Microsoft: Difference between revisions
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[[Wikipedia:Microsoft|'''''Microsoft Corporation''''']] was founded in 1975 by ''Bill Gates'' and ''Paul Allen'' in | [[Wikipedia:Microsoft|'''''Microsoft Corporation''''']] was founded in 1975 by ''Bill Gates'' and ''Paul Allen'' in Albuquerque, New Mexico,. ''Microsoft'' is one of the "Big Five" tech giants, well known for licensing ''Q-DOS'' from ''Seattle Computer Product''s as ''MS-DOS'' prior to purchasing it in 1980. As well as Windows, the graphical extension to ''MS-DO''S. They are also known for developing the ''Microsoft'' ''Office Suite; Access,'' ''Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and'' ''Word''. Additionally, they developed the Xbox under ''the Microsoft'' ''Gaming'' division and the ''Surface'' line of laptop devices and the cloud platform ''Azure''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zachary |first=Gregg Pascal |last2=Hall |first2=Mark |last3=Montevirgen |first3=Karl |title=Microsoft-Corporation |url=https://www.britannica.com/money/Microsoft-Corporation |website=britannica.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Michael |date=August 12, 2021 |title=The Rise of DOS: How Microsoft Got the IBM PC OS Contract |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-rise-of-dos-how-microsoft-got-the-ibm-pc-os-contract |website=PCmag}}</ref> | ||
Through business acquisitions they own numerous other tech-related businesses. They invest heavily in artificial intelligence enterprises, ''OpenAI'' (best known for creating ''ChatGPT''). | |||
==Consumer impact summary== | ==Consumer impact summary== | ||
===Monopolization=== | ===Monopolization=== | ||
Priced MS-DOS significantly lower than competitors, making it the default choice for PC makers. | *Exclusive licensing agreements with ''IBM'' and other PC manufacturers ensured that ''MS-DOS'' became the dominant OS. | ||
*Priced ''MS-DOS'' significantly lower than competitors, making it the default choice for PC makers. | |||
*Launched ''Windows 1.0'' in 1985, as a graphical extension of ''MS-DOS''. They had over 90% of the PC market by the 1990's. | |||
*Integrated ''Internet Explorer'' (IE) with ''Windows'', making it difficult for users to choose alternatives like ''Netscape Navigator''. This led to the U.S. vs. Microsoft antitrust case (1998), where the company was found guilty of illegally maintaining a monopoly.<ref name=":5" /> | |||
*Allegedly used "embrace, extend, extinguish" tactics; adopting open standards, extending them with proprietary features, and then pushing competitors out.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2002 |title=Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |website=justice.gov}}</ref> | |||
*Charging higher fees for running ''Windows Server'' on rival clouds (e.g., ''AWS'', ''Google Cloud'') versus ''Azure''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=December 3, 2024 |title=Microsoft faces £1 billion lawsuit in UK for allegedly overcharging rival cloud firms’ customers |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/03/microsoft-overcharging-rival-cloud-firms-customers-uk-lawsuit-says.html |website=CNBC}}</ref> | |||
===Consumer harm=== | |||
*Slowed browser innovation for 14 years by blocking out competitors like ''Netscape''.<ref name=":6" /> | |||
*Studies estimated that their monopoly led to consumers being overcharged by as much as 30 billion dollars in the 1990s.<ref name=":6" /> | |||
==Controversies== | ==Controversies== | ||
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The case was eventually settled,<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/503541/dl "Final judgment of US v. Microsoft"] - justice.gov - accessed 2025-01-29</ref><ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/373/1199/474311/ "Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Ex Rel., Appellant, v. Microsoft Corporation"] - law.justia.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> and did not result in a company breakup.<ref>[https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/long-antitrust-saga-ends-for-microsoft/ "Long antitrust saga ends for Microsoft"] - seattletimes.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> | The case was eventually settled,<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/503541/dl "Final judgment of US v. Microsoft"] - justice.gov - accessed 2025-01-29</ref><ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/373/1199/474311/ "Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Ex Rel., Appellant, v. Microsoft Corporation"] - law.justia.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> and did not result in a company breakup.<ref>[https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/long-antitrust-saga-ends-for-microsoft/ "Long antitrust saga ends for Microsoft"] - seattletimes.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> | ||
Section III.H of the Consent Decree<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/atr/microsoft-consent-decree-compliance-advisory-august-1-2003-us-v-microsoft "Microsoft Consent Decree Compliance Advisory - August 1, 2003 : U.S. V. Microsoft"] - justice.gov - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> required Microsoft to "allow end users and OEMs to enable or remove access to all middleware products, including web browsers, e-mail clients, and media players through a readily accessible, centralized mechanism." End users and OEMs should be able "to specify a non-Microsoft middleware product as the default middleware product to be launched in place of the corresponding Microsoft middleware product." | Section III.H of the Consent Decree<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/atr/microsoft-consent-decree-compliance-advisory-august-1-2003-us-v-microsoft "Microsoft Consent Decree Compliance Advisory - August 1, 2003 : U.S. V. Microsoft"] - justice.gov - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> required ''Microsoft'' to "allow end users and OEMs to enable or remove access to all middleware products, including web browsers, e-mail clients, and media players through a readily accessible, centralized mechanism." End users and OEMs should be able "to specify a non-Microsoft middleware product as the default middleware product to be launched in place of the corresponding Microsoft middleware product." | ||
