Blogging Windows

Popular apps come to Windows 8

2013-06-19T13:08:00Z

Hey Steve Guggenheimer here, Chief Evangelist for Windows and your host for the Build conference next week. We’re only one week until Build and we’re really looking forward to getting together with developers in San Francisco to talk apps, code, industry trends, and of course have some fun. As we head into Build and the conversation on new apps, and apps yet to come, I wanted to take a moment and highlight strong app momentum for Windows 8.

There are great apps hitting the Windows Store all the time. In fact, at Computex in Taipei just 2 weeks ago, Tami Reller highlighted the growth from 70,000 apps to 80,000 apps in just 3 weeks.

Today I wanted to follow onto that by highlighting a few of the great apps hitting the store this week from these outstanding partners in our growing app ecosystem:

edjing:

edjing is a social DJ’ing app with a community of 2.5 million registered members mixing music and creating songs. With the edjing app on Windows 8, you get a wide variety of DJ’ing effects. You can bring in music from your personal music library and mix songs with those effects and then share them with friends on Facebook and Twitter. You can also customize the look of the turntables in the app with skins. With a “pre-cueing” feature in the app – you can preview tracks ahead of time and there is a feature called “Pitch Shifter” that is exclusive to the Windows 8 app. This feature allows you to change the music speed without modifying the tone of the song. The audio capabilities in Windows significantly reduced the time to develop the app at about 15 days versus 4 months for other platforms.

You will be able to download the edjing app for Windows 8 from the Windows Store later this week to start mixing and creating music.

Great British Chefs:

Great British Chefs is the UK’s leading award winning recipe site and they’ve just launched an app for Windows 8. The Great British Chefs app for Windows 8 is beautifully designed and brings in over 300 photographed recipes from 28 of the UK’s greatest chefs. With stunning photography, handy hints and tips, and instructional how to videos, you’ll have everything you need to reproduce the culinary works of great chefs like Marcus Wareing, Tom Aikens and Nathan Outlaw. Using the Search charm in Windows 8, it is super easy to find a recipe, share your favorite recipes with friends and family with the Share charm and pin your favorite recipes to your Start screen.

Download the Great British Chefs app for Windows 8 from the Windows Store today to start cooking your own culinary masterpiece.

Tesco Groceries:

Tesco is the UK's largest retailer and as such aims to serve our customers in a way which best suits how they choose to shop. Tesco worked closely with Microsoft as they brought Windows 8 to market to ensure that they could offer the best online shopping experience on the platform. They wanted to build on the freshness of the Windows 8 design and ensure that features such as check out and Click & Collect were built as native features in the application. Tesco customers are shopping at work, at home and on-the-go and working with Microsoft they have served up the best of Tesco's online shopping service and the best of Windows 8.

If you are located in the UK, download the Tesco Groceries app from the Windows Store today to start shopping.

Time Out:

Time Out is an International media group producing websites, magazines, travel guides and apps designed to be the essential guide to what's happening in cities around the world. Time Out's inspiration is now being brought to Windows 8, beginning with apps for Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, New York and Paris. The Time Out app for Windows 8, display content in a stunningly visual and interactive way, making it easy to browse, plan and share; to get the most out of your city.

Download the Time Out app from the Windows Store to discover your favorite city.

VEVO:

VEVO, a popular personalized music video and music entertainment platform, has come to Windows 8. The new VEVO app for Windows 8 provides users with access to 75,000 HD music videos as well as original programming and live concerts from popular artists all over the world. Right from the home screen in the app – you can access music videos by featured artists and the latest music video premieres. Using the Search charm, you can search for your favorite artists or discover new music with the various filtering options. And with Snap, you can watch your favorite music videos while browsing the web or playing your favorite games. You can also stay up to date with your favorite artists to view bios, upcoming tour dates and enjoy personalized music video playlists. And VEVO for Windows 8 offers VEVO TV, VEVO’s always on, broadcast-style music video channel, with a look at upcoming programs with a simple tap of the screen.

Download VEVO app for Windows 8 from the Windows Store to access your favorite music videos and artists.

Vyclone:

Vyclone is a unique social video service that brings together multiple views of a shared moment through videos that people co-create with friends. With the Vyclone app for Windows 8, you and your friends can effortlessly capture videos and bring them together for a single moment like a birthday, vacation or wedding. The intuitive touch capabilities paired with expansive UX makes content engagement and creation easy in the app. The Vyclone app also preserves landscape resolution when filming with Windows 8 tablets and smaller form factors. Vyclone found the great camera and audio capabilities in Windows 8 devices a perfect complement for their app.

Download Vyclone for Windows 8 from the Windows Store and start creating your own videos with friends.

Where’s My Mickey?

Where's My Mickey? is a brand new physics puzzler from Disney that comes to Windows 8 with stimulating weather mechanics and humorous animations. You solve challenging puzzles to see how the episode ends. You tap, swipe, and swirl to help Mickey collect water and complete each story. You get 3 episodes featuring Mickey for free with 2 Goofy episodes available for purchase. The game has a Live Tile, supports the Share charm and you can play the game with Snap!

