Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is on stage right now at the company’s Convergence conference in Atlanta, which has expanded beyond the company’s Dynamics products to serve as the company’s big annual event for businesses. The live stream is available here.
The focus of the event gets to the heart of Microsoft’s own business, making and selling technology for companies. In his opening remarks, Nadella jabbed at Apple and Google, without mentioning them by name, saying that Microsoft isn’t in business just to serve ads, or solely to sell devices. “We are in the empowerment business,” he told the crowd.
He showed his Microsoft Band wearable device but said later, “Devices will come and go. The most interesting thing is the data that’s being collected.”
The company is making a series of announcements at the event, including an Azure IoT Suite that connects the company’s cloud computing platform to networks of devices, helping companies analyze huge amounts of data. Microsoft is also announcing a preview of Office 2016 for IT pros and developers, expanding beyond its existing private customer preview.
Nadella also talked about the upcoming release of Windows 10, noting that 3 million people are testing it through the company’s Windows Insider program. Other news includes a new technical preview of Skype for Business, global availability of the Office Delve social interface for businesses, and a new release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson made a brief appearance with Nadella on stage, talking about his use of OneNote, Skype and the Microsoft Surface tablet He gave the crowd the traditional “Go Hawks” but acknowledged that the statement had a different meaning in the Atlanta NBA arena.
