Tag: Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 Receives Its Last Update Tuesday

Windows 8.1 is slated to receive its last update on Tuesday, as Microsoft is sunsetting the operating system once and or all.

Microsoft first released Windows 8 in 2012, but a decade later the OS has reached the end of its life. The aging OS will receive its last official update Tuesday, despite the fact that Windows 11 is still gaining market share at a relatively slow pace.

According to Ghacks, Windows 7 is even outliving Windows 8 by receiving extended support via 0Patch. The company continues to provide support for some operating systems after their end-of-life date and is already planning to support Windows 7 for an additional two years.

Unfortunately, there is no word on continued support for Windows 8.1.

January 8, 2023
Microsoft Announces New Version Of Windows Called ‘Windows 8.1 with Bing’

Microsoft announced on Friday that some lower cost Windows devices will come with a new edition of Windows called Windows 8.1 with Bing.

Microsoft hardware partners, the company says, will be announcing new Windows devices over the next couple of weeks. With the Windows 8.1 update, it says, it has enabled partners to build lower cost devices with only 1GB of memory and 16GB of storage.

“Windows 8.1 with Bing provides all the same great experiences that Windows 8.1 offers with the Windows 8.1 Update, and comes with Bing as the default search engine within Internet Explorer,” says Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc. “And of course customers will be able to change that setting through the Internet Explorer menu, providing them with control over search engine settings. This new edition will be only be available preloaded on devices from our hardware partners. Some of these devices, in particular tablets, will also come with Office or a one-year subscription to Office 365.”

“The end result is that more people—across consumer and commercial—will have access to an even broader selection of new devices with all the awesomeness that Windows 8.1 provides, and get Office too, all at a really affordable price,” says LeBlanc. “Additionally, as reach expands, the opportunity for developers and their apps also increases.”

So the real only differences here between this new edition of Windows and Windows 8.1 with the most recent update is that Bing is set as the default, and you can’t just buy this version of Windows. It will only come pre-loaded on the upcoming devices from Microsoft’s partners.

Image via Microsoft

May 23, 2014
Windows 8.1 Might Be Getting A Free Version [Report]

Windows 8 wasn’t the renaissance Microsoft hoped it would be. Sure, the total number of Windows 8 users steadily increases every month, but it has no chance of toppling Windows 7 at this point. One reason for that is that consumers don’t want to pay $100 or more to upgrade. Microsoft might soon be remedying this.

ZDNet reports that Microsoft is currently looking into a free version of Windows 8.1 called Windows 8.1 with Bing. It’s reportedly part of a grand experiment as Microsoft sees the writing on the wall – operating systems will one day be free. The company will have to adapt to this reality before it happens, and that’s where Windows 8.1 with Bing comes in.

So, what is Windows 8.1 with Bing? Well, nobody is exactly sure at this point, but they have some ideas. One theory is that it’s an experiment into a free version of Windows 8 that would only come with Bing services. All the other applications you usually get with Windows, like Skype, OneDrive and Office, would all be available as paid-for add-ons. In other words, Windows 8 would be free while applications can be added on through separate purchases as needed.

If this turned out to be true, it could be a major turn around for Microsoft. There are PC users out there, especially PC gamers, who want the benefits of Windows 8, but don’t want to pay for it. This would allow them to get the operating system while being able to pick and choose which applications they want. It’s actually kind of brilliant and something that a lot of people could get behind.

Still, it’s important to note that this is all preliminary and Microsoft is said to only be experimenting with the idea at the moment. It could come to the conclusion that a free version of Windows 8.1 isn’t worth its time. It would be unfortunate if it came to that conclusion, however, as Windows is currently on the defensive against a number of free alternatives, including Mac OS X, Chrome OS and Android.

Image via Windows Blog

February 28, 2014
Here’s A Look At The Up Plus 2 3D Printer

If you’re in the market for an affordable 3D printer, you might just have to give TierTime’s Up Plus 2 a look. The printer comes in at under $2,000 and has a lot of the same features you’ve come to expect from more expensive 3D printers. Microsoft has taken a special interest in this particular printer thanks to its native Windows 8.1 support.

In the latest post on the Extreme Windows Blog, Gavin Gear takes us through what makes the Up Plus 2 3D printer worth of your attention. He notes that the printer has a heated build platform for support of ABS plastics. Its build platform also has automatic leveling and height calibration. As for size, it has a build volume of 5.5x.5.5×5.3 inches.