Coming Soon: Where’s My Mickey will be available in the Windows Store for $4.99 (U.S.).

This is really just the tip of the iceberg and some really great examples of apps landing on the Windows platform. The excitement is continuing to grow and our entire team is excited to spend some time with developers from around the world next week in San Francisco at Build. Whether you will be able to join us live or follow along remotely, we’re excited to share even more exciting news next week! To hear more about great new apps released and follow the conversation at Build, follow me on twitter @StevenGuggs.

Talking Retail: The New Windows Store Only at Best Buy

2013-06-13T16:00:00Z

Today, we announced a strategic partnership to create the Windows Store only at Best Buy, a comprehensive store-within-a-store in 500 Best Buy locations across the United States and more than 100 Best Buy and Future Shop locations in Canada.

The stores within Best Buy will range in size from 1,500 square feet to 2,200 square feet and will be the premier destination for consumers to see, try, compare and purchase a range of products and accessories, including Windows tablets and PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft Office, Xbox and more.

With that in mind, we wanted to talk with Chris Capossela, Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft, who has a passion for retail and is a serious tech guru. Chris is a 20-year veteran of Microsoft, who served as Bill Gates’ speech assistant in his early years, and most recently was Senior Vice President of Microsoft’s Office Division. Today, as chief marketing officer, he’s one of the biggest stewards of the Microsoft brand, including how it comes to life in retail.

Brandon LeBlanc: What’s unique about the Windows Store only at Best Buy?

Chris Capossela: Well, unlike a lot of store-within-a-store concepts, this will actually be a department-level takeover within Best Buy stores. And they will be massive in size, up to 2,200 square feet in some locations. The other unique thing about the Windows Store is the people. There will be an additional 1,200 staff on hand to provide a great customer experience, whether it’s choosing the right PC or showing consumers how to stream Xbox music through their Surface. Finally, the online experience should be fantastic. We’ll have a full online Windows Store experience that will mirror the in-store look-and-feel and offer a full range of Microsoft products, even those from other places in the Best Buy store.

Brandon LeBlanc: Is this partnership solely focused on the Windows Stores in these 600 stores?

Chris Capossela: Actually, it goes well beyond the computing department in these 600 stores. It also means we will have a great Windows tablet table inside the Best Buy Tablet Department, Windows Phones in their Phone Department, and lots of space for Xbox in their Gaming and Home Theater Departments. So there will be a big Windows experience where we bring everything together, but we’ll also look great in the other departments where people go. And, of course, we also extend the partnership to Best Buy’s online experience.

Brandon LeBlanc: So, why is Best Buy the destination choice for Microsoft?

Chris Capossela: It’s more about being the best destination choice for consumers. Today, Best Buy is the No. 1 retailer of PCs in the world. We’re able to do some really unique things through this partnership to show the range of our products – from PCs, to notebooks, to Surface, to Windows Phone, to Xbox – and how they all work together. We’re creating a premium experience for customers at scale, and Best Buy has been an amazing partner as we’ve built this out. As we said earlier this year, retail is a priority, and this partnership with Best Buy is a prime example of our commitment to the customer experience in evaluating, experiencing and enjoying Microsoft devices, and the software and services that connect them.

Brandon LeBlanc: Is there a story you want to tell customers when they come into the Windows store?

Chris Capossela: We’ve heard a lot from customers over the last year. They’re buying tablets and other devices to complement their PCs. They’re using technology both at work and at play, and it’s blurring how they think of using tech in their lives. At the same time, they’ve asked us to showcase touch-first devices in a compelling retail environment. We’ve listened, and the story of the Windows Store is that we’ve delivered what customers want: more touch, more hands-on experiences and more opportunities to see Microsoft technologies and how they work together.

Brandon LeBlanc: How is the Windows Store configured – what kinds of experiences and scenarios can we expect to see?

Chris Capossela: It’s something that has to be seen to be believed. Looking at the store head-on, it will feature an innovation table in the front, highlighting the newest and best Windows technologies of the moment. There will be a dedicated Surface area and central showcase tables with the latest and greatest PCs, laptops, convertibles and more. The back wall will feature software and accessories. And there’s an ecosystem section with real-life scenarios across Windows devices. This ecosystem area is exciting, because it will show off stuff like Xbox SmartGlass and SkyDrive. Personally, I love how I can use SkyDrive on my PC and phone, and how it saves me time when sharing documents at work, and photos with friends and family. This is a chance to show our customers the same thing – to let them see how Microsoft technology can enhance their lives.

Brandon LeBlanc: What will be different for customers when they come into the Windows Store vs. the Microsoft Store?

Chris Capossela: Well, first of all, we’re committed to our Microsoft Stores. With 68 stores open in North America, we’re seeing great success in our growing network. The Windows Store at Best Buy is really just another great opportunity to reach customers in more places and give them choice in their technology-buying experience. We’ve taken learnings from the Microsoft Store into the Windows Store at Best Buy, and we ultimately feel this is another great channel to offer a superior experience for the millions of customers who rely on Best Buy to purchase their PCs.

Brandon LeBlanc: What’s in your bag now – which PC and phone?

