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At a press event on Tuesday, Microsoft launched the next version of Windows: Not Windows One, not Windows 9, but Windows 10, which combines the reborn Start menu with Windows 8's colorful live tiles and adjusts its behavior depending on how you're using your device.

Further reading: Hands-on with Microsoft's new Windows 10: UI changes that look great at first blush

Windows 10 will officially launch in the middle of next year, but you'll have a chance to try it out before that via a new Windows Insider program, launching Wednesday. The platform's most vocal fans will have a chance to download the technical preview before it launches next year.

Microsoft executives unveiled the new OS at a small press event in San Francisco, where the company tried to position the Windows 10 OS as a "natural step forward" for both Windows and Windows Phone, which will also be renamed Windows 10.

Windows 10 will be designed for the enterprise, Terry Myerson executive vice president of Microsoft's OS group, said. It will have a "familiar" interface, whether it be for Windows 7 or Windows 8. "They will find all the tools they're used to finding, with all the apps and tools they're used to today," he said.

Windows 10 will be compatible with all the familiar management systems, including mobile device management. MDM tools will manage not just mobile devices, but PCs, phones, tablets, and even embedded devices inpart of the Internet of Things, Myerson said. Enterprise customers will be able to manage their own app stores, so that ther employees get the right apps for them. As Windows 8 did, data security will be a priority, he said.

"Windows 10 will be our greatest enterprise platform ever," Myerson said.

Windows 10 revealed

Joe Belfiore, who runs part of the OS team focused on the PC experience, showed off the new OS, which he called a "very early build." Yes, the new build has the Stat menu, combining the icon-driven menu from Windows 7, plus the added Live Tiles to the right.

Belfiore used the analogy of a Tesla to describe how Windows 7 users would feel when they upgraded-something that Microsoft desperately wants them to do: a supercharged OS, but one that will feel familiar.

One of the things that Microsoft wants to ensure is that Windows 10 is personalized results, including search results, Belfiore said.

Windows 8 had a universal app platform, with a common Windows Store that handle updates independently. Belfiore said that Microsoft wanted all those Windows 7 uses to get all the benefits of Windows 8 apps. Apps will be shown in the Live Tiles, with no real indication whether they are "classic" apps or modern, Windows 8 apps. Apps can be "snapped," like Windows 8. Users will also not have to leave the Windows desktop to use modern apps, as expected.

Multitasking will also be a priority, with a stated goal being able to "empower" novice users, Belfiore said. On the taskbar there will be a "task view" where users can switch back and forth between different environments-whether it be 32-bit Windows 7 apps or modern apps. And yes, they will include virtual desktops, with the ability to switch back and forth between virtual environments. A "snap assist" feature will allow users to select similar windows to snap alongside other apps. And up to four apps or windows can be snapped to the four corners of the desktop, Belfiore said.

Even more advanced uses will be able to take advantage of new keyboard shortcuts, with the ability to ALT-TAB between desktops. "It's a nice forward enhancement to make those people more productive," Belfiore said.

Microsoft even improved the command line interface, with an improved keyboard interface. (You can use Crtl+V to paste now!)

Touch when you need it

Belfiore wrapped up by talking about touch: "We're not giving up on touch," he said. But he did say that that massive numbers of users were familiar with the touchless Windows 7 interface, while supporting those who have jumped to Windows 8.

So that means that the Charms experience will be revamped. When you swipe right on Windows 10, the Charms bar is still there. But Belfiore said that the Charms experience would change. When people swipe in from the left, Windows 10, you'll get a task view. "I'm using touch in a way that accelerates my use of a PC," Belfiore said.

Microsoft is also working on a revamped UI that isn't is in Windows 10, yet. For two-in-on devices, a "Continuum" mode will adjust the UI depending on whether or not the mouse and keyboard is present. When a keyboard is disconnected, the Windows 8-style Start menu appears and a back button is available so that users can easily back out to a prior command. Menus grow larger. Bu when a mouse and keyboard is connected, the desktop mode reappears, Windows apps return to desktop windows, and the Start page disappears.

Now, Microsoft needs to take the next step: pitching enterprise customers, Myerson said. And that's critical for Windows' future, analysts said. Expect more details on the consumer flavors of Windows 10 early next year, more application details at BUILD, and then a launch of Windows 10 near the middle of next year.

"For businesses, I think there are some businesses who have picked it up and they are really early adopters, but in general, the sense-when we engage with customers, we're not hearing a lot of reception out there," Wes Miller, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, said in advance of the briefing. "We're hearing a lot of businesses even before whatever that thing comes out tomorrow, before that came out, businesses were saying, we're going to hang out on Windows 7, it's stable, it does what we need to do."

