Ballmer says Vista likely to be later....

[stubeeef]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20060524/tc_macworld/vista20060524_0

The launch of the consumer version of Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system, could be pushed back past the stated January launch date, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said Wednesday.

The question here is..... Who is surprised!

[aswitcher]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20060524/tc_macworld/vista20060524_0



The question here is..... Who is surprised!


Ah, maybe they want to wait to see what Steve brings out in January before they finalise things...

[iGary]

Yet people think its the only choice. :rolleyes:

[jsw]

“We think we are on track for shipping early in the year. We’ve talked about the month, but we get a chance to critically assess all of the feedback we’ll get from this beta release then confirm or move [the launch date] a few weeks,” he said at a news conference in Tokyo. "Few" must mean something different there than here.
“The other thing, frankly, which we are discussing with NEC and other hardware partners is when would they really like it — early January, late January, February..."....,March, October, early 2008...
Microsoft delayed the Vista launch from November to January to avoid putting the product out during the year-end sales season when a change in PC line-ups and operating systems could cause problems for vendors.Uh huh. Yeah. That's why.

[andiwm2003]

what does that mean for the "non consumer" versions of Vista? Why should they be not delayed?

that's bad news for developers who wanted to sell vista software and upgrades. i wonder how long they can wait?

at least here is a good chance for Linux and Apple to gain market share.

[BakedBeans]

Yet people think its the only choice. :rolleyes:

yeah, it is for people that want to 'do' word and use the internet.

Macs don't work on the internet because "it can't read it"

[ReanimationLP]

*falls over laughing*

Vista - It aint ever gonna ship.

[stubeeef]

Looks like the consumer will be choosing between OS 11 and Vista Beta .1

[balamw]

Looks like the consumer will be choosing between OS 11 and Vista Beta .1
No, Beta 2 is out and receiving rave reviews (not!) from of all places MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12932382/

Usually for MS, Beta 2 is the last one before RC1...

B

[Savage Henry]

News about Vista launch delays come round more often than lunar cycles ... but it doesn't make them less comical ! :D

[ManchesterTrix]

Looks like the consumer will be choosing between OS 11 and Vista Beta .1

How many consumers actually buy an Operating System? From my experience, it's a fairly small number, most people just buy a computer.

[Le Big Mac]

How many consumers actually buy an Operating System? From my experience, it's a fairly small number, most people just buy a computer.

It's sad but true. The vast majority of people who are going to buy a PC are going to do so regardless of the OS that comes installed. There will be some dropoff in sales just before the transition, but most people won't care. And most computer makers will give some sort of free upgrade anyway.

What's funny about it is that MS just can't seem to get the product out the door. And what it seems to show is that hte company may collapse of its own weight. By collapse I don't mean go away, but it will become less relevant to people as they seek alternatives (Max, linux, etc.) where they can get better control over the software/OS.

[dornoforpyros]

I'm starting to wonder if Vista exist, maybe it's like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny! It's nothing more than a children's tail! hehe

[Sharewaredemon]

News about Vista launch delays come round more often than lunar cycles ... but it doesn't make them less comical ! :D

And just as often as "PowerBook G5 next Tuesday" remarks in threads.

:rolleyes:

[jaydub]

So far, many of the features they've highlighted (check out the cnet video (http://reviews.cnet.com/4660-3513_7-6530547.html)) don't seem that groundbreaking. Woo, transparent windows, I've had that for years with a small 3rd party program on windows... :p

[MacNut]

I'm starting to wonder if Vista exist, maybe it's like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny! It's nothing more than a children's tail! hehewhat are you trying to say?? My parents lied to meee:confused: :p

[Savage Henry]

And just as often as "PowerBook G5 next Tuesday" remarks in threads.

:rolleyes:You are so right there ... I absolutely love those ones... !!!!!:p

[clayj]

No, Beta 2 is out and receiving rave reviews (not!) from of all places MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12932382/

Usually for MS, Beta 2 is the last one before RC1...