Chris Capossela: I carry the Nokia Lumia 920 phone and the Acer Aspire S7 on the road with me. I also use the Surface Pro around campus during meetings, but I really love the Acer Aspire’s larger screen for road trips.

Come discover the Windows Store only at Best Buy beginning in late June through September. More information about the Windows Store only at Best Buy is available here at BestBuy.com.

New ecosystem opportunities, Windows 8.1 updates shared at Computex

2013-06-05T07:30:00Z

Today during Microsoft’s keynote at Computex Taipei 2013, the world’s second largest computer show, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s OEM division Nick Parker reinforced the potential the Windows platform can offer for partners. As part of the keynote, Windows CFO and CMO Tami Reller joined him onstage and shared the ongoing progress we’re seeing with Windows 8 and what that means in terms of opportunities for the ecosystem.

Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president of Windows program management joined Tami and other top Microsoft executives on stage to give our very first public demo of the upcoming Windows 8.1 update – touching upon many of the exciting improvements Antoine highlighted in his blog post from last week. You can see some of the highlights of what to expect in Windows 8.1 for yourself in this short demo video featuring Jensen Harris from the Windows User Experience Team:

Additionally, Tami announced that Outlook 2013 RT will be coming to Windows RT tabletsas part of Windows 8.1. Windows running on ARM architectures has enabled an exciting new category of mobile-first, instant-on tablets that are thin and lightweight, with amazing battery life. We know that the addition of Outlook for those using ARM-based Windows devices such as the Surface RT, Dell XPS 10, Lenovo Yoga 11, and ASUS VivoTab RT as well as new tablets to come in the future has been a popular request from consumers and businesses alike. As Tami said in her keynote address, we’ve listened and Outlook will be joining the other Office applications currently available on Windows RT, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Our commitment to Windows on ARM doesn’t stop with the addition of Outlook 2013 RT. We announced a number of other enhancements with Windows 8.1, earlier this week at TechEd North America, including new manageability, networking, and security capabilities that will make Windows RT an even more compelling option for enterprises.

Tami also shared that new small screen x86 tablets including the recently announced Acer Iconia W3, will come with Office Home and Student 2013 right out of the box. For both businesses and consumers, we’re committed to making all Windows tablets, both x86 and ARM, great options for work as well as play.

We’re only weeks away from the public preview of Windows 8.1, which will be available starting June 26th.

Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

2013-05-30T12:59:00Z

Before we launched Windows 7, we envisioned what the next version of Windows would need to deliver. We made a bet that the PC landscape and industry would undergo a significant transformation driven by an increase in mobility. That bet underscores the changes we made with Windows 8 – it’s a generational leap forward. We built Windows 8 for a world where touch is a first class interaction model, the same as mouse and keyboard; and where there’s a proliferation of innovative and diverse devices that are highly mobile, always on the go and always connected. Windows 8 was built on the reality that the lines between our work and personal lives have blurred.

We’re only a bit more than seven months into this new, bold approach to computing. The response to Windows 8 has been substantial— from new devices to strong app growth to key enhancements to the OS and apps. We’ve learned from customers on how they are using the product and have received a lot of feedback. We’ve delivered hundreds of updates to the product and to apps. We’re just getting started, and the potential ahead is tremendous.

Windows 8.1 will advance the bold vision set forward with Windows 8 to deliver the next generation of PCs, tablets, and a range of industry devices, and the experiences customers — both consumers and businesses alike — need and will just expect moving forward. It’s Windows 8 even better. Not only will Windows 8.1 respond to customer feedback, but it will add new features and functionality that advance the touch experience and mobile computing’s potential. Windows 8.1 will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity. Windows 8.1 will also include big bets for business in areas such as management and security – we’ll have more to say on these next week at TechEd North America. Today, I am happy to share a “first look” at Windows 8.1 and outline some of the improvements, enhancements and changes customers will see.

Personalization:

In Windows 8.1, you’ll be able to do more to personalize the experience on your device. As people started using Windows 8, we found that people were using their Lock screens to show pictures of their families. So in Windows 8.1, you can turn your PC or tablet into a picture frame by making your Lock screen a slide show of your pictures – either locally on the device or photos from the cloud in SkyDrive. We also added the ability to take pictures with the built-in camera right from the Lock screen without having to log in.

Windows 8.1 offers more colors and backgrounds for the Start screen – including ones with motion.

You can even choose your desktop background as your Start screen background, creating a greater sense of unity and familiarity. And the Start screen in Windows 8.1 features a variety of tile sizes including a new large and new small tile, so you can organize your Start screen exactly the way you want it. It’s also even easier to name groups and rearrange tiles. You can now select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them. We also found people were accidentally moving tiles on their Start screen so in Windows 8.1, you press and hold (or right click) to move things around.

You can view all apps just by swiping from the bottom to view all apps, and we’ve added the ability to filter your apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category. You want the Start screen to be about all the things you love. So when you install a new app from the Windows Store, we no longer put that app on your Start screen. Instead, you’ll find these apps under apps view as mentioned above and marked as “new” where you can choose to pin the apps you want to your Start screen.

