<keyword id="10387" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microsoft" source="Orion">Microsoft</keyword> has redesigned <keyword id="6377887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="skype" source="Orion">Skype</keyword> once again, including a new loading experience, new illustrations, and animated emoticons.<br /><br />It has also introduced new performance improvements and reliability + bug fixes with the new design.<br /><br />"The theme colours have been updated from last year's release and we've added additional colour options so you can choose your very own favourite colour on light and dark theme for Skype. These beautiful new vibrant colours can now be seen more prominently throughout the product," Microsoft said in a blogpost.<br /><br />Moreover, it has also introduced a new mobile Skype calling experience and made a few technial improvements to improve the stability and performance of any video call.<br /><br />With this, users can now use Skype to get together and have video calls with up to 100 people for up to 24 hours every day.<br /><br />Further, a new 'Today' tab was also rolled out to Skype with this month's update. With this, users will be able to read and share personalised articles and news stories from trusted sources all over the world with no subscription required, according to the company.<br /><br />Additionally, the company launched real-time voice translation in Skype, which can now translate a person's voice in real-time using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make the translated voice sound similar to the original speaker.<br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-now-supports-themed-icons-in-latest-android-13-update/articleshow/96300799.cms">Twitter now supports themed icons in latest Android 13 update</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-are-instagram-candid-stories-different-from-regular-insta-story/articleshow/96274240.cms" style="">Instagram is all set to introduce 'Candid Stories' - here's how it's different from regular Insta story</a><br />

Microsoft redesigns Skype with new themes, colour options

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/565df3a369bedd1e4fa33517-2400/rtx1tc02.jpg" border="0" alt="Microsoft" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Lucas Jackson" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lucas Jackson</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/microsoft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft</a> Office is getting a new set of icons, the company announced on its Medium blog.</li><li>All your favorite tools - Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Skype - are getting fresh icon designs for the first time since 2013, which you can check out below.</li><li>The redesign is to reflect Office's move toward a cloud-based suite of tools that are used and accessible from a multitude of devices and platforms. </li></ul><p>For students and desk workers all over the world, the Microsoft Office app icons are, ahem, iconic. </p><p>But now, every single one of those icons is getting a refresh across all platforms "in the coming months," <a href="https://medium.com/microsoft-design/redesigning-the-office-app-icons-to-embrace-a-new-world-of-work-91d72608ee8f">Microsoft said in a blog post</a> - their first new look in five years. </p><p>All of those well-known logos will be getting upgrades, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and even Skype. The color palettes for each of the icons will, fortunately, remain the same, with some slightly updated hues that are brighter and more modern-looking.</p><p>Without further ado, here's the new lineup, as compared with the 2013-era icons:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Microsoft" title_caption="Top row, left to right: Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Bottom row, left to right: OneNote, SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, and Skype." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c00410fe60d4f039a3595a6-960/microsoft icons.jpeg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c00410fe60d4f039a3595a6-2000/microsoft icons.jpeg" border="0" alt="microsoft icons" data-mce-source="Microsoft" /></a><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">Top row, left to right: Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Bottom row, left to right: OneNote, SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, and Skype.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Microsoft Design" title_caption="It's out with the old, and in with the new for Microsoft Office." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c0052465d58ed0711432655-960/microsoft office icons.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c0052465d58ed0711432655-800/microsoft office icons.png" border="0" alt="microsoft office new icons" data-mce-source="Microsoft Design" data-mce-caption="Out with the old, and in the new for Microsoft Office." data-link="https://medium.com/microsoft-design/redesigning-the-office-app-icons-to-embrace-a-new-world-of-work-91d72608ee8f" /></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://medium.com/microsoft-design/redesigning-the-office-app-icons-to-embrace-a-new-world-of-work-91d72608ee8f">Microsoft Design</a></span></p><p class="caption">It's out with the old, and in with the new for Microsoft Office.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The idea, says Microsoft, is to reflect the change that Office is now less of a software suite, and more of a set of cloud-based services you use from a variety of devices. </p><p><span>"Our design solution was to decouple the letter and the symbol in the icons, essentially creating two panels (one for the letter and one for the symbol) that we can pair or separate," Jon Friedman, Microsoft Office's design head,  said in the blog post. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Microsoft Design" title_caption="How the icon for Microsoft Word has changed over time since 2003." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c0052a6d18a29061c09455a-960/microsoft evolution.jpeg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c0052a6d18a29061c09455a-2000/microsoft evolution.jpeg" border="0" alt="microsoft office word evolution" data-mce-source="Microsoft Design" data-link="https://medium.com/microsoft-design/redesigning-the-office-app-icons-to-embrace-a-new-world-of-work-91d72608ee8f" /></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://medium.com/microsoft-design/redesigning-the-office-app-icons-to-embrace-a-new-world-of-work-91d72608ee8f">Microsoft Design</a></span></p><p class="caption">How the icon for Microsoft Word has changed over time since 2003.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>Microsoft Office has come a long way since its first software bundle <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=wFAEAAAAMBAJ&amp;lpg=PA1&amp;pg=PA50#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">was released in 1990</a> featuring just three apps: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This is the longest Microsoft has gone without updating its Office icons since 2003.</span></p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Microsoft stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/MSFT-Quote"> here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-go-open-3000-automated-stores-2018-9">Amazon wants to open 3,000 cashier-less grocery stores - and they'll have a major advantage over their competitors</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/G1KMR5Zn-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Check out the new Microsoft Office icons, which just got their first redesign in 5 years

<p>"Skype" is pretty much synonymous with "video chat" - &#xa0;Skype, which Microsoft bought for $8.5 billion in 2012,&#xa0;has been downloaded over a billion times on smartphones alone, not including PCs and other gadgets.</p><p>And yet, Skype&#xa0;itself hasn't gotten a major new feature or a significant redesign since 2006, when it first added video calling. Meanwhile, Facebook Messenger, a relative newcomer, boasts 1.2 billion users, while <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michigan-state-basketball-recruiting-used-draymond-green-and-stephen-curry-2016-3">Apple's FaceTime</a> is hugely popular with iPhone and Mac users.&#xa0;</p><p>"We don't think Skype can rest on its legacy," Skype corporate vice president Amritansh Raghav tells Business Insider.</p><p>Today, Skype starts to fire back with a huge, sweeping new upgrade that refreshes the look and adds a bunch of smart new features to both text and video chat. This "next generation" of Skype will come first to Android devices, starting today, with updates to the iOS, Windows, and Mac apps coming later this year.</p><p>Behold:</p><p>"Every little bit has been changed," says Raghav.</p><p>Beyond the colorful new look, all of the old features, including calling landline telephones, are still there. The general theme with this upgrade is adding a lot more intelligence to Skype, says Raghav, building on last year's big upgrades to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-skype-moves-to-cloud-2016-7">back-end Skype infrastrcture</a>.</p><p>You can call up bots right from within a chat, so you can share the latest developments in the NBA Finals or pull up availability for Warriors tickets, without leaving the conversation. In video chats, you can share photos, call up some of those same bots, sketch on the screen, add stickers, and use filters. And, yes, there's a way to share photos with your Skype contacts that works a little bit like Snapchat Stories, because that's the new normal.</p><h2>With Facebook, against Facebook</h2><p>Raghav says a big inspiration for this massive Skype overhaul was the feedback the team was&#xa0;getting from customers.</p><p>Users, particularly younger users, were using Skype once or twice a week to video chat with&#xa0;their families and friends, but using Facebook's or Google's apps for day-to-day chatting.&#xa0;Raghav says it actually speaks to one of Skype's greatest strengths: It's where people communicate directly with the most important people in their lives.&#xa0;</p><p>By&#xa0;contrast, on Facebook, users are trying to impress a vastly expanded social circle of acquaintances and colleagues. That kind of stage fright might account for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-sees-personal-sharing-decline-2016-4">why people reportedly aren't sharing their personal lives on Facebook as much as they used to</a>, Raghav suggests.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/592f8b7179474cab0e8b5a6f-1081/group%20chat.png" alt="new skype group chat" data-mce-source="Microsoft" data-mce-caption="The new look for group chats in Skype."><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">The new look for group chats in Skype.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>"Sharing, the most natural of human interactions, is not happening on social networks," says Raghav.&#xa0;</p><p>So the whole point of this new design, and all of these new features, is to kind of create a private little social world for you and the people closest to you. Your Skype contacts are basically already pre-vetted by you to be the people you care enough about to video chat with, meaning that you're likely closer to them than your Facebook friends.&#xa0;</p><p>With the new features, Raghav says, Skype is definitely trying to enhance your relationships with those people: The bots give you things to talk about and games to play, while the new video chat features encourage you to stay on the line longer. The team is even talking about adding official support for streaming Minecraft straight to Skype.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/592f8c38b74af41c008b5a20-1081/highlights.png" alt="skype highlights" data-mce-source="Microsoft" data-mce-caption="The new Skype Highlights feature lets you share sketched-up photos with your Skype crew. Yes, it works a little like Snapchat Stories."><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">The new Skype Highlights feature lets you share sketched-up photos with your Skype crew. Yes, it works a little like Snapchat Stories.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>He sees it as a complement to Facebook, not a competitor: Facebook for everyone, Skype for the inner circle. In the long term, Raghav says he hopes and expects it'll win over new converts as a group chat app like "no others." In the short term, he hopes it keeps those existing Skype users happily on board for the next decade to come.&#xa0;</p><p>"It meets the needs for a lot of people," says Raghav.</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Microsoft stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/MSFT-Quote"> here.</a></p><div><iframe id="ytplayer" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU9w41tPXyc&amp;feature=youtu.be" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/man-skypes-parents-while-skydiving-2015-12">A guy Skyped his parents while jumping out of a plane</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="0xYXJseTqo3lcRGecz9CKhkvg5jGq5Zu" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '0xYXJseTqo3lcRGecz9CKhkvg5jGq5Zu',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Skype just got its biggest update in over a decade as it goes on the defensive against Facebook Messenger

