Sony announces PlayStation 4 console

21 February 2013 Last updated at 01:32 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

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Everything but the console... watch Sony launch the PS4 in New York

Sony has announced its next-generation gaming console - the PlayStation 4 - at an event in New York.

Its new hardware is designed to offer superior graphics as well as new social features including the sharing of recorded gameplay clips.

It will succeed the PlayStation 3, which went on sale in 2006 and has sold about 75 million units.

The PS4 will eventually compete against Microsoft's still-to-be-unveiled Xbox 360 successor and Nintendo's Wii U.

Sony also confirmed a range of big-name software for the machine including Bungie's upcoming "shared-world shooter" Destiny, which will include exclusive content for the PS4.

The developer's previous title, Halo, helped drive sales for the rival Xbox platform.

A successful launch might spur on sales of Sony's new televisions and other consumer electronics, helping turn around its fortunes.

Sony posted a 456.7bn yen loss ($4.9bn; £3.2bn) in its last financial year, marking the fourth year it ended in deficit.

But the firm has forecast a 20bn yen profit for the current financial year ending in March.

Sony said the console was "coming holiday 2013" suggesting it will go on sale in at least some countries in or around December.

It did not give any indication of its price nor did it show what the console would look like.

There was also no mention of whether the console would support 4K - or ultra-high definition - video. However, Sony told the BBC it would have more to say on this matter "at the appropriate moment".

PC-based chip

Sony described the machine as being like a "supercharged" PC.

It runs off an x86-based CPU (central processing unit) - similar architecture to that found in most desktop computers - and an "enhanced" PC GPU (graphics processing unit). Both CPU and GPU are designed by the US firm Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

It comes with the new DualShock 4 controller, which includes a touchpad, a "share button" and a lightbar, which allows a separate camera to track its movement.

"This is a complete controller upgrade with touch, share and better responsiveness," said Brian Blau, an analyst at the tech consultancy Gartner.

"The new controller is the key to a better PS4 experience. It has the ability to share content easily, and brings in a component of touch that allows even more ways to interact with games."

The console also includes new hardware dedicated to video compression to make it a more social device.

Continue reading the main story

The PlayStation 2 was the most popular console of its generation

It launched ahead of Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube and trounced them in sales. Between 2001 and 2006 its market share ranged between 59% and 86%, according to IHS Screen Digest.

But the PS3 had a rougher ride.

Its $599 (£393) launch price was criticised as being too high and it suffered as a consequence of launching about a year after the Xbox 360 in the US and Japan.

A shortage of supplies meant Sony had to postpone the European and Australian launch by a further four months to March 2007.

Initial sales were slower than expected causing the firm to release a revised, cheaper model, which featured fewer USB ports and ditched a chip that had allowed compatibility with PS2 games.

Pitched against the Wii and Xbox 360, the PS3 only achieved a 24% share of sales in 2007, according to IHS.

By 2012 it had increased that figure to 43%, but overall the Wii proved the most successful model of its generation.

Ken Kutaragi - the so-called father of the PlayStation - was moved from his role as the boss of Sony's Computer Entertainment division shortly after the PS3's troubled launched.

His replacement was Kazuo Hirai whose success at helping turn the PS3's fortunes around saw him promoted to chief executive of Sony last year.

Users will be able to pause a game, select a few minutes of recorded video of their most recent activity, and instruct the clip to be uploaded to a social network.

This will then occur in the background while they can return to their game. The firm said it wanted to make sharing video clips as common as it is today to share screenshots.

Another new feature is that gamers can let one of their friends connect to their machine and take control of their character to help if they have got stuck, or allow several friends to watch their live progress as spectators. This facility uses technology from Gaikai - a cloud-based service Sony acquired last year for $380m.

Gaikai's technology is also being used to allow PS4 games to be streamed and played via the PlayStation Vita handheld console, which may boost its sales.

Sony said it was also exploring the possibility of using its Gaikai unit to allow PlayStation 3 games to be played on the new machine as well as other devices.

However, at the moment PS3 games will not run on the new console.

"The decision to not make the PlayStation 4 backwards compatible is disappointing and means the 5.5 million plus people who own a PS3 in the UK will essentially have to start their gaming collection from scratch," said Alex Simmons, UK editor-in-chief of the gaming site IGN.

