ballmer

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer yesterday addressed the delicate issue of calls for his dismissal as CEO, according to a report from GeekWire.

During a Q&A following a speech given by Ballmer at the Rotary Club in Seattle, Assunta Ng, publisher of the Northwest Asian Weekly asked for his reaction to critics who say that it's time for Microsoft to change its CEO and that it's time for him to go.

Ballmer, who is known for his loud, direct style, responded by saying, "YOU TELL ME if I lack energy or conviction, or we're not … Read more

Microsoft will officially launch Office 365 on June 28 at an event in New York City.

Hosted by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the event will start at 10 a.m. local time (7 a.m. PT) and be available via a live Webcast.

Announced in October, Office 365 is Microsoft's effort to offer business customers a cloud-based alternative to its traditional desktop and server products. Office 365 unites Microsoft's Office Web Apps with hosted versions of Exchange and SharePoint along with Lync, which kicks in the online communication and collaboration piece.

Microsoft's announcement of the launch event … Read more

Windows 8 is scheduled to launch in fall 2012, according to hints dropped by one of the company's corporate vice presidents.

Speaking last week at an event at Microsoft's campus in Mountain View, Calif., Dan'l Lewin, Microsoft corporate vice president for Strategic and Emerging Business Development, laid out the likely scenario for Windows 8, from initial beta to final release, according to TechRadar and other sources.

Asking people to look into the crystal ball and assume that "what happened in the past is a reasonable indicator of what our forward looking timelines will be and just … Read more

The World Health Organization semi-confirms what we've all suspected for years: it's probably not a good thing that mobile phones cause the cells in your brain to wiggle and change. Also, Lodsys continues its patent trolling unfettered by matters of conscience or threatening letters from Apple, and the PBS hackers turn their attention to Sony, as if Sony didn't have enough problems, already. --Molly

Microsoft plans to unveil a new operating system designed for tablets within days, according to Bloomberg.

Citing three anonymous sources, Bloomberg reported yesterday that the software giant will be discussing its plans for tablets at some point in the next week, though they weren't certain where or when it would happen. Bloomberg's sources told the publication that the tablet-friendly Windows version would be running on hardware boasting Nvidia's ARM-based Tegra processor.

If the tablets are, in fact, running a processor based on ARM architecture, the operating system Microsoft would be showing off would not be Windows 7. … Read more

A top hedge fund manager is calling on Microsoft's Steve Ballmer to step aside as CEO and let someone else lead the company.

Speaking at the Ira Sohn Investment Research Conference in New York yesterday, David Einhorn, president of hedge fund Greenlight Capital, was outspoken in his criticism of Ballmer as a key factor holding back the company's stock.

"It's time for Microsoft's board to tell Steve Ballmer, 'All right, we see what you can do, let's give so-and-so a chance,'" Einhorn said. as quoted in a Bloomberg story. "His continued presence … Read more

On today's show, Apple stands up for its developers, but not for the people who might be infected with malware. Nice, Apple. Real nice. Also, Microsoft introduces Mango and Ballmer accidentally introduces Windows 8, and the Falun Gong sues Cisco. Yeah, really. And for a good reason, too.

Microsoft is getting ready to launch two more retail stores, one this week in Atlanta and another in June in Houston.

A new store at the Lenox Square mall in Atlanta will kick off with grand opening ceremonies on Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET and then officially open its doors at 10 a.m.

To bring in potential buyers, Microsoft will offer free wristbands to people who attend the opening ceremonies. The first 150 people to visit the store will receive two wristbands: One will let them attend a May 28 concert by the 2011 American Idol winner … Read more

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said yesterday that Windows 8 will debut in 2012, although the company later called his comments a "misstatement."

Speaking at a developers conference in Japan yesterday, Ballmer touched upon a variety of topics from Windows Phone to search engines to cloud computing. But the CEO emphasized that Microsoft is working on the next version of Windows and spilled a few details about Windows 8 as the company prepares to make the transition from Windows 7.

"We're obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows," Ballmer said, according to a … Read more