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Microsoft" title_caption="Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with Nokia's Stephen Elop." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/535a47dbecad04d471505e1a-960/satya-nadella-and-stephen-elop-microsoft-closes-nokia-deal.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/535a47dbecad04d471505e1a-719-539/satya-nadella-and-stephen-elop-microsoft-closes-nokia-deal.jpg" border="0" alt="satya nadella and stephen elop microsoft closes nokia deal" /></a><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with Nokia's Stephen Elop.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Microsoft closed its purchase of Nokia's devices business today, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2014/apr14/04-25nokia.aspx">the company announced</a>. </p>
<p>Starting today, Nokia's phone and tablet business will run as a division in Microsoft called the Devices Group. Stephen Elop, the former Nokia CEO, heads up the division as its executive vice president.</p>
<p>Microsoft announced it was buying Nokia for $7.2 billion in September of last year, but the deal took several months to go through all the formal regulatory stuff before it was finalized today.</p>
<p>Nokia was the biggest seller of Windows Phones and pretty much the only company that took the platform seriously. Other manufacturers like Samsung and HTC tried to make Windows Phones, but they were mostly duds. (Although Samsung is rumored to have a new Windows Phone soon.)</p>
<p>Nokia was once the biggest smartphone maker in the world, but was slow to adapt to the new generation of devices that came along after the original iPhone launched in 2007. Android phones eventually dominated the global market, but Nokia made the decision to use the Windows Phone software for its top-tier devices.</p>
<p>Microsoft's former CEO Steve Ballmer was the biggest proponent of the Nokia deal. <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-03-05/microsoft-ceo-nadella-inherits-legacy-of-ballmer-board-division#p1">According to Businessweek</a>, Ballmer had a shouting match with Microsoft's board over the deal. He wanted to buy all of Nokia, including its mapping service. The board didn't want any of it. In the end, they settled on just buying Nokia's devices business, which makes smartphones and tablets. Microsoft now licenses Nokia's mapping service. The Businessweek story intimated that the tensions over the Nokia deal caused Ballmer to decide to retire earlier than expected.</p>
<p>In February, before it was officially part of Microsoft, Nokia announced a new family of cheap Android devices called Nokia X. Those phones run a heavily modified version of Android and don't include Google services like the Play Store for apps and other digital content. Instead, Nokia made its own store and included a lot of Microsoft services like Skype and Bing search.</p>
<p>But it was pretty clear at the time that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-x-microsoft-2014-2">Microsoft wasn't happy Nokia decided to make an Android phone</a> at a time when it was about to join Microsoft, which is all about Windows Phone. Windows Phone still has a very tiny market share compared to iPhone and Android, about 3% to 5% globally depending on who you ask. Android has about 80% of the global smartphone market.</p>
<p>Microsoft is trying to improve its market share by making it easier for manufacturers to make Windows Phones. It gives away the software essentially for free and redesigned it to run on very cheap hardware that's attractive in emerging markets like Asia.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Microsoft just introduced its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/windows-phone-8-1-review-2014-4">latest version of Windows Phone, version 8.1</a>, which includes a lot of features that matches what Android and iPhone users have enjoyed for years, including a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-cortana-will-blow-siri-away-2014-4">digital assistant called Cortana</a>.</p>
<p>And, in case you're wondering, the proper way to announce Nokia is Knock-Ya.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>How do you pronounce <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Nokia&amp;src=hash">#Nokia</a>?"no KEE ah" or "KNOW key ah"? We'd say the closest is "knock ya"!! Start practicing! <a href="http://t.co/lsgyxRrkCz">pic.twitter.com/lsgyxRrkCz</a></p>
- NokiaPilipinas (@NokiaPilipinas) <a href="https://twitter.com/NokiaPilipinas/statuses/355154532625432577">July 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>

Microsoft Closes Its $7.2 Billion Purchase Of Nokia

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546ceb786da811d760d2626a-850-637/microsofts-qi-lu-and-terry-myerson.jpg" border="0" alt="Microsoft's Qi Lu and Terry Myerson"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft execs Terry Myerson and Qi Lu</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>A source close to Microsoft told us there's a showdown of sorts between two powerful executives in Satya Nadella's administration: <a href="http://news.microsoft.com/exec/terry-myerson/">Terry Myerson</a>, the man in charge of Windows (including Windows 10) and <a href="http://news.microsoft.com/exec/qi-lu/">Qi Lu</a>, the man in charge of most of Microsoft's consumer online services, including Bing and MSN, Microsoft's news portal.</p>
<p>The fight is about who gets to control the default home page of Internet Explorer and the enormous amount of attention that page commands. And it all started with a recent redesign to MSN.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Some 400 million new Windows PCs are sold each year, all with Internet Explorer installed. Often, MSN is set as the default home page. Lots of people never change that. </span><a href="https://siteanalytics.compete.com/msn.com/#.VGzaKoeJnCk">Compete.com says that MSN</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> gets about 81 million visitors a month.</span></p>
<p>Until September, when you clicked on a headline on the MSN page, it often didn't take you to the news story. It conducted a Bing search on the headline instead. This was driving considerable traffic to Bing, our source says, helping Bing rank as the nation's second largest search engine to Google, with about 20% marketshare, <a href="http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings/comScore-Releases-October-2014-US-Desktop-Search-Engine-Rankings">according to comScore.</a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">But in September, Lu's team rolled out an </span><a href="http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/09/29/new-msn-arrives/">updated version of MSN</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. One of the changes was to curate more actual news stories from big-name news sites. So clicking on the headline took you to an actual story, not a Bing search.</span></p>
<p>Our source says that the redesign hurt traffic, telling us that "page views and revenue dropped by as much as 60% in some countries." Bing was particularly hurt. (<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Microsoft refutes this, saying the new MSN was a hit and pointing to monthly comScore statistics that show no drop in market share or searches on Bing.)</span></p>
<p>Apparently Qi Lu was worried, our source said, and held daily meetings to find ways to get MSN to boost Bing search again. So the team quickly found ways to add Bing searches back to that MSN home page, which you can see in the screenshots below. </p>
<p>Here's the photo of the new MSN from September <a href="http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/09/29/new-msn-arrives/">via a blog post by Brian MacDonald</a>, vice president in charge of MSN.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546cddc6ecad04f930f5f123-553-415/new-msn.jpg" border="0" alt="New MSN " width="800"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/09/29/new-msn-arrives/">Microsoft</a></span></p><p class="caption">The new MSN in September</p></img></div><p></p></div></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here's what MSN looks like today, featuring more Bing searches up top.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546cdec46da811bc19d26273-800-441/msn-november.png" border="0" alt="MSN November"><p class="source"><span>MSN/Screenshot</span></p><p class="caption">MSN in November</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>Apparently these changes worked. The latest comScore market report shows Bing's <a href="http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings/comScore-Releases-October-2014-US-Desktop-Search-Engine-Rankings">share rose 0.1% in October</a>, after being flat from <a href="https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings/comScore-Releases-September-2014-US-Search-Engine-Rankings">August to September</a>.</p>
<p>But the momentary lapse has opened an old fight: All the department heads lust after the default home page on Internet Explorer. They want it to point to their own offerings, not just MSN.</p>
<p>Our source tells us this is shaping up to a three-way fight: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickc">Derrick Connell</a>, who runs Bing, wants IE to simply default to Bing.com. He's apparently pitching that a Bing.com default page could also showcase other key Microsoft online businesses.</p>
<p>If that happened, it would hurt MSN.</p>
<p>MSN boss MacDonald is naturally lobbying to keep IE pointing to MSN.</p>
<p>And, our source says, Terry Myerson, the guy in charge in Windows, wants it to default to something that plays up Windows 10. If that happens, that could potentially hurt both MSN and Bing.</p>
<p>People inside Microsoft are watching the fight to see which way the power is flowing at Microsoft, we're told. Myerson's power is rising, and IE has long been part of the Windows group, so he would seemingly have a lot of influence. Moreover, Microsoft seems to be deemphasizing the advertising business, which how MSN makes money - last month, it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-advertising-sales-team-redundancies-2014-10">fired</a> most of its global advertising sales team.</p>
<p>Lu, on the other hand, is known as a peacemaker. So Lu's teams are watching to see if he'll fight for them to keep all the traffic flowing to Bing or MSN, or if he'll bend to Myerson with some sort of compromise.</p>
<p>A Microsoft spokesperson tells us that Bing and MSN are doing well, and that the new MSN is a success, according to the comScore data. Here's the statement:</p>
<p>"As the most recent market share data indicates, Bing and MSN both continue to grow. We are seeing a great response to the new MSN, which we just rebuilt to combine content from the world's leading media outlets along with easy access to tools such as Office Online, Skype and Bing. Similarly, we're pleased to see Bing gaining traction both as a standalone search engine and as the intelligence platform powering experiences inside and outside of Microsoft, including Cortana on Windows Phone, Siri and Spotlight from Apple."</p>

