Office for iOS Could See a Boost if Stephen Elop Named Microsoft CEO

Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, considered one of the leading candidates to replace Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft, is reportedly open to the possibility of broadening distribution of the company's Office suite to platforms such as iOS and Android should he be named to the position, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Elop would probably move away from Microsoft’s strategy of using these programs to drive demand for its flagship Windows operating system on personal computers and mobile devices, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the 49-year-old executive hasn’t finalized or publicly discussed his analysis of the business

The possibility of bringing Office to iOS has been rumored for a number of years, particularly since the 2010 introduction of the iPad. While Microsoft has an Office Mobile app for iPhone to allow subscribers to the company's Office 365 service to perform basic editing on Office documents, a full-fledged Office suite for iPad and iPhone has yet to appear. According to the most recent reports, Office for iPad is awaiting completion of a "Touch First" interface that will come first to the Windows version of the suite in the early part of next year.

Elop spent nearly three years heading up Microsoft's Business Division, which is responsible for Office, before it was announced in September 2010 that he would be leaving the company to lead Nokia. Elop stepped down as Nokia CEO alongside the September announcement that Microsoft would be acquiring Nokia's Devices and Services Division. He is scheduled to take charge of a new Microsoft division focused on devices such as Surface and Xbox, but is said to be under strong consideration to be named CEO.

Elop would reportedly also be open other major changes if he were to take charge of Microsoft, including selling off the Xbox division or shutting down the Bing search engine services. Outspoken Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw bluntly responded to Bloomberg's request for comment, stating that "We appreciate Bloomberg's foray into fiction and look forward to future episodes."

Nokia Lumia 1520 now up for preorder via AT&T, Microsoft

 

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

The Nokia Lumia 1520 is now officially available for preorder through both AT&T and Microsoft with a launch date of November 22.
AT&T's preorder page shows the phone selling for $199 with the standard two-year contract, $584 with a month-to-month plan, or $27 per month for 20 months through the carrier's Next installment plan. The Lumia 1520 is available in red, black, white, and yellow. AT&T is also accepting preorders in-store and promises a ship date of November 19.
Microsoft is now offering preorders of the Lumia 1520 via AT&T for the same $199 price tag with contract or $549 off contract. Customers can preorder the phone at Microsoft's Web site or at one of its retail outlets. The online preorder page shows only black, white, and red as the available colors. But Microsoft has a few perks up for grabs.
People who preorder the Lumia 1520 through Microsoft before November 22 will get a $50 Microsoft Store app card, a free flip cover valued at $39.99, a $20 app card provided by Nokia, and a free download of "Halo: Spartan Assault" for Windows Phone. Those who buy the phone on or after November 22 will score all of those items except for the flip cover.
AT&T revealed last month that it will be the exclusive US carrier of the 1520.
The Lumia 1520 sports a 6-inch 1080p HD display, transforming it from a phone into a phablet. A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor provides the engine, while a 20-megapixel camera snaps the pictures.

Microsoft hosts 12-minute tour of Xbox One

 

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Those of you eyeing the Xbox One can get a 12-minute tour of what awaits you.
Posted by Microsoft on Friday, the online demo follows Xbox marketing chief Yusuf Mehdi and Xbox VP Marc Whitten as they sign into an Xbox One, see their personalized content, move around the console's Dashboard, issue voice commands, play games, switch among open screens, call someone via Skype, and watch live TV.
Presenting a demo of two people actually using the Xbox One is a great way to show off the new features and teach people how to use them.
The Xbox One rolls out in North America on November 22.

Microsoft's CEO short list falls short

Microsoft has reportedly narrowed its CEO short list to about five people and all of them are far from perfect. It's unclear how they'll navigate the company.
According to Reuters, Microsoft has the following candidates in mind to replace CEO Steve Ballmer. This list isn't much different from what Mary Jo Foley reported weeks ago. What this list shows -- if anything -- is that Microsoft isn't exactly thinking outside the box for leadership. Here's the short version:

