Microsoft said to block ability to boot straight to desktop in Windows 8 | ZDNet

On the latest episode of Build and Analyze, Marco Arment and I speculated that Microsoft would allow for booting past the "Metro" UI, but the latest beta is blocking this capability:

Rafael Rivera, coauthor of the forthcoming Windows 8 Secrets, said he has verified that users cannot boot straight to the Desktop in Windows 8. With Windows 8 test builds, users could create shortcut that switches to the Windows 8 Desktop. Those who didn't want to boot to the tiled Start screen could schedule this shortcut to be activated immediately after a user logged onto Windows 8.

Some other users were holding out hope that Microsoft would allow administrators to use Group Policy to allow users to circumvent the Metro startup screen. But Rivera told me he believes this also is blocked.

It's always possible that Microsoft will reverse this decision later, or that it's simply missing from the latest beta.

I'm sticking by my prediction: Microsoft will eventually allow this.

Microsoft: “Metro” out, “Windows 8-style UI” in, amid rumors of a trademark dispute | Ars Technica

Peter Bright, Ars Technica:

From now on, the new terminology that Microsoft is using is "Windows 8-style UI" when talking about Windows 8 applications, and "New User Interface" when talking about the company's full product line-up.

Turns Out™ it was just a code name:

We have used 'Metro style' as a code name during the product development cycle across many of our product lines. As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog we will use our commercial names.

Via lots of people, especially Jim Dalrymple.

Outlook Blog - Introducing Outlook.com - Modern Email for the Next Billion Mailboxes

Microsoft's Outlook blog:

So today, we're introducing a preview of Outlook.com. We realized that we needed to take a bold step, break from the past and build you a brand new service from the ground up. You already know Outlook via the Outlook desktop application-for PCs and Macs-as the world's most popular application for reading email, managing a calendar, and connecting to people. And you may have used the Outlook Web App connected to Exchange Server in your organization. Now, in addition to a desktop application and a service for businesses, we're offering Outlook as a personal email service - Outlook.com.

Microsoft Admits Risk in Tablet Plans

NY Times:

In an annual report that it submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission [...] Microsoft acknowledges that its Surface family of tablet computers could weaken support for Windows among Microsoft’s partners in the PC industry, known as original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs for short.

The company says in the document that “our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform.”

Microsoft Posts $492M Q4 2012 Loss Because Of $6.19B aQuantive Writedown, $18.06B Revenue | TechCrunch

Frederic Lardinois, TechCrunch:

Microsoft just released its Q4 2012 earnings report, posting just $192M in operating income before taxes and its first ever loss ($492M) due to the writedown the company took because of its failed aQuantive acquisition.

Exclusive: Microsoft's Ballmer Throws Down Gauntlet Against Apple

Ballmer in an interview with CRN:

“But, if a partner says, ‘Hey look I want to sell some of these things. I want to put them in solutions,’ they can order some off Microsoft.com and sell them. There is nothing that gets in the way of that. But, we have not set up what I would call industrial distribution as sort of a first element. We may get there. But, if a partner wants to order some and put them in a solution with the customer, we’ll be excited to see that happen.”

So if I'm a large-scale Microsoft partner, I can go to microsoft.com and buy myself some Surface tablets, and then sell them to my customers. Got it.

Gates: Apple may have to make a Surface-like device | Technically Incorrect - CNET News

CNET, writing about Bill Gates' appearance on Charlie Rose:

"You don't have to make a compromise. You can have everything you like about a tablet and everything you like about a PC all in one device. And so that should change the way people look at things."

I think these three lines pretty much sum up Microsoft's goal: change how people look at things -- make them think the iPad is lacking. No keyboard. No stylus. No traditional computing metaphor.

Microsoft’s Downfall: Inside the Executive E-mails and Cannibalistic Culture That Felled a Tech Giant

Vanity Fair:

“I see Microsoft as technology’s answer to Sears,” said Kurt Massey, a former senior marketing manager. “In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, Sears had it nailed. It was top-notch, but now it’s just a barren wasteland. And that’s Microsoft. The company just isn’t cool anymore.”

With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

Nick Wingfield, New York Times:

Around the time the iPad came out more than two years ago, Microsoft executives got an eye-opening jolt about how far Apple would go to gain an edge for its products.

The executives were stunned by how deeply Apple was willing to reach into the global supply chain to secure innovative materials for the iPad and, once it did, to corner the market on those supplies. Microsoft’s executives worried that Windows PC makers were not making the same kinds of bets, the former employee said.

So the Surface is their attempt to make the bet that PC manufacturers wouldn't (or couldn't).

Hands-Off: Microsoft Surface Tablet Review

Danny Sullivan:

That’s not a journalist holding Surface. It’s one of the Microsoft guys. They’d swing them around with a pretty picture on the front, I guess so we’d go “ooh” and “ahh.” If we were lucky, we were allowed to hold one for a few seconds. But if you tried to do anything with it, bang, it was gone.

Here's what happened when he finally did get a chance to hold one:

After asking repeatedly if I could hold one — I felt like a seven-year-old, “please can I hold it, please can I try, would you mind if I try” — one of the Microsoft guys gave me a shot. I brought up the Start screen by hitting the Windows button on the front of the tablet, hit Desktop to get to the Windows 8 desktop, did a long press guessing that would bring up the Screen Resolution setting and it did — at which point, the unit was literally jerked out of my hands.

Microsoft Surface with Windows RT hands-on pictures and video | The Verge

The Verge has put together an article and hands-on video about Microsoft's new tablet, Surface:

The design and build of the tablets the company has here feel very polished, with tight, clean lines. The device was also surprisingly light, barely feeling like it reached the full 1.5 pounds Microsoft is quoting. The 10.6-inch, 16:9 display also looked crystal clear at a variety of angles. We tried out the kickstand and had some trouble popping it out of the back of the tablet — but apparently there's a side cutaway which makes it easier to flip it out. Just as promised, it does close with a reassuring, expensive sounding click. The "VaporMg" finish on the case of the Surface feels like it'll be easy to grip, although we do wonder if the edges will feel just a little sharp with extended use.

No pricing or availability/release dates were announced. I'm being serious.

Microsoft at Work on Meshing Its Products With Skype

New York Times:

The statistics tell the story. In seven months, the number of people using the service each month has jumped 26 percent to nearly a quarter of a billion, affirming Skype’s status as one of the crown jewels of consumer Internet services.

I think this is what Zynga was hoping to announce after their Draw Something purchase.

We rely on Skype heavily for our workflow at 5by5, so it's good to hear that Microsoft has big plans for Skype. That said, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Microsoft Office -- iPad, Android tablet version to launch in November

Jonathan Geller:

BGR has learned from a reliable source that Microsoft is currently planning to release the company’s full Office suite for not only Apple’s iPad, but for Android tablets as well. The company is targeting November of this year for both launches

Kinect Is The Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device Ever

Anonymous mystery person at the Kinect for Windows Blog:

We’re thrilled at the sales we’ve seen for Kinect - 18 million sold in the past year – and we were honored to receive a Guinness World Record for the fastest selling consumer electronics device ever.