Scratching the Surface
Microsoft seems to have a rare user interface hit on its hands. Called "Surface", and announced publicly in May, this was something whose business potential even Microsoft didn’t believe in – until now. Read more
Microsoft sticks to the tried and trusted
It isn’t a better search engine that will bring internet users flocking to Microsoft. It isn’t a hot social networking site, or indeed any other knock-out service that beats the rivals hands down. It is… integration.
What? Well, this is how Kevin Johnson, who runs a large part of Microsoft as head of the platforms and services group, sees it. Asked at the financial analyst meeting today how he is going to win a bigger slice of the online audience, he drew a parallel with the Office suite of applications. Stitching together a range of things online to give people a "seamless experience and deeper integration" is apparently what it’s all about. Read more
The view from Redmond
Visionary or foolhardy? Steve Ballmer clearly thinks there’s a moment when companies have to ignore what their shareholders are saying – and even what some of their customers are saying. Shareholders and customers aren’t in the long-term vision business. Read more
Camcorders for the YouTube generation
Consumer electronics companies are catching on to the quick-sharing habits of the YouTube generation, with everything from iPhones to internet televisions becoming online video enabled.
The camcorder market sees this as a major opportunity for growth. Unit sales have been stuck at around 4.7m in the US for the past few years but the Consumer Electronics Association is predicting a 20 per cent increase next year due to the growth of user-generated content on the web and high definition. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
