Microsoft launched its Indian headquarters as well, which would eventually become the company’s second largest after its U.S. headquarters. Windows 98 came with Internet Explorer 4.0 SP1 (which had Windows Desktop Update bundled), and included new features from Windows 95 OSR 2.x including the FAT32 file system, and new features designed for Windows 98, such as support for multiple displays. In November 1996, Microsoft Office 97 was released, which is the first version to include Office Assistant. While Microsoft largely failed to participate in the rise of the Internet in the early 1990s, some of the key technologies in which the company had invested to enter the Internet market started to pay off by the mid-90s. Microsoft entered the personal digital assistant (PDA) market in November with Windows CE 1.0, a new built-from-scratch version of their flagship operating system, designed to run on low-memory, low-performance machines, such as handhelds and other small computers. In an attempt to extend its reach in the consumer market, the company acquired WebTV, which enabled consumers to access the Web from their televisions.
Microsoft rounds off 2025 with one final Windows 11 feature update — here’s what’s new and fixed
The big highlight of this feature drop is the more consistent dark mode in File Explorer, which now applies to popups and windows such as the file copy UI and file deletion prompts. The new features include improvements to File Explorer and file sharing, mobile device integration, quality of life improvements, and much more. Make sure to set Windows Central as a preferred source in Google Search, and find out why you should so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest news, reviews, features, and more. The Windows 11 December 2025 Security Update is now rolling out, and alongside it comes a number of new features and changes to round off the year.
In 2004, the company released Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, a version of Windows XP designed for multimedia abilities, and Windows XP Starter Edition, a version of Windows XP with a smaller feature set designed for entry-level consumers. Windows Server 2003 was launched, featuring enhanced administration abilities, such as new user interfaces to server tools. The console was also outsold by the Wii, which introduced gesture control and opened up a new market for video games.
The release included an updated version of the Windows 2000 kernel, enhanced DOS emulation abilities, and many of the home-user features found in previous consumer versions. It sported several new features such as enhanced multimedia abilities and consumer-oriented PC maintenance options, but is often regarded as one of the worst versions of Windows due to stability problems, restricted real mode DOS support and other issues. The next update to the consumer line, Windows ME (or Windows Millennium Edition), was released on September 14, 2000. On June 15, 2000, the company released a new version of its hand-held operating system, Windows CE 3.0. The documents also alluded to legal and other actions against Linux as well as other open source software. Finally, a great deal of controversy took place when a set of internal memos from the company were leaked on the Internet.
Welcome to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app
Ireland became home to one of Microsoft’s international production facilities in 1985, and on November 20 Microsoft released its first retail version of Microsoft Windows (Windows 1.0), originally a graphical extension for its MS-DOS operating system. With the release of the Microsoft Mouse on May 2, 1983, Microsoft continued to expand its product line in other markets. Later, the market saw a flood of IBM PC clones after Columbia Data Products successfully cloned the IBM BIOS, quickly followed by Eagle Computer and Compaq. In 1983, in collaboration with numerous companies, Microsoft created a home computer system, MSX, which contained its own version of the DOS operating system, called MSX-DOS; this became relatively popular in Japan, Europe and South America.
On February 17, Microsoft released an update to its business line of software in Windows 2000. In November, Microsoft released the first version of their popular database software Microsoft Access. In March 1992, Microsoft released Windows 3.1 along with its first promotional campaign on TV; pin up casino the software sold over three million copies in its first two months on the market.
On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft Network), as a direct competitor to AOL. On August 24, 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, a new version of the company’s flagship operating system which featured a completely new user interface, including a novel start button; more than a million copies were sold in the first four days after its release. The interface was discontinued in 1996 due to poor sales; Bill Gates later attributed its failure to hardware requirements that were too high for typical computers, and is widely regarded as one of Microsoft’s most unsuccessful products. The company released Microsoft Bob, a graphical user interface designed for novice computer users, in March 1995. Microsoft also released Windows for Workgroups 3.11, a new version of the consumer line of Windows, and Windows NT 3.1, a server-based operating system with a similar user interface to consumer versions of the operating system, but with an entirely different kernel.
2011: Microsoft Azure, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Microsoft Stores
Microsoft launched their second console, the Xbox 360, in 2005 – which was more successful than the original. Microsoft entered the multibillion-dollar game console market dominated by Sony and Nintendo, with the release of the Xbox. The operating system was the first to require Microsoft Product Activation, an anti-piracy mechanism that requires users to activate the software with Microsoft within 30 days.
Is widely recognized as the most influential company in the microcomputer-software industry. InfoWorld stated in 1984 that Microsoft, with $55 million (~$140 million in 2024) in 1983 sales, When the IBM PC debuted, Microsoft was the only company that offered operating system, programming language, and application software for the new computer. Due to potential copyright infringement problems with CP/M, IBM marketed both CP/M and PC DOS for US$240 and US$40, respectively, with PC DOS eventually becoming the standard because of its lower price.
Global
On November 10, 2020, Microsoft released the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S video game consoles. On September 22, 2020, Microsoft announced that it had an exclusive license to use OpenAI’s GPT-3 artificial intelligence language generator. On July 22, 2020, Microsoft announced plans to close its Mixer service, planning to move existing partners to Facebook Gaming. On February 20, 2019, Microsoft Corp said it will offer its cyber security service AccountGuard to 12 new markets in Europe including Germany, France and Spain, to close security gaps and protect customers in political space from hacking. In January 2019, Microsoft announced that support for Windows 10 Mobile would end on December 10, 2019, and that Windows 10 Mobile users should migrate to iOS or Android phones.