BI believe that Microsoft is no longer a financial partner in MSNBC, so any perceived journalistic bias toward Microsoft is just that: Perceived. Besides, Krakow is pretty good at being even-handed about his reviews, no matter whose product he's reviewing.

And there will be many, many interim builds between Beta 2 and RC1. (There will not be a Beta 3. They don't do that.) When the builds start becoming RCs, RTM (Release to Manufacturing) will follow within a matter of a couple of weeks at most.

[NATO]

I'm not anti-Microsoft, but seriously, what have they been doing since XP came out? Clearly they have been doing nothing but patching XP.

To think Vista was originally due to ship late 2002/2003, and its now going to be Q1 2007.

I can only think the offices in Redmond are full of smoke as all their programmers have been smoking crack the entire time since XP was released....

It's just as well it's a company as rich as Microsoft as no other company would get away with a new product so badly badly behind.

[Verto]

I'm not anti-Microsoft, but seriously, what have they been doing since XP came out? Clearly they have been doing nothing but patching XP.

To think Vista was originally due to ship late 2002/2003, and its now going to be Q1 2007.

I can only think the offices in Redmond are full of smoke as all their programmers have been smoking crack the entire time since XP was released....

It's just as well it's a company as rich as Microsoft as no other company would get away with a new product so badly badly behind.

It gets worse the more you read.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcomb

[balamw]

I believe that Microsoft is no longer a financial partner in MSNBC, so any perceived journalistic bias toward Microsoft is just that: Perceived. Besides, Krakow is pretty good at being even-handed about his reviews, no matter whose product he's reviewing.
According to Wikipedia, MS still owns 18% of MSNBC on TV and still owns 50% of msnbc.com. Actually the article was pretty negative, even though it did clarify that it was still a beta.

The stuff that works on Vista seems to work well. But getting the Beta on to a computer was another matter. Installing Vista Beta 2, for me was one of the worst operating system experiences that I’ve ever encountered.

FWIW I beta tested ME, so I know how fast they usually go from Beta 2 to RC1 to RTM.

B

[MacNut]

NBC wants to buy out Microsoft's share of the network, and have it run fully by the news division.

[Sharewaredemon]

It gets worse the more you read.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcomb

Good. Lord.

That is confusing as all heck.

For instance, the "Start" philosophy, introduced in Windows 95, may be completely replaced by the "new interface" which was said in 1999 to be scheduled for "Vienna" (before being moved to Vista ("Longhorn") and then back again to "Vienna").

Wow, that was simple....:rolleyes:

[clayj]

Balamw, what I meant by "even-handed" is that Krakow's not afraid to speak the truth about a product's shortcomings, even if he happens to like the company that made the product.

If Vista was perfect, BTW, it wouldn't be in Beta. So it's kinda disingenuous to say "this software ain't ready for prime time" (or words to that effect) when the maker is pretty much saying "we're still working on ironing out the kinks".

[balamw]

Sorry, I was agreeing with "even handed" and responding to the perceived bias towards MS as there was none in the article.
If Vista was perfect, BTW, it wouldn't be in Beta. So it's kinda disingenuous to say "this software ain't ready for prime time" (or words to that effect) when the maker is pretty much saying "we're still working on ironing out the kinks".
Note that I first experienced ME from Beta 1 and XP from Beta 2. In the first case I was a real beta tester, in the second I got a public release from MSDN without being a beta tester. Neither of those experiences, both fraught with plenty of not ready for prime time issues you'd expect from a beta, would have prompted me to refer to them as "the worst OS experience ever" or as "a train wreck" as Paul Thurrott (who does usually have a pro-MS bias) called the WinHEC preview of Vista. I know that Thurrott has since softened his stance, but it is still somewhat shocking.

B

[aristobrat]

Wonder if Microsoft is trying to set the expectation that Vista will be late, .. then turn around and ship it *earlier* than expected, much to the delight of all of the MS fans?

