Microsoft sold more than three million Xbox One consoles in 2013, the company has announced, throwing down the gauntlet to Sony in the next-gen console wars. The new hardware set … Continue reading
November 2013 was the month when gaming fans around the world were pumped up and excited because both Sony and Microsoft were releasing their next generation consoles. The initial launch took place in limited markets and almost immediately all pre-order and day one stock was sold out. Since then over the following weeks both companies released the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in additional markets. Its been a while since Sony updated us on PS4 sales stats, on the other hand Microsoft has revealed that it sold over three million Xbox One units in 2013.
This figure combines sales of the next generation console in 13 markets in 2013, and the number will definitely go up in 2014 as even more markets are added. Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi says that demand for the console has been strong since its launch. Last we heard from Sony on the PS4 was when it announced that the console only took 16 days to cross the 2.1 million units sold milestone, whereas the Xbox One crossed a similar milestone in 18 days. Sony hasn’t revealed any more stats since then, presumably its only a matter of time before it too announces that over three million units have now been moved to gaming enthusiasts around the world. Microsoft says that 2014 is going to be a promising year with more games, content and features in the pipeline.
Three Million Xbox One Units Were Sold In 2013 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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As far as console gaming is concerned, Microsoft and Sony can be thought of as rivals, and rightfully so given that both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are considered to be nearly equals, with some hardware differences and game titles set aside. But has their rivalry resulted in bitterness on either part? You might think so, given that Samsung and Apple have had a very fierce, bitter, and not to mention expensive rivalry, but as it turns out both Microsoft and Sony appear to be relatively amicable, with Microsoft Studios’ Phil Spencer admitting that there were things that Microsoft could learn from Sony, such as Sony’s commitment to franchises and developers, even if those titles might not necessarily be blockbusters.
Spencer mentioned titles such as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls as examples of Sony’s commitment to developers, and in an interview he gave with OXM, Spencer acknowledges that they did a good job with the PS4. “I think that long-term commitment to franchises is important, where it’s easy to pull off the Band-Aid and move onto the next thing [if it doesn’t sell]. I respect their ‘stick-to-it-iveness’. […] I’ll say, they’ve done a nice job with PS4 […] When I think about their announcement, their clear focus on a customer, leading with the value proposition of what they’re trying to do, staying true to a vision, I think they’ve done a nice job in how they defined the PS4.”
The friendly rivalry Sony and Microsoft have with each other is somewhat admirable and both companies are pretty sporting, with either company wishing the other well upon the launch of the PS4 and the Xbox One.
Microsoft Admits That They Can Learn A Thing Or Two From Sony original content from Ubergizmo. 
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It has nearly been four months since Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he is going to step down within 12 months. A special committee of Microsoft’s board is actively working to hire a replacement. A number of internal and external candidates are believed to be favorites but so far no official announcement has been made. According to unnamed sources who spoke with The Wall Street Journal, potential candidates are apparently worried about the influence of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, who remain on the company’s board.
Both Gates and Ballmer are without a doubt influential figures at Microsoft. Apart from the fact that they’re the only two CEOs that the company has ever had, Gates is also the co-founder of this behemoth whereas Ballmer will retain his seat on the board despite stepping down as CEO. The Journal’s sources claim that some candidates are “particularly uneasy” about Ballmer based on some of his decisions that have generated controversy between managers and investors and even “altered the company’s strategy.” Potential candidates for the top job include Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who will return to Microsoft after its acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services division is closed later this year. The board is reportedly looking for a turnaround expert, which is why most rumors point to Mulally as the possible successor to Steve Ballmer.
New Microsoft CEO Candidates Are Reportedly Worried About Gates And Ballmer’s Influence original content from Ubergizmo. 
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This article was written on April 14, 2008 by CyberNet.
Microsoft Monday
When you hear the word Microsoft, who do you associate with it? For myself, I automatically think Bill Gates. Without Bill Gates there wouldn’t be Microsoft but there’s another person who, at this point is just as important as Bill Gates. His name is Steven Ballmer and while you’ve probably heard his name used here or there (especially with this whole acquisition thing going on with Yahoo), you probably don’t know a whole lot about him. Today we thought we’d give you a better idea of who Steve Ballmer is and what his role is at Microsoft. While he became CEO of Microsoft in January of 2000 and he certainly knows business, he also has a pretty wild and crazy side which we’ll talk about as well.
To get started on his early years, let’s first take a look at a commercial that aired a long time ago in which Ballmer was trying to sell Windows 1.0 (which launched in 1985). It’ll give you a good idea of what a quirky guy he can be.
Steve Ballmer originally joined Microsoft back in 1980 before the launch of Windows 1.0. At the time, Bill Gates brought him on to be the very first business manager of the company. Since then he’s had roles like manager of operation, manager of operating systems development, and manager of sales and support. In 1998 he was promoted to President and then finally in January of 200, he was named CEO.
Before Ballmer joined Microsoft…
Steve Ballmer has a love for Microsoft that no one else has. It’s a love strong enough to get him to “go crazy” on the stage before a presentation given to Microsoft employees. The way he danced across the stage in the video below is absolutely crazy and eventually the video was titled “Dance Monkeyboy.”
In the comments for this video on YouTube, I noticed someone say “I’d dance like that too if I was rich like him” which leads us to our next topic… money.
The Forbes 2008 World’s Richest People list has come out and Ballmer is ranked 43rd on that list with an estimated wealth of $15 billion.
