InformationWeek Stories by Michael Endler

InformationWeek Stories by Michael Endlerhttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2013-06-15T09:06:00ZWhy Microsoft Won't Release Office For The iPadMicrosoft finally brought Office to iOS. Make no mistake: Its goal is to sell Office 365 and Windows 8, not help Apple users.http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/why-microsoft-wont-release-office-for-th/240156732?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-apps-to-microsoft-office-365-10-l/240154989"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/993/GoogleApps_Office365_01_tn.jpg" alt="Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons" title="Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Earlier this year, a number of analysts declared that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/microsoft-eyes-outlook-for-rt-office-for/240152380">Microsoft could reap billions</a> by releasing Office for iOS. Make no mistake, the <a href="http://blogs.office.com/b/office-news/archive/2013/06/12/office-mobile-for-the-iphone-is-now-available-for-office-365-subscribers.aspx">version of Office for iPhone</a> that Redmond released Friday is not what those analysts were talking about. That's not to say the company won't make a lot of money due to the new offering, or to suggest the iOS apps won't be useful. But Office Mobile for iPhone is exactly that -- a <a href="https://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/microsoft-office-comes-to-iphone-1-hitch/240156694">product tailored specifically to the iPhone</a>. When tech commentators talk about Office's potential on iOS, iPad support is a big part of the equation. Unfortunately for many Apple customers, Microsoft is unlikely to make that move any time soon. The reason? Office Mobile -- which includes versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint -- isn't really about helping iOS users. Many of these users will certainly benefit from the apps, but that's incidental to Microsoft's real goal: pushing Office 365 subscriptions. Office 365 has been <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/microsoft-office-365-steps-on-google-ent/240154836">one of Microsoft's biggest success stories</a> over the last year. To many businesses, its cloud-based approach, which includes up to five machines on a single license, is more agile and easily managed than alternatives. For a number of scenarios, such as workflows that involve multiple devices per employee, Office 365 is also cheaper. To businesses that are already invested in the product, or that were on the fence about signing up, Office Mobile for iPhone only sweetens the deal. [ Will a Microsoft OS refresh cause business users to take another look at upgrading? See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-81-10-surprise-benefits/240156630?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows 8.1: 10 Surprise Benefits</a>. ] For consumers and BYOD users, Office 365's appeal has been somewhat less clear. Millions have old versions of Office on their home PCs, and for the majority of tasks, these aging editions are still adequate. Office 365, which is $100 annually for the Home Premium package, offers access to Microsoft's latest and greatest features -- but unless one needs to synch content across devices via the cloud, or have access to documents while on-the-go, many of the newest versions' enhancements simply won't warrant an upgrade. Even for new customers, Office 365 might not appeal. People who use Office on only one machine, and who aren't concerned about immediate upgrades, could also save money by buying the standalone version of Office 2013, for example. Microsoft wants to encourage upgrades, and would rather that customers opt for subscriptions, which provide a perpetual revenue stream, instead of standalone releases. By opening Office to iOS, it could advance this goal. Millions of iPhone-toting consumers who currently use Office on only one machine might now have a reason to use it on two. Likewise, many users who were satisfied with an antiquated version might be more tempted to upgrade. The new apps won't make Office 365 the standard in homes around the world, but they'll still attract new customers and generate millions -- at least -- in additional revenue. Still, despite the hoopla these apps are sure to create, Redmond hasn't really rocked the boat. Microsoft stresses that Office Mobile is a lightweight version of its desktop equivalent, not meant for in-depth content creation so much as document review and collaboration. The new product certainly enhances the iPhone's capabilities, but much of what it offers was either already available out of the box, or through a series of workarounds. Apple's mobile OS already allows viewers to view most types of Office files, for example, and mobile device management companies already offer iOS users the ability to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/mobile/zenprises-new-mdm-tools-emphasize-collab/240006950">access and annotate SharePoint files</a>. Office for Mobile goes beyond and simplifies these earlier solutions, of course, adding not only true document editing capabilities but also useful synching features, such as the ability to begin working on a document on a PC, leave and seamlessly resume work on an iPhone. Because they are official releases, the apps will be more stable and consistent than current solutions, and Redmond has intelligently built the app around the smartphone form factor. Word on iOS includes a Viewing tool, for example, that allows users to scan through outlines of larger documents, making it easier to manage a large volume of text on a small screen. But Office on the iPhone isn't a game-changer, from a mass market perspective. It essentially extends capabilities to the iPhone that were already available on Windows Phone 8. If these functions were so essential, one would think Microsoft's smartphones -- which have <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/windows-phone-8-rumors-sharpen/240156353">sold relatively well</a> but are still feeding on iOS and Android table scraps -- would have flown off shelves.A version of Office optimized for the iPad, in contrast, would have been a huge story -- but it also would have negated Windows 8's primary appeal over its tablet rivals. Yes, Win8 can run a lot of x86 applications, but outside of Office, most of this software involves pockets of niche users. Even with Windows 8.1 coming, Microsoft's OS won't win BYOD users on price, user interface or mobile app selection. Android and iOS are already too established on those fronts, which essentially leaves Office as Win8's broad appeal. The fact that the cheapest, most consumer-friendly <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-to-bundle-office-in-windows-81/240156155">Win8 tablets will soon come bundled with Office</a> certainly suggests as much. This need to protect Windows 8 explains why Microsoft has welcomed the iPhone but continues to shun the iPad. Office for iOS represents a careful balance; it has to be good enough to encourage Office 365 adoption but not so good that it cannibalizes Windows 8's potential consumer base. To be clear, Office Mobile will run on an iPad, but users will be forced to work in a tiny, iPhone-sized window, or to degrade the apps' visuals by scaling up the interface for the larger screen. In a blog post, Microsoft <a href="http://blogs.office.com/b/office365tech/archive/2013/06/14/office-mobile-for-iphone.aspx">suggested iPad users</a> will "have a more satisfying experience using Office Web Apps," the browser-based version that already allows Office 365 customers to access Office on Apple and Android tablets. Microsoft's probably right; many iPad users will prefer the browser edition to a re-appropriated iPhone app. But Web Apps are no replacement for the real thing. For starters, they simply aren't as rich and fully featured. Moreover, they require that the user be connected to the Internet, a requirement that -- as Microsoft has recently heard from legions of angry Xbox users -- isn't always practical. But Microsoft knows that the Web Apps are limited, and that's the point. The extent to which tablets are suited for content creation isn't completely clear, but if consumers are willing to base purchase decisions on the availability of Office, Microsoft wants these customers all to itself. If Windows 8 gains a better hold on the market, Redmond might loosen its grip. But until then, don't expect Office Mobile for iPhone to realign any paradigms, or for a tablet-optimized iOS version to hit the market. Disappointed iPad users can take solace in one tidbit from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, though: An <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/iwork-in-the-cloud-5-things-to-know/240156414"> improved, cloud-based version of iWork</a>, Apple's Office competitor, is coming.2013-06-12T15:07:00ZDell Latitude Tablets Go On DEA StakeoutsDrug Enforcement Agency testing tablets in its crime-fighting work.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/dell-latitude-tablets-go-on-dea-stakeout/240156543?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/tablet-buying-demystified-10-tips/240155502 "><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/1002/Pick-a-tablet_01_tn.png" alt="Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips" title="Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips</div></div>There's no denying that tablets have usurped many of the tasks that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-hasnt-hit-rock-bottom-yet/240155648">once belonged to PCs</a>. But what began as the transition of Web surfing, email, video and social media to a different form factor has since become a new way of doing work and driving efficiency. Doctors now use tablets to <a href="http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/31/majority.also.choose.the.iphone.over.android.for.healthcare.practices/">speed up turnarounds between patients</a>, airlines use them to <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/united-airlines/">save millions in fuel costs</a>, schools count on them to <a href=http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-learning-curve-two-customers-s/240155280>enhance the classroom experience</a>, and factory managers carry them for <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/ipads-in-factories-early-lessons-from-ge/240003608">the control room's view wherever they go</a>. After infiltrating so many industries, what will tablets take on next? The Drug Enforcement Agency has an idea: fighting crime. The DEA is currently testing Dell's Latitude 10 tablet, and could eventually roll out 6,000 of the devices to its employees. According to Mark Shafernich, the agency's CTO, the program could not only save the government millions in IT expenses but also help agents snare crooks. "[The DEA doesn't do] IT for IT's sake," he said in an interview. "Our users -- guys with guns, special agents -- are out there, on the street, doing surveillance." Tech expenses that don't support this goal, in other words, need not apply. [ New ultrabooks with instant-on capability and all-day battery life are moving in on laptops and tablets. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ultrabooks-game-just-changed/240155955?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Ultrabooks Game Just Changed</a>. ] The Latitude tablets might make the cut, though, because they could help the agency realize its decade-long goal of reducing the number of computers it maintains. Because DEA agents generally split their time between the field and the office, the agency must pay to service two devices -- a desktop and some kind of mobile device -- for each of these employees. Laptops might also have been a path to device consolidation, but tablets possess several advantages. The Latitudes are not only lighter and more mobile but also cheaper than the majority of comparably secure laptops, for example. They also possess vivid 10-inch screens that are ideal for viewing surveillance photos and other intelligence documents. "We don't have the money to do anything right now, with sequestration, but we're doing this," Shafernich said. "It's worth making this investment." A full tablet deployment might amount to $5 million in annual IT savings just by downsizing the number of devices the agency has to manage, said Shafernich. And that sum, although already substantial, could be just the tip of the iceberg. As agents begin to view more electronic documents on their devices, paper and printer costs could be dramatically reduced, he said. This would make agents more productive by allowing them to spend more time tracking suspects. "My guys spend one week out of every month coming back into the office to fill out paperwork. They've got a 25% downtime when they're not surveilling bad guys," Shafernich lamented. "We want [our agents] on the street, making cases." With the Latitudes, he foresees that more paperwork can be done in the field, meaning agents can spend less time sitting at a desk and more time pursuing leads. Because the tablets can dock into a keyboard to double as an ad-hoc laptop, "Guys can type at three in the morning while watching a dark apartment waiting for someone to come out." He cited other productivity-boosting mobile applications, such as looking at license plate readers from a car or anywhere else the agent might need to be. If agents can improve their efficiency, the DEA won't need to put more of them on the street, Shafernich pointed out, adding, "Think how big the labor savings could be." Shafernich said that agents initially expressed interest in the iPad but were put off by the fact that it doesn't even support mouse input, making it impractical as a laptop replacement, whereas the Latitudes boast a range of keyboards and secure peripherals. "The iPad has a sexy user interface. But this is a virtual desktop, so that sexiness goes away," Shafernich noted. Most agents work in Windows 7 via VDI, so the merits of Windows 8, the Latitude's native OS, was not why the DEA picked the tablet. Shafernich said mobile apps and touch are "fun outside of work" but that the Latitudes appeal because of their pragmatic qualities, such as easy integration into the agency's existing security and networking infrastructure. Time will tell whether tablets make field agents more efficient, but the DEA's interest nonetheless speaks to the many roles tablets are assuming in the workplace. Though in some ways they remain less powerful and ergonomically pleasing than a laptop or desktop, the devices have grown too functional to ignore, especially given the advantages of mobility and their low prices. The DEA's trial deployment avoids the issue of Windows 8's learning curve, but Microsoft's controversial OS is nonetheless poised to push the tablet appeal <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-reasons-things-are-looking-u/240155173">further than its competitors</a>. It remains the only tablet operating system that can run x86 applications, and given that Microsoft Office will soon come <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-to-bundle-office-in-windows-81/240156155">preinstalled on smaller tablets</a>, Microsoft seems intent on pushing this advantage. Windows 8.1, which will be released later this month as a public preview, is expected to improve the OS's user friendliness, and if it succeeds, Windows 8's combination of mobility and legacy compatibility could make it a BYOD force. The success of Microsoft's OS aside, the tablet's worthiness as an enterprise-class tool becomes more apparent with each passing month. PCs will remain the primary device for many employees, but it's clear that tablets' usefulness is only increasing, and they will be workplace fixtures for the foreseeable future.2013-06-11T16:41:00ZiRobot, Cisco Create Telepresence RobotThe day we send robots to work in our places might be closer we think, if Cisco and iRobot's hallway-roaming video-equipped robot, the Ava 500, proves a hit.http://www.informationweek.com/telecom/collaboration/irobot-cisco-create-telepresence-robot/240156471?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/education/k-12/learning-from-robots/240152041"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/971/FIRST_Robotics_Competition_01_tn.jpg" alt="Robotics Rumble: Teens Fight For Tech Glory" title="Robotics Rumble: Teens Fight For Tech Glory" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Robotics Rumble: Teens Fight For Tech Glory</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>In an episode of "The Big Bang Theory," a character, terrified that an accident might damage his valuable brain, sequesters himself in a room and sends out a ""Mobile Virtual Presence Device" to face his daily tasks and dangers. A remote-controlled robot with a video-chat broadcasting monitor for a head, the device is played for laughs in the TV show -- but in the enterprise, Cisco thinks the technology could boost productivity, especially in remote management situations. On Monday, the San Jose-based company and robotics vendor iRobot <a href="http://www.irobot.com/en/us/Company/Press_Center/Press_Releases/Press_Release.aspx?n=061013">announced the Ava 500</a>, a "video collaboration robot" infused with Cisco's TelePresence EX60 personal video software. Able to autonomously navigate environments, the device <a href="http://www.irobot.com/us/learn/commercial/ava500.aspx ">vaguely resembles a cylinder on wheels</a>, with a monitor and camera mounted on top to allow on-site workers to talk face-to-face with remote collaborators. Given that webcams are already used in remote meetings, and mobile video chats are now common due to smartphones and tablets, a robot might seem excessive. But Angie Mistretta, Cisco's director of telepresence solutions marketing, said current equipment simply isn't enough in some cases. [ Meet IBM's "Engagement Advisor," a computer that can take customer complaints. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/ibm-watson-gets-call-center-job/240155321?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Watson Gets Call Center Job</a>. ] In an interview, she said that mobile devices are great for quick, ad-hoc video sessions but impractical when it comes to sustained meetings or remote facility tours. Someone remotely watching such a tour would be subjected to "images like The Blair Witch Project, really shaky" if a handheld tablet were used to broadcast the video, she said. Desktops are tethered to a static point of view, which constrains their use. The Ava 500, in contrast, can "walk" alongside other meeting participants, allowing a remote user a stable, full-HD image of the proceedings. Even in stationary moments, the robot has a leg up on other video products because it lets users easily turn the device's "head," allowing participants to look around a location from thousands of miles away. For lengthy meetings in which range of motion and spontaneous action are important, in other words, the Ava 500 could be an alternative to in-person attendance. Mistretta suggested one scenario could involve a single facility, such as a factory, equipped with several robots. A remote manager could log into one, make rounds to check on operations throughout the site, and then log off, making the robot available to another distantly located colleague. With geographic and spatial barrier somewhat diminished, employees could work in one place while maintaining a tangible presence in several others, theoretically allowing companies to connect talent and resources in more productive ways. Marcio Macedo, director of product management at iRobot, said the Ava 500 is an enterprise-grade device that complies with the same IT security standards as Cisco's other TelePresence products, and can hook into companies' existing, standards-based communication platforms. <center><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/news/2013/06/Ava500_HallwayConversation.jpg" alt="Ava 500" title="Ava 500" width="558" height="428" /></center> Macedo also stressed the Ava 500's autonomy. Users rely on an iPad app, which will eventually expand to other platforms, to remotely control the device. But aside from turning the Ava 500's camera or directing the robot's movement within a small space, users leave the navigational duties to the device itself. Macedo said that the first time a robot tours a facility, it uses a variety of embedded sensors to make a "map" that it uses thereafter to chart courses. The sensors also enable the robot to alter these courses on the fly, adapting to accommodate anything from passing foot traffic to piles of boxes left in a hallway. If a site adds subsequent robots, the newer models can share the original Ava 500's maps, allowing companies to quickly ramp up. When the Ava 500 completes a session, it automatically returns to its charging station. While it is en route, it can travel in either "private" mode, in which its TelePresence screen is blank, or "public" mode, in which the screen is active, allowing the user to see the robot's journey, and for people along the Ava 500's path to see the user's face on the screen. If the user chooses, she can even make the robot stop so she can chat with those it meets along the way. IDC reported last month that IT spending on video conferencing equipment was down in the first quarter, but the research firm still <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24133913">maintained a positive outlook for the industry</a>, noting video's increasing role as a "key component of collaboration." It remains to be seen if products such as the Ava 500 will be the ones to restart spending, but interested companies can expect the robots to become available in early 2014.2013-06-10T14:53:00ZWindows Phone 8 Rumors SharpenThanks to the discovery of a prototype Nokia phone allegedly left on a bus, Windows Phone 8 users get peek at features including a Siri rival.http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/windows-phone-8-rumors-sharpen/240156353?