Bekker's Blog

Blog archive

Ballmer's Windows Promise

There will never be another delay between Windows versions like the one between Windows XP and Windows Vista, Steve Ballmer promised partners today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

"We will never have a gap in Windows releases as long as the one we had between Windows Vista and XP. Count on it," Ballmer said. Microsoft's CEO said he could go into all the factors that led to the delay but wouldn't. Then he reiterated his "count on it" pledge for no more five-year-and-counting gaps between OS releases. As for timing, Ballmer's comments meshed with Microsoft's most recent dates – "turn of the year" – for both Vista and Office 2007. Meanwhile, Ballmer also vowed a massive consumer launch of Windows Vista and argued that the consumer launch will reinforce the business launch.

"If we have a strong consumer launch, it creates the air cover where people are coming in and saying, 'I want this stuff at work.'"

Posted by Scott Bekker on July 11, 2006


Featured

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.

  • Report: Security Initiatives Can't Keep Pace with Cloud, AI Boom

    The increasingly fast adoption of hybrid, multicloud, and AI systems is easily outgrowing existing security measures, according to a recent global survey by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and exposure management firm Tenable.

  • World Map Image

    Microsoft Taps Nebius in $17B AI Infrastructure Deal To Alleviate Cloud Strain

    Microsoft has signed a five-year, $17.4 billion agreement with Amsterdam-based Nebius Group to expand its AI computing capabilities through third-party GPU infrastructure.

  • Microsoft Brings Copilot AI Into Viva Engage

    Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available, extending Copilot's AI-powered assistant capabilities deeper into the Viva platform.