Nearing the
half-year mark as CEO, Satya Nadella issues a call for change. But he
tells CNET News, one thing that won't change is the future of Xbox at
Microsoft.
Microsoft CEO Satya NadellaIn case you still had any doubt, it's no longer Steve Ballmer's Microsoft.
Nearly six months into his tenure, CEO Satya Nadella issued a broad-brushed call for change at Microsoft in a 3,100-word note he sent to employees Thursday morning urging the rank-and-file to improve the corporate culture and "obsess" over customers.
Although
his memo did not offer specifics, Nadella also promised that Microsoft
would "flatten the organization" while creating "leaner business
processes."
That's for another day. More immediately, think of
this as Nadella's most visible attempt to publicly stamp the direction
of the company he began leading last February.
"I used this as a
good opportunity for me to just mark the passing of one fiscal year
into the next and make sense of the changes," Nadella said in an
interview with CNET, during which he described the need for Microsoft to
redefine, if not expand, the concept of user productivity.
"The
real emphasis for us is what's our soul and contribution in this
mobile-first, cloud-first world. And that's where redefining
productivity and rethinking platforms is a core sensibility we have,"
he said, adding that he wants Microsoft to think about it more
ambitiously.
"At the end of the day, it's all about culture -- you
kind of eat your strategy for lunch if you don't have a culture that
reinforces what you want to have done," he said.
The following is an edited transcript of the interview. Q: I think you missed your true profession. You wrote one hell of a lead, as we say in journalism.Satya
Nadella: I want the least number of decision makers. We want to empower
people to get more things done and also give permission to question
orthodoxy. So it's not about being static, or here are a few changes and
that's it. I want us to be able to say, "Look we can change. And we
should change and don't be beholden to any of our past." Because the
nature of work is changing.
At
the core of the products we build, I want to think about productivity
centered around people. I don't want to think about OneDrive and
OneDrive for Business as two things. I want the system to think about it
on behalf of me. There are some documents that are my personal
documents that should go to OneDrive; there are documents that are Word
documents that should go to OneDrive for Business. That should all be
quote-unquote, auto-magic. That's the kind of innovation we should be
able to contribute to, and that's what we're pursuing Your note also seems to be a declaration that Xbox isn't going anywhere, that it's staying with Microsoft?Nadella:
I wanted to be very, very explicit about how a large company -- and a
successful, large company -- like ourselves can have a core and should,
in fact, have a core and also have ambition to do a few other things
where we can have high impact. And to me, I'm so glad to have Xbox as a
franchise, especially at a time when gaming is becoming even more
important -- as a digital life category and in the mobile world. The
most time spent? Games. The most money spent? Games. Xbox is one of the
most revered, loved brands in games. I look at that and say I want that
team to be super ambitious about gaming...It doesn't matter that it's
not core to productivity. In fact, there's so much technology transfer
that actually happens. Take all the speech recognition that we have in
Skype. It came because of Kinect on Xbox. But that's not the reason that
I'm in Xbox. We're in Xbox because we want to win in gaming, delight
customers in gaming, and want to grow that fan base. I wanted to make
that explicit because I think it's OK for a large company like ours to
be proud of things where we are having a high impact outside of the
core. Are you still thinking over whether to keep Bing?Nadella:
Bing to me is a core part of task completion and productivity...A lot
has happened underneath Bing where a lot of Bing technology is now a
significant part of a lot of what we do in Azure and Office 365, so
that's what I wanted to reference (talking about it) as part of the
core. You're coming up on six months on the job. I think a
lot of people would be curious to know: What's been your biggest
surprise so far?Nadella: The thing that I've found is this
hunger for being clear on what is it that is our soul, our core, and
that unique contribution and sense of purpose that we can make -- and
have a bold ambition around it. There were a lot of things. It's not as
if we're suddenly doing things completely differently. But the cool
thing is, I love the fact that people are getting galvanized and much
more clear about "Oh wow, yeah that's right; we can think about
platforms and productivity differently." We should not, in fact, think
about our own efforts in fractured ways, but let's put the user in the
center and bring things together so that we harmonize it for the user.
We
have a lot of work ahead of us. At the end of the day, I'm not a
believer in memos but a believer, obviously, in products that draw
inspiration from what we said we would do. And I see good progress in
the last six months about work that was started even before I started as
CEO . That's been good, and now I'm feeling great about our pipeline. What's your sense: Do you think Microsoft's ahead or behind in each of the categories where the company operates?Nadella: Think about it. We're 39 years old and here we are on Techmeme
every day, every week. There's something right about this place. How
does one be relevant in such a broad way across digital life and digital
work? There are so many new competitors. In my own 22 years at
Microsoft, I started competing with Novell and Lotus. It's just
different. Now we have new competitors. It's great. I have a lot of
respect for these new competitors. Some places we're ahead, some we're
behind -- but we're in it. We're in the mix. And we're a profitable
company. So I'll take our hand any day of the week. But at the same
time, like I always say, this industry has no respect for any past. So I
want us to be on our toes and forward-looking and aggressive and
ambitious. But I feel it's our time when it comes to thinking broadly
and ambitiously about productivity and platforms.
