Features

• Opinion: Windows RT may be Microsoft's answer to Apple and Google in the BYOD game

  By Rob Enderle | 04 May, 2012 23:42

  There is an interesting post from the Microsoft Windows team on the Windows On ARM (WOA) version of Windows 8 that was recently renamed Windows RT-which reminded me why I'll never do Microsoft naming again. Windows RT is targeted directly at the iPad users who are bringing that product into the enterprise today on a wave of trend we are alternatively calling consumerization of IT or Bring Your Own Device ( BYOD) because we evidently can't come to a consensus on just one term.

• The greatest PC mysteries - solved!

  By PCWorld Staff | 30 April, 2012 23:40

  PC owners know that every computer has a unique assortment of components, applications and peripherals. Nevertheless, certain things - including a host of common PC problems and mysteries - are part of the shared experience of computer ownership.

• 10 commandments of Windows security

  By Daniel Dern | 24 April, 2012 09:15

  With the introduction of Windows 7, many PC and notebook users may feel more secure than they did using older versions of the Microsoft operating system. Newer OSs have more security features, offer better out-of-the-box security settings and have closed many of the historical security holes. Windows 7, for example, has changed the default User Account Control level so that it's harder for rogue programs to run without first explicitly gaining the user's permission.

• What will Windows 8 touchscreen laptops look like?

  By Melanie Pinola | 02 April, 2012 23:36

  Windows 8’s touch-centric interface will help to usher in a new wave of laptops with tabletlike touchscreens. To make it easier for users to tap and swipe on even superthin Ultrabooks, laptop makers will break out of the traditional clamshell shape and introduce laptops with more unusual designs.

• Windows 8 vs. Mountain Lion: Which OS succeeds at bringing mobile to the desktop?

  By Nick Mediati | 27 March, 2012 00:27

  With Windows 8 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Microsoft and Apple are both trying to bring features and concepts from their mobile operating systems to their desktop OSs.

• Windows 8 Metro UI: 7 things you may just hate

  By Edward N. Albro | 07 March, 2012 01:50

  As everybody knows, the most striking thing about Windows 8 is its Metro interface - those brightly colored tiles that serve as both shortcuts to programs and live widgets reporting data from those programs.

• Windows 8 Metro UI: A bold new face for Windows

  By Nate Ralph | 07 March, 2012 01:49

  Change is terrifying, and few things in technology have a greater capacity to set us on edge than a fundamental reimagining of the Windows operating system--a piece of the PC that's as vital to our lives and productivity as our mice and keyboards. But change is afoot, and Windows 8 is designed to play a pivotal role in Microsoft's quest for relevance in a future awash with touch-centric devices.

• A deep dive into Windows 8 Consumer Preview

  By Preston Gralla | 06 March, 2012 05:04

  Windows 8 Consumer Preview is one of the biggest changes that Microsoft has made to Windows, moving it from an operating system aimed at a single class of hardware (PCs and laptops) to one that spans a wide range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

• What Windows 8 means for tablets

  By Melissa J. Perenson | 02 March, 2012 11:56

  Amid the introduction of so many tablets recently, one thing has been clear: There's room for a viable competitor to Apple. Android tablets are still not crashing Apple's iPad party, as evidenced by Apple's runaway sales.

• Windows 8: What you need to get started

  By Gregg Keizer | 01 March, 2012 22:54

  Early yesterday, Microsoft shipped the Consumer Preview for Windows 8, the drastically different refresh of the venerable operating system.

• OS X Mountain Lion vs. Windows 8: Apple and Microsoft mobilise

  By Joseph Fieber | 17 February, 2012 08:39

  With smartphones and tablets quickly gaining widespread adoption, even IBM is calling this a post-PC era. It’s a world of portability, apps, and touch-enabled devices. This is clear not only in the dominance of mobile devices and laptops on the hardware side, but in the way that Apple and Microsoft are merging their mobile and desktop operating systems.

• Tablets in 2012: What to Expect

  By Melissa J. Perenson | 09 December, 2011 01:48

  What will tablets look like in the coming year? Tablets are out of their infancy and moving into adolescence--which means that we can expect big changes ahead as tablets' design and components improve.

• Laptops of 2012: What to expect

  By Jason Cross | 01 December, 2011 01:59

  Tablets and smartphones are in, but don't count laptops out. Impressive new laptops planned for 2012 promise to be thinner, lighter, and faster, as well as to carry longer-lasting batteries.

• IN DEPTH: A detailed look at Windows 8

  By Jason Cross | 14 September, 2011 03:21

  The buzzword is "reimagine" here at Microsoft BUILD conference where Windows 8 is being shown for the first time in detail to developers and the media. Reimagine refers to the operating system's radical new look, new support for tablets, revamped Start Screen, and integration of a new class of "metro-style" applications. --

• Windows on verge of dropping below 90% market share

  By Jon Brodkin | 14 January, 2011 09:15

  Windows is on the verge of dropping below 90% market share, with smartphones and tablets posing an increasingly serious threat to Microsoft's dominance of the operating system market.