Ford Motor CEO Alan Mulally. Mulally is by far the most seasoned executive in the running. If Mulally took over at Microsoft he can say he ran three American icon companies: Boeing, Ford, and Microsoft. That's quite a feat. But Mulally has a few trouble spots. First, he's not from the software industry. On one hand, that reality means he brings in fresh eyes. The downside is there might be a long learning curve. Mulally does know culture and large companies fairly well. Age could be another issue for Mulally, but that worry would be offset by experience for many. Mulally is a generation behind Chairman Bill Gates and Ballmer. He has reached the age in which the US federal government considers appropriate to receive retirement benefits and is three years past the mandatory retirement age of tech peer Intel.
Perhaps the biggest issue is that Mulally, a friend of Ballmer's, may be locked into a device strategy many analysts and investors question. Would Mulally break up Microsoft if it made sense?
Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. If Elop was named Microsoft CEO, it would likely be viewed as a major disappointment. Maybe Elop wouldn't deserve that reaction, but perception is reality. Elop didn't save Nokia by any stretch. Elop, an alum of the software giant, represents more of the same for Microsoft and wouldn't be considered much of a visionary.
Skype CEO Tony Bates. Bates would be an interesting choice. With his Skype experience, Bates at least represents a more futuristic view of Microsoft. One issue is that Microsoft is a massive company and resembles a conglomerate in many respects. Could Bates manage something as large and complicated as Microsoft? Perhaps. Bates was head of Cisco's enterprise unit before joining Skype. I'd rate Bates as the best consensus pick for the Microsoft CEO gig.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft's cloud and enterprise chief. Nadella would be an interesting pick because his unit represents the future of Microsoft. Like Bates, it's unclear whether Nadella could manage the sprawling software giant. Nadella could bring a new vision to Microsoft and may not be locked into a device strategy. And because Nadella sits in the enterprise unit, he would know how it feels to be Microsoft's cash cow and used to fund projects formed due to Google and Apple envy. Nadella could be persuaded that a breakup makes sense.
CSC CEO Mike Lawrie. Lawrie is a turnaround artist, but he doesn't fit the bill with Microsoft. Simply put, Microsoft isn't flawed enough for a turnaround person. Microsoft is far from a wreck, and a turnaround artist would probably be frustrated. The risk of blowing up the company to try something new is too great. After all, Microsoft rakes in a lot of dough.
In the end, Microsoft's short list is a bit flawed, but frankly it may not matter. If any new CEO is locked into Ballmer's device strategy and hamstrung by Gates when it comes to being a visionary, the chances for success from big bets is slim anyway.
This story originally appeared as "Microsoft's CEO short list: So flawed" on ZDNet.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen likes idea of company breakup

 

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

(Credit: NBA)

As Microsoft's board hunts for a new chief executive officer, one of the tech giant's co-founders is throwing in his two cents on what that successor should do with the company: break it up.
The chief investment officer for co-founder Paul Allen said Microsoft should consider spinning off some of its businesses, according to the Financial Times. Paul Ghaffari manages Allen's $15 billion fortune and was speaking on behalf of Allen during the Financial Times Investment Management Summit on Tuesday.
Ghaffari said that consumer businesses, like search advertising and Xbox, are a distraction to Microsoft's success. The majority of the company's earnings come from its software and business customer services, he said.
"The search business and even Xbox, which has been a very successful product, are detracting from that. We would want them to focus on their best competencies," Ghaffari said, according to the Financial Times. "My view is there are some parts of that operation they should probably spin out, get rid

of, to focus on the enterprise and focus on the cloud."
Allen, who founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, still holds a $2 billion stake in the company.
Microsoft has already spun out some of its businesses in the past. In 2009, it broke off a business that licensed its software protection technologies to other companies. The new venture was dubbed InishTech and is based in Ireland. Microsoft retained a stake in the company as well as an observer seat on its board of directors. Other past spin-offs include Inrix and Zumobi (formerly ZenZui), which have come from technologies developed within Microsoft's research labs. Microsoft also spun out a social-networking technology, known as Wallop, in 2006.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced in August that he would be stepping down from his position within the next 12 months, but recent reports say the seat change could happen as soon as the end of this year. Possible successors include Ford CEO Alan Mulally, former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, and Microsoft Executive VP Tony Bates.

First Google, now Microsoft, taps Texas for wind energy

Tech companies are showing their green side in purchase deals for wind energy.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

Microsoft intends to source energy from a planned wind farm that will go up at a site about 70 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Texas, the company announced today.
The wind farm, some 55 wind turbines in all, is expected to become operational by 2015. The deal also marks Microsoft's first long-term power purchase agreement for wind energy.
"By purchasing wind, we will reduce the overall amount of emissions associated with operating Microsoft facilities in this region and hopefully spur additional investment in renewable energy in Texas," the company said in a release.
Microsoft said that the upcoming wind farm will be on the same electric grid that powers its existing data center in San Antonio.
Coincidentally or not, Microsoft's announcement follows Google's recent deal to source energy from a wind farm outside of Amarillo, Texas.

Why so slow on Office for iPad, Microsoft?

