Microsoft says Windows head Sinofsky leaving
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. said Monday that Steven Sinofsky, the president of its Windows and Windows Live operations, is leaving the company.
Sinofsky's departure comes just weeks after the Redmond, Wash., software company launched Windows 8, which represented a major overhaul of its ubiquitous computer operating system.
Company veteran Julie Larson-Green has been promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering, Microsoft said. Tami Reller will take over responsibility for the Windows business while retaining her posts as chief financial officer and chief marketing officer.
The company did not say why Sinofsky is leaving.
In a statement, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer expressed gratitude for Sinofsky's contribution to the company. He indicated the need for the company to further integrate its array of offerings, which in addition to Windows includes services such as Bing, Skype and Xbox and a new tablet computer, as it begins what he called "a new era at Microsoft."
Ballmer said "it is imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams, and have more integrated and rapid development cycles for our offerings."
The launch of Windows 8 last month heralded the biggest change to the industry's dominant operating system in at least 17 years. It attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing tablets with its touch-enabled interface.
Larson-Green has been with Microsoft since 1993. She was responsible for program management, user interface design and research, as well as development of all international releases for Windows 7 and Windows 8, Microsoft said.
In her new role, she will be responsible for all future Windows product development in addition to future hardware projects.
Sinofsky's departure comes just weeks after the Redmond, Wash., software company launched Windows 8, which represented a major overhaul of its ubiquitous computer operating system.
Company veteran Julie Larson-Green has been promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering, Microsoft said. Tami Reller will take over responsibility for the Windows business while retaining her posts as chief financial officer and chief marketing officer.
The company did not say why Sinofsky is leaving.
In a statement, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer expressed gratitude for Sinofsky's contribution to the company. He indicated the need for the company to further integrate its array of offerings, which in addition to Windows includes services such as Bing, Skype and Xbox and a new tablet computer, as it begins what he called "a new era at Microsoft."
Ballmer said "it is imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams, and have more integrated and rapid development cycles for our offerings."
The launch of Windows 8 last month heralded the biggest change to the industry's dominant operating system in at least 17 years. It attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing tablets with its touch-enabled interface.
Larson-Green has been with Microsoft since 1993. She was responsible for program management, user interface design and research, as well as development of all international releases for Windows 7 and Windows 8, Microsoft said.
In her new role, she will be responsible for all future Windows product development in addition to future hardware projects.
Saw windows 8. Sold my MS stock.
Tried Windows 8 with a touch screen and can tell you it was pretty cool. However, on a non-touch screen, you don't get the same experience. Windows 8 should have spanned both the old and the new while people started buying touch screen devices. Instead, they jumped all the way with a touch based OS. Don't get me wrong, a simple press of a button on the modern UI and you are at an old fashion desktop, but then you are new wine in an old wine skin. Meaning, why buy a new OS to have what you have now? However, in the long run, Windows 8 will be considered a cool OS, just not a good bridging between platform OS. Sinofsky will join the ranks people that get fired right before their efforts become recognized as the right course of action.
Ballmer is eliminating his competition. The big ball headed buffoon strikes again.Â
Very disappointed with MS's latest OS, Windows 8. It's probably a good thing this guy is leaving. Sadly, MS has lost its way.
Pretty sad that so many billions of dollars produces an operating system that looks like total junk.  Just looking at it makes me think of a photo from India with all the wires running haywire. Same type of clutter. Annoys me because I don't want Microsoft to fail, but I think there's some sort of culture clash with reality that is producing a cluttered color-clashed mess like that. It is just not appealing looking and very few people I've talked to think it is, so not sure who Microsoft did their studies with.  First thing I'd do if I was forced to install it was find a start menu app. But for now I'll happily stick with Windows 7, from my standpoint Windows 8 is another one of those 'tween OS's that never catch on, like WindowsME and Vista :( Just putting a number on it doesn't make it cool, they should have made this fit in with it's relatives by making it a named OS, like Windows Mahali or something like that.
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@Santos With Windows 7 more or less gone, of course the market is being flooded by Windows 8 devices. The question is, are they selling? The silence from Microsoft is deafening. Sinofsky wanted free reign to do Windows as he saw fit. He got his rope, now he's hanging from it.
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@Santos I think Microsoft developed Surface as a way to more directly influence other hardware OEMs, part example and part competitive threat. It makes sense that Microsoft exert leadership as they bring Windows into tablet territory. What concerns me is that Windows 8 could alienate the PC user base at a time when Microsoft needs its support most.
@Santos @nodozr I would gladly be wrong here, but I doubt Sinofsky would have been sent packing if Microsoft thought it had a winner in Windows 8.
Young Frankenstein needs to leave
Windows 8 is a disappointment. Ballmer is running for cover, and decided to start by throwing Sinfosky on a sword.  Windows 8 is not a bad operating system, but it was a terrible strategic business decision. Unlike Windows 8, the Surface not only a bad business decision, but it is also obviously a marketplace disaster already, awkward design, not optimized for any identifiable kind of user, underpowered, overpriced, garish and functionally crippled. Microsoft keep trying to engineer "breakthrough" products, forgetting that past successes resulted as much from marketplace luck as they did from the vision and engineering of talent no longer with the company. They seem to have an endless capacity to absorb billion dollar failure after billion dollar failure while displaying a pathetically charming cluelessness, especially when it comes to deciding who their project and program managers will be.
This is the guy that was supposed to replace Ballmer..
This is huge...
Probably because they slimming or shutting down Windows live. They already said they are getting rid of windows live messenger service next year and moving everyone onto skype.
Wrong guy is leaving, the big B needs to go.
Heading out before the epic failure (Win8) becomes obvious?
 @JCCBlvu not sure it will be a failure, most users I have spoken to, after a day or 2, actually like it
@Komo Dragon @JCCBlvu I like it now that I have installed a 3rd party Start menu. Metro makes no sense to me on a standard desktop or laptop PC.
@Komo Dragon @JCCBlvu Are they using WIN 8 on a laptop/tablet or a desktop?
 @J LAKE  @Komo  @JCCBlvu laptop
@Rider @J LAKE Wow, Win+D gets me to the desktop? You know what I like on my Win 7 desktop? When I don't have to press a key to get to my desktop! You must work for MS! Windows 8 is just horrible. I was playing around with it yesterday. Sadly, this thing is going to fail miserably.
 @Rider  @J LAKE Just using the Winkey toggles between the Win8 UI and the Desktop (don't need the "D")
 @J LAKE Run Win8 on a slate, laptop, and several desktops. Works great is all environments. Win+D gets you to the desktop in a keystroke.
@JCCBlvu I am running windows 8 on my Mac and it works great. Much improved over the last few OS's.
 @DeadRabitz  @JCCBlvu natively or in Parallels?
 @DeadRabitz If you like tablet type software with kiddie buttons.... maybe it works well for you! I want a revamped version of XP for my desk top and lap top.
@Funky-Munky or Microsoft made a quality so that works well.