Source: A Battle Is Brewing Between Two Big Shot Microsoft Executives

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5225b81769bedd0609eca9ef-463-347/satya-nadella-2.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Satya Nadella" width="480" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/events/build/videoGallerytwo.aspx">Microsoft</a></p><p class="caption">Satya Nadella, President of <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>'s Server &amp; Tools unit</p></div></div></span>SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has a stable of senior executives who could be contenders to succeed Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, even though outsiders have sparked the most discussion so far.</p>
<p>After Ballmer's surprise announcement on Friday that he would retire within a year, <span class="highlight">the</span> board's lead independent director John Thompson, <span class="highlight">who</span> heads <span class="highlight">the</span> search for <span class="highlight">the</span> new <span class="highlight">CEO</span>, said <span class="highlight">the</span> planned transformation of <span class="highlight">the</span> software giant into a fast-moving 'devices and services' company is still on track.</p>
<p>"It does seem like if they are going to continue down <span class="highlight">the</span> path of this devices and services strategy that they probably get somebody <span class="highlight">who</span> was part of formulating this strategy or <span class="highlight">who</span> can stand fully behind it. I don't know if most outside candidates would <span class="highlight">be</span> willing to do that," said Sid Parakh, an analyst at fund firm McAdams Wright Ragen.</p>
<p>He expects Microsoft to favor an internal candidate.</p>
<p>But <span class="highlight">insiders</span> would face skepticism from those <span class="highlight">who</span> want a clean break from Ballmer's personal legacy, as well as other obstacles.</p>
<p>"<span class="highlight">The</span> issue with internal candidates is that Microsoft has cultivated a holding-company style culture so very few execs are broadly exposed to all areas of <span class="highlight">the</span> business," said Al Hilwa, an analyst at tech research firm IDC.</p>
<p><span class="highlight">The</span> following is a list of potential internal candidates, with pros and cons, based on conversations with analysts and <span class="highlight">insiders</span>. All except Raikes and Thompson are executive vice presidents.</p>
<p>Satya Nadella, cloud and enterprise</p>
<p>PRO: A 21-year Microsoft veteran, he knows <span class="highlight">the</span> inner workings of <span class="highlight">the</span> company, especially <span class="highlight">the</span> hot areas of servers, data centers and online services. Recently promoted to run <span class="highlight">the</span> newly created 'cloud and enterprise' unit, he controls <span class="highlight">the</span> infrastructure behind <span class="highlight">the</span> 'services' side of Microsoft's new vision.</p>
<p>CON: Although he was once a vice president in <span class="highlight">the</span> Office unit, he might struggle to impose authority over <span class="highlight">the</span> all-powerful Windows and Office factions, <span class="highlight">the</span> wellsprings of <span class="highlight">the</span> company's profits which are famously antagonistic to one another.</p>
<p>Tony Bates, corporate strategy</p>
<p>PRO: Came to Microsoft two years ago as <span class="highlight">CEO</span> of <span class="highlight">the</span> acquired online chat company Skype, which represents <span class="highlight">the </span>new wave of internet-centric, consumer-focused technology that Microsoft has had difficulty replicating. He so impressed his new boss that Ballmer put him in charge of corporate strategy and relations with developers and PC makers.</p>
<p>CON: May not have been at Microsoft long enough to know how to wrench it into a new shape, and his narrow specialty in <span class="highlight">the</span> telecommunications and router field may not <span class="highlight">be</span> broad enough to run such a large software-based company.</p>
<p>Terry Myerson, operating systems</p>
<p>PRO: A young entrepreneur whose web software company was bought by Microsoft in <span class="highlight">the</span> late 1990s, he might bring a start-up mentality to <span class="highlight">the</span> top job. Recently selected by Ballmer to run <span class="highlight">the</span> full range of operating systems - which are still <span class="highlight">the</span> heart of Microsoft - ranging across Windows PCs, tablets, phones and <span class="highlight">the</span> Xbox game console.</p>
<p>CON: His last assignment was running <span class="highlight">the</span> Windows Phone unit, which won praise for its clean, stylish software but has not come close to making Microsoft a big player in <span class="highlight">the</span> smartphone market.</p>
<p>Qi Lu, search and Internet</p>
<p>PRO: <span class="highlight">The</span> former Yahoo Inc executive is a heavyweight in <span class="highlight">the</span> online search and advertising area, with 20 U.S. patents. He now runs <span class="highlight">the</span> 'applications and services' group, which is in charge of putting Microsoft's established software businesses, like its Office suite, onto <span class="highlight">the</span> Web. It is a crucial part of Ballmer's reorganization plan.</p>
<p>CON: Under his stewardship, <span class="highlight">the</span> Bing search engine has cost Microsoft billions of dollars without threatening Google Inc's dominance.</p>
<p>Julie Larson-Green, Xbox gaming console and Surface tablet</p>
<p>PRO: a 20-year veteran of Microsoft and acolyte of recently departed Windows chief Steven Sinofsky, she has intimate knowledge of both <span class="highlight">the</span> Office and Windows units, having led <span class="highlight">the</span> redesign of both products.</p>
<p>CON: Is now in charge of <span class="highlight">the</span> 'devices and studios' unit, leading Microsoft's foray into making its own computers and other hardware. <span class="highlight">The</span> Surface tablet has had poor sales, despite initial enthusiasm. She may <span class="highlight">be</span> marked down for her close involvement with <span class="highlight">the</span> tepidly received Windows 8.</p>
<p>Eric Rudder, research and technology</p>
<p>PRO: A fixture in <span class="highlight">the</span> background at Microsoft for two decades, this deeply tech-savvy exec now runs Microsoft's long-term research unit and sets overall technical strategy. He is <span class="highlight">the</span> nearest <span class="highlight">the</span> company has to a big thinker in<span class="highlight">the</span> mold of Bill Gates.</p>
<p>CON: Never having been a business unit leader, he may not have <span class="highlight">the</span> experience to deal with <span class="highlight">the</span> sharp-elbowed internal politics of Microsoft to survive as <span class="highlight">CEO</span>.</p>
<p>Kevin Turner, COO</p>
<p>PRO: Microsoft's Chief Operating Officer for <span class="highlight">the</span> last eight years, <span class="highlight">the</span> former Wal-Mart Stores Inc exec is <span class="highlight">the</span> power behind <span class="highlight">the</span> company's fearsome sales operation.</p>
<p>CON: A professional salesman and motivator, he does not come from an engineering background, which <span class="highlight">could</span><span class="highlight">be</span> a liability.</p>
<p>Jeff Raikes, philanthropy, ex-Office chief</p>
<p>PRO: Bill Gates, <span class="highlight">who</span> is on <span class="highlight">the</span> committee to choose <span class="highlight">the</span> next Microsoft <span class="highlight">CEO</span>, picked this former leader of <span class="highlight">the</span> Office unit to <span class="highlight">be</span> <span class="highlight">the</span> chief executive of his philanthropic foundation. As Microsoft approaches a critical transition, his long experience, understanding of Gates' thinking and steady hand might <span class="highlight">be</span> an effective combination.</p>
<p>CON: Immersed in <span class="highlight">the</span> world of philanthropy for <span class="highlight">the</span> past five years, he may <span class="highlight">be</span> out of touch with <span class="highlight">the</span> latest technology trends. <span class="highlight">The</span> same generation as Ballmer, his appointment might <span class="highlight">be</span> seen as a continuation of <span class="highlight">the</span> old guard.</p>
<p>John Thompson, search committee leader</p>
<p>PRO: It is not beyond <span class="highlight">the</span> realms of possibility that <span class="highlight">the</span> man leading <span class="highlight">the</span> committee to find a new <span class="highlight">CEO</span> may end up being considered by it. <span class="highlight">The</span> former IBM executive went on to <span class="highlight">be</span> <span class="highlight">CEO</span> of computer security firm Symantec Corp, giving him experience both of a large company reinventing itself and an understanding of <span class="highlight">the</span> enterprise software market.</p>
<p>CON: He only joined Microsoft's board last year and has no direct experience of managing <span class="highlight">the</span> company. His current day job is <span class="highlight">CEO</span> of <span class="highlight">the</span> little-known, privately held cloud-computing firm Virtual Instruments.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Bill Rigby; Editing by Peter Henderson and Leslie Gevirtz)</p>
<p><span class="highlight">e</span> past five years, he may <span class="highlight">be</span> out of touch with <span class="highlight">the</span> latest technology trends. <span class="highlight">The</span> same generation as Ballmer, his appointment might <span class="highlight">be</span> seen as a continuation of <span class="highlight">the</span> old guard.</p>
<p>John Thompson, search committee leader</p>
<p>PRO: It is not beyond <span class="highlight">the</span> realms of possibility that <span class="highlight">the</span> man leading <span class="highlight">the</span> committee to find a new <span class="highlight">CEO</span> may end up being considered by it. <span class="highlight">The</span> former IBM executive went on to <span class="highlight">be</span> <span class="highlight">CEO</span> of computer security firm Symantec Corp, giving him experience both of a large company reinventing itself and an understanding of <span class="highlight">the</span> enterprise software market.</p>
<p>CON: He only joined Microsoft's board last year and has no direct experience of managing <span class="highlight">the</span> company. His current day job is <span class="highlight">CEO</span> of <span class="highlight">the</span> little-known, privately held cloud-computing firm Virtual Instruments.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Bill Rigby; Editing by Peter Henderson and Leslie Gevirtz)</p>