"PlayStation 3 games - and indeed PSone and PS2 games - will be available to download at some point, but most likely at an additional cost, which might turn consumers off."

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The PS4's lead system architect outlines some of its new social features

Designed for developers

Sony invited developers on stage to preview some of the PS4 games being worked on.

They included Killzone Shadowfall - an addition to its bestselling Killzone science fiction first-person shooter series; the racing game Driveclub; superhero game Infamous: Second Son; and Diablo 3.

Developer Ubisoft also confirmed that its much-discussed title WatchDogs, which involves a hacker taking control of a smart city's systems, is indeed being developed for the PS4.

Jim Ryan, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, told the BBC that his firm's shift to an x86-based processor would make it easier for other developers to create games for the platform.

"One of the fundamental design principles was to make the PlayStation 4 considerably easier to develop for than some of its predecessor platforms," he said.

"It is much more of a generic PC environment. It's not a bespoke development environment as was very much the case with the PlayStation 3.

"So it's something developers are aware of, are comfortable with and they don't have to relearn the rules."

Improved graphics

While the graphics shown during the demonstrations were more advanced that those in current games for Nintendo's Wii U, Sony must also convince gamers to choose its platform over PC-based systems.

Continue reading the main story

The PlayStation meeting was a surprisingly top-level unveiling for a bit of pending consumer electronics.

We didn't get a price, we didn't get a firm date, we only saw a half-dozen games in action and most importantly, most surprisingly, we didn't actually see the device itself.

Instead the nearly two-and-a-half hour show was more about the pending console's philosophical approach to next-generation gaming.

Despite the lack of firm details, the ideas that Sony promises to build their PS4 upon are intriguing.

So much has changed since the PlayStation 3 was launched. In today's entertainment landscape gaming is ubiquitous and to keep up consoles need to embrace that.

It looks like the PS4 will do that through two key approaches: sharing and smart shopping.

Gamers on the PS4 will be able to tap a button to instantly share their gaming achievements, not just through messages, but with screenshots and videos of their gameplay.

The system will also detect your gaming habits and pre-load your console with the sorts of games it thinks you will like. If you like them you tap a button to buy them.

The PS4 seems to be promising to provide seamless, easy access to gaming and entertainment in a way that hopes to makes the console as ubiquitous as gaming has become.

PCs will be capable of offering increasingly impressive visuals as the PS4 ages thanks to their ability to have their processors and other hardware upgraded.

US firm Valve, in particular, has been vocal about its ambition to bring PC-based gaming to living room TVs.

Even so, Stephen Totilo, editor of the gaming site Kotaku, was broadly impressed with what he had seen.

"The PS4 games we saw today don't look that much better than the best beauties on the PS3 - until you look for the smaller details," he said.

"It seems like you can see further into the distance in these games' worlds. More sparks fly, more smoke swirls.

"This is nice, but it has the feeling of the spectacle of visuals alone is reaching a point of diminishing returns.

"More impressive is how much more social the PS4 seems - to be able to capture video of what you play while you play and share that with people brings console gaming closer to the cutting edge of modern gaming on a PC.

"This system seems smarter and more connected - it doesn't seem like a dinosaur."

How much?

Sony did not announce how much it plans to charge - perhaps holding the news back for the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles in June or a later announcement.

The PlayStation 3 was initially sold at a loss, so if that practice is repeated with the new model its launch may initially put fresh strain on the firm's finances.

Even so, one analyst suggested that Sony would be willing to take the pain to maximise early demand.

"Without the established user base and community of PS3 and PlayStation Network, Sony would be without a significant home entertainment foothold allowing it to connect many of its other consumer electronic devices, products and services," said Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games at IHS Screen Digest.

"Sony's next generation device is likely to take on more importance not less."

The Japanese firm's shares closed 1.8% lower in Tokyo trade following the announcement.

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Hacking group victim of Twitter hack

21 February 2013 Last updated at 07:38 ET

Hacker collective Anonymous has suffered an embarrassing breach, as one of its popular Twitter feeds is taken over by rival hacktivists.

Little-known group Rustle League said it had hacked the @Anon_Central account which has 160,000 followers.

It follows some high-profile Twitter hacks in recent days - including accounts for Burger King, Jeep and BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

Experts warn that users need to strengthen their passwords.

