http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Windows Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2013 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Sun, 26 May 2013 03:09:31 GMT Sun, 26 May 2013 03:09:31 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://news.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com http://news.softpedia.com/news/Users-Mixed-on-Microsoft-s-Anti-iPad-Windows-8-Ad-355738.shtml Microsoft has launched an anti-iPad Windows 8 commercial a couple of days ago, showing everyone that its operating system makes every tablet out there a lot better.

While it’s up to users to decide which tablet is actually better, many consumers have actually criticized the Redmond-based software giant for its new strategy of ... (read more)]]> Fri, 24 May 2013 21:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Users-Mixed-on-Microsoft-s-Anti-iPad-Windows-8-Ad-355738.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Users-Mixed-on-Microsoft-s-Anti-iPad-Windows-8-Ad-355738.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Users-Launch-Metro-Apps-Only-1-52-Times-a-Day-Study-355304.shtml Microsoft continues to bet big on the Metro UI of Windows 8, so future versions of the operating system will continue to improve this new working environment.

A report released by Soluto and based on data collected from computers running its software across the world indicates that, on average, a Windows 8 user launches ... (read more)]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 07:19:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Users-Launch-Metro-Apps-Only-1-52-Times-a-Day-Study-355304.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Users-Launch-Metro-Apps-Only-1-52-Times-a-Day-Study-355304.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Launches-Last-Minute-Campaign-to-Boost-Windows-8-Office-Sales-354936.shtml Microsoft is reportedly working out a different plan to boost Windows 8 and Office sales that would basically offer its upcoming products a better chance to succeed in the current market conditions.

The VAR Guy writes that Microsoft’s new Beyond Easy campaign is specifically supposed to help partners find... (read more)]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 14:01:01 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Launches-Last-Minute-Campaign-to-Boost-Windows-8-Office-Sales-354936.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Launches-Last-Minute-Campaign-to-Boost-Windows-8-Office-Sales-354936.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Causes-the-Biggest-Drop-in-Customer-Satisfaction-After-the-Vista-Disaster-355177.shtml Windows 8 has reportedly failed to boost the collapsing PC market, but the new operating system has also led to a dramatic decline in customer satisfaction for the Redmond-based tech giant.

According a report by Examiner, Microsoft’s American customer satisfaction index (ACSI) declined to 74 a... (read more)]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 13:32:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Causes-the-Biggest-Drop-in-Customer-Satisfaction-After-the-Vista-Disaster-355177.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Causes-the-Biggest-Drop-in-Customer-Satisfaction-After-the-Vista-Disaster-355177.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Your-Say-Linux-Is-the-Best-Windows-XP-Alternative-354555.shtml Windows XP will no longer receive updates and security patches as of April 8, 2014, so the Softies are now urging everyone to dump the 11-year-old OS and move to a newer product.

Basically, Microsoft is using the security argument to show users that upgrading to Windows 7 or Windows 8 is essential, especially because an unpatched sy... (read more)]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 08:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Your-Say-Linux-Is-the-Best-Windows-XP-Alternative-354555.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Your-Say-Linux-Is-the-Best-Windows-XP-Alternative-354555.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Now-Ready-to-Abandon-the-Service-Pack-353374.shtml Word is that Microsoft plans to abandon the traditional service pack concept in the favor of a new approach that would provide users with more frequent updates, not only for Windows, but also for some other products in its range.

Even though the tech giant hasn’t said a thing about such a plan, it might seem like the Softies are... (read more)]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 07:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Now-Ready-to-Abandon-the-Service-Pack-353374.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Now-Ready-to-Abandon-the-Service-Pack-353374.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-With-Windows-8-You-Can-Have-It-All-353164.shtml It’s no surprise that Microsoft continues to advertise Windows 8, but the company has moved its focus from the end user to small and midsize businesses.

In a blog post describing the success story of construction intelligence supplier Glenigan, Microsoft also talks about the way Windows 8 attempts to cater to a wide variety of need... (read more)]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-With-Windows-8-You-Can-Have-It-All-353164.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-With-Windows-8-You-Can-Have-It-All-353164.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Expert-on-Windows-XP-s-Retirement-The-Next-Two-Months-Are-Critical-352952.shtml Windows XP will stop receiving support as of April 8, 2014, but only a few users and businesses seem to get Microsoft’s message to upgrade to a newer OS.