Windows Insider

Mark Hachman

Starting Wednesday, Microsoft will launch a Windows Insider program, distributing the technical preview of Windows 10, Myerson said. Through Window Insiders we're inviting our more vocal Windows fans" to help refine the Windows experience, executives said. Users wil be able to sign up at preview.windows.com, he said, where they will be able to hold private discussions with Windows engineers and give feedback.

"Windows 10 will be our most open, collaborative OS project ever," Myerson said.

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Windows 10 revealed: Microsoft's next OS fuses Windows 7 and 8

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At a press event on Tuesday, Microsoft launched the next version of Windows: Not Windows One, not Windows 9, but Windows 10, which combines the reborn Start menu with Windows 8's colorful live tiles and adjusts its behavior depending on how you're using your device.

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Startup Funding Online: The 5 Success Factors

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Startup Funding Online: The 5 Success Factors

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In this article I've highlighted some of the most critical factors that drive successful startup fundraises online.

For a brief refresher, it was just over a year ago (September 2013) that we saw Title II of the JOBS Act kick off and unleash a powerful new market for startup funding online, also referred to as equity crowdfunding.

This new capital market created under Title II is showing rapid growth, even while the opportunity to invest is currently limited to accredited investors and institutions.

Restrictions keeping everyday people (non-accredited investors) from participating may be lifted at some point under Title III of the JOBS Act, though regulators have stalled to release final rules.

That said, startups and investors are not waiting on Title III. The new startup funding market is off to the races. Technology and automation are rapidly transforming the way investments in startups and small businesses are done - driven primarily by a few leading equity crowdfunding platforms.

Today we are seeing everyday individual investors getting to invest alongside VCs and super-angels online, often in the same deals and at the same terms as some of the worlds most experienced early stage investors.

According to Kay Koplovitz and her article on the impact of the first year of equity crowdfunding, estimates for the startup funding commitments made online were estimated at over $217,000,000 in equity and debt. The sectors leading the way were the technology and real estate sectors.

Within these funding numbers are a variety of potential signals for what leads companies to succeed with raising startup funding online. Here are some of the potential signals and success factors that are drive startup funding online.

Integrate Offline + Online Fundraising Efforts

Smart entrepreneurs today are using the internet and technology to supercharge their fundraising efforts.

It's only been a year since equity crowdfunding became legal and widely available to any entrepreneur - but now it's clear that the fundraising landscape and behaviors are changing.

We're moving towards a world where an investment ready company has the potential to reach several thousands investors in a day. This has, and will continue to, change the dynamics of direct fundraising efforts inside the board room.

I'll go out on a limb to say that in another quarter or two, raising startup funding online will become the "new normal."

Meaning that if you're an entrepreneur with a startup and you are not taking advantage of the ability to pitch online, get distribution to hundreds or thousands of potential investors, leverage the powerful social proof and signaling that equity crowdfunding brings with it, and use automated investor closing tools that equity crowdfunding provides - then you'll be missing out on a huge opportunity.

Smart entrepreneurs are also finding that their online fundraising efforts help accelerate and drive outcomes in their direct discussions with investors offline.

More than 75% of the startup founders that I've met or spoken with who have successfully used equity crowdfunding found that their online efforts helped not only connect them to new investors they met and spoke with offline, but also played a meaningful role to help close investment from offline investors they were already speaking with.

Online fundraising isn't a replacement for strategic direct and offline fundraising efforts - it is the perfect complement.

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Startup Funding Online: The 5 Success Factors

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In this article I've highlighted some of the most critical factors that drive successful startup fundraises online. For a brief refresher, it was just over a year ago (September 2013) that we saw Title II of the JOBS Act kick off and unleash a powerful new market for startup funding online, [...]

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Intel Q3 2014 Earnings: Growth As PC Business Stabilizes, But Still No Luck In Mobile

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Intel Q3 2014 Earnings: Growth As PC Business Stabilizes, But Still No Luck In Mobile

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Maybe the PC isn't dead after all.

reported today $14.6 billion in revenue in the third quarter, up from $13.5 billion Q3 last year, or an 8 percent rise. Its operating income for the quarter reached $4.5 billion, a net income of $3.3 billion and an earnings per share of $.66.