"The reason Anonymous fell victim is probably human weakness," said Graham Cluley, senior consultant at security firm Sophos.

"Chances are that they followed poor password practices, like using the same password in multiple places or choosing a password that was easy to crack.

Everyone should learn better password security from incidents like this - if it can happen to an account run by Anonymous supporters, it could happen to you," he said.

On Monday, the account for Burger King was breached and on Tuesday that of Chrysler-owned Jeep was broken into.

One message on the Burger King account claimed that the company had been sold to McDonalds while the Jeep account tweeted about rival cars.

Meanwhile, BBC presenter Jeremy Clarkson's account was hacked by spammers advertising weight-loss tablets.

Profit question

Twitter has told its account holders that they need to be smarter with their passwords.

In a blog post published on Tuesday, Bob Lord, director of Information Security, said: "Over the past couple of days, there's been a fair amount of conversation about account security on Twitter,"

He urged users to have strong passwords. "Your password should be at least 10 characters that include upper and lower case characters, numbers and symbols," he said.

The Anonymous hack on Thursday morning was short-lived. Three hours later, those running the feed tweeted that they had gained back control of their account.

As well as raising issues about password security on Twitter, the incident also raises questions about the status of Anonymous.

The hacktivist group was rarely out of the headlines in 2012.

But in a recent report, security firm McAfee suggested that Anonymous could fall into decline this year.

"Many are starting to prefer making a profit over a political point, not only through carrying out actions themselves but also offering a hacking-as-a-service to those less technically able."," said Raj Samani, McAfee's chief technical officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

"The authorities have launched a crackdown on Anonymous and quite a number of its key members have been arrested," he added.

Chinese links?

Much of the focus on cyber crime has shifted this week to the extent and scale of Chinese hacking.

But a report linking hackers to the Chinese army suggests members of Anonymous may have played a crucial role in allowing researchers to link hackers to the Chinese army.

Published by US security firm Mandiant, the report names three hackers believed to be working for the Chinese military.

Mandiant got the information from rootkit.com, an online forum where hackers share information about techniques.

In 2011, Anonymous gained access to the website and published personal data of more than 40,000 registered users online.

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Google unveils touchscreen laptop

21 February 2013 Last updated at 14:02 ET

Google has unveiled its first touchscreen-enabled laptop.

The Chromebook Pixel runs Google's Chrome operating system and has been "largely built" by the web giant.

The laptop has Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, fast 4G LTE connectivity and a high-resolution screen aimed at challenging Apple's Retina Display.

Analysts say the move represents a fresh bid to build market share for Chromebooks against machines running Microsoft and Apple operating systems.

Unlike PCs that use installed software such as Microsoft Word, Chrome OS computers run their applications through the firm's web browser and store their files in the cloud.

The internet giant told the BBC the device was "largely built by Google, with components that are manufactured globally".

The laptop's 12.85in (32.64cm) display's resolution is similar to the so-called Retina Display of Apple's MacBook range, aimed to have pixel density high enough for the human eye not to notice pixelation when looking at the screen at a typical viewing distance.

"This Chromebook has the highest pixel density (239 pixels per inch) of any laptop screen on the market today," said the company.

"Packed with 4.3 million pixels, the display offers sharp text, vivid colours and extra-wide viewing angles.

Continue reading the main story

The challenge for the Chromebook is that computing is shifting towards tablets"

End Quote Geoff Blaber CCS Insight

"With a screen this rich and engaging, you want to reach out and touch it — so we added touch for a more immersive experience."

Embracing the cloud

The first Chrome-powered laptop, built by Samsung, went on sale in June 2011. Chrome laptops that followed were made by Acer, Lenovo and HP.

But so far, Chromebooks have had difficulties challenging Windows-powered computers, said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.

"Chromebooks have struggled for relevance to date, stuck between comparably-priced but entertainment-centric tablets - many of which run Android - and more functional PCs," he said.

"[The new computer] won't transform its prospects but Google will hope it serves as a flagship device that has a halo effect for the broader portfolio."

Windows 8, Microsoft's latest operating system launched last year, has touchscreen capabilities.

Mr Blaber said: "Touch is now pervasive across every computing category from phones to high-end PCs.

"The challenge for the Chromebook is that computing is shifting towards tablets whilst most consumers lives are not yet fully embracing the cloud versus local storage."