In the case ''United States v.'' Microsoft Corp'''''.''','' 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000),<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/87/30/2307082/ "United States v. Microsoft Corp., 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000)"] - law.justia.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> Microsoft's conduct taken as a whole was described as a "deliberate assault upon entrepreneurial efforts that, could well have enabled the introduction of competition into the market for [[Intel]]-compatible PC operating systems". Further, "Microsoft's anti-competitive actions trammeled the competitive process through which the computer software industry generally stimulates innovation and conduces to the optimum benefit of consumers." | In the case ''United States v.'' Microsoft Corp'''''.''','' 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000),<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/87/30/2307082/ "United States v. Microsoft Corp., 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000)"] - law.justia.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> Microsoft's conduct taken as a whole was described as a "deliberate assault upon entrepreneurial efforts that, could well have enabled the introduction of competition into the market for [[Intel]]-compatible PC operating systems". Further, "Microsoft's anti-competitive actions trammeled the competitive process through which the computer software industry generally stimulates innovation and conduces to the optimum benefit of consumers." | ||
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===Xbox 360 Defect - The "Red Ring of Death"<!-- I don't know for sure if we should have a dedicated Company article for Xbox, or if we should just redirect red links for Xbox to this article (Microsoft). Personally, I think what they do is MS's responsibility because MS is the parent company, so Xbox's issues should be mentioned here. Either way- I'm just going to place this info here for now for folks to edit or change appropriately. -->=== | ===Xbox 360 Defect - The "Red Ring of Death"<!-- I don't know for sure if we should have a dedicated Company article for Xbox, or if we should just redirect red links for Xbox to this article (Microsoft). Personally, I think what they do is MS's responsibility because MS is the parent company, so Xbox's issues should be mentioned here. Either way- I'm just going to place this info here for now for folks to edit or change appropriately. -->=== | ||
{{Main|Bumpgate}} | {{Main|Bumpgate}} | ||
In 2005, Microsoft released the '' | In 2005, Microsoft released the ''Xbox 360''. Not very long after, consumers started reporting problems with their consoles- three red flashing lights on the ring around the power button. This was coined by consumers as the "''Red Ring of Death''", and by 2007, ''Xbox''<nowiki/>'s hardware engineers eventually discovered that the reason for it was a defect in the ''Xbox 360''<nowiki/>'s GPU.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=December 13, 2021 |title=Power On: The Story of Xbox {{!}} Chapter 5: The Red Ring of Death |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2d6IMBS8oY |url-status=live |access-date=June 4, 2025 |website=YouTube}}</ref> | ||
For the first several months of this incident's height of prevalence in 2006, consumers had to pay to get their consoles fixed by Microsoft if the console was outside of its one year warranty. However, by September 2007, they chose to extend the warranty to three years from the date of original purchase, and refunded anyone who had previously paid to get this issue fixed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Peter |date=2007 |title=Open Letter from Peter Moore |url=http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023004948/http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |archive-date=23 Oct 2007 |access-date=4 Jun 2025 |website=Xbox}}</ref> Judging from current and former employees' comments in the ''Xbox'' documentary, ''Power On: The Story of Xbox'', Microsoft seemed to have primarily done this to rescue the ''Xbox'' brand.<ref name=":2" /> Nonetheless, this was still beneficial to consumers who had made an investment in and enjoyed games from Microsoft's console. | For the first several months of this incident's height of prevalence in 2006, consumers had to pay to get their consoles fixed by Microsoft if the console was outside of its one year warranty. However, by September 2007, they chose to extend the warranty to three years from the date of original purchase, and refunded anyone who had previously paid to get this issue fixed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Peter |date=2007 |title=Open Letter from Peter Moore |url=http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023004948/http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |archive-date=23 Oct 2007 |access-date=4 Jun 2025 |website=Xbox}}</ref> Judging from current and former employees' comments in the ''Xbox'' documentary, ''Power On: The Story of Xbox'', Microsoft seemed to have primarily done this to rescue the ''Xbox'' brand.<ref name=":2" /> Nonetheless, this was still beneficial to consumers who had made an investment in and enjoyed games from Microsoft's console. | ||
