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Mac OS X

Windows 8 will be released on October 26, Microsoft has revealed.

The declaration was made at the firm’s annual sales meeting and was published on its blog shortly after.

The firm has described the update as the most important redesign of its interface in more than a decade.

The announcement was made a day before the firm releases its fourth quarter earnings report. Analysts say it may post its first ever loss after writing down the value of a troubled takeover.

Microsoft paid $6.3 billion for the online advertising service Aquantive in 2007 but has said the service did not perform as expected. As a result its earnings will be offset by a $6.2 billion charge.

Windows 8 will be released on October 26

Windows 8 will be released on October 26

Microsoft’s future efforts are now focused on its upcoming system software release.

Windows 8 includes a touch-controlled interface dubbed Metro as well as a more traditional desktop.

It will be released in a version that runs on ARM-based chips for the first time, as well as versions for x86-based ones designed by Intel and AMD.

Some consumers will have delayed buying new computers ahead of the release, depressing Microsoft’s sales in the meantime.

However, many companies have continued with their roll-out of Windows 7 as it typically takes big firms’ IT departments months or years after a major system update to approve its installation on workers’ computers.

Part of Microsoft’s goal in the initial months will be to eat into sales of rivals’ tablet computers.

Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Fire have dominated the sector while Google’s new Nexus 7 has also attracted positive reviews.

Microsoft hopes to make the most of the fact that it can offer a single system that can power both desktop PCs and mobile devices – allowing progams to work on both – as opposed to Apple’s decision to offer different Mac OS X and iPad iOS systems.

Microsoft has also taken the out-of-character step of announcing its own hardware – the Surface family of tablets – to compete with other companies’ products on the Windows 8 platform to maximize its chances.

But since announcing the news chief executive Steve Ballmer has sought to reassure his company’s hardware partners, describing Surface as “a design point” that would have a place within a “broad Windows ecosystem”.

Whatever the case, investors appear hopeful despite the problems with Aquantive.

“Microsoft’s stock is up 17% since the start of the year in part because of anticipation for Windows 8 and Surface,” said Colin Gillis, senior technology analyst at BGC Partners.

“We’re also still seeing nearly one million PCs sold worldwide a day so that’s a sizeable marketplace for them.”

 

Apple is finally revealing the cloud-based features and pricing options and has opened one of many pathways to the iCloud beta by making the MobileMe replacement accessible to the web.  [googlead tip=”vertical_mic”]

iCloud.com is now available to Apple developers from worldwide.

However, the users still require a developer account — linked into their Apple ID — to access the iCloud features.

iCloud has been announced at WWDC 2011 in California in June and is the replacement of Apple’s MobileMe service.  [googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”]

iCloud features your iWork, Contacts, Calendar, and Find my iPhone — features which are available in both Mac OS X and iOS 5.

iCloud also includes a new Mail application being similar as design to Mac OS X Lion’s Mail application and keeping consistency across the board. The same thing can be said about the other cloud-based applications, which includes Keynote and Numbers for Mac.

iCloud Apple

iCloud Apple

 

 

iCloud price has also been revealed.

As the iCloud comes with 5GB free storage, anything more than this will cost. This will be upgradable via the settings application in iOS 5, so users can upgrade as and when they wish, all over the world:

10GB includes 15GB total iCloud storage at $20 per year

20GB includes 25GB total iCloud storage at $40 per year  [googlead tip=”lista_mica” aliniat=”dreapta”]

 50GB includes 55GB total iCloud storage at $100 per year

 

This fall will bring to the masses the full version of iCloud.

iCloud alternatives include:  CloudMe, eyeOs, Ghost.cc, Cloudo, Glide, Icube OOS, MyGoya, Cube-OS