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/10-best-and-worst-cellphones-of-all-time/240152362"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/975/Best-Worst-Cellphones-screen-1_tn.png" alt="Best And Worst Cellphones Of All Time" title="Best And Worst Cellphones Of All Time" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best And Worst Cellphones Of All Time</div>(click image for slideshow)</div>Apple's much-anticipated update to iOS won't be the only phone platform making news this week. Windows Phone 8 also has been building buzz in recent days, thanks to the alleged discovery of a Nokia Lumia 920 prototype running an early build of the mobile OS's next version. Screenshots of the revamped OS were <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/1fwrgb/got_a_920_off_ebay/">posted over the weekend to Reddit</a> and other social media sites. Among visible tweaks, the inclusion of a Notification Center is the standout. Microsoft admitted last November that it considered including the feature when Windows Phone 8 <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-phone-8-star-features/240012582">launched in October</a> but <a href="http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2012/2-019">"ran out of time."</a> The Notification Center has unsurprisingly figured in Windows Phone <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/26/3692620/microsoft-apollo-plus-windows-phone-update">update rumors</a> ever since. The screenshots also depict new calendar views, additional ways to sort apps, and hints that Microsoft is readying not only improved multi-tasking capabilities, but perhaps even a Siri competitor called Cortana, after the artificially intelligent character from Halo. [ How business friendly is Windows Phone 8? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/windows-phone-8-gets-business-needs/240155453?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows Phone 8 'Gets' Business Needs</a>. ] Microsoft has not officially acknowledged the leak, but The Verge, citing sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, reported that the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/9/4411976/lost-windows-phone-retrieved-by-microsoft">images are legitimate</a>. The site stated, however, that the Lumia 920 from which the screenshots were taken is an early prototype, and that Microsoft will not release an update until next year. Windows Phone Central, meanwhile, was told by "a trusted source" that some of the update's leaked features, including the Notification Center, <a href="http://www.wpcentral.com/leaked-screenshots-windows-phone-developer-build-show-notification-center-and-more">have been removed</a> from later builds. Apple famously <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone">lost a prototype iPhone in a bar</a>, and it appears Microsoft's phone infiltrated the wild through a similar mishap. The phone was allegedly purchased via Craigslist, according to The Verge, which contacted the user who posted screenshots to Reddit. The buyer said he noticed suspicious details right away, such as a "MSFT" etching, which doesn't appear on retail phones, on the back. He said Microsoft contacted him via personal information revealed in the screenshots, and that the company said the prototype had been lost on a bus. The buyer agreed to exchange the illicit phone for a replacement. Although the leak does not provide any definitive insight into Microsoft's plans for Windows Phone 8, it's likely that official details will follow in coming months. The platform has fared relatively well since hitting the market late last year; according to IDC, the OS <a href="http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=37">snared 3.2%</a> of the smartphone market during the first quarter, tripling its year-over-year share. Thanks in part to the fledgling success of <a href="http://www.wpsuperfanboy.com/nokia-lumia-520-doubles-windows-phone-market-share-to-9-in-less-than-a-month/">low-end models</a>, research firm Canalys recently projected that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/windows-phone-primed-to-surge-canalys-sa/240155991">Windows Phone 8 will claim 12.7% of the market</a> by 2017, putting it within striking distance of Apple's iOS for second place. Still, such long-term projections are ripe for disruption, and neither Apple nor Google, whose Android platform is expected to remain the top smartphone OS for the foreseeable future, is standing pat. To maintain its momentum, Microsoft will be pushing updates as well, and though the company has yet to reveal its timeline, it's likely only a matter of time until some of the recently-hinted features are officially confirmed.2013-06-08T09:06:00ZWindows 8: Microsoft Makes 6 Big BetsMicrosoft revealed more about Windows 8.1 at the Computex and TechEd conferences, clarifying its OS and device strategy. Here's what's next for users.http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-microsoft-makes-6-big-bets/240156252?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/8-useful-free-apps-for-windows-8/240154590"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/992/Intro_01_tn.jpg" alt="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" title="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Windows 8.1 won't be officially revealed until Microsoft's Build Conference, which kicks off on June 26 in San Francisco. But that didn't stop the company from teasing the much-anticipated update at two major conferences last week: Microsoft's own TechEd in New Orleans, and Computex, the PC mega-expo in Taipei, Taiwan. The extent to which Microsoft has taken the wraps off Windows 8.1 is anyone's guess, as much of what has been revealed aligns with rumors and leaks that have been circulating throughout the spring. Even so, several aspects of Microsoft's Windows 8 strategy have come into sharper focus over the last several days. Based on Microsoft's latest comments, here are six key strategies we expect to see. 1. Microsoft Will Embrace The Post-PC Era. Traditional PCs clearly are not obsolete. That's the view of Microsoft and most anyone who recognizes how many essential business applications are suited neither for touch interfaces nor small screens. But whereas desktops and PCs were once the only personal computing vehicles available, tablets have usurped many common duties, while also enabling the kind of mobile uses older machines can't offer. This shift challenges how we define what counts as a computer and what doesn't, and Microsoft recognizes that the path forward demands a variety of device categories and sizes. [ Just how hard is it to learn Windows 8? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-learning-curve-two-customers-s/240155280?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows 8 Learning Curve: Two Customers Speak</a>. ] In an interview at TechEd, Brad McCabe, senior product marketing manager of Windows Commercial, said it's "great" that some people prefer tablets, others laptops, and others convertibles. "That's the beauty of touch," he said. Microsoft's acknowledgement of this choice is implicit in two of its recent actions: by <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-to-bundle-office-in-windows-81/240156155">bundling Microsoft Office with smaller tablets</a>, the company is appealing to mobility-minded users, but by implementing a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767"> boot-to-desktop mode</a> and expanding system controls such that desktop devotees need not deal with the new Modern UI any more than they want, Microsoft is also showing that traditional users remain an important demographic. It remains to be seen, of course, if Microsoft's decisions -- such as a Start button that lacks a Start menu -- will strike a chord with users. But the company's dedication to diverse devices is clear. 2. Microsoft Will Commit To Touch. Although OEMs have mostly accepted touchscreens, they continue to roll out <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/hps-new-pcs-everything-but-the-kitchen-s/240155447">non-touch options</a>. But Nick Parker, corporate VP of Microsoft's OEM division, told PC World that <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040820/eight-questions-about-windows-8-for-microsoft-oem-chief-nick-parker.html ">"touch is going to be the new standard,"</a> and that he has observed a surge in the popularity of laptop-tablet hybrids popular because they offer "the best of both worlds." The attitude draws an important line between Windows and its nearest competitor, Apple's OS X. Apple, the same company that started the touchscreen craze with the iPhone and iPad, has taken a more reserved approach to touch on desktops and laptops than Microsoft. True, OS X has gradually grown to look more like iOS, and its users can still use swipes, pinches and other gestures. But the touch controls are delivered via track pads, not touchscreens. Apple could always surprise everyone by changing course, especially with new Mac models expected at next week's Apple developers' conference. But if the laptop-desktop hegemony has been disrupted by new form factors, Apple and Microsoft are posing another choice for users: not just between Windows and OS X, but between touch controls that function mostly as an extension of the user's keyboard-and-mouse experience, as in Apple's implementations, and those that require users to lift their hands from the keyboard to tap the screen.3. Microsoft Will Pitch Windows 8's Usefulness As An Enterprise Tool. At TechEd, McCabe predicted Windows 8 enterprise adoption could pick up substantially in 2014, noting that Microsoft's guidance to existing Windows XP customers is to simply "get off XP," and that the company advises Windows 7 customers to investigate Windows 8 "where it makes sense," while keeping touch-equipped models in mind for next year's hardware refreshes. This viewpoint somewhat re-contextualizes Microsoft's meager enterprise market share. Many companies are far too invested in Windows 7 migrations to consider Windows 8, and most IT administrators wait until a service pack has been issued before deploying a new OS anyway. Moreover, Windows 7's lead over Windows 8 is somewhat inflated because whereas Win7 had the advantage of following the infamously panned Windows Vista, Win8 had to follow what is currently the most popular PC platform in the world. Windows 8 was never going to be an immediate enterprise smash, in other words, which is why so much of Microsoft's early efforts were dedicated to courting consumers. Even so, Windows 8's enterprise adoption rate is <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-courts-businesses-with-windows/240156141">unusually low</a>. And despite the attention Microsoft paid to consumers and BYOD, the OS's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-adoption-hits-new-low/240155994">overall adoption rate also has been lackluster</a>. Clearly, tricky timing isn't the only reason Win8 has struggled. Nevertheless, as long as Microsoft has an attractive Windows offering ready by the time enterprises are ready for mass deployments of a new OS, its big share of the enterprise market should remain intact. Google, Apple, Samsung or some other challenger could always release something disruptive, so Microsoft can't wait forever -- but redirecting its Win8 messaging was one of Microsoft's goals at TechEd, where the company made its most substantive pitch yet for <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/events/teched/liveevent.aspx">Windows 8.1 as a useful tool in the enterprise</a>. At the conference, the company previewed Win8.1 additions that range from automatic VPNs to NFC-enabled wireless printing to user-friendly but powerful cloud connections, and it's likely that other IT-centric tweaks are being withheld until Build. 4. Microsoft Will Push Affordability. The first touch-equipped Windows 8 devices were off-puttingly expensive, but as Windows CFO/CMO Tami Reller <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Speeches/2013/06-05Computex.aspx">noted at Computex</a>, the next range of devices will span the entire cost spectrum, from entry-level models that will presumably challenge the iPad Mini's price to premium models that will run over $1,000. At TechEd, the potential impact of lower prices was on full display. Throughout the conference, <a href="http://www.neowin.net/news/teched-2013-surface-deal-is-a-success">attendees waited by the hundreds in two-hour lines</a> to buy $99 Surface RTs and $399 Surface Pros, which were discounted by about 80% and 60%, respectively. In stark contrast to the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-momentum-will-pop-up-stores-he/240012472">relatively modest crowds</a> that turned out when the Surface RT hit stores last December, the TechEd crowds looked like those that normally queue up for an iPhone launch. Of course, TechEd might not be the best example of growing enthusiasm for Windows 8 devices. For one thing, it's a Microsoft conference, where the people in attendance are naturally biased toward Microsoft products. For another, it appears that not everyone in that line planned to use the devices they bought. By last Friday, <a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/06/teched-surface-deal-leads-to-ebay-glut/">eBay had about 10 times as many Surface listings</a> as it did before the conference.5. Microsoft Hopes To Lure Consumers With Office. At Computex, Microsoft announced it will bundle Office software with certain x86-based Windows 8 tablets and include a version of Outlook on future Windows RT models. Given that the company is refusing, despite the promise of billions in additional revenue, to extend Office to iOS or Android, the writing is on the wall: if Win8's Modern UI can't draw buyers, the<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-reasons-things-are-looking-u/240155173">ability to run Office on a low-cost, ultraportable tablet might do the trick</a>. Slates that run Office, the crème de la crème of all legacy apps, fill an undeniable market need. Given that Microsoft is positioning Windows 8 as the only platform that can fill that need, it's clear the company expects pre-installed versions of Office to drive adoption, especially since the software will arrive primarily on devices with lower, consumer-friendly price points. 6. Microsoft's RT Strategy? Still Nonexistent. Windows RT has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-rt-woes-htc-scraps-tablet/240155935">struggled so much</a> that it actually makes Windows 8's slow adoption look like a rousing success. Part of the problem is that Microsoft has failed to explain the appeal of the light version of the OS, which features the new Modern UI but can't run x86 apps. When Surface RT was released, it included versions of several Microsoft Office products but was otherwise confined to Windows Store apps, which were lacking in both quantity and quality at the time. Even without addressing consumers' divisive reaction to the Modern UI, it's easy to see why Win RT sales were so poor; at almost twice the cost of the base iPad Mini, the Surface RT's unique features didn't justify its huge price premium. Since then, most OEMs have ramped down or terminated their plans for RT models. Future RT devices will be less expensive, but so will tablets that run the full Windows 8 OS, including Atom-based models that could fall in the $300-$400 range. Unless the next round of Windows RT devices are incredibly cheap -- less than $250, say -- there's no reason why buyers shouldn't skip RT and go straight to devices with the full OS. Parker, in his conversation with PC World, didn't help matters. On one hand, he defended RT's struggles as "the incremental growth of a new platform." On the other, he admitted Microsoft "could maybe have inspired people a bit more with some of the RT devices and some of our marketing," although he didn't elaborate. Recent rumors suggest a new RT-based Surface model could appear later this month at Build, so time will tell if Microsoft, after essentially striking out at its first at-bat, manages to inspire consumers with its newest attempt.2013-06-05T15:20:00ZMicrosoft To Bundle Office In Windows 8.1 TabletsMicrosoft says Win8.1 tablets will include Office, and Windows RT will get Outlook. Will these changes bolster Win8's BYOD progress?http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-to-bundle-office-in-windows-81/240156155?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/991/Windows-Blue-Blue-1st-screen_tn.jpg" alt="Windows Blue" title="LinkedIn: 10 Important Changes" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows Blue</div> </div> Microsoft announced Wednesday that Windows RT tablets will soon include a version of Outlook, and that many tablets that run the full OS will come bundled with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Windows CFO/CMO Tami Reller <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Speeches/2013/06-05Computex.aspx">delivered the news during a keynote at this week's Computex computer show</a> in Taipei, Taiwan, stating that the pre-installed Office software will arrive later this year with Windows 8.1. The keynote also included the first public demonstration of Microsoft's forthcoming Win8 update (formerly code-named Windows Blue), which will be released later this month as a public preview. The move, which had been rumored throughout the spring, affirms Office as one of Win8's primary appeals over iPads and Android-based tablets. Redmond officials <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-courts-businesses-with-windows/240156141">touted the enterprise value of Windows 8.1's tweaked UI and security enhancements</a> at both Computex and TechEd, a Microsoft conference running this week in New Orleans, but commentators have so far been divided on the update. Some have praised Microsoft for reinstating the Start button, while others are dismayed that the button eschews Windows 7's familiar Start menu. [ Enterprises haven't exactly been lining up for Win8. Will 8.1 change the game? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-courts-businesses-with-windows/240156141?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Microsoft Courts Businesses With Windows 8.1 Reveal</a>. ] The inclusion of Office, though, is less controversial; Windows 8 is still the only tablet platform that can run legacy x86 software, and among these applications, Microsoft's long-running productivity suite is easily the most widely used. As a result, Microsoft Office plays a central role in Windows 8's BYOD potential. With many businesses still invested heavily in Windows 7 migrations, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-adoption-hits-new-low/240155994">enterprise adoption of the OS has been particularly sluggish</a>, even compared to other new Windows releases, which corporations typically avoid until a service pack has been issued. For the time being, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8s-best-chance-depends-on-byod/240155033">the OS's fortunes consequently rest with consumers</a>, and now that device prices are coming down, a tablet that runs both Angry Birds and Microsoft Office <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-reasons-things-are-looking-u/240155173">fills an ostensible market gap</a>. Alluding to this point, Reller said in her keynote, "Bringing the power of Windows to tablets is a really big part of the vision of Windows 8 and of Windows RT. [They are] really a new class of tablets that offers more value and capability than today's tablets." Redmond also <a href="http://blogs.office.com/b/office-news/archive/2013/06/05/outlook-2013-rt-coming-to-windows-rt-tablets-as-part-of-windows-8-1-update.aspx">reiterated Office's importance in a blog post</a> that complemented Reller's announcement, noting a May 2012 Morgan Stanley study that found 61% of tablet shoppers ranked Microsoft Office as their most important software. For Windows RT, the addition of Outlook provides a useful enterprise upgrade. The OS launched with pre-installed versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote but forced users to rely on either the stripped-down features of Win8's native Mail app or a Web-based alternative. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-rt-woes-htc-scraps-tablet/240155935">WinRT has struggled</a> to the extent that it makes <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-adoption-hits-new-low/240155994">Windows 8's anemic market share look healthy</a>, so Outlook alone might not be enough to revitalize the platform, which, notwithstanding its Office apps, lacks x86 compatibility. Even so, with so many users already accustomed to Outlook, the inclusion can only help. As for tablets that run the full version of Windows 8, Reller said, "Starting with the back-to-school lineup, and in some cases even earlier, Windows x86 tablets will come with Office." The bundle will not include Outlook, however, and though Reller did not expressly say so, a Redmond representative told Engadget that the deal <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/05/microsoft-office-free-with-windows-8/"> applies only to tablets with screen sizes of 10 inches or less</a>. Though this disqualifies <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/hps-new-pcs-everything-but-the-kitchen-s/240155447">some models</a>, it should include the bulk of low-cost options -- a point Reller emphasized when she noted that OEMs are building opening price point tablets as well as great premium tablets. It remains to be seen, of course, if users find Office useful on smaller devices, which are associated more with content consumption than document creation. Still, if OEMs produce ergonomically pleasing keyboard docks, smaller Win8 tablets could at least somewhat buck this trend. It's also possible that some users want a device that not only offers an ultraportable connection to the office but that can also connect to an external monitor for more intensive tasks. For such cases, Win8.1 devices, even those with small screens, will be in a class by themselves. Though Office plays a crucial role in Win8's prospects, Reller also praised the OS's divisive Modern UI, the growing catalogue of Windows Store apps, and the changes that Win8.1 will soon bring. Users have been <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">less impressed with Microsoft's new interface</a>, however, and it's unclear if Redmond's update will change that. On that theme, corporate VP for Windows program management Antoine Leblond joined Reller onstage to deliver the first public demonstration of Windows 8.1's new features. Redmond also <a href="http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2013/06/05/new-ecosystem-opportunities-windows-8-1-updates-shared-at-computex.aspx">posted a video to its Windows blog</a>, in which Jensen Harris of the Windows User Experience Team covers the same ground Leblond did, even using most of the same phrasing. