Tag: Microsoft

Microsoft to stop making its mice, keyboards, webcams

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San Francisco: Microsoft has said that it will no longer manufacture mice, keyboards, and webcams under the Microsoft brand, instead, it will develop Surface-branded PC accessories, which include mice, keyboards, pens, and more, the media reported.
According to The Verge, the move ends the legacy of Microsoft-branded PC hardware launched in 1983 with Word and Notepad bundled together.
“Going forward, we are focusing on our Windows PC accessories portfolio under the Surface brand,” says Dan Laycock, senior communications manager at Microsoft, was quoted as saying.

“We will continue to offer a range of Surface-branded PC Accessories — including mice, keyboards, pens, docks, adaptive accessories, and more. Existing Microsoft branded PC accessories like mice, keyboards, and webcams will continue to be sold in existing markets at existing sell-in prices while supplies last,” it added.
Moreover, the report stated that the Surface family of accessories will include several great keyboards and mice, but they will be more expensive than Microsoft-branded alternatives.
However, it is unclear whether Microsoft will introduce more budget-friendly Surface accessories or shift entirely to more premium accessories.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has reported $52.9 billion in sales, up 7 per cent with net income at $18.3 billion, which increased 9 per cent (year-on-year) in its quarter that ended March 31.
Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become a rage worldwide, which has the capabilities to transform many industries.

Microsoft Cloud reported revenue of $28.5 billion, up 22 per cent year-over-year, said the company.
However, sales in the ‘More Personal Computing’ segment were $13.3 billion and decreased 9 per cent and Windows OEM revenue decreased 28 per cent.
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#Microsoft #stop #making #mice #keyboards #webcams
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 1, 2023
Saudi Aramco overtakes Microsoft as world’s 2nd largest company by market value

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Riyadh: Saudi oil giant Aramco has displaced American technology giant Microsoft to become the world’s second-largest company by market value at 7.92 trillion Saudi Riyals (2.11 trillion dollars) as the company’s stock prices hit 36 Saudi Riyals (9.60 dollars) on Wednesday, local media reported.
Apple still holds the top of the ranking, with a market value of approximately 2.6 trillion dollars, followed by Aramco at 2.11 trillion dollars, then Microsoft at 2.05 trillion dollars.
According to Arabic daily Al-Arabiya.net, the rise in Saudi Aramco’s shares came after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced, this month, the transfer of 4 per cent of its shares to Sanabel Investment Company, which is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Aramco achieved, in 2022, the highest profits since the listing, up by 46.5 per cent, to reach 604 billion Saudi riyals, compared to 412.4 billion Saudi Riyals in 2021.
It is noteworthy that “Aramco” is the most profitable company in the world, as its profits for the year 2022 exceed the profits of “Apple”, “Microsoft” and “ExxonMobil” combined, according to the classification of the “companies market cap” website.
The rise of Aramco’s shares also coincided with the rise in crude oil prices, the increase in the company’s sales volumes, the significant increase in profit margins from the refining and chemicals business, as well as the decline in US crude stocks, despite the pessimistic global economic outlook.
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#Saudi #Aramco #overtakes #Microsoft #worlds #2nd #largest #company #market

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 27, 2023
Activision and Microsoft to appeal after CMA blocks takeover

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Activision has said it will “work aggressively” with Microsoft to overturn the U.K. competition regulator’s decision to block Microsoft’s proposed takeover of the game developer.
Microsoft and Activision were confident of approval after agreeing remedies to address concerns raised by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). But the CMA said on Wednesday that the proposed solution “failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector.”
It said: “The deal would reinforce Microsoft’s advantage in the market by giving it control over important gaming content such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft.”
A spokesperson for Activision said the CMA’s report “contradicts the ambitions of the U.K. to become an attractive country to build technology businesses… The report’s conclusions are a disservice to U.K. citizens, who face increasingly dire economic prospects. We will reassess our growth plans for the U.K.
“Global innovators large and small will take note that — despite all its rhetoric — the U.K. is clearly closed for business.”
Microsoft submitted proposals earlier this year to address some of these concerns but the CMA said they contained “a number of significant shortcomings” as they only applied to a defined set of Activision games.
Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel of experts conducting the investigation, said: “Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and head start over other competitors in cloud gaming and this deal would strengthen that advantage giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors.”
Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft said the company would appeal and remained “fully committed” to the deal.