[2nyRiggz]

Can't wait for vista!!

Vista in 2010!! yea!!


Bless

[iPhil]

Gotta luv this: I would like to tell you how easy it was to install and how much fun I’ve had using Vista Beta 2 over the past few days, but I can’t. That’s because the combination of Beta 2 and the laptop computers I tried to install it on was like trying to mix oil and water. :eek: :eek:

And people still buy this trash.. if they want a clean/simple to use/stable OS i think WWDC '06 will surely get more people to jump from the sinking ship of Microsoft.. :o

[balamw]

And people still buy this trash.. if they want a clean/simple to use/stable OS i think WWDC '06 will surely get more people to jump from the sinking ship of Microsoft.. :o
Of course, for the vast majority of users, the OS will have been pre-installed on the computer and they rarely if ever have to go through the OS install process.

B

[BornAgainMac]

It think it is time for SP3 for XP. Perhaps it is time to scrap Vista and focus on just keeping the current stuff working. They have a large enough marketshare and most users are not switching to Linux or Macs anytime soon. XP can limb along for another 50 years or more.

It is costing too much money to get that small stuborn Mac user base to switch to Windows.

[aricher]

I have a feeling Ballmer is probably slowly going mad.
http://static.flickr.com/47/152656130_45073e0167_o.jpg

[Blue Velvet]

For instance, the "Start" philosophy, introduced in Windows 95, may be completely replaced by the "new interface" which was said in 1999 to be scheduled for "Vienna" (before being moved to Vista ("Longhorn") and then back again to "Vienna").


It means nothing to me
This means nothing to me
Oh, Vienna

[jaydub]

losing it? I'd say he lost it.

http://i.iinfo.cz/urs/ballmer-preview-112716339968679.jpg

:D

[aricher]

Thanks jaydub, I love that photo...

http://static.flickr.com/50/152656017_ddc1b3d4e9_m.jpg

[Counterfit]

losing it? I'd say he lost it.

http://i.iinfo.cz/urs/ballmer-preview-112716339968679.jpg

:D
I don't have to post that video, do I? :rolleyes:

As far as him "losing" it, that would require him having it in the first place.


Whatever "it" is anyway.:confused:

[aswitcher]

Thanks jaydub, I love that photo...

http://static.flickr.com/50/152656017_ddc1b3d4e9_m.jpg


:) The face of Microsoft

[mkrishnan]

:) The face of Microsoft

Notice how it didn't take long for them to go back to putting Gates in the spotlight after he went from being CEO to Chief Architect or whatever he is now. :eek: :o

[IJ Reilly]

Notice how it didn't take long for them to go back to putting Gates in the spotlight after he went from being CEO to Chief Architect or whatever he is now. :eek: :o

Grand Pooh-bah. He now wears a red fez with a tassel.

[Sun Baked]

What a way to kill some of Tuesday's Vista momentum...Microsoft Releases Test Versions of New Items

By Allison Linn
The Associated Press
May 24, 2006

Microsoft on Tuesday released new test versions of what company co-founder Bill Gates called its three most important products: Windows Vista for desktop computers, Windows for servers and the Office business software suite.

The new beta -- or test -- products were unveiled at Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, a highly technical event for the companies that produce gadgets powered by Microsoft products. The test releases are important because they help those companies prepare for the final launch of the new versions of Windows and Office... They still said November for business ... which may be the first widespread Beta.

[mkrishnan]

Grand Pooh-bah. He now wears a red fez with a tassel.

Well, anything to hide that hair. :o

[sushi]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20060524/tc_macworld/vista20060524_0



The question here is..... Who is surprised!
Completely. I would have never dreamed there would be a problem with the Vista launch! ;)

[FF_productions]

yeah, it is for people that want to 'do' word and use the internet.

Macs don't work on the internet because "it can't read it"

What the hell is a Mac??

