“Microsoft Monday” takes a look back at the past week of news related to Microsoft. This week, “Microsoft Monday” includes details about Microsoft opening a tech center in Detroit, Outlook for iOS receiving add-ins, rumors about the "Windows Cloud" operating system, Satya Nadella discussing his personal immigration experiences and much more!
Microsoft To Open A Tech Center In Downtown Detroit
Microsoft has plans to open a 40,000 square foot Technical Center in downtown Detroit at One Campus Martius, a building owned by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert. The announcement was made by Microsoft and Bedrock LLC.
According to Crains, at least 165 Microsoft employees will be moving to the downtown Detroit tech center. Microsoft's employees will be moving from an existing technical center located in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan -- which was opened around 30 years ago.
"Microsoft, like many tech companies in Detroit and around the country, recognizes that being located in downtown Detroit is great for business," said Gilbert in a press release. "Today's tech talent wants to work and live in urban cores. Not only will the Microsoft Technology Center provide a much-needed resource for Detroit-based businesses, its presence will also connect Detroiters with a wider global network."
Microsoft Outlook For iOS Receives Add-In Software Update
Microsoft has updated the Outlook app for iOS to support third party add-ins. Some of the third party add-ins that have been integrated into Outlook for iOS includes Evernote, Giphy, Nimble, Trello and Smartsheet.
Office 365 subscribers can start using the third party add-ins now. And the rest of the Outlook.com users will be able to use the third party add-ins soon, according to The Verge.
You will be able to activate a third party add-in by tapping on its respective icon while reading emails on Outlook. For example, tapping on the Trello icon will allow you to add any email as a project card. Tapping on the Evernote icon will allow you to clip emails. And tapping on the Giphy icon will show you some animated GIF options.
Microsoft is also going to open up third party add-ins to a larger pool of developers so there should be many more options in the future. Microsoft is expected to roll out third party add-ins for Outlook on Android soon.
Rumor: “Windows Cloud” Could Be Microsoft's Response To The Google Chrome Operating System
Microsoft is reportedly going to release a new operating system known as “Windows Cloud.” Hints of the Windows Cloud operating system were referenced in system files in the latest Windows 10 Insider build.
Specifically, the names “Windows Cloud” and “Windows Cloud N” were referenced in Windows 10 Insider Build 15002 — which was revealed by Twitter user Walking Cat. The “N” version might be designated for European countries. Rumor has it that Windows 10 Cloud will be revealed in April.
PCWorld speculates that it is an operating system that can run Microsoft’s Universal apps. And Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet suggested that “Windows Cloud” might be the return of the Windows RT operating system. Windows RT was the operating system that was integrated in the original Surface tablet and the Surface 2, but its limitations did not resonate well with consumers.
Hypothetically, devices powered by Windows Cloud could be Microsoft’s response to the Google Chrome operating system, which is used on Google Chromebook laptops. According to a study by Futuresource, over half the classrooms in the U.S. utilize Chromebooks and that is a market that Microsoft is competing for. Since Windows RT did not resonate well with consumers, it might be possible that Windows Cloud will be in limited availability.
Last week, Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly published an article about Windows Cloud — which included leaked screenshots. In the article Kelly pointed out that if you attempt to run standard desktop apps on Windows Cloud, then you will see a warning message that says: “The app you’re trying to run isn’t designed for this version of Windows.”
Microsoft Offers Second Multibillion Bond Offering In Six Months
According to USA Today, Microsoft is offering a $17 billion bond offering which allows the Redmond giant to cut its borrowing rates on its second multibillion note in the last six months. Interestingly, Microsoft ended up receiving at least twice as many orders as it had bonds to sell. And Bloomberg reported "the longest portion of the offering, which generally refinanced debt maturing soon, was a $2 billion, 40-year bond with a 4.5 percent coupon that yields 1.4 percentage points above Treasuries." The proceeds of the sale will be used to refinance the commercial paper it sold to support the $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn.
Microsoft keeps a vast majority of its cash overseas at about $116.3 billion, which would be taxed at 35% if Microsoft were to bring it back. That is why Microsoft has been utilizing debt markets for acquisitions and stock buybacks.
Satya Nadella Discusses His Own Immigration Personal Experiences
When President Donald Trump signed an immigration order that blocked Muslims across seven Middle Eastern countries with valid visas and green cards from entering the U.S., there were mass protests at major airports including Seattle, San Francisco and Detroit. And many technology company executives spoke out against the order. Recently Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that there is "no place for bias or bigotry in any society” and he discussed his own immigration story.
Nadella immigrated from India to the U.S. in order to study computer science. “It is the ingenuity of the American technology that reached me where I was growing up that even made it possible for me to dream of being able to be part of this journey,” said Nadella in a statement. “It is the enlightened immigration policy of this country that even made it possible for me to come here in the first place, and gave me all this opportunity.”
President Donald Trump is also reportedly going to prepare a new executive order that would negatively affect individuals seeking work-visa programs in order to work at companies such as Microsoft and Google. Here is the full letter that Nadella wrote about the immigration order:
“I always come back to two things. One is the enduring principles and values that drive us as a company, that have made us and this country what it is, and my own personal story.
There is no place for bias or bigotry in any society, in any context. That’s where we start from. We will always as a company stand for that diversity and inclusion. And we’ll keep pushing at it, pushing at it, and making progress. That’s core to who we are. That I believe is core to what America is.
I mean, think about it, I am a product of the fundamental greatness of the United States. It is the ingenuity of the American technology that reached me where I was growing up that even made it possible for me to dream of being able to be part of this journey. It is the enlightened immigration policy of this country that even made it possible for me to come here in the first place, and gave me all this opportunity.
And so I always think about that. I will always advocate for that America that I know and that I’ve experienced.
And we will do that consistently. We’re not going to overreact because of any one incident, but we will always stand for what we believe are these enduring principles that really are going to be about us as a company, but also recognizing that we’re a multinational company that is an American company.”
Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer Brad Smith has asked the Trump administration for an “exception process” in regards to the immigration order. The exception process would be designated as a “Responsible Known Travelers with Pressing Needs” rule so that visa holders from the seven countries listed in the order who have families in the U.S. would not be separated.
Smith said that 76 Microsoft employees holding non-immigrant visas were affected by the immigration order, of which 41 have dependents. It's worth pointing out that the order includes a provision that allows the Department of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to issue visas and entry permissions when in regards to national interest and on a case-by-case basis.
Microsoft HoloLens Will Not Be Available For A While
Microsoft HoloLens, the augmented reality headset, was announced more than two years ago. However, a commercial version of the HoloLens will not be available for a while. Fortunately HoloLens creator Alex Kipman said that there are plans to release a commercial version of the augmented reality headset at some point.
“You have to reduce the price point until it's affordable to the majority of the populous of Earth, which will be under a $1,000 and then some to get there,” said Kipman via CNET. Microsoft also wants to make the HoloLens a comfortable experience before releasing it.
Microsoft Is Reportedly Phasing Out The Surface 3
Microsoft is likely going to completely phase out the Surface 3 device soon. This means that the Surface line would just include the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book — which were released in late 2015. Microsoft no longer sells the Surface 3 in the Microsoft Store and its product page redirects to the Surface Pro 4.
And the Redmond giant hinted that new Surface hardware would be released later this year. Rumor has it that we will see successors to the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book in the spring (sometime between March and June). The “Surface Pro 5” and “Surface Book 2” is expected to have Kaby Lake processors and 4K resolution, according to Softpedia.
Microsoft Monday includes seven days worth of updates from the Redmond-based software giant. What are your thoughts about the “Microsoft Monday” news from this week? Please leave a comment!