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VQb5caeSo00" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> For the most part, Leblond's presentation included only the Win8.1 features he'd <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767">already confirmed in a recent blog post</a>. Microsoft is withholding many details until June 26, when it will detail the update at its Build conference in San Francisco, so it's no surprise that the Computex demo was light on new information. What little Leblond revealed simply elaborated on known features and involved minor-but-useful upgrades, such as the ability to snap a photo or answer a Skype call without unlocking the device. Even so, the Modern UI in the demo appeared more engaging than the current version, thanks in part to new controls that let users customize backgrounds and Live Tile sizes. Leblond argued that these tweaks are functional as well as aesthetic, noting, for instance, that larger tiles mean more information can be viewed with a quick glance. This sort of flexibility is useful, but it's probably not enough to sway would-be Windows 8 users who are still on the fence. With Win8.1's big reveal less than a month away, though, these users will soon know what else Redmond is bringing to the table.2013-06-05T12:05:00ZDell Challenges Cisco, HP With Converged Infrastructure LineupDell's newly expanded hardware and software range gives small offices and large data centers storage, networking, and computing in a single chassis.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/virtualization/dell-challenges-cisco-hp-with-converged/240156111?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-apps-to-microsoft-office-365-10-l/240154989"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/993/GoogleApps_Office365_01_tn.jpg" alt="Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons" title="Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Dell on Tuesday unveiled an expanded range of converged infrastructure products, opening the technology, which Dell had previously pitched to large enterprises, to new classes of customers. Designed to simplify daily IT tasks and enable companies to more rapidly provision and deploy virtual machines, the offerings not only combine storage, networking, and computing into a single chassis but also bring all components under the control of a single management console. The announcements could help Dell -- which has soldiered this year through both the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-earnings-may-disappoint/240154986">PC market's decline</a> and CEO Michael Dell's ongoing bid to take the company <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-posts-weak-earnings-services-growth/240155126">private</a> -- to assert the software and service capabilities it has built over the last several years. The converged infrastructure space is ripe for growth, and a leading role could convince many of Dell's critics that the company has truly, as its founder and CEO declared last December, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/michael-dell-our-transformation-is-compl/240144292">outgrown its PC roots</a>. Dell faces competition from HP, Cisco and others, but with its newly diversified line-up, the company hopes to stand out from the crowd. The new hardware and software products, all of which were revealed during this week's Dell Enterprise Forum in San Jose, Calif., include the PowerEdge VRTX, which targets small enterprises, remote offices and other environments where space, power and IT resources are at a premium. Dell claims the VRTX uses up to 86% fewer cables than non-converged products, and that a new system can be installed and set to deploy virtual machines within a matter of hours. The product can handle four servers running as many as 100 virtual machines each, as well as up to 50 TB of shared storage. [ Find out how Dell fits into the cloud. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/dell-buys-enstratius-extends-cloud-reach/240154275?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Dell Buys Enstratius, Extends Cloud Reach</a>. ] Dell has not revealed specific pricing, but a basic system should be <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040771/dell-takes-converged-systems-to-small-sites-with-poweredge-vrtx.html">less than $10,000</a>. PowerEdge VRTX bundles will go on sale June 26 and will include Chassis Management Controller, which allows IT to manage the complete system from a single pane of glass. The company also introduced new members of its Active System family, which caters mostly to the data center needs of larger enterprises. Previously, the product line had included only the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/dell-strives-to-simplify-the-data-center/240009367">Active System 800</a>, which Dell introduced last fall. The new entrants -- numbered 50, 200 and 1000 -- target a variety of storage, networking and application requirements, and include new validated workloads and reference architectures designed to speed up common tasks, such as virtual desktop or private cloud workloads. Like the VRTX configurations, Active System hardware also ships stacked-and-racked, meaning IT managers can essentially plug in the machine and begin loading software. Thanks to these attributes, Dell claims the new products cut the time and steps necessary to provision new workloads by up to 99%, and that implementation of new virtual infrastructure can be up to six times faster than existing products. The expanded Active System line also includes Active System Manager 7.1, which, like the VRTX's Chassis Management Controller, allows storage, networking and computing to be managed from a single screen. The new version includes technology from Dell's acquisition of Gale Technologies, a cloud orchestration company <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/dells-gale-buy-points-to-cloud-focus/240142281">purchased last fall</a>, and includes support for Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSphere platforms. Although Dell obviously would like to sell customers a complete, top-to-bottom product, Active System manager 7.1 also can be installed in heterogeneous environments. In addition to the general Active System packages, which will go on sale in August, Dell also announced Active Infrastructure for HPC Life Sciences, a version optimized to meet the escalating computing needs of medical researchers. The product can, based on Dell's testing, process up to 38 genomes per day. Such a pace would have been unheard of only a few years ago but is now opening new avenues for battling cancer, designing personalized medicines and related tasks. In a phone interview, Andy Rhodes, executive director of Dell Converged Infrastructure Solution, said the new products amount to "solving customer problems, rather than shipping a bunch of hardware." Calling the company "a very different Dell than we used to be," he said substantial investments have been made to retrain the sales staff for the new direction. When asked how Dell differentiates itself from its competitors, Rhodes said Dell stands out because it owns all of the technology in its products. Marius Haas, Dell's president of Enterprise Solutions, offered similar sentiments at an event earlier this year in San Francisco, where he also argued that Dell has an edge because it, unlike competitors such as HP, does not have legacy data center revenue streams to protect. "You need IP in all parts of the solution stack," Rhodes said, adding that Active System combines many of Dell's acquisitions -- Gale, EqualLogic, Compellent and Force10, among others -- into a cohesive whole. "We have that, HP has that, but Cisco and EMC have to rely on each other. They're great companies, but they can't understand [converged infrastructures] the way a company that owns the IP does."2013-06-05T10:27:00ZMicrosoft Courts Businesses With Windows 8.1 RevealNew report suggests Win8 is a no-show in the enterprise. Can Windows 8.1's business-centric features, revealed this week at TechEd, reverse the trend?http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-courts-businesses-with-windows/240156141?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/8-useful-free-apps-for-windows-8/240154590"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/992/Intro_01_tn.jpg" alt="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" title="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Speaking during Monday's keynote at the company's TechEd Conference in New Orleans, Microsoft representatives <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/events/teched/liveevent.aspx">made the case for Windows 8.1 in the enterprise</a>. A day later, a new report reinforced that businesses might need more convincing. On Tuesday, SysAid Technologies, a Tel Aviv, Israel, maker of IT management software, said that as of April, only 0.53% of its corporate customers' computers were running Windows 8. It also found that fewer than 12% of the 2,000 corporations around the world that it sampled had deployed Win8 in any capacity, and that around three-fifths of this group has installed the OS on fewer than 10% of its machines. Aggregately, various Windows versions still power more than 90% of the world's PCs. But as the BYOD trend has gained steam, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-hasnt-hit-rock-bottom-yet/240155648">PCs have ceded ground to smartphones and tablets</a> and iOS and Android have started to eat into Redmond's de facto monopoly over workplace computing. Because Windows 8 is the first Microsoft platform intended to serve users' growing preference for touch interfaces and mobile devices, much has been made of the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8s-best-chance-depends-on-byod/240155033">OS's consumer appeal</a>. To date, that appeal has been limited, due not only to Redmond's late entry into the tablet market, but also Win8's massively overhauled interface, which has been <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/peripherals/microsoft-to-windows-8-haters-try-this-m/240155498">criticized as not only confusing</a> but also of little use for desktop users. [ Will Win8.1 resolve the key problems with Windows 8? See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570?itc=edit_in_body_cross">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows 8.1</a>. ] According to Net Applications, which monitors 160 million users and 40,000 websites, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">Windows 8 claimed 3.82% of the market in April</a> -- not a great number, but substantially better than the meager 0.53% rate that SysAid recorded among enterprise users. Net Applications found that Win8's reach expanded to 4.27% in May, eclipsing Windows Vista's share for the first time, but posting its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-adoption-hits-new-low/240155994">worst month-over-month gains</a> since launching last fall. Monday at TechEd, Microsoft representatives described Windows 8 in terms of BYOD, but rather than emphasizing consumer trends, keynote speakers framed the message largely around IT manageability and workplace productivity. In building their argument, officials revealed several new details about Windows 8.1, an update, formerly codenamed Windows Blue, that will be released as a public preview on June 26 at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco. Windows 8.1's official release is expected to follow by the end of the year. Newly divulged Win8.1 details include several features related to wireless networking. NFC technology, for example, will allow Windows 8.1 users to print documents by simply tapping their devices to a printer. If a device lacks appropriate drivers, the OS will automatically install necessary updates. In a similar vein, the update will also include native support for the Miracast wireless display standard, enabling users to more easily connect to projectors for presentations. For IT administrators, Windows 8.1 will include a feature that automatically establishes a VPN connection when an employee attempts to access sensitive corporate content, as well as an "Assigned Access" mode that, much like the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/apple-ios-6-app-lock-enterprise-ready/240007362">App Lock function</a> that Apple debuted in iOS 6, allows admins to restrict the OS to a single app. This feature targets single-use applications, such as kiosks, though Microsoft also used TechEd to tout Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry, which is aimed at point-of-sale and digital signage needs, and includes additional admin tools. Win8.1 will also allow IT to control the start screen's layout. Microsoft confirmed last week that the update will allow users to more granularly customize the Live Tiles that populate the start screen, but the feature announced Monday effectively allows companies to deactivate this flexibility and ensure a uniform appearance across all corporate-controlled Window 8.1 devices. More closely tied to BYOD concerns, the update will enable IT to remotely wipe business data without affecting a device's personal content. Windows 8.1 will also support Open Mobile Alliance Device Management specifications, allowing admins to more easily install many leading mobile device management products. The keynote also disclosed that Windows 8.1 will allow users to create a Wi-Fi hotspot with devices that have integrated 3G or 4G connectivity. A Monday TechEd Session, meanwhile, revealed that the update will <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/4/4394486/windows-8-1-fingerprint-reader-support-secure-folders-with-finger">include native support for fingerprint readers</a>, and that the authentication feature can be linked to individual folders.Though these new features will probably be welcomed by those who currently use or manage the OS, it's not yet clear if the update will reverse Windows 8's enterprise struggles. To an extent, it's unsurprising that Win8's corporate adoption trails its overall adoption; businesses rarely rush to migrate to a new platform, usually preferring to wait until a service pack or major update has addressed bugs and improved reliability. Even in this context, though, and despite <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/what-microsoft-windows-8-license-numbers/240154345">Microsoft's claims to the contrary</a>, Windows 8 has underperformed. SysAid noted, for example, that Windows 7 had already gobbled up 11.3% of the enterprise market at the same point in its release cycle, compared to the 4.27% rate for Win8 that Net Applications reported in May. In an interview at TechEd, Brad McCabe, senior product marketing manager of Windows Commercial, said that corporate OS upgrades demand "a lot of nuance" and are usually "customer-by-customer conversations." Still, he projected enthusiasm for Win8.1's chances, and implied that Microsoft is taking a measured approach to the new era of touch-centric computing. McCade said, for example, that Microsoft's guidance to Windows XP customers is simply "get off XP to a modern operating system." He noted that it doesn't make sense to disrupt businesses' already-in-motion migration plans, most of which involve Windows 7. McCade said that Microsoft recommends Windows 8 to Windows 7 customers "where it makes sense." He said tablet deployments have been one such area, but also noted that upgrades have also been motivated by the OS's security and virtual desktop infrastructure enhancements. "Each customer has their sweet spot," he explained. McCade suggested Microsoft is hoping widespread Windows 8 upgrades will occur in 2014, and that customers are encouraged to think about touch-equipped devices as they begin to plan hardware refreshes. Once these devices are more ubiquitous, he said, "we'll probably see Windows 8 spread much broader." There are <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-reasons-things-are-looking-u/240155173">several reasons</a> to believe McCade is right, at least to an extent. Windows 8 is still the only platform that offers tablet apps and legacy x86 compatibility in one package. Poor reviews were likely a factor in the OS's inauspicious debut -- but other forces, such as the first touch-equipped Win8 models' prohibitively high prices, were also contributors. Though the jury is still out regarding Win8.1's impact on poor word of mouth, many of the other factors are changing. Now that device prices are falling, for example, Windows 8's value proposition is much clearer. For evidence, one need look no further than the huge line of people waiting to buy heavily discounted Surface models at TechEd. To be fair, the conference's attendees don't necessarily represent the whims of the larger market, particularly consumers. Nevertheless, the promise of $100 Surface RTs and $300 Surface Pros compelled some attendees to queue up for more than two hours. That's the sort of response that's more typical of Apple's user base. Assuming all those Surfaces don't end up on eBay by next week, that's saying something. Most of this potential for growth, though, involves mobile devices. Windows 8 offers under-the-hood refinements relative to Windows 7 and its the touch-oriented Modern UI, which many mouse-and-keyboard users have deemed more distracting than useful. Windows 8.1 will address this criticism with a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767">modified version of the start button</a>, which was notoriously omitted from Win8's original version, as well as a boot-to-desktop mode that not only bypasses the new start screen, but should also enable users to avoid using Live Tiles altogether. Nonetheless, it's unclear how successfully Microsoft has mollified the concerns of its core users, or how much Win8.1's undisclosed features will add to the mix. Aside from the Windows 8.1 news, <a href="https://www.informationweek.com/software/information-management/microsoft-debuts-next-gen-server-softwar/240155929">Microsoft's other announcements at TechEd</a> included Windows Server 2012 RS, System Center 2012 R2, SQL-Server 2014 and updates to Windows Intune.2013-06-03T14:05:00ZWindows 8 Adoption Hits New LowAfter stabilizing over the last few months, Windows 8 adoption fell off a cliff in May. Can Windows 8.1 turn things around this summer?http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-adoption-hits-new-low/240155994?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/991/Windows-Blue-Blue-1st-screen_tn.jpg" alt="Windows Blue" title="LinkedIn: 10 Important Changes" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows Blue</div> </div> Windows 8 finally has more users than Windows Vista, according to the <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/">newest figures released by market-tracking firm Net Applications</a>. Even so, Microsoft's controversial OS posted its worst improvement rate to date, falling farther behind legacy comparisons. As a result, pressure continues to mount on Windows 8.1 (previously called Windows Blue) the major update that is expected to debut as a public preview later this month. Windows 8 snared 4.27% of the market in May, up from 3.82% in April. Windows 7, meanwhile, continued to be the world's most-used OS; it already led the field in April with 44.7% of users but nonetheless managed to increase its reach to 44.85% of the market. Windows XP, which will lose support in less than a year, held on to 37.74% of the market, off 1.5% from April's 38.3%. Windows Vista -- one of the most criticized operating systems in Microsoft history, and the product critics most often compare to Windows 8 -- clung to 4.5% of the market, easing from last month's 4.75%. May was the first month that Win8's user share exceeded that of its derided predecessor. Though Windows 8 finally moved out of Vista's shadow, the last few weeks nonetheless painted a discouraging picture of the OS's progress. [ What are the most important fixes Redmond should make? