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The Start button is coming back. At least, that’s the strong rumour, accompanied by leaked screenshots from preview builds. See Mary Jo Foley’s post complete with screen grab, though note that this is the Start button, not the Start menu. Other rumoured changes are boot to desktop by default, and the All Apps view by …continue reading Windows 8: return of Start button illuminates Microsoft’s painful transition Xamarin’s Miguel de Icaza (founder of the Mono project) has complained on Twitter about Microsoft’s Windows Division’s “contempt for developers” when it created the Windows Runtime and a “4th incompatible Xaml stack”, in a conversation prompted by the company’s spat with Google over the YouTube app for Windows Phone. Google wants this removed because it …continue reading Miguel de Icaza: don’t blame Google for Microsoft’s contempt for developers Gartner has joined IDC in releasing figures showing a steep drop in PC sales for the first quarter of 2013. Worldwide PC shipments totalled 79.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013, an 11.2 per cent decline from the first quarter of 2012, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. Global PC shipments went …continue reading The PC puzzle: does the sales drop implicate or justify Windows 8? Microsoft has launched a “Keep the cash” offer to developers. Publish up to 20 apps, 10 for Windows Phone and 10 for Windows 8, and get $100 for each of them. The offer is little use for most of the world. The terms state that “Offer good only to legal residents of the 50 …continue reading Microsoft’s Windows 8 app problem will not be solved by incentivising junk The Windows Runtime, the new touch-friendly platform in Windows 8. It solves many problems. Not only is it tablet-friendly, but apps are sandboxed for security, and easy to deploy. No setup hassles, just one-click (or tap) install or uninstall. It also supports three types of development covering most tastes: native C++, .NET Framework, or HTML …continue reading Windows Runtime flaws spoil new Windows Store (Metro) apps Microsoft has launched Surface Pro, its own-brand Windows 8 tablet, causing the usual agitation. The 128GB model is sold out online, but has it sold well, or did Microsoft only make a few? Is it too expensive for the spec? Is the battery life too poor? Can you type properly with it on your …continue reading Windows 8: Forget Surface Pro, what matters is the app platform The Register reports a rumoured blame game playing out between Microsoft and its OEM partners concerning why Windows 8 sales have not taken off in the hoped-for manner. A separate source at a major Windows 8 PC maker confirmed frustration is simmering inside Microsoft, and the blame is settling on PC makers. He said [Microsoft] …continue reading Why is Windows 8 not selling better? Now that the initial shock of “where is the Start menu” is wearing off, some of the real issues and points of interest in Windows 8 are coming to the surface (ha!), one of which is what a good Windows Store (also known as Metro) app is meant to look like. Microsoft has not been …continue reading Fresh Paint Windows Store app: in equal parts great and frustrating One way of looking at Microsoft’s Windows 8 strategy is as an attempt to establish a new tablet platform. By welding the tablet platform to the desktop platform, Microsoft ensured that every customer who wanted the latest Windows release would also get the tablet release, though some are stuck with keyboard and mouse to control …continue reading The Windows 8 app platform: how is it going? A few clues from developers A principal engineer at Nokia, Justin Angel, has written a piece showing how to hack apps on Windows 8, undermining their potential revenue for the app vendors. “This is an educational article written in the hope both developers and Microsoft can benefit from an open exchange of knowledge,” he says, adding that the article was …continue reading Trial apps and in-app purchases easy to hack on Windows 8 says Nokia engineer |
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