Microsoft Windows 8

Microsoft May Spruce Up the Surface Pro with a Docking Station-Sources Say

Sites such as Windows SuperSite and Neowin.net report that Microsoft is planning to release a docking station for the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 tablets. Sources indicate that the new tablet add-on is most likely going to be released on or sometime around October 18, 2013, the date when Windows 8.1 would become generally available and the projected launch schedule of the next-generation Surface, including the Surface Pro 2 powered by NAVIDIA and Intel Haswell chips.

Windows 8 Will Not Become an Enterprise Standard-Forrester Research Says

IT research firm Forrester predicts that most businesses will not make Windows 8 their primary standard because the operating system will not get enough adoption. The Forrester Research report, "IT Will Skip Windows 8 As The Enterprise Standard," also says that employees must be free to use devices that run on Windows 8 and that companies must beef up their system to meet BYOD demand

Microsoft Partner Signs $617M Deal with U.S. Defense Dept., Supports Mobility

Microsoft Corporation, through one of the company's biggest partners, Insight Enterprises, Inc., has signed a contract worth $617 million with the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The three-year deal would see Microsoft's technology cascaded to the 1.5 million computers at the Pentagon and into the hands of the Defense Department's 450,000-strong workforce.

Windows 8 Makes Microsoft's Future Uncertain

Microsoft is putting all of its eggs in one basket with Windows 8; its success or failure could determine their fate.

This is the view given by Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer, at least. According to him, "our hardware partners are all in, companies like Verizon and AT&T are all in, there are hundreds of operators and retailers around the world who are all in, developers are all in, and - if anyone wasn't convinced yet - Microsoft is all in." He spoke these words at October's Windows 8 launch event in San Francisco.

Will Windows 8 Make a Difference?

Just a month after its release, Windows 8 is being described by many industry analysts as a flop, however, others believe there is still time for Microsoft's new operating system to stand out from its predecessor.

According to NetApplications statistics, desktop computers running Windows 8 garnered only one percent of the market share and Windows 8 tablets failed to gain a share at all.

Microsoft Is Set to Unveil Skype for Windows 8

The release of Windows 8 on October 26, 2012 comes with a Skype upgrade that makes the most out of the features of the latest Windows OS.

The new Skype can be used alongside Microsoft Windows RT or Windows 8 apps, and users can handle calls while running other programs and apps. It is also expected to be equipped with a video messaging capability so that users can leave short video calls to Skype users who are away.