Windows 8 in pictures

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  In Pictures: Windows Blue - a sneak peek
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  In Pictures: 10 key Windows 8 features for healthcare professionals
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  In Pictures: 10 nifty Windows 8 apps -- all free
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  In Pictures: 8 ways Microsoft could improve Windows 8

• EXCLUSIVE: Channel training integral to Intel smartphone/tablet growth

  By Nermin Bajric | 17 May, 2013 10:58

  Intel worldwide reseller channel organisation general manager and sales and marketing group vice-president, Steve Dallman, has acknowledged the company is "behind and playing catch-up" in the tablet and smartphone space, and said it must crank up its activity across the product segment to become more competitive.

• Windows 8 won't hit critical mass in enterprises, Forrester says

  By Juan Carlos Perez | 16 May, 2013 18:39

  Windows 8, the most significant upgrade to Microsoft's operating system since Windows 95 and one of the most important products in the company's history, will not achieve enough adoption in enterprises to be considered a standard, according to Forrester Research.

• Windows Blue will be free upgrade for Windows 8 customers

  By Juan Carlos Perez | 14 May, 2013 15:39

  Microsoft's Windows 8 update, code-named Windows Blue, will be formally released as Windows 8.1 and will be free for customers who have the new OS installed.

• In Pictures: Windows Blue - a sneak peek

  By Howard Wen | 14 May, 2013 08:01

  An update to Windows 8 is in the works, codenamed Windows Blue.

• Windows Blue preview due at end of June

  By Juan Carlos Perez | 07 May, 2013 20:09

  Microsoft plans to release a preview version of Windows 8's update, code-named Windows Blue, at the end of June, according to Julie Larson-Green, a corporate vice president in charge of the OS's development.

• Asus readies small, sub-$US300 Windows slates for release

  By Ian Paul | 07 May, 2013 19:47

  Would you pay an extra $US50 for a pint-sized tablet if it ran Windows 8 instead of Android? Asus thinks you might.

• Acer waits for Windows RT 8.1 to make tablet decision

  By Agam Shah | 03 May, 2013 20:43

  Acer is waiting for the next version of Windows RT, due in the second half of this year, before deciding whether to release a tablet that runs on that OS.

• The Surface shines while Windows tablets wobble

  By Brad Chacos | 02 May, 2013 17:19

  The Surface tablet may not be crushing the competition with the vigor that Microsoft undoubtedly hoped it would. However, as compared to its third-party Windows tablet brethren, Surface is absolutely killing it--though Windows tablets still have a long road to travel before they're considered anything close to a success.

• Is Windows 8 really killing the PC market?

  By Ian Paul | 14 May, 2013 00:12

  Computers just aren't selling like they used to, and many critics, analysts, and longtime Windows users point the blame finger at one culprit in particular: Windows 8. Nobody's using Windows 8, they say. It's worse than New Coke, they say. PC shipments are cratering and it's all Windows 8's fault, they say.

• The best Windows 8 machines you can buy today

  By Melissa Riofrio | 22 April, 2013 15:25

  We've had about six months to play with Windows 8 (like it or not) and with the first generation of hardware designed for the new OS. So now, with PCs based on Intel's Haswell CPU poised on the horizon, it's time to take stock of the best Windows 8 hardware available today. You may be able to snap one up for a bargain-basement price as the industry clears out inventory in anticipation of second-gen machines.

• Opinion: Why the Start button is Microsoft's 'New Coke' moment

  By Tony Bradley | 18 April, 2013 18:13

  Companies make bad decisions all the time. Some of those decisions do irreparable harm, but others--like forcing users to boot to the new Modern interface in Windows 8, and taking away the Start button--can be reversed. Microsoft needs to ask whether it makes sense to backpedal.

• Why rapid-fire updates are the key to Microsoft's success

  By Brad Chacos | 03 April, 2013 15:11

  Ask five geeks about Windows 8’s greatest flaw, and you’re bound to get five different answers. Some diss the new Start screen. Some hate the big hole where the Start button used to be. Others rail against the indignity of having to swipe open a Charms bar to print or search for anything. And what’s with those Microsoft Accounts?

• The iPad as a comic-book reader

  By Jason Snell | 04 March, 2013 17:02

  Tablets, led by the iPad, have the potential to shake up the comic-book industry even more than ebook readers have begun to change the world of prose books.

• Windows 8 tablet showdown: ASUS vs HP vs Samsung

  By Elias Plastiras | 04 March, 2013 10:36

  Deciding on which hybrid-style Windows 8 tablet to go for can be difficult. In this comparative article we pit three Intel Atom-based models from ASUS, HP and Samsung against each other to find out which is best.

• Windows Store versus the world: How do Microsoft's offerings really stack up?

  By Brad Chacos | 27 February, 2013 14:59

  Whenever talk turns to the comparatively low number of apps available in the Windows Store, commenters invariably take the article to task. "Quantity isn't as important as quality!" they type, frequently tossing in an ALL CAPS EXPLETIVE or three. "Who wants 100,000 fart apps anyway?"

• Why Windows RT is hurtling toward disaster

  By Brad Chacos | 15 January, 2013 16:35

  Ah, Vegas. It's the place where dreams are realized, and hearts are shattered. As such, probably no more appropriate venue exists to showcase the massive gamble that is Windows RT, Microsoft's first tablet-focused operating system, and the first Windows version created expressly for ARM processors.