Here Are Microsoft Insiders Who Could Become The Next CEO 

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546ceb67ecad04256cf5f123-850-649/microsoft-lu-myerson.jpg" border="0" alt="Microsoft's Qi Lu and Terry Myerson"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft execs Terry Myerson and Qi Lu both want control of the default Internet Explorer homepage.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Microsoft <a href="http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/09/29/new-msn-arrives/">redesigned its MSN web portal</a>, the default Internet Explorer homepage on the 400 million new Windows PCs that are sold each year, in September. In recent weeks, sources have told Business Insider that the redesign had a drastic negative effect on visitor numbers not only to MSN itself but also Microsoft's search engine Bing (MSN used to send users to Bing results when they clicked on article headlines.) </p>
<p>The first verifiable evidence of our sources' claims was due to be revealed in this month report from research company comScore, which would have revealed separate worldwide traffic figures for Bing and MSN. The theory was Bing was being severely hurt by one of the changes, which saw MSN curate more stories from news sites and was seeing people click through direct to competitor websites, rather than through to a Bing search as it had done previously.</p>
<p>But this month, following the site redesign, Microsoft has asked comScore to bundle all its web products - Bing, Skype, Outlook and so on - under one MSN banner, the research company confirmed to Business Insider. So now it is be extremely difficult to quantify just how badly the MSN redesign hit Microsoft. <span>Business Insider has contacted Microsoft for comment about its request to comScore to reclassify its online traffic under the MSN banner. This article will be updated once a response has been received. </span>ComScore is one of the most trusted sources of web traffic data around and the majority of major publishers use the company's reports to sell their <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> and size themselves up versus competitors.</p>
<p>MSN's newly organized total unique worldwide visitor figure for October was 6.77 million, according to comScore. In September, without the added help of other properties like Bing and Skype, MSN's unique worldwide visitors totaled 3.79 million. No longer is it possible to compare apples with apples with the comScore data on MSN.</p>
<p>ComScore does, however, still provide Bing data. Its worldwide unique visitors dropped from 271 million in September to 267 million in October, according to comScore.</p>
<p>Separate US-only data from Compete, a Millward Brown Digital company, appears to show the drop-off in visitor numbers following MSN's redesign more starkly. Look how the uniques fell from September (when the redesign launched) to October.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5476fd8becad047908cce5bc-800-389/msn.png" border="0" alt="msn"><p class="source"><span>Millward Brown</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The same pattern follows for Bing.com</span></p>
<div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5476fda369bedd7c15351bc5-800-355/bing-1.png" border="0" alt="bing"><p class="source"><span>Millward Brown</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></div>
<p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">One source close to Microsoft told Business Insider: "The reasons [for changing how MSN's visitor numbers are reported by comScore] are obvious, that is for sure…MSN is down 20% to 60% on page views depending on the country…rumors persist that they will shut it down."</span></p>
<p>"Shuttering MSN would be fairly simple for Microsoft. Bing already has a news section and is already programming news on their homepage. They also have links to Microsoft's other services. So it can serve as the consumer default homepage for Microsoft.</p>
<p>"With the fall in page views and click through rates on MSN, Bing is actually a better option for Microsoft strategically to gain any search share.  So it makes sense to send all of that default traffic to Bing instead of MSN. This is the key reason MSN has struggled for so long. Microsoft really doesn't care about that business."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546cddba6bb3f75c187f91b5-640-415/new-msn-sept.jpg" border="0" alt="New MSN "><p class="source"><span><a href="http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/09/29/new-msn-arrives/">Microsoft</a></span></p><p class="caption">The new MSN as it appeared in September 2014.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>Separate sources have previously told Business Insider there is a showdown of sorts between <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/source-battle-brewing-at-microsoft-2014-11">three powerful Microsoft executives</a>: Terry Myerson, the man in charge of Windows, Derrick Connell who runs Bing and Qi Lu, the man in charge of most of Microsoft's consumer online services, which includes MSN and also Bing.</p>
<p>The fight is about who gets to control the default home page of Internet Explorer. All three want to claim the home page as a lucrative marketing spot for their own divisions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/source-battle-brewing-at-microsoft-2014-11">Microsoft told Business Insider last month</a> that Bing and MSN are performing well and that the newly redesigned MSN is a success, referencing older US-only comScore data for October.</p>
<p>In a statement the company said: "As the most recent [US] market share data indicates, Bing and MSN both continue to grow. We are seeing a great response to the new MSN, which we just rebuilt to combine content from the world's leading media outlets along with easy access to tools such as Office Online, Skype and Bing. Similarly, we're pleased to see Bing gaining traction both as a standalone search engine and as the intelligence platform powering experiences inside and outside of Microsoft, including Cortana on Windows Phone, Siri and Spotlight from Apple."</p>

