Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

Windows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system.

Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the dominant desktop software.

His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an "ongoing manner".

Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said.

Mr Nixon made his comments during Microsoft's Ignite conference held in Chicago this week.

In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon's comments reflected a change in the way that it made its software.

"Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner," it said, adding that it expected there to be a "long future" for Windows.

'No Windows 11'

The company said it had yet to decide on what to call the operating system beyond Windows 10.

"There will be no Windows 11," warned Steve Kleynhans, a research vice-president at analyst firm Gartner who monitors Microsoft.

He said Microsoft had in the past deliberately avoided using the name "Windows 9" and instead chose Windows 10 as a way to signify a break with a past which involved successive stand-alone versions of the operating system.

However, he said, working in that way had created many problems for Microsoft and its customers.

"Every three years or so Microsoft would sit down and create 'the next great OS'," he said.

China's smartphone market slows in the first quarter

Smartphone shipments to the world's biggest market, China, have contracted for the first time in six years, according to market research firm IDC.

The number of smartphones shipped fell by 4% from a year ago to 98.8 million units in the January to March period.

Between the last quarter of last year and the first quarter, shipments were down 8%, said IDC.

A build up of unsold stock is leading to a slowdown in the maturing Chinese mobile market, the firm said.

"China is often thought of as an emerging market but the reality is that the vast majority of phones sold in China today are smartphones, similar to other mature markets like the US, UK, Australia, and Japan," said Kitty Fok, managing director at IDC China.

"Just like these markets, convincing existing users as well as feature phone users to upgrade to new smartphones will now be the key to further growth in the China market."

China surpassed the US to become the world's largest smartphone market in 2011.

IDC expects flat growth in Chinese market this year, adding that as the country's growth slows, Chinese manufacturers will focus on expanding in global markets such as India and South East Asia.

US tech giant Apple overtook China's Xiaomi in the first quarter to be the top smartphone provider in the country thanks to consumers' preferences for the larger screens of the latest iPhone models, according to IDC.

Apple now accounts for 14.7% of the market, compared with 13.7% for Xiaomi.

The Chinese smartphone maker, meanwhile, has said it is focusing on expanding abroad.

iPhone Case Harvests Electricity From The Air

An iPhone case which, it's claimed, can charge your phone by harvesting electricity from the air has been unveiled.

Nikola Labs says the gadget converts radio frequencies into power which can boost your phone's charge.

It says phones typically waste around 90% of their energy by pushing out the ambient radio frequency needed for a mobile connection - energy which can be recaptured and used to power the phone for up to 30% longer.

The device will launch on crowdfunding site Kickstarter in about a month costing $99 (£65), and it will ship within four months.

The technology was developed by Ohio State University, which has licensed the technology to Nikola Labs.

The passive process is said to continue for as long as the case is connected to the phone, and users do not have to stand within the vicinity of any special charging devices or antennas for it to work.

Nikola Labs co-founder Dr Rob Lee is respected in the field of electronics, suggesting the technology described is credible.

The Kickstarter listing is expected to detail how the technology works in more detail.

Dr Lee announced the device at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York.

Oculus VR headset gets early-2016 launch date

Virtual reality firm Oculus VR says its much anticipated headset, the Rift, will go on sale to consumers within the first three months of 2016.

Until now, the firm had only sold "developer" editions that were targeted at video games creators and did not represent the Rift's final design.

Facebook bought Oculus VR for $2bn (£1.3bn) in 2014, despite it not having released a commercial product.

The release date means that HTC's rival helmet should be the first available.

The Taiwanese manufacturer has promised to sell its own virtual reality headset, the Vive, to the public before the end of the year.

Oculus' launch date could theoretically coincide with that of PlayStation's Morpheus headset, which Sony has said will be released at some point during the first six months of 2016.

Nintendo makes first operating profit in four years

Japanese videogame maker Nintendo made its first annual operating profit in four years, which beat its forecast as well as the market's.

Operating profit was 24.8bn yen ($207m; £136m) for the year to March, compared with its forecast of 20bn yen and analyst predictions of 23.8bn yen.

The firm said lower costs had offset the impact of slowing revenue growth.

Nintendo was also optimistic about its outlook, expecting its annual operating profit to double in the next year.

It expects to make 50bn yen in the year to March 2016, compared with market forecasts 39bn yen.

Meanwhile, Nintendo's sales for the fiscal year fell nearly 4% to 549.8bn yen.

Mobile games

Analysts said its plans to enter the smartphone market will make up for the weak sales of its traditional video game consoles.

The boom in mobile games has led to a decline in Nintendo's customers, while its latest Wii U console is third in the market behind Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's XBox.

In March, Nintendo, the maker of pioneering games like Super Mario, announced apartnership with Japanese developer DeNA to create and operate mobile game apps.

"A new source of revenue is expected from a gaming application for smart devices which will be released this year," Nintendo said in a statement on Thursday.

The company also plans to release new game titles to boost sales of its Wii consoles, which it expects to be flat at 3.4 million units this year.

Alibaba switches its chief executive

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has replaced its chief executive.

Daniel Zhang, who is currently Alibaba's chief operating officer, will take over as boss from Jonathan Lu.

The news came as the firm, founded by entrepreneur Jack Ma, announced a 45% rise in revenue to 17.43bn yuan ($2.8bn) for the three months to March.

It said user numbers had jumped 37% to 350 million. Alibaba has 80% of Chinese online shopping, and operates its most popular online platform, Taobao.

The results were better than expected and Alibaba's shares rose 7.5% in pre-US market trading.

Jonathan Lu will remain on the board of directors of Alibaba Group as vice chairman.

Daniel Zhang is one of the founding members of the Alibaba Partnership and has been with the company for eight years.

The results are the second since Alibaba's record-breaking $25bn flotation in New York in September.

The group, founded by entrepreneur and billionaire Jack Ma, announced a hiring freeze last month, saying the company was growing too fast.

German industrial giant Siemens to cut 4,500 jobs

German industrial giant Siemens plans to cut 4,500 jobs, or about 1% of its total global workforce, months after it announced plans to slash more than 7,000 jobs.

The news came as it announced quarterly profits down 5% at €1.7bn (£1.3bn).

The company said: "These measures are being taken in response to the persistently difficult environment in the global power generation market."

About 2,200 of the job cuts will come from Siemens' German operations.

Siemens, whose business activities include electronics, trains and turbines, employs more than 340,000 people across the world.

Siemens said price erosion, regulatory changes and aggressive competitors were among the challenges the company faces.

The company's chief executive Joe Kaeser said: "The profitability of our Industrial Business shows that we must still improve some businesses."

The company said its long-term strategy remains unchanged.

Siemens shares were slightly lower in Frankfurt morning trading.