Search:

In Windows 8.1, the Search charm will provide global search results powered by Bing in a rich, simple-to-read, aggregated view of many content sources (the web, apps, files, SkyDrive, actions you can take) to provide the best “answer” for your query. We think this will really change the way you interact with the Web and with windows making it quicker and easier to get things done. It is the modern version of the command line!

Quick actions include things you would want to do like play a song or video. Results from local files, apps, and settings are easily accessed in the same convenient view by scrolling to the left.

Apps and Windows Store:

We will be improving all our built in apps that come with Windows 8 for Windows 8.1. For example, the Photos app now has some new editing features that lets you quickly edit or adjust photos when you view them in the Photos app or open them from other places like the Mail, SkyDrive, and Camera apps. And our Music app has been completely redesigned to help pick and play music from your collection. We plan to talk more about updates to the built in apps in Windows 8.1 and some brand new apps we will be introducing in a future blog post.

We’re also making improvements for using multiple apps at once in Windows 8.1.

Windows 8.1 brings variable, continuous size of snap views. You will have more ways to see multiple apps on the screen at the same time. You can resize apps to any size you want, share the screen between two apps, or have up to four apps on screen. If you have multiple displays connected, you can have different Windows Store apps running on all the displays at the same time and the Start Screen can stay open on one monitor. This makes multi-tasking even easier. Also in Windows 8.1, you can have multiple windows of the same app snapped together – such as two Internet Explorer windows.

The improved Windows Store in Windows 8.1 is designed to show more info than in Windows 8 with detailed lists of top free apps, new releases, and picks for you on the homepage. The app listing is more descriptive and informative and includes an area for related apps to help with app discovery. Categories are listed with other app commands such as links to your apps and your account information. App updates install automatically in the background as well as they come through the Store. And search is available in the upper right hand corner for finding the apps you want.

Cloud Connectivity:

In Windows 8.1 your files can be saved directly to SkyDrive, so you can always have your files with you.

The new SkyDrive app gives you access to your files that are on your device or in the cloud, and files are accessible even when offline.

Also, when you log on to your Windows 8.1 device with your Microsoft account (Outlook.com by default), your device magically becomes personalized with your settings and apps, making switching or setting up a new device really easy.

PC Settings:

The updated PC Settings in Windows 8.1 gives you access to all your settings on your device without having to go to the Control Panel on the desktop. You can do things like change your display resolution, set your power options, see the make and model of your PC, change the product key, let you run Windows Update, and even join a domain – all from PC Settings. You can even manage SkyDrive from PC Settings as well and see how much available storage you have (and buy more if needed).

Internet Explorer:

Web browsing continues to be one of the most popular activities on any device. That’s why with Windows 8.1, you also get Internet Explorer 11 (IE11). IE11 builds on the advancements in IE10 and is the only browser that is built for touch. IE11 will offer even better touch performance, faster page load times and several other new features we think you will enjoy. For example, you can now adjust the appearance of modern IE11 to always show the address bar and you can have as many open tabs as you like. And you can access your open tabs in sync across your other Windows 8.1 devices.

Better Mouse and Keyboard Options

PCs today are evolving for a world of mobile computing where people interact with their devices through touch, and we designed Windows 8 for this. But we also recognize there are many non-touch devices in use today – especially in the commercial setting. As such we’ve focused on a number of improvements to ensure easier navigation for people using a mouse and keyboard.

We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start “tip” to be the familiar Windows logo. The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop. There are also options to change what the corners do, and options to boot into alternate screens. For example, if you prefer to see the Apps view versus all the tiles, you can choose to have the Start screen go directly to Apps view.

These are just some of the updates coming in Windows 8.1. We’ll be blogging more about these and other changes in the coming weeks. As you’ve heard us talk about before, Windows 8.1 will be available later this year as a free update for consumers to Windows 8 through the Windows Store the same way customers get app updates today.

Beginning June 26th, and timed with the start of Build, our developer conference, you will be able to check out these improvements for yourself with a preview of Windows 8.1 that will be released. At Build, we’ll also be sharing more about Windows Embedded, which will be updated in the same timeframe as Windows 8.1. We’re aligning the platforms even more to bring Windows to form factors of all types, including not only tablets and PCs, but also the growing category of industry devices such as ATMs, point of service (POS) terminals, and kiosks.

Windows 8 has been a bold, necessary move towards mobility for the PC industry – pushing ourselves and our industry ahead with a touch-first approach that is redefining the PC as we know it, while offering the best of all worlds across any device at any time. Our commitment to that vision – and to always improving - remains the same as we stay the course of the evolution of Windows with Windows 8.1. We’ve been watching, we’ve been listening; Windows 8.1 will continue to build on what you love bringing the latest advancements in hardware, apps, cloud services and the OS to enable a unique experience in everything you do.

More to come. Thanks for reading.

Antoine Leblond,
Corporate Vice President, Windows Program Management

Windows Keeps Getting Better

2013-05-14T14:45:00Z

Windows 8 was built for a world that blends our work and our personal lives, a world where we expect high quality touch experiences everywhere, and a world that is always on the go and always connected. Windows 8 redefines our market from PCs to mobile computing.

