Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system may only have launched on Friday, but the Redmond company is already reporting sales in excess of four million. Speaking at his company's BUILD 2012 conference, CEO Steve Ballmer noted enthusiasm among consumers for Windows 8 was “very high," and the the four million head count takes into consideration individual purchases, units sold to stores, and those expected to be sold.
After the success of software distribution platforms like Software Center and App Store, Microsoft has followed suit by introducing Windows Store on Windows 8. Like the App Store, it has its fair share of limitations over which apps go in and which don’t and, like the Software Center, it charges a fee per download of a paid app, but what’s different about it is that, by design, apps on the Windows Store (generally) run both on desktops running Windows 8 and tablets running Windows RT.
In my detailed Windows 8 Pro review, I mentioned that there is a distinct lack of a large variety of quality apps on the Windows Store when compared to offerings on the Mac App Store and, in some ways, the Ubuntu (Linux) Software Center.
Whenever you make the switch - from iOS to Android, or Windows to Mac, for example, things can seem a little daunting at first, and although elements may look rather similar in places, they don't always function in the manner in which you are used to. While the changes in Windows 8 aren't necessarily as different from previous versions of Windows than they are to, say, OS X, current Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 users still might feel as though they've been dropped into unchartered territory, and might find Windows 8 a little tricky to get to grips with.
Windows 8 is finally here, and in order to join in with the festivities, we've got a couple of copies of Microsoft's brand-new operating system to give away to two of our lucky readers.
Apple may have commanded some attention earlier this week with its iPad press event, but this week was always going to be about Microsoft. After what's seem like an endless monsoon of rumor and speculation, Windows 8 has officially launched, and from 12:01am local time, consumers will be able to get their hands on the official version of the Metro-fied operating system.
Microsoft's Surface RT will hit the retail market tomorrow, and with Apple having just made quite a few changes and improvements to the iPad range yesterday, comparisons are naturally going to be drawn. While the form factor, tech specs and software have been compared on numerous occasions, one of the key aspects specific to the new Microsoft tablet is that of the multiple-user accounts support in Windows RT.
The next big event this week is coming our way courtesy of Microsoft, and it is being held in New York City tomorrow. Not wanting to be outdone and to make sure that they generate the maximum amount of interest possible, the Microsoft Newsroom has confirmed that the event will be streamed live to viewers around the world.
With scarcely 24 hours having passed since Apple announced a glut of product updates at its specially-arranged keynote event in San Jose, it was almost inevitable the knockoff makers wouldn't be too far behind. While the first plausible iPad mini knockoff has already reared its head, it's not so common for us to see bootleg Macs unveiled so soon after the official announcement.
Privacy and security is one of the main concerns of most people browsing the web on a regular basis, and if it isn't to you, well, it really ought to be. E-mailing is something we all wind up doing at one point or another, and although our e-mail accounts can be protected by a password, that doesn't mean to say our privacy is at its optimal level. Many main e-mail providers ensure one types in a substantial secret character collective when choosing a password - with most asking for a letter, number, and and special symbol - but more can certainly be done in order to keep e-mails as private as intended.
