This week was quite eventful for the tech sector, with a lot of significant developments related to major companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). We analyze a few such developments which could impact their value in the coming years.
Microsoft
Microsoft saw a lot of important developments this week. It is reportedly in talks to acquire Yammer for $1 billion. Yammer is one of the most popular social discussion platforms for enterprise clients, and is also called Facebook for the enterprise. It also offers file sharing tools and software which facilitates collaboration. Microsoft could integrate it with its own set of online services like Sharepoint and Dynamics and compete with the likes of Salesforce.com and Jive which are killing it in the social enterprise software space.
It was also reported that Microsoft plans to charge $85 for each Windows 8 RT license to tablet OEMs. This would be relatively quite high and may be a very bad move as it would force Windows tablet makers to price their tablets higher than comparable Android tablets or the iPad, which is very competitively priced. Rumors also suggest that Microsoft may be planning to launch its own branded tablet running Windows 8 in the coming months.
Check out our complete analysis of Microsoft.
Amazon
Amazon launched its Cloud Player App for iOS, which enables users to stream the music stored in their Amazon Cloud drive onto their devices. It is a viable competitor to iTunes and Apple’s own music service, and offers free cloud storage to store your music and buy it from Amazon.
Rumors also suggest that Amazon may launch its Appstore in Europe in the next couple of months, and back it up with a complete international launch. It may also launch the Kindle Fire internationally, which could significantly boost its hardware sales going forward.
