SEATTLE (Reuters) – The world’s largest software maker may have developed a problem of holding onto top executives with ambitions.

Stephen Elop’s decision to jump from the top flight of Microsoft Corp, quitting as business division president, to run mobile phone company Nokia makes him the latest in a clutch of top managers moving to cap their careers elsewhere.

SEATTLE (Reuters) – The world’s largest software maker may have developed a problem of holding onto top executives with ambitions.

Stephen Elop’s decision to jump from the top flight of Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), quitting as business division president, to run mobile phone company Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) makes him the latest in a clutch of top managers moving to cap their careers elsewhere.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc unveiled a smaller, cheaper version of its Web-to-TV device on Wednesday, stepping up a battle with Google Inc and Microsoft Corp for control of the digital living room.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs also rolled out a completely overhauled lineup of iPod media players and the latest version of iTunes, with a new logo that does away with the outdated image of a CD.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)
unveiled an aggressive move into the Internet-television market
on Wednesday, while also rolling out an overhauled lineup of
its iPod devices.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, at a presentation to reporters
and investors, took the wraps off a new version of Apple TV, a
device the company introduced in 2006 but which never became a
blockbuster hit.

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Top hedge fund managers like Dinakar Singh and David Einhorn scooped up Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares in the second quarter, taking advantage of historically low price-to-earnings multiples for the world’s largest software company.

Microsoft — whose systems run more than 90 percent of the world’s personal computers — saw its shares fall sharply last quarter, even as Wall Street analysts forecast rising profits in the year ahead.

SEATTLE, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Top hedge fund managers like
Dinakar Singh and David Einhorn scooped up Microsoft Corp
(MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares in the second quarter, taking advantage of
historically low price-to-earnings multiples for the world’s
largest software company.

Microsoft — whose systems run more than 90 percent of the
world’s personal computers — saw its shares fall sharply last
quarter, even as Wall Street analysts forecast rising profits
in the year ahead.

SEATTLE/NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Intel Corp’s (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)
surprise $7.7 billion bid for McAfee Inc (MFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) may trigger
more deals as competitors scramble for a piece of the rapidly
growing software security sector.

Technology giants Oracle Corp (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Hewlett-Packard Co
(HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), IBM Corp (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and EMC Corp (EMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) — which are all
looking to expand the “stack” of hardware and software they
offer corporate clients — could move to counter Intel’s
emergence.

SEATTLE/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Intel Corp’s (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) surprise $7.7 billion bid for McAfee Inc (MFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) may trigger more deals as competitors scramble for a piece of the rapidly growing software security sector.

Technology giants Oracle Corp (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), IBM Corp (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and EMC Corp (EMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) — which are all looking to expand the “stack” of hardware and software they offer corporate clients — could move to counter Intel’s emergence.

SEATTLE, July 29 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) set
out its ambitions to dominate the consumer electronics market
on Thursday with Windows-powered tablet computers and
smartphones designed to beat back advances by Apple Inc
(AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

New tablets will be available as soon as they are ready to
ship and phones will be on the market this autumn, CEO Steve
Ballmer said, setting up a key test of Microsoft’s ability to
capture the imagination of tech-savvy consumers.

SEATTLE, July 23 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sailed
past Wall Street’s earnings and sales estimates on Thursday,
helped by the popularity of its Windows 7 system, but the
software giant’s stock dropped in Friday trading.

The shares are down 16 percent this year, compared to a
flat Nasdaq composite index .IXIC. Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), in
comparison, is up 23 percent this year. The stock is trading in
the same $25 range it was almost 10 years ago, after the
explosion of the tech stock bubble.