"We are pleased by the progress the company is making," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich in a statement. "We achieved our best-ever revenue and strong profits in the third quarter. There is more to do, but our results give us confidence that we're successfully executing to our strategy of extending our products across a broad range of exciting new markets."

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant beat average analyst's estimates for the quarter with $14.45 billion for revenue and $.65 for earnings per share, according to estimates polled by Yahoo Finance. Intel's own estimates for revenue this quarter were in the range of $13.9 billion to $14.9 billion.

Although Intel has been facing a declining PC market over the past few years, Intel has buoyed back since Brian Krzanich took charge as CEO in May 2013. For 2014, Intel has one of the best performing stocks on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Intel's fortunes started taking a downturn in 2011 as the PC business began faltering. PC shipments declined 3.7 percent in 2012 and 10.3 percent in 2013, according to IDC.

Intel's PC Client Group showed growth this quarter with revenue of $9.2 billion--up 9 percent from the same quarter last year. Its Data Center Group saw the most growth with revenue of $3.7 billion--up 16 percent from the same quarter last year. Its still small Internet of Things unit saw the second largest percentage growth of 14 percent over last year with $530 million in revenue.

"We're excited to engage ecosystems in new, disruptive ways," said CEO Krzanich in the Q3 earnings call. "We're getting into emerging sectors like wearables before they become mainstream."

Meanwhile, the mobile business continued inflicting massive losses for the company. Intel reported only $1 million in revenue for the quarter for that struggling business unit, down from $353 million a year earlier. Operating losses for the unit stand at $1 billion, up $810 million from a year ago. Intel hopes to gain ground with its cheap SoFIA chip designed for budget smartphones.

"Intel has warned that the [mobile] group would be a major problem for the next couple of quarters," Jack Gold, the principal analyst and founder at J. Gold Associates, wrote in reaction to the earnings. "While they have many good things in the pipeline, it's surprising how low the sales results were."

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Intel Q3 2014 Earnings: Growth As PC Business Stabilizes, But Still No Luck In Mobile

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Maybe the PC isn't dead after all. Intel reported today $14.6 billion in revenue in the third quarter, up from $13.5 billion Q3 last year, or an 8 percent rise. Its operating income for the quarter reached $4.5 billion, a net income of $3.3 billion and an earnings per share of $.66.

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Management would be easy if only everyone were highly motivated. But that's like saying basketball would be simple if only everyone could dunk. Most of the time, reality intervenes.

As most managers who've been at it a while know, in management you have no choice but to deal with all kinds of people. Some are intrinsically motivated, many are not. Over the course of a few decades in management, I learned a few things about working with those who are not. Accordingly, here are 4 tips to motivate the unmotivated.

We'll assume for purposes of this article that the employees we're discussing here are at least reasonably talented - meaning they do have the skills needed to successfully perform the job they're in. (If they don't - meaning they lack both skills and motivation - then the management solution is simple: They shouldn't be in the job, and it's the role of management to see to that.) But again, here our assumption is they can do the job. Management's role is to pull the right levers to get them to want to.

Get to know your employees as individuals - To have any hope of effectively motivating, of finding the right key for the psychic lock, you first have to understand something about your employees, and why they aren't working up to their potential. What is it that's standing between ability and execution? What are their likes and dislikes, their hopes and fears? The more you know, the better chance you'll have of discovering what incentives can in fact be difference makers. Is it money, flexibility, prestige, recognition, workplace relationships?... to name just a few. What aspects of the current working environment do they find frustrating and demoralizing? It's a cliche, but when managing others knowledge is power.

Be fully conscious of personal and dynamics - I often found, for dissatisfied employees, that the company one keeps - the character of their workplace relationships - can make the difference between frustration and engagement, disengagement and productivity. Studies confirm this too. Team composition matters. For a given project, pairing an employee with someone they enjoy and work well with - as opposed to someone whom for whatever reason they just don't get along with - can be a constructive catalyst. I understand of course managers don't always have this flexibility. (When I was young I remember working for example picking detergent bottles off a conveyor belt and our management's options were pretty limited in this regard!) But often they do - have flexibility, that is.

Find assignments that appeal - As with the interpersonal element noted above, the character of an assignment - the nature of a project - can make a vast difference in how one approaches it. If you can find the right match that sparks an employee's interest, the results can be surprising - and exceptional. Again, I understand of course - note detergent bottle example above - that managerial options aren't always unlimited. But sometimes they're broader than one might think. Perhaps a project outside one's own department - that has value to the organization - makes good business sense. Or discuss with your employee what could be of keen interest; often you may not be able to get the right answers without asking the right questions.