Microsoft's ComScore Numbers Have Been Changed To Hide A Massive Traffic Decline

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54576a2c69bedd177ea1a6be-897-673/frank-holland-microsoft-advertising.png" border="0" alt="Frank Holland Microsoft Advertising"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1f7BfWCv24">YouTube/Microsoft Advertising</a></span></p><p class="caption">Frank Holland, Microsoft corporate vice president of advertising and online.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Microsoft <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">Advertising</keyword> has promoted two of its senior executives, a move that comes <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-advertising-sales-team-redundancies-2014-10">days after the division laid off scores of sales people</a> as it looks to streamline the business to push it towards profitability.</p>
<p>To summarize: the division is restructuring to revolve around more senior members of staff who are focused on selling advertising solutions across its entire portfolio - which includes MSN, Bing, Xbox, Skype, Outlook and Windows 8 - rather than having big separate sales teams for the different verticals.</p>
<p>The elimination of the sales roles was first reported by Business Insider last week. The cuts affect Microsoft Advertising's global sales team in the US, UK, and other global offices and form part of <a href="http://news.microsoft.com/2014/07/17/starting-to-evolve-our-organization-and-culture/">largest sweep of job cuts in Microsoft's history announced this summer</a>.<span><br /></span></p>
<p>Business Insider has seen an email sent on Friday to senior advertising agency CEOs (read the full version below) from Microsoft Advertising corporate vice president of advertising and online Frank Holland. In it he says recent changes have been made so the division is "best able to align to the needs of our customer, our company and the industry."</p>
<p>The email announces that Bruno Fiorentini Junior has become the new head of Microsoft Advertising's global agencies and accounts team, with immediate effect. Prior to that he was Microsoft Advertising's senior director of strategy for the global accounts and agencies team.</p>
<p>Microsoft Advertising has also promoted Stephen Kim to lead the Microsoft Advertising worldwide marketing organization. He will report directly into Holland and will be responsible for driving worldwide trade marketing and consumer audience marketing for Microsoft Advertising. He was previously general manager of Microsoft Advertising's global creative solutions team.</p>
<p>Those promotions are in addition to the <a href="http://advertising.microsoft.com/en/blogpost/129466/microsoft-advertising-blog/bob-bejan-tapped-to-lead-north-america-sales-and-marketing-for-microsoft-advertising">news last month that ad veteran and Publicis Group executive Bob Bejan was joining the organization</a> to become its North America sales and marketing boss. </p>
<p>The email makes no mention of the layoffs, which the <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/10/31/microsoft-trims-some-ad-sales-positions/">Wall Street Journal numbered at "several dozen," according to its sources</a>. Microsoft would not confirm to Business Insider how deep the cuts go within the division.</p>
<p>Holland says in the email that the company is making a "fundamental shift" in how it serves its top global agencies and accounts in response to feedback asking for "simpler engagement with an empowered account team instead of a matrix of teams representing disparate product interests."</p>
<p>"First, we are empowering our local field organizations to drive your business holistically. Additionally, we are investing in a senior global agency team to collaborate with you around global agreements in leveraging Microsoft media, data, and technology assets that drive clear differentiation for both you and us in the media landscape," the email reads.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-advertising-sales-team-redundancies-2014-10">The closure of Microsoft Advertising has been expected for some time</a>. The most recent promotions and appointments suggest the division is still something of a priority for Microsoft, even if the business is now a lot slimmer.</p>
<p>Microsoft is trying to reduce its total headcount by 18,000.</p>
<p>The cuts have also affected staff responsible for Microsoft's content portal, MSN. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The platform was recently given a redesign and relaunched on October 1, and the site now acts more like an aggregator rather than focusing on original content.</span></p>
<p>A source told Business Insider recent lay-offs have included the majority of people who worked on monetizing the MSN platform, as well as a large chunk of MSN's editorial staff, around 150 roles in total.</p>
<p><strong>Full email from Microsoft Advertising vice president of advertising and online Frank Holland to agency partners:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">On top of Bob's announcement a few weeks ago, I am reaching out to share exciting leadership and operational changes we are implementing to ensure Microsoft Advertising is best able to align to the needs of our customers, our company, and the industry.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">First, I am pleased to share that, effective immediately, Bruno Fiorentini Junior is the new head of Microsoft Advertising's Global Agencies and Accounts team.  Bruno started in digital advertising 10 years ago and has a broad global background.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Bruno joined our organization in 2010 to lead our Australia, Asia Pacific and India businesses. Prior to Microsoft, he was the COO for Yahoo! Australia and the General Manager for Yahoo! Brazil, Chile and Argentina. He most recently led the strategy for our Global Sales team so he is deeply familiar with the business and the industry. He is from Brazil and is fluent in four languages. Bruno is a rising star in our organization and we are excited to have his passion, brains and experience become part of the new Microsoft Global Agencies Team.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Stephen Kim, whom you know well, has accepted to lead the Microsoft Advertising Worldwide Marketing organization under me.  In his new role, Stephen will drive worldwide trade marketing and consumer audience marketing for Microsoft Advertising. Stephen's storytelling passion, deep industry background and experience working in close partnership with agencies, brands and publishers make him a great choice for this role.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I also want to share important operational changes we are making to accomplish two key objectives: simplification and customer relationships.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">You, along with other partners, have told us you desire simpler engagement with an empowered account team instead of a matrix of teams representing disparate product interests.  Additionally, our customers want us to become a true global marketing partner that can represent the entire Microsoft portfolio of solutions beyond media.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">In response to this feedback, we are making a fundamental shift in how we service our top global agencies and accounts.  First, we are empowering our local field organizations to drive your business holistically. Additionally, we are investing in a senior Global Agency Team to collaborate with you around global agreements leveraging Microsoft media, data, and technology assets that drive clear differentiation for both you and us in the media landscape.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">My sales leaders will be following up directly with your teams regarding additional support specifics and areas/priorities where we are specifically focused during the transition.  I have copied my team here and invite you to reach out to any of us if you have questions or concerns.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">As a key partner, I wanted to be the first to share this news with you.  I could not be prouder or more confident in the leaders of our organization and in the direction of our business. Advertising has never been more critical at Microsoft as it is key to help our company realize its vision:  that every person on the planet has access to consumer services that empowers them to do more and achieve more.</p>

Microsoft Promotes Two Senior Execs After Huge Ad Sales Lay-Offs

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546ceb67ecad04256cf5f123-850-649/microsoft-lu-myerson.jpg" border="0" alt="Microsoft's Qi Lu and Terry Myerson"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft execs Terry Myerson and Qi Lu</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has made a smart move to settle an internal battle between two of his most powerful executives: Terry Myerson, the guy in charge of Windows, and Qi Lu, who leads the Applications and Services Group, responsible for online properties like Bing and MSN.</p><p>On Friday, CEO Satya Nadella informed employees that the MSN division was being moved out of Lu's group and into the Windows group led by Myerson, Microsoft confirmed to Business Insider. <a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2015/msn-moving-to-windows-division-in-big-organizational-shakeup-at-microsoft/">The news was first reported by Geekwire's Todd Bishop.</a></p><p>The man who was running MSN, Brian MacDonald, is now taking on a different job, working on productivity software in the Applications &amp; Services Group, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=12962339">according to his LinkedIn profile</a> (as spotted by Bishop). So he'll remain under Lu.</p><p>As <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/source-battle-brewing-at-microsoft-2014-11">Business Insider reported last fall</a>, these high-ranking execs in Nadella's administration had been in a showdown for months over MSN and the default setting on Internet Explorer.</p><p>While this may look like Myerson won at Lu's expense, the situation is far more nuanced than that.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5446876aecad04aa3c13ceef-725-544/microsoft-satya-nadella-16.jpg" border="0" alt="Microsoft Satya Nadella"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/125207874@N04/14636876075/">Flickr/n.bhupinder</a></span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>To explain: The world buys between 300 and 400 million new Windows PCs each year, each equipped with Internet Explorer. Often, MSN is set as the default home page on IE and lots of people never change that.</p><p>In September, about 80 million people visited MSN, <a href="https://siteanalytics.compete.com/msn.com/#.VQMRNhDF_FJ">according to Compete.com</a>. Those numbers have been steadily declining since the summer, and in September, Lu made a big change to MSN to allow it to show off more stories, particularly from Microsoft's news content partners.</p><p>This change had an unintended consequence. Microsoft had been using MSN to help drive traffic to Bing, a source told us. When you clicked on a headline, instead of taking you to the article, it would actually perform a Bing search on the headline and take you to Bing.</p><p>As we reported at the time, the redesign wasn't an immediate success and traffic for both MSN and Bing fell.</p><p>Then Microsoft asked comScore to change how it reported results, bundling all its web products - Bing, Skype, Outlook and so on - under one "MSN" banner, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/msn-redesign-hurts-traffic-2014-11">comScore confirmed to Business Insider</a>. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Sources told us that this change helped hide </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/msn-redesign-hurts-traffic-2014-11">MSN and Bing's traffic problems</a>.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Microsoft denied there were problems, and said that traffic to both those sites was growing, not shrinking. </span><a href="https://siteanalytics.compete.com/msn.com/#.VQMRNhDF_FJ">Compete.com</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, however, showed MSN's unique monthly visitors declining dramatically after last September:</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55031ac9ecad04b92ca86ea1-661-454/compete-msn.png" border="0" alt="Compete MSN"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://siteanalytics.compete.com/msn.com/#.VQMRNhDF_FJ">Compete.com</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In any case, these traffic problems opened up a ancient fight. All the department heads have always lusted after the default home page on Internet Explorer and want it to point to their own offerings, not just MSN.</p><p>Derrick Connell, who runs Bing, wanted IE to default to Bing.com. But Lu knew doing that would hurt MSN.</p><p>Myerson wanted it to point to something that plays up Windows 10. If that happened, that could potentially hurt both MSN and Bing.</p><p>And naturally, MacDonald, the guy who used to run MSN, wanted to keep IE pointing to MSN.</p><p>Sources told us Myerson's power is rising in the company, and that he has a sort of in-your-face style compared to Lu, who is known as more of a peacemaker. We were told that Lu's teams were watching Lu to see if he would fight for them and win.</p><p>But this decision was more of a chess move than a slugfest. With MSN now under Myerson's wing, he could very well use IE to promote Windows 10, although a source close to the company tells us that MSN will likely continue to be the default home page for the time being.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Regardless, Myerson is now responsible for MSN and if it tanks completely, it does so under him, not Lu.</span></p><p>Here is Microsoft's statement confirming the changes: </p><p class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;">MSN has long been an important part of the Windows experience via Internet Explorer so expanding the Operating System Group (OSG) group to include the MSN team is very much in line with our goal to deliver the best and most relevant content to our customers. We recently redesigned the MSN user experience to include a vast array of content from the world's leading media outlets and we're excited about the possibility of bringing this content into the Windows experience in even better ways.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/oculus-rift-space-swing-set-virtual-reality-vr-kinect-xbox-2015-3">This Oculus Rift swing set allows users to experience what it's like to fly like a bird</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="0xMHl1czqOfiRsnE9hf3OGD6_6-RqSBK" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '0xMHl1czqOfiRsnE9hf3OGD6_6-RqSBK',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Microsoft's Windows leader Terry Myerson just won a big internal power struggle

