Microsoft publishes its quarterly results and announces the arrival of Teams and 365 applications on Apple Vision Pro and on the joint meeting room solution with Samsung and Cisco
This week, Microsoft released its quarterly results for the second quarter of the fiscal year, highlighting the strong revenue growth now expected by the market.
The company reported its best quarterly revenue for the fifth quarter in a row, cementing its new position as the world’s most valuable company even as Apple’s profits fast approach. Overall sales for the quarter ending December 31, 2023 climbed 18% to $62 billion, while revenue attributed to Microsoft Cloud increased quarter-over-quarter to $33.7 billion.
Teams has been the usual star of Microsoft’s earnings call since 2020, but it hasn’t been particularly involved as generative AI and Copilot stole the show.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft said:
When it comes to Teams, we once again saw record usage as organizations consolidated collaboration, chat, meetings and calling into one platform. Teams has also become a new entry point for us. More than two-thirds of our enterprise Teams customers purchase Phone, Rooms, or Premium. All of these innovations are driving the growth of Microsoft 365.”
Nadella also said its core AI solution, Copilot, was responsible for a 70% increase “in productivity using generative AI for specific work tasks.”
In other Microsoft news, Microsoft Teams and 365 apps are coming to Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computing service.
In addition to core Teams features like video conferencing, file sharing, and chat, Teams uses advanced features of Apple Vision Pro to improve the user experience during video calls, including Personas, an infinite canvas for collaboration and interactive chats powered by emojis and reactions.
“With the Microsoft Teams app on Apple Vision Pro, you can use all of your Microsoft Teams communication and collaboration capabilities” Lori Craw, Director of Marketing for Modern Work at Microsoft, wrote in an accompanying blog post. “Meet, chat, call, collaborate, and participate in your business processes—become part of everything Teams has to offer in one smart place to connect, communicate, and work together. »
Users can download Teams from the App Store on Apple Vision Pro starting Friday, February 2, along with the Microsoft apps Copilot, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop.
Finally, on the Microsoft side, the Redmond-based vendor jointly announced a series of meeting room solutions at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2024 with Cisco and Samsung. Combo Room Kits include Cisco devices powered by its RoomOS software and integrated with Samsung smart signage displays featuring Microsoft Teams with Front Row.
The overarching ambition of this collaboration is to integrate video collaboration solutions into the Cisco Room range. These solutions include Front Row, an inclusive content layout designed specifically for Microsoft Teams Rooms.
Zoom unveils app for Apple Vision Pro
Zoom has announced the release of its latest app, designed exclusively for Apple Vision Pro, ahead of the product launch this week.
The application is expected to be available for download on February 2, 2024, once the space computer goes on sale.
The Zoom app for Apple Vision Pro promises a great meeting experience by merging video conferencing with users’ physical spaces, blurring the lines between in-person and remote interactions. Zoom integration should produce a more immersive and realistic environment for distributed teams, creating a feeling of connection and inclusiveness.
Smita Hashim, Director of Product at Zoomsaid:
Zoom on Apple Vision Pro helps teammates stay connected, no matter when or where they work or how they communicate and collaborate. The integration of Zoom on Apple Vision Pro and visionOS extends our platform’s promise to provide participants with the ultimate meeting experience wherever they are and delivers on our commitment to seamless collaboration and communication.
Users will be represented by an authentic spatial representation of themselves in Apple Vision Pro, allowing meeting participants to see their facial expressions and hand movements.
Sony and Nureva partner on an audiovisual conferencing solution
Sony and Nureva have partnered to produce a large room audio and video package that constitutes the Sony SRG Series Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Remote Cameras and Nureva Audio Conferencing System.
As part of its camera offering, Sony will include the AI-powered SRG-A40 and SRG-A12 cameras as well as its SRG-XP1 box camera. Nureva includes its HDL410 audio conferencing system to provide automated audio-based camera switching for enterprise and education environments.
“We are very excited to partner with Sony on bundles that meet the demand for simplified whole-room audio switching and multi-camera switching in larger collaboration spaces,” said Nancy Knowlton, CEO of Nureva. “The combination of Sony cameras and Nureva audio systems provides the natural viewing and listening experience our mutual customers are looking for. »
The Nureva HDL410 system is simple and cost-effective to use for IT professionals in large spaces, offering advanced audio capabilities, such as the latest Microphone Mist technology, which places thousands of virtual microphones in a space to achieve audio recording throughout the room. , regardless of which direction attendees are facing or where they choose to sit.
Meanwhile, Sony’s SRG-A40 and SRG-A12 cameras, which make up the SRG-A series of 4K PTZ cameras, incorporate AI analytics to help track and frame presenters, regardless of their posture or posture. their movements.
