Several hardware makers are teaming up with Microsoft, in an attempt to give Apple a run for its money. They're looking to release a number of Windows-based tablet computers that can compete with Apple's iPad. At least 21 manufacturers were mentioned, including Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Asus, Toshiba, Sony, Lenovo, and Panasonic.
The news was announced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Monday, July 12, at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, "This year one of the most important things that we will do in the smart device category is really push forward with Windows 7-based slates and Windows 7 phones. Over the course of the next several months, you will see a range of Windows 7-based slates that I think you'll find quite impressive. This is a terribly important area for us. We are hardcore about this."
He added, "They'll come with keyboards, they'll come without keyboards, they'll be dockable, there'll be many form factors, many price points, many sizes, but they will all run Windows 7. They will run Windows 7 applications. They will run Office."
Ballmer did admit Microsoft failed with Windows Mobile and is unable to compete with iPhone, Droids, and Blackberrys. On the other hand, he says Windows Phone 7 has received, "great reviews, really quite remarkable reviews." The company's mobile phone partners were listed to include Samsung, Dell, Asus, Toshiba, Garmin, Sony Ericsson, and HTC.
Ballmer also talked at length about cloud computing - Windows Azure - and its "new opportunity." He says cloud enables Microsoft to help customers "streamline their operations and improve their agility." Ballmer also says, "The world of tomorrow is a world of a smart cloud talking to smart devices roam your information across the internet. We are at an inflection point in technology history...for customers, cloud computing creates tremendous value, which translates to massive opportunity for Microsoft and its partners."
According to Microsoft, eBay, Fujitsu, Dell, and HP will be using Windows Azure appliances. Dell says the platform will be useful for delivering cloud services to small and medium-sized businesses.
Other news from Microsoft included news that they've sold 150 million licenses for Windows 7 since its launch in October, 2009.
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While most people were gathered around their barbecues and remembering fallen soldiers, Apple was proclaiming the iPad the greatest computer in the world, ever! OK, not really, but they did announce that since its launch about two months ago, they've sold over two million iPads. The iPad, which shipped on April 3 of this year, hit stores in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan just last Friday. Crowds lined the streets in those countries, while the Apple online store has been swamped with purchases - a seven to ten day wait is being placed on new orders. 
Desktop computers have been forced to change their faces in order to not be considered obsolete. They are constantly being outdone by the convenience and speed of laptops, notebooks, and netbooks. The Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i7) is a fantastic example of an multimedia, all-in-one desktop computer. In many ways, it resembles its predecessor, the Apple iMac that featured a Core 2 Duo processor, except this iMac 27-inch (Core i7) is much faster.
Rumors about an online version of iTunes have been rampant since mid to late 2009, but now it looks like there's a little truth to the idea...maybe. Apple will be launching an online music service that will allow users to listen to music streamed over the internet. Experts say the new application could become a major threat for music websites such as Spotify, a service that allows users access to millions of songs through a paid subscription. 
Apple is hard at work putting the "icing on the cake" for a pair of new products that Apple says are targeted at their professional customers. The two devices in question are a larger version of Apple's LED Cinema Display as well as a major upgrade to the Mac Pro workstations according to 
It was revealed yesterday that Apple has filed a law suite against HTC stating that the company had infringed upon 20 different patents "related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware." In a statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Jobs said, "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
It was revealed yesterday that Apple has filed a law suite against HTC stating that the company had infringed upon 20 different patents "related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware." In a statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Jobs said, "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