But according to Kevin Beadon, head of workspace & mobility at GlassHouse Technologies, the next two months are critical for the Windows XP transition, as ma... (read more)]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 14:55:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Expert-on-Windows-XP-s-Retirement-The-Next-Two-Months-Are-Critical-352952.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Expert-on-Windows-XP-s-Retirement-The-Next-Two-Months-Are-Critical-352952.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tech-Analyst-Let-s-Hope-Blue-Can-Save-Windows-8-352659.shtml Microsoft is currently giving the final touches to Windows Blue, the next Windows upgrade, as the company is planning to release a public preview next month at the BUILD developer conference.

But even if the company has already announced its intention to pay more attention to customer feedback with Blue, tech analyst Jeff Kagan claims... (read more)]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 06:31:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tech-Analyst-Let-s-Hope-Blue-Can-Save-Windows-8-352659.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tech-Analyst-Let-s-Hope-Blue-Can-Save-Windows-8-352659.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Publicly-Slams-Critics-Windows-8-Is-Getting-Better-Every-Day-352631.shtml Tech giant Microsoft has finally decided to issue a statement following the intense criticism it received after the Windows 8 launch, claiming that its new flagship operating system “is getting better every day.”

Back in October 2012 when the company rolled out Windows 8, many blasted Steve Ballmer a... (read more)]]> Sun, 12 May 2013 07:15:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Publicly-Slams-Critics-Windows-8-Is-Getting-Better-Every-Day-352631.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Publicly-Slams-Critics-Windows-8-Is-Getting-Better-Every-Day-352631.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-on-Windows-8-Haters-We-Could-See-This-Coming-352161.shtml Windows chief Julie Larson-Green recently talked about Windows 8 and Windows Blue during the WIRED Business Conference, confirming not only a major upgrade for the OS, but also the intense criticism it received since October 2012.

There’s no doubt that Windows 8 is one of the most controversial products ever released by t... (read more)]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 05:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-on-Windows-8-Haters-We-Could-See-This-Coming-352161.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-on-Windows-8-Haters-We-Could-See-This-Coming-352161.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Acer-Microsoft-Will-Come-Back-to-Earth-with-Windows-Blue-WSJ-352018.shtml If you’re a Microsoft enthusiast, you have most likely heard about the company’s plans to release a new Windows version dubbed Blue that will probably hit the shelves sometime this summer.

With so many rumors swirling around these days on the new operating system, PC makers are becoming more optimistic on futu... (read more)]]> Thu, 9 May 2013 12:46:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Acer-Microsoft-Will-Come-Back-to-Earth-with-Windows-Blue-WSJ-352018.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Acer-Microsoft-Will-Come-Back-to-Earth-with-Windows-Blue-WSJ-352018.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Users-on-Windows-Blue-s-Start-Button-We-Don-t-Need-It-351764.shtml If you’re a Microsoft enthusiast, you most likely heard the news: the company will soon launch Windows Blue and together with the new OS, it’s also planning to bring back some sort of Start button.

While this could clearly be a good thing given the number of complaints coming from early Windows 8 adopters disappointe... (read more)]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 14:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Users-on-Windows-Blue-s-Start-Button-We-Don-t-Need-It-351764.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Users-on-Windows-Blue-s-Start-Button-We-Don-t-Need-It-351764.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Desktop-Will-Play-a-Key-Role-in-Windows-Blue-Microsoft-Says-NYT-351482.shtml Microsoft is getting ready to release the first major upgrade for Windows 8 and contrary to general belief, the company is planning to focus a bit more on the desktop working environment.

Tami Reller, the chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of the Windows division, said in an interview with The New York... (read more)]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 07:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Desktop-Will-Play-a-Key-Role-in-Windows-Blue-Microsoft-Says-NYT-351482.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Desktop-Will-Play-a-Key-Role-in-Windows-Blue-Microsoft-Says-NYT-351482.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/No-Cloud-Based-Windows-Just-Yet-351460.shtml Adobe recently announced that it would move all its Creative Suite products to the cloud, thus abandoning classic software that could be downloaded and installed on users’ computers.

As far as Microsoft’s is concerned, this may not be the right decision, as customers still need time to adapt to this new cloud trend.

