Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Microsoft launches new Office, duels Google online
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 12 - 05 - 2010

Microsoft Corp launched an updated version of its Office software today, aiming to keep its grip on the hugely profitable business application market while countering the challenge of free online alternatives from Google Inc., according to Reuters.
The world's largest software company is upgrading its popular Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint applications and rolling out its own online versions to keep up with the new class of mobile, Web-connected users that has emerged since the last upgrade in 2006.
Microsoft announced several improvements on Wednesday, such as editing photos in Word, using video in PowerPoint, collaborating on documents and connecting email contacts to Facebook information.
But the biggest change is Microsoft's move into the "cloud" -- allowing users to manipulate documents stored on remote servers from anywhere -- where Google has been setting the pace.
Corporate buyers of Office will have immediate access to Microsoft Office Web Apps -- online versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel programs for Internet-connected phones and PCs -- but will pay more to use them.
Ordinary consumers will be able to use online versions free from next month through Microsoft's Windows Live service, which the company is hoping will entice customers to pay for the full software, which will cost between $100 and $500, depending on the level of features.
The online strategy marks a major shift for the Windows franchise -- with 500 million users according to Microsoft -- which has so far relied on software installed on PCs.
It brings Microsoft into direct competition with Google Docs, stripped-down alternatives to Microsoft's core programs, which are available over the Internet with no need to download software. They are free for personal users and $50-per-user per year for companies. Google says it has picked up 25 million users since launching Docs almost four years ago.
Some analysts worry that the cost of offering online versions will put a dent in the profit of one of Microsoft's two great profit engines.
Margins will fall, but overall revenue and profit will rise as Microsoft grabs a bigger slice of companies' tech budget, said Stephen Elop, head of Microsoft's Business Division, in an interview at an Office launch event in New York.
"Margins are lower as a percentage of revenue because we are purchasing hardware and providing services that involve people," said Elop. "But most importantly, the absolute profit is expected to go up as a result of cloud computing."
Microsoft's business division, which gets 90 percent of its sales from Office, averages around $2.8 billion profit per quarter. That is 47 percent of Microsoft's total profit so far this fiscal year, second only to Microsoft's core Windows operating system franchise.
Elop said he hopes customer adoption for Office 2010 will be the quickest ever, as companies start to replace aging machines this year and may decide to upgrade to the new Windows 7 system and Office 2010 at the same time. He said 8.6 million people are already using Office 2010 in test versions.
According to the latest data from tech research firm Forrester, 81 percent of companies are running Office 2007, compared with only 4 percent using Google's online equivalent.
A Forrester poll indicates almost a third of existing Office users plan to upgrade to Office 2010 within 12 months.
Shares of Microsoft were up 2.0 percent to $29.45 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq.


Clic here to read the story from its source.