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Hewlett-Packard sees sales fall 6%

21 February 2013 Last updated at 17:10 ET

The world's largest maker of personal computers, Hewlett-Packard, has seen a 6% drop in first-quarter sales as demand for PCs continued to shrink.

Net sales in the three months to the end of January fell to $28.4bn (£15.3bn), while net profit fell 16% from the previous year to $1.2bn.

But the results beat forecasts and HP shares rose 6% in after-hours trading.

Chief executive Meg Whitman has said she will turn HP around but has warned it may take several years.

Earlier this week, rival PC maker Dell reported an 11% drop in revenue and a 31% fall in quarterly profit.

Both companies have struggled to grow sales as they battle the surge in popularity of smartphones and tablet computers.

'Gaining traction'

In May last year, HP revealed plans to cut 27,000 jobs by the end of 2014.

It said this would reduce costs by up to $3.5bn a year.

"While there's still a lot of work to do to generate the kind of growth we want to see, our turnaround is starting to gain traction as a result of the actions we took in 2012 to lay the foundation for HP's future," Ms Whitman said in a statement.

HP said it had returned $511m in cash to shareholders in the quarter through dividends and share buybacks.

It also said it had improved its net debt position for the fourth quarter in a row by over $1bn.

It forecast earnings per share of 80 to 82 cents in the second quarter, higher than the average Wall Street forecast of 77 cents.

"Our primary focus is to deliver on the full-year outlook, and I feel good about the rest of the year," Ms Whitman said.

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Paypal launches chip-and-pin device

21 February 2013 Last updated at 21:27 ET

Payments firm Paypal has launched a chip-and-pin machine designed to offer new sales methods to UK small businesses that have previously relied on cash or cheques.

It means market traders, taxis and shops will be able to accept credit and debit cards as well as Paypal payments.

There will be an initial cost "under £100" for the Paypal Here device.

The firm, which faces competition from other similar devices, said it will take a transaction fee of less than 3%.

"At Paypal, we spend a huge amount of time talking and listening to small businesses. They are the core of Paypal's business and they've told us that they want a simple, secure way to take card payments anytime and anywhere they trade," said David Marcus, president of Paypal.

'Trusted brand'

Paypal is offering the devices to a few select businesses before a full launch in the summer. It will roll out in the UK first with other countries to follow.

In the US, it has already brought out a similar device, a dongle that can be plugged into a mobile phone to act as a credit card reader.

Eden Zoller, an analyst with research firm Ovum, said the move was an obvious one for Paypal to make.

"It hasn't released figures about the dongle it launched in the US but has indicated that it is popular so it makes sense to have an optimised version for the European market," she said.

There are other similar devices on the market from companies such as iZettle, Intuit and mPowa.

"It is going to have a bit of competition but Paypal is an established a trusted brand," said Ms Zoller.

Mark Thomas runs an ice cream stall at London's Borough Market. He will be among the first to try out the device.

"Cash is king in the market, but people run out of cash very quickly, and we often lose sales because customers can't face the long weekend wait at the ATM," he said.

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FBI staff disciplined for sex texts

22 February 2013 Last updated at 06:03 ET

The FBI has disciplined agents for sending nude pictures, bugging a boss's office, and visiting a massage parlour, a leaked memo has revealed.

The misconduct cases were among those detailed in a leaked internal email, sent to all FBI staff and published online by CNN.

They ranged from the "unprofessional conduct" of texting nude images, to more serious theft and gun offences.

The unnamed agents involved were either suspended or dismissed.

In one case, an employee used a personal mobile phone to send nude photographs to several other employees. The report said the incident "created office gossip" and "adversely affected the daily activities of several squads".

In another incident, a staff member used an FBI-issued Blackberry to send explicit text messages to a second staff member, while another was disciplined for emailing nude pictures of herself to her ex-boyfriend's wife.

Another agent was suspended for 14 days for paying for a "sexual favour" while visiting a massage parlour.

Office bugging

Other violations included committing fraud, mishandling evidence, shop-lifting and making unauthorised use of the FBI database to search for information on friends and family.

One agent was suspended for taking an FBI motorcycle for a joyride, while another was disciplined for carrying his gun while drunk.

