Apple lands $30M iPad contract with L.A. schools despite pushback

iPad_HandHero_PRINTs

As Microsoft continues to try and get Surface tablets in the hands of educators and students, Apple has just landed a contract with the second-largest public school system in the country. The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education approved a $30 million contract with Apple Wednesday night. Under the terms of the contract,… Read More…

Report: Microsoft heavily discounts Surface RT for schools

surfacert11

School’s out, and that means it’s the perfect time to start thinking about back to school sales, especially if you’re budgeting for a school district. According to a report by Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, the Surface RT, Microsoft’s lower-end ARM-based tablet, will be heavily discounted for K12 schools, as well as colleges and… Read More…

Microsoft stacks up Surface vs. iPad with mixed results

compare

Let’s see, the Surface RT is slightly heavier than the iPad, the same thickness and gets two hours less battery life. Sign me up! OK, so Microsoft’s new iPad vs. Windows tablet comparison site is more nuanced than that, pointing out the areas where Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets shine — including multitasking, printing,… Read More…

Microsoft uses Siri to ridicule iPad in latest commercial

msftipadcommercial.jpg

Microsoft is taking another swing at a competitor and this time it’s Apple’s iPad getting the backhand slap. In its latest Windows commercial titled “Less talking, more doing,” Microsoft uses Siri’s voice to show how Windows tablets can perform tasks that the iPad cannot, all at a cheaper price. Important to point out that the featured… Read More…

NFL commish says new multi-year partnership with Microsoft will ‘change the game of football’

xboxnfl.jpg

The nation’s most popular sport is about to get real geeky thanks in large part to technology from Microsoft. During today’s big Xbox One launch in Redmond, Microsoft announced a new multi-year partnership with the NFL that will, according to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, “change the game of football.” NFL.com is reporting that the deal is for five years and… Read More…

The next Xbox: What to expect from Microsoft’s new console

xbox

Well, we’re almost there. In less than 24 hours, the tech world will be listening and watching in anticipation as Microsoft officially unveils the next generation of the Xbox. The console market has been struggling, but Microsoft — which has led in the U.S. in console sales for 28 consecutive months — is aiming to shake things up… Read More…

Gates: ‘Frustrated’ iPad users create opening for Microsoft

surfacepro

Are iPad users truly frustrated that the Apple tablet can’t do everything a Windows PC can do? Bill Gates thinks thinks a lot of them are, and he’s betting that Microsoft will be able to capitalize on the situation over time. “With Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to gain share in what has been dominated… Read More…

CHART: Tablet market soaring, now almost two-thirds the size of PC market

ipadmini

The market for tablets is continuing to climb dramatically, reaching 49.2 million units shipped worldwide in the first quarter, up from 20.3 million units a year earlier, according to an IDC research report issued today. That’s in sharp contrast with the market for traditional computers. An earlier report by IDC said that PC shipments declined… Read More…

Microsoft ships 900k Surface tablets in Q1, breaks into IDC’s top 5 for first time

surfacepro

Microsoft is officially back on the radar in the worldwide tablet market, with its Surface Pro and Surface RT tablets combining for 900,000 units shipped in the first quarter, according to a report today by the IDC research firm. That gives the Microsoft Surface 1.8 percent market share, in fifth place, according to IDC’s estimates…. Read More…

How hardware is changing Microsoft: Surface helps Windows revenue, at a cost

surfacepro

One of the luxuries of Microsoft’s longtime focus on software development — and one of the secrets to its financial success over the years — has been the profit margins. The Windows team has traditionally borne the cost of developing the code, without having to worry about the expense of costly hardware and physical components…. Read More…

Microsoft reportedly building a 7-inch Surface tablet

surfacepro

Aiming to compete with the likes of Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and Google’s Nexus, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft is building a 7-inch Surface tablet. Sources tell the WSJ that a new lineup of tablets, including a 7-inch version, will go into production later this year. This all makes sense… Read More…

Look out, Microsoft? Tablets to become our primary computers, Gartner predicts

iPad_HandHero_PRINTs

A new report from the Gartner research firm paints a dire picture for the traditional PC market, predicting that tablets will quickly become the primary method of computing for most people around the world, exceeding shipments of desktop and notebook computers within two to three years. The prediction raises the stakes for Microsoft’s attempt to… Read More…

Google glasses ban; a sonic-powered vibrator; and other top stories of the month

googleglasses

Here’s a look back at the top stories of the month on GeekWire. Thanks for tuning in everyone, and for being a part of the GeekWire community. Happy Easter, and hope to see everyone April 11th at the GeekWire Meetup and Radio Show. No Google Glasses allowed, declares Seattle dive bar (58 comments, 552 Tweets)… Read More…

Microsoft updates Windows 8 Mail, Calendar, People apps

windows8

Microsoft will release an update to its native Mail, Calendar and People apps for Windows 8 and Windows RT starting tonight with new features and, perhaps more importantly, “big improvements to performance.” That’s the word from the company this morning in a post outlining a series of enhancements to the built-in apps — including new… Read More…

Microsoft update boosts Surface RT wireless, typing and trackpad

surfaceblacknew

Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday update, issued today, delivers a series of fixes and updates for users of the company’s Surface RT tablet, including fixes to Wi-Fi reliability, improvements in the typing experience with the keyboard cover accessories, and trackpad improvements. The firmware upgrades, noted earlier by ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, are documented on this Microsoft Surface… Read More…

Youngsters think Microsoft is getting cooler as it ages

surfaceadsmall

Looks like those hip new Microsoft commercials are paying off.  A Reuters poll found that just under 50 percent of 853 people aged 18 to 29 think Microsoft is “cooler” than it was in years past. The Redmond software giant actually did better than Twitter and Facebook in the coolness department. Only 42 percent thought… Read More…

The hotel room of the future runs Windows 8 on its touchscreen walls

microsofthotelroomsmall

Imagine walking up in your hotel room with touchscreen walls around you. The one to the left shows that it’s currently a cool 45 degrees with light rain. Another screen lists your five meetings for the day, and the one to the right displays a subway map of the city. No, you can’t find this… Read More…

Launch Day: Microsoft’s Surface Pro 128 GB already selling out online

surfacepro

Microsoft launched its Surface Pro tablet today, the first full-fledged Windows 8 machine developed by the company, and already the demand is exceeding the supply for the 128 GB version of the tablet. Online listings at the Microsoft Store and Staples show the Surface Pro 128 GB as out of stock. Whether the situation is more… Read More…

Windows exec: Surface Pro isn’t expensive — you’re just thinking about it wrong

surfacepro

Why did Microsoft price the new 64 GB Surface with Windows 8 Pro tablet at $899 without a keyboard? The obvious answer: It runs full Windows 8, unlike the Surface RT, and its specs are comparable to touch-screen Windows 8 Ultrabooks, many of which cost more than $1,000 — roughly the same as the Surface… Read More…