Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts

Thursday, December 3, 2009

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

If Google really wants to compete with Microsoft, it needs to join 'em to beat 'em.
Michael Scalisi, PC World

Google recently stated that it is developing a new Linux-based OS called Chrome to run on both netbooks and desktops. In order for Google to seriously challenge Microsoft’s dominance, it needs two things. First, it needs to be seriously awesome. Second, it needs to be compatible with Windows Apps.

I must confess that when I heard about the OS, my first thought was “Oh great, just what we need, another Linux distro.” Then I realized two things: Apple has already demonstrated that its possible to build an awesome and unique OS based on UNIX, and, this is Google we’re talking about.

I believe that the Chrome OS can be awesome. That it’s named Chrome is telling. For those who haven’t used the Chrome browser yet, it’s incredibly fast, extremely simple and intuitive, yet strangely powerful. It gives you what you need before you ask for it based on what you’ve done in the past. All within an attractive, simple interface.

The Google Chrome OS is likely to be just like that. I’d expect the file system to resemble Gmail, using labels instead of folders. I’d expect eye-candy to be at a minimum and for performance to be highly optimized. I’d expect bloat to be ripped out by its roots and hastily discarded. It will capitalize on the cloud-computing model and leverage Google’s existing Web services. Imagine turning your computer on, and within 10 seconds you’re browsing the Web. That would be awesome.

All this might be enough to make a dent in the netbook market. After all, people might be willing to sacrifice the ability to use their Windows apps on a computer that was never meant to be anything more than a cheap and small web appliance. Never mind that consumers have already rejected Linux on the netbook.

Even if Chrome OS is utterly mind-blowing, if it lacks Windows application compatibility, it will merely be competing for a share of the high single-digit to low double-digit market share that Apple and Linux currently battle over. I highly doubt this is Google’s intention.

Windows dominates because it has become the lowest common denominator for application compatibility. The vast majority of commercial desktop application developers write for Windows because that’s what 90 percent of all consumers use. Consumers choose it because they invariably need to use some application that runs only on Windows. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle that needs something more than just a better competing OS to break.

As great of an idea cloud computing is, it isn’t going to eliminate the need for local apps anytime soon. If Google wants the Chrome OS to have any shot at desktop dominance, it needs be able to run Windows apps.

There are a couple of different ways to approach this. One possible alternative is to dump all sorts of resources into Wine development. This would be great since it would also give Linux and OS X a boost. Unfortunately, it will be nearly impossible to improve Wine to the point where it achieves anywhere near 100 percent Windows application compatibility.

The more likely alternative is to enable the Chrome OS to run Windows apps virtually like what is currently possible with VMware Fusion or Parallels. Of course the challenge here is that this will still require a Windows license.

The way I envision it, people will install the Chrome OS on their Windows PCs. Chrome will then repartition your drive, install its own boot loader, and set itself as the default OS. This is what most Linux distributions do already.
Users will then boot their computer into Google’s OS, and within seconds be able to use the Chrome browser and web-based apps. When the user needs a Windows app, they click on the icon for it and Chrome loads Windows in the background. The app might take a minute or so to load, but the process will be transparent otherwise. Just like VMware fusion or Parallels.

After Chrome OS finds its way onto a few million desktop computers, application developers will start porting Windows apps over to Chrome. Once Chrome is available on a majority of computers, developers will develop for Chrome first and Windows will quickly slip into obscurity. Give this process about a decade.

Michael Scalisi is an IT manager based in Alameda, California.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Apple’s Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard means business

Image by calu777 via Flickr

Source: iPodDailyNews

Tim Beyers reports for The Motley Fool, 'The iEmpire launched its latest rebellion with the release of Snow Leopard on Friday, the newest edition of Mac OS X, which: At $29, costs about what you'd pay for a fast-food dinner for a family of four; Frees up to 7 gigabytes space on your Mac by eliminating digital clutter; Offers built-in support for Microsoft's Exchange network services, making Macs a whole lot more business-friendly.'

MacDailyNews Take: Anyone with even a cursory understanding of Apple, Microsoft, and Star Wars would never use the term 'iEmpire' to describe Apple or their 'latest rebellion.' For the sake of the value of continuing on, let's pretend that Beyers has never seen Star Wars.

