microsoft

As if those Mac ads featuring the bumbling PC (acted magnificently by John Hodgman) weren't embarrassing enough, according to some reports PC-favorite Microsoft may be in fact advertising for Apple with its new "I'm a PC" campaign. Digital images ... posted to Microsoft's official website emblazoned with the "I'm a PC" ad appear to have been created not on PCs after all, but on Macs. At least, that's the word after scrupulous onlookers peered beyond the files' originating-software stamp. According to PC World, at least four of the images Microsoft recently posted on its PressPass site display " ... (view more)

For those of you who hated the Seinfeld Microsoft adverts -- and your responses tell us there are quite a few of you -- there's good news. The tales of Jerry and Bill are done for now, replaced by a relatively direct response to Apple's ... long-standing campaign, "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC." According to Microsoft, this was the plan all along: a spokesman says the two Gates and Seinfeld ads were simply a teaser and the firm hasn't cut the series short. That makes the ads -- short on either plot or message -- even more baffling, as well as making Seinfeld's $10 million payoff seem even more ... (view more)

Although Microsoft is trying to keep Windows 7 under wraps, around three-dozen screenshots have leaked on to the Internet. It appears the operating system has had some usability tweaks but doesn't have any fundamental changes. The shots appeared on ... the ThinkNext blog and almost certainly come from one of the people testing the software. Windows 7 is currently in its third (and likely) final 'in-progress' edition. The first beta edition (a complete version of the system ready for testing) is expected out before the end of the year. The biggest functional changes appear to be to the User ... (view more)

A new series of strange Microsoft advertisements have made their way onto YouTube.com in what is said to boost Microsoft product line awareness -- but so far, the verdict is mixed. Although Microsoft has spent a whopping $300 Million Dollars to pair ... Jerry Seinfeld with Bill Gates in the promotion, the ads are random in design and appear to lack any message at all. So, what's up with those strange Microsoft-Seinfeld ads? We asked our Readers to sound-off. Although the majority of the comments received were negative, some ideas offered interesting perspectives. Frank W. and a few others ... (view more)

The world's most popular Internet browser, its nearest challenger, and the 'new kid on the block' have all launched recently, or are in the process of launching new editions. Here's our guide to the latest offerings from Microsoft, Mozilla, and ... Google. Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Internet Explorer 8, the latest edition of Microsoft's browser, is currently in its second test edition, with the final version expected later this year. New features include improved security scanning, smarter search suggestions and a built-in function for viewing pages designed for earlier browsers that aren't ... (view more)

Microsoft has released the second in its new series of adverts that more closely resemble a Seinfeld episode than what one might expect from a software company promoting its newest, most troubled operating system. The latest instalment runs for a ... staggering four-and-a-half minutes in its uncut YouTube version, though TV spots will be edited down. Seinfeld and Gates spend time living with a 'typical' American family ending with the pair performing manual labor as punishment after the children frame them for stealing a giraffe. Seriously. There's still no mention of specific products; indeed, ... (view more)

As part of its Trustworthy Computing Initiative, based on building the concept of "End to End Trust" proposed by Microsoft in April at the RSA Security Conference, Microsoft reportedly wants to create "digital playgrounds", sites where visitors have ... to prove their age using digital identity credentials. Microsoft is hoping its measures will make the Internet safer for children and adults wanting to conduct business, make transactions, and communicate confidently with people who are who they say they are. Part of the challenge concerns how to add more identity authentication without ... (view more)

Ten years ago, Google filed its business incorporation papers. In the decade since, the search company has changed the planet. Without any doubt, it is the most successful business on the Internet landscape and is well-poised to continue in that ... vein. To fully appreciate Google's achievement, one needs only to examine its history in comparison major competitor Microsoft. A decade down the road, Google boasts revenues of just under $20 billion. Microsoft is 33 years old and has revenues of approximately $60 billion. At age 10, Microsoft had revenues of only $140 million. Google's market value ... (view more)

Hoping to end Nintendo's reign atop the console rankings, Microsoft has announced it will be slashing the price of its Xbox 360 console in North America. As of Friday, September 5th, the system famous for Halo 3, Gears of War, and Project Gotham ... Racing will slide as low as $199. The move comes not long after the company announced it would be cutting prices in Japan, arguably the Xbox 360's weakest market. That wasn't very surprising to most North American gamers and game experts, who for a long time have watched Microsoft struggle to rope in PlayStation and Wii-friendly Japanese players. The ... (view more)

Like covering your tracks online? Then you'll be happy to hear that Microsoft has recently announced a host of new privacy tools for Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) capable of better protecting users' privacy during and after their surfing. It's a major ... step for Microsoft, which has in the past been criticized for failing to improve IE's privacy settings. With a dominant market share over primary competitor Firefox (from Mozilla), it seemed the impetus for change simply wasn't there. Now that Firefox presents a greater challenge to Microsoft's browser dominance than ever before, the Redmond-based ... (view more)