What&rsq... (read more)]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 06:27:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/No-Cloud-Based-Windows-Just-Yet-351460.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/No-Cloud-Based-Windows-Just-Yet-351460.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Boss-Says-a-Start-Button-Might-Be-Coming-Back-351440.shtml Microsoft has finally confirmed that Windows Blue would be released next month, but the company hasn’t provided too many details about the next major release.

But Julie Larson-Green, the new Windows boss after Steven Sinofsky’s departure, said at the Wired Business Conference in New York that Blue would pay much more... (read more)]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 05:28:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Boss-Says-a-Start-Button-Might-Be-Coming-Back-351440.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Boss-Says-a-Start-Button-Might-Be-Coming-Back-351440.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Why-Microsoft-Is-Talking-About-Windows-Blue-Pricing-351286.shtml As we’ve told you this morning, Microsoft CFO Tami Reller confirmed the Blue project once again, saying that a new Windows release is on the table for a 2013 release.

Even though she refused to provide any valuable details about this important Windows refresh, Reller did say something that’s pretty interesting.
<... (read more)]]> Tue, 7 May 2013 22:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Why-Microsoft-Is-Talking-About-Windows-Blue-Pricing-351286.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Why-Microsoft-Is-Talking-About-Windows-Blue-Pricing-351286.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Gives-Hint-That-a-Start-Button-Is-Coming-351072.shtml Tami Reller, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer and chief financial officer, suggested that the tech giant might indeed use the upcoming Windows Blue to make some major changes to Windows 8, indicating that the Start button could be brought back in this new release.

While sources familiar with the matter previously hinted th... (read more)]]> Tue, 7 May 2013 05:35:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Gives-Hint-That-a-Start-Button-Is-Coming-351072.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Gives-Hint-That-a-Start-Button-Is-Coming-351072.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Confirms-Windows-Blue-Reveals-Changes-351070.shtml Microsoft has already confirmed an “internal set of plans” called Blue, but no other details on the project have been provided until now.

Tami Reller, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer and chief financial officer, confirmed in an interview posted on the official Windows blog that a Blue upgrade was coming “la... (read more)]]> Tue, 7 May 2013 05:17:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Confirms-Windows-Blue-Reveals-Changes-351070.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Confirms-Windows-Blue-Reveals-Changes-351070.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/BUILD-2013-Microsoft-to-Launch-Both-Windows-Blue-and-Surface-2-350851.shtml Rumor has it that Microsoft is planning to use the BUILD developer conference next month to introduce two new important products, namely the Windows Blue upgrade and the next-generation Surface tablet.

If reports on the matter are true, the BUILD conference will bring us the first public beta of Windows Blue, a major up... (read more)]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 12:20:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/BUILD-2013-Microsoft-to-Launch-Both-Windows-Blue-and-Surface-2-350851.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/BUILD-2013-Microsoft-to-Launch-Both-Windows-Blue-and-Surface-2-350851.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Quietly-Rolls-Out-Windows-8-App-Updates-Ahead-of-Blue-Launch-350383.shtml Several Windows 8 apps are getting a new pack of improvements as part of what seems to be a quiet update schedule ahead of the public debut of Blue due in June.

Microsoft hasn’t said a thing about this new batch of enhancements, but updates for several Windows 8 Metro apps are now showing up in the Store f... (read more)]]> Thu, 2 May 2013 18:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Quietly-Rolls-Out-Windows-8-App-Updates-Ahead-of-Blue-Launch-350383.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Quietly-Rolls-Out-Windows-8-App-Updates-Ahead-of-Blue-Launch-350383.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-XP-Is-Still-a-Tough-Nut-to-Crack-350254.shtml Microsoft continues efforts to kill Windows XP, but recent statistics indicate that the soon-to-be 12-year-old operating system remains a tough nut to crack.

First of all, Net Applications data. According to a new round of figures provided by market researcher Net Applications, Windows XP is at this time the second most popular operating sys... (read more)]]> Thu, 2 May 2013 06:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-XP-Is-Still-a-Tough-Nut-to-Crack-350254.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-XP-Is-Still-a-Tough-Nut-to-Crack-350254.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Still-Powering-91-78-of-Computers-Worldwide-349900.shtml Microsoft’s new strategy of remaining completely tight-lipped on the sales performance of its latest products made many analysts and experts around the world criticize the company and some of its high-profile execs, including CEO Steve Ballmer.