[CompUser]

The launch of the consumer version of Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system, could be pushed back past the stated January launch date, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer <snip>.


..... yelled while sweating profusely and having a crazed look in his eye.

[MacsomJRR]

developers! developers developers!developers! developers developers!developers! developers developers!developers! developers developers!developers! developers developers!developers! developers developers!developers! developers developers! - *cue the sweaty giant bald man.

[mkrishnan]

What the hell is a Mac??

Must've been someone talking about the MAC address of the built-in wireless on their Dell. Should learn to capitalize acronyms. :rolleyes: :eek:

[Abstract]

Wow, I thought someone must have revived an old thread. :p

[cjc343]

This just in:

Duke Nukem Forever (3D Realms) will be bundled with Windows Vista!

After a drawn out Q&A session with Steve Ballmer (CEO: Microsoft), reporters managed to confirm that Vista delays were related to Microsoft's wish to include the much-anticipated game in their next-generation OS. Frustrated users remarked that it was an irresponsible move on Microsoft's part and that "They should have just released it in 2004 when all the interface changes to XP were done, and it was essentially ready to ship. I can't believe they've been stringing us along for this." Ballmer was unavailable for comment, but a Microsoft representative stated that "We missed the 'Get me out of here!' signal, so the press conference went on longer than planned. We were all hoping to keep [Duke Nukem Forever] a surprise until we released Vista."

[Sharewaredemon]

Wow, I thought someone must have revived an old thread. :p

Hahaha, at first I thought you were serious, then I realised just how subtle your humour is Abstract.

:D

[Thomas Veil]

I'm starting to wonder if Vista exist, maybe it's like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny!Think of it this way. "Continual lateness" is Vista's biggest built-in feature, and apparently one that Apple can't duplicate. ;)

It's nothing more than a children's tail! heheI didn't know children have tails. :confused:

[mkrishnan]

Think of it this way. "Continual lateness" is Vista's biggest built-in feature, and apparently one that Apple can't duplicate. ;)

The automatic system restore feature in Vista rolls your system back to XP SP2. ;)

[bigandy]

How many consumers actually buy an Operating System? From my experience, it's a fairly small number, most people just buy a computer.

When Windows 95 was launched, it was $180 FV or $90 upgrade. and they sold 1.3 million boxed "off the shelf" copies within the first two months. it went on to sell almost 46 million boxes - and of that, 20 or so million were boxed.

So, in conclusion, quite a few. However, 98, Me, 2k, and XP have never been able to match Windows 95 and it's furious sales that drove MS' sales up 46% (along with Office 95).

I think a huge amount of people will buy this when (if) it finally arrives.

But I won't. And all my Windows based friends will be so dissapointed.

I'll just tell them how i remember picking up a pc magazine in 1994, aged 12, and reading about the Next Big Thing - the object file system. Now, I'm double that age, and I'm still reading about it. Only it's called WinFS, and still has bugger all chance of shipping before the end of the decade!


This whole thing is so funny :)

[mkrishnan]

When Windows 95 was launched, it was $180 FV or $90 upgrade. and they sold 1.3 million boxed "off the shelf" copies within the first two months. it went on to sell almost 46 million boxes - and of that, 20 or so million were boxed.

I got my parents to buy me Win95 almost immediately after it came out, yeah. I remember being really excited about it. :o And I think that was also the peak of Windows rawking... Win2k with its stability was "good" but it was nothing like the deal that Win95 was when it came out. There weren't that many viruses, it mostly worked, and this was also before the IE integration stuff got silly....

[raggedjimmi]

Does Vista exist? I mean really exist, or was it something to get Windows people excited that MS really are still working on something other than games consoles. I think it was all a big coverup. Not anymore, they have begun work on something.

Then again my tinfoil hat just blew off.

[mkrishnan]

Then again my tinfoil hat just blew off.

