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Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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In 1980, Microsoft formed a partnership with IBM to bundle Microsoft's operating system with IBM computers
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Microsoft relocated their headquarters to a corporate office campus in Redmond, Washington.
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Microsoft purchased Forethought, the developer of PowerPoint. It was the company's first major acquisition, and gave Microsoft a Silicon Valley base
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Microsoft also continued rebranding products, such as Microsoft SQL Server, a relational database management system
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Microsoft introduced its most successful office product, Microsoft Office.
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Microsoft launched several versions of Microsoft Windows. They captured over 90% market share of the world's personal computers.
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Microsoft launched Windows 3.0.The new version of Microsoft's operating system boasted new features such as streamlined graphic user interface GUI and improved protected mode ability for the Intel 386 processor
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Microsoft released Windows 95, a new version of the OS featured a completely new user interface, including a novel start button;
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Microsoft released Windows XP, unifying the mainstream and NT lines of OS under the NT codebase.The company released the Xbox later that year, entering the video game console market
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The company's second video game console, the Xbox 360, was released.
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The next version of Windows, Vista, focused on features, security and a redesigned user interface dubbed Aero. Microsoft Office 2007 was released at the same time.
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Azure Services Platform, the company's entry into the cloud computing market for Windows, launched on October 27, 2008
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The Kinect, a motion-sensing input device made by Microsoft and designed as a video game controller, first introduced in November 2010.
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Microsoft unveiled Windows 8, an operating system designed to power both personal computers and tablet computers
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On July 31, they launched the Outlook.com webmail service to compete with Gmail.
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Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox series.
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Microsoft acquired Nokia Devices and Services. On September 15, 2014, Microsoft acquired the video game development company Mojang, best known for Minecraft. On June 8, 2017, Microsoft acquired Hexadite, an Israeli security firm.
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Windows 10 was released, with its server sibling, Windows Server 2016
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Microsoft announced the merger of its PC and Xbox divisions, with Phil Spencer announcing that Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps would be the focus for Microsoft's gaming in the future.
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Microsoft released the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S video game consoles.[
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Microsoft announced Windows 11 during a Livestream. The announcement came with confusion after Microsoft announced Windows 10 would be the last version of the operating system