More apps in one place
Microsoft’s move comes as major U.S. tech companies ramp up spending on data centers and AI compute worldwide, with India emerging as a strategic prize thanks to its fast-growing developer base and one of the world’s largest pools of internet and smartphone users. In December 2022, Microsoft announced a new 10-year deal with the London Stock Exchange for products including Microsoft Azure; Microsoft acquired ~4% of the latter company as part of the deal. In October 2021, Microsoft announced that it began rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) support for Microsoft Teams calls in order to secure business communication while using video conferencing software. Microsoft released Windows XP and Office XP in 2001, a version that aimed to encompass the features of both its business and home product lines.
Microsoft Works would later be sold with other Microsoft products including Microsoft Word and Microsoft Bookshelf, a reference collection introduced in 1987 that was the company’s first CD-ROM product. On February 16, 1986, Microsoft relocated their headquarters to a corporate office campus in Redmond, Washington. By then Forrester Research considered Microsoft, Ashton-Tate, Lotus Development, and Borland the “Big Four” of personal computer software. OS/2 was marketed in connection with a new hardware design proprietary to IBM, the PS/2.
Meanwhile, that month, the company announced a subscription offering of artificial intelligence for small businesses via Copilot Pro. Microsoft also announced a new multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment deal with OpenAI. On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced the acquisition of American video game developer and holding company Activision Blizzard in an all-cash deal worth $68.7 billion. On October 7, Microsoft acquired Ally.io, a software service that measures companies’ progress against OKRs. In the same month, Microsoft acquired Australia-based video editing software company Clipchamp. The announcement came with confusion after Microsoft announced Windows 10 would be the last version of the operating system; set to be released in the third quarter of 2021.
Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds! Microsoft has shipped lots of new features and updates to Windows 11 in 2025, delivering a constant stream of features and changes on a monthly cadence, whether users have liked it or not. Of course, as is always the case with Windows updates, many of these features are rolling out in waves, which means you might not see them all right away once you’ve installed today’s update. You can learn more about the new features that are rolling out with today’s update in our dedicated article that explains every new feature that’s now available.
It aims to help enterprises protect their data as it moves between servers and devices. In June 2016, Microsoft announced a project named Microsoft Azure Information Protection. On March 1, 2016, Microsoft announced the merge of its PC and Xbox divisions, with Phil Spencer announcing that Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps would be the focus for Microsoft’s gaming in the future. The successor to Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 Mobile, was released November 20, 2015. On July 29, 2015, Microsoft released the next version of the Windows operating system, Windows 10.
The company also released the Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, which had built-in support for internet applications. Microsoft also released the Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro joystick in an attempt to further expand its profile in the computer hardware market. As part of its strategy to broaden its business, Microsoft released Microsoft Encarta on March 22, 1993, the first encyclopedia designed to run on a computer. Eventually, Microsoft Office became the dominant business suite, with a market share far exceeding that of its competitors. By then the company was the world’s largest producer of software for personal computers—ahead of former leader Lotus—and published the three most-popular Macintosh business applications. Softletter estimated that in 1986 the “Big Three” of Lotus (9%), Microsoft (8%, more than $250 million), and Ashton-Tate (6%) together had 23% of total revenue of the top 100 microcomputer software companies.
- Of course, as is always the case with Windows updates, many of these features are rolling out in waves, which means you might not see them all right away once you’ve installed today’s update.
- In the same month, Microsoft acquired Australia-based video editing software company Clipchamp.
- Intune for Education is a new cloud-based application and device management service for the education sector.
- In 2002, Microsoft launched the .NET initiative, along with new versions of some of its development products, such as Microsoft Visual Studio.
Nonetheless, the Indian government has been pushing aggressively to draw more big-tech investment, framing large-scale data-center and AI projects as central to its economic and digital-public-infrastructure ambitions. Additionally, Microsoft said its skilling efforts are also accelerating, noting that through its “ADVANTA(I)GE India” initiative, it has trained 5.6 million people since January — well ahead of its goal of training 10 million by 2030 — with the programs enabling more than 125,000 individuals to secure jobs or start businesses. The offerings would help enterprises meet regulatory and data-residency requirements and support high-performance workloads with access to the latest Nvidia GPUs and Microsoft 365 services, the company noted.
- Is widely recognized as the most influential company in the microcomputer-software industry.
- The big highlight of this feature drop is the more consistent dark mode in File Explorer, which now applies to popups and windows such as the file copy UI and file deletion prompts.
- By then Forrester Research considered Microsoft, Ashton-Tate, Lotus Development, and Borland the “Big Four” of personal computer software.
- Microsoft also announced a new multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment deal with OpenAI.
- By then the company was the world’s largest producer of software for personal computers—ahead of former leader Lotus—and published the three most-popular Macintosh business applications.
- OS/2 was marketed in connection with a new hardware design proprietary to IBM, the PS/2.
In December 2018, Microsoft announced Project Mu, an open source release of the UEFI core used in Microsoft Surface and Hyper-V products. On October 8, 2017, Joe Belfiore announced that work on Windows 10 Mobile was drawing to a close due to lack of market penetration and resultant lack of interest from app developers. During the previous summer of 2015 the company wrote down $7.6 billion (~$9.8 billion in 2024) related to its mobile-phone business and fired 7,800 employees from those operations. In May 2016, the company announced it will lay off 1,850 workers, taking an impairment and restructuring charge of $950 million (~$1.21 billion in 2024).