So that’s what those unannounced visits by Chinese government officials to Microsoft offices were about.
According to Reuters, the State Administration for Industry & Commerce, a Chinese regulatory body, is investigating Microsoft for monopolistic practices related to Windows. The Chinese government has seized Microsoft documentation, emails, and other information. However, it’s unclear what the charges are, exactly, though it’s possible that Microsoft has violated anti-piracy laws in connection with unverified documents, along with issues related to compatibility and bundling.
The SAIC’s investigation is currently ongoing, allegedly because it was unable to speak to certain Microsoft employees who were not in the country at the time. Meanwhile, Microsoft has enlisted the services of a Chinese law firm to work the case.
“Microsoft really has a dominant market position,” Zhan Hao, a Beijing-based lawyer at the Anjie Law Firm says. “People rely on it very much and its market share is very high, so this would likely lead to an abuse of its dominant market position.”
Not everyone in the Chinese-based tech business community agrees with this sentiment though.
“It’s ironic they can be accused of a monopoly in a mostly pirated operating system market, as they were criticized for ending support to mostly non-paid versions of Windows XP,” Duncan Clark, an exec with BDA says. BDA is a tech consultant firm.
Microsoft ended support for Windows XP back in April. It’s worth noting that, even though Windows XP is pirated throughout China, Microsoft reportedly partnered with Lenovo and Tencent Holdings to provide Windows XP support to users of the OS based in China.
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer once said that 95 percent of Microsoft software revenue in China was lost due to piracy.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.