According to Microsoft Windows CFO Tami Reller, the company will support the most popular apps in the Apple App Store within their own app store. However, Microsoft believes that the actual Apple iTunes software is not coming anytime soon. There are now over 60,000 apps in the Windows Store with about 250 million downloads.
Microsoft has built several set-top boxes, but the company is not sure if they should launch the device. The set top boxes would provide access to the Xbox Live suite of applications, according to The Wall Street Journal. Supposedly the most recent iteration of the set top box allows Kinect-enabled gesture controls with a similar user interface as the new Xbox console being announced later this year. The new Xbox is supposed to arrive on May 21st.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has reported that sales of Yammer’s cloud-based enterprise social networking service has increased 259% in the company’s third fiscal quarter that ended in March, compared to the same quarter in 2012. Back then, Yammer was still an independent company proving the value Microsoft added to the service. Microsoft did not disclose the actual revenues in dollars. Yammer added around 312 new customers for the quarter.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is considering the acquisition of Nook Media for $1 billion as part of a plan to gain full access to the company’s line of e-readers, tablets, and e-books. The acquisition details are cited in internal documents obtained by TechCrunch. Microsoft previously invested $300 million in Nook. Nook Media LLC is a joint venture between Barnes & Noble and several other investors.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has named Amy Hood as the Chief Financial Officer. Hood was previously the Corporate Vice President. She will be replacing Peter Klein starting in June. This is the first time that a woman has held this position at the company.
Earlier this week, Adobe Systems announced that they switched from selling packaged software to a subscription system called Creative Cloud. Several people questioned whether Microsoft Corporation would follow suit with Microsoft Office.
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) have renewed their search ad deal. Microsoft agreed to extend “search revenue guarantees” that they have continually paid since the two companies made a deal in 2009. The deal extension was spotted in Yahoo!’s quarterly financial filing with the SEC.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since launching on October 26th. These sales numbers matches the numbers that Windows 7 had three years previously.
