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Forecast for Microsoft: Partly Cloudy

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Ashlee Vance - Oct. 18 (Special Report) - These days, however, Microsoft has legions of doubters. While it still commands a prominent and profitable position in computing, brand experts say consumers stumble when trying to define what the company stands for and whether it can create a grander technological future.

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A Troll Squats On WWWBING.com — Literally

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By MG Siegler - Oct. 17 (Opinion) - A Troll Squats On WWWBING.com — Literally

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Goodbye, Encarta. A cautionary tale for newspapers?

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Christian Science Monitor - By John Yemma - Mar. 31 (Opinion) - Wikipedia killed Encarta. Encarta was the early digital encyclopedia. It began life as CD/ROM and increasingly went online. What it never did was truly embrace the power of the Internet. What does that say about how we get information? And about the future of newspapers?

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Former Microsoft exec grows global literacy effort

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

KING5.com - By Charlotte Starck - Feb. 06 (News Report) - This morning, 250 million children around the world didn't go to school. And that's something that must change says the one time director of Microsoft's Business Development for Greater China, John Wood. Room To Read brings philanthropists, business and even students attending a "Students Helping Students" breakfast event together to put a dent in illiteracy in seven different countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia.

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Microsoft cutting 1,400 jobs today; up to 5,000 in next 18 months as recession hits harder

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Seattle Times - By Benjamin J. Romano - Jan. 22 (News Report) - In a press release issued moments ago, Microsoft announced that it is cutting up to 5,000 jobs in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal, human resources and IT in the next 18 months, starting with 1,400 today. It marks the first company-wide layoff in Microsoft's history and comes as the company reports fiscal second-quarter earnings that missed the low-end of its own guidance for sales and earnings per share. It's Windows business declined 8 percent as PC sales growth ground to a virtual halt in the quarter ended Dec. 31. "While we are not immune to the effects of the economy, I am confident in the strength of our product portfolio and soundness of our approach," CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement. "We will continue to manage expenses and invest in long-term opportunities to deliver value to customers and shareholders, and we will emerge an even stronger industry leader than we are today."

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European standoff over search engine data

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

International Herald Tribune - By Kevin J. O'Brien - Oct. 05 (News Report) - Now, as the U.S. titans Google, Microsoft and Yahoo continue to retain personal data beyond the six-month time limit established this year by the European Commission, regulators say their patience is running thin.

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What Microsoft wants from Yahoo

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

TechUser - By Usman Latif - Jul. 09 (Opinion) - Microsoft's now retracted acquisition bid for Yahoo has been endlessly analysed in the media and myriad explanations have been offered for Microsoft's interest in Yahoo. Analysts have generally assumed the obvious that Microsoft made the bid in order to acquire Yahoo. Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, though, does not agree with this assumption. He has publicly claimed that Microsoft did not intend to acquire Yahoo. Some analysts have dismissed Jerry Yang's claim as self-serving, but this can not be so. As part of ongoing shareholder litigation, Jerry Yang may need to defend this claim in a court of law and could not have made the claim lightly. Besides, there is plenty of evidence that supports Jerry Yang's claim.

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The Many (Geeky) Faces of Bill Gates

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Wired - By Betsy Schiffman - Jun. 28 (Special Report) - In reality, Gates is a smooth operator who, despite his uncombed hair, baby face and disheveled appearance, knew exactly what he was doing every step of the way. He successfully transitioned from cocky college dropout to brass-knuckle negotiator to seasoned captain of industry, eventually becoming the richest man in the world and a model philanthropist.

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Yahoo urges rejection of proxy slate

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Bizjournals.com - May. 23 (News Report) - Yahoo Inc. on Friday asked shareholders to reject a slate of directors that billionaire investor Carl Icahn is proposing. Sunnyvale-based Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO), in a preliminary proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ...

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The True Fiction of Microsoft Live Search

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

GigaOM - By Om Malik - May. 22 (Opinion) - Yesterday, I read a post on Google's blog about their focus on improving search quality. Today, I read a press release from Microsoft in which it said its Live Search product will be used to give "cash back" to those who use it to find and buy things. Innovation vs. buying your way into the market...in my book, that kinda speaks for itself.

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Cloud may squeeze margins, says Microsoft exec

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Rough Type - By Nick Carr - May. 20 (Opinion) - The shift from software licenses to software subscriptions is likely to squeeze Microsoft's profit margins in its business division, says Capossela, though he expects it will also bring higher and more consistent sales:

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Microsoft Revives Yahoo Fight Considers More Limited Deal

Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Robert A. Guth, Kevin J. Delaney, Matthew Karnitschnig - May. 19 (Special Report) - The move by Microsoft appears to be an attempt to stop Google from entering a search-related deal with Yahoo that's now under discussion and could be announced in coming days.

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Is Microsoft stalking Powerset's search technology?

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

CNET News - By Dan Farber - May. 10 (News Report) - Powerset raises the bar on search based on a preview that I had of the service last month. Powerset differs from the Google in that it extracts and indexes concepts, relationships, and meaning, rather than keywords. It's able to create connections and pivot in some cases in ways that elude Google's proficient engine, which favors more of a statistical approach.

