Gregg Keizer

Backlash begins against Adobe's subscription-only plan

A petition on Change.org demanding that Adobe back away from its subscription-only model for its creativity software, including Photoshop, has collected over 4,400 signatures by late Thursday.

Microsoft rushes IE8 zero-day fix into next week's Patch Tuesday

Microsoft today said it will issue 10 security updates next week, two rated "critical," to patch 33 vulnerabilities, including the zero-day bug that has been used by cyber criminals to poison "watering hole" websites in attacks aimed at U.S. government workers.

Best case, Mozilla's Firefox for Windows 8 will ship in October

Firefox for Windows 8's "Modern" user interface (UI) will likely wrap up development this fall, Mozilla said on its website in a best case-worst case schedule.

Estimates peg 59M Windows 8 devices in use

Microsoft this week said that it had sold 100 million licenses of Windows 8 in the operating system's first six months. But how many copies are being used?

Microsoft won't guarantee buy-not-rent Office for next decade

Microsoft yesterday took a swipe at long-time partner Adobe for the latter's wholesale shift to rent-not-buy software subscriptions, and along the way seemed to promise it would Office as old-school perpetual licenses for the next 10 years.

Start button's return to Windows 8? Probably, but there's no guarantee

Microsoft's head of Windows development on Tuesday came close to promising that the iconic Start button would return to the Windows 8 desktop, but never made a guarantee.

Microsoft's drip-drip-drip Windows communications strategy dubbed a washout

Microsoft's Tami Reller, the CFO and head of marketing for the Windows division, went on a mini publicity spree today. But she didn't say very much.

$300M investment in Nook delivers next to nothing for Microsoft

Microsoft has gotten little from a 2012 investment of $300 million with Barnes & Noble, analysts said, but it's poised to reap some rewards as it and its partners start to ship smaller tablets.

Security pros cheer hint of hands-off updates in Windows Blue

Microsoft's apparent plan to automatically update its own Windows Store apps in the next version of Windows 8 is drawing praise from security experts.

Gates sticks to company line on tablets, knocks iPad

Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates today stuck to the company line on tablets, and disparaged rival Apple's iPad for its lack of a keyboard and its inability to run Office.

Apple breaks into Fortune 500's top 10

Apple climbed the Fortune 500 this year to the No. 6 spot, its highest-ever ranking, its first time in the top 10, and the top technology company on the influential list, replacing sagging HP.

Microsoft's $2B loan to Dell comes with strings

As part of Microsoft's loan of $2 billion to a group trying to buy PC maker Dell, the two companies must modify the payment terms of Dell's current agreements with Microsoft, a document filed with U.S. regulators said.

Amazon leaks evidence of first smaller, cheaper Windows 8 tablet

Details of what could be the first smaller Windows 8 tablet leaked Friday when Amazon briefly published a listing for an 8.1-in. Acer Iconia tablet.

Microsoft admits zero-day bug in IE8, pledges patch

Microsoft late Friday confirmed that a "zero-day," or unpatched, vulnerability exists in Internet Explorer 8, the company's most popular browser.

Google bares Chrome's Trojan strategy with native-style packaged apps

Google's move this week to make it easier for Chrome browser users to find "packaged apps" is part of a strategy to turn any Internet-capable device into a Chromebook wannabe loyal to the company's ecosystem, an analyst said today.

Retailers didn't do Windows 8 any favors

Retailers share part of the blame for poor Windows 8 sales and the ensuing decline of PC shipments, analysts contended today.

Rare working Apple-1 computer to hit auction block this month

A German auctioneer will put a working Apple-1 computer on the block later this month, and expects the handmade computer to fetch between $261,000 and $392,000 at Thursday's exchange rate.

Apple hijacks OS X devs to keep iOS on track

Apple may delay the release of OS X 10.9 because it's pulled engineers from the team to help in a final push on the next version of iOS, according to online reports.

Think different: Apple's $17B debt offers stark contrast to 1996's junk bonds

Apple's record-setting $17 billion bond offer this week stood in stark contrast to the company's darkest days, when in 1996 its millions in notes were rated as junk because investors wondered if the company would survive a thrashing by Microsoft

Windows 8 grows slow, XP just won't go

Microsoft was hit with a double whammy last month as it made scant progress in either boosting the usage share of Windows 8 or depressing the share of Windows XP, data published today showed.