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===Edge=== | ===Edge=== | ||
''Microsoft Edge'' is a ''[[Chromium]]''-based web browser that comes preinstalled with Windows 10 and later. It is the successor to '' | ''Microsoft Edge''(''Edge'') is a ''[[Chromium]]''-based web browser that comes preinstalled with Windows 10 and later. It is the successor to ''IE''. | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|+ | |+ | ||
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!Aftermath | !Aftermath | ||
!Related Article | !Related Article | ||
|- | |||
|Illegal monopoly of web browser market | |||
| - 2001 | |||
|Bundled ''IE'' and ''Windows'' restricting competitors like ''NetScape''. U.S. Court of Appeals ruled they had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, leading to a settlement requiring sharing APIs with third parties | |||
|The case set precedents for antitrust enforcement in tech, influencing later cases against other dominant firms | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|International | |||
|2004 - 2013 | |||
|Faced EU penalties for bundling ''Media Player'' and ''IE'' | |||
|Paid EU antitrust fines | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|Restrictive software licensing | |||
|2015 - 2025 | |||
|UK lawsuit alleging inflated software prices by blocking resale of preowned licenses and pushing subscription models like ''Microsoft 365''(''365'') | |||
|Ongoing. ''Microsoft'' denies these "unsubstantiated" allegations. | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|Resetting primary browser | |||
|2017 – Present | |||
|Windows has frequently been resetting the default browser to ''Edge''<ref>[https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/default-browser-keeps-changing-to-edge/25e2939d-4674-40ab-b05a-6161e2297976 "Default Browser Keeps Changing to Edge"] - answers.microsoft.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> without consent.<ref name=":1" /> While there are methods to disable this,<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/15zbjar/default_browser_keeps_changing_to_microsoft_edge/ "Default browser keeps changing to Microsoft Edge after every PC restart. Win 11, tried everything"] - reddit.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> it is tedious to achieve, especially for users who are not tech-savvy. | |||
|Continues to happen | |||
| | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Inability to delete | |Inability to delete | ||
|2018 – Present | |2018 – Present | ||
|During major updates for Windows, users have been reporting their installations of Edge being reinstalled to their devices without their consent.<ref>[https://www.windowscentral.com/how-prevent-microsoft-edge-chromium-installing-automatically-windows-10 "How to prevent new Microsoft Edge from installing automatically on Windows 10"] - windowscentral.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> | |During major updates for ''Windows'', users have been reporting their installations of ''Edge'' being reinstalled to their devices without their consent.<ref>[https://www.windowscentral.com/how-prevent-microsoft-edge-chromium-installing-automatically-windows-10 "How to prevent new Microsoft Edge from installing automatically on Windows 10"] - windowscentral.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> | ||
|No change | |No change | ||
| | | | ||
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|Importing content from other browsers without consent | |Importing content from other browsers without consent | ||
|2020 – ? | |2020 – ? | ||
|Users have reported on frequent occasions that Edge has imported user data from browsers such as Chrome and Firefox without first requesting consent from the user.<ref>[https://www.komando.com/news/microsoft-edge-caught-importing-data/ "Microsoft caught importing data before you give the OK"] - komando.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref><!-- Could we get another source added here? --> | |Users have reported on frequent occasions that Edge has imported user data from browsers such as ''Chrome'' and ''Firefox'' without first requesting consent from the user.<ref>[https://www.komando.com/news/microsoft-edge-caught-importing-data/ "''Microsoft'' caught importing data before you give the OK"] - komando.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref><!-- Could we get another source added here? --> | ||
|Unknown if it still occurs<!-- Hey can someone verify if it still is happening? --> | |Unknown if it still occurs<!-- Hey can someone verify if it still is happening? --> | ||
| | | | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | |Anti-competition allegations | ||
| | |2024 - 2025 | ||
|Windows | |UK lawsuit alleges ''Windows Servers'' users were overcharged when using non ''Azure '' cloud services | ||
| | |Ongoing | ||
| | |||
|- | |||
|Removal of ''365'' features to push ''Copilot'' | |||
|2025 | |||
|Eliminated key search features in ''365'', forcing users to pay $30/month for ''Copilot'' access, sparking backlash from businesses and educators | |||
|The FTC and DOJ are reportedly investigating, with Elon Musk alleging antitrust violations in its ''OpenAI'' partnership | |||
| | | | ||
|} | |} | ||
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====Recall==== | ====Recall==== | ||
{{Main|Microsoft Copilot's recall feature}} | {{Main|Microsoft Copilot's recall feature}} | ||