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/5-windows-8-gripes-microsoft-must-addres/240155687?itc=edit_in_body_cross">5 Windows 8 Gripes Microsoft Must Address</a>. ] For one thing, interest in the OS -- never great to begin with -- has evidently begun to flag. As measured by the 160 million users and 40,000 websites Net Applications monitors, Windows 8's market penetration in May showed only an 11.8% uptick relative to April. This reverses a recent upward trend. Following its debut, the OS suffered monthly momentum drops until February, after which Win8 <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">began expanding its market share by around 20% per month</a>. But May fell well short of this mark, even with Microsoft hawking <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/what-microsoft-windows-8-license-numbers/240154345">dubiously impressive Win8 shipment figures</a>. It's possible that sales took a hit once Microsoft publically acknowledged that Windows 8.1 exists, of course. But the update will be free, somewhat diminishing the incentive buyers have to wait. And even if consumers are waiting to upgrade until they've seen <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767">the newly restored Start button</a>, a Win Blue-driven sales slowdown only emphasizes that Redmond's update needs to deliver clear improvements. Indeed, May's numbers are bad news for Windows 8 not only because of the OS's deceleration but also because its win over Vista is a shallow victory. Win8 has only exceeded the scraps that Vista has retained over the years, after many dissatisfied users had either moved back to Windows XP or forward to Windows 7. Windows 8's progress still trails the usage share Vista had achieved through the same period in its release. That said, the news isn't all bad for Microsoft. Though Windows 7's relatively marginal increase shouldn't be over-emphasized, it nonetheless suggests some retiring XP systems are being swapped out for Win7 versions. Indeed, though <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/what-microsoft-windows-8-license-numbers/240154345">enterprises can no longer dismiss the importance of mobile devices such as tablets</a>, traditional PCs will remain important for the foreseeable future. Net Applications data suggests that over the last year, OS X has eaten slightly into the Windows user base -- but given that one Windows version or another still runs more than 90% of the world's PCs, it's hard to imagine that Microsoft's role in core business tasks has been threatened. That is, with so many businesses still invested in Windows 7 migrations, Microsoft doesn't necessarily need Windows 8 to become an immediate enterprise sensation; rather, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/tech-center/gov-cloud/windows-8s-best-chance-depends-on-byod/240155033">Redmond needs to lure consumers</a> to retain its desktop share while remaining a niche player in the growing field of tablets and smartphones. That goal redirects directly to whether or not Windows 8.1 succeeds in making the OS <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">more user-friendly and engaging</a>. If Microsoft succeeds, July's usage numbers -- the first that could benefit from a Win8.1 public preview -- could reverse May's slowdown. If Redmond's update flops, however, last month might be only the first in a new string of declines. E2 is the only event of its kind, bringing together business and technology leaders across IT, marketing, and other lines of business looking for new ways to evolve their enterprise applications strategy and transform their organizations to achieve business value. Join us June 17-19 for three days of 40+ conference sessions and workshops across eight tracks and discover the latest insights in enterprise social software, big data and analytics, mobility, cloud, SaaS and APIs, UI/UX and more. <a href="http://www.e2conf.com/boston/?_mc=MP_BTMEDIWKAXE">Register for E2 Conference Boston today</a> and save $200 off Full Event Passes, $100 off Conference, or get a FREE Keynote + Expo Pass! 2013-05-31T16:43:00ZWindows RT Woes: HTC Scraps TabletTablets are cannibalizing PC sales -- but while iOS and Android feast, consumers have left Windows RT to starve. Can Windows 8.1 save RT?http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-rt-woes-htc-scraps-tablet/240155935?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/10-ways-microsoft-could-improve-the-surf/240154051"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/987/Microsoft-Surface-homepage_tn.jpg" alt="10 Ways Microsoft Could Improve Surface Tablets" title="10 Ways Microsoft Could Improve Surface Tablets" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Ways Microsoft Could Improve Surface Tablets</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div>HTC reportedly has scrapped plans to produce a 12-inch Windows RT tablet, adding to not only a growing list of cancelled WinRT projects but also a chorus of unsupportive remarks from Microsoft OEMs. Bloomberg reported HTC's new intentions, citing unnamed sources who said <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/htc-said-to-cancel-large-windows-rt-tablet-on-weak-demand.html">demand for Windows RT products is too weak</a> to justify the original plan. The source said the company will still release a 7-inch tablet that runs the lightweight Microsoft OS. Windows RT includes Windows 8's touch-oriented Modern UI but, unlike the full version, is not compatible with legacy x86 applications. HTC's evident lack of confidence in Windows RT is only the latest sign of dissonance between Microsoft and its partners, many of which have already questioned Microsoft's Windows 8 strategy. [ Can Microsoft pull off Windows 8? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/5-windows-8-gripes-microsoft-must-addres/240155687?itc=edit_in_body_cross">5 Windows 8 Gripes Microsoft Must Address</a>. ] Acer CEO JT Wang warned Microsoft last August, for example, to <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/7/3225094/acer-ceo-jt-wang-microsoft-surface-warning/in/3010531">"think twice" before releasing its Surface products</a>. Wang's comments can be read less as a criticism of Windows 8 than resentment that Microsoft is muscling into hardware sales, of course, but even after Surface underwhelmed, the Acer exec carried his assault into 2013, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/acer-ceo-looks-chrome-alternative-not-successful-windows-221702465.html">unfavorably comparing Win8 devices to Chromebooks</a> last January. In early May, he said that the current version of Windows RT offers <a href="http://www.itworld.com/hardware/355176/acer-waits-windows-rt-81-make-tablet-decision">no value</a>, though he <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/9/4315028/acer-windows-8-changes-microsoft-back-down-to-earth ">alluded</a> somewhat optimistically to Microsoft's upcoming <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-81-thanks-for-listening-microsof/240155798">Windows 8.1 update</a>. Whereas Wang's criticism has been vocal, other OEMs have expressed their positions through action. Samsung, for instance, has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/samsung-nixes-windows-rt-tablet-for-us/240146092">terminated WinRT devices</a> for both the U.S. and <a href="http://www.pc-tablet.com/19708-samsung-windows-8-rt-tablets-germany-report/">German markets</a>. To an extent, OEMs' hesitancy to take a chance on Windows RT is part of a natural, but nonetheless tectonic, shift in the personal computing space. PCs remain essential for many enterprise tasks, but <a href="http://www.abiresearch.com/press/worldwide-tablet-shipments-to-reach-145-million-in">businesses are still buying tablets</a> because the new devices enable uses -- such as mobile retail -- that traditional machines cannot provide. Among consumers, meanwhile, tablets are quickly becoming the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-hasnt-hit-rock-bottom-yet/240155648">preferred form factor</a> for common tasks such as email, social media and Web surfing. Buyers of all stripes, in other words, have <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/4-reasons-pc-market-wont-rebound/240154202">more options</a> than ever -- not just tablets, but also Chromebooks and other experiments, such as Acer's upcoming <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57586918-92/acer-%24400-pc-will-run-android-pack-intels-haswell-chip/">Android-based all-in-one PC</a>. This condition leads to two inevitable conclusions: new, upstart devices will usurp market share from the old guard, and some of the emerging platforms won't survive as the market becomes more competitive. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Windows RT is falling into the second category. The recent trend toward smaller tablets would seem to favor the OS, which, despite offering a version of Microsoft Office, is much more consumption-oriented than the full edition of Windows 8. Even so, Windows RT's market share is <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">virtually nonexistent</a>. Microsoft's Surface RT model has been <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/microsoft-surface-low-sales-estimates/">a notorious flop</a>, and Dell's RT-based tablet evidently isn't doing much better, judging from its recently <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2038786/dell-slashes-the-price-of-its-windows-rt-tablet-to-300.html">slashed price</a>. IDC analysts have suggested Microsoft might be better off <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24002213#.UVWKaasjq6_">yanking RT altogether</a>. ARM chipmakers such as Qualcomm, on the other hand, have <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9238917/Qualcomm_defends_Windows_RT_tablets_despite_lackluster_sales_biting_criticism ">supported Windows 8 RT</a> -- but their optimism is somewhat subverted by the stake they share in RT's future. Unlike Windows 8, which runs on Intel's Atom and Core chips, Windows RT was designed for ARM processors. Regardless of the feelings of manufacturers and consultants, Windows RT has, most crucially, failed to entice consumers. Poor device sales have implied as much, and a recent study supplied more evidence, concluding that Windows 8 users, even those with tablets, have <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">little use for Modern UI apps</a>. Given that these apps constitute the bulk of the Windows RT experience, it's clear Microsoft has a problem. On Thursday, when Microsoft finally disclosed Windows 8.1 details, desktop-oriented issues -- such as whether users will accept a Start button that doesn't include a familiar Start menu -- took most of the attention. But the company also <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767">revealed changes that will affect RT users</a>, such as revamped core apps and deeper SkyDrive integration. Such small tweaks are unlikely to make a difference, but they demonstrate that RT is still a work in progress. Until Microsoft shows its full hand, it's premature to dismiss the OS as a lost cause. Even so, Windows RT's path to success is uncertain. Upcoming Intel-based ultrabooks and tablets are expected to boast battery lives that rival ARM-based models. Some of them also will be not only cheaper than the Surface RT but perhaps <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57579935-92/touch-devices-to-drop-to-$200-says-intel-ceo/"> even as cheap as the iPad Mini</a>. All of these Intel-based models will run the complete OS, making it difficult to see why anyone would pay comparable, let alone greater, sums for the watered-down RT version. Friendlier Windows 8 pricing likely means that Windows RT prices will come down too, of course. Factors such as device size and quality are not irrelevant, either. But until new RT devices -- perhaps including a new Surface -- appear this summer, it will remain to be seen how low Microsoft and its OEMs will need to go.2013-05-30T15:20:00ZHP, IBM Bruised By Sluggish Server MarketWorldwide server revenue drops 7.7% in Q1, says IDC. Dell, on the strength of its data center products, was the market's best performer.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/virtualization/hp-ibm-bruised-by-sluggish-server-market/240155820?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AllThe worldwide server market suffered a 7.7% drop in factory revenue in the first quarter of this year, according to a report published Wednesday by research firm IDC. Revenue dropped for the fifth time in the last six quarters, pulled down by not only economic forces but also a shift toward more efficient and agile data center technologies. The report follows <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/windows-servers/server-sales-slump-continues-gartner-say/240155633">similar conclusions</a> released earlier this week by Gartner. HP claimed the leading position, snaring 26.9% of the market's total factory revenue, but the news was still mostly bad for the company. Its 14.8% downtick in revenue was almost twice as severe as the industry's already-lousy overall average, and its revenue share was down from Q1 of last year, when it held 29.2% of the market. IDC attributed the losses to diminished interest in HP's x86-based ProLiant servers, which have ceded territory to more aggressively priced competitors. [ Sluggish sales can't dim HP chief's outlook. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/windows-servers/hp-ceo-whitman-keeps-calm-carries-on/240155456?itc=edit_in_body_cross">HP CEO Whitman Keeps Calm, Carries On</a>. ] The research firm also singled out weak demand for HP's Itanium-based, mission-critical servers. One of the only products that <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/servers-storage/intel-announces-new-itanium-chips-hints/240115308">uses Intel's Itanium chips</a>, the servers' future has been in doubt in recent years, a period during which they've lost ground to more-prominent x86 systems. Itanium servers also played a central role in a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/oracle-loses-bid-to-end-hp-lawsuit/240147648">contentious HP-Oracle lawsuit</a>. Despite this history, HP has continued to <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/servers-storage/hp-announces-new-integrity-servers-with/240135002">express confidence in the platform's longevity</a>. IBM was second, with 25.5% of the market, down from 27.2% last year. IDC blamed the company's 13.4% revenue drop on decreased demand for not only <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/servers-storage/ibm-boosts-server-performance-security-w/240008357">Power Systems servers</a>, which compete with HP's Itanium systems, but also the x86-based System x line. In third place, Dell was arguably the market's best performer. The company, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-posts-weak-earnings-services-growth/240155126">embroiled in falling PC sales and buyout drama</a>, claimed 18.5% of all factory revenue, up from 15.5% during the same period last year. The company's revenue was up 10.1%. Dell's success was driven in part by exploding demand for <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/servers-storage/intel-announces-new-itanium-chips-hints/240115308">density-optimized hyperscale servers</a>, which are used in data centers. Fujitsu, Oracle and Cisco landed in a statistical tie for fourth place. For the first two companies, the news is dispiriting; Fujitsu's factory revenue was down 8.5%, and Oracle's was down 26.2%. For upstart Cisco, though, revenue increased 34.9%, partly on the strength of blade server revenue. In a statement, <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24136113">IDC analyst Matt Eastwood noted</a> that tough economic conditions contributed to the sluggish market. He pointed out that, with the exception of the Asia/Pacific region, every geographic territory recently suffered revenue contractions. But IDC concluded that technological forces were at work as well. Revenue from data-optimized servers was up 54.8%, for example, and unit shipments were up 39.3%. The category now represents 11.2% of all server shipments. IDC estimates that Dell commands 47.3% of the revenue in this space, whose popularity has risen as cloud-based deployments have increased. The demand for Unix servers, meanwhile, declined 35.9%, its seventh consecutive quarter of drops. Microsoft Windows Server remained the top server platform, controlling just over half of all factory revenue. Though Redmond has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767">begun to divulge information about Windows 8.1</a>, little is known about Windows Server 8.1. There are indications, however, that Microsoft plans to <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/what-does-blue-mean-for-windows-server-2012-7000015886/">reveal information during its TechEd Conference</a>, which will take place in New Orleans during the first week of June.2013-05-30T11:23:00ZWindows 8.1 Restores Start Button, With TwistMicrosoft confirms Windows 8.1 will include boot-to-desktop options and a restored Start button. But other interface criticisms remain unanswered.http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-restores-start-button-with-tw/240155767?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/8-useful-free-apps-for-windows-8/240154590"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/992/Intro_01_tn.jpg" alt="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" title="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Microsoft announced Thursday that <a href="http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2013/05/30/continuing-the-windows-8-vision-with-windows-8-1.aspx">Windows 8.1 will restore the Start button and include a boot-to-desktop option</a>, confirming a series of reports published the previous afternoon. At face value, the tweaks smooth over several of Windows 8's most-criticized rough edges. What remains to be seen, however, is if the new features' implementations will mollify detractors, or merely shift criticism for the OS, which has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">struggled to gain users</a>, in a different direction. Corporate VP for Windows Program Management Antoine Leblond confirmed the new features in a blog post. Specifically, he said "Boot to Desktop is Coming" and "the Start Button is Back -- Sort of." [ What else does Microsoft need to do? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/5-windows-8-gripes-microsoft-must-addres/240155687?itc=edit_in_body_cross">5 Windows 8 Gripes Microsoft Must Address</a>. ] Rather than replicating the Windows 7 button, the new version will connect to the Start screen -- that is, to the same Live Tile interface to which Windows 8 currently boots. Users can set the button to summon an "All Apps" view, however, in which app icons can be arranged by usage, installation date, name or category. The Start button will most likely benefit traditional mouse-and-keyboard users, but users with touchscreens will be able to access "All Apps" by swiping from the bottom of the display. The Start button will be visible at the bottom of the taskbar when the user is in desktop mode but will only appear in the Modern UI if the user moves the mouse to the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Microsoft also said that newly installed apps will only appear on the Start Screen if the user pins them there. And yes, Win 8.1 will allow users to boot directly to either the desktop or the "All Apps" screen in Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 will feature greater multitasking flexibility within the Modern UI. Users will be able to run up to three apps per screen, and multi-monitor viewing will be supported. Each open app can be freely resized, and users can run multiple windows of the same app, such as two instances of Internet Explorer. Windows 8 currently forces users to jump from the Modern UI to the desktop when they need to access the Control Panel. Windows 8.1 will make more tools equally accessible in either interface. Leblond specifically mentioned controls for display resolution, power options, system information, product keys, Windows Update and SkyDrive. Live Tiles will come in more sizes, bringing some welcome customization to the Start screen. Users can also use the same background for both the Start screen and the desktop, an option that could make moving between the UIs more cohesive. Leblond stated people inadvertently move tiles on the Start screen. For that reason, Windows 8.1 will require that users press and hold -- or, for desktop users, right click -- an icon before moving it around. In Windows 8.1, the search function will return files, apps, Bing Web results and SkyDrive files. Windows 8.1 also will feature stronger and more numerous hooks to SkyDrive. Windows 8.1's native apps are getting upgraded. The blog post said, for example, that the Photos app will include editing features, and that the Music app has been redesigned. Leblond offered little information about IE11, expect that users will be able to open as many tabs as they want, and that open tabs can be synced across all Win8.1 devices. Microsoft's announcement falls in line with rumors posted by several websites, including <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/heres-how-the-new-windows-blue-start-button-may-work-7000016042/">ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley</a> and <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/coming-blue-boot-desktop-start-button-and-more">Paul Thurott's Supersite for Windows</a>. Indeed, most of the features that Leblond confirmed have been <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-blue-restoring-the-start-button/240153170">part of the rumor mill for months</a>. Nevertheless, most Win8 critics are likely to welcome this news, which suggests Microsoft is both listening to and acting on customer feedback. That said, these adjustments do not constitute a panacea for Windows 8's woes. At least one report suggests, for example, that Windows 8 users -- even those on tablets -- have <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">relatively little use for Modern-style apps</a>. By allowing users to boot directly to the desktop, Microsoft will remove the mechanism that currently forces users to look at those apps each time Win8 boots up. With that strong-arming no longer in play, what must Redmond do to keep Modern apps from languishing? Will Windows 8.1's refreshed native apps be a step in the right direction? And what about traditional desktop users? Leblond promises that this group has not been forgotten, and to mouse-reliant users, Windows 8.1 should be easier to navigate than the current version. But is it enough to tempt Windows 7 users to upgrade their desktops? Only time will tell. For the present, Leblond promised that more information will be revealed between now and late June, when Microsoft is slated to release a preview version of Windows 8.1 at its Build conference in San Francisco. The official version is expected to begin shipping in the following months.2013-05-29T15:35:00ZMicrosoft Unites Skype and Lync, Cisco ProtestsMicrosoft has started integrating Lync and Skype, as expected. Phase 1 doesn't include video support, but Cisco's claims of "monopoly" indicate it's concerned.http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/microsoft-unites-skype-and-lync-cisco-pr/240155755?