My have there been lots of victories and defeats in the last couple weeks. No I’m not talking about the Winter Olympics or American Idol, I’m talking about the tech industry. Three of the largest companies surrounding tech have had major changes recently, some of which went unnoticed in the shadow of other news. Google, Microsoft, and Sony have all had their own announcements, bringing both good, and bad news for smarter workers.
Google announced that it will be bringing a (very) competitively cost teleconferencing system to its product lineup. At $999.00, this setup comes with a webcam, microphone, remote, and a Chromebox running a high end Intel Core i7 processor. The product also requires a $250/yr service fee. Now this may seem pricey, but anyone who has shopped for Video Conferencing equipment knows how expensive it can be. Some units range from $4,000 to $14,000. Google hopes to fix that by offering a reasonably priced alternative. Those of you with modern offices may start seeing these very soon.
Microsoft may not be announcing new products, but they did just announce a new CEO. Satya Nadella has been chosen to replace Steve Ballmer and will take control of the company as Bill Gates is also stepping down from chairman to a mere “technology advisor.” Nadella was previously the Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. He is credited with helping fix Microsoft’s server and tools development model to a much more agile and prompt one. Last year his division accounted for over $20 billion in revenue and $8 billion in operating income. What will Nadella’s promotion mean for us? Well, no one knows for sure, but I am excited to see what he brings to the table.
Last but not least there is technology giant Sony. Unfortunately, Sony is getting a little bit smaller, as they have announced they are selling off their computer division and ceasing all PC development. Claiming “drastic changes in the global PC industry” have impacted them, Sony is now moving to a mobile development platform. They commented “the optimal solution is to concentrate its mobile product lineup on smartphones and tablets and to transfer its PC business to a new company.” Japanese investment fund “JIP” will be taking over Sony’s PC business by the end of July.
