Microsoft's Courier Tablet Is 'Astonishing'

Ipad puts Apple ahead of rival for first time since 1991

(NEWSER) - Apple's profits have outstripped Microsoft's for the first time since Extreme was topping the charts and Mark Zuckerberg was in second grade. Microsoft's revenue and profits were actually up last quarter, but Apple managed to move ahead for the first time in 20 years with a $6 billion profit on revenues of $24.7 billion, reports the Guardian , which believes this may mark a key moment in the industry. More»

Courier has been shelved

(NEWSER) - Microsoft's "iPad killer" tablet computer has been killed. The two-screen Courier device created a buzz when images of a prototype were leaked last year, but Microsoft execs say the project has now been shelved. The strong launch of the iPad may have convinced Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer to rethink entering the tablet market, Gizmodo speculates. More»

Microsoft, HP, Amazon, Lenovo launch preemptive strike

(NEWSER) - Denizens of the non-Apple world—Microsoft, HP, Lenovo, etc.—appear to be starting competition with the Mac-daddy’s rumored tablet computer before its expected unveiling later this month with a preemptive strike at the Consumer Electronics Show. But whatever the CES reveals, Apple is keeping mum. A look at what's out there:

• Microsoft, of course, has its own rumored “Courier” tablet—which the New York Times notes is a collaboration with HP—that may see the light of day tonight during Steve Ballmer’s keynote speech.

Invests $300M in Nook-based subsidiary

(NEWSER) - There's a new major player in the battle for the e-book market. Microsoft is investing $300 million in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary devoted to the bookseller's Nook e-reader plus its College division. Microsoft will have a 17.6% stake in the company (currently dubbed "Newco"), valued at $1.7 billion. The move could set a course for B&N to spin off the subsidiary as its own firm—one Microsoft could potentially buy—while possibly providing a boost to the Windows 8 tablet and Windows Phone. More»

And to think, Microsoft's new tablets are right around the corner

(NEWSER) - Cue the agonizing groans at Microsoft: Apple is planning a new entry-level iPad for later this year designed to fend off the coming barrage of Windows 8 tablets , reports Fox Business . According to a Chinese-language news site, some 6 million "iPad minis" will come out in the third quarter at a rumored price of $249 to $299. With Apple rivals already trying to cut prices, some analysts say, their tablets may never recover in the marketplace. More»