Don't get your hopes up: This is Office for the iPhone.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET) 

 

Two years ago this month, a report on The Daily claimed that Microsoft had built a version of Office for the iPad and was demonstrating it privately. Ever since, folks have been on the hunt for the elusive Office for iPad.
A month ago, Microsoft execs basically confirmed that Office for iPad exists, but said that it wouldn't be released until after Microsoft delivers its own, touch-first set of core Office apps, which I've been calling "Gemini."
Along with other Microsoft watchers, I've been wondering whether Microsoft was simply sitting on Office for iPad, delaying it to give its own Surface tablets a leg up. A year ago, Microsoft's ARM-based Surface RT shipped with Office RT bundled for free, and this October, the ARM-based Surface 2 shipped with Office RT plus Outlook RT, bundled for free.
But now that Apple's cut to zero the price of iWork (not the original, mind you, but a less feature-rich version), what's Microsoft waiting for?
After digging a bit, I've heard from my sources that Microsoft's "delay" in releasing both its own "Gemini" apps, as well as touch-centric versions for the iPad and Android tablets may be about a new and evolving product strategy as much as (if not more than) about internal politics.
And no, it's not Microsoft execs telling me this to save face. I haven't been able to get the Softies to talk about Gemini or Office for iPad, in spite of repeated requests. 
Revisiting the 'Gemini' waves
As I've blogged before, Microsoft's original "Gemini" plan wasn't just about the development of touch-centric versions of Microsoft's core Office apps. Gemini also was about bringing Office to platforms beyond Windows.
Gemini, as originally conceived, consisted of a series of waves. I'd heard the Metro-Style/Windows Store versions of the core Office apps -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote -- were supposed to be part of Gemini Wave 1, according to the original plan. Microsoft execs, for their part, have said a touch-first/Metro-Style version of PowerPoint that was demonstrated publicly at Build this year was always supposed to debut in 2014.
One of my sources told me that the apps I've been calling Gemini are referred to internally as WinRT apps. This makes sense, given that these apps, unlike the current Word, Excel and PowerPoint that run on Microsoft's Surface devices, are not Win32/desktop apps. The WinRT apps are going to be Metro-Style/Windows Store apps. (OneNote already exists as both a desktop app and a Metro-Style app.)
Office apps weren't initially designed in a way that made them easy to port from Win32 to other operating sytems, as cross-platform support wasn't part of Microsoft's goal for Office from the get-go. They also weren't built for touch devices; they were built to work best in a desktop/mouse/keyboard world. Yes, Microsoft has developed a suite of Office Mobile apps that work on touch-first iPhone, Android and Windows Phone devices. But these Office Mobile apps don't share the same core as the current desktop Office suite.
To get the core Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps to work natively on touch platforms, Microsoft is basically having to start almost from scratch. The Office team is having to redo the UI to include an updated ribbon model. They've had to rethink what a touch-first (as opposed to afterthought "touch mode") interaction experience should be. These days, Office apps need to be able to work on devices with screens of all sizes, from phones, to laptops, to desktops, to servers, to Perceptive Pixel displays.
There are more new development requirements. These WinRT apps, along with their non-Windows siblings, also need to be designed to take advantage of the cloud, since the new default is to save files to the cloud. And they need to insure that document formatting isn't lost when moving between/across different Windows- and non-Windows environments.
The WinRT apps won't replace entirely the desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, I hear. Desktop versions will remain for the foreseeable future for those who want all the Office bells and whistles as well as the adjunct Office apps like Publisher, Visio, etc. (I do hear InfoPath is one of those apps that won't be carried forward, although Microsoft officials aren't saying this publicly.) But WinRT apps will become the focal point, and their newly designed UI and core will be the basis for Office on all other Windows and non-Windows platforms, including phones, tablets and the Web.
I do strongly believe there is a version of Office for iPad out there. I've talked to individuals who say they've seen it. But it sounds from my sources like Microsoft's thinking and development strategy may have evolved on the Office front since 2011 when company reps began shopping around and showing off Office on the iPad.
I'll be interested to see if the Metro-Style WinRT suite of apps that Microsoft is building, and which might debut by late spring/summer 2014, includes the Reader and Remix apps that Microsoft execs supposedly demonstrated at the company meeting in September, alongside the core Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. 
This story originally appeared at ZDNet under the headline "Why is Microsoft's Office for iPad taking so long?"

Windows Phone gains momentum, overtakes iOS in Italy

The operating system now makes up one in 10 smartphone sales across Europe, but Android still own 72 percent of that market.

   

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Microsoft's Windows Phone is starting to gain popularity in Europe.
Windows Phone now accounts for 10 percent of smartphone sales in Europe's five biggest markets, research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said Monday. Windows Phone has performed so well in Italy that it's now more popular in that country than Apple's iOS.
"Windows Phone, driven almost entirely by Nokia sales, continues to make rapid progress in Europe and has also shown signs of growth in emerging markets such as Latin America," Kantar said.
Despite the improvements, Windows Phone is still a long ways behind Android. According to Kantar, Android owns 71.9 percent of Europe's mobile market, up 4.2 percentage points compared with last year.
Looking beyond Europe, Kantar reported that Android now holds 81.1 percent of China's smartphone market.

Originally posted at Mobile