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☆ Microsoft picks company veteran Pavan Davuluri to lead Windows and Surface
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft said Monday it has selected company veteran Pavan Davuluri to lead its Windows operating system and Surface devices teams. Davuluri's promotion comes a week after Microsoft said it was hiring former DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman as the head of a new organization called Microsoft AI. The Windows team will continue to work closely with the Microsoft AI team on AI, silicon, and experiences.The Web Experiences team will report into Mustafa in the new Microsoft AI organization. Mike Davidson continues to lead Design and will work with Pavan and team on how to realign Windows design. They will join the Microsoft AI leadership team along with Jordi, Mike, and Rukmini, all reporting to Mustafa.We are excited for this team to help Microsoft AI achieve its bold ambition to build world-class consumer AI products.

Persons: Pavan Davuluri, Panos Panay, DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman, Mikhail Parakhin, Parakhin, Kevin Scott, Rajesh Jha, Davuluri, Read, Satya, Shilpa Ranganathan, Jeff Johnson, Mustafa, Jordi Ribas, Andrey Proskurin, Fatima Kardar, Nick Lee, Rukmini Iyer, Paul Viola, Weiqing, Mike Davidson, Pavan, Ali Akgun, Kya Sainsbury, Carter, Qi Zhang, Rajesh Sundaram's, Jordi, Mike, Rukmini Organizations: Microsoft, Windows, Bing, WWE

☆ Amazon's secret war on Android: The company has a plan to cure Alexa's addiction to Google's operating system.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon's Alexa division is cutting costs across the board, having laid off thousands of employees and reshuffled projects over the past 18 months. Vega is a "new portable operating system for consumer electronics developed by Amazon," the document explained. Tech newsletter Lowpass previously reported on some parts of the new Vega OS. Feature parity gapThe feature parity gap between Amazon's own Alexa devices and third-party voice-assistants using Alexa has long been a problem, both internally and externally, according to the people familiar. Not off Android entirelyWith the new Vega OS, Amazon is reducing its reliance on the Android-based Fire OS.

Persons: Panos Panay, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Vega, Dave Limp, Alexa, It's Organizations: Alexa, Business, Software, BI, Amazon, Amazon's, Tech, Google, Blue, Washington Post, Vega

☆ The Apple exec that Microsoft hired to fulfill its hardware dreams has quietly left
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rubén Caballero, the ex-Apple executive Microsoft hired in 2020 to run device engineering in mixed reality and AI, appears to have quietly left the company. Microsoft also recently published a post stating its commitment to the HoloLens 2 device and mixed reality. Caballero worked for Apple from 2005 to 2014, including a stint as president of engineering. Microsoft hired Caballero in 2020 to work on devices such as HoloLens in the company's mixed reality and AI organization. Caballero joined Panay's Windows and Devices organization in 2022, and Microsoft has whittled down some hardware teams since then.

Persons: Rubén Caballero, Caballero, Microsoft's, Frank Shaw, Panos Panay, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Apple, Microsoft, Business, Amazon, Insiders, BI, Windows, Panay's Windows Locations: Panay

☆ Amazon.com to cut 'several hundred' Alexa jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) on Friday announced it is trimming jobs at its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing shifting business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence. Many companies are shifting resources to generative AI, which can create software code and lengthy text responses from short prompts. Alexa is a voice assistant that can be used to set timers, ask search queries, play music, or as a home automation hub. In particular, people familiar with the matter pointed to the Alexa voice assistant, now nearly a decade old, as having failed to keep pace in the age of generative artificial intelligence. The Seattle-based online retailer's voice assistant products compete with offerings from Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Apple (AAPL.O).