:D

The existence of the public beta would put it at being almost as big of a hoax as the lunar landing, if it were indeed to be a hoax! :eek: ;) :D

And psssh... hairpins were invented for situations exactly like this one, Jimmi. Do NOT lose the hat! :p

[ReanimationLP]

I know why its being delayed!!!!

Because the f***ing newest Beta they put out wont install right. :D

I'm still trying. >.>'

[stoid]

Well, anything to hide that hair. :o

What hair? :confused:

[MyLeftNut]

It'll be interesting to see how Apple respond to the delay. Do they release Leopard in January in a blaze of publicity or hang on until Vista ships and then blow them out of the water?:cool:

[shadowmoses]

This is getting ridiculous, I really feel for the poor suckers still using XP its been what 5 odd years since its release.......

Microsoft are blatently waiting to see what amazing things leopard has to offer so they can copy a few of its main features.....Hopefully Steve will put some heavy copyrights on the enw features stopping M$ in its tracks....

ShadoW

[Fukui]

:confused: It'll be interesting to see how Apple respond to the delay. Do they release Leopard in January in a blaze of publicity or hang on until Vista ships and then blow them out of the water?:cool:
I think apple will do whatever it wants regardless of vista. Vista has got eye candy, but its basically being slapped together as fast as possible, so usability is gonna be in the toilet. We'll also see about the bugs too...

I predict April 2007 = Leopard.
And Feb 2007 = Vista Cruiser.
http://www.texas442.com/wagon/71-fo.jpg

[matticus008]

I predict April 2007 = Leopard.
And Feb 2007 = Vista Cruiser.
http://www.texas442.com/wagon/71-fo.jpg
Well, one thing is for sure. Viruses won't stand a chance of bringing down Vista Cruiser... ;)

[ReanimationLP]

God I hope they do delay it, as it needs quite a bit of work still.

For the record, it took me over 8 hours to get Vista to finally boot right. o.o'

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=204767

[Thomas Veil]

This is getting ridiculous, I really feel for the poor suckers still using XP its been what 5 odd years since its release.......

Microsoft are blatently waiting to see what amazing things leopard has to offer so they can copy a few of its main features.....Hopefully Steve will put some heavy copyrights on the enw features stopping M$ in its tracks....

ShadoWWell, you can't copyright an idea, only the implementation of that idea. That's why Vista's Sidebar doesn't look exactly like Dashboard, even though it's very much the same concept.

Good point about MS possibly waiting to imitate Leopard, though.

And don't feel sorry for those "poor suckers" who've been using XP for five years. They've been free to switch to OS X at any time. If they haven't done so, they've gotten just what they deserve.

[mkrishnan]

What hair? :confused:

Bill Gates' hair. Under the fez. LOL it took me like two minutes to figure out what you were talking about. *slinks out of thread* :(

[nbs2]

I got my parents to buy me Win95 almost immediately after it came out, yeah. I remember being really excited about it. :o And I think that was also the peak of Windows rawking... Win2k with its stability was "good" but it was nothing like the deal that Win95 was when it came out. There weren't that many viruses, it mostly worked, and this was also before the IE integration stuff got silly....
Man....I remember when it came out. I finally got my dad to upgrade from our Kaypro PC (bonus points if you can tell me how fast it was and what the toggle switch in the back did) to a HP Pavillion with a P133....The thing about W95 was that it was such a departure from W3.1, which everybody used, it was a revolution. The others have just been remodeling of the same. Even Vista looks the same. It will take a whole new interface for people to go MS wild like they did in 95...

Man...W95.....I remember that Weezer video on the Install CD and how since we didn't have cable, that was the closest we came to MTV....I hated them so much after the 1342nd time I watched it. But, my sisters who won't listen to anything that isn't in the hip-hop section still love that song...:)

[aristobrat]

It will take a whole new interface for people to go MS wild like they did in 95...
I bet I'm not the only one that "made the switch" because learning a new interface like OS X was a lot more fun than waiting around to see if Microsoft would throw us anything new (interface wise). :)

[conditionals]

*falls over laughing*

Vista - It aint ever gonna ship.