Beyers continues, 'Technology buyers may finally be coming back. To get them to come back to the Mac, Apple needs an OS that does better business. Snow Leopard is that OS... The Mac is back, growling and hungry for market share.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

How Switching To a Mac Can Save You Countless Productive Hours

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Computer Repair And PC Repair London

Whether you are an expert computer user or not, you have probably been burned by your computer in the past. For some a computer virus could have wiped out your hard drive, or completely taken control of your web browser. For others, you might have been running an application only to have it crash and lose your data. So what is the solution?

There is a solution to many of the common computer problems: switch to an Apple computer. Although Apple and Microsoft have always competed for the personal computer marketshare, today things have changed. Where once someone with a Windows-based computer would never think twice of switching over, now people are switching in droves.

Why the sudden shift? There are many factors for this change. First off, the Macintosh operating system has been redesigned from the ground up and is now a more stable and effective operating system. With Mac OS X, users have a lot less to worry about: no viruses, no trojans, and no crashes. What more could a user want? For more please visit computer training

Image via Wikipedia

Apple delivers more: a seamless integration between hardware and software. When you buy a PC and install Windows, chances are that you are installing the operating system on a set of hardware that was never really fully tested together. Different combinations of plug and play hardware are what causes Windows to crash time and time again.

On the other hand, with an Apple computer, you get the operating system that was tested with the hardware ahead of time. Did you ever wonder why Apple sells the hardware with the software? It's because it allows the developers to test their software on the different hardware configurations before shipping the product. PCs come in too many varieties to be tested fully. For more please visit computer training

Plus, Apple delivers all the applications you need to get your work done, and have fun doing it. On a Windows machine, you get the basic Microsoft Office suite of applications. Now, you can get the same suite of applications for your Mac as well.

Yet, Apple offers applications that you can't get on Windows: the iLife set of applications. These programs make your life easier because they organize and import all your digital photos, they play your music, they let you import home movies, and create DVDs right from your computer.

What's more is that Apple does most of the work in the background, and leaves you to focus on the most important decisions. Developers and computer wizards used to pride themselves on knowing the internals of their windows machines. Today that's changing, as people realize they have better things to do than spend all their time at a computer terminal, when they could go out and enjoy life.

That's exactly what switching to a Mac can do for your productivity. Your computer will let you be as productive as you can, by getting out of your way. So that you can get back to living your life to the fullest! For more please visit computer training courses

Tags: fast pc repair, computer repair, computer repair london, data disk recovery"

Microsoft's Bing Gained 1 Point of Market Share in July

Image by LatinSuD via Flickr

Source: eWeek

Microsoft's Bing gained a single point of market share in July, bringing its total to 9.41 percent, according to a new report by StatCounter. The recent partnership deal between Microsoft and Yahoo has given both companies hope that they can challenge Google, which currently holds a double-digit lead in the search market. Under the terms of the partnership, Bing will power search on Yahoo sites, while Yahoo takes over worldwide sales duties for the companies’ search advertisers.

Microsoft’s share of the U.S. search market increased to 9.41 percent in July 2009, a rise of 1 percentage point, according to research firm StatCounter. At the same time, Google’s share of the U.S. market slipped during the same period to 77.54 percent, down by nearly a point, while Yahoo declined a fraction of a point, from 11.04 to 10.95.

StatCounter's report came days after the July 29 announcement of a partnership deal between Microsoft and Yahoo: that 10-year agreement that will see Microsoft's Bing power Yahoo’s search engine, while Yahoo assumes exclusive worldwide sales duties for the companies’ search advertisers. Microsoft will pay traffic acquisition costs (TACs) to Yahoo at an initial rate of 88 percent of search revenue generated on Yahoo’s sites.

The deal represents a recognition on both companies' part that the only way to break Google’s lock on the search and online advertising market may be through working together. According to StatCounter’s report, a combined Microsoft and Yahoo search would have a 20.36 percent market share.

"Bing continues to make slow but steady progress but the combined Yahoo figures suggests that the deal announced last week will have to demonstrate major future synergies if it is to make any dent in Google’s dominance," Aodhan Cullen, CEO and founder of StatCounter, said in a statement.

Microsoft and Yahoo, however, are publicly hopeful that the deal will allow them to chip away at Google’s substantial lead in the online space.