Persons: Steve Marcus, Daniel Rausch, Panos Panay, David Limp, Jeff Bezos, Rausch, Greg Bensinger, Kenneth Li, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Alexa, Fire, Reuters, Devices, Microsoft, Amazon, Origin, Echo, Amazon.com, Apple, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Panay, Seattle, San Francisco

☆ Amazon cuts 'several hundred' jobs in Alexa division
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon on Friday began laying off "several hundred" people in its Alexa division as part of broader belt-tightening across the company that's been underway since last year, the company confirmed. Amazon didn't specify which Alexa initiatives it's winding down as a result of the move. Amazon previously cut employees in its devices and services division, which includes Alexa. Alexa and digital assistants like it were once ground-breaking technology, but they face increasing competition from generative AI and chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT. In September, Amazon teased updates to Alexa that are tied to generative AI, such as composing messages on behalf of users.

Persons: Daniel Rausch, Rausch, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Amazon, Dave Limp, Limp, Panos Panay Organizations: Alexa, Fire TV, Amazon, Echo Locations: U.S, Canada, India

☆ Amazon hires former Microsoft product chief to oversee devices unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Panos Panay, chief product officer of Microsoft Corp., displays the new Surface Laptop 3 computer during a Microsoft product event in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. Former Microsoft product chief Panos Panay will join Amazon later this year to oversee its devices and services unit, the company said Wednesday. Panay will replace longtime Amazon devices head Dave Limp, who announced last month he'd step down from his role in the coming months after more than 13 years at the company. Panay will start at Amazon at the end of October, and Limp will stay on to assist with the transition. Panay is joining Amazon at a precarious moment for its devices and services division.

Persons: Panos Panay, Dave Limp, Limp, Andy Jassy, Jassy's, Panos, Jassy, — CNBC's Jordan Novet Organizations: Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, Amazon, Morale, Reuters Locations: New York, U.S, Panay

☆ Former Microsoft product chief joins Amazon as head of devices business
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Panos Panay demonstrates the Microsoft Surface Studio computer at a live event in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S.,October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 27 (Reuters) - Former Microsoft (MSFT.O) product chief Panos Panay will lead Amazon.com's (AMZN.O) struggling unit responsible for the firm's Alexa and Echo products. Though relatively small within Amazon's sprawling empire, the device unit has been symbolically important as a gadget testing ground and Alexa's public face through voice-assistant devices. Amazon has said its devices and services business is not profitable, without providing figures. Panay, who more recently oversaw the launch of the Windows 11 operating system, has experience in both hardware and integrated services.

Persons: Panos Panay, Lucas Jackson, Amazon, Dave Limp, Chavi Mehta, Sriraj Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Echo, Amazon, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Panay, Bengaluru

☆ Running AI is so expensive that Amazon will probably charge you to use Alexa in future, says outgoing exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp thinks Amazon will "absolutely" start charging to use Alexa. He pointed to the huge costs of running AI models as the reason why. He added that the current version of Alexa will remain free, and that a paid version would need to demonstrate more advanced capabilities and usefulness. Generative AI models require huge amounts of computing power, with analysts estimating that OpenAI's ChatGPT costs $700,000 a day or more to run . Amazon has bet big on AI, with the company unveiling a new, AI-powered version of Alexa alongside updated versions of its Echo Frames and Carrerra smart glasses last week.

Persons: Dave Limp, Alexa, Limp, OpenAI, Amazon's, Insider's Ashley Stewart, Panos Organizations: Amazon, Service, Bloomberg, Alexa, Microsoft Locations: Wall, Silicon

Limp joins Blue Origin at a key phase of the company's multiple space projects. Earlier this year Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build a lunar lander for the agency's astronauts. However, Blue Origin has since hired aggressively. Read Bezos' message to Blue Origin employees on Monday:I'm excited to share that Dave Limp will join Blue starting December 4th as CEO, replacing Bob, who has elected to step aside on January 2. JeffRead Smith's message to Blue Origin employees:Team Blue, It's been about six years since I joined Blue Origin.

