Paul Thurrott

This (short) week’s other news includes LG stealing the Surface ad, Google and Ford partnering on driverless cars, and Google’s plans for chat apps and getting rid of passwords.

Under increasing political pressure because of its controversial policy of automatically encrypting new iPhones and other devices, Apple has gone on the offensive. But it may already be too late.

Toshiba announced this morning that it will likely post a record $5.4 billion loss for fiscal 2015 as an historically bad accounting scandal has exploded to encompass virtually all of the company.

Because I’m always jolly, this week’s other news includes Microsoft’s over-insistent efforts to get customers upgraded to Windows 10, a rumored HP Windows phone, Blackberry attacks Apple, the FCC investigates zero rating, and you’re never going to believe how easy it is to hack Linux.

Microsoft has announced a joint venture that will sell and service Windows 10 in China’s governmental agencies and certain state owned enterprises.

Microsoft this week announced plans to expand its corporate philanthropy globally, and to the people who really need it. It will create a new Microsoft Philanthropies organization to focus on these efforts.

Samsung on Monday took the final legal step it can take before being forced to pay Apple almost $550 million in damages for patent infringement: It appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Because it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, this week’s other news includes the source of Surface Book shortages, Microsoft’s mistakes were made moment, Windows phone compete, Xbox One falls short, and Google shots for the moon.

Microsoft is a company that “gets” productivity … and not much else. And it should stop pretending, or even aspiring, to do anymore more than just dominating productivity.

After a tumultuous year in which it planned to sell off its $31 billion Alibaba stake and reassert itself as an Internet media giant, Yahoo is reversing course. It will now spin off its core business and all of its other non-Alibaba assets instead.