Microsoft

Microsoft testers will get their hands on the second major update to Vista next week. It's expected to get a public release in the first half of 2009, with the firm apparently anxious to have it out before Windows 7 hits stores. The update will be ... in the form of Vista Service Pack 2. A service pack is a collection of updates issued at one time to make the updating process simpler. It's not connected with the Windows Update system which concentrates purely on security issues. Microsoft had previously been keeping quiet about Service Pack 2's release schedule, but a posting on its blog for ... (view more)

Ever heard of the Apple Tax? Neither have we, though one Microsoft executive is adamant that to buy an Apple Macintosh computer is to sacrifice hard-earned dollars when customizing your shiny new machine. In a recent interview, vice president of ... Windows Consumer Product Marketing Brad Brooks discussed the additional costs Apple buyers face when trying to pencil in Windows Vista or XP compatibility. Brooks argues that those costs associated with customizing the operating system, applications, and even laptop or desktop colors can make Mac machines much higher than their anticipated cost. "It's ... (view more)

Despite the short-lived Seinfeld commercials and the ongoing ad blitzes , customer demand for Windows XP over Windows Vista has again prompted Microsoft to extend the Windows XP lifeline . Microsoft stopped selling Windows XP on June 30 of this ... year, but Windows XP is still available at some retail outlets, including Amazon.com while supplies last. Larger PC manufacturers can't directly sell Windows XP anymore -- except on ultra-low-cost machines -- but they can sell Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Business machines with Windows XP discs in the box or they can do a 'factory downgrade ... (view more)

The U.S. House of Representatives shocked the world earlier this week when it rejected a proposed $700 billion bailout bill that could have saved Wall Street from what some worry-warts believe could be the next Great Depression. Now, a new critic is ... shaking its head at Congress: Microsoft. Few have been able to escape news of the bailout's rejection, with the media in just about every circle speculating that the result could be the kind of recession few have ever seen before. It has changed the dynamics of the current election for many; does either John McCain or Barack Obama have the ... (view more)

Tired of those messages kindly informing you that "YOUR REGISTRY IS DAMAGED" or "YOUR SYSTEM IS CORRUPTED"? That kind of practice is commonly referred to as "scareware" in the tech industry, and those companies that employ it are regarded as the ... least reliable software firms. Thankfully, industry powerhouse Microsoft and the State of Washington continue their full-on campaign determined to root out and destroy scareware firms. According to a statement issued Monday, the Washington State Attorney General's office announced another lawsuit in a joint campaign with Microsoft that has lasted for ... (view more)

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)

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)

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)