In 2024, Microsoft unveiled ''Recall'' for '' | In 2024, Microsoft unveiled ''Recall'' for ''Copilot+ PCs'',<ref name=":0">[https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-reveals-ai-powered-recall-feature-to-transform-windows-11s-searchability-while-confirming-hardware-requirements "Microsoft reveals AI-powered ‘Recall’ feature to transform Windows 11’s searchability, while confirming hardware requirements"] - techradar.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy,<ref>[https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-controversial-recall-feature-for-windows-11-could-already-be-in-legal-hot-water "Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 could already be in legal hot water"] - techradar.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> especially among security experts<ref>[https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/Privacy-and-security-risks-surrounding-Microsoft-Recall "Privacy and security risks surrounding Microsoft Recall"] - techtarget.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> who worried about the security of screenshots,<ref>[https://news.sky.com/story/microsoft-ai-feature-investigated-by-uk-watchdog-over-screenshots-13141171 "Microsoft AI feature investigated by UK watchdog over screenshots"] - news.sky.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. A ''Python'' script was developed, called "''TotalRecall''", that collects the screenshots and descriptions of these recordings,<ref>[https://github.com/xaitax/TotalRecall "TotalRecall - a 'privacy nightmare'?"] - github.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> proving the danger of ''Recall''.<ref name=":0" /> This feature was delayed after backlash from users.<ref>[https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/06/microsoft-recall-delayed-after-privacy-and-security-concerns "Microsoft Recall delayed after privacy and security concerns"] - malwarebytes.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> | ||
In 2025, Microsoft re-released ''Recall'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davenport |first=Corbin |date=Apr 25, 2025 |title=Windows Recall Is Finally Rolling Out After Controversal Reveal |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/windows-recall-is-finally-rolling-out-after-controversal-release/ |access-date=Jun 20, 2025 |work=How to Geek}}</ref> with claims that the tool has resolved the security flaws and it coming disabled by default.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=Apr 11, 2025 |title=Microsoft Recall is rolling out following major controversy — what you need to know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/microsoft-recall-is-coming-for-real-this-time |access-date=Jun 20, 2025 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref> However, despite integrating better security, having this feature enabled continues to pose privacy risks for consumers, as it is only a matter of when a vulnerability is discovered for the problems both consumers and businesses initially had with the tool to resurface,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=Nick |date=May 5, 2025 |title=Turn Off Windows' Recall to Protect Your Privacy |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-disable-recall/ |access-date=Jun 20, 2025 |work=How to Geek}}</ref> especially since it is difficult for users to inspect the screenshots that are taken by the tool. | In 2025, Microsoft re-released ''Recall'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davenport |first=Corbin |date=Apr 25, 2025 |title=Windows Recall Is Finally Rolling Out After Controversal Reveal |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/windows-recall-is-finally-rolling-out-after-controversal-release/ |access-date=Jun 20, 2025 |work=How to Geek}}</ref> with claims that the tool has resolved the security flaws and it coming disabled by default.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LeClair |first=Dave |date=Apr 11, 2025 |title=Microsoft Recall is rolling out following major controversy — what you need to know |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/microsoft-recall-is-coming-for-real-this-time |access-date=Jun 20, 2025 |work=Tom's Guide}}</ref> However, despite integrating better security, having this feature enabled continues to pose privacy risks for consumers, as it is only a matter of when a vulnerability is discovered for the problems both consumers and businesses initially had with the tool to resurface,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=Nick |date=May 5, 2025 |title=Turn Off Windows' Recall to Protect Your Privacy |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-disable-recall/ |access-date=Jun 20, 2025 |work=How to Geek}}</ref> especially since it is difficult for users to inspect the screenshots that are taken by the tool. | ||
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===Discontinued support for Windows Mixed Reality (WMR)=== | ===Discontinued support for Windows Mixed Reality (WMR)=== | ||
{{Main|Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) discontinuation}} | {{Main|Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) discontinuation}} | ||
Beginning with Windows 11 version ''24H2'', Microsoft no longer supports Windows Mixed Reality, and all support for the platform will end November 1, 2027. This affects device models from manufacturers including ''[[Samsung]]'', ''[[HP Inc.|HP]]'', ''[[Lenovo]]'', ''[[Acer]]'', '' | Beginning with Windows 11 version ''24H2'', Microsoft no longer supports Windows Mixed Reality, and all support for the platform will end November 1, 2027. This affects device models from manufacturers including ''[[Samsung]]'', ''[[HP Inc.|HP]]'', ''[[Lenovo]]'', ''[[Acer]]'', ''Dell'', and Microsoft - including their own flagship device, Microsoft ''HoloLens''. Users who wish to continue using these devices must either use Windows 10 or block the ''24H2'' update from being installed.<ref> https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/hp-reverb-g2-windows-11-24h2-not-working-need-help/dd90e232-1f28-4655-aafa-685285017d59 </ref> | ||
===Forced Telemetry (Windows 10 and above)=== | ===Forced Telemetry (Windows 10 and above)=== | ||