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/tablet-buying-demystified-10-tips/240155502 "><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/1002/Pick-a-tablet_01_tn.png" alt="Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips" title="Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips</div> </div>  Microsoft on Wednesday announced that it has <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/lync/archive/2013/05/23/lync-skype-connectivity-available-today.aspx">completed the first phase of its Lync-Skype integration</a>, allowing more than five million Lync enterprise users to connect to Skype's base of 300 million accounts. For now, users are confined to instant messages and audio calls. Additional features, such as video chat, are scheduled to come online later, but even in its incomplete form, Microsoft's growing unified communications platform already has the attention of at least one major competitor -- Cisco, which argued before a European Union court Wednesday that Microsoft's purchase of Skype constitutes a monopoly. The integration supports both Lync 2010 and Lync 2013. Skype users, meanwhile, will need the latest version of the client, and must sign in with a Microsoft account. Users of either service will be able to add contacts from the other. Lync admins who did not previously enable Lync-Windows Live Messenger federation will need to turn on Skype connectivity. Microsoft officials announced in February at the first Lync Conference that <a href="http://www.lyncconf.com/media.aspx">Skype integration would occur before June 30</a>, meaning the company delivered a full month ahead of schedule. That said, the Skype-Lync union has been expected for far longer. [ Considering switching productivity software? See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-apps-to-microsoft-office-365-10-l/240154989?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Apps To Microsoft Office 365: 10 Lessons</a>. ] <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/microsoft-to-buy-skype-for-85-billion/229403154">Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for Skype</a>, a gargantuan sum, even for a company of Microsoft's resources. Given the expense, commentators immediately <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/why-microsoft-plus-skype-is-an-enterpris/229403202">speculated that Skype and Lync could be natural partners</a>. Aspects of the process might have taken a while to get going, but as of late, Microsoft has been busy capitalizing on its investment. Over the last month, for example, the company has given users in certain countries access to a preview version of a forthcoming, Skype-infused update to Outlook.com. In an email, a Microsoft representative said the company had "no specific date to share" for future Skype-Lync updates, such as support for video chats. Microsoft had previously <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2013/02/19/re-humanizing-communications-from-the-living-room-to-the-boardroom.aspx">suggested that video would be added by mid-2014</a>, though a Wednesday post on the Skype blog says the feature <a href="http://blogs.skype.com/2013/05/29/skype-and-lync-connecting-the-living-room-to-the-board-room/#fbid=7tpYUhHgO6J">will be the "next priority."</a> During Cisco's court appearance, meanwhile, attorneys for the networking giant argued that Lync -- which is used by more than 90 of the Fortune Global 100, according to Microsoft -- should never have been allowed under the same roof as Skype. Cisco's lawyers maintain the merger <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/cisco-microsoft-court-idUSL5N0EA0S320130529">gives Lync an unfair advantage</a> because the EU approved the deal without subjecting Microsoft to any concessions -- such as some amount of guaranteed interoperability with Cisco's Telepresence products. The court will rule in the coming months. Any subsequent appeals will be directed to the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court. The Cisco case isn't Microsoft's only <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/legal/microsoft-skype-patent-case-big-target/240154320">legal headache related to Skype</a>, but it's arguably the most intriguing. Cisco has taken proactive, if not pre-emptive, steps against Lync, somewhat evocative of <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239296/Google_issues_YouTube_ultimatum_to_Microsoft_as_Hatfield_McCoy_feud_heats_up">Microsoft's recent feud against Google</a>. In February, the day before the Lync Conference began, Cisco very publicly and directly argued that Microsoft's collaboration tools simply <a href="http://blogs.cisco.com/news/what-really-matters-in-collaboration/">can't compete with Telepresence</a>, especially in today's mobility-oriented, BYOD landscape. To be sure, Cisco might have a point. Microsoft is still shaping Lync and Skype, after all. They're not mature parts of the Redmond portfolio. But the fact that Cisco has put so much effort into stymying Microsoft makes one thing clear: if Lync isn't yet a big-time contender, it's getting there.2013-05-29T11:40:00Z5 Windows 8 Gripes Microsoft Must AddressAlmost in spite of itself, Windows 8 could finally be poised for takeoff. But first, Microsoft will need to appease unhappy and confused users.http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/5-windows-8-gripes-microsoft-must-addres/240155687?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/991/Windows-Blue-Blue-1st-screen_tn.jpg" alt="Windows Blue" title="LinkedIn: 10 Important Changes" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows Blue</div> </div> Thanks to low-cost tablets and Ultrabooks, more powerful processors and a growing diversity of form factors, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-hopeful-signs/240155173">Windows 8 might be primed to make gains</a>. The OS <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">remains unpopular</a>, though, so the appeal of better, cheaper machines will take hold only if Win8 itself becomes more satisfying. That puts the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-81-timing-all-wrong/240155414">pressure squarely on Windows 8.1</a>. All the pieces will need to come together by this fall, lest Redmond suffer poor back-to-school and holiday sales for the second consecutive year. But June will still be the OS's first major proving ground. At the beginning of the month, the company will face many of its corporate customers and developers at its <a href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/#fbid=OfB8tumqsJ8">TechEd conference</a> in New Orleans, and at the end of the month, it is expected to debut a preview version of Windows 8.1 during its developer-centric <a href="http://www.buildwindows.com/">Build conference</a> in San Francisco. [ Is Windows 8.1 doomed by its own release date? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-81-timing-all-wrong/240155414?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows 8.1 Timing All Wrong</a>. ] Until Redmond actually divulges new details, it remains to be seen how much -- and how quickly -- its new OS will change. Even so, June represents an opportunity for Redmond to reclaim the Win8 narrative and to circumvent a summer of continued negative buzz. Here are five Windows 8 criticisms Microsoft is likely to address in the next 30 days: 1. Windows 8's learning curve is too confusing. Even Windows CMO/CFO <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/after-bumpy-start-microsoft-rethinks-windows-8/">Tami Reller now admits</a> that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-learning-curve-two-customers-s/240155280">Windows 8 needs to be easier to use</a>, but Microsoft officials have also stalwartly defended the new OS's Live Tile-oriented Modern UI as a key part of the Windows line's long-term vision. Redmond recognizes, in other words, the need to mollify confused and dissatisfied users, but it's not clear how willing the company is to make tweaks. The rumor mill has already concentrated on several potential fixes -- namely, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-blue-restoring-the-start-button/240153170">whether Microsoft will restore the Start button</a> or allow desktop users to boot directly to the desktop. If Win 8.1 integrates these features, aggravated users will no doubt appreciate that familiar tools have been resurrected to help them along. But it won't be enough. Many Win8 features rely on hidden controls, such as the Charms Bar, which is central to navigating the OS but only accessible if users know how to swipe it into visibility. This sort of absence of visual clues or other guides has contributed to Win8 user frustration, and many will expect Microsoft not only to implement key features -- such as a "boot to desktop" mode -- but also to make the OS more intuitive from top to bottom. 2. Windows 8 is too schizophrenic. This criticism is related to the above but deserves its own breakout category. For all the success Microsoft users have enjoyed syncing documents across devices via SkyDrive, it's ironic that cohesion between Win8's two interfaces is so poor. Internet Explorer is a particularly notable offender; if a user switches from IE in the Modern UI to IE in the traditional desktop mode, the Web browser will behave like a distinct app in each environment. Open tabs can't be synced as the user jumps from one UI to the other, for example. Windows 8.1 is rumored to include IE11, so Microsoft will have a chance to address this problem, and it's also rumored to include similar fixes, such as making the Control Panel equally accessible in each environment. 3. Windows 8 doesn't have enough apps. The Windows Store now included nearly 80,000 Modern apps -- a far cry from the 700,000 or so that both iOS and Android enjoy, but still a substantial tally that somewhat negates the "not enough" criticisms. Microsoft isn't out of the woods, though; if the problem was originally "not enough," it's morphed into "not good enough." Indeed, at least one study has suggested that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">Win8 users barely touch Modern apps</a>, and it's not unreasonable to implicate Microsoft's lackluster native apps for setting a weak example. The OS's built-in Mail app, for example, lacks the functionality offered in Outlook.com, Microsoft's free Web mail service. To Redmond's credit, the company has been making efforts to attract developers, and Windows Store submissions have picked up after leveling off during the first few months of the year. Even so, there's still more work to be done. 4. Windows RT seems pointless. Windows 8 has attracted its share of criticism, but Windows RT has been an absolute dud, with -- literally -- a 0% share of the OS market, and little support from OEMs. Microsoft raised many eyebrows when it decided to split its new OS into full-fledged and lightweight versions, and the decision makes even less sense today than it did then. By this fall, Atom-based Win8 tablets could cost as little as $300 to $400 -- less, in other words, than Microsoft initially charged for its Surface RT. If the complete OS -- including its x86 access, which RT lacks -- can be had for such a low price, why should anyone pay comparable sums for an RT device? Will Redmond and its partners produce RT offerings that are cheaper than low-cost Android tablets? Will Microsoft and company reveal some other appeal? Rumors have suggested Microsoft will debut a smaller Surface model this month, possibly an RT-based tablet to compete with the iPad Mini. It remains to be seen if this gossip translates to a real product, but it certainly adds to the intrigue in the meantime. 5. Windows 8 offers nothing for desktop users. Windows chief Julie Larson-Green has <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/julie-larson-green-talks-about-blue-and-future-windows">insisted in recent weeks that Windows 8's new Start Screen is superior to the Start button it replaces</a>. So far, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/peripherals/microsoft-to-windows-8-haters-try-this-m/240155498">desktop users haven't been persuaded</a>. Worse, some traditional users have felt <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-blue-demise-of-the-desktop/240151656">alienated by Redmond's recent touch-centricism</a>. For desktop users, Win8 features some stability improvements under the hood -- but the benefits of the Modern UI, such as they are, have so far been most apparent on tablets. Microsoft knows that many enterprises are still moving to Windows 7, and that a large portion of its user base might consequently wait to upgrade again until Windows 9 appears. Nevertheless, many will look for the company to reassert its dedication to not only today's mobile-oriented BYOD users but also the desktop-minded users who've helped Microsoft make its name.2013-05-28T15:18:00ZPC Market Hasn't Hit Rock Bottom YetPCs are in even worse shape than expected, says IDC, but that's not necessarily bad news for Windows 8.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-hasnt-hit-rock-bottom-yet/240155648?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/tablet-buying-demystified-10-tips/240155502"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/1002/Pick-a-tablet_01_tn.png" alt="Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips" title="Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips</div> </div>  IDC reported Tuesday that the PC market, already known to be hemorrhaging cash at a historic rate, is bleeding even more profusely than previously thought. The research firm said consumer preference for tablets has accelerated the damage, noting that the upstart devices are on pace to outsell laptops by the end of this year. The new data reinforces that the "post-PC" era is no longer theoretical, and that though traditional desktops and laptops will continue to have a place, tablets and other mobile devices can no longer be dismissed as consumer distractions. In a statement, IDC announced it now <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24129913">projects PCs will decline 7.8%</a> in 2013, far more severe than the 1.3% drop the firm had previously forecast. IDC expects the decline to continue through at least 2014, after which the market might begin to rebound. Even then, the recovery will be modest; the firm estimates that 333 million units will ship in 2017, well below 2012's notoriously low 349 million. IDC's data suggests laptops will drive any future PC growth, which will occur mostly in emerging markets. Desktop shipments are expected to decline in all regions for the foreseeable future. [ Has Windows 8 left you fuming? See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570?itc=edit_in_body_cross">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows Blue</a>. ] The newest predictions are the latest in a year-long string of increasingly bleak revisions. Last June, IDC expected worldwide PC shipments to total <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23549112#.UTXdk6562So">413.6 units in 2013</a>. That estimate <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23660312#.UTXd5q562So">dropped to 391.1 million</a> in August, though the firm still projected modest growth through 2016. By March of this year, brutal back-to-school and holiday seasons had combined to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-to-shrink-for-second-year-idc/240150018">push 2013 estimates even lower</a>, to 345.8 million units. In April, it became clear that Q1 PC shipments were <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-bleeds-windows-8-tablet-fix-ne/240152706">even worse than expected</a>, setting the stage for IDC's newest prognostications. The takeaway? PCs aren't dead, but they'll never be as central to most of our lives as they used to be. In a press release announcing the new prediction, IDC VP Loren Loverde stated that most common computing needs -- Web surfing, social media, email, apps -- don't require a lot of processing power or local storage, and that consumers have embraced mobility as a result. Indeed, in a separate statement, IDC announced Tuesday that it expects tablet shipments to reach <a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24129713">229.3 million units in 2013</a>, a 58.7% increase from last year's 114.5 million. That total would make tablets more popular than either new laptops or desktops are when considered as standalone categories, though not when taken together. By 2015, however, IDC anticipates tablet sales will outnumber the combined sales of all traditional PCs. Ryan Reith, program manager for IDC's Mobility Trackers, noted in a press release that "PCs will have an important role" but that "a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC." IDC noted that smaller tablets such as the iPad Mini are becoming more popular. The research firm expects sub-8-inch screens will account for 55% of tablet shipments this year. Larger tablets, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/hps-new-pcs-everything-but-the-kitchen-s/240155447">a more recent development</a>, could be less impactful, with perhaps only 2% of overall sales. Significantly, the firm also said that tablet prices will drop 11% this year, to $381, and that PC prices will average $635. Given the disparity, it's easy to see why consumers are choosing tablets. PCs might be more powerful, but they charge a hefty premium for their extra muscle. For a lot of users, especially those with aging-but-functional PCs at home, it makes more sense to buy a cheap, new tablet. As long as professionals continue writing code, typing reports, using spreadsheets and running software like Photoshop or AutoCAD, businesses and institutions will continue to invest in PCs. But even in verticals that rely on legacy software, tablets have begun to cannibalize traditional machines. Some schools and universities, for example, have begun to embrace Windows 8-based <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-learning-curve-two-customers-s/240155280">tablets as laptop replacements</a>, accepting the OS's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">much-lamented learning curve</a> because the devices combine x86 applications and tablet-style mobility in one slick package. The devices might feature tradeoffs relative to traditional machines, but they've become too functional and economical for certain customers to ignore. This budget-minded approach won't be right for everyone, but it's somewhat ironic that Windows 8, the OS some blamed for the PC's misfortune, is primed, pending what's included in Windows 8.1, to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-hopeful-signs/240155173">push tablet sales in new directions</a>. That, more than anything, is the point the new data reasserts: users have <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/4-reasons-pc-market-wont-rebound/240154202">more computing devices to choose from than ever before</a>, and as the new entrants prove their worth, it's natural that no single device will enjoy the virtual monopoly once enjoyed by conventional PCs.2013-05-24T09:06:00ZMicrosoft To Windows 8 Haters: Try This MouseWindows 8 has been a particularly big flop on the desktop. Can a mouse designed to make the OS friendlier help?http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/peripherals/microsoft-to-windows-8-haters-try-this-m/240155498?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-could-do-to-save-wind/240153124"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/980/Windows-1st-screen_tn.png" alt="8 Things Microsoft Could Do To Save Windows 8" title="8 Things Microsoft Could Do To Save Windows 8" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Could Do To Save Windows 8</div>(click image for slideshow) </div>Earlier this week, Soluto, a PC management firm, reported that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371">Windows 8 users have little use for Modern UI apps</a>, and that desktop and laptop users are particularly unengaged. The findings were, to a degree, unsurprising; to many users, the Win8's Live Tile-dominated Start screen hasn't been, despite <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/julie-larson-green-talks-about-blue-and-future-windows">what Windows chief Julie Larson-Green insists</a>, an improvement over Windows 7. It will be up to Windows 8.1, expected to debut as a public preview this summer before becoming commercially <a href="https://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-81-timing-all-wrong/240155414">available in the fall</a>, to address this problem. In the meantime, Microsoft has extended two small olive branches to users disillusioned by touchscreens, unfamiliar shortcuts and hidden Charms menus: new, Windows 8-optimized mice. Compatible with Windows 7 and Mac OS X but designed specifically for Windows 8, the Sculpt Mobile Mouse and Sculpt Comfort Mouse both include a button that allows users direct access to the Start screen. Whatever agility Windows 8 offers is more evident on touch-equipped models, which allow <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-learning-curve-two-customers-s/240155280">adept users</a> to swipe and tap their way through menus and apps. By making the Start screen an organic part of a familiar action, the mice are intended to extend that fluidity to users of non-touch hardware. [ What else do Windows 8 haters need to be happy? