Summary: Microsoft appears ready to roll out the set of expected updates to its full set of core, Microsoft-developed Windows 8 applications, as rumored earlier this month. By Mary Jo Foley   t looks like Microsoft is poised to update almost all of its core Microsoft-developed apps that shipped with Windows 8.   At the start of this month, I posted that Microsoft was expected to provide updates to everything, from Windows Mail to Xbox Music, some time in March. On March 22, Windows

Developers have had early access to Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 for a few months now, but Microsoft is making the final release available to consumers and businesses today. Available in 95 languages, Windows 7 users will be auto upgraded to IE10 in the coming weeks, with the initial push targeted at IE10 Release Preview users. Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 7 includes improved JavaScript performance, and a focus on battery life improvements for mobile PCs. Although Internet Explorer 10

The Microsoft Surface Pro is not for everyone. But after snagging the elusive 128GB Pro and using it daily for over a week -- at home, at the office, and during my two hour daily train commute -- I find that so far it is perfect for me. I wrote why the Surface RT couldn't cut it for me while I was on the road, which drove me to the Surface Pro. While I could have purchased another Windows 8 computer or a MacBook Air (running Windows for my engineering apps), the attraction of the Surface Pro

If you’re surprised by the revelation that the retail editions of Office 2013 will cost more than their predecessors and come with more severe license restrictions, you haven’t been paying attention. The retail editions of Office 2013 contain fundamental changes that go well beyond simple changes in the license agreement. They fundamentally alter the way we think of desktop software. Microsoft is in the process of a dramatic transition in its core business, one that I first noted last summer. “S

On February 6, the Microsoft Surface team took to Reddit to do its second AMA (Ask Me Anything) question and answer session about the Surface Pro.   Participants in the chat asked about everything from why Microsoft made the ARM-based Surface RT available months ahead of the Intel-based Surface Pro, to why the Surface Pros didn't end up using a lower-power Intel IvyBridge chip. Various members of the Surface team provided answers to a number of the questions. The Softies told participants

Ever since the Surface RT launched, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the debut of its big brother, the beefier, Windows-8-Pro-running Surface. In late November, Microsoft finally revealed pricing data for the Surface Pro, but we still didn’t have a firm date for its availability, beyond sometime in January. Well, we’re deep into the month at this point, with no sign of any new Surface models; what gives? Today, Microsoft provides the Surface Pro a release date, and while it’s going to miss that Jan

At the 11th Annual J.P. Morgan Tech Forum at CES 2013 today, Windows Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller announced that Windows 8 has sold 60 million licenses to date. This represents the cumulative sales of Windows 8 including both upgrades and sales to OEMs for new devices. This is a similar sales trajectory that we saw with Windows 7.     We have seen a significant increase in the number of Windows 8 certified systems since general availability at the end of O

With its decision to block Windows Phone users from accessing Google Maps, Google isn't the first browser maker to block users from accessing content with a competitive product. Microsoft has done the same in the distant and not-so-distant past. But that's still no excuse for what looks like nothing other than a petty, short-sighted move on Google's part.   Back in 2001, Microsoft was slammed for making MSN.com incompatible with browsers other than IE. Microsoft officials said the problem wasn