Operating Systems

Windows 8 has certainly split opinion, some love the new interface changes while others refuse to move from the much beloved Windows 7. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hopes this will change with the release of Windows 8.1 later this month. He has called the new update a ‘more refined blend' …

Microsoft have been listening to their customers this year. When they announced the Xbox One and all the DRM and lock out practises they were incorporating the user base went ballistic. The problems were so widespread for Microsoft that they ran back to base and came out with a new …

Microsoft confirmed yesterday that they have cut prices of Windows 8 and Windows RT licenses to hardware partners building smaller sized tablets as an incentive to drive sales. Analysts have been discussing if the cuts are enough to dramatically lower tablet prices and drive sales and are unsure if Office …

After a lot of complaints – Microsoft have decided to bring back the Start Button in the Windows ‘Blue' update. Microsoft finally announced that the much discussed menu system will make a reappearance in Windows 8, in Version 8.1. Antoine Leblond, the corporate vice president of Windows Program Management, delivered …

Windows 8 has been the operating system to split opinion. While many people hate the interface changes, there are a select audience who claim it was a good move forward for Microsoft. Sadly sales figures have verified the poor response from the end user and the operating system has failed …

Remember Windows ME? Windows Vista? Windows 8? Microsoft would rather you didn't and to help brush your memory of the last one further under the mat, it's already planning the release of the sequel. It's called Windows Blue and it's coming later this year. It's not a complete overhaul like you might …

As our recent research has highlighted, Windows 8 is still proving very unpopular with the enthusiast audience. Our last poll for instance showed a 82% result in favour of Windows 7. The Kitguru audience however are generally more experienced, knowledgeable people, well above the average punter walking into PCworld in …

It looks as if Microsoft are finally listening to their customers and they will be bringing back the Start Menu in their Windows 8.1 release later this year. Additionally they plan on allowing the end user to boot directly to the desktop, rather than dealing with the tile based Metro …

Microsoft have acknowledged the existence of Windows Blue, the operating system they hope will win the hearts and minds of the enthusiast audience. Microsoft's vice president of corporate communications Frank X has made a mention of Windows Blue. He wrote in a March 26th blog post “With a remarkable foundation …

While you would think that China, with its restrictive web and seeming dislike of personal freedoms, would be all about locked down operating systems, it's not. In fact, it's such a fan of Linux, that the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is teaming up with British firm Canonical, …

The upcoming version of Windows is currently under development and an early build of it has leaked online. Windows Blue as it is codenamed is based around an early build, V9364. Screenshots have leaked online which show that there are more interface changes. The build is 32 bit and is …

LG have bought the webOS operating system from Hewlett Packard and will be using it in upcoming television sets, commercial displays and perhaps even cars. They said they won't be using it in tablets or smartphone however. LG's CTO Skott Ahn said “The open and transparent webOS technology offers a …

Last week my colleague Colin Beatty wrote an article on Windows 8, with information and statistics gleaned from 3 months of our poll statistics. Many of the comments posted in the article were actually emailed to me directly from Kitguru readers via our Facebook page system. Since we published The …

It would be fair to say that Windows 8 hasn't received the warmest of welcomes among the enthusiast users who visit tech sites like Kitguru. Over the last three months we have ran several polls on Facebook and we are currently running one on the main Kitguru.net website. The results …

There are really only two big players now in the smartphone market – Apple and Google with the iOS and Android operating systems. Analytics firm IDC released information last night which shows that the mobile operating systems from Google and Apple are claiming a whopping 91.1 percent of the global …

The latest bug in iOS6.1 is causing issues for corporate servers due to ‘excessive logging' on Exchange servers when a user connects for mail and calender services. A report on Microsoft Technet says “I had a user upgrade to 6.1 and immediately after he finished, his phone/IPAD started causing excessive …

Microsoft Windows 8 has not met with the most successful launch for the company and according to data released by analytics firm Net Applications the market share is still very low. According to the new figures released, Windows 8 only has 2.26 percent of the desktop operating systems market. Windows …

In response to a very poor showing around the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has decided that it must squeeze whatever pennies are available from the few sales that are left in the desktop version of its tablet operating system. Expect big price rises for an operating system you have …

Apple have updated their mobile operating system to bring the refresh to iOS 6.1. The company have added fixes and security patches but there is no significant improvement to their flawed Maps software. The move to 6.1 should have been more significant for the company – after all it is …

Microsoft are proudly reported their revenue for the second quarter of their 2013 financial year. Company performance is strong in all areas however the Windows division is the big talking point, showing 24 percent year on year growth. Revenue was £13,580 billion, an increase of 3 percent on the same …

For years, everyone who tried Windows on a phone would complain that Microsoft were idiots – and that you could not move a clunky/chunky Windows OS onto a handset. Now Microsoft, ever popular chaps that they seem to be, are getting battered for putting the mobile interface onto a desktop. …

Many people missed the iPad 4 launch. While it was clear to KitGuru, back at the start of September, that Apple was going to run foul of UK Trading Standards law with accessories – we knew that the solution was a new iPad. However, with all the Mini iPad hype, …

Data from Net Applications shows that Windows 8 is less popular than Windows Vista, the operating system that proved unpopular with the enthusiast audience. Windows 8 usage uptake has slipped behind Vista's in the same point in its release. Windows 8 online usage share is around 1.6% of all Windows …

While Windows 8 might not be selling well, some might call it a misguided product and we know it isn't all that fast for gaming, not everyone is quite so negative. The new VP of Microsoft Game Studios, Phil Harrison, is planning dedicated development for the new OS. “We are …

We are hearing from local dealers in the United Kingdom that Windows 8 sales are not as strong as expected. This verifies the news earlier this week that American retail tech giant Newegg have said that Windows 8 sales are ‘slow going'. Our reports from various sources in the United …

Microsoft have launched Windows 8 to a mixed response. While sales figures are good, the enthusiast audience haven't embraced the new operating system with open arms, claiming the user interface changes are more suited to a touch screen tablet, than their prized desktop computer. Jakob Nielsen, the well known interface …

In the form of a competition, Microsoft is offering incentives to developers that submit their Windows 8 supporting game for judging. If selected, the titles will receive a professional trailer, developer mentoring and a month's worth of marketing. Those submitted for judging will be graded on originality, audio, visuals and …

Microsoft are being sued over the Tiles that feature as part of the Windows 8 operating system. These ‘Live Tiles' are little animated blocks which have been designed primarily for the tablet audience. These tiles have features in Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8. The interface actually goes …

Current CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has announced that over four million Windows 8 upgrades have been sold already. His follow up statement said that the interest in the new operating system had been “stunning.” This announcement was made at Microsoft's Build Developer's conference at the company's main campus in …

While I'm sure many of you will immediately jump to the smart ass answer of “not enough,” the actual figure for the man hours put into testing Windows 8 is quite staggering. The one that came out of Microsoft today during its official launch event for the new operating system, …