Microsoft's recently revealed Office for iPad will appeal to some users, but will leave those looking for innovative tablet-related features disappointed, according to one analyst firm. [ + ]

Microsoft has made new leadership appointments to its Cloud and Enterprise, Microsoft Devices and Xbox groups. [ + ]

The Australian smart home automation market will be taking in nearly $1 billion by 2017, with 'smart home hubs' capturing 40% of the market, Telsyte predicts. [ + ]

Only 6.5% of PCs in Australia and New Zealand are still running Windows XP, compared to 32% worldwide, but Trend Micro warns that these laggards are posing a "public health risk to the internet". [ + ]

With Australian companies feeling more confident in their growth prospects for 2014, the percentage of businesses planning to increase headcount is also growing, a survey shows. [ + ]

Australian beverage company Bickford's has selected cloud-based and mobile CRM systems from StayinFront as part of an overhaul of its current systems. [ + ]

ACMA has issued a formal warning to Optus after an investigation found the telco inaccurately billed customers almost $9 million. [ + ]

Google has published its latest figures on authorities' legal requests for user data, including details from Australia, but the report still has no statistics on the type of user data shared. [ + ]

A survey shows Australian consumers and businesses who have lost data were in fact using a backup system at the time of their data loss. [ + ]

Apple's iOS is the most commonly used mobile OS in enterprises in mature markets, according to analyst firm Gartner. IT managers have a series of decisions to make about managing iOS devices, in order to minimise the risk of data leakage. [ + ]

Pure Hacking has urged Australian individuals and businesses still using Windows XP to upgrade now, before Microsoft pulls the support plug on the OS next month. [ + ]

The Communications Alliance will absorb the core responsibilities of the Internet Industry Association (IIA), after the IIA's board made the decision to shut down the organisation. [ + ]

Amazon Web Services will select three local governments and four application developers to share in a prize pool of US$250,000 worth of credits for projects that use the AWS cloud to benefit citizens. [ + ]

Australian companies are now more likely to hire ICT contractors than permanent ICT staff, with demand for ICT contractors stronger than in any other profession, a survey suggests. [ + ]

One analyst feels that Symantec's decision to fire CEO Steve Bennett - the face of the company's turnaround efforts - is a "major black eye". [ + ]