Ride-hailing major <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UBER" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> has partnered with the US-based robotics company, <keyword id="15813152" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CARTKEN" source="Orion">Cartken</keyword>, which will provide <keyword id="15813153" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SIDEWALK-ROBOTS" source="Orion">sidewalk robots</keyword> to its subsidiary, Uber Eats, to deliver food.<br /><br />According to The Verge, the company will be getting six-wheeled delivery robots, developed by a team of former Google engineers, mostly known for deploying their vehicles on college campuses.<br /><br />Uber claims that its partnership with Cartken represents the robotics company's "first formal partnership with a global on-demand delivery app beyond college campuses".<br /><br />Cartken's robots are electric, with a trunk that can hold nearly two dozen pounds of cargo, and embedded cameras that can detect obstacles and direct them to their destination, according to the report.<br /><br />The report also mentioned that the robots have a delivery radius of several miles, but they only travel slightly faster than walking and they cannot climb stairs so they may not be as appealing to people living in multi-storeyed houses.<br /><br />In October, Uber and Motional, a global driverless technology leader, announced a 10-year agreement to offer fully driverless rides using Motional's new all-electric IONIQ 5-based robotaxis.<br /><br />With this, Uber has now returned to the game of robotaxis after it sold its struggling autonomous vehicle business to the US-based Aurora Innovations in 2020.<br /><br />The companies said they will strategically deploy the service in cities across the US, with the first trips expected to start later this year.<br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-are-instagram-candid-stories-different-from-regular-insta-story/articleshow/96274240.cms" style="">Instagram is all set to introduce 'Candid Stories' - here's how it's different from regular Insta story</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jio-launches-5g-services-with-unlimited-data-for-iphone-12-and-above/articleshow/96246810.cms">Jio launches 5G services with unlimited data for iPhone 12 and above</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/microsoft-redesigns-skype-with-new-themes-colour-options/articleshow/96300795.cms">Microsoft redesigns Skype with new themes, colour options</a><br />

Uber partners with Cartken to use sidewalk robots for food deliveries

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dc305217eece56f4e7fe333-2400/unnamed.jpg" border="0" alt="Workato" data-mce-source="Workato" data-mce-caption="Workato's executive team includes from left to right, Bhaskar Roy, Gautham Viswanathan, Vijay Tella, Amlan Debnath, and Markus Zirn." /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>On Monday, the automation startup Workato announced it raised $70 million in series C funding led by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/redpoint-ventures">Redpoint Ventures</a>.</strong></li><li><strong>Workato creates <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/integration">integration</a> software that helps apps "talk" with each other, and automates repetitive tasks. It's used by customers like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/slack">Slack</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/salesforce">Salesforce</a>.</strong></li><li><strong>Workato CEO and founder Vijay Tella says that competitors like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/mulesoft">MuleSoft</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/dell">Dell</a> Boomi are often too technical for business users to use, while smaller rivals like startup <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/zapier">Zapier</a> are not as well-suited for enterprises.</strong></li><li><strong>When starting up Workato, the founding team spent a year working from Tella's house, and found inspiration from cooking recipes, and from the children's programming language Scratch.</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Read more on the Business Insider homepage</a>.</li></ul><p>In summer 2012, Workato founder and CEO Vijay Tella brought a small team together to put their heads together and build a new type of software that would solve a common corporate headache. For the first year they were together, that team worked out of Tella's own home.</p><p>Workato creates integration software, which ties apps together in a secure way and automates repetitive tasks. For example, a company might use it to take in customer data and automate the financial processes around it, such as creating an invoice. </p><p>It's an idea that's only grown more important, Tella says, as data can be "chopped up and fragmented" among any of the dozens of apps that any business might be using, from vendors like Microsoft, Google, Slack, or any of the very many others.</p><p>"The scale of this problem is enormous," Tella told Business Insider. "The scale and speed that needs to be done is really high."</p><p>Against that backdrop, Workato announced Monday that it raised $70 million in series C funding led by Redpoint Ventures with participation from Norwest Venture Partners, Geodesic Capital, Battery Ventures, and Storm Ventures. </p><p>With the funding, Workato plans to invest in helping customers manage business systems, growing its customer success division, and generally entrenching itself in the market. Already, Workato has over 6,000 customers, including Slack, Pixar, Panera Bread, Levi's, and Salesforce.</p><h2><strong>Taking on MuleSoft, Dell Boomi, and Zapier</strong></h2><p>Prior to Workato, Tella was CEO of Qik, which was acquired by Skype. When he left Skype in 2011 - around the time that Microsoft bough it for $8.5 billion - he reconnected with some former colleagues, with whom he got to discussing how there was no easy way to bring data between apps.</p><p>On one hand, Tella says, there were tools like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-year-after-salesforce-acquired-it-mulesoft-has-its-biggest-quarter-2019-3">MuleSoft</a> (now a subsidiary of Salesforce) and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-all-that-buildup-dell-buys-boomi-2010-11">Dell Boomi</a>, which the team found too technical and difficult for business users. </p><p>"These products are very capable," Tella said. "You can run your business on them but they're very technical. Only a few people can use them and it's hard. That's one set of players."</p><p>On the other hand, there were tools like those from startup <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gitlab-zapier-remote-emsisoft-invision-workforce-2019-1">Zapier</a>, which are easier to use, but not as well suited for enterprises. Workato sees its opportunity as being in the middle.</p><h2><strong>'It left the adults kind of stumped'</strong></h2><p>For the first year, the Workato team worked out of Tella's home, trying out different ways to solve that problem and allow applications to work smoothly together. </p><p>The team took early inspiration from Scratch, a simple programming language popular for teaching children to code. Scratch relies on dragging and dropping to create simple instructions, rather than typing out lots of complex code. Tella's 8-year-old twin boys often played around with Scratch, and the team thought a drag-and-drop interface would make their product easy for literally anybody to use. </p><p>"These kids didn't get any lessons. They were playing these games," Tella said. "There was this super interesting dynamic happening with kids."</p><p>However, when the team tested the software with IT workers, it was a different story. </p><p>"What we found was this whole drag-and-drop thing that was easy for kids in Scratch, it left the adults kind of stumped," Tella said. "They don't know what to drag. We went back and said, we need to change it. Adults in many ways have linear thinking."</p><p>After that, the team redesigned the software to work more like a cooking recipe, with conversational step-by-step instructions. Users can also share these recipes for businesses processes they set up or reuse ones that others have created.</p><p>"By the end of the year, we got to a place where we saw it could be done," Tella said.</p><h2>A growing business</h2><p>Workato had just raised its Series B round of $25 million last summer, and the company says its business has grown 3.7 times since then. Tella says that the company still has about 70% of that funding left in the bank, but it decided to raise again because it saw a big opportunity to grow. </p><p>Satish Dharmaraj, partner at Redpoint Ventures, says that he decided to invest in Workato because he talked to many CIO's and asked what products they were using. Workato kept on coming up. He heard about various teams using it, from sales to finance to HR, and he says he hopes that Workato will continue to grow and build "a large big independent big business that can be a publicly traded company."</p><p>"In the <keyword id="6356323" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="enterprise">enterprise</keyword> space, Workato had the best solution for the enterprises we talked to," Dharmaraj told Business Insider. "We were talking to them about how they're using Workato and what would happen if we pull Workato away from them. We always asked them on a scale of 1 to 10, what would be the pain point when you take the solution away. A lot of customers said that would be a 10 if you took it away. That's what we like to hear whenever we decide to consider an investment."</p>

