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Microsoft Corporation

5/26/2013, 1:49 AM ET

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Friday, May 24, 9:51 AM Microsoft (MSFT -0.3%) and other publishers will take a cut of every sale on pre-owned Xbox One games, according to gaming website MCV. Under a new arrangement, retailers will tap into Microsoft's cloud servers for a transfer of rights on sales of pre-owned games. Though the games can be sold at any price the retailers wish, estimates on the percentage of the sale they can keep are drifting steadily lower. Shares of GameStop (GME -2.4%) are lower on the day. Comment! [Tech, Consumer]
Wednesday, May 22, 11:07 AM AIG remains at the top Goldman's list of hedge fund hotels (the 50 stocks appearing most frequently among hedge fund top 10 holdings). Google (GOOG) retains its #2 position. Apple (APPL) - in the top spot for 3 years until February - remains at #3. Goldman notes the basket has outperformed the S&P a bit this year and the top 20 has done better by more than 1000 basis points. We smell an ETF offering. The rest of the top 20: C, GM, PCLN, VMED, NWSA, MSFT, HTZ, JPM, APC, PFE, QCOM, CHTR, HES, CBS, EBAY, DAL, EQIX. 4 Comments
Tuesday, May 21, 7:07 PM VMware (VMW, EMC) officially launches its vCloud Hybrid Service, which allows clients to pair on-premise workloads with a VMware-run public cloud infrastructure. VMware claims the service supports more than 90 OS', has high-availability options, and allows public and on-premise workloads to be jointly managed. VMware also says it will offer SAP software, including Hana, "as a subscription service on premise and in the cloud." vCloud Hybrid competes with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft's Azure (perhaps the most direct rival), and Rackspace's OpenStack offerings. ITWorld calls it "ideal for a significant set of enterprise applications," but adds it's "no Amazon killer," given AWS' focus on low cost and ease-of-use. 3 Comments [Tech]
Tuesday, May 21, 5:06 PM "We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games. We’ll have more details to share later," says Microsoft (MSFT). GameStop (GME), whose shares were drubbed on concerns the One's requirement to install games on its 500GB hard drive (and tie them to an Xbox Live account) would eliminate used game sales, must be pleased. Microsoft also refutes rumors its next-gen console will need a Web connection to work, though developers using Azure cloud services can insist on it. Xbox 360 games won't be supported, and (unlike Sony with the PS4) there are no plans for a streaming service that can offer older titles. (earlier) 1 Comment [Tech, Consumer]
Tuesday, May 21, 2:20 PM A little more on the Xbox One: The console will launch "later this year;" Microsoft won't get more specific. No price details yet. A deal has been struck with the NFL to provide "exclusive content" via SmartGlass/Kinect, as well as interactive broadcasts. Gameplay recording/sharing are now supported, as are Skype and group video chat . There isn't any game streaming feature similar to what's promised for the PS4 (SNE). Activision (ATVI) says Call of Duty: Ghosts will arrive on the One. With the One, Microsoft is trying to both address a secular opportunity - soaring demand for Web-based living room entertainment, and a secular threat - a shift in gaming spend/activity to mobile and social titles. (live blog) 2 Comments [Tech]
Tuesday, May 21, 1:39 PM More on the Xbox One: The device has a Blu-ray player, and is said to be "practically silent" when running. A new Kinect sensor is being bundled with the console (JDSU a likely supplier): its camera, color depth, and motion-sensing abilities are improved, and voice is said to be more "conversational." Xbox SmartGlass mobile apps are integrated with the One, interactive TV content is paired with shows, and a "snap mode" shows multiple apps a once. Electronic Arts (EA) is promising to launch titles from 4 sports franchises - FIFA, Madden, NBA Live, and UFC - in the next 12 months, aided by a new gaming engine. (live blog) Comment! [Tech]
Tuesday, May 21, 1:15 PM Microsoft (MSFT) unveils the Xbox One, a 3rd-gen console it pitches as "the ultimate all-in-one entertainment system. The device has a rectangular, set-top box-like shape, a slightly bigger controller. a revamped Xbox Live UI, improved app/game loading and switching times, and fresh voice/gesture controls. AMD is widely believed to provide an integrated CPU/GPU for the system. (live blog) (previous) 51 Comments [Tech, Breaking News]
Tuesday, May 21, 9:38 AM UBS doesn't think Microsoft's (MSFT +0.4%) rally is over; the firm is raising its PT to $40 from $33 ahead of today's 1PM ET Xbox event. Analyst Brent Thill, a long-time bull, cites potentially greater earnings visibility, investor appreciation of Microsoft's cloud momentum, enterprise strength, the return of money flows to tech (ed: it looks like plenty of money has been flowing in), and bottoming PC demand. (past Xbox rumors: I, II, III) (event live blog) 5 Comments [Tech]