In one stand-out case, an employee was sacked for unprofessional conduct after he was found to have bugged his boss's office. The report said the employee hid a recording device in the office and searched through his supervisor's paperwork.

The FBI said the regular emails to staff on disciplinary issues were designed as deterrence.

"We're hoping (that) getting the message out in the quarterlies is going to teach people, as well as their supervisors ... you can't do this stuff," FBI assistant director Candice Will said, in an interview with CNN.

"When you are given an FBI Blackberry, it's for official use. It's not to text the woman in another office who you found attractive or to send a picture of yourself in a state of undress. That is not why we provide you an FBI Blackberry."

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North Korea to launch mobile internet

22 February 2013 Last updated at 07:06 ET

North Korean mobile phone provider Koryolink is planning to launch a 3G data service for foreign visitors and residents from abroad.

Egyptian telecoms firm Orascom, which is a partner in Koryolink, estimates that more than 1 million North Koreans use mobile phones.

They will not be able to use the new service, according to reports.

Orascom launched a 3G phone network inside North Korea in 2008, but users can only use it to make phone calls.

International calls, including calls to South Korea, are banned.

In January 2013 the government began allowing foreign visitors to bring their own mobile devices into the country with them for the first time.

Following a recent visit to the notoriously closed country, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt wrote in a blog post that North Korea's decision to isolate itself "is very much going to affect their physical world and their economic growth."

He added that it would be "very easy" for 3G internet access to be enabled on the existing service.

Current internet access is extremely limited for locals, with most people only having access to a small number of state-run pages.

North Korea expert Scott Thomas Bruce previously told the BBC this comprises mainly "message boards, chat functions, and state sponsored media".

"The system they've set up is one that they can control and tear down if necessary," he said.

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Apple patent hints at smart watch

22 February 2013 Last updated at 10:58 ET

Fresh evidence that Apple has been working on a smart watch concept since at least 2011 has emerged in a patent filing.

The document describes a flexible touchscreen display which would communicate with a smartphone or other electronic device.

It coincides with a report from a tech consultancy suggesting there is huge pent up demand for such a gadget.

But ABI Research warns that battery life issues still need to be addressed.

It says assuming such problems can be resolved, about 485 million wearable computing devices might ship by 2018, providing a significant growth opportunity for Apple and the wider consumer electronics industry.

Not all published patents lead to actual products, but Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have all published reports this month saying sources had confirmed Apple was experimenting with a watch-like device.

The iPhone-maker declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

Slap wraps

The US Patent Office only revealed Apple's filing on Thursday, but the document dates back to August 2011.

The mooted device is likened to a "slap wrap" - a thin strip of metal covered in fabric which snapped around the user's wrist to form a bracelet.

The toy was popular with teenagers in the late-1980s, but fell out of favour after complaints that it lost its ability to retain its shape over time,. There were also complaints that some users had experienced injuries after the fabric wore away to reveal a sharp metal edge.

Apple puts a hi-tech spin on the idea proposing a "slap bracelet" featuring a flexible circuit board and display, a touch sensitive user interface and a two-way communication chip, which would curl around the user's skin.

It suggests the gadget could detect which part of its surface was covered so that its readout would be limited to the exposed screen, with information flowing over the join.

Apple suggests lights along the device's edge could be programmed to blink when the user receives an alert, before displaying the details on its screen.

It says the user could then provide a brief response or use the bracelet to command a wirelessly connected smartphone, tablet or laptop to carry out another function such as adjusting the order of a song playlist or reviewing what recent calls had been made.

Apple acknowledges that the relatively thin nature of a wrist band would limit its uses, but suggests a wider armband could also be developed.

"At the width of a few inches the display can function to temporarily view and manipulate the screen of the portable device it is in communication with," says the paper.

"This might be desirable when the portable electronic device is stored in an inconvenient location such as a cargo pocket, or the bottom of a backpack.

"A larger display is also more desirable for map viewing... as a traveller or explorer can easily reference the information with a flick of the wrist while exploring."

Recharge worries

ABI Research notes that several companies already sell smart watches - such as Fossil, Pebble and Sony - while others (including Samsung and Martian) are known to be working on such products,

For the time being, however, it says the sector is dominated instead by activity trackers - such as Nike's Fuelband and the Garmin Forerunner - which account for an estimated 61% of the wearable tech market.