Here’s a video that shows a print job being completed through Windows 8.1’s new Microsoft 3D Builder app:

The Up Plus 2 can be yours for $1,649. It’s certainly affordable, but you might want to wait until March to see how the XYZPrinting’s Da Vinci holds up. The $500 3D printer is the first Chinese-made 3D printer to hit the U.S. market and promises all the performance of a $2,000 3D printer at a quarter of the price.

Image via Extreme Windows Blog

February 7, 2014
Windows 8.1 Update May Make Boot To Desktop The Default Option

Windows 8 was a mess, but Windows 8.1 pretty much fixed all of the problems that people had with the radically different OS. One of those fixes was adding in an option that allowed users to boot to desktop therefore bypassing the tiled “metro” interface entirely. Now it appears that Microsoft may be making this option the default setting.

Wzor reports (as translated by The Verge) that the latest update to hit Windows 8.1 will make the OS boot to desktop by default. Unless it was changed by the user, Windows 8.1 would previously boot to the tiled Start menu interface by default. This latest change would be another instance of Microsoft backtracking in the face of consumer preference.

According to the report, many of the changes being included with the spring update to Windows 8.1 are in direct response to telemetry data and concerns from businesses upgrading Windows XP machines to Windows 8. First, the telemetry data told Microsoft that most Windows 8 users are still using a mouse and keyboard and desktop applications. This basically tells them that most desktop Windows 8 users aren’t even using the Start menu or its apps.

As for businesses, many are scrambling to upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows XP when support for the decade old OS ends this April. In response to this, Microsoft may be adding features that make Windows 8.1 more familiar to those who were still using XP until a few months ago.

Before you start praising Windows 8, you should know that all of this has yet to be set in stone. Microsoft is still in the testing process as they see which features should make it into the spring update for Windows 8.1. Only a few features could make it in, or they could revamp everything. It’s hard to say at this point, but we should start hearing more about the latest update to Windows 8.1 in the near future.

Image via Windows Blog

January 31, 2014
Bing Translator App Updated With Speech Input

Here’s a scenario – you find yourself in Rome after a week long party across Europe that has left you lost and alone. You can book a room for the night, but you don’t know any Italian. Good thing you have your Windows Phone on your person with an updated Bing Translator app.

Bing announced on Wednesday that it has updated its Bing Translator App with a new speech input function. The new feature allows you to speak into the mic of your phone and have the phone instantly translate what you said into the language of the locals. It will even play back the translated words in a native accent. Of course, this works in reverse as well for when you need to know what the other person in saying.

Here’s what it will look like:

On top of speech input, the Bing Translator App can now translate the printed word. It works in both portrait and landscape mode. You just need to scan the text and the app will automatically translate it.

The final update is exclusively for Windows Phone 8 and it lets users download language packs for offline use. You never know when you’ll be stuck in Italy without an Internet connection so it’s probably best to download the language pack directly to your phone today.

You can grab the latest Bing Translator app for Windows Phone 8 here and Windows 8.1 here.

Image via Windows Store

January 15, 2014
Microsoft Upgrades The Surface Pro 2’s CPU

Late last year, Microsoft revamped its Surface tablet line with the launch of the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2. The Surface 2 received the biggest changes, but the Surface Pro 2 also received a slight bump in specs. It seems that Microsoft isn’t done with the slight bumps yet, however, as it has stealthily upgraded the Surface Pro 2.

WinBeta reports that Surface Pro 2’s CPU has been upgraded from an Intel i5 4200U CPU to an Intel i5 4300U CPU. With the upgrade, Microsoft has bumped up the tablets effective clock speed from 1.6GHz to 1.9GHz. The bump should help wring a little more speed out of the tablets. As for graphics, Intel’s own embedded graphics hardware also saw a bump to 1.1 GHz from 1.0 GHz.

So, was there any particular reason behind the upgrade? According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the company “routinely makes small changes to internal components over the lifetime of a product, based on numerous factors including supply chain partnerships, availability and value for our customers.”

It would appear that the new components are appearing in both replacement Surface Pro 2 units and new units being sold at retail. The price has remained the same and Microsoft isn’t exactly advertising the fact that they switched out the CPU in its Surface Pro 2 for a better one.

With the cat out of the bag now, some early adopters are going to feel cheated. That’s just the risk you run with buying consumer electronics at launch though. That being said, the 300MHz bump isn’t all that significant and a launch unit should perform almost on par with the newly upgraded units.

Besides, Surface Pro 2 owners have bigger fish to fry when it comes to Microsoft’s handling of its Surface product line.

