Business

The president of Fujitsu, a major PC manufacturer, has now blamed Windows 8 for the company missing its most recent sales targets. Some reports indicate Fujitsu computer sales are less than 80% of what they were a year ago, when the highly popular ... Windows 7 was the operating system of choice. PC makers like Fujitsu often count on new versions of Windows to boost hardware sales. This is because many consumers wait until the release of a new operating system (OS) to purchase a long-desired computer. Fujitsu Sales Take a Plunge However, at least one report says that sales of Fujitsu PCs running ... (view more)

Acer president Jim Wong has come out to defend Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system (OS). Wong says people should spend more time learning how to use the OS before dismissing it as inferior to its predecessors. In an interview with technology ... blog DigiTimes, Wong noted that, "in the past, market observers would accuse Windows of lacking innovations." Wong suggests it's ironic that this time around, Windows 8's innovative new features, including a completely new user interface (formerly known as 'Metro', now known as 'Tiles' or 'Live Tiles'), have "been greeted with pessimism." (Source: ... (view more)

It appears Google may not be fully into the "spirit of giving" this holiday season. The search giant has announced its intention, as part of its business plan for 2013, to take 90 per cent of current Office users away from Microsoft. In a recent Q ... ... (view more)

Those of you who just received a brand new fourth-generation Apple iPad for Christmas may not like what I'm about to tell you: a new report indicates that Apple will release an even newer, fifth-generation iPad in just a few months. The updated iPad ... is reportedly much lighter and thinner and may ship to retailers as early as March 2013. The report comes from Japanese blog Macotakara, which indicates the next iPad will show a 4mm reduction in height, a 17mm narrower width, and a 2mm loss in depth. Currently, the fourth-generation iPad measures as follows: 241.2mm in height, 185.7mm in width, 9 ... (view more)

Google is reportedly working on a super smartphone. Dubbed the 'X Phone', it will directly compete with the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy series. However, Google is reportedly having significant problems designing the new device. Google is working ... on the project with Motorola, the major electronics manufacturing firm it recently acquired for $12.5 billion. This marks the first time the two companies have worked together to build a smartphone. Reports also indicate the Google and Motorola partnership will produce a special 'X Tablet' computer. 'X Phone' a Feature-Rich Device Reports suggest ... (view more)

A leading consumer magazine has told its readers there is "no compelling reason" to switch to Windows 8. Consumer Reports opines that in most cases only touchscreen users will benefit from an upgrade. The magazine made those comments in a new issue ... filled with computer reviews, among which PCs equipped with Windows 7 received some of the highest ratings. Consumer Reports is not a computer software magazine. However, it is widely read and its reports have a significant impact on the technology industry. In fact, a couple of years ago Consumer Reports recommended users avoid buying Apple's ... (view more)

Two of the technology industry's most powerful figures have been named runners-up for Time magazine's Person of the Year award. The list of eight finalists includes Yahoo chief executive officer Marissa Mayer and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Neither won, ... however. Instead, the honor went to U.S. President Barack Obama, who was re-elected in November after a fierce presidential race with Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Mayer Trying to Turn Yahoo's Fortunes Around Both Mayer and Cook made major headlines in 2012. This past year Mayer took over the helm of one of the technology industry's most troubled ... (view more)

The president of a US-based PC builder says that approximately 80 per cent of his customers choose systems running Windows 7 rather than the new Windows 8 operating system. Puget Systems is an independent PC supplier based in Washington state. The ... firm is similar to Dell or Hewlett-Packard (HP), except that Puget Systems focuses almost exclusively on assembling customized, high-performance PCs. In a recent interview, Puget Systems president Jon Bach says the vast majority of his customers aren't interested in acquiring the new Microsoft Windows 8 operating system (OS). Familiarity, Reputation ... (view more)

A new report suggests Santa might be more kind to Mac than Windows users this holiday season. The reason is simple: During the past year, they were considerably more generous about making donations to charity. Donation management company Qgiv ... recently examined the giving patterns of approximately 165,000 people, analyzing a total of 320,000 donations made by these people between November 2011 and November 2012. Mac Users Were 25% More Generous The results: The average Mac user gave non-profit charities $182, while the average Windows user donated only $137. If these statistics are to be ... (view more)

IBM says the next wave of computing devices will address areas never before associated with technology, including the ability to see, smell, taste, and hear. If the report's predictions prove accurate, such new computer capabilities could ... dramatically change human society. IBM made these predictions in its recent "IBM 5 in 5" report. It's the seventh straight year that IBM has released the report, which discusses innovations expected to affect the technology industry during the next five years. This year, the "5 in 5" report's predominant theme was human senses, and the way future computers ... (view more)