Preston Gralla's Most Recent Posts

Better days are likely ahead for Windows Phone, but for now at least, sales continue to be dismal, losing ground to both iOS and Android. Overall sales have also declined according to the latest report from the analyst firm Canalyst.

Barnes & Noble received a piece of good news today when a staff attorney at the U.S. trade agency recommended that a judge rule against Microsoft's patent infringement case against the NOOK e-reader and tablet. The trial starts today in Washington.

Apple CEO Tim Cook will inevitably be compared to his predecessor Steve Jobs, but in one way, he's much more like Bill Gates -- he has promoted philanthropy at Apple, recently announcing that the company has donated $100 million to non-profits. Jobs, on the other hand, had closed down Apple's philanthopic arm.

Microsoft has launched an all-out public assault on Google's recent privacy changes, but Google is fighting back, claiming that Microsoft and other critics are spreading untruths about the new policy. It's a fight that's good for users.

Think the Newt Gingrich-Mitt Romney war of words is nasty? Then wait until you see Microsoft's big-money ad campaign slamming Google over Google's recent changes in its privacy rules.

Rumors say that the upcoming version of Office, code-named Office 15, will feature a traditional desktop-style interface rather than one that sports the new Metro look designed more for tablets than desktop PCs. That's good news, because Metro, at this point, simply isn't suited for productivity apps like Office.

Microsoft today announced that the Technical Preview for Office 15 for all of its Office products and servers is available for a group of select testers, and is giving no hint as to what's in it. I'm not privy to plans, but here are five things I'd like to see in the next version of Office.

Since Bill Gates left Microsoft, he has become the world's premier philanthropist, but has largely stayed away from politics. But now, in an aside in an interview with the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, he lightly weighs into U.S. politics, saying that increasing taxes on the rich would be a good way to close the budget deficit.

Nokia's fourth quarter earnings report last night contains a juicy tidbit: Microsoft paid Nokia $250 million in the quarter for "platform support payments" -- in other words, payment for Nokia to adopt Windows Phone 7. Billions more will follow.

The Business Insider today has a provocative article arguing that Steve Ballmer has made Microsoft a better company after the departure of Bill Gates. Is the article on-target or off-base? Is Steve Ballmer really a better leader than Bill Gates?

Microsoft is on track to deliver Windows 8 this year, likely some time in the last quarter. But there's a serious underlying question about the new Windows release: Will Windows 8 really matter? Will it change the way anyone works, plays, gets information, or interacts with others? How much will it matter to Microsoft's bottom line?

2012 may prove to be a breakout year for Windows Phone 7: The analyst firm Ovum says it will be the fastest-growing smartphone OS in 2012 and will draw a surge of developer interest. It's the latest in a series of reports that say Windows Phone 7 will eventually become a success.

Microsoft's earnings report yesterday shows that although Windows is the product most associated with the company, its best days are well behind it. Windows-related revenue dropped six percent, while other parts of the company had solid growth. Expect more quarters like this in the future.

Windows Phone may today have less than a two percent market share, but analysts at IHS say it will knock the iPhone from its number two perch in smartphones by 2015, jumping to 16.7% market share, squeaking by iOS at 16.6% and well behind Android's 58.1%.

Microsoft has joined the public opposition to SOPA, although like Google and many other opponents, won't black out its site today. Although some people have said Microsoft's opposition is insincere or half-hearted, the company has been quietly working against it behind the scenes at least since November.