Client faces strong competition from well-established companies with differing approaches to the PC market. Competing commercial software products, including variants of Unix, are supplied by competitors such as Apple, Canonical, and Red Hat. Apple takes an integrated approach to the PC experience and has made inroads in share, particularly in the U.S. and in the consumer segment. The Linux operating system, which is also derived from Unix and is available without payment under a General Public License, has gained some acceptance, especially in emerging markets, as competitive pressures lead OEMs to reduce costs and new, lower-price PC form-factors gain adoption. Partners such as Hewlett-Packard and Intel have been actively working with alternative Linux-based operating systems.

Linux konnte also {etwas|einige} Akzeptanz (je nach Übersetzung…) auf dem Markt der Betriebssysteme erreichen. Und auch bei Windows Mobile sieht die Microsoft seine Felle davon schwimmen…

User and usage volumes on mobile devices are increasing around the world relative to the PC. OEMs have been working to make the Google Android mobile operating system more compatible with small form-factor PCs or netbooks.

Klar, dass Microsoft dass auch im Geldbeutel spürt. Der Umsatz ging im Vergleich zum Vorjahr um 17 Prozent auf 13,1 Milliarden US-Dollar zurück. Also auf liebe FOSS-Community, auf dass wir Bug #1 endlich fixen! [UPDATE 05.08.2009: Bezug geändert. Der Bericht stammt von Microsoft und richtet sich an die SEC. Vielen Dank für den Hinweis.]