The CEO of Workato explains how watching his kids learn to code inspired his team to go from working out of his house to winning a new $70 million investment

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/570fdd0a8d3eaed04f412c01-2400/ap1603301614160103.jpg" alt="SatyaNadella2016" data-mce-source="AP" data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Microsoft-Build-Conference/007cc4a9783e4167bd2efaae59581df6/3/0" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Microsoft-Build-Conference/007cc4a9783e4167bd2efaae59581df6/3/0">AP</a></span></p><p class="caption">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella</p></div><p></p></div></div>On October 17th, Microsoft will release the fourth free upgrade to Windows 10 - the Fall Creators Update. The news was announced at the IFA conference in Berlin on Friday.</p><p>The name is a seasonal play on the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-10-creators-update-whats-new-2017-4">Creators Update</a>, a similar expansion that came out in April. Like its predecessor, the Fall Creators Update brings few large changes to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-10-hits-500-million-monthly-active-users-2017-5">500 million Windows 10 PCs out there</a>, but lots of smaller new improvements and updates.</p><p>Headlining the package is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-10-virtual-reality-steamvr-integrated-graphics-2017-8">Windows Mixed Reality</a>, a long-teased update that will add support for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-virtual-reality-controllers-acer-headset-2017-5">cheap virtual reality headsets</a> from Microsoft's biggest PC manufacturing partners. Conveniently, those headsets begin to arrive on store shelves on October 17th. Lenovo, Dell, Asus, Acer, and HP will all have headsets available, with prices starting at $299.</p><p>Otherwise, the update will bring some other neat little changes, including:</p><ul><li><strong>Game mode, </strong>a long-awaited feature which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/windows-10-game-mode-explained-2017-3">aims to provide a smoother gaming experience</a> by diverting system resources to whatever game you have open. That means that apps running in the background like Skype or Spotify will have less of an impact on your gameplay. </li><li><strong>Windows Ink, </strong>Microsoft's stylus writing technology, also gets an upgrade. Now, you can draw straight on PDF files, so you can sign a document with your Surface Pen. Microsoft is also planning a "Find My Pen" feature to help mitigate lost styluses, though it didn't provide details.</li><li><strong>OneDrive </strong>cloud storage has a big change coming: With a new system called "files on-demand," Windows 10 won't distinguish between files stored in the cloud, and files stored on your local hard drive; you'll be able to navigate everything through the normal file explorer. It's a little wonky, but <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/this-is-how-im-using-onedrive-files-on-demand/">early testers love it</a>, and it has the potential to greatly stretch your PC's storage.</li></ul><p>There are a few other updates coming with the Fall Creators Update, including an eye tracking mode for people with limited mobility in their hands, and a redesigned photos app. If history is any indication, Microsoft might even add a few things between now and then.</p><p>However, there are a few features mainly notable by their absence from this announcement. Back in May, Microsoft teased a trio of new features that would <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-10-fall-creators-update-announced-2017-5">enhance how Windows 10 integrates with iPhone and Android</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5914910b1442931f008b45db-1920/timeline.jpg" alt="microsoft timeline windows 10" data-mce-source="Microsoft" /><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">"Timeline," a feature originally promised for the Fall Creators Update, but that's MIA as of today.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Specifically, Microsoft had built a way to <span>copy text and images from Windows 10 and then paste them on your iPhone or Android phone; a feature that lets you pull up your last used file, app, or website on your phone after you log off your PC, or vice versa; and a service called "Timeline" that kept tabs of what you were doing on every device at all times so you could "rewind" and pick up what you were doing at any time of day.</span></p><p><span>All three of those features are missing from the latest Windows update based on what Microsoft is currently showcasing. However, a <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/05/11/build-2017-sparking-the-next-wave-of-creativity-with-the-windows-10-fall-creators-update/">blog post from Microsoft back in May</a>, when the features were first announced, says that they'll "begin" to roll out with the Fall Creators Update, meaning that at least some of this functionality could start bubbling up between now and October, when it's released.</span></p><p><span>The updates will be available for download through the standard Windows update feature in October. </span></p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Microsoft stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/MSFT-Quote"> here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-new-surface-laptop-windows-10-s-education-2017-5">Hands-on with Microsoft's newest laptop that's taking on Google and Apple</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/7MorxAxf-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

There's a huge new update coming to Windows 10 on October 17th

<p><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/58e4df048af5781f008b66d0-800/centurylinkstandardpost800x75.png" alt="centurylink_StandardPost_800x75" data-mce-source="Business Insider" /></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/576455c5910584145c8c9ca8-1200/justin trudeau hololens.jpg" alt="justin trudeau hololens" data-mce-source="Microsoft" /><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">Canada PM Justin Trudeau tries out the Microsoft HoloLens</p></div><p></p></div></div>People think of the iPhone and the smartphones it inspired as "revolutionary" devices.</p><p>But we're on the cusp of something that could represent and even bigger transformation in computing: augmented reality.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ceo-tim-cook-explains-augmented-reality-2016-10">Augmented reality</a>, or AR, overlays digital images on top of views of the the real world. And it's something that many in the tech industry, including the head honchos at Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, and Google, all expect will be the next big thing. </p><p>Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that he thinks AR could <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-f8-mark-zuckerberg-on-augmented-reality-2017-4">replace anything in your life with a screen</a>, including your TV. Even sooner than that, many tech experts think AR <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/death-of-the-smartphone-and-what-comes-after-2017-3">could one day replace your smartphone</a>. After all, why carry a separate phone if your e-mails, texts, calls, and spreadsheets are projected straight into your field of view?</p><p>AR may sound like science fiction, but it's already starting to make its way into the real world. And one of the first places you can see it is in the workplace, whether that's the front-office or the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/augmented-reality-in-manufacturing-2016-10">factory</a> floor.</p><h2>First steps</h2><p>A lot of the early momentum for AR in the workplace is coming from Microsoft and its HoloLens augmented-reality goggles. Microsoft generally isn't selling HoloLens to consumers yet, but it's offering a prototype to developers and business customers that starts at $3,000. </p><p>HoloLens is seeing some promising potential business uses. Architecture firm Gensler used HoloLens to redesign its Los Angeles headquarters, as Microsoft <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/transform/feature/design-revolution-microsoft-hololens-mixed-reality-changing-architects-world/#sm.00000rxwyoih0gem6q2gakhajzadv">detailed in a recent blog post</a>. HoloLens projected a three-dimensional image of the new building into architects' eyes, allowing them to update and tweak the model in real-time.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5949a0ab9a7af538108b5cbe-1397/hololens.png" alt="microsoft hololens thyssenkrupp elevator" data-mce-source="Microsoft" data-mce-caption="Thyssenkrupp engineers use HoloLens to inspect an elevator." /><p class="source"><span>Microsoft</span></p><p class="caption">Thyssenkrupp engineers use HoloLens to inspect an elevator, with an engineer collaborating with a remote colleague present virtually.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Thyssenkrupp, a German conglomerate that makes elevators and escalators, has equipped <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/augmented-reality-in-manufacturing-2016-10">many of its elevator repair specialists with HoloLens</a>. While performing repairs, the workers can use Skype to communicate with expert technicians back at the office. Thanks to the HoloLens' camera, those technicians can view a video stream showing what the repair specialists are seeing, allowing the technicians to offer advice and assistance, such as looking up the appropriate section in an operators' manual or ordering just the right parts. </p><p>Meanwhile, companies like GE are experimenting with using augmented reality at power plants and other industrial facilities. For its part, GE is creating "<a href="http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/GE-using-AI-HoloLens-to-speak-to-machines-10620190.php">digital twins</a>," or exact digital replicas, of its industrial machines. Those digital twins incorporate all the data from their real counterparts, allowing technicians to examine them virtually, off-site. The twins can also help highlight malfunctions when technicians visit the real machines in person. </p><h2>The bigger picture</h2><p>Microsoft was early, but it isn't the only one building augmented reality hardware. Google is working on a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-unreleased-version-of-google-glass-2016-3">revamped version of its groundbreaking Google Glass</a> aimed at businesses. Google-backed <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/beyonce-magic-leap-mermaid-2017-2">Magic Leap </a>is racing to build an AR headset, although it's unclear what business uses it will have. Reports have long swirled that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-is-working-on-smart-glasses-2016-11">Apple is developing its own smart glasses</a>. And Epson - yes, the printer company - has for several years now offered a line of AR headsets developed for industrial uses.</p><p>Still, it will likely be years before AR is widely adopted in the workplace. There are still lots of technical hurdles to overcome. With HoloLens, for example, Microsoft managed to pack the considerable computing power necessary for AR into a standalone headset that doesn't need to be tethered to a phone or a computer to function. But among the tradeoffs of its approach is the fact that the AR viewing areas in HoloLens are only a few inches wide. You can only see them if you have the headset adjusted just right; the experience is still pretty far off from the immersive holograms promised by "Star Trek."</p><p>Conversely, Magic Leap promises its upcoming headset will offer a wider viewing angle and a more immersive experience. But that's likely to come with some frustrating costs. According to leaked photos of a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/magic-leap-photo-leak-prototype-2017-2">prototype of Magic Leap's headset obtained by Business Insider earlier this year</a>, the device will be powered by - and need to be connected to - an unwieldy external device that looks something like a fanny pack. A big priority for the AR industry going forward will be to find a balance between those two extremes.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5935c71879474c1d008b6d90-2000/apple arkit.jpg" alt="Apple ARKit" data-mce-source="Justin Sullivan/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Apple ARkit will let developers show digital images overlaid on the real world by way of the iPhone and iPad camera.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Still, the technology's already making significant strides. Apple recently unveiled <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ar-kit-asks-developers-to-come-up-with-reasons-for-ar-2017-6">ARkit</a>, a set of tools that will let developers make AR apps for the iPhone and iPad that tap into those devices' cameras and sensors. Just as Apple's App Store spurred the widespread development of smartphone apps, ARkit could help spark a similar proliferation of augmented-reality apps for productivity, gaming and more.</p><p>Enterprises will likely benefit from that fervor as well. As we can already see by the early examples of enterprise-class AR, there's a real need for businesses to interact with computers in a way that goes beyond what you can do with a smartphone or PC. </p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Microsoft stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/MSFT-Quote"> here.</a></p>

