AT&T and Microsoft have formed an axis of power that could revolutionize communications, computing, and media in general.
"If you look at it across the spectrum--the semiconductor industry, the
entertainment industry, the advertising industry, consumers
--there's a huge
impact this [deal] could potentially hold."
- Abhi Chaki, Jupiter Communications analyst
"Microsoft is very much a content provider, and with an investment in AT&T, and its role in cable, it does seem to smooth the path for delivery of Microsoft content to consumers."
- Clay Ryder, vice president and chief analyst for Zona Research |  | | |
By News.com staff
May 10, 1999, 12:30 p.m. PT Battle lines drawn for control of the Net
The battle lines for control over the Information Age are being drawn in Internet time: On one side are AT&T, TCI, MediaOne, and Microsoft. On the other are AOL, Sun, Netscape, and the Baby Bells. For now.
AT&T mergers send regulators scrambling
The recent string of cable mergers and deals has federal regulators wondering what--if anything--they can do to make sure giants like AT&T don't return to their monopolistic past.
Will broadband deals leave Yahoo behind?
The AT&T-Microsoft alliance has implications that trickle down to any number of industries, and the portal space is no exception. That could spell trouble for Yahoo and others that have based their success on the PC.
AOL considering Linux device, sources say
America Online is looking at the Linux operating system as one option for running an inexpensive Internet access device, according to sources familiar with the project.
TV set-top silicon a wide-open game
The television set-top box phenomenon is opening up the microprocessor market to a wide range of competitors, and in this new world Intel is only one of a large pack that includes the consumer electronics industry.
Microsoft deal prompts hardware questions
Computer companies such as Compaq are eyeing the market for digital set-top boxes, but it is uncertain whether they will line up with Microsoft, Linux, both, or someone else.
The changing face of cable
The face of the family-run cable industry is dramatically changing, and analysts say deregulation, competition, and consolidation have cleared a path for even greater corporate ownership.
Windows CE faces technical hurdles
news analysis
Microsoft's decision to invest $5 billion in AT&T means Windows CE will cut a wider swath, but some question if the stripped-down operating system is up to the task. (May 6, 1999)
Microsoft: Money talks
news analysis
Microsoft has vast amounts of experience and resources to create clever software, but when it muscles into new markets a simple maxim applies: money talks. (May 6, 1999)
Microsoft, AT&T in $5 billion pact
update
Microsoft says it will invest $5 billion in AT&T and announces a
series of agreements with the phone giant in a move to boost its position in Internet services. (May 6, 1999)
News around the Web
Why trustbusters often allow telecom mergers to go through
Wall Street Journal-paid subscription required
AT&T conjures up its vision for cable, but can it deliver?
New York Times-free registration required
Why Microsoft shareholders should cheer the AT&T deal
Business Week
In AT&T deal, Microsoft buys stake in future of cable TV
New York Times-free registration required
AT&T, MS tap digital cable deal
USA Today
Did Microsoft dial 411 or 911?
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