sales have slumped. How has Microsoft done this? Has Steve Ballmer invented antigravity? Sadly, no (though it would make a great new business line). Make no mistake: Windows is still incredibly important to Microsoft. In this quarter it generated 27% of revenues, and 45% of profits. But how is it doing so well when the PC business is so dismal?
Google Inc (GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Apple Inc. (AAPL) – 3 Companies, 1 Patent in Germany (Insider Monkey)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), the parent company of Motorola Mobility, which is the original holder of the German patent since 2002, is looking to claim patent rights in two separate cases against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – but that patent now seems to be in danger of invalidation. The patent in question in these cases involves…
…a push mail feature, which Apple has used in its iCloud syncing service, and Microsoft has been implementing similar technology. Previously, a German court upheld the patent in Motorola/Google’s favor against Apple, which forced Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to disable the function to German users earlier this year. However, word is that the case against Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is not so clear cut – with particular snag reportedly being the fact that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) currently pays a licensing fee to Microsoft for use of ActiveSync. The Microsoft claim is going before Germany’s Federal Patent Court for a decision on that piece before the regional Mannheim court would rule on the validity of the patent claim by Google.
The Xbox 360 may be near the end of its career, but Microsoft’s entertainment business is doing just fine. The NPD Group announced on Thursday that the Xbox 360 took the number one spot in March, its 32nd straight month at the top. The Entertainment & Devices Division, home of the Xbox 360, is doing excellent though. Revenue from that group came in over $2.5 billion, a 56-percent increase over last year, and a 33-percent increase in video game-based earnings alone. All told, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) sold 1.3 million Xbox 360s between January and the end of March. “We saw transactional revenue grow roughly twice as fast as member growth this quarter,” said Microsoft.
Microsoft multiyear license growth softens pain of PC decline (Reuters)
Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT) strategy of selling more long-term software licenses to big business customers is helping to cushion the blow from plummeting PC demand and a faltering start for its Windows 8 system. Personal computer sales fell 14 percent in the first three months of the year, just as Microsoft tries to ramp up sales of the latest iteration of Windows. But the company’s ability to keep hold of big customers rescued its third-quarter results, which came in better than expected on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares rose as much as 5 percent to $30.24 in early morning trading on Friday.
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Intel Corporation (INTC) & Five Leading Companies in Philanthropy (Insider Monkey)
Today, we’ll look at the philanthropy category, which gets a 9% weighting. So what, exactly, are these companies doing right? Here are a few examples of their philanthropic practices. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) founder Bill Gates is well known for his massive giving, but the company is no slouch, either. In the past 30 years, Microsoft employees have contributed $1 billion to tens of thousands of nonprofits. Add together the company’s donations of cash, software, and services, and the total exceeds $6.5 billion. Some 65% of employees participate in the company’s giving program, and since 2005, they’ve volunteered more than 2 million hours. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) matches eligible employee donations to charities each year up to $12,000.
Microsoft: Almost 25 percent of computers are still unprotected from viruses and malware (Digital Trends)
If your trial version of the antivirus software that came preloaded on your computer has expired, has become out-of-date, or you were hoping to do without the protection (and cost) – think again. According to Microsoft’s latest Security Intelligence Report, “computers without antivirus software are 5.5 times more likely to be infected.” Although the majority of users got the memo to proactively protect their machines with antivirus software and possibly even setup a firewall, an average of 24 percent of computers around the world are still unprotected and therefore vulnerable to cyber attacks. There are many free options like AVG’s antivirus software available online, so there is really no excuse to not setup some sort of Internet security on every computer.
