Windows 10 editions revealed; CSC sues for over $120m; Verizon buys AOL for $5.5bn


By Andrew Collins
Tuesday, 19 May, 2015


Windows 10 editions revealed; CSC sues for over $120m; Verizon buys AOL for $5.5bn

Microsoft has revealed the seven major editions of Windows 10 that will be available when the OS launches. Tony Prophet, Corporate VP Windows and Search Marketing at Microsoft, provided the details in an official blog post last week.

“We designed Windows 10 to deliver a more personal computing experience across a range of devices. An experience optimized for each device type, but familiar to all,” Prophet wrote. “No matter which Windows 10 device our customers use, the experience will feel comfortable, and there will be a single, universal Windows Store where they can find, try and buy Universal Windows apps.”

Windows 10 Pro has features aimed at small businesses. It allows customers to use Windows Update for Business, which Prophet said “will reduce management costs, provide controls over update deployment, offer quicker access to security updates and provide access to the latest innovation from Microsoft on an ongoing basis”. He also suggested Pro was good for organisations that support choose your own device (CYOD) programs.

Windows 10 Enterprise includes features aimed at medium and large organisations, and it will be available to the company’s Volume Licensing customers. Prophet noted that Enterprise customers will have access to the Long Term Servicing Branch as a deployment option for their mission-critical devices and environments.

Windows 10 Education “builds on” the Enterprise edition, and is aimed at schools. It will be available through academic Volume Licensing.

There are two editions aimed at mobile devices - Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise. Windows 10 Mobile is aimed at smaller mobile devices like smartphones and “small” tablets, and will include a touch-optimised version of Office.

Mobile Enterprise, as you might expect, is aimed at the smartphones and small tablets of business customers, and will be available to Volume Licensing customers. It will supposedly include “flexible ways for businesses to manage updates”.

There will also be versions of the Enterprise and Mobile Enterprise editions for devices like ATMs and industrial robots.

Windows 10 IoT Core will be available for small-footprint, low-cost devices like gateways.

On the consumer side, Windows 10 Home will include the new Microsoft Edge web browser, as well as face recognition and iris and fingerprint login features.

Microsoft expects Windows 10 to launch sometime in the upcoming winter (that’s the Australian winter).

CSC sues ex-employee for over AU$120 million

IT services company CSC has reportedly sued a former employee for more than AU$100 million for allegedly breaching the company’s code of business conduct.

According to Reuters, CSC is suing Eric Pulier regarding unauthorised payments he allegedly made to two executives at the Commonwealth Bank - a CSC client.

“CSC’s lawsuit seeks to recover the damages caused by Pulier’s fraud, breach of contract and breach of the duty of loyalty he owed to CSC,” Reuters quoted CSC as saying.

The Register quoted CSC documents that said the company is seeking damages of at least US$98 million (about AU$120 million).

More details on the alleged improprieties are available in the Reuters and Register pieces.

Verizon to buy AOL for $5.5 billion

US telecoms company Verizon last week announced it will buy AOL for a sum of US$4.4 billion (about AU$5.5 billion), according to The Guardian.

Verizon reportedly said it was buying AOL in order to strengthen its own position in mobile video and advertising.

The deal will give Verizon access to AOL’s advertising technology, The Guardian reported.

Verizon will also get AOL’s websites - including The Huffington Post, TechCruch and Engadget - as part of the acquisition, according to Forbes.

“This acquisition supports our strategy to provide a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers to deliver that premium customer experience,” The Guardian quoted Verizon’s CEO, Lowell McAdam, as saying.

AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong reportedly told staff that “AOL is back and now we are joining forces with Verizon to build the best media technology company in the world”.

Image courtesy Microsoft

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