Some have even claimed that the poor uptake of products such as Windows 8 and Mic... (read more)]]> Wed, 1 May 2013 07:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Still-Powering-91-78-of-Computers-Worldwide-349900.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Still-Powering-91-78-of-Computers-Worldwide-349900.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Start-Button-Might-Not-Stop-the-Windows-8-Confusion-Analyst-Believes-349533.shtml Rumor has it that the Softies might launch a Start button in the next Windows release, but a longtime Microsoft analyst believes that such a feature may not make such a big difference for Windows 8 users.

The lack of a Start button in Windows 8 and the Metro UI are both regarded as very confusing options, so Mic... (read more)]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Start-Button-Might-Not-Stop-the-Windows-8-Confusion-Analyst-Believes-349533.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Start-Button-Might-Not-Stop-the-Windows-8-Confusion-Analyst-Believes-349533.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-s-Real-Problem-Isn-t-Windows-IDC-349490.shtml Even though the tech giant Microsoft remains completely tight-lipped on Windows 8 sales six months after its launch, the new operating system continues to be considered a rather disappointing product.

And it’s no wonder why. Analysts around the world are still criticizing it for some of the UI changes it brings, while market research... (read more)]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:38:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-s-Real-Problem-Isn-t-Windows-IDC-349490.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-s-Real-Problem-Isn-t-Windows-IDC-349490.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Few-Seem-to-Care-About-Windows-XP-s-Retirement-348975.shtml Another era will soon come to an end. Microsoft will stop providing updates and security patches for Windows XP as of April 8, 2014, so moving users to a newer Windows version has become a priority.

The tech giant’s strategy is pretty simple: the Softies are using every single occasion, be it an interview, a public event, a press... (read more)]]> Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Few-Seem-to-Care-About-Windows-XP-s-Retirement-348975.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Few-Seem-to-Care-About-Windows-XP-s-Retirement-348975.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-High-Price-Keeps-Users-Away-from-Windows-8-Analyst-Explains-348580.shtml If we are to trust the recent figures provided by market research firms around the world, Windows 8 uptake remains low for the time being, with Microsoft’s new OS reaching a share of nearly 3 percent.

McAdams Right Ragen analyst Sid Parakh says that the high price of Windows 8 devices is the main factor that keep... (read more)]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-High-Price-Keeps-Users-Away-from-Windows-8-Analyst-Explains-348580.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-High-Price-Keeps-Users-Away-from-Windows-8-Analyst-Explains-348580.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Average-Windows-Computer-Experiences-Nearly-2-App-Crashes-Per-Week-348351.shtml Research firm Soluto recently released a new report that analyzes the reliability of Windows computers currently on the market, but also the overall stability and performance improvements that landed on the world’s most popular operating system in the last couple of years.

Findings are pretty surprising, t... (read more)]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Average-Windows-Computer-Experiences-Nearly-2-App-Crashes-Per-Week-348351.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Average-Windows-Computer-Experiences-Nearly-2-App-Crashes-Per-Week-348351.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Fake-Start-Button-Might-Not-Save-Windows-8-347828.shtml Rumor has it that Microsoft is working on a reinvented Start button that could hit shelves by this summer as part of the new Windows 8.1 operating system, a major upgrade for the flagship Windows 8.

While many users applauded Microsoft’s decision to relaunch this utterly-popular feature in Windows, word is that the tech giant is ac... (read more)]]> Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Fake-Start-Button-Might-Not-Save-Windows-8-347828.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Fake-Start-Button-Might-Not-Save-Windows-8-347828.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Uptake-Still-Low-in-the-Middle-East-and-Africa-347430.shtml Windows 8 isn’t selling very well right now, even though Microsoft has previously stated that its sales performance is in line with the one recorded by Windows 7 after launch.

Research firm IDC revealed in a new study that Windows 8 had failed to spur PC demand in the Middle East and Africa in the first quarter of 2013,... (read more)]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Uptake-Still-Low-in-the-Middle-East-and-Africa-347430.shtml Windows http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Uptake-Still-Low-in-the-Middle-East-and-Africa-347430.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa)