https://www.scmp.com/rss/279015/feed Windows 8 was released by software giant Microsoft as it sought to regain lost market share to rivals Apple and Google, whose iOS and Android operating systems dominate the smartphone and tablet markets. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Bill Gates may be the second-richest person in the world in 2020, but he still has a reputation for being frugal. The Microsoft co-founder purchased a US$43 million house in California in March, but that is just one of the rare indulgent moments where he shelled out so much money. Here are three more surprising items that the multi-billionaire bought for a hefty price tag. US$36 million tea cup? 14 crazy ways billionaires have splashed cash Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th century... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3101496/3-things-bill-gates-splurged-and-2-everyday-items?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3101496/3-things-bill-gates-splurged-and-2-everyday-items?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2020 00:00:12 +0000 Microsoft has released a test version of its Windows 8.1 software, bringing back the “start” button and adding a host of features it hopes will appeal to users, while spurring developers into writing more applications for it. The updated Windows, which was signaled at the end of May, is aimed chiefly at soothing traditional computer users, many of whom were unsettled by Microsoft’s shift towards a new “tile”-based interface that works best on touch-enabled devices, but left fans of the old-style... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1270073/microsoft-releases-refined-windows-revs-developers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1270073/microsoft-releases-refined-windows-revs-developers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2013 03:06:12 +0000 Microsoft has unveiled an update to its latest Windows operating system that included a return of a “Start” button that had been missed by longtime users of the computer software. The tweaked version of the operating system, nicknamed Windows Blue, will be previewed on June 26 and will be a free update for users of Windows 8.1, according to the Redmond, Washington-based technology titan. “It’s Windows 8 even better,” Windows program management corporate vice president Antoine Leblond said in a... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1250342/cherished-start-button-returns-microsoft-windows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1250342/cherished-start-button-returns-microsoft-windows?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2013 02:18:37 +0000 Apple shares fell further yesterday after China Mobile chief executive Li Yue said he would not add the iPhone to the world's largest wireless network without a deal favourable for his firm. "The business model and benefit sharing still need further discussion," Li said in Guangzhou. Technical issues related to the carrier's home-grown third-generation network standard would also need to be resolved, he said. The iPhone is not available to most users in China, as Apple has yet to reach an... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1099457/apple-falls-china-mobile-comment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1099457/apple-falls-china-mobile-comment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Microsoft introduced the biggest overhaul of its flagship Windows software in two decades, reflecting the rising stakes in its competition with Apple and Google for customers who are shunning personal computers and flocking to mobile devices. "This is the biggest product we've ever done," chief executive Steve Ballmer said, comparing it with the PC's arrival in 1981 and the introduction of Windows 95. Microsoft packed the new Windows with touch-screen capabilities, designed to vault the company... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1070664/microsofts-windows-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1070664/microsofts-windows-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Microsoft yesterday launched its latest operating system, pricing it as low as HK$319 in a bid to keep its dominance of the industry. Microsoft executives said Windows 8 was easy to use and would be installed on new computers and tablets shipped by partner manufacturers or could be purchased as an upgrade. Joelle Woo, marketing director of Microsoft's Hong Kong division, said the decision to sell the software at such a low price was unprecedented, but that the offer was only for a limited... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1070618/microsofts-new-windows-8-operating-system-priced-hk319?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1070618/microsofts-new-windows-8-operating-system-priced-hk319?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The software giant Microsoft unveiled its new tablet computer Surface in Shanghai yesterday, aiming to compete against Apple's iPad in the mainland market. Surface, which will hit the mainland market on Friday, will be sold at a price from 3,688 yuan (HK$4,570) for a 32-gigabyte version. Microsoft will also launch Windows 8 on the mainland the same day. Another 32GB version with a black touch cover - a thin cover that doubles as a keyboard and attaches to the tablet magnetically - will be... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1068302/microsoft-unveils-surface-tablet-computer-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1068302/microsoft-unveils-surface-tablet-computer-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Over the years, Keith McCarthy has become used to a certain way of doing things on his personal computers, which, like most others, have long run on Microsoft's Windows software. But last week, when he got his hands on a laptop running the newest version of Windows for the first time, McCarthy was flummoxed. Many of the familiar signposts from PCs of yore are gone in the new software, Windows 8, like the Start button for getting to programs and the drop-down menus that list their functions. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1067440/windows-pain-microsoft-shake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1067440/windows-pain-microsoft-shake?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000