Some of these devices do tell the time, but they only offer limited functionality beyond monitoring exercise or the owner's sleep pattern.

The consultants instead suggest a much wider range of uses giving the example of linking the watch to a home automation system so that "a quick shake of your wrist can turn off/on room lights".

The idea of a smartwatch has been around for years - but the firm says technology only recently caught up with our imagination.

"Moore's law has driven silicon to the point where it's small enough and powerful enough to drive applications that mean things to consumers," ABI's chief research officer, Stuart Carlaw, told the BBC.

"Bluetooth Smart has also brought us high-bandwidth, low-energy connectivity at a less than a dollar a chip and takes up little space while offering robust performance.

"But one note of caution is that when we look at wearable technologies the use of power becomes an issue. You don't want to have to be plugging in four or five products a night to recharge - energy harvesting or wireless recharging technologies are going to become incredibly important."

Apple's patent confirms the company is aware of the problem.

It suggests harvesting energy from the movement of the user's arms and only coming out of standby mode when a sensor detects the device has been rotated to face a certain way.

It adds that the use of an AMOLED (active matrix light emitting diode) display would also help since it can allow individual pixels to be turned off, allowing the watch to only activate the parts which are facing the owner's eyes.

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Samsung faces disability setback

22 February 2013 Last updated at 13:34 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

Samsung has suffered a setback in its effort to win an iPhone ban based on a function making its software accessible to blind people.

The South Korean firm had sought an injunction in a German court arguing Apple's VoiceOver screen-access facility infringed one of its patents.

However, the judge has ordered the case to be suspended pending another ruling that could invalidate Samsung's claim.

Disability campaigners had expressed concern about the case.

Apple's VoiceOver function is used by blind and partially-sighted people to hear a description of what the iPhone is showing by touching its screen.

The software covers text and icons including audio descriptions of the battery level and network signal. It also allows the phones to be operated via Braille-based add-ons.

Samsung had argued that Apple had failed to licence a patent it owned which describes pressing a button to make a handset describe its display. The basis for this was that VoiceOver could be switched on by triple-clicking the iPhone's home button.

Apple declined to comment.

A statement from Samsung said: "For decades, we have heavily invested in pioneering the development of technological innovations in the mobile industry, which have been constantly reflected in our products.

"We continue to believe that Apple has infringed our patented mobile technologies, and we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights."

'Regrettable in the extreme'

Patent consultant Florian Muller, who was first to report the Mannheim Court's decision, questioned Samsung's tactics.

"If Samsung had only requested monetary compensation in this action, it would have made a much better choice than by trying to achieve, through the pursuit of an injunction, the deactivation or (more realistically) degradation of the voiceover functionality Apple provides to its German customers," he wrote on his blog.

The British Computer Association of the Blind said it was worried such an important feature might be threatened.

"A lack of access to information is arguably the biggest potential barrier to inclusion in society for blind and partially-sighted people," a spokesman told the BBC.

"If something as important as access to telephone technology had been blocked by the actions of one company over another the consequences for blind people everywhere would be regrettable in the extreme."

The Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD tech site was more damning.

"Leaving aside the ethics of asserting a patent against a feature designed to help the blind, this is unwise," wrote John Paczkowski.

"It's the PR equivalent of punching yourself in the face. Samsung has now identified itself as a company willing to accept the loss of accessibility for the vision-impaired as collateral damage in its battle with Apple."

Apple and Samsung have fought a number of patent cases against each other in courts across the world.

The biggest award involved a US jury ordering Samsung to pay Apple $1.05bn (£688m) in damages. The judge in the case later rejected Apple's call for the sum to be increased and a sales ban on some Samsung handsets.

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Hackers attack Microsoft computers

23 February 2013 Last updated at 00:15 ET

Microsoft has become the latest US technology company to confirm that it has been targeted by computer hackers.

In a blog post, Microsoft announced that "a small number" of its computers had recently been deliberately infected with malicious software.

The firm said it found no evidence that any customer data had been accessed, but an investigation is continuing.

On Tuesday Apple said its computers were attacked by the same hackers who targeted Facebook a week earlier.

At the time, Facebook said it had traced a cyber attack back to China which had infiltrated employees' laptops.

In Friday's blog post, Microsoft spokesman Matt Thomlinson said: "This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries."

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