We are pleased with the progress we’ve seen with Windows 8 so far.

Our OEM partners have delivered tablets, touch laptops, and convertibles that bring the vision of Windows 8 and mobile computing to life. They have introduced some incredible (and unique) new form factors like the Dell XPS 12, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, the Sony VAIO Tap 20, or the recently announced Acer Aspire R7. And today at retail, you can find a powerful mobile touch laptop starting at just over $400.

We now have more than 70,000 apps in the Windows Store (the online app store for Windows) – apps such as Twitter, eBay, Netflix, CNN and games like Temple Run: Brave, Bejeweled LIVE and Angry Birds Star Wars and many others.

As PCs continue to evolve for this world of mobile computing, so does Windows 8.

Today at the JP Morgan Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in Boston, Tami Reller shared with the audience that the update previously referred to as “Windows Blue” will be called Windows 8.1and will be a free update to Windows 8 for consumers through the Windows Store.

During her remarks today, Tami reiterated our goal of delivering continual updates to create a richer experience for Windows customers. Windows 8.1 is part of that and continues the journey we first began with Windows 8 last fall. Windows 8.1 will help us to deliver the next generation of PCs and tablets with our OEM partners and to deliver the experiences customers— both consumers and businesses alike —need and will just expect moving forward.

Today, there are more devices – and choice – allowing you to pick the right Windows 8 device that meets your needs. Windows 8 provides a great experience for consuming and creating content, for both work and play and on the go. And you’ll immediately benefit from continual updates – whether it’s from app updates through the Windows Store, performance updates through Windows Update or the Windows 8.1 update later this year.

We have much more to share about Windows 8.1 in the coming weeks. We will also be making a public preview of Windows 8.1 available starting on June 26, timed with the Build developer conference in San Francisco. The preview will be available for Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Building on our vision of modern computing

2013-05-10T18:27:00Z

Earlier this week I was on stage at the WIRED Business Conference talking about Windows and how it continues to evolve. With Windows 8 we bet on the computing trends shaping today and tomorrow: mobility, touch, apps that connect seamlessly and are with you everywhere you go. We are no longer tied to the desktop, literally and figuratively.

Each month more than a billion unique Windows PCs get updates from us – and even more are running inside companies around the world. That’s a lot of devices and represents to us the trust and commitment we have with people. Most of them are running Windows 7, some are still running Windows XP, but more and more are running Windows 8 every day. Earlier this week my colleague Tami Reller announced we have sold more than 100 million licenses of Windows 8 through the first six months on the market.

We know people choose Windows because it’s important to their lives and their businesses. They trust and rely on Windows for serious productivity and more and more serious fun. We are proud to keep evolving Windows in a way that brings forward over 25 years of computing and to create the platform for tomorrow. As with every radical change, learning is a process. We are getting smarter every day about how to help people learn and make the most of their devices. From work in Windows, to online content, as well materials and demos at retail we are constantly improving and moving forward.

At the WIRED Business Conference I announced we’d share the first public preview of what we are calling internally Windows “Blue” in late June timed with the Build conference. It’s an update to Windows 8 and builds on our vision of modern computing. An OS that lets apps work seamlessly together and put the things you care most about right at your fingertips. We are excited to share the next steps in this vision soon.

Julie Larson-Green
Corporate Vice President, Windows

Julie Larson-Green at the Wired Business Conference

2013-05-07T19:24:00Z

Julie Larson-Green, Corporate Vice President for Windows, took to the stage at the Wired Business Conference a little while ago to talk about Windows 8 – reiterating much of the momentum Tami talked about earlier in this blog post. She also talked about our approach to making Windows 8 for a world where mobility is at the forefront. We continue to listen and respond to our customers. As part of the continuing journey for Windows 8, we have an update planned due out later this year codenamed “Windows Blue.” Julie unveiled that at BUILD at the end of June, we’ll be releasing a public preview of Windows Blue for folks to check out. Look for more from us on Windows Blue leading up to Build in June!

Windows 8 at 6 months: Q&A with Tami Reller

2013-05-07T03:59:00Z

Back in January, Tami Reller, our Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer, joined me in a Q&A to provide an update on progress since the launch of Windows 8. Here we are now just past six months from general availability, so we thought it would be fitting to provide another update.

Brandon LeBlanc: It’s been several months since we announced that 60 million licenses of Windows 8 had been sold since general availability. Where are we now?

Tami Reller: We recently surpassed the 100 million licenses sold mark for Windows 8. This number includes Windows licenses that ship on a new tablet or PC, as well as upgrades to Windows 8. This is up from the 60 million license number we provided in January. We’ve also seen the number of certified devices for Windows 8 and Windows RT grow to 2,400 devices, and we’re seeing more and more touch devices in the mix.

As we talked about in our last Q&A, Windows 8 is a big, ambitious change. While we realize that change takes time, we feel good about the progress since launch, including what we’ve been able to accomplish with the ecosystem and customer reaction to the new PCs and tablets that are available now or will soon come to market.

Brandon LeBlanc: There’s been a recurring theme talking about the PC’s demise. What’s your take on that?