Friday, May 17, 5:34 PM Though Google's rally and Apple's plunge have received more headlines, Microsoft (MSFT +2.3%) has rallied this month to levels last seen in '07, and in doing so has let Bill Gates pass Carlos Slim to become (once more) the world's richest man. Shares are up 32% YTD as value investors bet enterprise and cloud services strength will offset PC weakness and slow Windows 8 uptake. Microsoft currently trades at 8.6x FY14E EPS after backing out net cash/investments. 2 Comments [Tech]
Thursday, May 16, 2:55 PM Microsoft (MSFT +0.6%) will launch a 7.9" Surface tablet at the end of June (presumably at the BUILD conference), says Digitimes; the hit-and-miss site adds Samsung will supply the displays. Given Windows 8.1's support for smaller displays and past reports (I, II) about a smaller Surface tablet, the question seems to be one of "when," rather than "if." All signs suggest 2013 Surface sales have been weak, though the Intel-powered Surface Pro has carved out a niche. Comment! [Tech]
Wednesday, May 15, 1:23 AM IDC cuts its 2013 IT spending growth forecast to 4.9% from 5.5%, citing macro issues and weak PC demand; 2012 growth was 5.6%. Gartner, which includes a bigger array of products/services in its numbers, forecast 4.1% growth last month. IDC now sees U.S. software spending (MSFT, ORCL) growing 6%, down from a prior 7%. Storage hardware revenue (EMC, NTAP) is only expected to grow 2.4%, down from 2012's 6.1%, and carrier spending on networking gear (CSCO, JNPR, ALU, CIEN) is expected to grow just 1.1% vs. 5.8% in 2012. Recent earnings reports and warnings (I, II, III, IV) help explain the subdued outlook. 2 Comments [Tech]
Tuesday, May 14, 4:50 PM Windows 8.1 (Blue) will be a free update for existing Win. 8 users, says division CFO Tami Reller. Though an incremental update, Microsoft (MSFT) is counting on 8.1's UI tweaks to appease older Windows users unhappy with Win. 8's giant changes. A developer preview will arrive on June 26; the official release is expected sometime before the holiday season. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley recently reported 8.1's updates will include "new built-in tutorials and in-context help" and possibly "adjustments to the Start Screen," to go with the previously-reported boot-to-desktop option and return of the Start button (but not the Start menu). (100M licenses) 7 Comments [Tech]
Monday, May 13, 1:52 PM "This deal was nothing more than a rumor ... [Microsoft] has no intention of acquiring the NOOK unit. NOOK is closely integrated with Android ... The acquisition is not happening in the foreseeable future as Microsoft Corporation is assessing its options at this time." Thus speaks a Microsoft (MSFT) source to Insider Monkey, strongly refuting a TechCrunch report about an offer to buy Nook Media's digital assets for $1B. Barnes & Noble (BKS -14.1%) shares have plunged, but for now are still up 13% from where they stood prior to the report. 3 Comments [Tech, M&A, On the Move, Consumer]
Thursday, May 9, 5:27 PM Backing up scoops from The Verge and Eurogamer, the WSJ reports Microsoft (MSFT) has developed prototypes for a cheap set-top "for streaming video and other entertainment options." Past reports have suggested Xbox Live and casual gaming support will be part of the package. Microsoft is keen to extend Xbox Live's living room clout, which has grown considerably in recent years - a large portion of Live's 46M+ user base already spend more time consuming music/video content than playing online games. (Xbox tablet rumor) (Xbox Live shows) 3 Comments [Tech]
Wednesday, May 8, 10:52 PM Microsoft (MSFT) is offering $1B for Nook Media's (BKS) e-reader, tablet, and e-book ops (but not its college bookstore arm), TechCrunch reports. If true, the valuation assigned to NM is well below the $1.7B given when Microsoft bought a 17.6% stake (diluted to 16.8% by Pearson's investment) in April '12. Documents indicate NM (exc. the college ops) is expected to post FY13 (ended in April) revenue of $1.09B (-10% Y/Y) and an EBITDA loss of $360M, plans to discontinue its tablet line (makes sense, given market share trends), and will focus on content sales. Is such a business worth $1B? Regardless, Barnes & Noble ($1.06B market cap) should see a pop on the report. (FY13 warning) (FQ3 results) 4 Comments [Tech, M&A, Consumer]
Wednesday, May 8, 4:19 PM That was fast: Microsoft (MSFT) announces Office division CFO Amy Hood will be the company's new CFO, replacing Peter Klein immediately. Klein will leave Microsoft at the end of June (the end of Microsoft's FY13). Microsoft might have decided to speed up its announcement in response to today's Bloomberg report. 3 Comments [Tech, Breaking News]

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