Image via Microsoft

January 3, 2014
Bing And OneNote Can Work Together To Help You Learn How To Cook

Back in November, Microsoft released a new version of OneNote for Windows 8 devices with a heavy focus on sharing. While one could say the main focus was sharing OneNote content across multiple devices, the Bing team enabled sharing between its multiple Windows 8.1 apps and OneNote as well.

So wait, how does Bing sharing with OneNote work? In an update on the OneNote blog, the team details what they call the OneNote share contract. This allows non-OneNote Windows 8.1 apps to share information with the OneNote app and sync this information seamlessly across multiple devices. The Bing team was one of the first out of the gate with share contract functionality.

In the video below, Microsoft demonstrates how one can use the Bing Food & Drink app on Windows 8.1 and seamlessly share info between it and OneNote to help make planning that much easier. Check it out:

It’s definitely a nice feature, but one that could be done with any number of devices and services. What makes OneNote and Bing better? Well, Microsoft doesn’t really say, but it sure hopes you’ll use OneNote and Bing on your Micorosft Surface or other Windows 8.1 device. If you choose to go the Android or iOS route, well, Bing and OneNote are there for you too. They just have a little more competition.

Image via officevideos/YouTube

December 17, 2013
Microsoft’s Followup To Windows 8.1 Is Codenamed ‘Threshold’ [Report]

In October 2012, Microsoft dragged Windows into what it saw as the next era of computing with Windows 8. Not only did the new OS embrace the touch screens that have become so common these days, but it also united the Windows operating system across desktop, tablets and phones. With its next release, it looks like Microsoft is taking that idea a step further.

ZDNet reports that Microsoft EVP Terry Myerson had recently sent out an internal email that name dropped a new version of Windows called “Threshold.” The name, which comes from Microsoft’s successful Halo game franchise on Xbox, is meant to embody the next wave of Windows operating systems across all devices.

So, what does this mean for the future of Windows? It would appear that “Threshold” is the codename for a plan that will update the operating systems that powers everything from Windows desktops and tablets to Windows Phone and Xbox One. This grand plan will attempt to unify all the different versions of Windows into a more cohesive whole.

Part of this plan is reportedly already in the works as Microsoft is working to unify the Windows Store across all Windows devices. In other words, the Windows Store on Windows Phone devices will be the same store that you see on a desktop or tablet. Such a future will of course require Microsoft to make the developer tools more similar across all devices, but that’s apparently in the works as well.

What makes Threshold so interesting is that the “One Microsoft” Steve Ballmer alluded to earlier this year will be coming to Windows sooner rather than later. In other words, Microsoft software that you would normally associate with the desktop, like Office, Bing and more, would be set up to work flawlessly across all devices, including Windows Phone and maybe even Xbox One.

Microsoft is already integrating services like Bing into Windows Phone and Xbox One, but those are versions of Bing are built specifically for that platform. From the looks of it, Threshold is an attempt to build something once and have it work across all platforms. That will certainly benefit Microsoft, but it will also benefit developers as they will be able to build apps for Windows 8.1 and have it work across Windows Phone 8 and Xbox without putting in extra effort.

So, when will we see Threshold? ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley says that we can probably expect it sometime in 2015. Until then, Microsoft will work on improving what it already has in Windows 8.1.

[Image: Windows/YouTube]

December 3, 2013
Xbox Video Comes To The Web, Lacks HD Playback

Xbox Video is Microsoft’s one stop destination for all things movies and TV shows on Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows 8 PCs. Now the service is expanding, but with one very big caveat.

Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox Video Web app today ahead of the launch of its Windows Phone app. With the Web app, you’ll be able to watch your purchased Xbox Video content on any browser that supports Microsoft’s Silverlight plug-in.

That’s all well and good, but what about that “one very big caveat?” Well, the Web app won’t play video in HD. The same goes for the upcoming Windows Phone app. Why is that the case? Microsoft only offers the explanation that HD playback is only available on Xbox 360, Xbox One and the Windows 8.1 app. There’s really no reason that Microsoft can’t offer HD playback on browsers so it really seems like they’re reserving HD playback for their own consumer products and services.

While it’s certainly a bummer that Xbox Video doesn’t have HD playback on the Web, the app will be your best friend if you’ve bought into Microsoft’s collection of services, like Xbox Video and Xbox Music. All the movies that you’ve bought on your Xbox 360 are now available to watch on the Web at no extra charge. That’s certainly a good thing. It’s just a shame that Microsoft had to be a scrooge and keep HD playback exclusively on Xbox and Windows 8 devices.