Tami Reller: The PC is very much alive and increasingly mobile. The PC is also part of a much broader device market of tablets and PCs. Windows 8 was built to fully participate in this broader and increasingly mobile device market. The PC part of the market is rapidly evolving to include new convertible devices and amazing new touch laptops, and all-in-ones. These new PCs are hitting the market now and into the Back-to-School season, and they are more affordable than ever.

Brandon LeBlanc: There’s been a lot of speculation about Windows Blue. What can you tell me about it?

Tami Reller: Windows Blue is a codename for an update that will be available later this year, building on the bold vision set forward with Windows 8 to deliver the next generation of tablets and PCs. It will deliver the latest new innovations across an increasingly broad array of form factors of all sizes, display, battery life and performance, while creating new opportunities for our ecosystem. It will provide more options for businesses, and give consumers more options for work and play. The Windows Blue update is also an opportunity for us to respond to the customer feedback that we’ve been closely listening to since the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT. From a company-wide perspective, Windows Blue is part of a broader effort to advance our devices and services for Microsoft.

Brandon LeBlanc: Last time we talked about the Windows Store and momentum you were seeing there. Will you update our readers on progress?

Tami Reller: Apps momentum has been steady as the number of apps in the Windows Store has increased 6x since launch. Comparatively, that’s already passed what iOS had in store, in its first year of app development. We’ve also surpassed 250 million Store apps downloaded in the first six months, and almost 90% of our app catalog has been downloaded every month.

Additionally, we’ve delivered hundreds of updates to first party apps (apps from Microsoft), including a major update for Mail, People and Calendar. We also updated IE10 so that Flash works by default, which makes it easier for people to enjoy all of the rich content on the sites they love. And the Bing Team updated their apps as well. This, combined with the touch capabilities of Internet Explorer 10, delivers a much more immersive web experience than what’s possible on other devices.

Brandon LeBlanc: And we’re also seeing good momentum with our services like SkyDrive and Outlook.com, right?

Tami Reller: That’s right. Earlier today, we announced that we now have more than 250 million people using SkyDrive. We also continue to add exciting features to our new personal email service, Outlook.com, including the recent announcement about integration with Skype – starting in the UK immediately, in the U.S. and Germany in the coming weeks, and worldwide availability in the coming months. It’s also worth noting that we have already completed the update to Outlook.com for all of our Hotmail customers, much earlier than our original estimate of later this summer. We already have 400 million active Outlook.com accounts.

And key to the experience behind all of these great services and apps is having a Microsoft account, of which we now have over 700 million active accounts.

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Special thanks to Tami for taking the time to answer questions about where we are with Windows 8 and what’s coming next. We are excited to see the steady momentum in the product and in the ecosystem and look forward to the coming months.

Windows 7 SP1 to start rolling out on Windows Update

2013-03-18T16:01:58Z

Starting tomorrow, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) will begin rolling out automatically on Windows Update. Updating customers to Windows 7 SP1 is part of our ongoing effort to ensure continued support and improved security updates for customers who have not yet installed SP1. Windows 7 SP1 was previously available on Windows Update but required user action to install. Starting tomorrow, the installation will be fully automatic with no user action required for those who already have Automatic Update enabled. SP1 will be released gradually over the coming weeks to all customers on the RTM version of Windows 7. The service pack will take slightly longer to install compared to other updates. To ensure Service Pack 1 is installed without issue, customers should check for sufficient free disk space and that AC power is present on a laptop. If additional space needs to be created, we recommend using the Disk Cleanup tool to delete some files so that the service pack will install. If the service pack installation is interrupted, it will reattempt to install automatically after the next restart.

This update only applies to Windows 7 consumer PCs that are not managed by a Microsoft management tool such as Systems Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or WSUS Server. SCCM and WSUS administrators still have full control over the release of Service Pack 1. This remains unchanged.

As mentioned by Stephen Rose here on the Springboard Series Blog - Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack) will no longer be supported as of April 9th, 2013.

If you have any issues with the installation of Windows 7 SP1 through Windows Update, please visit this support page on Windows.com or our Microsoft Community forum for Windows 7.

Reminder – Register and Redeem Windows Upgrade Offer promo code by Feb. 28th

2013-02-26T21:30:27Z

I wanted to publish a quick reminder that you have until February 28th to register for the Windows Upgrade Offer to receive a promo code via email that can be used to upgrade your Windows 7 PC to Windows 8 Pro for just $14.99. Once you’ve registered for the Windows Upgrade Offer, you’ll need to use your promo code by February 28th as well. The promo code you received as part of registering for the Windows Upgrade Offer allows you to upgrade your Windows 7 PC to the Windows 8 Pro edition.

When you register for the Windows Upgrade Offer, you will receive a promo code via email. You then go to Windows.com to buy a Windows 8 Pro upgrade like you would normally through the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant (I blogged about the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant here). When you get to the point in the process where you are asked to confirm your order, you are given the opportunity to enter the promo code you were sent by registering for the Windows Upgrade Offer and the price of Windows 8 Pro will then drop to $14.99 (U.S.). Then you proceed with the rest of the process and upgrade your PC! The promo code sent to you via email by registering for the Windows Upgrade Offer is what enables you to get the great price.