Here are some interesting facts about his cash compensation for Microsoft’s Fiscal Year ending June 2007:
Ballmer’s Dad was originally from Switzerland but immigrated to the United States when he was 23. In 2006, Steve received an honorary citizenship of Lausen, Switzerland where is dad was originally from.
Like Gates, Ballmer met his wife at Microsoft. She was working in the public relations department and they eventually married and have three children.
I found this picture posted on the website for The New York Times. Apparently this is what his office looks like…
For the CEO of Microsoft, his office is on the small side or “low-key”, wouldn’t you say? Although, he’s probably hardly in the office to make it worth giving him a larger one.
Developers, Developers, Developers…
Steve Ballmer has a lot of love for Developers. The video below is one of the most popular ones of him on YouTube:
Developers Part 2
At Mix 08′ this year, an audience member requested that Ballmer show some love for web developers in particular, since he’s always talking about “developers.” This is part 2:
One of Ballmer’s most recent interviews with Guy Kawasaki at Mix 08′ really shows off his personality and what he really thinks of the MacBook Air. Ryan and I both watched the entire interview and really enjoyed it, but the segment about the MacBook Air and Vista was probably the best part. Take a look for yourself:
After putting together this article about Steve Ballmer, we realized just what a dedicated guy he is to Microsoft. We also realized that he’s done a ton of work for the company. Within the next year as Bill Gates completes his transition away from Microsoft, we’ll probably be seeing and hearing even more from Ballmer who undoubtedly gives some pretty energetic presentations and life to the company.
Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com
Would you have preferred it if the Xbox One had gone disc-less? Games could technically be cheaper since costs such as packaging, printing, and burning would have been taken out of the equation, but then again there is the issue that gamers without internet might have trouble playing games or downloading news ones. Well thankfully Microsoft has decided to go with Blu-ray for the new Xbox One, but apparently at one point in time, the Redmond company did consider going disc-less. Speaking to the official Xbox magazine for the UK, Microsoft Studio’s Phil Spencer revealed that they were still undecided even as late as mid-2013.
According to Spencer, “There was a real discussion about whether we should have an optical disc drive in Xbox One […] we could get away with a purely disc-less console, but when you start looking at bandwidth and game size, it does create issues.” It’s interesting that Spencer thinks that Microsoft could have gotten away with a disc-less console. After all when the console was announced and the always-on internet requirements and the DRMs were revealed, gamers kicked up a fuss to the point where Microsoft had to rescind on those policies, so we can only imagine if connecting to the internet once ever 24 hours was that big a deal, imagine having to download all your games, or being unable to play the latest game because you were stationed overseas with no connection.
What do you guys think? Are you glad Microsoft did not go disc-less?
Microsoft Almost Went Disc-less With The Xbox One original content from Ubergizmo. 
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A touch-friendly version of Firefox for Windows 8 has been on Mozilla’s project list for a while, and though not due to a lack of effort, the anticipated launch date … Continue reading
Prior to the release of the Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, the Redmond company’s first generation of Surface tablets did not sell as well as they should have, leaving Microsoft with plenty of leftover stock which was a potential $1 billion write-off, which also resulted in Microsoft slashing the prices of the tablet drastically in a bid to boost sales. Perhaps the price slashes could have paid off because in a recent report from Chitika, it would seem as though Microsoft’s tablet traffic for the holiday season was actually a little bit higher than Google’s Nexus offerings, despite tablets such as the Nexus 7 being priced pretty cheap, making them more affordable alternatives.
Chitiki based their findings on a sample of over 10 million smartphone and tablet ad impressions from their network, and took the holiday season to be from the 20th of December up to the 29th of December 2013. Based on this, it would seem that Apple’s iPads are still dominating the tablet scene, followed by Amazon with their Kindle Fire offerings, followed by Samsung, and then by Microsoft, and finally Google. Of course this is based on a short period of time and perhaps if we were to look at the larger picture, the numbers might be different. What do you guys think? Could price slashes be why Microsoft’s tablets are doing slightly better than Google’s?
Microsoft Surface Traffic Beats Out Google’s Nexus Offerings original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Planning on getting your hands on a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 tablet? Well you might want to hold off on doing so just yet, at least for a week or two because according to reports, it seems that Microsoft has quietly upgraded the CPU of the Surface Pro 2 tablet, giving it a bump in clock speed as well in terms of features, which oddly enough the company did not announce. Then again we guess many original Surface Pro 2 owners might not be pleased to hear that Microsoft is now selling an improved version while they’re running an “older” model. So what are the changes that Microsoft made?
Currently the Surface Pro 2 sports a Intel i5-4200U chipset clocked at 1.6GHz. The new Surface Pro 2 models run an Intel i5-4300U chipset clocked at a speedier 1.9GHz, which also includes Intel’s Trusted Execution Technology that helps improve software security. This little upgrade was discovered when one Surface Pro 2 owner swapped his faulty unit for a new one and discovered the changes. According to a statement made by Microsoft, “Microsoft routinely makes small changes to internal components over the lifetime of a product, based on numerous factors including supply chain partnerships, availability, and value for our customers.”
It is unclear why Microsoft makes these changes as it does seem a tad unfair to early adopters who might feel a little bit cheated that they paid the same amount but for older hardware, but in any case if you have yet to get the Surface Pro 2 tablet, you might want to hold off until older stock gets depleted, or head on over to the store and check out its hardware first before buying.
Microsoft Quietly Upgrades Surface Pro 2 Tablets With Newer Processors original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Apple’s iPhone was the only smartphone platform to gain market share over the holiday period, research indicates, though the competitive tablet segment saw greater interest in Amazon’s Kindle Fire and … Continue reading
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