industry

Google chief executive officer Eric Schmidt has offered a scathing assessment of Microsoft and its newest operating system (OS), Windows 8, in a recent interview. Talking with the Wall Street Journal, Google's CEO had this to say of Windows 8 (which ... launched October 26, 2012): "I have not used it, but I think that Microsoft has not emerged as a trendsetter in this new model yet." (Source: businessinsider.com ) Put another way, Schmidt seems to believe Microsoft and its products are offering far less of a challenge to Google than they once did. 'Microsoft No Longer a Key Player in Tech ... (view more)

Last week the Supreme Court put an end to Microsoft's long-running attempt to avoid paying a hefty $290 million decision over its use of XML technology found in Microsoft Word, which also affects the Microsoft Office Suite. The court ruling marks ... the end of a long journey for the Redmond-based software giant, which has been trying desperately to overturn the decision since last year . (Source: reuters.com ) This decision is said to have a major impact on future cases involving similar conflicts. Microsoft Supported by Apple, Google Surprisingly, both Apple and Google supported Microsoft in ... (view more)

It seems that the Consumer Electronics Show's (CES) poor attendance has been justified by recent statistics suggesting that holiday 2008 was one of the worst ever for the computer industry. According to research firm IDC: for the first time in five ... years, the personal computer industry failed to grow over the previous holiday season. In fact, sales over the final three months of 2008 decreased nearly half a percentile in comparison to the same period the year prior. Although rival research firm Gartner Inc. presented slightly different findings (it found that there was actually a growth of 1. ... (view more)

Despite its recognizable blue-and-gold logo and the popularity of its big box stores across North America, Best Buy does not appear to have emerged from a slow holiday season unscathed. In fact, according to reports released last week, the ... electronics giant actually posted significant sales losses in one of its most prominent markets. A report released late last week discussing Best Buy's fiscal month ending January 3 revealed that the company's video game sales had dropped significantly. According to industry insiders Gamespot, this year's holiday revenue was generally much lower for the ... (view more)

Although it has recently faced a barrage of criticism over a failed attempt to use hit 90s comedian Jerry Seinfeld to sell its troubled Vista operating system, the greatest threat facing Microsoft -- and the entire tech industry -- may be the ... American economy. Not so, says company CEO Steve Ballmer. In a talk last week in sunny Santa Clara, Ballmer emphatically proclaimed that the technology industry is capable of resisting a spiraling U.S. economy. Why? Because, as we all know, the tech industry is much bigger than just the United States. Although the American economy's trouble is in part ... (view more)

Apple products command premium prices. A quick scan of the computers on Amazon.com's Best Seller List will show Apple computers in 10 of the 25 positions. In that list, according to J.P. Morgan's industry analyst Ingrid Ebeling, the average Apple ... selling price is $1482. All other computers listed averaged less than $600. Three years ago, in 2005, when average industry prices were falling from $1042 to $957 for a PC, Apple Macs stayed solid at $1442. That means that in the last few years the average Mac price has actually increased. (Source: appleinsider.com ) That's a good thing, right? To be ... (view more)

These days, there's a lot of concern about the economy. Under these circumstances, people begin to worry about the security of their own jobs; the auto industry, for example, feels a bit shaky right now. This is also true of the real estate and ... mortgage industries. But, according to the latest Robert Half Technology survey, IT jobs are staying the secure course. According to the Robert Half Chief Information Officer (CIO) survey of 1,400 companies with more than 100 employees, 82% of CIO's expect to maintain the status quo for the next quarter. Another 13% of those CIO's expect to add IT ... (view more)

It wasn't so long ago that we heard the story of single mother Jammie Thomas, forced by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) to pay over $200,000 in fines for making a handful of songs available for illegal sharing on former ... peer-to-peer protocol Kazaa. Now, a new report suggests that file sharers like Thomas probably shouldn't be made out to be criminals. In fact, they're the record industry's best customers. The RIAA may just want to have a chat with British researchers working in the Great White North. According to a report filed by Industry Canada, for every track a ... (view more)

Napster is hoping to reclaim its former glory days after introducing a new web-based platform that allows users to play their music from anywhere in the world without having to download additional software. Once the best friend of every cheapskate ... music fan, Napster was forced by the Record Industry Association of America to charge customers money for the very songs they once shared for free. This was all received with a mass exodus of former "loyal" users from the company. Napster now hopes to attract subscribers by making their platform more flexible and compatible with any Internet-enabled ... (view more)

A new mobile service scheduled to be unveiled in the coming weeks is making headlines worldwide because of its unique concept whereby customers receive free calls and text messages in by accepting advertisement banners on their mobile phones. While ... the service, Blyk, is being heralded as a revolutionary idea, the concept is actually a modernized version of an already established service. Virgin Mobile in the United States started a similar compromise last year, offering a designated amount of free calls in exchange for advertisement. But the introduction of Blyk is being regarded as an ... (view more)