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Windows CE 2.0, the handheld version of Windows, was released this year, including a host of bug fixes and new features designed to make it more appealing to corporate customers. In 1997, Internet Explorer 4.0 was released, marking the beginning of the takeover of the browser market from rival Netscape, and by agreement with Apple, Internet Explorer was bundled with the Apple Macintosh operating system as well as with Windows. The company also released the Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, which had built-in support for internet applications. Microsoft also released the Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro joystick in an attempt to further expand its profile in the computer hardware market. On August 24, 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, a new version of the company's flagship operating system which featured a completely new user interface, including a novel start button; more than a million copies were sold in the first four days after its release. The company released Microsoft Bob, a graphical user interface designed for novice computer users, in March 1995.

2014: Windows 8, Xbox One, Outlook.com, and Surface devices

A developer preview was released on September 13, and was replaced by a consumer preview on February 29, 2012. Following the release of Windows Phone, Microsoft underwent a gradual rebranding of its product range throughout 2011 and 2012—the corporation's logos, products, services and websites adopted the principles and concepts of the Metro design language. On May 10, 2011, the company acquired Skype Technologies for US$8.5 billion (~$11.7 billion in 2024). On April 12, 2010, Microsoft launched their Kin phone line, a result of their acquisition of Danger Incorporated in 2008. On June 26, 2009, Microsoft started taking pre-orders at a discounted price for Windows 7 which was launched on October 22, 2009. During the show, Ballmer announced the first public Beta Test of Windows 7 for partners and developers on January 8, but also for the general public two days later.

2011: Microsoft Azure, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Microsoft Stores

The next update to the consumer line, Windows ME (or Windows Millennium Edition), was released on September 14, 2000. On June 15, 2000, the company released a new version of its hand-held operating system, Windows CE 3.0. The documents also alluded to legal and other actions against Linux as well as other open source software.

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• Dashboard analytics provide real-time tracking of payments and expenses, while support for multiple payment gateways and formats ensures flexibility for freelancers and SMEs.
• In November, Microsoft released the first version of their popular database software Microsoft Access.
• The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) was launched in October 2013 and Microsoft was part of the coalition of public and private organizations that also included Facebook, Intel and Google.
• On September 3, 2013, Microsoft agreed to buy Nokia’s mobile unit for $7 billion (~$9.27 billion in 2024).
• Microsoft launched its Indian headquarters as well, which would eventually become the company’s second largest after its U.S. headquarters.
• On February 17, Microsoft released an update to its business line of software in Windows 2000.

While Microsoft largely failed to participate in the rise of the Internet in the early 1990s, some of the key technologies in which the company had invested to enter the Internet market started to pay off by the mid-90s. Microsoft entered the personal digital assistant (PDA) market in November with Windows CE 1.0, a new built-from-scratch version of their flagship operating system, designed to run on low-memory, low-performance machines, such as handhelds and other small computers. In an attempt to extend its reach in the consumer market, the company acquired WebTV, which enabled consumers to access the Web from their televisions. Microsoft also launched Slate, an online magazine edited by Michael Kinsley, which offered political and social commentary along with the cartoon Doonesbury. The station was launched on July 15, 1996, to compete with similar news outlets such as CNN. The company continued to branch out into new markets in 1996, starting with a joint venture with NBC to create a new 24-hour cable news television station, MSNBC. On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft Network), as a direct competitor to AOL.

• On March 26, 2020, Microsoft announced it was acquiring Affirmed Networks for about $1.35 billion (~$1.61 billion in 2024).
• By 1989 Jerry Pournelle described Microsoft as “the Redmond giant”, citing PowerPoint’s features and “extraordinarily complete” documentation as examples of the “kind of quality that makes it difficult for small outfits to compete with” the company.
• This effectively ended the formal business partnership between Gates and Allen, which had been strained months prior due to a contentious dispute over Microsoft equity.
• On June 26, 2009, Microsoft started taking pre-orders at a discounted price for Windows 7 which was launched on October 22, 2009.
• On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft Network), as a direct competitor to AOL.
• The interface was discontinued in 1996 due to poor sales; Bill Gates later attributed its failure to hardware requirements that were too high for typical computers, and is widely regarded as one of Microsoft’s most unsuccessful products.
• When Microsoft launched several versions of Microsoft Windows in the 1990s, they had captured over 90% market share of the world’s personal computers.

present: Acquisitions, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows 11

As part of its strategy to broaden its business, Microsoft released Microsoft Encarta on March 22, 1993, the first encyclopedia designed to run on a computer. Microsoft also released Windows for Workgroups 3.11, a new version of the consumer line of Windows, and Windows NT 3.1, a server-based operating system with a similar user interface to consumer versions of the operating system, but with an entirely different kernel. In November, Microsoft released the first version of their popular database software Microsoft Access. Eventually, Microsoft Office became the dominant business suite, with a market share far exceeding that of its competitors. Novell, an owner of WordPerfect for a time, alleged that Microsoft used its inside knowledge of the DOS and Windows kernels and of undocumented Application Programming Interface features to make Office perform better than its competitors.

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It develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices. When Microsoft launched several versions of Microsoft Windows in the 1990s, they had captured over 90% market share of the world's personal computers. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. “That they workers are empowered to have that information—the ideas about what’s happening and unfurling in the market—is so important, so that when they go back to the bargaining table, their everyday jobs, and the ways that they touch our everyday lives, they’re going to be informed,” said Danzico.

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On July 22, 2020, Microsoft announced plans to close its Mixer service, planning to move existing partners to Facebook Gaming. On February 20, 2019, Microsoft Corp said it will offer its cyber security service AccountGuard to lopebet 12 new markets in Europe including Germany, France and Spain, to close security gaps and protect customers in political space from hacking. December also saw the company rebuilding Microsoft Edge as a Chromium-based browser; it was publicly released on January 15, 2020. On June 8, 2017, Microsoft acquired Hexadite, an Israeli security firm, for $100 million (~$125 million in 2024).