Microsoft: $2B Dell loan supports key partner, helps Windows ecosystem

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Updated below with HP comment criticizing the deal and making a pitch for Dell’s customers, as well as comments from Michael Dell. Microsoft’s involvement in the $24.4 billion deal to take PC maker Dell private was officially confirmed this morning, with the Redmond company agreeing to provide a $2 billion loan to help finance the… Read More…

Dell board reportedly set to consider buyout, including big Microsoft investment

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Bloomberg News is reporting that Dell’s board plans to meet this evening to discuss a potential $24 billion buyout — a move that would take the Round Rock, Texas-based PC maker private. If the board gives the nod, a deal could be announced as early as Tuesday morning. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg said that the… Read More…

Report: Microsoft in talks to invest up to $3B in Dell to help take the PC maker private

Michael Dell (Wikipedia photo)

Now, here’s one of the more interesting stories of the day. CNBC’s David Faber is reporting that Microsoft may invest between $1 billion and $3 billion in Dell as part of the computer maker’s plan to go private. The investment would be a huge bet by Microsoft in one of its critical PC maker partners… Read More…

Dell exec to Steve Ballmer: Please rename Windows RT

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At least one person wasn’t happy with the way Microsoft was naming its new ARM tablet operating system. Dell vice-chairman Jeffrey Clarke spoke at a conference last week and told a story of how he urged Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer earlier this year to rename Windows RT because it couldn’t run traditional Windows applications. Clarke… Read More…

We’re happier than ever with PCs, because we’re using tablets

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Does that computer on your desk or tablet in your bag give you a warm, fuzzy feeling? Probably yes, according to a new study. Consumer satisfaction with personal computers has hit an all-time high score of 80 (out of 100), according to numbers released this morning by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The category as… Read More…

Windows RT: Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus to help Microsoft challenge iPad

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Dell, Lenovo, Samsung and Asus are among the PC makers that will release computers running Windows RT, the variation of Windows 8 that works with the ARM architecture common in mobile devices and tablets, Microsoft announced this morning. The first of the machines are expected to hit the market this fall. Today’s announcement filled in some… Read More…

How the iPad made Apple the top ‘PC’ vendor, and what it means for Windows

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What is a “personal computer” in 2012? Do tablets count? Most of the major technology research firms say no. As reflected in the chart above, they count PCs and tablets separately when reporting their data. “Media tablets” such as the iPad and Kindle Fire are separate from traditional desktop and notebook computers. But increasingly it’s becoming… Read More…

Dell looks to challenge the iPad with tablets based on Windows 8

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Apple’s lead in the tablet market may seem insurmountable, especially with last week’s release of the lastest iPad. But don’t tell that to Dell. An executive for the giant computer maker was quoted in Reuters today saying that Dell plans a new round of tablets later this year that are based on Microsoft’s Windows 8…. Read More…

CES: Dell jumps into the Ultrabook game with XPS 13

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Posting from Las Vegas: This year’s Consumer Electronics Show may well be remembered as the year of the Ultrabook, and Dell took a plunge into the increasingly competitive market this afternoon, appearing at Intel’s news conference to unveil Dell XPS 13. One of the big selling points is its frameless edge-to-edge screen, which means that… Read More…

Meet the new ‘four horsemen’ of tech: Sorry, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and Intel

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Oh, how the technology landscape has changed.  Ten years ago, the industry was dominated by names such as Microsoft, Intel, Dell and Cisco. And while those companies certainly haven’t gone away, there’s a new breed that’s making its mark. Fast forward to 2012, and the makeup looks quite different. CNN recently surveyed 30 technology experts… Read More…

California firm to purchase 63 acres for massive data center in central Washington

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Quincy, Washington — an agricultural town near the Columbia River in central Washington — continues to attract technology companies in search of cheap power for massive data centers. The latest to arrive is Vantage Data Centers, a Santa Clara, California firm which announced this week that is has entered into a contract to purchase up… Read More…

Intellectual Ventures sues HP, Dell and others over patents

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Dell, HP, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and others have been sued by Intellectual Ventures, the Bellevue-based company run by former Microsoft technology chief Nathan Myhrvold, as part of a broader patent dispute with two makers of common types of memory used in computers and gadgets. The lawsuit, filed yesterday in federal court in Seattle, targets Hynix… Read More…