You can check out the Xbox Video Web site here.

[h/t: The Verge]
[Image: Xbox Video]

November 27, 2013
OneNote Updated With New Sharing Features

Microsoft was one of the first to the digital note taking game with OneNote. Now it’s just one of many in an ever growing field of apps that allow one to document their lives via short notes. How is Microsoft going to compete?

For Windows 8.1 PCs, tablets and phones, OneNote has been updated with a number of new features that make the software more immediate and social. The immediacy comes in the form of pictures and audio recordings that users can add to any OneNote post. The social comes in the form of new sharing options that allow users to share notes across multiple devices.

Here’s a rundown of all the new features in OneNote:

Unlike Microsoft’s other mobile productivity apps, OneNote is completely free to use. You can get it for Windows Phone, iOS or Android. It’s also available on Windows 8 tablets and iPads. If you prefer the Windows desktop OneNote experience, the new version is available to download from the Windows Store.

[Image: officevideos/YouTube]

November 25, 2013
Early Windows 8.1 Tablet Sales Fall Short

Though Microsoft is seeing some encouraging growth for its Windows Phone 8 smartphones in the mobile market, it does not appear that its tablets are faring as well.

DigiTimes today reported that retailers saw sales of Windows 8.1 tablets in October that are well below what was expected – 20% to 30% lower than estimates, even. The report’s unnamed “sources from channel retailers” blamed the slow sales, unsurprisingly, on the popularity of Android tablets and even on the declining PC market.

The report also warns that slow sales of Windows tablets could lead to “inventory issues” next year. The cryptic phrase more “inventory issues” no doubt refers to the $900 million worth of Surface tablets that Microsoft had to write-off at the end of its second quarter this year.

DigiTimes’ sources point to falling prices of PCs and Android tablets as major obstacles for Windows tablets. The report predicts that Windows 8.1 tablets will start to drop drastically in price starting in December, with some devices getting discounts as large as 20%.

These figures also might not bode well for Windows 8.1 as a platform. Last year’s release of Windows 8 was largely a failure, with the OS now running on less than 10% of PCs. Windows 8.1 is meant to correct the errors of Windows 8, improving design and bringing back the platform’s famed Start button. Anticipation was also building for businesses still using the soon-to-expire XP to upgrade their PC infrastructures this fall. However, if not even tablet users are embracing Windows 8’s tile-based user interface designed specifically with touchscreens in mind, it seems far-fetched that businesses would want their employees using the new OS.

October 31, 2013
Original Surface Pro Price Dropped To $699

Just this week, Microsoft launched the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 in its attempt to revitalize its tablet brand. We won’t know just how well that effort worked out until next quarter, but it looks like Microsoft is trying to clear stock of last year’s models to make room for the new.

If you were to check out the Microsoft store this morning, you’d find that the original Surface Pro that was released earlier this year has had its price reduced to $699. The tablet originally retailed for $899, but had its price dropped to $799 back in August.

With this latest price drop, Microsoft is making it more tempting to pick up a Surface Pro. After all, the Surface Pro 2 doesn’t really have that much of a leg up on its predecessor. The only real difference is that the Surface 2 has a Haswell CPU which increases battery life. Outside of that, they are pretty much the same. So for $699, you get what amounts to a mid-level Ultrabook that can handle whatever basic computing tasks you throw at it. It also comes with Windows 8 Pro so you’ll be able to use whatever desktop applications you want on it.

As for Windows 8.1, the original Surface Pro is compatible with Microsoft’s latest OS. It brings with it a number of new features for both consumers and enterprise users.

If the original Surface Pro still costs too much for you, you can grab an original Surface for $349. It’s also compatible with Windows 8.1, but its reliance on Windows RT means you can do less with it.

[Image: Microsoft Store]
[h/t: The Next Web]

October 24, 2013
Here’s How Bing Smart Search Works In Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is the first product to be delivered under the “One Microsoft” ideology that outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer referred to when outlining the company’s restructuring plan. In essence, all of the teams at Microsoft contributed to make Windows 8.1 an OS where every app contributes to the whole.

As part of that, one of the teams to get a bigger role in Windows 8.1 was the Bing team. With Windows 8.1, they launched an all new search tool called Bing Smart Search that pervades every nook and cranny of the new operating system.

So, you may now be wondering what exactly Bing Smart Search can do. The answer is quite a lot.

