Business

Analysts are using the recent announcement by Microsoft of a February 29, 2012, Windows 8 Consumer Preview event to predict that the company's next operating system (OS) should become commercially available late in calendar 2012. The forecast is ... based on timelines from previous Windows releases. On Wednesday, February 8, Microsoft revealed the date for its Windows 8 Consumer Preview in Barcelona, Spain: February 29, 2012. Journalists invited to the event, which coincides with the World Mobile Congress in that city, will get the first official look at a beta version of the upcoming operating ... (view more)

One of the the United States' most widely-known companies, Halliburton Co., is reportedly ditching the Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry for its employees and replacing it with the Apple iPhone. It's a rare move for an entire firm to make such a ... smartphone migration, particularly one as large as Halliburton. Although Halliburton has been around in one form or another since the early twentieth century, it was during the recent Iraq War that the company became a household name. Starting with the lead-up to the Iraqi invasion, Halliburton was one of the U.S. federal government's most important ... (view more)

According to a new set of statistics from tech analyst firm Canalys, Apple is now the world's largest manufacturer of computers. But the figures include gadgets such as the iPad tablet device, causing some to wonder exactly what it takes for a ... device to be defined as a computer. The figures cover shipments during the last three months of 2011 . They show that Apple shipped 20 million "personal computing devices," accounting for 17 per cent of the worldwide total. In second place belongs to Hewlett-Packard (HP) with 12.7 per cent, followed by Lenovo at 11.2 per cent, Dell at 9.9 per cent and ... (view more)

Apple is under intense scrutiny this week following a CNN (Cable News Network) report revealing brutal working conditions at a supplier facility in Chengdu, China. Apple, meanwhile, say it insists it asks suppliers to treat employees with respect. ... CNN recently visited the Chengdu-based Foxconn Technology Group plant where it interviewed an 18-year-old factory employee. Known only as "Miss Chen" to the CNN audience (to protect the identity of the worker), the young employee was astonished when presented with an Apple iPad, the product she helps to make. Chen, like many workers at Foxconn -- ... (view more)

Popular chip maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) says it is currently working on a new line of processors designed to power Windows 8 tablets, and hopes to make them available to tablet manufacturers later this year. AMD chief executive officer (CEO) ... Rory Read made the announcement before a group of American analysts this past week. "We have a huge opportunity in front of us," Read noted. "How the world is using processors is changing rapidly. This is about stepping out of the shadows and leading." (Source: pocket-lint.com ) AMD Seeks Opportunity to Trump Long-Term Rival Intel There's no doubt ... (view more)

Microsoft's marketing division has undergone some significant changes in recent days, as the company laid off approximately 200 employees. Some of its most prominent Xbox marketing executives have even left for industry rival, Apple. According to ... reports, the recent layoffs were almost entirely limited to the Seattle area, and are designed to eliminate redundant positions and clear up where responsibilities lie. To many observers, it appears that Microsoft's goal in the restructuring is to improve the efficiency of the company's marketing. 3% Cut From Microsoft's Marketing Force It also ... (view more)

The law firm that accused Apple of conspiring to fix the prices of electronic books has made new allegations, offering quotes from key Apple executives, including former Apple boss Steve Jobs, as evidence of collusion. Hagens Berman has filed a ... class action suit on behalf of everyone who bought an electronic book during a particular period, alleging that Apple offered two different pricing systems: a 'traditional' and an 'agency' model. The traditional model originated with Amazon for its Kindle books, and copies pricing for printed books: the publisher charges retailers a fixed price, ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that it is now one step closer to releasing the next edition of its very popular Office software suite, 'Office 15' to the general public. The Redmond software giant recently noted that the highly-anticipated office suite has ... now entered the "technical preview state," which is only available to a select number of beta testers. It's suggested that the public beta edition of the suite will likely be available for release this summer. The focus of Office 15, like the previously released Office 365, is on improving the suite's cloud computing capabilities. Such ... (view more)

According to stereotypes, Aunt Jemima (maple syrup), Bauer (hockey equipment) and Ski-Doo (snowmobiles) ought to round out the top three brands in Canada. But that's not the case. A new poll by Ipsos found that Microsoft and Google actually top the ... list. Ipsos, a global market research company that investigates advertising, marketing, and media content trends, regularly polls consumers to learn more about markets, from technology to tattoos. In fact, the company recently found 22 per cent of Canadians and 21 per cent of Americans have "tats". Facebook, YouTube Join Microsoft, Google ... (view more)

Those of us who attended college know just how expensive course textbooks can be. So it's good news that students may be able to purchase much cheaper, digital editions of these required texts for their iPad tablet computers. Apple recently unveiled ... iBooks 2, software it says could revolutionize the U.S. (and perhaps global) education market. Apple has been working closely with major textbook producers, including Pearson PLC, McGraw-Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in search of a viable, digital alternative to those very expensive physical texts. Together, these three firms own roughly 90 ... (view more)