Microsoft
Microsoft is a devices and services company based in Redmond, Washington – a city about 16 miles east of Seattle. Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Traditionally a software company at heart, Microsoft dabbled in hardware with computing peripherals like mice and keyboards before going all in with the Surface line of tablets. The pending acquisition of Nokia’s handset unit will further add to Microsoft’s future plan to be a devices and services company.
Microsoft has many products in both the consumer and enterprise space. Most consumers are familiar with Microsoft through their operating system Windows, their office software suite Microsoft Office, their home entertainment consoles Xbox, and their mobile operating system Windows Phone.
Microsoft rose to power in the 90’s thanks to its operating system Windows and its office software suite called Microsoft Office. In the early 00’s Microsoft cracked the living room by launching the original Xbox. The Xbox has now seen three generational entries, with the Xbox One being Microsoft’s answer to the eight generation of gaming consoles.
Windows and Office continue to be a large part of revenue for Microsoft, but their future plans have shifted from a “computer on every desk” to “mobile first, cloud first”. Microsoft is investing heavily in their Azure, their cloud computing platform that will be the backbone of what they do for the next generation of computing.
Windows, Windows Phone, Office, Azure, Azure, Surface, and Cortana are all at the heart of what Microsoft’s future will focus on.
Latest about Microsoft
In a single month, Xbox took over the PlayStation Store, Microsoft revealed the price of Windows 10 support, and Elon Musk said AI may end humanity
By Sean Endicott published
A month of news! Microsoft stories dripped out all throughout April, and we saw interesting developments in the worlds of Windows, Xbox, and PC gaming. Here are all of the biggest stories from last month.
"We are multiple years behind the competition in terms of ML scale," emails show Microsoft executives were worried about rival Google's AI development, which motivated them to invest in OpenAI
By Rebecca Spear published
2019 emails Emails sent between Microsoft executives in 2019 have been made public as part of an antitrust case. Apparently, Microsoft was worried about Google's AI development being better than its own.
Despite "the predatory use of AI to steal artists' voices and likenesses," a famous singer recently generated an AI clone deepfake to help create more time for her craft
By Kevin Okemwa published
NOT SO BAD? Artists in the UK are about to gain protection from AI deepfakes and misinformation.
A multitude of publishers slam Microsoft and OpenAI with a copyright infringement suit, but Sam Altman already admitted tools like ChatGPT couldn't exist without copyrighted content
By Kevin Okemwa published
COPYRIGHT ❌ Eight US-based news publishers recently filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the companies over copyright infringement issues.
Microsoft takes on OpenAI's Sora with a cutting-edge AI tool capable of turning a static image into a 'Talking Tom'
By Kevin Okemwa published
REAL OR FAKE? Microsoft's new AI-powered tool transforms static images into clips amid the rising concern about deepfakes and misinformation.
PowerToys essentially awards me an AI PC, but an unresponsive Copilot button leaves me unsure about its usefulness in Windows
By Kevin Okemwa published
FUTURE AI PC Even with a dedicated AI key, I often forget I even have a button for Copilot, which regularly reacts slower than my mouse.
Microsoft wants to know which gaming handhelds you're using and if you think you'll buy another one within the next five years — are we getting an Xbox handheld soon?
By Rebecca Spear published
Microsoft handheld survey It seems like Microsoft is gathering information about gaming handhelds, potentially as a way to gauge interest in its own device.
Bill Gates continues to 'backstage' manage Microsoft despite official departure, as Satya Nadella relies on his advice for Microsoft's transformative AI initiative
By Kevin Okemwa published
NOT SO GATED Despite seemingly exiting Microsoft, Bill Gates still plays a major role in the firm's decision making process.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says "Security underpins every layer of the tech stack and it's our No. 1 priority. We are doubling down on this very important work" amid rising concerns over 'cascade of security failures'
By Kevin Okemwa published
BIG ON SECURITY Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed to analysts that the company will heighten its focus on cybersecurity during the earnings call.
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