State clearly your own expectations - Rule #1 in business: You don't get something for nothing. In return for your own thoughtful attention to your employees' well-being and success, there are definite expectations you'll have. One key to effective management is to directly confront the hard stuff - which is why it's important to make clear exactly what your performance-related expectations are. What's acceptable and what isn't. And unmotivated sub-par performance naturally isn't. Clarity is always the ally of strong performance.

In the end there are no surefire ways to motivate the unmotivated, but there are steps you can take to improve your odds. And in a world where studies routinely show that roughly 7 in 10 employees are disengaged and unmotivated, better odds are often what management is about.

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Management would be easy if only everyone were highly motivated. But that's like saying basketball would be simple if only everyone could dunk. Most of the time, reality intervenes. Accordingly, here are four tips to help management elevate employee performance.

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Why Virgin America's Ex-CEO Hates Airline Websites

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Why Virgin America's Ex-CEO Hates Airline Websites

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Airlines seek to drive as many sales as possible to their own websites for one simple reason: It helps reduce the costs associated with selling airfares. But that doesn't mean the airlines have any special talent for elegant e-commerce.

"Many airlines' home pages are horrible," says Fred Reid, former chief executive of Virgin America. Even the giants of the industry tend toward cluttered, confusing websites introduced by home pages in desperate need of redesign. "They look like war zones," he told the attendees of a conference sponsored by Skift, a travel news and marketing startup. "They create tension."

Some carriers even try to sell cruises from the home page, not just airline flights, Reid noted, without saying which airline he was referring to. (That would be United; American has a drop-down link to its cruise sales on its home page.) "Hello, I am X [Airline]," he said, describing the visual approach. "Please step into my mess."

Reid, the former president and chief operating officer at both Delta Air Lines and Lufthansa as well as CEO during Virgin America's launch, also forecast the end of the era of seatback video screens. Travelers prefer to watch their own tablets and smartphones, and from an operations standpoint, the seatback screens are expensive, generate heat, burn extra fuel, and require periodic maintenance. Yet despite Reid's prediction, airlines such as Virgin America and JetBlue have made in-seat video entertainment systems integral components of their consumer products.

Reid also encouraged anyone planning to start an airline to buy only new airplanes and to hire a full-time design director. And if he decides to give up his current career as an aviation consultant and California apple farmer to help launch a new carrier? "Shoot me," he quipped. "With a dart gun."

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Why Virgin America's Ex-CEO Hates Airline Websites

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Airlines seek to drive as many sales as possible to their own websites for one simple reason: It helps reduce the costs associated with selling airfares. But that doesn't mean the airlines have any special talent for elegant e-commerce. "Many airlines' home pages are horrible," says Fred Reid, former chief executive of Virgin America.

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Can Apple's IPad Event Shake Off the Tablet Doldrums?

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Can Apple's IPad Event Shake Off the Tablet Doldrums?

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Apple has sent out invitations for a media event on Oct. 16, when it is expected to introduce new versions of the iPad. "It's been way too long," the invitation says.

The big event of each fall for Apple is the release of the new iPhones, which account for a bit more that half of the company's revenue, but the company also regularly holds a second event for tablets and computers. The iPad has been suffering lately, along with the tablet industry as a whole. Apple's tablet sales peaked in the last quarter of last year, when the company sold $11.5 billion worth of the devices. Last quarter it made $5.8 billion in iPad revenue, down 8 percent from the year before.

The slowdown in the tablet market isn't an Apple-exclusive problem, and it will be interesting to see how the company attempts to address it. Every year around this time the company increases the processing power of all its devices, and the upcoming event is also expected to introduce the Touch ID fingerprint scanner to its new iPads. Bloomberg News has reported that Apple will also introduce a gold-colored iPad.

Moreover, Apple is working on a larger tablet, which will likely target the business market, but it isn't expected to be released until 2015.

One thing working against the iPads? Apple's new iPhones, the larger of which has a 5.5-inch screen. By closing the gap between tablets and phones, Apple is giving people one more reason to avoid buying a second Apple device.

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Can Apple's IPad Event Shake Off the Tablet Doldrums?

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Apple has sent out invitations for a media event on Oct. 16, when it is expected to introduce new versions of the iPad. "It's been way too long," the invitation says.

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Steve Jobs used to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse before a presentation. Every moment of the event was choreographed, every word picked with purpose. Elon Musk does not do this. He wings it.