The GoodWhile minor, the small upgrade to the stock CPU in Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air results in improved performance. The multitouch trackpad is still the industry's best, and even better, the 13-inch Air now starts at $999, which is $100 less than the previous model.
The Bad Newer features such as touchscreens and higher-resolution displays are still missing. The ultrabook competition is catching up, in terms of design.
The Bottom LineIf you own a MacBook Air from the past couple of years there's really no need to upgrade, but a small spec bump and minor price cut make the most-current Air even more attractive.
The now-familiar MacBook Air hasn't seen a design overhaul in several generations, and the small update to the 13-inch and 11-inch models released in April 2014 does nothing to change that.
The current MacBook Air models differ from the 2013 versions in that the base model uses a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5, an upgrade from the previous 1.3GHz processor. More significantly, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air now starts at $899 (from $999) in the US and at £749 (from £849) in the UK, while the 13.3-inch version now drops to $999 (from $1,099) in the US and to £849 (from £949) in the UK. List prices in Australia are AU$1,099 for the 11-inch and AU$1,199 for the 13-inch model.
We've tested the new 2014 versions, and found their performance to be slightly improved. (Some have seen different results, owing to Apple using SSDs from multiple manufacturers in Airs, but our tests all fall in line with expectations from this small CPU uptick.) There's certainly no reason to upgrade if you have last year's MacBook Air. Instead, the price cut is the big news here, making this an even more viable option for midprice laptop shoppers.
While the lower price is a plus, the lack of significant performance improvement and the static physical design remind us that the Air is overdue for a more radical overhaul. Balancing out those two factors, our rating remains the same, and the remainder of this review is essentially unchanged from the 2013 version. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs are still universally useful laptops that are largely frustration-free, but that also lack some of the latest bells and whistles (edge-to-edge glass, touchscreens, higher display resolutions) you may be looking for.
Like the 2013 Air, this model has an Intel Haswell-generation CPU, and also Intel's improved HD5000 graphics. It's still not anything like having a discrete GPU, as in the 15-inch Retina Pro , but with game services such as Steam and EA's Origin now being Mac-compatible, it may make some small inroads for OS X gaming.
The 2013 Air also added 802.11ac Wi-Fi , a new standard that will slowing working its way into wireless routers, as well as Apple's AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule hardware. If you have an 802.11n router, which is a much more likely scenario, this may not help you, but it's a nice piece of future-proofing.
Battery life remains a big selling point, and when you consider the cost of the base model has come down from $1,199 to $999 in two years, the 13-inch MacBook Air is, despite not being the newest design on the block, still one of the most universally useful laptops you can buy.
PC GEEKBOX
Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, 2014)
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2014)
Lenovo Yoga 2 (13-inch)
Price as reviewed
$899
$999
$899
Display size/resolution
11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 screen
13.3-inch 1,440 x 900 screen
13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 touch screen
PC CPU
1.4GHz Intel Core i5 4260U
1.4GHz Intel Core i5 4260U
1.6GHz Intel Core i5 4200
PC Memory
4GB 1,600MHZ DDR3 SDRAM
4GB 1,600MHZ DDR3 SDRAM
4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz
Graphics
1,536MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 5000
1,536MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 5000
1,792MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 4400
Storage
128GB SSD
128GB SSD
500GB+16GD SSHD
Optical drive
None
None
None
Networking
802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system
OSX 10.9.3 Mavericks
OSX 10.9.3 Mavericks
Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
Design and features
The MacBook Air keeps the same external look as the previous couple of generations, a look that still rivals the newest ultrabooks, although some systems, such as Sony's Vaio Pro line , are getting thinner and lighter without sacrificing much in the way of productivity.
Both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the MacBook Air still have the same thickness, ranging from 0.11-inch to 0.68-inch. Spread over the larger footprint of the 13-inch chassis, the 13-inch version still feels satisfyingly thin.
The Vaio Pro 13 next to the 13-inch MacBook Air.
As with previous versions, the rigid aluminum construction makes the Air feel sturdy enough to just throw it in a bag and carry it along with you without a protective case or sleeve, and it's interesting to contrast the aluminum unibody construction here with the lighter carbon fiber in the aforementioned Vaio Pro. I'd still trust the Air and its unyielding lid more in a throw-in-your-luggage field test.
