I think it's exclusively a move to boost the brand.

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That is one area that Microsoft thinks is potentially very lucrative and fast growing.

176

This could be a chance to inflect that growth rate upward. But it's a challenge for Microsoft to overcome the perception that older versions of these products are good enough.

175

The obvious competitor who they're gunning for here looks like Skype.

172

There might be an executive departure that we haven't heard of yet.

171

That has been the big threat from Google all along -- that Google would turn the Web into this platform for all sorts of functionality. Microsoft has to respond.

164

That is crazy expensive. But once you've got users in your world, you can track them. There is sort of an Orwellian possibility to it.

151

This is definitely being driven by Microsoft's desire to position Windows as a home entertainment hub, and to do that they have to make some concessions. They're walking a line, trying to please both sides (content companies and consumers) at the same time.

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