Persons: Limp, Shepard, Smith, Panos Panay, Bezos, Alexa, Limp's, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Blue, Bob Smith, Origin's, Glenn, –, Read, Dave Limp, Bob, I'd, we've, We've, I've, Dave, Jeff Read, It's, Jeff, I'm, Ferociter, Dave Limp's Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, CNBC, NASA, Blue Origin, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Billionaire, Blue Origin's, Origin, Honeywell, Shepard, Pentagon, U.S . Space Force, Elon, SpaceX, Blue, Amazon Devices, Services, Apple Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S, Alabama, Florida, California , Arizona, Colorado, Kent

The company introduced the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and the Surface Laptop Go 3, and unveiled enterprise availability for Microsoft 365 Copilot, its supplemental AI tool for core productivity apps such as Word and Excel. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 starts at $1,999, while the Surface Laptop Go 3 starts at $799. Surface Laptop Studio 2Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio Courtesy: MicrosoftThe Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a similar look and feel to the original model that launched in 2021. Surface Laptop Go 3Microsoft Surface Laptop Go Courtesy: MicrosoftThe Surface Laptop Go 3 is the latest update to Microsoft's entry-level laptop. The laptop starts at $799, an increase from the $599 starting price of the Surface Laptop Go 2.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Panos Panay, Aaron Woodman, Copilot, Woodman, you'll, It's, Sainsbury, Intel Iris, Brett Ostrum, Microsoft's, Ostrum, it's, Frank Buchholz Organizations: Microsoft Microsoft, Microsoft, Google, Microsoft's, Monday Microsoft, Bing, Windows, Carter, Intel, Nvidia, Laptop, CNBC Locations: New York, Panay

☆ Microsoft announces unified AI assistant, new Surface devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Yuvraj Malik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Rami Amichay Acquire Licensing RightsSept 21 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) on Thursday announced a "unified" artificial intelligence (AI) for its Windows 11 platform and four new Surface devices, upping the appeal of its products spruced with the latest technology. The new AI tool, called Copilot, will work across the company's web and productivity applications Bing, Edge browser, and Microsoft 365 software suite. The updated AI software will roll out with the latest changes to Windows 11 on Sept. 26. It will be available in Microsoft 365 Copilot on Nov. 1, when the highly anticipated enterprise AI tool will be generally available for purchase. Microsoft on Thursday announced three laptops - Surface Laptop Go 3, Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Go 4 For Business - and Surface Hub 3, the newer version of its interactive whiteboard.

Persons: Rami Amichay, Bing, OpenAI's, Panos, Yusuf Mehdi, Yuvraj Malik, Jeffrey Dastin, Maju Samuel Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Big Tech, Apple, GenAI, Thomson Locations: Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Israel, Redmond , Washington, Panos Panay, Bengaluru, San Francisco

☆ Microsoft Windows boss Panos Panay left for Amazon after cuts and canceled products in his unit, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay is leaving for Amazon after the company made budget and staff cuts, canceled products in his division, and amid discussions about a reorganization in his unit, insiders say. Microsoft, Panay, and Amazon did not comment. During nearly 20 years at Microsoft, Panay was notably in charge of the team that developed the Surface hardware business. Windows licensing and the unit's hardware underperformed relative to the company's financial projections, insiders say, and Microsoft responded by dramatically scaling back Panay's division. At Microsoft, insiders say Panay was known as a demanding leader and expected "white glove service" on everything, meaning a premium experience with extra care and attention to detail.

Persons: Panos Panay, Dave Limp, Alexa, Kristy Schmidt, Charlie Bell, Rajesh Jha, Satya Nadella, Microsoft's Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon, Bloomberg, Reuters Locations: Panay, New York

☆ Amazon devices unit morale wanes amid cuts, weak development pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon hopes consumers will install Alexa-enabled devices in more rooms of their homes and become accustomed to using the system throughout the day, the sources said. Amazon has said its devices and services business is not profitable, without providing figures. Amazon is set to name as successor Microsoft's Panos Panay who oversaw development of the Surface, according to Bloomberg. Alexa employees were included in rounds of layoffs beginning last year resulting in 27,000 job cuts across Amazon. For years, Amazon has said it can sell devices for close to production cost and see a profit through services offered on them.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Dave Limp, Alexa, Kinley Pearsall, Amazon, hasn’t, “, ”, Avi Greengart, Limp, Microsoft's Panos Panay, Gregg Zehr, Tom Taylor, Ken Washington, Andy Jassy, Siri, That’s, Bruno Borges, I‘m, Greg Bensinger, Ken Li, Claudia Parsons Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Alexa, Amazon, Devices, Google, Microsoft, Echo, “, Bloomberg, Astro, Medtronic, Intelligence, Amazon.com, Lightform, Thomson Locations: Amazon’s, Lab126, Alphabet’s, Vancouver, Canada