“The CMA’s decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United Kingdom.” He said the decision showed a “flawed understanding” of the market.
Microsoft agreed to buy Activision in a $69 billion deal in January 2022, prompting investigations in the U.K., EU and U.S.

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#Activision #Microsoft #appeal #CMA #blocks #takeover
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 26, 2023
Microsoft shares up 8.3% as AI features give a boost to sales

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Microsoft Corp beat Wall Street’s quarterly revenue and profit estimates on Tuesday, driven by growth in its cloud computing and Office productivity software businesses, and the company said artificial intelligence products were stimulating sales.
The company forecast that revenue in its main segments for the current quarter would match or top Wall Street targets.
Shares gained 8.3% in after-market trading following a report by the Redmond, Washington-based technology company that profits were $2.45 a share in the fiscal third quarter, beating Wall Street estimates of $2.23, according to data from Refinitiv and up 10% from the same quarter last year.
In regular trading, fears about earnings had sent Microsoft down 2.2%, making it the biggest drag on the S&P 500 on Tuesday ahead of its report.
Revenue rose 7% to $52.9bn in the quarter ended March, inching past the average analyst estimate of $51.02bn, according to Refinitiv. The bulk of Microsoft sales still come from selling software and cloud computing services to customers.
But the company has grabbed headlines this year with its partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI and sprucing up the Bing search engine with artificial intelligence technology.
Microsoft said growth at its cloud business Azure was 27% in the latest reported quarter, beating analyst expectations for 26.6% growth, according to the consensus from 23 analysts polled by Visible Alpha.
Chief executive Satya Nadella told investors on a conference call that the company had more than 2,500 Azure-OpenAI service customers and AI-powered features in a wide array of products.

Bing, long an also-ran to search engine Google, has 100 million daily users and has seen downloads jump since the addition of AI features, Nadella said.
Microsoft forecast revenue in the intelligent cloud unit for the current quarter, the fiscal fourth, of $23.6-$23.9bn compared with Wall Street’s average target of $23.8bn, according to Refinitiv.
It saw revenue in the More Personal Computing segment of $13.35-$13.75bn, which would top Wall Street’s estimate of $13.2bn. The productivity and business processes unit, which includes Office, was seen producing revenue of $17.9-$18.2bn, which would beat the analysts’ average target of $17.8bn.
Analysts had expected a gloomy economic outlook to hit Microsoft’s Windows business, which depends heavily on PC sales that have sagged in recent quarters. The sales drop in the segment was less severe than analysts expected, with Microsoft reporting revenue of $13.3bn versus analyst estimates of $12.19bn, according to Refinitiv data.
The company’s productivity segment, which includes its Office software and advertising sales for the LinkedIn social networking site, also beat analyst expectations with revenue of $17.5bn versus estimates of $16.99bn, according to Refinitiv.
Overall revenue for the company’s cloud unit, which includes Azure as well as other services, was $22.1bn, slightly above estimates of $21.85bn, according to Refinitiv data.
Alphabet Inc, which also has a large cloud business, reported strong results on Tuesday, lifting its shares 2.4% after the bell. Those results and Microsoft’s helped boost shares of Amazon.com Inc, another major cloud operator, 4.8% in after-hours trading.
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#Microsoft #shares #features #give #boost #sales
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 26, 2023
Microsoft to stop bundling Teams with Office to avoid probe

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San Francisco: To avoid an official antitrust probe by European Union (EU) regulators, Microsoft has announced that it will no longer require users of its popular Office software to also install its Teams video conferencing and messaging app on their devices.
According to the Financial Times, citing sources, Microsoft has made the concession to avoid a formal investigation, following a 2020 complaint by rival Slack (an enterprise chat app) alleging Microsoft bundling the service together was anti-competitive.
Slack has requested that EU officials compel Microsoft to sell Teams independently of its Office software.

