Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Xbox One Pressure, Kieran Youngman & More

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been facing lots of questions and uncertainty about a couple of its recent new releases. The first one came last fall, when CEO Steve Ballmer announced the dramatically new operating system called Windows 8, which was supposed to transition those loyal desktop fans over to the new reality of touchscreens.

Things have moved in a similar fashion this spring and summer after Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) fired its latest salvo in the gaming segment with the release of Xbox One as the successor to Xbox 360. The innovations in this new console have been somewhat underwhelming by the standards set by the tech and gaming blogosphere, to the point that some have been skeptical whether the unit justifies its retail price.

Should Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Drop the Xbox Price Tag?

Of all the things that techies and gamers have found “wrong” with Xbox One, the $499 price tag  has been the one consistency among all “complaints.” With Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) listing its spanking new console for $100 more than the rival Sony PlayStation 4, there are those Xbox loyalists  who are begging for a price drop by the time the new product hits store shelves this fall. But at this point, Microsoft says there are no plans to do so, according to a report by Adam Barnes on the Now Gamer website.

Why?

Well, for one thing, Microsoft is including its pricey Kinect  system in the box with the console, which would essentially limit the margins for Microsoft. There are some out there, though, who seem to want the Xbox without the Kinect included – but there is no word whether that will even be an option, and whether that option would result in a lower price.

But At Least Office 365 is Gaining Traction, Huh?

Indeed. Not every major Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) upgrade is finding  their own way of failing in the marketplace. Those that are more for the enterprise are securing Redmond’s  future as the king of the enterprise. The latest example has been the growth and expansion of Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based suite of enterprise software. Microsoft has been facing some competition from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Apps, but John Callahan of Neowin reported the latest  major enterprise to join the Office 365 bandwagon – International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, will be brining its 58,000 international employees into the fold, highlighted by the use of the social-networking tool called Yammer.

IAG is the third-largest airline entity on the European continent and No. 6 worldwide.

Talk About Flying High!

Seventeen-year-old Kieran Youngman may not need a British Airways flight to get home from Washington, D.C., after his latest accomplishment – he’s probably already flying at a high altitude.

You see, young Mr. Youngman, from the United Kingdom, beat out nearly 350,000 competitors from 90 countries – including 100 finalists gathered in Washington – to win the world Microsoft Word championship for 2013. The competition featured either Word 2007 or 2010, and Youngman beat all comers to take home $5,000.

Yes, maybe there is truly nothing in this world that does not have a competition tied to it. But who knew that a skill in a software program  can be worth five grand? Well at least we’re pretty sure that Youngman did not need to refer to the video below for pointers.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been a strong blue-chip stock pick for many prominent fund managers, including David Einhorn, David Tepper, Bill Miller and Ken Fisher, which have combined for more than $750 million in stakes as of the end of March.

DISCLOSURE: Nothing to see here.