Windows 8 at 90 days: Q&A with Tami Reller

2013-02-04T17:42:00Z

As we’ve said on many occasions, Windows 8 represents a big, ambitious change for Windows and for Microsoft. We built Windows 8 for the next generation of computing – setting out to eliminate the boundary between PCs and tablets.

And we’re just getting started!

It’s been a little over 90 days since Windows 8 reached general availability (GA) so naturally people are asking: how is Windows 8 is doing? I thought the best way to address this would be a Q&A with our Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller to share context and our point-of-view. So here we go…

Brandon LeBlanc: We announced in early January that Windows 8 has sold more than 60 million licenses. How does that compare to previous versions of Windows?

Tami Reller: More than 60 million licenses sold is on par with the record setting pace we saw with Windows 7. We feel good about our start with Windows 8 – and of course there is still much more to do.

Brandon LeBlanc: Microsoft has made a big deal about touch being super important in breaking down that boundary between PCs and tablets. Can you tell us a little a bit about how receptive customers have been to touch devices with Windows 8?

Tami Reller: Touch is a key component of Windows 8 as it enables devices to unlock even more of the benefit of Windows 8. From tablets, to touch laptops, to all-in-one PCs, customer interest in new touch form factors is increasing. To meet this interest, we’ve been working with our partners to ensure that we have products to meet customer demand. Together, we’ve made progress and the trajectory of touch devices continues to grow. Partners are working hard to bring stunning innovation to market across a broad spectrum of tablets, convertibles, touch laptops & Ultrabooks, and all-in-one PCs. And, for traditional PCs, Windows 8 PCs are the best PCs ever – faster, more efficient, better battery life, and access to the ever-growing lineup of Windows 8 apps in the Windows Store. Watch for some great new products on shelf this spring!

Brandon LeBlanc: You mentioned Windows Store apps, what kind of momentum have we seen with the Windows Store since its grand opening back in October?

Tami Reller: Since the grand opening of the Windows Store on October 26^th, the number of apps has more than quadrupled. App downloads are strong as we recently passed the 100 million app download mark – just two months after GA. We have seen double digit growth in people visiting the Windows Store week over week since October.

The way we look at apps is important – we want to make sure customers have the apps they want and use most frequently and we feel good about our trajectory for adding even more high demand apps in the Store. We also think about making sure we have the right apps by geography and we want apps that are committed to the customer experience, frequently updating and making the app constantly better.

Another unique element with the Windows Store approach is we allow app builders to use their own commerce engines and keep up to 100% of their profits for in app sales. App builders who are taking advantage of this include: Amazon, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Zinio, and Magzster. PayPal also announced plans to release an SDK so that developers could use their service for in app purchases as well.

Brandon LeBlanc: Windows 8 is a big change for our customers. The “learning curve” is a continued discussion out in the community. How are customers responding?

Tami Reller: Windows 8 is a big, ambitious change – a set of innovation that together enabled a consistent experience across tablets and PCs. To make sure this product was ready for our customers, we had 1.24 billion hours of active usage time from people during our previews. By the time we hit GA, we had usage in almost every single country, making this the most tested release of Windows ever. Based on what we’ve learned, we are finding that people are successfully and quickly learning Windows 8 and their usage gets richer and stronger over time. They get started with success. Fifty percent of users get through the out of box experience in less than 5 minutes. On the very first day, virtually everyone launches an app from the Start screen, finds the desktop, and finds the charms. Almost half of users go to the Windows Store on that first day.

After two weeks, the average person doubles the number of tiles on Start. Live tiles engage people with content – by early January we had already delivered over 45 billion unique live tile updates. People find the new features in the context of what they are trying to do, and incorporate them into their everyday use after finding them. It is great to see people quickly find their way around Windows 8, exploring it, making it their own, across what they used to do and all of the new features.

Brandon LeBlanc: What is next?

Tami Reller: This is an exciting time in Windows and there’s a lot of energy around the work we’re doing. From our ongoing updates to the OS to our work with partners to deliver the devices customers want to see in market, there has never been more opportunity ahead. We’re expanding our opportunity from the PC market to the broader device market across tablets plus PCs. With Windows 8, we’ve built an OS that scales across the entire segment: tablets, to PCs to everything PCs can become, with one consistent scalable experience. Windows 8 is a big, ambitious change and as I said, we’re only just getting started.

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Special thanks to Tami for taking the time to answer questions about where we are with Windows 8. We are excited to see new touch devices hit the market with Windows 8 and even more apps hit the Windows Store in the coming months!

Syncing Google services with Windows 8 and Windows RT

2013-01-30T18:54:00Z

After January 30th, 2013 – Google will no longer support new Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) connections from Windows PCs and tablets to sync your email, calendar and contacts from Gmail. If you've already connected your Google account to your PC running Windows 8 and Windows RT using the Mail, People or Calendar apps, you don't have to do anything. Existing EAS connections to Google accounts will continue to function.

If you are trying to connect a Google account after January 30th, 2013 to your PC running Windows 8 and Windows RT using the Mail, People or Calendar apps – please visit this support article on Windows.com.

