Stories by Gregg Keizer

Apple to build Macs in low-tax Texas

Apple will build Macs in Texas using some parts made in the U.S., CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday, putting a little flesh on a pledge from last December.

Google trumpets small speed boost to Chrome 27

Google today upgraded Chrome to version 27, touting it as 5% faster as it patched 13 vulnerabilities.

The iPhone's big lead in customer satisfaction is gone

Apple's dominance in smartphone customer satisfaction faded last year, with rivals like Samsung and Motorola dramatically closing the gap, a national survey said today.

Boutique PC seller laughs all the way to the bank on the back of Windows 7

A boutique system builder has bucked the industry trend of slumping PC sales by continuing to focus on selling Windows 7 machines.

Microsoft's $300M Nook investment hasn't paid off -- yet

Microsoft has gotten next to nothing from its $300 million investment in Barnes & Noble, analysts said, but it may reap some rewards as it prepares to ship smaller tablets.

Dell replays Windows 8 blame card as PC sales slide

Dell last week again blamed Windows 8 for contributing to a decline in PC sales revenue during the quarter that ended May 3.

Windows 8 is an enterprise 'non-starter' because IT sees no value in changes

Windows 8 faces a number of hurdles in the enterprise, but the biggest reason it won't replace the current corporate champion, Windows 7, is simple: IT shops don't think it's worth the upgrade hassle.

Google steals march on Apple in music subscription

Google beat Apple to the music subscription service punch this week, perhaps the doing of record labels who wanted to put Apple in its place, an analyst said

Google issues YouTube ultimatum to Microsoft as Hatfield-McCoy feud heats up

Google yesterday sent a cease-and-desist letter to Microsoft, demanding that its rival remove the YouTube app built for the Windows Phone platform.

Oracle renumbers Java patch updates, confuses users even more

Oracle has changed the numbering of its Java security updates, prompting one expert to say, "As if Java updates weren't confusing already."

Windows 8 isn't New Coke, says top Microsoft exec; it's Diet Coke

Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft's head of corporate communications, has defended his company's Windows information disclosure strategy, denying that Microsoft has adopted Apple's "cone of silence" approach to imparting news.

Mozilla to Firefox: 'Browser, heal thyself'

Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 21, adding more social media connections, tweaking the Do Not Track privacy setting and rolling out a new tool that long term, aims to create a self-healing browser.

Microsoft votes for free Windows 8.1, collects kudos

Microsoft today announced that Windows 8.1, the update later this year for Windows 8, will be free to current users of the operating system, confirming analysts' expectations.

Windows 8 app store fails Top 10 test

Microsoft's Windows 8 app store failed a test touted by a former Microsoft manager and distinguished engineer as a way to determine an ecosystem's relevance.

Microsoft to squeeze more devs into BUILD

Microsoft today said it has increased the head count for its June developers conference, and will sell the extra tickets Wednesday.