☆ Microsoft says product chief Panay to step down; Davuluri to lead Windows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 18 (Reuters) - Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Pavan Davuluri will lead a team focused on Windows software, devices portfolio and semiconductor chips, the company said on Monday, while announcing the departure of longtime product chief Panos Panay. The team led by Davuluri will "build silicon, systems and devices that span Windows, client and cloud for an AI world," according to a staff email by Rajesh Jha, executive vice president of experiences and devices group at Microsoft. Davuluri will report to Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella, the email said. Microsoft is also creating a team to work on web services and Windows experiences with a focus on AI-based offerings. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pavan, Panos Panay, Davuluri, Rajesh Jha, Redmond, Satya Nadella, Yuvraj Malik, Stephen Nellis, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Panay, Washington, Bengaluru, San Francisco

☆ Microsoft product chief Panos Panay is leaving the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, talks about Windows 11 at the Windows 11 launch event that was streamed live on June 24, 2021. Microsoft's product chief, Panos Panay, will leave the software and hardware maker, executive vice president Rajesh Jha told employees on Monday. The shakeup represents a changing of the guard after more than a decade of sales of Microsoft's Surface PCs, which Panay has presented to consumers at company events. Team,After nearly 20 years at the company, Panos Panay has decided to leave Microsoft. Best,RajeshWATCH: The Microsoft Surface Go is a good computer, but a very bad tablet

Persons: Panos Panay, Panos, Rajesh Jha, Yusuf Mehdi, Satya Nadella, Mehdi, Charles Simonyi, Jha, I've, I'm, Pavan Davuluri, Brett Ostrum, Nino Storniolo, Linda Averett, Ken Pan, Ralf Groene, Aidan Marcuss, Carlos Picoto, Stevie Bathiche, Robin Seiler, Ruben Caballero, Anuj, Shilpa Ranganathan, Jeff Johnson, Ali Akgun, Mikhail Parakhin, Terri Chudzik, Erin Kolb, Mike Davidson, Let's, Rajesh Organizations: Windows, Microsoft Locations: Panos Panay, Panay, New York

☆ Microsoft is bringing an A.I. chatbot to data analysis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Microsoft's cloud and artificial intelligence group, speaks at the Microsoft CIO Summit in Redmond, Washington, on Feb. 1, 2023. Microsoft 's hefty investment in artificial intelligence chatbots is finding its way into data analysis. For example, the data can be tapped in Synapse Data Science for collaborating on AI models and Power BI business intelligence software for building charts and dashboards. A single Copilot will be available for the tools in the Microsoft Fabric portfolio, which includes Data Factory, Synapse Data Engineering, Synapse Data Warehousing, Synapse Real-Time Analytics and a new monitoring tool called Data Activator, in addition to Power BI and Synapse Data Science, a Microsoft spokesperson said. He said that Copilot will be able to write formulas using Microsoft's Data Analysis Expressions language in Power BI.

☆ Microsoft Windows 11 update puts AI-powered Bing front and center
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

(A preview version of the AI tool remains available on a limited basis.) Last year, Microsoft unveiled several AI-powered Windows 11 features, such as quieting background noise like lawnmowers and baby cries on video calls and automatic framing so the camera follows the speaker’s movements. A look at the new Bing on Windows 11 MicrosoftThe Bing integration is just one of several notable updates coming to Windows 11. Apple users will now be able to receive iOS alerts and messages directly on their Windows 11 devices, potentially chipping away at Apple’s closed ecosystem. It’s also adding a Recent Websites feature that allows users to transfer their browser sessions from their smartphone to their Windows PC.