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Higher Offer by Microsoft Brings Yahoo to Table

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Andrew Ross Sorking, Miguel Helft - May. 03 (News Report) - After a three-month standoff, Microsoft was in active merger talks with Yahoo on Friday, several people involved in the discussions said. Microsoft, which had threatened to abandon its bid or initiate an attempt to oust Yahoo's board, has increased its offer "by several dollars," one of the people said. But a deal was still far from certain. A person involved in the discussions said the chances of a friendly deal being reached were "still no better than 50-50."

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Murdoch's Role in Yahoo Fight

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Portfolio - By Jeff Bercovici - Apr. 12 (Special Report) - ...when Murdoch took control of New York magazine, muscling out founder Clay Felker in a move that drew national attention. Felker, who owned about 10 percent of New York's parent company, considered Murdoch a friend and ally, and appealed to him for help when his board starting leaning on him to improve profits. Recognizing opportunity, Murdoch instead went behind Felker's back and bought up more than half the company's shares. Felker, one of the magazine industry's towering figures, soon resigned.

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Major Yahoo holder boosts stake as board meets to discuss options.

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

MarketWatch - By Benjamin Pimentel - Apr. 12 (News Report) - The move [to double holdings to 10% of shares] made Capital World Yahoo's largest institutional shareholder...it will also likely give the fund an even more powerful voice in the merger battle...Capital World [is]... the second largest institutional shareholder of Microsoft, with control of about 3% of the company's shares outstanding as of Dec. 31. "That was smart," analyst David Hilal of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co....I'm still of the belief that Microsoft is going to buy Yahoo and they're going to raise their bid. And I'm assuming they're making the same bet over there [at Capital World]."

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Gaming the 'net

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

New York Post - By Peter Lauria, Zachery Kouwe - Apr. 11 (News Analysis) - Battle lines are being drawn over control of the Internet, with Microsoft on one side, Google on the other and Yahoo!, Time Warner's AOL, and News Corp. racing to align with one or the other.

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News Corp., AOL Pursue Yahoo Deals

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Matthew Karnitschnig, Kevin J. Delaney, Merissa Marr - Apr. 10 (News Report) - Yahoo Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL are closing in on a deal to combine their Internet operations, a move aimed at thwarting Microsoft Corp.'s effort to acquire Yahoo, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

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Microsoft Combined With Intel For A Vista Logo Disaster

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

InformationWeek - By Dave Methvin - Feb. 29 (News Report) - Earlier, I said Microsoft, OEMs, and retailers all deserved blame in the logo disaster, but these insider e-mails have changed my opinion on apportioning blame. Many OEMs and retailers tried to do the right thing, but were both ignored and double-crossed by Microsoft's final Vista logo program so that Intel would be happy and make more money.

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Web Surfer, Heal Thyself

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Newsweek - By Steven Levy - Feb. 23 (News Analysis) - Marc Rotenberg, head of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, says that companies like Google and Microsoft should not start their services until Congress extends the HIPAA protections to cover such businesses.,,,Both firms also vow that the customers will have total control over their records--no releases without explicit permission. But the very existence of a detailed health dossier accessible in an instant can make control difficult. What if the government subpoenas the records? What if a potential insurer demands to see all the records, telling you that you can't get a policy if you don't provide them? What if your spouse--or even someone you're dating--demands to see all your records?

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Yahoo's Rejection Pressures Microsoft To Mull a New Bid

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Wall Street Journal - By Robert A. Guth, Kevin J. Delaney, Matthew Karnitschnig - Feb. 11 (News Report) - The decision to reject the offer, reported Saturday, signals that Yahoo's board is digging in for what could be a long battle. The directors have been considering various other scenarios to avoid selling to Microsoft, including outsourcing its search advertising to Google Inc. to boost revenue and provide greater latitude to try to remain independent, say people familiar with the matter.

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Microsoft, the sleeping giant, wakes again

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Los Angeles Times - By Jim Puzzanghera, Jessica Guynn - Feb. 09 (News Report) - Bill Gates worried that something like Google would come along before it even existed. In 1995, the Microsoft leader recognized how a powerful Internet player could topple his company from the high-tech pyramid and launched an attack on all potential threats. Netscape, Sun Microsystems and other competitors paid the price.

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Darwinian tech world makes lagging Yahoo ripe for harvesting

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

San Jose Mercury News - By John Boudreau, Mike Antonucci - Feb. 04 (News Analysis) - After just 14 years in which it helped launch the Internet age, Yahoo has hit "middle age" and faces the fate of many other iconic Silicon Valley companies, becoming takeover bait.

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Software is becoming a media business

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Forbes - By Nicholas Carr - Feb. 03 (Comment) - Software is becoming a media business. The Net is not only a universal medium, a distribution channel for words, sounds and images. It is also turning into a universal computer--the machine we use to run software and store data.

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Microsoft Investors Don't See Gains From Yahoo Deal

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:20:45 -0800

Bloomberg - By Dina Bass - Feb. 02 (News Report) - Some Microsoft Corp. shareholders say the software maker's $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo! Inc. may backfire and reduce its ability to compete with Google Inc. in Internet consumer services and advertising.

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