The backlit keyboard and trackpad are the same as on the previous models, and the trackpad especially remains the standard by which all others are judged. Many other laptop makers have moved to larger clickpad-style touchpads, but we have yet to find a touchpad that comes close to this for multitouch gestures. The pad is again hinged at the top, allowing the entire pad to click down, and we strongly suggest going into the Preferences menu and turning on all of the tapping options for further ease of use.
It will be interesting to see how Apple's user interfaces develop in the face of bothWindows 8, which tries (not always successfully) to reinvent the entire concept of working with a computer OS, and the upcoming OS X Mavericks update . For now, flicking around with three-and-four-finger gestures on the MacBook trackpad remains the most seamless way to swap between windows and applications, at least in my experience.
Unlike the 11-inch MacBook Air, the 13-inch screen is still not a 16:9 display. The screen area also lacks the edge-to-edge glass over a black bezel found in theMacBook Pro; instead the screen is, as in previous years, surrounded by a thick silver bezel.
On the positive side, the native resolution of the display is 1,440x900 pixels, which is slightly better than the 1,366x768 you find in many 13-inch laptops, although even midpriced models are quickly switching over to 1,600x900 or even 1,920x1,080, and premium systems are adding higher-than-HD displays.
Samsung's latest Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S, takes direct aim at the iPad with units that are both thinner and lighter -- despite offering larger screen sizes -- for the same price as Apple's iconic tablets.
The new Samsung models add to the already dizzying array of tablets from the Korean giant available at different price points, sizes, and across two different product lines: the consumer-focused Galaxy Tab and the more productivity/business oriented Note line, which includes a stylus.
And while all new tablets always come out of the gate with the iPad in their sights, the Galaxy Tab S seems to have a leg up on its earlier Samsung siblings, at least from a specs and value perspective.
Same price as the iPad, but thinner and lighter
The Galaxy Tab S comes in two colors -- Titanium Bronze and Dazzling White -- and two sizes, a smaller 8.4-inch model and a larger 10.5-incher. Due to ship in early July, they'll retail for $399.99 (£349 ) and $499.99 (£449) respectively.
Prices sound familiar? Yes, the iPad Mini Retina (16GB) starts at $399 while the entry-level Air (16GB) goes for $499. The shape and screen sizes of the iPads don't correspond exactly to the two Tab S slates, which have a widescreen format, but they're in the ballpark.
Both Tab S models measure 6.6mm thin.
The Tab S models weigh slightly less than their iPad counterparts, with the Tab S 8.4 coming in at 10 ounces or 294 grams (compared to the Mini Retina's 331 grams) while the Tab 10.5 tops the scales at right around a pound (465 grams), or 4 grams less than what the iPad Air weighs.
Thickness? The Tab S measures in at measly 6.6mm compared to the iPads' 7.5mm. And I can tell you that both Tab S models feel very slim in hand - just as the iPads do - and share some of the same design elements as the Galaxy S5, most notably the dimpled back, which has its supporters and detractors (I happen to like it).
First AMOLED tablet displayBeyond the operating systems -- the Tab S runs Samsung's version of Android 4.4 (KitKat) -- there are differences, of course, and Samsung is highlighting them, even it never mentions the iPad or Apple by name. That's kind of weird, but it's very Samsung to do battle with an enemy that's quite visible yet invisible at the same time.
The biggest talking point -- or selling point if you buy into Samsung's marketing -- is the Tab S's display. It's the first Super AMOLED display to appear on a Samsung tablet and it's the first thing that stands out when you pick up the devices.
Its 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) equates to 2x HD or 2K TV (as opposed to 4K TV). The iPad Air, by comparison, has a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution with 264ppi density, so you'll be hard-pressed see any difference in sharpness. But AMOLED is known for having deeper blacks (higher contrast ratios) and richer colors. Samsung says the Tab S has a 100,000:1 contrast ration, which is 100x greater than traditional LCD displays.
Samsung says its new AMOLED display offers deeper blacks and richer colors.
In my brief hands-on time with the products, I wasn't able to whip out an iPad to compare it to the Tab S, but that AMOLED display does have plenty of pop to it, and the short video demos I watched looked impressive. (Samsung says the number one thing people do with their tablets is watch video, followed by surfing the Web and social networking).
Samsung wouldn't let me take the tablet outside, but it says its "advanced outdoor visibility technology makes on-screen content look bright, natural, and easy to view." The display is also "adaptive" and will adjust to certain lighting conditions and applications, just like the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone. A few different "professional" manual presets are available, too, including AMOLED Cinema and AMOLED Photo.
Battery life is rated at 11 hours of continuous video watching (for both tablets), which again, is slightly better than the iPad's rated battery life of 10 hours of continuous video watching.
