Windows 10 Downloads Questioned, Office For iPad Pro: Microsoft Roundup

Will Windows 10 Make It To 20? IT Watchers Discuss

What is a tech company to do when Apple decides to suck all the air out of the room with details about the new iPhone 6s and iPad Pro? If that company is Microsoft, the best bet is to keep a low profile, but offer some tidbits about upcoming releases.

However, one piece of news from Microsoft this week didn't have anything to do with new releases. Late in the week word leaked out about questionable downloads of the new Windows 10 operating system. According to the Guardian, some people have reported that Microsoft is downloading the new OS to their machines without asking.

Specifically, users with the automatic update feature switched on with Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 may get the Windows 10 updated downloaded to their desktop or laptop. However, the PC will not run the Windows 10 update unless the user gives the OK.

In a statement to the Guardian, Microsoft writes: "For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they'll need if they decide to upgrade."

Although users might not want Windows 10 just yet, they do seem eager to download the latest version of Office 2016, which Redmond announced this week will officially launch on Sept. 22. InformationWeek's Thomas Clayburn reports that Office 365 ProPlus subscribers have a new option called Current Branch for Business or CBB. This allows IT departments to download a limited number of features across an extended period of time.

The CBB feature for the Office 365 ProPlus version is available in February 2016.

As mentioned above, Apple took up most of the attention this week with the launch of its fall lineup. However, some Apple fans noticed that Microsoft decided to jump on the bandwagon as well.

On Sept. 9, Microsoft announced that its Office suite would work with Apple's new iPad Pro, which will bring Word, PowerPoint, and other popular productivity features to a tablet that could help redefine business computing. In addition, Microsoft announced additional support for the Apple Watch, as well as the iPhone 6s.

For longtime Redmond watchers this makes a lot of sense. Microsoft has been trying to move some of its more popular software suite away from working exclusively on Windows PCs. Instead, the idea is to make software such as Office available to a large group of users who prefer Android or iOS, but still need the productivity software Microsoft put out.

[Check out this behind the scenes looks at Microsoft.]

It wasn't all fancy Apple events from Microsoft this week, as there was some serious cloud computing business to take care of back in Redmond.

On Sept. 8, Microsoft officially announced it would acquire Adallom, an Israeli company that focuses in on cloud security. The Wall Street Journal and other publications reported on the buy in July, but neither company would confirm.

This week Microsoft officially announced the acquisition in a blog post.

Finally, Microsoft announced that it is updating its Dynamic CRM suite with additional features and functionality, especially when it comes to making sure the cloud-based version has the same functionality as the on-premises version. There's also additional integration with Outlook, as well as (tentative) support for Cortana, the company's new digital assistant that's a counterweight to Apple's Siri.