Microsoft on Thursday announced the pricing for its forthcoming Surface Pro tablet, starting at $899 for the entry-level 64-gigabyte version with an Intel processor and the full Windows 8 operating system.
Initial sales of the Windows 8 operating system are said to be "well below" Microsoft's internal projections.
Microsoft decided to oust Windows head Steve Sinofsky after former CEO Bill Gates reportedly expressed his support for current CEO Steve Ballmer.
Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac has been updated with expanded support for Microsoft's newly released Windows 8 operating system.
As Microsoft revealed that the company sold 4 million upgrades to its new Windows 8 operating system in its first four days, CEO Steve Ballmer dismissed Apple as a "low-volume player" in markets like PCs and smartphones.
After Windows 8 debuted on Thursday, Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky offered his view of the computing landscape, and said PCs represent a great value when compared to "recreational tablets," alluding to Apple's new iPad mini.
Sales of Windows PCs plunged ahead of the forthcoming release of Windows 8, but Microsoft saw strong pre-sales for its next-generation operating system ahead of its Oct. 26 launch.
This week, Microsoft will step up its competition with Apple's iTunes with the launch of Xbox Music, a new service that offers unlimited streaming to Microsoft devices, including PCs running Windows 8.
Microsoft continues to build toward the Oct. 26 launch of its new Windows 8 operating system, as it began taking preorders for the software on Friday, while PC makers also started accepting advance orders of their new Windows 8-powered machines.
Microsoft has begun promoting its forthcoming Surface touchscreen tablets with an alternative, graffiti-style marketing campaign just a block away from an Apple Store in Chicago.
Total Web usage of Apple's OS X operating system has exceeded Microsoft's Windows Vista, while for the first time, Windows 7 has topped Windows XP to become the world's largest operating system.
For the first time in 25 years, Microsoft has updated its logo, with a tiled symbol that evokes the logo for its Windows operating system, as well as the new tile-driven Metro interface being pushed by the company.
VMware on Thursday announced its new virtualization software Fusion 5, with 70 new features including a design that takes advantage of the latest features in Mountain Lion, and optimization for Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8.
Facing declining PC sales in the wake of Apple's iPad, Hewlett-Packard this week is expected to report a record quarterly loss of nearly $9 billion.
Outside of Apple's Macs, sales in the global PC market have remained stagnant for several quarters, with many predicting a rebound after Microsoft ships Windows 8. But that's not going to stop the decline, an analyst with Barclays states.
An executive at Blizzard, the developer of hit games like "World of Warcraft" and "Diablo III," has joined in to deride Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 operating system.
The co-founder of hit game maker Valve believes that Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 operating system will spell disaster PC makers, some of which he believes will exit the market altogether.
A total of 25 million tablets were shipped worldwide in the second quarter of 2012 as Apple's iPad increased its market share, accounting for 68 percent of all shipments.
Apple's iPad is expected to continue dominating the tablet market with a share higher than 60 percent, while PC sales are projected to continue their downward trend, according to a new analysis.
With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion set to arrive this month, Apple's latest operating system will become available at least two months earlier than Microsoft's competing Windows 8.
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Brian Marder
Slash Lane
Katie Marsal
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Neil Hughes
Sam Oliver
Daniel Eran Dilger
