Week In Review (May 4 – May 9)

Rumor of the Week The Microsoft side of the rumor mill slowed down a tad this last month or so, but things have sprung into action with word that Redmond is preparing a few more goodies alongside the Surface Mini reveal. Intel is invited to the party, and it will be quite interesting to see what comes out of the May 20 event.

Change of the Week

Redmond had a good thing going with NVIDIA as both companies partnered up to power the first and second generation Surface tablets. But it appears that Qualcomm has jumped in with its Snapdragon solution for the upcoming Surface Mini, thanks to better power efficiency. And affordability.

Success of the Week

It was about time. Apple is one of the absolute pioneers of computing technology, always have been, but their desire to exclusively focus on the high end means that it leaves room for other companies to sneak up. Microsoft’s Windows Phone, for instance, is now handily outselling the iPhone in 24 countries.

Climb of the Week

Big old Steve. The former CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer has now officially become the company’s largest shareholder after Bill Gates sold his predetermined amount of stock for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. More interesting news? Ballmer plans to hold to his share for a long, long time.

Expansion of the Week

Although Microsoft is now the certified owner of Nokia’s devices and services business, the Finnish company has actually licensed a few of its services to Redmond. These include the HERE Suite of apps, which it seems are destined to arrive on both Android and iOS in the near future. Expand, expand.]]>