First off, search has been streamlined whilst on the Start screen in Windows 8.1. You no longer have to hit a search button. Now, you just have to start typing and a search tab will automatically appear with results. When in desktop mode, you will have to first press the Windows key and then start typing to make the search tab appear. Interestingly enough, the Bing team says that some Windows 8 machines will soon have a dedicated search key.

After you start searching, Bing Smart Search will bring you a number of results based upon what filters you have checked. If you allow it to search everywhere, it will bring up relevant results from the Web, settings, local files and files saved on SkyDrive.

If you search only the Web, Bing Smart Search in Windows 8.1 will bring up a “summary of results pulled from the most relevant information across the Web and related apps.” What does that mean? To use Microsoft’s example, let’s say you’re searching for Marilyn Monroe. Upon completing the search, Windows 8.1 will not only display results from the Web, but it will also look through apps, like Wikipedia or The New York Times, to bring you relevant results pertaining to your search.

Bing Smart Search also supports the improved multitasking feature so that you can have Bing Smart Search occupy one half of the screen while you work on something else on the other half. With Windows 8.1, you can have up to four apps open at once so you could potentially be searching for a list of rare He-Man toys, perusing He-Man toys on eBay in Internet Explorer 11, watching the original He-Man series on Windows Media Player and reading the He-Man comic all at once.

For more on Bing Smart Search, check out the live demo below:

Organize Your Digital Life from Bing on Vimeo.

Bing Smart Search is now available as part of Windows 8.1 which is itself a free download on the Windows Store for Windows 8 users. You can find out more here.

[Image: Bing]

October 18, 2013
Windows 8.1 Is Now Available On The Windows Store

It’s been almost a year since Windows 8 hit the scene, and what a year it’s been. After getting off to a super slow start, Windows 8 finally managed to overtake the dead-in-the-water Windows Vista. Sure, it’s not much, but baby steps count for something, right? Besides, Microsoft is just getting started with Windows 8, and is launching phase two of its plan today.

Microsoft announced that Windows 8.1 is now available in the Windows Store to all Windows 8 owners out there. This free upgrade brings a number of refinements and new features to the Windows 8 experience that Microsoft hopes will address many of the problems users had with the original release of Windows 8.

If you already own a Windows 8 device, there’s no point in not upgrading to Windows 8.1. It’s free and it may just make your time with Windows 8 a lot better. What about those who have held off though? Does Windows 8.1 bring anything new to the table? Should you upgrade from Windows 7?

Two common complaints from Windows 7 users regarding Windows 8 both have to do with the tiled Smart screen that Microsoft continually pushes in every Windows 8 ad. It’s great for a touch device, but it’s not so great for a traditional mouse and keyboard setup. Microsoft has tried to address those concerns in Windows 8.1, but it’s obsession with the Start screen may still turn some users off.

Let’s start with the good news first. Users can now choose to either boot into the Start screen or the traditional desktop. That’s great news for those who hated having to see the Start screen every time they booted up Windows 8, but it’s not like the Start screen is suddenly an optional thing. Microsoft still wants you to use it hence the bad news.

The new Start button in Windows 8.1 is a lie. Sure, there’s a Start button and it looks just like the Start button that we all grew to love on almost every past version of Windows. The only difference is that the Start button in Windows 8.1 doesn’t open a list of programs and applications. Instead, it takes you to the Start screen. You can right click the Start button to bring a list of options, like Shut Down and Control Center, but the list of services and applications that you would normally associate with the Start button are still nowhere to be seen.

Now, those two additions may make or break your Windows 8.1 upgrade decision, but those aren’t the only changes that were made in Windows 8.1. For starters, Microsoft made multitasking much better with an option to have four apps running side-by-side on the same screen. You can also adjust the size of each app so that your email and search app take up most of the display while having a small sliver reserved for the Weather app and Xbox Music.

Search has also been overhauled in Windows 8.1 with Bing Smart Search. Not only does Bing scour the Web for all your Mesopotamia, Ohio needs, but it can also search for apps, locally stored files and files you have saved on SkyDrive.

To learn more, check out our previous coverage of all the new features coming to Windows 8.1 for consumers and enterprise users.

If you already own Windows 8, you can grab the Windows 8.1 update at the Windows Store. In fact, you should receive a notification today on the Start screen telling you to upgrade. For everybody else, you can get Windows 8.1 for $119 and Windows 8.1 Pro for $199.

[Image: Windows Blog]

October 17, 2013
Internet Explorer 11 Adds Better Accessibility Features For The Blind

The blind and visually impaired are criminally overlooked as technology progresses. There’s been a few improvements to how computers behave to help those with visual impairments, but you could easily argue that not enough is being done to improve accessibility. Microsoft must feel the same way as it’s adding a number of improvements to its latest browser to address these issues.

