News

Ballmer Clarifies Vista Ship Statement

Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the Windows Vista operating system is still on track for early January shipment.

(Seoul, South Korea) Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the Windows Vista operating system is still on track for early January shipment.

"This design track (is) for a January shipment, but we're going to see what kind of feedback we get from users," Ballmer told reporters Thursday on the sidelines of the Seoul Digital Forum, a three-day gathering of leading figures in the technology industry.

"We've got still a lot of time, but we're going to work and make sure it's an absolutely high-quality product," he said.

Windows Vista is Microsoft's first major update to the company's flagship operating system since Windows XP was released in late 2001.

Microsoft said in March it would delay the release the consumer version of Vista until January 2007, missing the holiday sales season and throwing some PC makers and retailers into turmoil.

Ballmer also took the opportunity to clarify remarks he made Wednesday in Tokyo, suggesting they were misinterpreted in some news reports that said Vista could be delayed another few weeks.

"I said yesterday that Vista was on track to ship in the first part of next year -- January as we had said," Ballmer said. "But I also emphasized that the most important thing is getting quality right.

"I was asked an unusual question and I think my answer was fine, but I don't think it was interpreted correctly," he said.

Featured

  • IBM Giving Orgs a Governance Lifeline in Agentic AI Era

    Nearly overnight, organizations are facing brand-new challenges caused by self-directed AI systems (a.k.a. agentic AI). Big Blue is extending them some help.

  • Microsoft Launches Integrated E-mail Security Ecosystem for Defender for Office 365

    Microsoft is expanding its e-mail security capabilities with the launch of a new Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES) ecosystem for Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

  • Microsoft Joins Workday's AI Agent Partner Network

    Microsoft has become a key partner in Workday's newly launched AI Agent Partner Network, aligning with other industry leaders to integrate AI agents into enterprise workforce systems.

  • LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky To Lead Microsoft's Productivity Initiatives

    In a strategic leadership realignment, Microsoft has appointed LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky to oversee its consumer and small business productivity software division, encompassing Microsoft 365, Teams and AI-driven tools like Copilot.