Slack’s complaint came at a time when the trend towards working from home was accelerating.
Apps like Teams and Slack exploded in popularity during the Covid pandemic, creating a multibillion-dollar opportunity as users and businesses increasingly adopt tools that enable remote working, the report said.
“We are mindful of our responsibilities in the EU as a major technology company. We continue to engage cooperatively with the commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well,” Microsoft was quoted as saying.
Moreover, the report said that Microsoft was accused by the commission in 2008 of using its dominant position to force users to download its Internet Explorer browser by bundling it with Windows.
Although the company settled with the commission and offered users a choice of browsers, the EU fined the company USD 561 million in 2013 for failing to fulfil its promise.

Meanwhile, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has threatened to sue Microsoft over claims that the company “trained illegally using Twitter data”.
Musk reacted after Microsoft dropped Twitter from its advertising platform as it allegedly refused to pay Twitter’s application programming interface (API) fees.
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#Microsoft #stop #bundling #Teams #Office #avoid #probe
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 25, 2023
AI-driven Microsoft Bing, You.com threaten Google’s Search dominance

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New Delhi: New AI features in Microsoft Bing search engine and startup You.com have started to threaten Google’s Search dominance, as users seek more efficient search options.
According to AI ethicist and You.com CEO Richard Socher, Google Search alternatives now offer users a more personalised search experience, reports ZDNet.
“SEO-driven low-quality content has diluted the value of search results. This has fed consumer demand for better search experiences,” Socher was quoted as saying.

Generative AI like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and large language models are now challenging Google’s Search like never before.
According to Socher, the key lies in innovation, user control, and strategic partnerships.
“Google needs help to adapt to new paradigms, such as generative AI, due to its existing business model and entrenched market dominance,” he added.
As Microsoft takes the lead with AI-powered Bing Search and ChatGPT, Google is set to release a new AI-powered Search engine next month, with more features coming this fall.
The new features will be available exclusively in the US, and will be released initially to a maximum of one million users, according to reports.

The company plans are part of efforts to meet the threat posed by Microsoft’s Bing chatbot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
“AI competitors like the new Bing are quickly becoming the most serious threat to Google’s search business in 25 years, and in response, Google is racing to build an all-new search engine powered by the technology,” says a report in The New York Times.
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#AIdriven #Microsoft #Bing #You.com #threaten #Googles #Search #dominance
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 24, 2023
Microsoft announces ‘Copilot for Viva’ to grow workforce engagement

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New Delhi: Microsoft has announced “Copilot for Viva”, along with the introduction of “Viva Glint”, to help organisations create a more engaged and productive workforce.
Viva is Microsoft’s employee experience platform, which integrates goals, staff communications, learning, workplace analytics, and feedback.
Copilot in Microsoft Viva will begin rolling out to customers later in 2023, while the company will start to roll out Viva Glint to customers in July 2023.

With Copilot, Microsoft Viva takes advantage of next-generation AI to accelerate this new performance equation, where engagement and productivity together lead to better business outcomes and success.
Other than Viva Glint, Copilot is being introduced in Viva Goals, Viva Engage, Viva Learning, Viva Topics and more.
Viva Glint is a survey tool that helps measure and improve employee engagement.
Moreover, “Viva Goals” simplifies goal setting by assisting leaders through the process of generating objectives and key results (OKRs), as well as goal management throughout the company.
“Viva Engage” assists leaders in creating captivating and inspiring posts using simple suggestions or trending topics from workplace forums and storyline talks, while, “Viva Learning” provides curated learning collections and succinct knowledge summaries targeted to individual tasks or development needs, making it easier for leaders to help skill and train the workforce.

Further, the company said that employees can utilise “Viva Topics” to learn more about significant topics and see related topics and projects through a conversational interface.
Copilot in Answers will help users construct questions with the appropriate specificity and completeness as well as extracts the pertinent topics to help categorise the question.
According to the company, Copilot in Viva is based on the Microsoft 365 Copilot System, which leverages the potential of large language models (LLMs) and combines it with the data from the Microsoft Graph and Viva apps.
This innovative approach provides leaders with an entirely novel way to gain insights into and engage with their workforce.
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#Microsoft #announces #Copilot #Viva #grow #workforce #engagement
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Microsoft adds Detach from Edge option for improved multitasking in Edge

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San Francisco: Microsoft has introduced a new option called ‘Detach from Edge’ in its Edge browser, which will allow users to separate the side panel from the main Edge window for increased flexibility and multitasking.
According to GeekerMag, the Edge Sidebar is a built-in panel on the right side of the browser that houses a variety of features, shortcuts, and websites for quick access.
The option is available in the Microsoft Edge Canary version 114.0.1789.0.

