Microsoft promises resellers bumper 2013 with total line-up refresh
Microsoft closed down its Worldwide Partners Conference in Toronto with a promise that the coming year will provide the best year yet for its resellers, with a complete refresh of its ecosystem to restore Redmond's future.
"For the very first time, every single product in our portfolio is getting refreshed and relaunched in a 12 month cycle - that's unprecedented," said COO Kevin Turner. "It's the largest release cycle in our history and the energy and the momentum from that is unbelievable."
Microsoft as investing in improved partner rebates and rewards he said, as well as increasing the amount of training on offer, particularly for cloud technology.
Redmond's also spending $9.3bn in R&D, over $3bn more than its nearest technology rival, Turner claimed. This investment started in the recession year of 2008 and the result was a whole new lineup that was going to provide Microsoft's most important year since 1995. Read more...
MacBook Pro refreshes may be imminent, say reports
Hints that Apple will soon refresh its iMac desktop and MacBook Pro laptop lines accumulated today as several Mac-centric blogs revealed new details gleaned from the Web and unnamed sources.
Analysts who cover Apple agreed, saying that the new notebook models could appear at any time.
"I don't see them waiting for WWDC," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "As soon as they have enough supply built up, they'll release them." Read more...