There's an 8 megapixel back camera with flash.
To help manage battery life, the Tab S runs on Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa, an octa-core mobile CPU that splits duties between a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor and 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. We're still trying to track down exactly what flavor Exynos 5 Octa is in Tab S, but it does not appear to be a 64-bit chip (the iPad Air runs on the 64-bit A7 chip).
All that said, in my short trial, the Tab S felt zippy and it does support simple multitasking (Samsung refers to it as multiwindow, where two apps share the screen at the same time), a feature currently available on the Galaxy S5 smartphone. Samsung was also highlighting SideSync 3.0, which allows you to connect the Tab S to your Galaxy S5 (via WiFi Direct) to transfer files and make calls from your tablet using your S5 as a conduit.
Expandable memory Like the iPad, the Galaxy Tab S base models come with 16GB of built-in memory (and 3GB of RAM). In fact, that's the only memory configuration that will be available at launch, but if there's one key difference between the Tab S and the iPad, it's that the Tab S has a microSD card slot for adding memory -- it accepts cards up to 128GB. That makes memory expansion is much more affordable.
I didn't get a chance to take any pictures with the tablets, but you do get an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (with flash) and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. I was told the Wi-Fi is 802.11 a/b/g/n with dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO and there'll be forthcoming versions with a 4G LTE cellular data option (add $100 or £100 for the 4G LTE models).
Samsung's SideSync 3.0 feature.
In terms of extras, you get some stuff you may or may not want. The one hardware extra is a fingerprint scanner, the very same one found on the Galaxy S5. However, there's no tap-to-pair NFC technology (I don't find it to be a terribly useful, but some people do).
Samsung has also included a Tab S-optimized version of its "free" music service Milk and itsPapergarden, a magazine subscription marketplace (as you might expect, Samsung says the content is both tailored to and designed to look good on the Tab S's AMOLED display).
For better or worse, Galaxy Gifts, a service that hawks promotions from entertainment, productivity, and news providers, is also part of the Galaxy ecosystem, and on the Tab S it includes one-year free of Gogo In-flight Wi-Fi access (up to 36 segments), a 12-month subscription to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 6-month trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington post, 3-month subscription to The New York Times, 3 months free Sirius XM Radio, and 3 months free subscription to Audible. This is another carry-over from the Galaxy S5 phone.
Two different sizes and colors.
Accessories One thing Samsung seems to have learned from Apple is that when you launch a tablet, it's important to have some accessories for it out of the gate. As you might suspect, the Tab S works with the Gear 2(Samsung talked a lot of about seamless connectivity with other Galaxy devices). But consumers will also get to choose between three slim covers: the Simple Cover, Book Cover, and Keyboard Cover.
What's interesting about the Simple and Book covers is that literally snap onto the tablet. The Book cover has a built-in magnet and folds into a stand with three angles to choose from.
The Tab S in its Keyboard Case.(with other cases in the background).
I got a chance to play around a bit with the keyboard cover and it seems pretty nice. It's customized for the Tab S and share the same design themes, including the dimpled back. It had a solid feel to it and the keyboard was laid out nicely.
I only saw the three covers, but apparently Samsung will also be serving up a standalone Bluetooth keyboard, S Action Mouse, USB LAN Hub, a power saving cable and portable battery packs. (SeeSamsung debuts Galaxy Tab S cover accessories and Bluetooth keyboard for more info.)
Final first thoughts When you sort through all the "special" features and marketing messages, what you're left with is a slickly designed, zippy Android tablet with a very nice screen and an expansion port for additional memory.
While the Galaxy Tab S doesn't have the iPad's aluminum unibody design, it does manage to come across as a premium tablet, though not necessarily as premium as the iPad.
The question, of course, is how the screen truly stacks up against the iPad's (we'll be doing comprehensive comparisons as soon as we get our review samples). It may very well come out the winner, but for me anyway, beyond the screen, the Tab S's biggest selling point is its expandable memory option. For about $35 more, you'll be able to turn the Tab S into an 80GB tablet, for a total of $435 or $535. Last I checked, the 64GB iPad Air cost a whopping $699.
The good:The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is a faster, longer-battery-life version of the original model, upgraded with a current-gen Haswell processor. The keyboard cover is also improved with backlit keys, and is among the best tablet accessories ever devised.
The bad:The Surface Pro 2 remains stubbornly thick and heavy compared with some sleeker competitors. The base 64GB version may leave you starved for storage, and the keyboard cover, practically required, should be included instead of sold separately.
The bottom line:Microsoft's subtly updated Windows 8.1 tablet feels more like Surface Pro 1.5 -- improved battery life and better accessories make it a worthwhile (albeit pricey) laptop replacement, but it's still not an iPad-level category killer.