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-blue-restoring-the-start-button/240153170?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows Blue: Restoring The Start Button Isn't Enough</a>. ] <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/sculpt-mobile-mouse">Aimed at on-the-go laptop, ultrabook and tablet users</a>, the Sculpt Mobile Mouse is tiny, with rubber strips on the side to make it easier to grip. It's able to track over almost any surface thanks to Microsoft's BlueTrack technology. It also includes a scroll wheel that allows both up-down and left-right movement, making it potentially useful for mobile devices with small screens. The Windows 8 tie-in stems from a button behind the scroll wheel. If tapped once, the button takes users to the Start screen. If tapped a second time, the button opens the app most recently used. The Sculpt Mobile mouse wirelessly connects to laptops, desktops and other devices via a USB dongle that can be stored in the mouse for storage when not in use. It will go on sale later this month for $30. Though the Sculpt Mobile will work with any Windows 8 device that has a USB connection, desktop users will probably prefer the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/sculpt-comfort-mouse">Sculpt Comfort</a>. This mouse is larger than its sibling and connects wirelessly via Bluetooth. It has a touch-sensitive button on the side that not only duplicates the functions of the Sculpt Mobile button, but also allows the user to scroll through open applications by running his or her finger along the button's surface. It will be available in June for $40. In a broad sense, Microsoft's new mice could do for non-touch Windows 8 users what Apple's Magic Trackpad has done for its iMac base: let them embrace new UI elements organically, while still relying on their familiar routines. It's an imperfect comparison, if for no other reason than iMacs are more usable without Trackpads than Win8 PCs are without touch. Microsoft also already has a few touch-sensitive mice on the market. Given that none of these has helped the OS's popularity with desktop users, it's not clear how many people are interested in mice with Start screen-linked buttons. Still, taking a cue from the iMac-Trackpad partnership sets a reasonable expectation for Microsoft's mice. The Trackpad is useful but not transformative, and that's probably the most that Windows 8 users can expect from these new mice.2013-05-23T11:45:00ZHP's New PCs: Everything But The Kitchen SinkWide variety of new hardware means HP is either adapting to consumer preferences -- or struggling to decide what will resonate.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/hps-new-pcs-everything-but-the-kitchen-s/240155447?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/991/Windows-Blue-Blue-1st-screen_tn.jpg" alt="Windows Blue" title="LinkedIn: 10 Important Changes" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows Blue</div> </div>  HP reported quarterly earnings on Wednesday that <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=1414128#.UZ4PG6562So">beat Wall Street expectations</a>, despite drops in revenue and net income, and a PC business that <a href="https://www.informationweek.com/hardware/windows-servers/hp-ceo-whitman-keeps-calm-carries-on/240155456">continues to hemorrhage cash</a>. Undaunted by the shaky computer sales, the company also used Wednesday to launch a fleet of new PC offerings, including traditionally minded and budget-priced desktop towers, a range of low-cost touchscreen laptops, and a 20-inch, supersized tablet that will feature Intel's next-gen Haswell processor. Reduced prices and new chips are among the factors that could help Windows 8, which has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">underachieved so far</a>, rebound later this year. The expected debut of Windows 8.1, arguably <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-no-cost-big-pressure/240154876">the most important of these factors</a>, is still more than a month away, but HP's announcements offer consumers their first sense of whether the next wave of <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-hopeful-signs/240155173">Win8 machines will be more appealing</a> than the first. HP's new tablet is called the Envy Rove, and it's not exactly the device most people have envisioned when discussing Haswell. Intel claims its new processors will deliver the biggest generation-over-generation improvement in power management that the company has ever achieved. To many, this improvement should translate into Win8 devices that are not only faster, thinner and lighter than current models, but that also boast dramatically improved graphics performance and battery life. At more than 5 kilograms, thin and light aren't part of the Rove's agenda -- but that's because its use cases are geared toward short-range versatility and portability, not the unfettered mobility of smaller tablets. When desired, the device, which includes 1 TB of storage, can be docked as an all-in-one PC, somewhat like Apple's iMac. But it can also, thanks to a three-hour battery life, be easily moved around the house or office. This flexibility could position the device as a family entertainment center; it can be laid flat, for example, so users can play digital board games, including Monopoly, which will come pre-loaded. [ Looking to get more productive with your new hardware? See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/8-free-must-have-windows-8-apps/240154590?itc=edit_in_body_cross">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</a>. ] The Rove clearly isn't right for everyone -- but in a sense, that might be the point. Tablets haven't killed the PC, despite some overinflated claims to the contrary. Rather, they've pushed <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/4-reasons-pc-market-wont-rebound/240154202">consumer choice to unprecedented levels</a>, and in so doing, expanded the definition of computing devices. Some people still need desktops, but for others a tablet, or even a smartphone, is adequate for most needs. As people start to tailor their device choices around specific activities, rather than simply throwing everything at a commodity PC, the variety of form factors and use cases will only diversify. A single device type might eventually become more popular than others, but the future is trending toward variety, and the Rove -- just like mini-tablets and the inevitable introduction of wearable technology -- is an experiment within this movement. It remains to be seen, of course, if consumers are interested in playing games on giant tablets. But HP isn't the only one exploring the concept. At CES, Navin Shenoy, VP and GM of Intel's mobile client platforms, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intel-outlines-smartphones-ultrabooks-vi/240145919">described Lenovo's 27-inch Horizon</a>, a detachable all-one-PC, in very similar terms. The Rove will ship in July, but HP has not yet announced price details. The other announcements include several TouchSmart laptops. Notable additions include the TouchSmart 11, which features the newest AMD chips and is a budget-friendly $399, and the Envy TouchSmart 14, which is a bit pricier at $699 -- but also much flashier. That device will be among the first to utilize a Haswell processor, and it will boast a whopping 3200 x 1800-pixel touchscreen -- which isn't quite 4K resolution, but still beats the 15-inch MacBook Pro's 2880 x 1800-pixel Retina display. Though not cheap, the TouchSmart 14 is a sign that appealing Win8 devices are coming down in price. A Surface Pro and keyboard, for example, totals over $1,000. HP also unveiled the Envy 17 non-touch laptop, which has a 17.3-inch display and a 2-TB hard drive, and can be purchased in both Intel-based and AMD-based configurations. It will be available in June for $699. Also, 20-inch and 23-inch TouchSmart all-in-ones will become available in June, at $619 and $749, respectively. The announcements were rounded out by a range of desktops, from the $289 HP 110 to the liquid-cooled, $1,100 HP Envy Phoenix 800. The new offerings come only a week after HP introduced the <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=1410546#.UZ4PJK562So">Win8-based Split x2 and the Android-based Slatebook x2</a>. Taken together, the new products hit almost all major use cases and price points. But with customers flocking predominately to Apple and Samsung on the mobile scene, and with sales down for traditional models, time will tell if HP's revamped line-up can rejuvenate its PC sales.2013-05-22T14:10:00ZDell Launches New Cloud Products For Citrix UsersDell's converged infrastructure and thin client products expand its enterprise portfolio -- can they distract from buyout drama and tanking PC revenues?http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/dell-launches-new-cloud-products-for-cit/240155349?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AllTwo very large clouds have been hanging over Dell for most of the year: the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-bleeds-windows-8-tablet-fix-ne/240152706 ">flailing PC market</a>, and CEO Michael Dell's ongoing <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-earnings-may-disappoint/240154986">attempt to take the company private</a>. Despite these distractions, Dell itself has spent 2013 doing exactly <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/michael-dell-our-transformation-is-compl/240144292">what it did at the end of 2012</a>: launching new enterprise products and declaring that its transition from PC maker to end-to-end solution provider has concluded. That trend continued Wednesday at the Citrix Synergy conference in Anaheim, where Dell <a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2013/05/22/dell-supports-citrix-xendesktop-7.aspx">announced a range of cloud computing products for Citrix-based environments</a>, including options that support Citrix XenDesktop 7, <a href="http://www.citrix.com/news/announcements/may-2013/citrix-extends-enterprise-mobility-strategy-with-xendesktop-7.html">also unveiled on Wednesday</a>. Dell hopes the moves will diversify its revenue streams, which are currently <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-posts-weak-earnings-services-growth/240155126">reliant on its low-margin PC business</a>. The announcements include a version of Dell's Active System 800 converged infrastructure line optimized for Citrix XenDesktop. The product is a pre-integrated system that fits server, storage and networking into a modest footprint. It includes Active System Manager, which facilitates single pane management of both physical and virtual assets. Dell is also offering two reference architectures that add additional features to the Active System 800 configuration. One supports NVIDIA's GRID and targets users whose virtualized graphics needs are particularly demanding, and the other includes a local storage option that Dell says will drive down costs by eliminating the need for SAN. [ Will Dell's enterprise business pick up momentum? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-posts-weak-earnings-services-growth/240155126?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Dell Posts Weak Earnings: Services Growth Slow Going</a>. ] Since <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/dell-strives-to-simplify-the-data-center/240009367">debuting Active System last fall</a>, Dell has touted the product for its simple management and automation capabilities. It has also pointed out that the system, because it is composed entirely of Dell IP, reduces customer service calls to a single point of contact. The product line has achieved a competitive feature set quickly, but only time will tell how it evolves against competing products from Cisco and others. On that front, Dell representatives often note that Dell, unlike its competitors, has no legacy networking businesses to protect from cannibalization, a status that allegedly allows the company to pursue whatever advances will best serve its customers. In addition to the new Active System offerings, Dell also unveiled several new thin and zero clients, product lines in which the company has many investments, thanks to its 2012 acquisition of Wyse. The Xenith Pro 2 is a dual-core zero client -- an industry first, according to Dell -- based on the Wyse Zero framework, and purpose-built for Citrix XenDesktop. The D90Q7 and Z90Q7 thin clients, meanwhile, boast quad-core processors. According to Jeff McNaught, executive director of Dell's Cloud Client Computing group, the new thin clients, whose chips are produced by AMD, offer the performance of a PC while retaining the light weight and security for which thin clients are known. "[The top model is] as fast as traditional PCs," he said in an interview. "It's the world's fastest thin client." Thin clients were also the subject of a Dell announcement last week, when the company debuted <a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2013/05/16/dell-wyse-we8s-thin-clients.aspx">thin clients for the Windows Embedded 8 platform</a>, enabling users to utilize the new OS's headline features, such as multi-touch functions, during virtualized sessions. Project Ophelia, the company's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/can-tiny-ophelia-cure-dells-big-pc-woes/240155191">thumb drive-sized PC</a>, is another virtualization-themed Dell product that has recently generated buzz. These products constitute a niche market, but also one that Dell can potentially build on as companies embrace mobility and the cloud. The Citrix-optimized Active System 800 product is available now with support for Citrix XenDesktop 5.6. Support for Citrix XenDesktop 7 is promised in the next few months. The Xenith Pro 2 will be released at the end of July, and the pair of thin clients will hit the market at the end of June. Our 2013 IT Spending Priorities Survey shows IT pros are playing catch-up after a period of underfunding. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/050613?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Vicious Circle</a> issue of InformationWeek: Twitter's security boost might be too little, too late. (Free registration required.)2013-05-22T11:28:00ZWindows 8: Consumers Not Warming To InterfaceWindows 8's look and feel is still a flop with consumers, especially with those who don't use tablets, two studies say.http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-consumers-not-warming-to-inter/240155371?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-should-fix-in-windows/240154570"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/991/Windows-Blue-Blue-1st-screen_tn.jpg" alt="Windows Blue" title="LinkedIn: 10 Important Changes" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows Blue</div> </div> Consumer response to Windows 8's Metro interface falls somewhere between negative and indifferent, based on the results of two studies released this week. Though the findings are not surprising, given the embattled OS's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">sluggish adoption</a>, they offer Microsoft a few silver linings, such as the fact that Win8 is far less reviled than Windows Vista. Nevertheless, the studies reassert the pressure Redmond faces as it readies Windows 8.1, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-no-cost-big-pressure/240154876">a much-anticipated update expected to debut next month</a>. On Wednesday, Soluto, a PC management company based in Tel Aviv, published <a href="http://www.soluto.com/reports">a study of Metro users' app activity</a>. Derived from a sample of 10,848 Windows 8 machines Soluto monitors, the report states that users with touchscreens launched 47% more Metro apps than those with traditional hardware, a conclusion that jives with an earlier report that claimed <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-sells-best-on-new-tablets/240153686">the OS's tablet adoption has outpaced its desktop and laptop adoption</a>. Still, even among the study's tablet users, 44% launched a Metro app less than once daily. That number predictably jumped to 60% among desktop and laptop users, for whom the UI's touch-centric Live Tiles do not offer obvious benefits. Indeed, the study found that Metro failed to impress even those with touch-equipped laptops; 58.10% of these users launch a Metro app less than once daily. [ What does our "touch skeptic" think after spending two weeks with Windows 8? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/windows-8-4-things-ive-learned/240155234?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows 8: 4 Things I've Learned</a>. ] Across the entire study, users of all types launched Metro apps 1.52 times a day. Tablet users launched 2.71 apps per day. Without similar metrics for Android and iOS apps -- Soluto said it might release this data in the future -- it is difficult to put these numbers in any concrete context. Even so, it's hard to imagine that such low figures indicate consumer approval. The study found that Microsoft's native Mail, People, Messaging and Calendar apps were the most popular. 86% of users used at least one of the apps. No other apps were used by more than half of the sampled population. Soluto noted that while fewer users than not have installed the Yahoo! Mail app, those who have are particularly engaged, launching it an average of 26.91 times per week. The most frequently accessed of any Metro app, regardless of form factor, Yahoo! Mail is curiously popular, the study notes, because Windows 8's native Mail app supports Yahoo accounts out of the box. Soluto blames Metro's confusing UI for this outcome, speculating that it's easier to install Yahoo! Mail than to add a new account within Win8's Mail app. "If you're pragmatic about using the Windows operating system with a keyboard and mouse -- there’s no rush. Wait and see what Windows Blue has in store for us before you upgrade," the report advises. Released on Tuesday, a new study from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a survey founded by the University of Michigan, also <a href="http://www.theacsi.org/acsi-results/acsi-report-may-2013">came to ho-hum conclusions about Windows 8</a>. Microsoft earned an ASCI customer satisfaction score of 74 and was the only software company substantial enough to warrant its own statistical breakout. All other software companies in the study were lumped together and aggregately achieved a score of 76. The national average for all industries in the study, which spanned a variety of consumer-oriented categories, was 76.6. Redmond's score was <a href="http://www.theacsi.org/acsi-results/acsi-benchmarks-may">down one point from last year</a>, and down four points from its all-time high of 78 in 2011, when Windows 7 was the company's most prominent product. The current mark is comfortably above Microsoft's all-time low of 69, however, which the company earned in 2008, the second year Windows Vista was on the market. The study concludes that Windows 8 has neither helped nor hurt Microsoft's overall reputation, a <a href="http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Now-the-Seventh-Most-Valuable-Brand-in-the-World-354912.shtml">contention made in at least one other recent report</a>. With Windows 8.1, Microsoft hopes to show that it can make the Metro UI more user-friendly and engaging. Given that OEMs will soon launch faster, cheaper and lighter Win8 tablets, a successful OS update could <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-hopeful-signs/240155173">position Redmond for meaningful market share gains</a>. If the company posts disappointing back-to-school and holiday sales for the second consecutive year, however, its dedication to the Metro UI will become increasingly difficult to defend. E2 is the only event of its kind, bringing together business and technology leaders across IT, marketing, and other lines of business looking for new ways to evolve their enterprise applications strategy and transform their organizations to achieve business value. Join us June 17-19 for three days of 40+ conference sessions and workshops across eight tracks and discover the latest insights in enterprise social software, big data and analytics, mobility, cloud, SaaS and APIs, UI/UX and more. <a href="http://www.e2conf.com/boston/?_mc=MP_BTMEDIWKAXE">Register for E2 Conference Boston today</a> and save $200 off Full Event Passes, $100 off Conference, or get a FREE Keynote + Expo Pass! 2013-05-21T10:40:00ZWindows 8 Learning Curve: Two Customers SpeakMicrosoft users expect Windows 8.1 to lessen the learning curve for the new OS. But it may not be as bad as you fear, two education customers report.http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-learning-curve-two-customers-s/240155280?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/8-useful-free-apps-for-windows-8/240154590"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/992/Intro_01_tn.jpg" alt="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" title="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Windows 8 isn't easy enough to use -- even Tami Reller, CFO and CMO of Redmond's Windows division, <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/after-bumpy-start-microsoft-rethinks-windows-8/">admits it</a>. If there's one thing users expect from Windows 8.1, the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-hopeful-signs/240155173">free update coming this summer</a>, it's improved user-friendliness. Yet according to IT decision-makers at Seton Hall University and Texas's Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD), adjusting to Windows 8 actually is pretty easy and is worth the effort. Win8 tablets not only offer more value than their competitors, they say, but also serve as genuine laptop replacements. Still, for many users Windows 8 is that unappealing new OS with a new user interface and an inescapable Live Tiles start screen. But based on the experiences of Seton Hall and CCISD's respective staff members and students, the OS's alleged offenses might be less severe than advertised. [ Learn from those who have hands-on experience. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/windows-8-4-things-ive-learned/240155234?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows 8: 4 Things I've Learned</a>. ] Seton Hall CIO Stephen Landry said in an interview that students "took to Windows 8 immediately" last year when the school deployed the OS by outfitting about a third of the freshmen and junior classes with Samsung Series 7 Ultrabooks. Indeed, after collecting input from students, Seton Hall leaders decided to expand the Win8 rollout this year, with all first- and third-year students set to receive a Lenovo Helix, a tablet that docks into a keyboard to double as a laptop. Landry said the Helix balances the tablet apps, battery life, light weight and mobility that students love with the productivity tools a demanding college curriculum requires. Landry also said modest training efforts were central to Win8's success on the campus, noting that students not only receive a brief introduction to the OS when they pick up their devices but also refine their skills by incorporating their tablets in certain classes, such as an online technology survey course that is mandatory for all freshmen. Whereas students have encountered little difficulty, Landry stated that faculty and administrators have had a more arduous time adjusting. He said this trouble has been particularly true within the latter group, for which Windows 8 training has not been mandated. "But usually if I spend 10 minutes explaining the navigations," Landry said, "most administrators become comfortable with the new interface." Similarly, he said, professors have grown happy with Windows 8, noting that he'd definitely know if they weren't. "Faculty can be vocal." In Texas, CCISD CTO Kevin Schwartz has had a similar experience. His district has been exploring Windows 8 for the last year and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/education/mobility/texas-school-district-picks-dell-windows/240155158">plans to deploy 30,000 devices equipped with the OS to students and staff</a>. Schwartz previously managed iPad deployments for schools but has settled on Dell Latitude tablets for CCISD. "There really is a better device now than there was a couple years ago," he said in an interview, noting that Windows 8 offers the tablet perks of Apple's popular product line while it also supports traditional, productivity-oriented applications such as Microsoft Office. Schwartz stated that the Latitude tablets were presented alongside iOS and Android options in "an extensive bakeoff" during which staff and students "strongly favored Dell." Most of those involved with the device selection process had used iOS but few had experience with Windows 8, Schwartz said. Still, students were comfortable with Live Tiles and Win8's other new features "within 10 minutes." "It's not a big barrier," Schwartz remarked, noting that staff initially found Win8's UI "a little harder to adapt to" but that early training efforts, which have dedicated 30 minutes of a two-hour presentation to Win8 navigation and management, are paying off. It's clear from these campus-based stories that once a little training is made available, users becomes much more comfortable with the new operating system and Win8 has value to offer. Windows Blue rumors have suggested that Microsoft is entertaining a variety of changes, including a boot-to-desktop option, more prominent tutorials and a restored start button -- albeit one that merely links to the Live Tile screen, rather than functioning as it did in Windows 7. Though Seton Hall and CCISD's respective experiences suggest tutorials alone might do the trick, it's probably a good idea for Microsoft to include all of the above.2013-05-20T16:07:00ZCan Tiny Ophelia Cure Dell's Big PC Woes?Dell has struggled to adapt as PCs have lost ground to tablets. Is Ophelia, a pocket-sized computing device coming this summer, a step in the right direction?http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/can-tiny-ophelia-cure-dells-big-pc-woes/240155191?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/education/leadership/educational-technology-across-the-ages/240149241"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/954/1_tn.jpg" alt="Tablets Rock On: Education Tech Through The Ages" title="Tablets Rock On: Education Tech Through The Ages" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Tablets Rock On: Education Tech Through The Ages</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Last week, Dell announced a brutal earnings report, and its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-posts-weak-earnings-services-growth/240155126">sagging PC business</a> was the primary culprit</a>. The company's Project Ophelia, an out-of-the-box PC concept set to debut this July, won't change that on its own, but it could represent an important shift in the company's thinking. Though Dell has achieved some <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/education/mobility/texas-school-district-picks-dell-windows/240155158">tablet-driven success with schools</a>, the company has largely struggled to keep up with the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/4-reasons-pc-market-wont-rebound/240154202">device market's trend toward mobility</a>. Ophelia could signal that the company is finding ways to adapt and, perhaps, to catch up. Ophelia is a miniature computer that could easily be mistaken for a USB stick. Equipped with two USB ports, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a dual-core processor, the device plugs into a display's HDMI port, turning compatible screens -- from small desktop monitors to giant HDTVs -- into ad hoc computing devices. Ophelia runs Android 4.0 but also comes with PocketCloud, which allows users to access files stored on PCs and other devices. It also can facilitate a host of remote desktop opportunities by hooking into virtualization platforms from Citrix, Microsoft and VMware. [ Get the lowdown on one of Dell's latest tablets. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/tablets/dell-latitude-10-st2-windows-8-pro-table/240151982?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Dell Latitude 10-ST2 Windows 8 Pro Tablet: the Good and the Bad</a>. ] Ophelia was first teased in January at CES, and Dell has continued to tout the product throughout the spring. It will be demonstrated at this week's Citrix Synergy conference in Los Angeles. The first Ophelia shipments in July are earmarked for developers, but general availability should follow by the fall. The device will be able to download apps and movies from Google Play. Dell became a household name thanks to its built-to-order PC model but has spent the last several years <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/michael-dell-our-transformation-is-compl/240144292">diversifying into an end-to-end software and services company</a>. Computers still dominate the company's revenue streams, however, and Wall Street has been skeptical that Dell, from a financial perspective, is really more than a PC maker. The dynamic between Dell, its investors, and the PC market is one of the reasons CEO Michael Dell is currently trying to <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/dells-directors-forecast-a-grim-future-for-the-pc-industry-7000013303"> take the company private</a>, a strategy that some influential investors, such as Carl Icahn, continue to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-earnings-may-disappoint/240154986"> oppose</a>. However the buyout drama shakes out, Ophelia still represents a meaningful statement from Dell: the product is a new, mobile-friendly way of thinking about what does and does not represent a computer. If tablets are one slice of the post-PC equation, then technologies such as Ophelia could represent another, albeit smaller, one. In a March interview, Jeff McNaught, Dell's executive director of marketing for cloud computing, explained that Ophelia grew out of Dell's Wyse acquisition, which provides the foundation for much of the company's virtualization business. He said that Wyse customers wanted all-in-one thin client endpoints of all sizes, from hand-holdable tablets to large, desktop-oriented monitors. "Building all those different sizes with thin client intelligence would be difficult," he said, but once Wyse was purchased by Dell, the dilemma became part of the impetus for Ophelia. Because the device makes that "intelligence" portable, users can effectively repurpose HDMI-equipped endpoints of any size they want. A desire to build low-cost devices was another aspect of the product's development, McNaught said, noting that the device, which will sell for $100, is much cheaper than most thin clients currently on the market. But whereas most thin clients are used within an office, Ophelia allows users to summon a computer almost wherever they need one. An on-the-road traveler whose laptop has died, for example, could plug Ophelia into a monitor in a hotel business center, securely log into her work environment through Ophelia's interface, and, because the virtualized session will terminate as soon as Ophelia is removed, leave no sensitive data behind. "We realized it could be a secure solution for travelers," McNaught stated, characterizing the device not as a PC replacement but as a new way to extend PC experiences. He said Ophelia will offer IT-friendly management tools, such as remote wipe, through Dell's Cloud Client Manager. But McNaught believes Ophelia also has recreational appeal that could stretch into the consumer space. For example, he said, a hotel guest normally has to pay $9 to see a movie in his room. With Ophelia, the guest could stream HD video from Netflix or Hulu to the TV, or spend hours playing Android games. "It has practical applications, and at the other end of the spectrum, it's also whimsical and fun," McNaught said, adding that Dell is going to target Ophelia at enterprises but that it has also fielded interest from educators and consumers. It remains to be seen whether Ophelia will be a novelty, a flop, a one-off success, or a sign that Dell's acquisitions are starting to innovate. But McNaught feels confident the product reflects the company's growing capabilities. He praised the device's engineering, specifically the miniaturization required to pack so many computer components into such a small package, and to keep Ophelia's power consumption at a scant two watts. He also praised the device's software, which he described as delivering "automatically-managed, virus-immune" services to both enterprises and consumers. "When you look at Ophelia, there are really two giant feats," he said.2013-05-18T09:06:00ZWindows 8: 5 Hopeful SignsThanks to new apps and smaller, cheap devices, Windows 8 is primed for a rebound -- if Windows 8.1 delivers.http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8-5-hopeful-signs/240155173?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/8-useful-free-apps-for-windows-8/240154590"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/992/Intro_01_tn.jpg" alt="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" title="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Research firm Forrester says <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8s-best-chance-depends-on-byod/240155033">IT isn't interested in Windows 8</a>, and that the platform's success relies on consumers and BYOD. Given that consumers <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">aren't exactly embracing the new OS</a>, Win8's prospects are easy to dismiss -- so much so that Frank X. Shaw, Redmond's VP of corporate communications, recently felt compelled to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/why-microsoft-should-make-windows-blue-f/240154750">reprimand the media</a> for its emphatically bleak appraisal of his company's plight. But here's the thing: Shaw could be right. Windows 8's consumer appeal is about to get a major upgrade. An important note: this prediction presupposes that the OS's usability issues are addressed in Windows 8.1, a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-no-cost-big-pressure/240154876">free update, formerly known as Windows Blue, expected to be revealed in June</a>. There's been some doublespeak from Microsoft on the usability point. Redmond executives have claimed that customer feedback informed Blue's development -- but they've also defended Win8's Live Tile start screen, which has been a significant driver of user criticism. There's a fine line between upholding one's convictions and alienating one's fans. Win 8.1 looks like it will land on the right side of that line -- but I'll come back to that later. First, here are five reasons things are looking up for Windows 8. 1. New Intel Chips, Better Battery Life Intel's Haswell core chips should be shipping inside Windows 8.1 devices by this fall. If you found the Surface Pro somewhat attractive but were deterred by its poor battery life and modest i5 processor -- your time is coming. Haswell is expected to deliver major improvements in power management, which means designers have more flexibility to balance CPU power and battery life. The result should be Win8 tablets and Ultrabooks that function like high-end laptops but can run all day on a single battery charge. Intel's chips are also expected to facilitate thinner, lighter form factors, and to deliver improved graphics performance -- perfect for the high-density screens that will be common on the next round of high-end, Surface Pro-like machines. Intel's Bay Trail Atom processors, meanwhile, won't be on the market until later this year. But the new mobile-oriented chips are expected to substantially improve the graphics performance and central processing muscle of Atom-based Windows 8 tablets. Intel says the new processors are twice as powerful as the current ones, and Intel is clearly looking to challenge ARM, the chip of choice for smartphones and tablets. If Bay Trail lives up to its promise, it will enable the lightest and most portable of tablets to not only run the full version of Windows 8, but also, and more importantly, do so without a hitch. In a space dominated by cheap Android tablets and the iPad Mini, the ability to run Microsoft Office and legacy x86 apps could be a major differentiator. 2. Lower Prices For many users, the first wave of Windows 8 devices was prohibitively expensive. The next wave, however, should offer options to fit all budgets. Intel has stated that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/byte/intel-haswell-599-touch-ultrabooks-in-20/240145717">Haswell-based Ultrabooks should reach the $600 price point</a>. There will be more expensive options too. But given the improvements the new chips should facilitate, Intel's promise means that devices with more raw processing power and better battery life than the Surface Pro will soon cost only a little more than much-ignored, and x86-incompatible, Surface RT. Atom-based Windows 8 tablets, meanwhile, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/intel-bay-trail-200/">could be much cheaper</a>. The prospect of $1,000 Win8 Ultrabooks didn't entice many people -- but $300 for an extremely thin tablet that can capably run Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Angry Birds and most anything else? That could take a bite out of the iPad Mini's sales. Windows 8 struggled partially due to a lack of elegance in the new interface. But a lot of that bad buzz came from people who ran the OS without a touchscreen. Some of these Win8 installations involved new licenses installed on old machines, which gain little value, if any, from the new UI. But OEMs exacerbated this problem when, heading into last winter, they managed to release only a handful of touch-enabled options. By the time this year's back-to-school and holiday seasons roll around, store shelves should not only feature a great abundance of touch-oriented Windows 8 devices but also a greater diversity of form factors. This variety will include some novel ideas, such as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intel-outlines-smartphones-ultrabooks-vi/240145919">30-inch hybrid tablets</a> that can be docked like a desktop but also laid flat to create a table display. But the entrance of mini-tablets is probably the most notable development. As mentioned above, these devices -- thanks to not only their ability to offer legitimate productivity tools in a consumer-friendly tablet but also their low prices -- could be enormously popular. Microsoft might even debut <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/6/3608432/xbox-surface-xbox-tablet-7-inch">a 7-inch Surface model</a> as soon as this summer. 4. Windows 8.1's UI Refinements Windows 8.1's biggest hurdle will be addressing core usability concerns -- more on that below. Aside from this point, though, the update will -- based on <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-blue-what-we-know/240152012">information gleaned from leaked Windows Blue builds</a> -- deliver a more refined version of the Metro interface. Many of the tweaks, such as the ability to resize and customize Live Tile sizes, are small but welcome. Others, such as an improved Snap Views function that allows up to four Metro apps to be displayed simultaneously, are more functional. Other changes include deeper Sky Drive integration, Internet Explorer 11 and support for new touch gestures. Nothing earth-shattering has come to light, but the numerous small improvements should contribute to a smoother, more cohesive user experience. Control panel tweaks aren't exciting, for example, but because Windows 8 currently forces users to jump between the Metro and desktop interfaces to access these controls, it's significant that Windows Blue will likely make these tools easier to access from either environment. It's not flashy -- but it makes the user experience significantly less frustrating. To be fair, "less frustrating" doesn't exactly equal iOS-level user delight. But Windows 8 is still a new, radically different model, and it will take Microsoft some time to figure things out. Plus, to gain market share, Windows 8.1 doesn't need to be great. It just needs to be good enough. Microsoft products are still an entrenched part of most businesses. It's one thing for a BYOD employee to use Google Apps and an iPad because he doesn't want to spend $1,000 on a Surface Pro that has lousy battery life, is relatively heavy and features an aggravating interface. It's another thing, though, to pay $300 or $400 for great battery life, complete compatibility with the office, a light form factor and a decent tablet UI that does most things it's supposed to do. If Win 8.1 is expected to disrupt the market, it's bound to disappoint. But if it's meant to lead to organic growth that could lead to future gains, then "good enough" could actually work -- at least until Google, Samsung or Apple does something to move the mobile goal posts. 5. Better Apps The native Windows 8 apps weren't great, but Microsoft has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/windows-8-updates-core-apps-to-improve-u/240151678">already released updates to improve them</a>, and Blue is expected to bring new alarm, sound recorder, movie and calculator apps. It's unclear how useful these new entries will be, but Microsoft has also been <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-seeks-windows-8-app-wave/240151314">actively encouraging developers to join the Win8 fold</a>, and the effort has been paying off. The platform now boasts more than 73,000 apps, and developer activity, after trailing off during the first three months of the year, is nearly as high as it was at launch. Microsoft has also been building <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-builds-a-deep-tech-team-to-attract-next-gen-developers-7000015270/">an elite team to develop next-gen apps that span the entire Windows ecosystem</a>. Win 8.1 won't change the fact that Metro still has only about one-tenth the number of apps that iOS has. Still, Redmond's new OS now has enough apps to compete; it can't do everything, but the Windows Store no longer resembles a bare cupboard. But It All Hinges On Usability As Windows 8's defenders point out, the OS is usable -- as long as you endure a short learning curve. The problem is, many users gave Metro only a brief look and dismissed Win8 without a second thought. To a certain segment of users, a tablet that can access x86 apps is a dream come true. But iPads satisfy most people's most common needs, and when they require something heavier, most of them still have a computer. Windows 8's merits, for many of these users, did not make learning the new OS worthwhile. To be fair, some of this adoption hesitancy has to do with cost, and Microsoft and its partners are about to address that. But it's clear, fair or not, that the UI hurdle needs to be removed. That doesn't mean Redmond should kill Metro, but it means the devices need to be engaging as soon as users pick them up. The extent to which Microsoft understands this is unclear. On the one hand, Windows CMO and CFO Tami Reller has conceded that the "learning curve" imposed by the new Live Tiles UI is <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/after-bumpy-start-microsoft-rethinks-windows-8/">"real and needs to be addressed."