"This deal will combine Yahoo and Microsoft search marketplaces so that advertisers no longer have to rely on one company that dominates more than 70 percent of all search," both companies said in a statement on July 29. "With the addition of Yahoo’s search volume, Microsoft will achieve the size and scale required to unleash competition and innovation in the market, for consumers as well as advertisers."

After Bing started making incremental market-share gains in the wake of its June 3 launch, buoyed to a certain extent by Microsoft’s massive ad campaign, analysts debated whether the relative success of Redmond’s search engine would influence its dealings with Yahoo. Some argued that Bing would lead Microsoft to abandon any deals with Yahoo entirely, especially in context of its failed 2008 takeover bid, while others argued that Bing would compel Microsoft to approach Yahoo from a position of greater strength.

The deal between Microsoft and Yahoo could also help stop the erosion in Yahoo’s paid search spend, which according to a July report by SearchIgnite had declined year-over-year by 26 percent.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Yahoo! and Microsoft to seal deal to rival Google - Times Online

Image via CrunchBase

Source: Times Online:

Microsoft and Yahoo! have finally agreed an online search and advertising partnership in a bid to rival Google.

The revenue sharing deal is expected to be announced later today, more than a year after Yahoo! rejected a $47.5 million (£29 million) takeover bid from Microsoft and Yahoo!'s attempt to strike a search advertising deal with Google fell apart under regulatory scrutiny.

Under the expected deal, Microsoft's new Bing search engine will power Yahoo!'s searches while Yahoo! will handle advertising sales. The companies will use Microsoft's advertising technology to deliver appropriate ads alongside search results.

The deal may not be as far-reaching as many investors expected. It does not appear to call for Microsoft to pay Yahoo! in advance, which could disappoint Wall Street. Carol Bartz, Yahoo! chief executive, had said she would join forces with Microsoft only for 'boatloads of money'.

Microsoft is counting on Yahoo!'s search engine, which ranks as the second largest in the world with a global market share of 8 per cent, to pose a more formidable challenge to Google, which holds 67 per cent of the global audience, according to the most recent data from the research company comScore. In the US, Google's share is 65 per cent, compared with 20 per cent for Yahoo!.

Despite spending billions to upgrade its search engine, Microsoft still held just a 3 per cent share worldwide and 8 per cent in the US in the comScore rankings.

There is a chance a deal combining the powers of the second and third-ranked search engine companies would be blocked by antitrust regulators.

Shareholders of both Microsoft and Yahoo! have been urging the two to strike a deal for some time. Earlier this month, the activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns about 5 per cent of Yahoo! and is a director on its board, spoke out again in favour of a search deal, as talks between the two companies appeared to regain momentum.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Microsoft Backtracks on Browser-less Windows 7 E

Source: sitepoint.com

Microsoft will offer a choice of competing web browsers with European versions of Windows 7 when the new OS is released in October 2009. The company hopes the action will adhere with European Union legislation and fend off further anti-trust fines. Although Windows 7 is selling well, Microsoft revenues are down by almost a fifth and costly court cases will not help.

Microsoft’s original proposal was to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 7 E (European version). Anyone pre-ordering Windows 7 in Europe is currently shown a warning that the OS will not provide a browser. For example, Amazon UK published detailed browser download instructions (although anyone needing these probably shouldn’t attempt an OS installation!) Hardware vendors would have been free to install the web browser of their choice, but IE was likely to remain the most popular choice.

The European Commission did not consider Windows 7 sans-browser to be a viable solution. It was too similar to the failed versions of Windows without a media player — they preferred a ballot screen to restore browser competition. Although full details are yet to be finalized, Microsoft has issued the following proposal:

Microsoft — rather than hardware manufacturers — will control the browser ballot screen.
Windows 7 E will be provided with Internet Explorer.
New installations of Windows 7 in Europe will show a web page offering a choice of five popular web browsers.
European Windows XP and Vista users will see the same ballot screen during a future automatic update (if IE is set as their default browser).
The list of alternative browsers will be based on 6-month usage statistics and will be reviewed twice per year.
Is this the right decision for Microsoft? I suspect so — the EU could have fined the company and ordered far more draconian changes to the OS. At least Microsoft have overall control of the ballot screen and can install IE without fear of legislative reprisals.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Microsoft to Netbooks: Stay Tiny Or Pay the Price

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Microsoft to Netbooks: Stay Tiny Or Pay the Price

Microsoft appears to have decided that any netbook with more than 10.2-inch screen isn't really a netbook at all, and should pay more for a copy of Windows 7. This is Redmond's version of the question facing the hardware companies themselves: How to maximize netbook sales without cannibalizing sales of laptops.

