Hasta La Gadget!

It just wouldn’t be a major Apple launch if there wasn’t a Microsoft executive calling out his old rival, would it? In a chat with AllThingsD, Windows division lead Steven Sinofsky has expressed doubts that Apple’s iPad mini is really a cost-effective pick against the just-launched Windows 8. It’s a $329 “recreational tablet” when there are work-ready Windows 8 laptops that cost $279, he says. He added that there are at least a few touchscreen Ultrabooks that could undercut the non-touch MacBook Air on price, and he ascribed the difference as much to “engineering” as the cost-cutting measures you’d expect.

Sinofsky was naturally just as keen to champion the advantages for work that Windows RT tablets like the Surface have when competing more directly with iPads, alluding to that Office bundle which hopefully keeps us more productive than a copy of Documents To Go. The company President would certainly disagree with Apple chief Tim Cook’s view that Surface is a confused product, calling it a “PC for everyone” that just doesn’t have to be used all the time. He makes valid points on the sheer value for money that you can get from both Windows PCs and tablets, although it would only be fair to mention that he didn’t touch on the currently low Windows RT app selection, or if the OS was exactly what the market wanted — we’d do well to remember that Microsoft alumni have a spotty track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s destiny.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Software, Apple, Microsoft

Microsoft’s Sinofsky says Windows 8 PCs can undercut Apple’s ‘recreational’ iPad mini originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We began hearing grumblings of delayed Surface deliveries in the very early hours of this morning, and it seems it’s not an unlucky few that are suffering, but an unlucky many. There were reports of delays to shipments in the UK and Canada less than a week ago, but Microsoft was quick to dismiss the claims as an error and put minds at rest. Now, it seems, the white flag has been waved and blame acknowledged. Eager to appease disgruntled customers, the company is offering a £50 or $50 Canadian coupon (depending on your accent) to spend in the Windows Store as recompense. While it provides little relief to those who had a shut-in weekend planned, at least you can trick out your new toy when it finally arrives, at Microsoft’s expense. And, if you’ve received neither a Surface nor a coupon, we suggest you reach out for the freebie — if your fingers aren’t hitting tiles, they might as well be hitting keys instead.

[Thanks to Daniel and all others who sent this in]

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Surface pre-order deliveries delayed in the UK and Canada, Microsoft offers coupon for the inconvenience originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As polished and functional as something might be in its preview days, a piece of work isn’t done until it is done, and Microsoft’s Office Web Apps have finally reached that point. Back in July, Redmond piped out preview versions of OWA and Office 365, focusing on adding tablet-friendly touch controls. Feedback from over 750,000 users and Windows 8’s impending deadline helped shaped today’s release, readying it for Microsoft’s latest operating system, IE10 and iOS 6. A pair of posts on the Office Web Apps Blog detail the new face of Office, including an improved authoring experience, better support for multi-user collaboration, faster performance and more. Read it for yourself at the source link below, or just log into Skydrive and get to work.

Filed under: Tablets, Internet, Software, Microsoft

New Office Web Apps get finalized for SkyDrive, Outlook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That meteor shower was a bust. I’ll never get back the five minutes I spent waiting to be awed. Anyone similarly impatient will be in gratification heaven for the next week, as the biggest cosmic bodies in the tech cosmos streak across the sky with announcements, device releases, price shifts and earnings reports.

Tossing astronomy aside for its failure to bedazzle, I turn to astrology to illuminate the upcoming eventful days. From a This Week in Astronomy blog: “A Venus-Pluto-Uranus T-square will be testing relationships and finances. The Sun enters Scorpio and aspects every slower planet except Pluto, and there’s an intense Mars-Jupiter opposition.” I don’t understand most of that, but I know about opposition. That fits. The energy of opposition crackles in the ecosystem warfare waged this week by Apple, Microsoft and Google.

Switching now from inscrutable astrology to fables (because next to cosmic messaging I like simple allegories to explain life), we can see that the slow-but-steady tortoise is placing the most audacious bet.

Continue reading Editorial: Turning point for the tortoise and the hare

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Apple, Microsoft, Google

Editorial: Turning point for the tortoise and the hare originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gorilla Glass 2 and a chassis forged from magnesium lend Microsoft’s Surface slates some durability, but the firm’s decided to prove just how tough its tablets are by turning one into a skateboard. The wheeled slice of Windows 8 is said to have been rolled out during a tour of Redmond’s Surface skunkworks, but Windows chief Steven Sinofksy couldn’t resist hopping on the board today and tweeting a pair of photos. You can pre-order your deck now, though something tells us this mod isn’t covered under Ballmer and Co.’s warranty.

Filed under: Microsoft

Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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