</a> But Windows chief Julie Larson-Green has <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/julie-larson-green-talks-about-blue-and-future-windows">defended the Live Tile start screen as a "dramatic improvement" over the familiar start menu it replaces</a>. Microsoft is "principled ... but stubborn" about the new interface, she said, even while conceding that a resurrected start menu "might be helpful" to some users. Muddying the waters further, she also said that Windows 8.1 won't deliver "major changes," and that "some things" -- presumably, the stream of Win Blue rumors that had been steadily flowing for months -- "are wildly inaccurately reported." Speaking of those rumors, with Windows Blue, users will likely gain the option to boot directly to the desktop interface, rather than being force-fed the Live Tiles start screen every time they start their machines. Window 8.1 might also feature a restored start menu, but rather than functioning like its Windows 7-equivalent, it's rumored to be a Live Tiles shortcut. There's also been talk of search charm enhancements intended to wean users of their old-UI dependencies, and better integration of tutorials and help functions. Whether any of these changes actually materialize remains to be seen. But whatever Microsoft does, it must make the OS easier to use. If the company does so, watch out. Based on the five factors above, the conditions are right for Microsoft's consumer market share to jump. Does this mean the next Surface will catapult to iPad-like sales, or that Windows 8 is about to explode the way Android did in 2012? No. But an important shift is nonetheless primed to occur. At launch, Windows 8 presented users with one very important reason to buy: a tablet UI and legacy applications, all in one device. Unfortunately, it also gave users many reasons not to buy: a counterintuitive UI, costly devices, uninspired native apps, lackluster app library, poor battery life, and so on. Now, most of the deterrents have been eliminated. Ease of use is the big one that remains.2013-05-17T11:13:00ZDell Posts Weak Earnings: Services Growth Slow GoingDell's enterprise business showed growth this quarter, but not enough to overcome a steep decline in PC margins. http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-posts-weak-earnings-services-growth/240155126?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AllAs expected, Dell on Thursday <a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/secure/201305webrelease">announced a year-over-year decline in quarterly revenue</a>, earning 21 cents per share on sales of $14.1 billion. The performance was down from the 43 cents per share that the company's investors earned during the same period last year. It was also below the 35 cents per share Wall Street had expected before Dell <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-earnings-may-disappoint/240154986">abruptly decided to disclose its fiscal performance a week ahead of schedule</a>. The schedule shift triggered rumors that Dell's performance would be worse than expected, and that the soft earnings could serve CEO Michael Dell's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-goes-private-whats-next/240147885">attempts to take the company private</a>. Half of that projection has some to pass, but it remains to be seen how the company's report will impact its buyout trajectory. Dell announced in February his intentions to take the company private by paying investors $13.65 per share. But progress has since been mired by counterproposals, the most recent of which involves a plan backed by investor Carl Icahn that would offer shareholders $12 a share in cash or stock. This approach would permit some investors to cut their losses while still keeping the company partially public. Predictably, Dell's PC business was the biggest culprit in the weak earnings. The division's sales fell 9 percent but its operating margin was off 65%. Prior to the company's announcement, some had speculated that Dell sacrificed profits by slashing prices to stimulate device sales -- a theory the earnings report does not outright confirm but nonetheless supports. [ Dell's weak earnings report was no surprise. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-earnings-may-disappoint/240154986?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Dell Earnings May Disappoint</a>. ] Dell's business-oriented divisions fared better. The Enterprise Solutions Group's revenue was up 10 percent, at $3.1 billion. Server and networking revenue increased but storage revenue was down. Dell Services grew 2 percent, meanwhile, driven by gains in infrastructure, cloud, and security-related revenue. Dell Software, the focal point of some of the company's biggest recent changes, posted an operating loss on revenue of just under $300 million. Dell, which made its name building PCs for consumers, has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/michael-dell-our-transformation-is-compl/240144292">spent the last several years redefining itself as an end-to-end software and services company</a>. This transition has been hampered by, among other things, the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-bleeds-windows-8-tablet-fix-ne/240152706">PC market's historic decline</a>. Dell continues to draw much of its revenue from computers, and the market's downturn has put pressure on the company to tip its balance sheets in favor of its newer, more enterprise-focused endeavors. Michael Dell believes this process will be most efficiently executed without Wall Street's distractions and regulations. In an email interview conducted prior to the earnings report, IDC analyst Matt Eastwood said Dell faces challenges because "the PC business has come unglued faster than they thought it would and Dell needs PC revenue to invest in [its] business transformation." This difficulty is compounded because Dell's enterprise business has not scaled as quickly as hoped --"certainly not fast enough to offset the declines in the PC space," according to Eastwood. Eastwood believes that Dell has accrued valuable enterprise assets but is still transitioning its sales model. The company "needs to make significant investments in [its] go-to-market capabilities," he said. "This is a transformation that is perhaps best completed outside the glare of Wall Street." He stated that Dell's sales professionals have relied on a transaction-oriented approach, and that the company needs to focus on relationships and margins, "particularly when the solutions are end-to-end and span multiple silos and decision makers." This Cloud Connect webcast, <a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=608346&s=1&k=EC75EBF3BEED4017ECED43380C066892&partnerref=jdpl">Connecting Your Network To The Cloud</a>, will provide a road map and best practices for integrating private data networking technologies with cloud computing resources. It happens May 14. (Free registration required.)2013-05-16T13:23:00ZWindows 8's Best Chance Depends On BYOD?Windows 8 will do better with consumers than IT departments, says Forrester report.http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/windows-8s-best-chance-depends-on-byod/240155033?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/8-things-microsoft-could-do-to-save-wind/240153124"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/980/Windows-1st-screen_tn.png" alt="8 Things Microsoft Could Do To Save Windows 8" title="8 Things Microsoft Could Do To Save Windows 8" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Things Microsoft Could Do To Save Windows 8</div>(click image for slideshow) </div>The good news for Microsoft is that <a href="http://www.forrester.com/IT+Will+Skip+Windows+8+As+The+Enterprise+Standard/fulltext/-/E-RES86641">Windows 8's BYOD prospects are pretty decent</a>, according to a report published Thursday by research firm Forrester. The bad news? IT is in no rush to adopt Microsoft's divisive new OS. Also, competition from Apple and Google for consumer dollars remains fierce. The report, lead-authored by analyst David Johnson, states, "Most businesses will not adopt Windows 8 as their primary standard, but must be prepared to meet employee BYOD demand.” Beyond explaining Microsoft's Win8 predicament, the report also reinforces that the PC industry is undergoing a "dramatic shift." Tablets and smartphones have usurped many tasks once relegated to desktops and laptops, and they've enabled social and mobile applications that simply weren't feasible with traditional machines. But these upstarts can't do everything, so PCs remain relevant. However, users now can choose from a variety of devices, and a lot of them choose to use tablets, or to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/4-reasons-pc-market-wont-rebound/240154202">spread their tasks across a range of devices</a>. IT has been forced to accommodate this shift in preference, and the pecking order of major tech players, such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Intel, has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/microsofts-influence-fading-fast-gartner/240152342">begun to realign</a>. [ Looking for deals on Windows 8 apps? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/8-free-must-have-windows-8-apps/240154590?itc=edit_in_body_cross">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</a>. ] Forrester notes that 38% of employees would prefer to use Windows 8 on their work computers, which actually outpaces the 35% who'd choose Windows 7. Among tablet users, 20% would like Windows 8 and 26% would like iOS. Though this interest in Win8 tablets is notable, and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/microsofts-influence-fading-fast-gartner/240152342">supported by other evidence</a>, the report cautions that enthusiasm for iOS, Android and OS X remains strong. Forrester found that iOS is particularly popular with the "most influential employees," noting that Apple customers typically earn higher salaries and hold higher positions within their companies. iOS was the most-preferred tablet OS across all income brackets, but its advantage was more pronounced among the best-paid users. Windows 8 was second in all categories. The report claims IT staffers perceive iOS as the most-preferred OS for tablets, and cites the iPad's rich user experience and ease-of-use as some of its prime appeals. Nevertheless, Forrester expects both Android and Windows 8 to eat into Apple's share. This view is tempered by the report's caution that Win8 still needs more Metro apps to attract consumers. Forrester believes there is a market for a premium Windows experience but that Microsoft and its OEM partners are still catching up to Apple's design lead. The report characterizes Windows RT, meanwhile, as confusing for not only users but also for IT in managing it and figuring out software licensing. Forrester expects user interest to carry Windows 8 into the enterprise via BYOD, alongside more iPads, Android tablets and other devices. Even so, the report suggests Win8 is unlikely to become the workplace favorite that Windows 7 has been. Formidable competition on the mobile front is one factor -- but more importantly, Forrester has detected little enthusiasm for Win8 among IT staffers, many of whom are happy to keep using Windows 7. The report attributes IT's Win8 hesitancy to a number of concerns, such as the amount of user training a full deployment might entail, and how many applications would need to be redesigned to take advantage of the OS's new interface. Given that Windows 7 is such a strong performer, Windows 8 just doesn't add enough extra value to be the primary OS at most businesses, Forrester concludes. It should be noted that although the report is new, it cites statistics derived from studies conducted between June and October of 2012. As a result, some of the data points, such as correlations between salary and brand preference, reflect how respondents felt before Windows 8 was widely available. The report still <a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/david_johnson/12-03-08-windows_8_think_you_can_skip_it_think_again">reflects Forrester's research since the studies were conducted</a>, but the point remains: when respondents were surveyed, neither the OS's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">slow adoption</a> nor the polarizing reactions to its UI would have been variables. Windows Blue would have been, likewise, a non-factor. But in a sense, the imminent arrival of Blue, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-no-cost-big-pressure/240154876">now officially named Windows 8.1</a>, reinforces the importance of these early statistics. A decent number of people were once enthusiastic about Windows 8, but based on the OS's low usage share, that enthusiasm hasn't yet translated to sales. Part of the problem might have been the UI, or at least the bad press around the UI. Maybe it was the lack of apps. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the first round of Win8 devices were expensive, and that affluent buyers evidently prefer Apple. Whatever the issue, Windows 8.1 has the potential to address all of them. There's the chance, of course, that the update won't meaningfully improve the Windows 8 experience. But it's more likely that Win8.1 turns the platform into something more like what people had hoped for in the first place -- back when one in five told Forrester that they'd like a Microsoft tablet. And prices will be coming down, too. The prospect of a tablet that runs Microsoft Office and x86 applications is powerful, but perhaps not powerful enough to sell hundreds of millions of devices in the $600 - $1000 range. With Windows 8.1 models about to invade the iPad Mini's price range, Forrester's statistics affirm how much Microsoft could still gain as well as how much it could lose. One thing, though, is certain: there will continue to be a variety of OSes, including Windows 8, at work in the enterprise. Forrest suggests that businesses prepare by hurrying to finish their Windows 7 migrations, implementing formal BYOD programs, exploring cloud and virtualization, and piloting limited Windows 8 deployments. 2013-05-16T11:03:00ZDell Earnings May DisappointMichael Dell and his plan to take the company private may benefit if quarterly earnings miss Wall Street's expectations.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-earnings-may-disappoint/240154986?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/hardware-software/8-useful-free-apps-for-windows-8/240154590"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/992/Intro_01_tn.jpg" alt="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" title="8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Dell on Thursday afternoon will <a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/secure/2013-0514-webcastrelease">report its financial earnings</a> for the most recent fiscal quarter. The company, whose CEO and founder, Michael Dell, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/dell-goes-private-whats-next/240147885">has been attempting to take the it private since February</a>, originally planned to make the announcement on May 21. It gave no explanation for the accelerated timeline. Prior to the schedule adjustment, analysts had expected Dell to disclose sales of $13.5 billion and earnings of 35 cents per share. The Wall Street Journal reported, however, that the results will be "far worse than Wall Street had expected," with <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324715704578483151440568828.html">revenue of approximately $14 billion but earnings of only 20 cents per share</a>. ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall told the Journal that Dell's profits might have taken a hit as it slashed prices to overcome the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/pc-market-bleeds-windows-8-tablet-fix-ne/240152706">rocky PC market</a>. Dell is, after Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard, the world's third largest maker of PCs. Its tablet sales, meanwhile, have so far been tied mostly to Windows 8, which <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-8-adoption-limps-on/240153971">has yet to take off</a>. Earlier this week, the company <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/15/4332464/dell-xps-10-price-drops-to-just-300-the">slashed the price of its Windows RT-based XPS 10 tablet to $300</a>, 33% below its original cost. [ Will a better Windows help? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/operating-systems/windows-81-no-cost-big-pressure/240154876?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Windows 8.1: No Cost, Big Pressure</a>. ] Michael Dell's attempts to take his company private, meanwhile, are being challenged by activist investor Carl Icahn. Last week, Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management proposed a deal that would pay shareholders a dividend of $12 a share, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2013/05/14/icahn-wants-a-seat-for-himself-on-dells-board-activists-unveil-proposed-directors/">allowing some investors to cash out but keeping the company partially public</a>. Dell, whom Icahn has said he would remove as CEO, offered $13.65 a share in the $24.4 billion buyout plan he spearheaded with private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. A Dell special committee -- established to ensure investors' best interests are upheld, given the CEO's potential conflict of interest -- is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/dell-committee-asks-icahn-for-more-information-on-takeover-plan/2013/05/13/bf20719e-bbca-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html">mulling Icahn's proposal</a>. A disappointing earnings report could actually advance Michael Dell's agenda, as it would subvert Icahn's claim that Dell's buyout plan undervalues the company's assets and cheats shareholders. Earlier this year, Dell's stock rallied to more than $14 a share as investors reacted to the buyout announcement and the ensuing counterproposals. Wall Street turned bearish, however, after analysts began issuing <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/4-reasons-pc-market-wont-rebound/240154202">gloomy PC forecasts</a> in April. Amidst all the drama, Dell has continued to tout its new identity as a software and services provider. Given the assets the company has accrued, it's easy to see why Michael Dell wants to shape that identity without being tethered to finicky shareholders and regulatory oversight. Wall Street has a reactionary recent history with tech companies, informed in part by the volume of trades that value short-term hedges over long-term patience. In a matter of months, Apple went from "most valuable company in the world" to "company that no longer innovates." Microsoft was downgraded by Goldman Sachs earlier this year due but is currently enjoying good buzz, now that investors have been reminded that Redmond, in addition to making Windows, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/microsoft-office-server-sales-fuel-stron/240153251">also runs a lot of other profitable businesses</a> -- like Office and Azure. Given that Michael Dell's plan might necessitate a few more quarters of rough financial results, it's hard to believe the CEO would be able to capitalize on his vision if the company remains public. That being the case, the question becomes whether one trusts Dell's vision. The CEO has offered little insight into how he'll use his new freedoms if he succeeds in taking the company private. But as one of the richest people in the world, he can pursue virtually anything he wants. That he is staking billions of dollars of his own money suggests serious conviction. Then again, it's been a long time since the company's heyday as the world's largest PC seller. In a way, though, that heyday is part of what Dell is trying to shake. As investors and journalists continued to refer to Dell as a "PC-maker" throughout the spring, the company spent most of its energy touting its enterprise software portfolio. In the last month, for example, Dell has <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/13/dell_hana_appliance_sap_business_suite/">broadened its support for SAP HANA</a>, and demonstrated how its collection of software assets can be <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/dells-software-unit-updates-byod-it-consumerization-strategies-7000014425/">cohesively strung together to solve complex business problems</a>, such as how to <a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/press-releases/2013-04-24-dell-byod-mobility-portfolio?c=us&l=en&s=corp&cs=uscorp1">implement a mobility program within a regulated industry</a>. This cohesiveness is important. Michael Dell declared last December at Dell World that his <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/michael-dell-our-transformation-is-compl/240144292">company's transition was complete</a>. Showing that its various acquisitions constitute an end-to-end package, rather than a confusing hodgepodge, validates that statement. The company also has <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/windows-servers/dell-demos-64-bit-arm-based-server/240146667">investments in ARM-based hyperscale servers</a>, which could prove prescient in coming years. And it has valuable offerings in storage, virtualization and cloud-computing as well. The company derives a lot of its money -- too much of it, which is why its CEO wants to privately restructure -- from PCs. But Dell's current identity looks a lot more like IBM, a company that underwent a similar reinvention, than it does the earlier versions of itself. The challenge Dell faces -- no matter who ends up running the company -- is to show that these enterprise strengths form a foundation for lasting success. IDC analyst Matt Eastwood, in an email interview conducted prior to the schedule change in Dell's earnings announcement, said, "Dell has a nice set of capabilities, but can't afford to stand still." The software and services market changes rapidly, he said, and customers want to see Dell "sustain innovation organically and not simply rely on acquisitions to drive their diversification."