Microsoft is taking a big gamble over the next few months with Windows and Office, the two products responsible for most of its revenue and profit, according to Gartner, Inc. It is a risk that Microsoft must take to stay relevant in a world where mobile devices with new modern experiences are becoming the norm.

“When the PC dominated personal computing by providing a single device for messaging, internet access, gaming and productivity, Windows was a powerhouse for Microsoft,” said Michael Silver, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “However, smartphones and tablets, led by the iPhone and iPad, have changed the way people work, making the PC just one of several devices people use. The PC is increasingly simply a peer with other devices.”

With Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to address the excitement of the tablet market by adding tablet interface to Windows. (more…)

In quite a brave move, Microsoft has decided to change its 25 year old logo to something a little more in line with the times. Seeing as Windows 8 is just around the corner, Microsoft has taken the “Modern” UI theme (or whatever it will be called next), and changed all their corporate identity looks to the new design. Users of Windows Phone and Xbox 360 will feel right at home with the new look:

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For the last few days the technology media has been abuzz about what Microsoft had planned for its launch event on Monday night, and it seems they took a page out of the Apple playbook in terms of keeping these plans secret. Microsoft launched their own branded tablet – in other words, the tablet will not be marketed by a HP or a Dell – it is Microsoft’s own, just like the Xbox. And we like that.

First off, the tablet will run Windows 8, and will be available in two versions. A thinner, lighter version running with a ARM processor will run Windows 8 RT, and a higher end, thicker, heavier model running a full version of Windows 8 Pro. Microsoft was however not very upfront about everything – there is little in the way of actual specs, battery life, etc. Some media channels are reporting that the RT version will run a standard 10.6 inch HD display (think 1280 x 720) and the Intel based one will have a decent Full HD display, both covered in Gorilla Glass.

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In what is being viewed as the largest release in Windows Azure history, Microsoft South Africa has announced both the local market availability of Windows Azure and the preview of new Windows Azure services, along with several updates to existing services, several of which are currently available already.

This is a huge announcement as far as developers and web developers are concerned as Windows Azure provides an open and easy to use set of services to build and run any application in the cloud, says Stephen Cakebread Azure Marketing Manager at Microsoft SA.

“The platforms offers customers the choice and flexibility to move existing applications or develop new ones using the language and platform of their choice and customers can feel safe in knowing they’re getting the best of cloud computing in that they are now able to leverage a flexible, reliable platform in their own data centre, Microsoft’s Secure globally distributed datacenters or a hybrid.”

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So you are in the market for a new PC, but you don’t want to take the jump before Windows 8 arrives? Microsoft SA has now confirmed that if you buy a Windows 7 PC now, you will get Windows 8 for only $15 once it becomes available. Microsoft has launched a Windows Upgrade Offer, which will allow qualifying buyers the option to purchase a downloadable upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for around R125, which they can redeem when Windows 8 becomes generally available.

 “We’ve seen a great interest in Windows 8, especially given the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview this week, and yet we know many consumers want a new PC now,” the company said in a statement. “The Windows Upgrade Offer gives you the flexibility to purchase the new Windows PC you need today, with the knowledge that you can easily upgrade to Windows 8 when it’s available.”

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Microsoft has been criticized in the past for the sheer number of SKU’s they roll out for Windows. Windows 7 arrived in quite a few editions – Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, and also Windows 7 Enterprise for the volume licensing customers. All of these version have their own capabilities, and the Starter version had some severe limitations, that basically just begged the user to upgrade it. Confusing right? Compare that to Apple, who only makes one edition of Mac OSX for consumer machines. The good news is that Microsoft has finally listened to the criticism, has made the Windows 8 choice a lot easier for customers.

Here are the “normal” versions of Windows 8:

Windows 8: This is the defacto version of Windows 8 which will ship with most new consumer x86 based computers. x86 processors are your standard Intel or AMD based laptops or desktops. Users of Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, and Home Premium will have an easy upgrade path to this version of Windows 8. Expect the new Start Menu, with its all the included “tile” based apps, like Mail, Calendar, Messaging, Photos, Music, Video, and some social features. The user will of course still have access to the traditional desktop for apps that have not been written to utilize the new Start Menu tile interface.

Windows 8 Pro: Another x86 based Windows version, but focussed on business-line machines, who also require business features, like joining domains. Users from all versions of Windows 7 (except Enterprise) can upgrade to this version of Windows 8, and the feature additions are all valuable to power users. Security features include Bitlocker encryption, encrypted file system, group policy and remote desktop host. Expect business-focussed hardware to ship with this version of Windows.

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The Consumer Preview for Windows 8 has landed already, with plenty of praise, but perhaps more criticism for the new Metro interface. So far Microsoft has been pretty upfront about a 2012 launch for the new operating system, but reports seem to suggest that we will see Windows 8 launch as early as October, with a number of new devices in tow. Current work on Windows 8 is busy being wrapped up for July 2012, with the final Release to Manufacturing code released in September, according to Bloomberg.

Perhaps more significant is that this rollout date will include Microsoft‘s move into the ARM processor space, which will enable Windows 8 to run on the same architecture many smartphones and tablets are running, instead of only on x86 processors found in current desktops and laptops. The debut of Windows 8 will apparently launch on 5 ARM based devices (probably tablets), but a lot more x86 based devices. Microsoft is setting very strict rules for the ARM based products, similiar to what they are doing in the Windows Phone 7 space, while probably enforcing guidelines in terms of size and interaction. Expect very similiar layouts and designs from the ARM based device manufacturers.

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A few days ago The Daily showed off a picture of Microsoft Office running on an iPad – which understandably have gotten the tech press very excited. Even though there is only a single image, it clearly sports Microsoft’s new Metro-type interface which has slowly but surely started filtering into many of MS’s products.

Since the image went live, Microsoft has denied that any Office products will be made available for the iPad in “the coming weeks”. Take note they did not deny it ever coming to iPad, but only referred to the “coming weeks”. Right after Microsoft’s “non-denial”, Murdoch’s iPad only newspaper quickly made a statement: “We did not fabricate this story, nor did we fake the images in any way. A Microsoft employee, not a contractor, demoed a prototype of the app for us. We were repeatedly told that it wasn’t the final build and we did not report it as such, which is probably why Microsoft has said that it isn’t their software.”

But there are a few things that seem to suggest Microsoft will bring Office to the iPad sooner, rather than later. In recent times Microsoft has quickly started rolling out apps for Apple’s iOS operating system – these include Xbox Live, SkyDrive (which is also being pushed to other platforms as well), but most importantly, OneNote (which is part of the Office suite on a PC), which can sync with your online Live account. Clearly Microsoft is not afraid to develop for the iPad, so why would they be hesitant to make a native Office for iPad?

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