In the News

Microsoft has announced that it is bringing Skype, the popular video calling and messaging app to Linux, Chrome and Chromebook devices. The Linux version of the app is currently in the Alpha state while the company actively works on the development. A stable version of the app will be launched once the bugs and issues are worked out in the App. The company further announced that Chrome and Chromebook device users can go to web.skype.com and start using the web version of the app.

Remedy Entertainment’s Quantum Break turned out to be one of the bigger successes for Microsoft’s Xbox One console. That being said, despite the division’s closure, Microsoft Studios general manager Shannon Loftis is interested in exploring another such “mixed media” Xbox title down the road. Speaking to The Guardian, Loftis said, “Actually it’s getting easier. As performance capture becomes more sophisticated, the work to bridge the gap between the linear entertainment and the interactive element is becoming less and less. I would love to work on another mixed-media game.”

Microsoft has made Project Malmo, a platform that uses the world of Minecraft as a testing ground for advanced artificial intelligence research, available for novice to experienced programmers on GitHub via an open-source license. Katja Hofmann, a researcher in Microsoft’s UK research lab, who leads the development of Project Malmo, said the system will help researchers develop new techniques and approaches to reinforcement learning. Hofmann said, “We’re trying to put out the tools that will allow people to make progress on those really, really hard research questions.”

Microsoft is working to help businesses drive digital transformation at its annual Worldwide Partner Conference, held this week in Toronto. The event kicked off July 11 with a morning keynote during which CEO Satya Nadella put the spotlight on a new partnership with General Electric. The two companies plan to make GE’s Predix, a platform and operating system for the industrial internet, available on Microsoft Azure. On the second day of keynotes, Microsoft announced significant updates and new partnerships related to Windows 10 and Surface to its enterprise audience. The July 12 news will expand the offerings available to enterprise users.

Microsoft’s HoloLens has been available to developers for some time, but what’s less well known is that its augmented reality headset also comes in an ‘enterprise edition.’ CEO Satya Nadella talked up the HoloLens at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner conference in Toronto, along with an app that Japan Airlines is using to train its engineers. He said, “We now have HoloLens available both as a developer edition as well as an enterprise edition.”

Microsoft will offer the high-end version of its Windows 10 software to small businesses via a cloud-based subscription for the first time, expanding the number of products available to a wider range of customers. The company will also rent Surface tablets for a monthly fee. Starting this fall, the Windows 10 Enterprise Edition, which offers more security features, will be available to any size company for $7 a month per user through partners in Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider program. Matt Barlow, General Manager, Windows Marketing, Microsoft, said, “It’s basically the price of a cup of coffee and a doughnut.”

‘Digital transformation’ is the new sales push for resellers. While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touted “digital transformation” during a 30,000-foot-view speech before thousands of resellers, the Executive in charge of the firm’s global partner group got down to dollars and cents. “It starts for us with our mission. Everything we do, every product we build, every decision we make, in even our partner programs, is grounded in our mission, to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more,” Nadella said shortly after he stepped onto the stage at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference (WWPC) in Toronto.

When Microsoft announced the Xbox One Scorpio, what was hidden behind all the talk of the console’s monstrous specs was the simple fact that developers would still be beholden to the existing Xbox One. Microsoft disallows, apparently, any form of exclusives for the Xbox One Scorpio. Speaking to The Guardian, Xbox head Phil Spencer said, “I think the capability in the consoles that are on the market today to play high-fidelity true console-like experiences in VR … they’re just not powerful enough. To deliver the experience that console gamers expect, that’s really a six-teraflop problem at least.”

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said he’s happy that Pokemon Go was successful for Nintendo because it will be good for him too. “This Pokemon interest will hopefully translate into a lot of interest in HoloLens. I think it’s fantastic to see these augmented reality applications getting built, because the best thing that can happen when you’re creating a new category is for applications that are these killer apps, whether it be game or in the industrial scenario, to get invested in.” Nadella said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”

General Electric is making its Predix industrial software platform available on Microsoft’s cloud. The move is an important step for the company, which wants to establish itself as the favored partner for big business. Microsoft hopes that when GE’s Predix becomes available on Azure next year, its longtime industrial customers will be more likely to adopt Azure. Microsoft also intends to make its other cloud offerings, including Office365, Dynamics and Cortana, work well with Predix.