☆ Microsoft raised the bar for Windows PCs with its Surface computers, despite low share after a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

In 2012, the Surface with Windows RT, later named Surface RT, was more than just a touchscreen slab like Apple's iPad. The inaugural Surface, the Surface RT running Windows RT, boasted clever physical attributes. Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro Source: Microsoft.comIn 2013 Microsoft brought out the Surface RT's more expensive and more powerful sibling, the Surface Pro. He bought a Surface Pro 3 and then a Surface Pro 7. If someone buys the Surface Pro 7 for a good price, he'll upgrade to the Surface Pro 9, which has a larger display.

☆ Microsoft insiders describe a leadership vacuum in its metaverse unit as its gigantic US Military contract fell short in its latest test: 'The devices would have gotten us killed'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

While "Alex needed to go," insiders say, the mixed reality unit split up after his exit and left a leadership vacuum. In June, Microsoft's Mixed Reality unit — responsible for the HoloLens goggles and other nascent metaverse projects — saw a huge shakeup. Now, months later, Microsoft insiders say the company's metaverse and mixed reality ambitions remain uncertain amid canceled projects, budget cuts, a struggling contract with the United States military, and lack of leadership. One insider said that there's "no roadmap to speak of" for HoloLens as Microsoft instead focuses on the Army contract. Mixed reality teams have already seen significant cuts to their expenses.

☆ What to know about the latest Windows 11 update
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nearly one year after Microsoft launched its flagship Windows 11, the tech giant has officially rolled out its first major update to the operating system. The update, which is available for free for current Windows 11 users, was released in more than 190 countries on Tuesday. “Our work is never done to ensure Windows evolves and adapts to you.”Panay, who said Windows 11 is the most used version of Windows in its history, detailed how the latest update aims to make remote work on the PC even easier and more secure. Microsoft calls Windows 11 the most secure version of the operating system yet. Users with eligible devices can simply get the update by opening “Windows Update” in their settings.

☆ Microsoft starts rolling out Windows 11 update with video editor and Start menu folders
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft on Tuesday said it's starting to release the first major update to Windows 11, the current version of its PC operating system. But the company is delivering only one sizable update to Windows each year, compared with two per year for Windows 10, the predecessor to Windows 11. Among versions of Windows, Windows 10 remains the most popular, with about 72% share, according to data collected by privately held StatCounter. But Windows 11, first released in October 2021, is growing in popularity, with 13% share in August, up from 2.6% in January. Alternatively, you can click "More recommendations" to see additional suggested files in the Start menu.

☆ Tom Brady smashed another Surface tablet during a game. A Microsoft exec jokes that it 'should be just fine.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Star NFL quarterback Tom Brady broke another Surface tablet during Sunday's game. Brady said the NFL warned him last year against breaking any more tablets after his first outburst. The star Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback smashed one of the devices in frustration during Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. Microsoft's product chief Panos Panay, who oversees the Surface tablet development, joked in an Instagram story on Sunday that the tablet "should be just fine." This isn't the first time Brady has broken a Surface tablet, which NFL teams have used on the sidelines to review plays for nearly a decade.

n cadrul celui mai recent eveniment Microsoft, gigantul din Redmond a dezvăluit următoarea versiune a sistemului de operare Windows. Aceasta va fi intitulată Windows 11 și va veni la pachet cu modificări substanțiale de funcționalitate și interfață comparativ cu bătrânul Windows 10. Cel mai mare handicap al sistemelor de operare Microsoft și motivul principal pentru Windows on ARM nu a fost atât de popular a ținut întotdeauna de aplicații. Windows 11 va rula nativ aplicații de Android pe care le vei descărca din magazinul virtual incorporat în sistemul de operare, Microsoft Store. Opțional, îți vei putea descărca aplicații și din Amazon App Store.

Organizations: Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Store, Amazon App, Intel Bridge, Intel, AMD Locations: Amazon

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