Microsoft announced today that Internet Explorer 11 will ship with new accessibility features for the blind and visually impaired. Most of these new features take advantage of Windows Narrator to alert visually impaired users of when mistakes are made, or that they’re on the right track when typing in a foreign language.

First up, IE11 will now screen readers to alert users to the following:
Auto-correct: Internet Explorer auto-corrects misspelled words. For example, if a user types “teh” in English, it will be corrected to “the.” IE11 adds a new notification so screen readers can inform users that auto-correct is happening.
Backspace: As a user types, the screen reader announces each keystroke. However, simply hearing ‘backspace’ announced is not particularly helpful because it is hard to know what is being deleted. IE11 notifies the screen reader which letter was deleted, so it can be announced.
Formatting: When reading or writing an email or other Web content, users need to understand the formatting of the message, not just the raw text. IE11 provides more detailed notifications to screen readers, so users can better understand the content they are reading or editing. For example, Microsoft Narrator says “bold” and “end bold” to let the user know that a section of text was emphasized with bold styling. You can try it out for yourself in Microsoft Narrator by enabling Verbose Mode using Caps Lock + A.

You can see this in action below:

The other big change are for those users typing in an East Asian language on an English keyboard. Here’s how it works:

Input Method Editors (IMEs) are used to type East Asian languages using a typical English keyboard. For example, using the Japanese IME, a user can type a Japanese character phonetically (“su”), and the IME will display a list of candidates for the corresponding Japanese character (す). With IE11, screen readers can now read the candidate characters to the user.

You can see this in action below:

All the above improvements will be available in Internet Explorer 11, which launches with Windows 8.1 on October 17.

[Image: internetexplorer/YouTube]

October 11, 2013

Steve Ballmer’s days at Microsoft are numbered. The board has until the end of the year to find a replacement, but he’s already resigned to his fate that today’s shareholder letter will be his last. In classic Ballmer style, the letter is all about what Microsoft is doing right while holding hope that the future will be even better.

Ballmer spent most of his final shareholder letter speaking on Microsoft’s grand strategy going forward. After all, it was Ballmer that initiated the great restructuring of 2013 that will see Microsoft turn into a devices and services company. Ballmer says this is key to the continued success of the company.

Of course, a transition to a devices and services company is only as good as the devices and services on offer. Ballmer says he’s confident that both Microsoft’s devices (i.e. Xbox One, Windows Phone) and services (i.e. Windows 8.1, SkyDrive) will lead to even greater success for the company. Here’s how he planned on doing it:

To increase innovation, capability, efficiency and speed we further sharpened our strategy, and in July 2013 we announced we are rallying behind a single strategy as One Microsoft. We declared that Microsoft’s focus going forward will be to create a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most.

Over time, our focus on high-value activities will generate amazing innovation and new areas of growth. What is a high-value activity? Think of the experiences people have every day that are most important to them — from communicating with a family member and researching a term paper to having serious fun and expressing ideas. In a business setting, high-value activities include experiences such as conducting meetings with colleagues in multiple locations, gaining insight from massive amounts of data and information, and interacting with customers.

With Ballmer’s departure, it will be up to his successor to decide if this is the path Microsoft needs to be on. After all, Microsoft’s first responsibility is to make money, and there’s not a lot of money for Microsoft in the consumer market outside of Xbox. That’s why Ballmer says he wants Microsoft to focus on devices and enterprise services:

As we go to market, we will primarily monetize our high-value activities by leading with devices and enterprise services. In this model, our consumer services such as Bing and Skype will differentiate our devices and serve as an on-ramp to our enterprise services while generating some revenue from subscriptions and advertising. Enterprise services continue to be an area of great strength, growth and opportunity as businesses of all sizes look to Microsoft to help them move to the cloud, manage a growing number of devices, tap into big data and embrace new social capabilities.

After looking to the future, Ballmer recaps all the major events that have happened at Microsoft over the last few months, including the restructuring, the purchase of Nokia’s Devices and Services business and a new segment-reporting framework. Ballmer says that all three of these events will help to drive long-term growth at Microsoft.

Even though Ballmer may be stepping down as CEO this year, he will still be a Microsoft shareholder. To that end, he says that he’s incredibly optimistic about the future of the company and that he “treasures his Microsoft stock.”

[Image: msPartner/YouTube]