"Sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations between Apple and Microsoft tell AllThingsD that the companies are at loggerheads not over the 30 percent commission Apple asks of storage upgrade sales made through SkyDrive, but over applying that same commission to Office 365 subscriptions sold through Microsoft Office for iOS, which is expected to launch sometime next year." iOS could end up being the only mobile platform without Office.
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Member since:2011-08-13
Member since:2007-01-13
Member since:2007-04-25
Ah, semantics. Apple ran ads arguing that a Personal Computer must run Windows, and a Mac was a different product altogether. Agree?
Don't look now, but people are doing many of the same types of computing on mobile devices as on desktops and laptops - communications, reading, banking, planning, working, playing. You know, personal computing.
And the operating systems are converging - OS/X is becoming more like iOS (I hear), I run Android apps on my Linux desktop (precisely the same kernel, btw), and Windows 8 pretends to be the same on both (don't look at that processor behind the curtain!).
More importantly, people are increasingly choosing to buy mobile devices instead of Wintel PCs to do their personal computing. Not everybody, of course - geeks especially will always want maximum power on at least one device - but the bulk of the market has clearly switched, and that's where vendors are innovating now because that's where the market is growing.
Same use cases + same buyers + converging operating systems = same effective market.
I don't see much point in pretending that a 103 keyboard is required to call a device a "personal computer". The most practical definition of a "personal computer" IMHO is a device on which computing for one person at a time takes place - phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, workstation, whatever. This is similar to how cars, trucks, motorcycles, and a few others are all personal transportation, I guess.
But it's semantics, so we could argue in circles all night. *shrugs*
Member since:2006-05-30
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Member since:
2007-04-25
Doesn't seem to have hurt them much thus far.
Obviously you don't read the news. Apple is getting absolutely slaughtered in virtually every market except the USA. "
Sorry for the double reply - I almost edited my previous post in time!
But this is so timely - read http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/13/windows_market_share_just_2....
According to GS, from 2000 to 2011, Apple's global personal computing market share went from 7% to 23%, Google's from 0% to 33%, and Microsoft's from 93% to 25%.
Now, which of those three offers Microsoft Office?
Most young people I know would use Google Drive even if MS Office were free. It's collaborative, ubiquitous, and more than good enough for most personal use. And LibreOffice is fine for all but the heaviest lifting - I wrote and published my book entirely in it, for example. MS Office still matters in business, but it's no longer the only show (or even the best show) in town.