Longtime Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott recently published a blog post sharing his thoughts on Microsoft’s planned unveiling of the next generation Xbox. In it, he said Microsoft will initially offer two pricing models for the console: a standalone version for $499 and another that will sell for $299 that requires a two-year Xbox Live Gold commitment ($10 per month for 24 months).
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Microsoft has announced that it will reveal the next Xbox console, thought to be the Xbox 720, on 21 May.
The next generation of Xbox console will be unveiled by Microsoft on 21 May, it has confirmed. The event will take place at the Xbox campus in Redmond and will be hosted by Don Mattrick, Microsoft's president of interactive entertainment business. Last week's news wasn't generous to PCs. In fact, half the Internet was ready to eulogize our beloved black boxes after market research showed that computer shipments fell by double-digit percentages in the first quarter. Stick a fork in 'em, the common wisdom declared. PCs are done.
But nothing could be further from the truth. PCs aren't dead—they're microwaves. But not for much longer. Hear me out. Microsoft may be ready to address two of the most common complaints about Windows 8 with its upcoming “Blue” update. Specifically, The Verge cites sources familiar with the company’s plans who claim builds of Windows 8.1 are being tested with an option to skip the “Metro” start screen and boot directly to the traditional desktop. A separate report from ZDNet seconds this and also suggests that the Start menu might make a comeback.
A relatively little known trick to extend Microsoft Office’s 30-day trial period up to six months has been around for several years. The process in question revolves around a rearm command, aimed at enterprise administrators who use a single copy or image to deploy the software company-wide, which can be run a maximum of five times for an extra 30-day grace period each before having to enter an activation key.
If Microsoft ever releases the smartwatch that the Wall Street Journal reports is in development, the gadget won’t just be entering a wearable computing market that has yet to be proven out. The watch would also extend a family of Surface hardware devices that no one is clamoring to buy.
Yet hardware is a critical component of Microsoft’s mobile-focused reinvention, and the company can’t let crappy tablet sales dim its ambition. The Surface family must grow larger if Microsoft is to realize its quite public aspirations, and if you really begin to think about what a Surface Watch might offer, the concept suddenly segues from misguided and far-fetched to “Hmmm... I might actually buy that thing.” And let’s say the entire Surface Watch is clad in VaporMg—a material that Microsoft deliberately called out last June as having a finish 'akin to a luxury watch.'The watch won't look anything like the MSN-connected Swatch Paparazzi shown in the image above, but it could go down in flames like the Paparazzi if Microsoft doesn't nail the gadget's design and intent. With that, I describe the Surface Watch that I would want to buy, and wax fantastically on four more Surface brand extensions. |
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Author: Zack ArnettZack is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief for THCComputerTech since April 2012. Once his website takes off he hopes to get his information to all parts of the world, and writing reviews for the good of his viewers. |