Augmented reality is already changing the way big companies do business

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5476f9deeab8ea961581e707-1200-924/beats-solo-selfie.png" alt="beats solo selfie" border="0"><p class="source"><span>YouTube/Beats</span></p><p class="caption">Beats' new ad is packed full of celebrity cameos.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving to our US readers. Here are all the <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> stories you need to know today.</p>
<p><strong>1. Sensing its market share was cratering following a September redesign of MSN.com, Microsoft quietly asked comScore to recalibrate how it reports visitor numbers for MSN and Bing.</strong> Previously Microsoft's online properties had separate reports for each site, but now Microsoft is bundling all visitors from sites like MSN, Bing and Skype under one banner so it's difficult to get a sense of a month-on-month comparison before and after the redesign.</p>
<p><strong>2. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-show-off-their-beats-in-apples-new-ad-2014-11">Beats has released a new ad and it's full of celebrities.</a> </strong><span>The ad, called "#SoloSelfie," is a mashup of pop culture's A-list with celebrities like Serena Williams, Kendall Jenner, and Big Sean taking video "selfies" of themselves wearing Beats.</span></p>
<p><strong>3. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-is-going-to-start-monitoring-what-other-apps-you-have-on-your-phone-2014-11">Twitter is to begin monitoring the other apps users have on their phones.</a> </strong>Twitter hopes that such information will lead to greater insights about its user base in order to serve better targeted advertising.<strong><span><br /></span></strong></p>
<p><strong>4. <a href="http://www.adnews.com.au/news/everybody-loves-ducks-aus-video-ad-scores-88-million-hits">A cute ad from </a></strong><span><a href="http://www.adnews.com.au/news/everybody-loves-ducks-aus-video-ad-scores-88-million-hits"><strong>Animals Australia featuring "people being awesome" by helping ducklings cross the road and another man diving down a manhole to save a duck in peril has hit 88 million YouTube views worldwide, AdNews reports.</strong></a> The three-minute home video footage compilation forms part of a new campaign from the animal rights group urging the government to change its policy on duck shooting. </span></p>
<p><strong>5. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/bittorrent-goes-legit-its-first-original-web-series-161652">Peer-to-peer file sharing platform BitTorret is "going legit" with its first original web series, Adweek reports.</a></strong> <span>The pilot and an ad-supported version of "Children of the Machine" will be made available for free download, but those who want to skip ads can pay $4.95 for the eight-episode season or $9.95 for bonus content. </span></p>
<p><strong>6. <a href="http://www.marketingweek.com/2014/11/27/heineken-launches-search-engine-to-push-sol-into-independent-retailers/">Heineken has launched its own search engine to help push its Sol brand to independent retailers, Marketing Week reports.</a> </strong><span>The branded search engine suggests the best local independent cafés, bars and restaurants according to user's locations and preferences, a move it hopes will create news sales opportunities for the lesser-known beer.</span></p>
<p><span><span><strong>7. <a href="http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/11/26/search-spend-grows-retailers-begin-marketing-spend-nine-days-ahead-thanksgiving">Retailers began their marketing spend earlier than ever this year ahead of the US holiday shopping period, especially through search marketing, The Drum reports.</a></strong> Kenshoo data shows <span>paid search spend began to rise nine days before Thanksgiving, four days ahead of the same period last year, to meet the trend of consumers planning their festive buys earlier.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><strong>8. <a href="https://econsultancy.com/blog/65819-all-the-stats-you-need-for-black-friday-2014">Whether you're preparing a presentation or comparing your sales with rivals, here's a handy roundup of all the Black Friday 2014 stats from Econsultancy.</a></strong> Useful information includes data on the best time to tweet to how much UK consumers are set to save this weekend.</span></span></p>
<p><span><strong>9. <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/11/sony-computer-entertainment-america-provide-consumer-refunds?utm_source=govdelivery">The Federal Trade Commission has ordered Sony to pay back $25 (or a $50 merchandise voucher) to consumers who bought a PS Vita console before June 2012, having found the company guilty of deceiving customers with false advertising claims.</a> </strong>The FTC - which also called out Sony's agency Deutsch LA in the ruling - said claims related to the PS Vita's "remote play" and "cross platform" features were misleading.<br /></span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://digiday.com/publishers/publishers-private-marketplace/"><strong>10. Digiday explores why publishers are struggling with private marketplaces.</strong></a> Problems include the ad tech "plumbing," a lack of interest from the demand side and that many buyers are approaching private marketplaces in the same way they do with open exchanges, which they use to find big audiences at low prices.</span></p>

You Searched For "Microsoft redesigns Skype" and got 14 results

Microsoft redesigns Skype with new themes, colour options

IANS

Check out the new Microsoft Office icons, which just got their first redesign in 5 years

Matt Weinberger,Paige Leskin

Skype just got its biggest update in over a decade as it goes on the defensive against Facebook Messenger

Matt Weinberger

Microsoft Closes Its $7.2 Billion Purchase Of Nokia

Steve Kovach

Source: A Battle Is Brewing Between Two Big Shot Microsoft Executives

Julie Bort

Here Are Microsoft Insiders Who Could Become The Next CEO

Bill Rigby, Reuters

Microsoft's ComScore Numbers Have Been Changed To Hide A Massive Traffic Decline

Lara O'Reilly

Microsoft Promotes Two Senior Execs After Huge Ad Sales Lay-Offs

Lara O'Reilly

Microsoft's Windows leader Terry Myerson just won a big internal power struggle

Julie Bort

Uber partners with Cartken to use sidewalk robots for food deliveries

IANS

The CEO of Workato explains how watching his kids learn to code inspired his team to go from working out of his house to winning a new $70 million investment

Rosalie Chan

There's a huge new update coming to Windows 10 on October 17th

Matt Weinberger

Augmented reality is already changing the way big companies do business

Matt Weinberger

The 10 Things In Advertising You Need To Know Today

Lara O'Reilly