If you have any issues connecting your Google account to your device – please visit our Microsoft Community where folks there can assist in helping you find answers to your issues.

Of course, this could also be a good time to simply switch to Outlook.com, a new personal email service that is clean and intuitive, keeps your address book up-to-date with information from your favorite social networks, and includes powerful inbox management tools and so much more. For more details, visit the Outlook.com site.

For more information on Windows Phone, click here.

U.S. Window 8 Student Offer and University Campus Tour Coming in February

2013-01-30T17:05:00Z

Calling on all students! Today I’d like to share the pricing details for the Windows 8 student offer which will begin here in the U.S. on February 1st and in 49 additional countries by March 19th. The Windows 8 Pro upgrade edition will be available for students online via the Microsoft Store for $69.99 (ERP)*.

For students, Windows 8 offers the best for work and play and with the new Start screen that makes it super easy to organize, access and find what matters most to you. With Windows 8, students can download apps from the Windows Store like Microsoft OneNote or Evernote for taking notes in class or Skype to stay connected with friends and family. To find out more about Windows 8, click here. Students qualify for this offer only if they have a valid e-mail address through a qualifying education institution and a PC that is currently running a genuine copy of Windows XP (XP3), Windows Vista or Windows 7.

And the Windows Campus Tour will kick-off on February 18th and we will visit over 150 university campuses across the U.S. So, stop by and try Windows 8, check out the latest tablets and PC’s for students and chat with a team of Techsperts about Windows 8 PC’s and more. For more information including dates and locations click here.

*This academic offer for eligible students, faculty, and staff requires verification of eligibility prior to purchase. Limit five (5) copies of this item per 12-month period. This offer is only made available to eligible students, faculty, and staff under the Program Terms and Conditions.

The new Office #Timeto365

2013-01-29T22:32:00Z

Today over on the Official Microsoft Blog, Steve Ballmer talks about the new Office and what it means for the company.

Starting today, people can now subscribe to Office as a service via Office.com instead of purchasing Office as a piece of software to install.

Click here for more on the benefits of an Office subscription!

Update on Windows 8 Pricing

2013-01-18T20:01:00Z

We are seeing good momentum with Windows 8 today. When upgrading from Windows 7, Windows 8 has a lot to offer including a beautiful new Start screen with live tiles, plus the familiar desktop and faster startup and longer battery life. Today I’d like to share the pricing details for the Windows 8 upgrade editions that will begin in February. I’d also remind you to take advantage of the great upgrade offer which lasts until January 31st 2013.

Windows 8 upgrade editions (see which edition is right for you here) will be priced as follows starting in February:

The Windows 8 Pro upgrade edition will be available online and at retail for $199.99 MSRP (U.S.).
The Windows 8 upgrade edition will be available online and at retail for $119.99 MSRP (U.S.).
The Windows 8 Pro Pack will cost $99.99 MSRP (U.S.).
The Windows 8 Media Center Pack will cost $9.99 MSRP (U.S.).

But we have our promotional offer available until January 31st 2013, you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 ERP* (U.S.) via Windows.com using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant or pick up a DVD copy at a local retailer for just $69.99 ERP* (U.S.). If you bought an eligible Windows 7 PC between June 2nd and January 31st, 2013 – be sure to register for the Windows Upgrade Offer and upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99 ERP*** (U.S.). If you upgrade to the Windows 8 edition or buy a PC with the Windows 8 edition pre-installed and want to move to the Windows 8 Pro edition– you can purchase the Windows 8 Pro Pack (previously known as Windows Anytime Upgrade) directly within Windows 8 by going to the Start screen and typing “Add Features to Windows 8” and at participating retailers for $69.99 MSRP (U.S.) until January 31st. If are running Windows 8 Pro and want Windows Media Center and DVD playback, you can add the Windows 8 Media Center Pack for free until January 31st**.

If you are building your own PC from scratch, looking to run Windows 8 in a Virtual Machine (VM), or looking to run Windows 8 on a second hard drive partition – you will want to purchase the Windows 8 edition or Windows 8 Pro edition OEM product known as “System Builder”. You can find these products online at local retailers.

For questions regarding upgrade paths for Windows 8, see this article on TechNet. For more information on upgrading to Windows 8, I suggest checking out this page on Windows.com as it is a great resource for information on upgrading.

And if you have any issues regarding your upgrade experience or technical questions about upgrading then I suggest visiting the Windows 8 Microsoft Community forum and posting your questions there.

*Offers limited to five upgrade licenses per customer. To install the Windows 8 Pro upgrade, customers must be running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. The prices displayed are estimated retail price and the transaction may be completed in a different currency. The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions, other pricing considerations, and may vary by each independent reseller. The actual price you pay may be more than the advertised price due to these additional factors. Shipping and handling charges may apply to packaged DVD product.

**When moving from the Windows 8 edition to Windows 8 Pro via the Windows 8 Pro Pack – you receive the Windows 8 Media Center Pack and won’t need to install it separately.

*** The last day to register for the Windows Upgrade Offer is February 28th, 2013.