Pick between your choice of 2 replies!

a) Yes it will.

b) Do you mean because by the time it is finally ready, they will have invented instand teleport postage that renders the concept of 'shipping' redundant? HAHA ZOMG LOL VISTA SUXORZ.

[mkrishnan]

Man...W95.....I remember that Weezer video on the Install CD and how since we didn't have cable, that was the closest we came to MTV....I hated them so much after the 1342nd time I watched it. But, my sisters who won't listen to anything that isn't in the hip-hop section still love that song...:)

:eek: I remember vaguely that there was a music video on the CD. Was it really Weezer? Was it the Buddy Holly song? :)

(I also predominate the hip-hop section but I have a soft spot in my heart for that song, Al Gore-esque claims to have invented emo aside) :)

[superbovine]

that's bad news for developers who wanted to sell vista software and upgrades. i wonder how long they can wait?



naaa just means more time to test :D

[notjustjay]

Well, it's not like Apple was ever immune to the problem. Copland, anyone?

But clearly, the reason they keep delaying Vista/Longhorn/Vienna/Blackcomb is this: They keep having long committee meetings to figure out what its codename should be...

[G99]

How many consumers actually buy an Operating System? From my experience, it's a fairly small number, most people just buy a computer.
Very true. Those hilarious "PC World" ads in the UK come to mind. They only sell Windows on their machines. And they're cheesy voices, and the people in the ad thinking they actually know what they're talking about makes the ads a laugh every-time I see them.
"Buy this Fujistu-Siemens laptop with WIRELESS technology!"

[Abstract]

Microsoft are blatently waiting to see what amazing things leopard has to offer so they can copy a few of its main features.....Hopefully Steve will put some heavy copyrights on the enw features stopping M$ in its tracks....


I don't get why people still think this. They can't even finish the features they originally wanted to cram into Vista, so what thinks MS is waiting for Leopard?

All in due time. They're still working in copying some of Jaguar in there first, then they move on to Panther, and then finally Tiger's Dashboard and all this metadata stuff. After that, maybe in 2009, they'll go back and look at Leopard and take a look at what else they can copy.

So no, they're not waiting for Leopard to drop. They're just not very good at getting things to work.

[notjustjay]

I don't get why people still think this. They can't even finish the features they originally wanted to cram into Vista, so what thinks MS is waiting for Leopard?

Exactly. It wouldn't make sense anyway. Microsoft is supposedly waiting for the commercial release of Leopard so that they can... what? Stand in line at the Apple store, run home and install it? Whip together a duplicate feature overnight? Rush it through lab testing, regression testing, user trials? Recall their gold master DVD and burn a new one with the new copied features?

If the release is in January, the code complete phase was probably 3-6 months earlier. No new features will have been added since that time. Anything newer will come in the form of a service pack.

[IJ Reilly]

Do Windows service packs ever add any features? It seems to me that the last two for XP have mainly been security fixes.

[mkrishnan]

Do Windows service packs ever add any features? It seems to me that the last two for XP have mainly been security fixes.

I'm not such an expert anymore, but I think they do. I think major DirectX type upgrades have come as part of service packs, and I think XP got its built-in firewall in a service pack, didn't it?

Also part of my suspicion is based on the fact that many pieces of software, particularly for NT4 and Win2k, are very specific about which service pack level you must be at -- and if they were merely security / bug fixes, it seems like it wouldn't be this way.

[IJ Reilly]

I'm not such an expert anymore, but I think they do. I think major DirectX type upgrades have come as part of service packs, and I think XP got its built-in firewall in a service pack, didn't it?

Also part of my suspicion is based on the fact that many pieces of software, particularly for NT4 and Win2k, are very specific about which service pack level you must be at -- and if they were merely security / bug fixes, it seems like it wouldn't be this way.

