Microsoft is bringing its brand new Edge browser to macOS “soon,” but you don’t have to wait any longer to get your hands on an early version.
Both Canary and Developer builds are now available to Mac users. You won’t want to use them for everyday browsing, but they’re great for getting an early taste of Edge ahead of its official debut.
Office subscriptions have been a massive boost for Microsoft. Photo: Microsoft
Apple’s old frenemy Microsoft officially joined the $1 trillion club yesterday, taking its place alongside Apple and Amazon as public companies which have passed the $1 trillion market cap.
While its closing price brought it back down to $990 billion, it still finished the day ahead of Apple $968 billion. This came after Microsoft reported that revenue grew 14% in the last quarter.
Microsoft unveiled its vision for the future of collaborative computing today and if your business wants in on the action, it won’t be cheap.
The Windows-maker’s newest PC is giant touchscreen that can be wheeled around from meeting room to meeting room, allowing everyone in the office to work together on one display. There’s a 50-inch model that is set to come out in June, but the company also teased an ungodly 85-inch version of the Microsoft Surface Hub 2 that will come down the pipeline in the future.
Forza Street takes racers to Miami. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft is bringing one of the world’s best racing franchises to iOS. Forza Street features the iconic vehicles you know and love, with one-minute races designed to be enjoyed anywhere.
It will be free-to-play when it lands later this year.
A previous Microsoft prank resurrected MS-DOS on mobile. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft has banned employees from participating in April Fools’ Day pranks.
The stunts “have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles,” an internal memo explains. This comes just days after Microsoft resurrected Clippy, the famous Office assistant, only to remove it a day later.
Microsoft might see the Mac as a threat to its Windows platform, but that won’t stop it from protecting macOS users. The company’s Defender anti-virus software, previously a Windows exclusive, has made the leap to Apple.
Defender comes in a limited preview for now, and businesses will get it first.
This could be a game changer. Literally. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft’s Xbox Live network is officially making its way onto iOS and Android.
The company revealed today that it is launching a new SDK that will allow mobile developers to add Xbox Live functionality to their games, giving gamers the ability to score achievements on the go.
Visit your favorite foreign sites in Microsoft Edge. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Microsoft Edge for iOS now boasts instant web page translation.
The feature lets you visit your favorite foreign sites and enjoy them in your native tongue. It also gives you the option to quickly switch back to the site’s original language with little effort.
Apple acquisition meant that Shazam turned a profit in 2018 Photo: Apple
Apple has pulled all but one third-party SDK from Shazam in its latest update.
The move wipes out analytics firms, ad networks, open-source projects, and more — including Google AdMob, Facebook Ads, Amazon Ads, and DoubleClick. Only HockeyApp, a Microsoft platform for beta testing, is still available.
Tim Cook likes his currency the old-fashioned way. Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is back to being the world’s most valuable publicly traded company once again.
The company’s stock price has been rising steadily since Apple revealed its first earnings of 2019 last month. Worried investors ditched the stock at the beginning of the year due to slumping iPhone sales, but it just passed Amazon and Microsoft today, putting Apple back on top.
Apple was back at the top of the mountain yesterday! Photo: Apple
For a long time, Apple stock was predictable in the way that 1980s Mike Tyson was predictable: steamrolling through challengers as it firmly held onto its status as all-conquering champion.
That changed last year as Apple’s market cap fell behind Amazon, Google, and even old rival Microsoft. But yesterday, for a few moments, it climbed back to the top of the mountain as the world’s most valuable company once again. For a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, that is!
Controller support is better than ever. Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac
Microsoft is gearing up to release a software development kit that will allow Android and iOS developers to integrate Xbox Live features into their games.
The SDK, which will be officially confirmed by Microsoft next month, will also be available to Nintendo Switch developers. It will make Microsoft the first console-maker to open up its platform to third-party systems.
Take a deep dive into one of the most powerful applications for business and number-crunching. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Excel is one of the most commonly used programs in workplaces around the world. And with good reason: Microsoft’s spreadsheet software is an immensely powerful tool for tracking and analyzing data at a massive scale.
Whether you already use Excel, or want to get started, the tips in this educational bundle will prove priceless.
Your favorite apps could soon be available on any Apple device. Photo: Apple
Just as expected, the Microsoft Office 365 suite is now available to download from the Mac App Store.
The bundle includes six apps — including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — each of which can also be downloaded individually. They are free to obtain, but you’ll need a subscription to unlock even basic features in most of them.
Microsoft Office 365 is nearing its Mac App Store debut.
Apple has already begun promoting the suite, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, in several countries around the world, while Microsoft has published a new support document that explains how to activate Office from the Mac App Store.
Apple is now behind where it was at the start of the year. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has done a whole lot in 2018 but, from a stock price perspective, none of it matters. That’s because Apple’s declining stock price means that the company has now officially lost money this year.
AAPL finished 2017 at $169.23. At time of writing, it is trading at $164.48. Overall, it’s now down around 1 percent year-on-year. In the process, it’s fallen behind some major rivals.
Apple may be the cooler company, but Microsoft's where the money is. Photo: Microsoft
If you’d had the foresight to invest in Apple and Microsoft back when they first went public, it’s no secret that you’d be sitting on a big old pile of cash today.
But which company would have made you more money? CNBC recently crunched the numbers and, well, the results are somewhat surprising.
Think twice about buying your little ones an iPad for Christmas. Once they reach a certain age, Apple’s tablet just isn’t good enough, according to a new Microsoft holiday ad.
The hilarious 30-second clip features a young girl singing about all the reasons why the Surface Go is a better option. It suggests the iPad is a toy — not a “real computer” that’s fit for work.
iCloud is fixed for Windows 10 users. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple has updated its iCloud client for Windows to restore syncing with the Windows 10 October 2018 update.
Microsoft’s most recent release prevented iCloud for Windows from being installed or syncing for many users. The company actually halted its rollout for iCloud users as a result.
But that does't mean it can't happen in the near future. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
A number of news outlets reported over the weekend that Microsoft briefly overtook Apple as the most valuable U.S. company. This followed several weeks of precipitous declines for Apple, which has seen billions of dollars wiped off its market cap.
In fact, Apple continues to lead Microsoft with a valuation of $817.6 billion to Microsoft’s $791 billion. The incorrect reports were caused by confusion about Apple’s number of outstanding shares, used to calculate market cap. Microsoft is definitely getting closer, though!
If only all text was so easy to translate. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Today we’re going to make a Siri Shortcut that takes any text, converts it into English, and copies it to the clipboard. Never again will you have to struggle with a foreign menu on a web page, or a snippet of text from a non-English news site.
There are a few ways to translate text and websites on iOS, but this shortcut has two big advantages: It’s really, really fast, and it automatically copies the result to the clipboard. If you ever used the otherwise-excellent Microsoft Translate share extension, you will already be sick of having to manually select the result in a tiny window, and then use the share sheet again just to copy it.
Find your Sticky Notes inside the OneNote app. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft is bringing Sticky Notes to your iPhone and iPad. You will be able to use them inside OneNote to quickly jot down notes and reminders on the go, and you’ll be able to sync notes from Windows to iOS.
Project xCloud won't require powerful hardware. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft plans to start streaming high-end games to your iPhone, iPad, and other devices.
Its new service, dubbed “Project XCloud,” will remove the need for dedicated games consoles and pricey PCs — but you’ll have to wait until next year just to trial it.