Despite the ability to hide Edge’s sidebar, the new ‘Detach from Edge’ option offers an additional level of customisation by enabling users to pin the sidebar to the right side of their desktop, making navigation easier, the report said.
With the ‘Detach from Edge’ feature, users can customise their workspace and increase productivity by customising their browsing experience.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced that its OpenAI’s DALL-E-powered AI image generator is now available on desktop for Edge users around the world.
The company introduced the feature to the new Bing and Edge preview last month.
Image Creator allows users to create an image simply by using their own words to describe the picture they want to see.

This feature will help you create images that don’t yet exist, right from the Microsoft Edge sidebar, the company said.
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#Microsoft #adds #Detach #Edge #option #improved #multitasking #Edge
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 17, 2023
Microsoft introduces Gallery to File Explorer in Windows

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San Francisco: Microsoft has introduced a new feature called “Gallery” in File Explorer for users to access their photo collection easily in Windows 11.
“We are introducing Gallery, a new feature in File Explorer designed to make it easy to access your photo collection. The set of content shown in Gallery is the same as what you’ll see in the All Photos view in the Photos app,” Microsoft said in a blogpost.
The latest Windows Insider Build 23435 has introduced the Gallery view, which can be accessed quickly through the File Explorer’s navigation panel.

Moreover, the company said if users have OneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up on their phones, photos they take will show up automatically at the top of the view.
Users can choose which folders are shown in Gallery through the Collection dropdown.
They can also add subfolders of existing sources to filter to a subset of your content, such as desktop backgrounds and SD card/camera imports.
The feature is currently rolled out to a few testers and is not available to all Insiders on the Dev Channel as the tech giant plans to monitor feedback before rolling it out to everyone.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced that it will be making significant changes to the way Windows manages which apps open specific files by default, and how users can pin programmes to their Start menu on the taskbar or on the desktop.

The tech giant will introduce a new deep link “uniform resource identifier” (URI), allowing developers to send users to the correct section of the Settings menu when they want to change how Windows 11 responds to specific links and file types.
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#Microsoft #introduces #Gallery #File #Explorer #Windows
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 16, 2023
Microsoft adds AI-powered Bing to SwiftKey app on iOS, Android

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New Delhi: Microsoft has announced the addition of AI-powered Bing capabilities to the SwiftKey app (a third-party keyboard) on iOS and Android.
This new addition will allow users to chat with the AI chatbot directly from their mobile keyboard and search for things without having to switch between apps.
SwiftKey has been part of the Microsoft family since 2016.

“Bing integrates in three major ways – Search, Chat, and Tone. The update is available today. Once you’ve got the update, you’ll see the Bing icon above the keyboard. From there you can click on the exact feature you’d like to use; Chat, Tone, or Search,” Microsoft said in a blhttps://www.siasat.com/linkedin-introduces-new-ways-to-verify-identity-work-2568179/ogpost.
With the Chat functionality, users can access the new Bing on the go for more detailed queries, while, with the Tone feature, users can communicate more effectively by using AI to customise their in-progress text to fit any situation.
Moreover, the Search functionality will let users quickly search the web from their keyboard without switching apps.
“These new features in SwiftKey are accessible in all markets where the new Bing is available; anyone can use Search now while accessing Tone and Chat requires that you sign into your Microsoft Account that has been approved to access the new Bing preview,” the company said.
Further, the tech giant introduced the “translator functionality” in the mobile Bing app, which will offer alternative masculine and feminine translations when translating from English to Spanish, French, or Italian.

This feature will allow users to choose the gendered translation that best fits their context and is helpful for well-intentioned speakers of all proficiency levels.
The company also expanded Bing access to Skype so that everyone in a group chat can now chat with the new Bing.
Only one person in the group needs to have access to the preview.
This means as a group you can use the new Bing from within the Skype app just like you’d use the new Bing on a desktop; you can use it to, for example, settle a debate, help plan a group trip, or find a restaurant for you all to meet at in person, according to the company.
The new Bing is now also available via the Microsoft Start app too, for users who have cleared the waitlist.
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#Microsoft #adds #AIpowered #Bing #SwiftKey #app #iOS #Android
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023