I suppose I'm comparing them to the four major upgrades we've seen to OSX since the release of XP. Beyond that, Apple is constantly making under-the-hood improvements with the fractional releases. Microsoft, it seems, really only does the latter. They're on a much longer cycle for major new releases and even those, they have a hard time meeting without retreating significantly on the promised features. It just never fails to amaze me how slowly Microsoft moves on the OS revision front compared to Apple, which throws far less resources at it.

[mkrishnan]

I suppose I'm comparing them to the four major upgrades we've seen to OSX since the release of XP.

Oh, gotcha, I think that's fair. I was just answering the question of whether they ever add any functionality. I think they do, but it's not terribly significant.

I think Windows service packs tend to be somewhat more significant than the average dot upgrade for OS X (like 10.4.5 to 10.4.6), since most of those don't add functionality, but a lot less significant than the changes between major revisions of OS X, like Panther and Tiger, etc. But that's been done a few times on MR and I don't want to start that flame war again! :eek: :o

[sushi]

This is getting ridiculous, I really feel for the poor suckers still using XP its been what 5 odd years since its release.......
Actually, I kind of like XP SP2. It's problems are known and the updates seem to install well. It works okay.

Who knows about Vista. It will be a whole new learning environment. Arg! :mad:

[FF_productions]

49095

I just had to do it...

[stubeeef]

Here we go again......!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060629/tc_nm/microsoft_delay_dc_5

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) said on Thursday it will delay the release of its Office 2007 business productivity software to improve product performance in the latest setback for the world's largest software maker.

Microsoft said it will now aim for a launch of Office 2007 to business customers by the end of 2006 rather than an earlier target of October. Microsoft also said it would delay the general availability of the Office upgrade to early 2007 from its previous January target.

The delay of the 2007 Microsoft Office package, which includes the Word processor, Excel spreadsheet and PowerPoint presentation software, marks the latest slip-up at Microsoft, which has been plagued by a series of postponements.

Microsoft had already pushed back the consumer launch of Office in March to coincide with the delayed debut of its Windows Vista operating system. It postponed the release of its much-anticipated upgrade to Windows until after the crucial holiday shopping season to improve the system's quality.

Thankfully it is only to IMPROVE PRODUCT PERFORMANCE!!!:p :p :p

and this was rich

"Based on internal testing and beta 2 feedback around product performance, we are revising our development schedule," said a Microsoft spokeswoman.

"It may not instill much confidence with some customers," said Wilcox. "Microsoft seems unable to meet its dates."

[IJ Reilly]

They should just rename it "Office Vista." It'll ship around the same time anyway (which at this point might be never).

[skunk]

They should just rename it "Office Vista." Or Office 2008?

[stubeeef]

edit: deleted>skunk beat me to it

[IJ Reilly]

Or Office 2008?

Optimist. You actually think it will ship in 2008?

BTW, does anyone remember why Windows 95 was named Windows 95?

[Counterfit]

Because it was supposed to ship in 95? Or is it the number of months it took them to finish it? :p

[IJ Reilly]

Because it was supposed to ship in 95? Or is it the number of months it took them to finish it? :p

I like the second guess best, but it's probably a low figure. ;)

Everybody probably knows that in development Windows 95 was code-named "Chicago." That code name stuck as it dragged through year after year of development with no end in sight. Finally Bill Gates decided that the final product would be called Windows 95, to get the message out loud and clear to Microsoft's development team that the product had to ship by the end of 1995.

[aswitcher]

Well, they need time to change things that come out next January so they dont look to lame next to Apple :)

[JFreak]

Well, they need time to change things that come out next January so they dont look to lame next to Apple :)

Time? Are we talking about 5 or 10 years? Or "until hell freezes"? :)

Bill Gates decided that the final product would be called Windows 95, to get the message out loud and clear to Microsoft's development team that the product had to ship by the end of 1995.

Yep, it did ship; however, it was called "Windows 98 SE" when it was actually ready.