Microsoft

At Build 2020, Microsoft’s annual developer conference, the company announced a new service called Microsoft Lists. Today, the app has been made available to download from the App Store.

As Microsoft looks toward the future, “One Outlook” is the vision for how its mail and calendar app will evolve. Notably, the biggest part of that includes a controversial shift from dedicated Mac and Windows apps to a web-based app that’s platform agnostic.

Microsoft has made a variety of major announcements for Office 365 users on the Mac. With updates rolling out today, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for the Mac are all now optimized for Apple Silicon. The apps have also been redesigned with macOS Big Sur in mind, and more.

Concerns about misuse of data on employee usage of apps like Office 365 and Teams has resulted in a rapid Microsoft U-turn.

The company had logged app usage data at a user level, and claimed enterprise customers could use the data to measure both the productivity and influence of their employees. Microsoft has now announced that it has heard the concerns about this and taken immediate action …

Microsoft has announced a variety of changes to its Microsoft Teams application today, including integration with Apple CarPlay. Microsoft Teams is also adding new options for recording meetings, transferring calls, and more.

Last week we heard from Apple’s VP of software engineering Craig Federighi that the ARM version of Windows 10 could run natively on Apple Silicon M1 Macs but was “really up to Microsoft.” Now a developer has found a workaround enabling the first virtualization of ARM Windows running successfully on an M1 Mac and claims the performance is “pretty snappy.”

Microsoft’s exec VP of gaming has argued that the Xbox games commission – the slice it takes of games sold through its own platform – isn’t comparable to Apple’s App Store commission.

Prior to Apple’s partial U-turn in halving the commission it charges most developers, the iPhone maker had pointed to games consoles as evidence that 30% was a standard industry commission. But Microsoft’s Phil Spencer rejects the comparison, for two reasons …

After being available as a limited beta app, the new Xbox app for iOS is finally available on the App Store with the new “Remote Play” mode, which lets Xbox owners stream Xbox One games on the iPhone and iPad.

Microsoft had decided not to launch its game streaming service called xCloud on iOS, as the App Store guidelines prohibit apps from working as an alternative store for apps and games. However, new reports from Business Insider and The Verge say the company is now working on a web version of xCloud that will run on the iPhone and iPad.

Microsoft is out today with an update to its app store that features 10 new policies to “promote choice, fairness and innovation.” While detailing the changes, the company took a shot at Apple over its App Store rules. Notably, the move sees Microsoft align with the Coalition for App Fairness that’s leading the Apple antitrust charge.

Microsoft has been working on a totally redesigned version of Outlook for Mac since last fall and the public release of the big update is slated for mid-October. The new Outlook for Mac is designed to look and work great with macOS Big Sur, includes speed improvements, new UI, tools, improved customization, and more.

The long-running saga of the TikTok sale may be finally coming to an end – without an actual sale.

Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it was out of the running, in a statement that made it clear this was not of the US company’s own choosing …

Following the complaints of several developers over the last months, Apple today announced some changes to the App Store Review Guidelines regarding streaming game platforms. However, it doesn’t seem that other companies have approved these changes, at least this is what Microsoft says.

With the TikTok US ban deadline around the corner, things are heating up as the Chinese government has reportedly taken the stance that it would rather see the app’s US operations shut down than sold to an American company.

Microsoft originally emerged as the front runner looking to acquire TikTok before the Trump administration ban goes into effect (now November). Other companies like Google and Apple were rumored to have shown interest as well but now in a surprising turn of events, Walmart has announced that it is working with Microsoft on the acquisition.

After leaking back in 2018, Microsoft officially unveiled the Surface Duo in October 2019. Today the company has launched the iPad mini-sized foldable with pre-orders now open. Let’s look at what you get with the $1,400 Surface Duo and how it differs from devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.

Microsoft started testing its xCloud gaming platform on iOS in February, but things have been complicated since then. The company announced today that it’s ending tests with xCloud on Apple’s mobile operating system due to strict App Store policies.