Answer: You can't, though Microsoft's pricing could force up prices on new, larger-screen netbooks. It could also land the company back in court.

The net is rife with rumors that Microsoft will establish a "maximum specification" after which netbooks will pay more for a copy of Windows 7. All of these trackback to a site called TechArp, which claims to have access to the new specs. Microsoft itself isn't talking, though the specs look legit.

The big difference between supposed specs and the maximums for Windows XP and Vista netbook pricing is that with the older operating systems a netbook can have up to a 12.1-inch screen. That seems quite reasonable. The new 10.2-inch Windows 7 limitation would make anything larger a laptop, regardless of how the marketplace or potential customers see them.

As someone interested in purchasing the new 11.6-inch Acer netbook, I will admit it is intended as a laptop replacement. But, only for a Windows laptop I wouldn't otherwise replace. My old Dell is nearing the end of its long life and I need a machine for some simple, low-tech tasks related to my volunteer work.

Give me the right machine for the right price and I will buy. Otherwise, I will just use a Mac notebook that I already own and be done with it.

Unlike those with pencil-thin fingers, I need the larger keyboard that goes along with the 11.6-inch screen. A 10-inch screen just isn't very useable for me.

I am willing to spend $350 on such a laptop, but I am price-sensitive, especially in this economy. If Microsoft increasing the OS cost were to raise the cost of the machine to $399, I'd be out of the market.

Microsoft needs to be very careful that its attempts to keep netbooks from lowering its laptop revenue don't end up costing it price-sensitive customers.

David Coursey knows a laptop when he sees one. Follow him on Twitter and send e-mail to him via www.coursey.com/contact.

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Microsoft’s Netbook Problem

Image by Jon Bradley Photography via Flickr

Source: technologizer.com

The persisting popularity of netbooks has been a major drain on Microsoft’s Windows client licensing revenue. The worldwide economic downturn has driven many people to purchase cheaper machines, but I believe that the netbook’s ascension also reflects changing consumer tastes.

Windows client licensing revenue fell $1 billion from last year, and Microsoft’s unearned revenue from multi-year license agreements has flatlined.

Unless Windows 7 proves wildly popular, the company’s prospects for restoring its Windows business to its past luster appear to be grim. I expect that the company will experience a cyclical earnings bump that will crest near where previous Windows releases have in the past, but growth will be less substantial.

That is because there are simply too many alternatives, with the Web acting as the great equalizer. I access Gmail just as quickly on a netbook running Linux as I would on a higher end laptop powered by Windows. And even though netbook hardware is wimpy by current standards, netbooks are as powerful as high-end machines were on the not-too-distant past

Not everyone is a developer or a gamer. I believe that the netbook meets the “good enough’ threshold for most people, and there is a decent assortment to choose from on the market.

Many of those people may have been compelled to purchase a netbook by financial reasons, but it is highly possible that many will be satisfied enough to purchase another netbook in the future. It could mean a permanent change in consumer buying behavior.

Microsoft seems to understand that, because it is downplaying netbooks at every chance it can get, and is attempting to direct customers toward more expensive alternatives. But the industry has failed to create really compelling products that would “wow’ me into paying more–so far.

I am reminded of my late grandmother, who was a child of the Great Depression. She wouldn’t spend money needlessly, and would reuse what she had (including tinfoil). People are experiencing varying degrees of hardship during this recession, and it is not unreasonable to expect that their spending habits will be permanently altered.

Consequently, if Microsoft does not see its market share slide, it will see its revenues fall. It cannot charge as much for a copy of Windows on a $400 machine than it would have traditionally done on more expensive systems. The Windows cash cow is slowly beginning to dry up.

think-act-do

Thursday, December 3, 2009

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Apple’s Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard means business

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

How Switching To a Mac Can Save You Countless Productive Hours

Microsoft's Bing Gained 1 Point of Market Share in July

Friday, July 31, 2009

Yahoo! and Microsoft to seal deal to rival Google - Times Online

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Microsoft Backtracks on Browser-less Windows 7 E

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Microsoft to Netbooks: Stay Tiny Or Pay the Price

Microsoft’s Netbook Problem

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