On Thursday night, the chief executive officer of Tesla Motors unveiled a new version of the Model S all-electric sedan at an event in Los Angeles. The short of it is that the car is amazing. It has two motors -one in the front, one in the back-and all-wheel drive. It's a sedan that can go 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. A sedan; 3.2 seconds.

"This car is nuts," Musk said. "It's like taking off from a carrier deck. It's just bananas." The car gets 275 miles of range and has a top speed of 155 mph, up from 265 miles and 130 mph. Shipments of the car begin in February.

On top of all this, Musk revealed that Tesla has already equipped the most recent cars coming off its assembly line with autopilot technology. There's radar to sense and avoid objects. And Tesla has tied its GPS into the system to let some interesting things happen today and some amazing things happen in the future.

"You can step out of the car and have it park itself in the garage," Musk said. "Later, you will be able to summon the car. It will come to wherever you are. There's also something else I would like to do. Many of our engineers will be hearing this in real time. I would like the charge connector to plug itself into the car, sort of like an articulating snake. I think we will probably do something like that."

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The technology was certainly impressive, but so too were Musk's performance and the event itself. Thousands of people showed up at the Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles, and Tesla turned the area around the runway into a giant bar. The whole thing felt more like a concert than a product unveiling. People with cocktails banged into each other as they fought for more than an hour to get closer to the stage. When Musk first appeared, the audience erupted in cheers, and people held their smartphones in the air to get photos.

I've seen just about every major tech CEO of the past 20 years speak, and the closest comparison to this scene would be when Jobs talked. Musk has developed a loyal, rabid fan base, and it's growing.

Early in his career, Musk struggled during public presentations, or at least appeared a bit awkward. He's more engineer than showman and has the delivery to match. While Jobs had the time and inclination to polish his speeches, Musk has had no such luxury-he's running both Tesla and SpaceX full-time-and generally seems to care less about massaging the moment. He just hops onstage and says what comes to mind.

On Thursday night, however, Musk really hit his stride. It might be because of the comedy leading up to the event. Musk had sent out a tweet last week promising to reveal the "D." The letter ended up referring to the all-wheel drive, but the Internet, being what it is, could not help making tons of jokes about Musk possibly pulling something D-themed out of his trousers. Musk played to the jokes. "You will notice my pants have Velcro seams," he said, as he walked onstage. "That may have mixed appeal."

A few moments later, Musk brought the new Model S chassis onstage via a giant robotic red arm-"Release the titan"-and pumping music. The arm made picking up this huge chunk of metal look effortless as it waved the car's body up and down, left and right, and in circles. "Robots," Musk said, and then let out a master-of-the-universe smirk.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Musk, dressed in a long, black leather jacket, pointed to the airport's runway and said everyone at the event could test-drive the new car. People lined up by the hundreds, got in the cars, and sped through a lighted tunnel. Tesla had never before put on this type of event.

The substance of what Tesla revealed lived up to the show. Because of Tesla's electric drivetrain, the company can make the most out of its motors. Instructions sent out by the car's computer do not have to travel through mechanical systems: They're sent instantly to the wheels. "It's like the equivalent of analog to digital," Musk said. This means the car can deliver commands about how to take a corner, how to shift power from the front of the car to the rear, and how to tweak the car's torque in milliseconds.

If Tesla wants, it can have one motor tuned for city driving and the other tuned for highway driving. It's through the software and this clever programming that the new car actually gets more range than its predecessor, despite the added weight of a second motor. This is another example of Musk's quest to make not a "good enough" electric car, but to make electric cars superior to internal combustion vehicles.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The major downside, of course, is that these cars remain very expensive. The Model S already costs a small fortune, and adding a second motor will bring the price tag up another $14,600. Tesla's next car is the Model X, an SUV due out early next year that will be similar in cost to the Model S. The public is still at least a couple of years away from the Model 3, a car in the $35,000 range.

The Muskalites at Thursday night's event certainly did not care about the price. While waiting for the gig to begin, I heard from someone who's put in an order for the Model X. His friend recently offered another prospective owner $15,000 just to move up on the reservation list so that he could have model No. 700. Another person next to me already owns a Tesla Roadster and a Model S. When Musk revealed the new car, the guy turned to his wife and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to get one of those."

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The Cult of Elon Musk: A Night With the 'D' and Thousands of Tesla Fanatics

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Steve Jobs used to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse before a presentation. Every moment of the event was choreographed, every word picked with purpose. Elon Musk does not do this. He wings it. On Thursday night, the chief executive officer of Tesla Motors unveiled a new version of the Model S all-electric sedan at an event in Los Angeles.