Microsoft's Ballmer: Next-gen Windows systems coming next year
Speaking at a developer forum in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed plans for a 2012 launch of the "next generation of Windows systems," which will include Windows 8 slates and tablets.
During the keynote, Ballmer publicly used the name "Windows 8" for the first time. While touting advances made in Windows 7, Ballmer noted, "There's a whole lot more coming."
"As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors" he said.
Microsoft announced in January that it plans to port Windows 8 to the ARM system-on-a-chip architecture in order to compete with devices like Apple's iPad. "Windows PCs will continue to adapt and evolve. Windows will be everywhere on every device without compromise," said Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Early builds of Windows 8 hint at a scalable cross-platform solution that could make its way into tablets and phones. Microsoft has struggled in the mobile market, partly due to Intel's unsuccessful efforts to meet low power requirements with its line of Atom chips.
Source: Within Windows
Ballmer admitted on Monday that the company's "big sort of effort" to transform communication with Windows Phone had arrived late. "We came to market with Windows Phone about a year later than I wish we had, shame on us. But, we're moving forward very actively," said Ballmer. The company is set to launch a major upgrade to Windows Phone on Tuesday.
He also noted during his remarks that the 18 months since his last trip to Japan were the "longest period of time between visits in Japan." According to Ballmer, Japan is Microsoft's second-largest subsidiary in the world. This year, the Redmond, Wash., corporation celebrates 25 years of being in business there.
For its part, Apple will unveil the future of Mac OS at the Worldwide Developers Conference early next month. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion brings several major features from iOS back to the Mac and is due out this summer.
During the keynote, Ballmer publicly used the name "Windows 8" for the first time. While touting advances made in Windows 7, Ballmer noted, "There's a whole lot more coming."
"As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors" he said.
Microsoft announced in January that it plans to port Windows 8 to the ARM system-on-a-chip architecture in order to compete with devices like Apple's iPad. "Windows PCs will continue to adapt and evolve. Windows will be everywhere on every device without compromise," said Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Early builds of Windows 8 hint at a scalable cross-platform solution that could make its way into tablets and phones. Microsoft has struggled in the mobile market, partly due to Intel's unsuccessful efforts to meet low power requirements with its line of Atom chips.
Source: Within Windows
Ballmer admitted on Monday that the company's "big sort of effort" to transform communication with Windows Phone had arrived late. "We came to market with Windows Phone about a year later than I wish we had, shame on us. But, we're moving forward very actively," said Ballmer. The company is set to launch a major upgrade to Windows Phone on Tuesday.
He also noted during his remarks that the 18 months since his last trip to Japan were the "longest period of time between visits in Japan." According to Ballmer, Japan is Microsoft's second-largest subsidiary in the world. This year, the Redmond, Wash., corporation celebrates 25 years of being in business there.
For its part, Apple will unveil the future of Mac OS at the Worldwide Developers Conference early next month. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion brings several major features from iOS back to the Mac and is due out this summer.
Comments
However, it seems to be working on the shareholders, as he still holds a job after failing to perform in so many areas for such a long time.
Does 'next generation' mean 'as good as Apple'?
Hmmmm. Given past performance, I am inclined to say this is hope, not expectation.
I can’t say MS is a well oiled machine but they certainly seem more efficient than they have in the past. WP7 isn’t a copy of Apple. Kinect was smart purchase. IE9 has been a huge catch up to modern web browsing. The only recent move I question from MS is their Skype purchase.
Does it involve that stunningly creepy login screen?
That is very creepy.
The new login screen and unlock screens in Lion are very nice.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed plans to release the "next generation of Windows systems," which will include Windows 8 slates and tablets, next year.
Microsoft is building computers?
Does it involve that stunningly creepy login screen?
lol. that screen is actually from one of the wallpapers in windows7. There's a set of wallpapers in win7 that looks like it was inspired by a bad acid trip; i especially liked the flying turtle one.
see: scroll down to see the 'characters' set
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2...rsonality.aspx
here's that guy's website:
http://www.rednosestudio.com/
The only recent move I question from MS is their Skype purchase.
Actually, that may have been one of their smarter moves. Not as much of an overpayment as some might think.
(Happy to explain the financial logic in PM. Don't want to bore the general readership.)
500???
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that having to hold the same ctrl-alt-delete keys that are used to force quit, end tasks etc are still being used after 20 plus years. It just seems that Microsoft can not break away from the past. Couldn't they just use the "Windows" key to log in?
This x 1,000,000
Windows alerts are
logic haiku. Unsave changes?
[yes], [no] or [cancel]
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that having to hold the same ctrl-alt-delete keys that are used to force quit, end tasks etc are still being used after 20 plus years. It just seems that Microsoft can not break away from the past. Couldn't they just use the "Windows" key to log in?
No way. Nothing says kludge like having to press Ctrl-Alt-Del to login to a Windows Slablet.
"Windows will be everywhere on every device without compromise,"
So it really isn't enough for Microsoft to be successful, they need a full-on, no-competition monopoly?
Microsoft is building computers?
Well, yes. Just the kind with a curated software library, consumer-oriented focus, and no Adobe Flash:
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that having to hold the same ctrl-alt-delete keys that are used to force quit, end tasks etc are still being used after 20 plus years. It just seems that Microsoft can not break away from the past. Couldn't they just use the "Windows" key to log in?
Its a security procedure. IIRC, in windows, the only process that can intercept the CTRL-ALT-DEL keypress is the winlogon process. So by using this keypress you can be sure that you're entering your password into the true windows login screen, and not some malware that popups a fake login screen to record your password.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_attention_key
You know there was a day when an announcement like this struck fear into the hearts of Microsoft's would be competitors. Not anymore...
I was struck by mirth.
Ballmer probably thought, "You know, copying Apple has worked for us in the past. Maybe we should do it again because if that doesn't work, I don't have a Plan B."
Microsoft announced in January that it plans to port Windows 8 to the ARM system-on-a-chip architecture in order to compete with devices like Apple's iPad. "Windows PCs will continue to adapt and evolve. Windows will be everywhere on every device without compromise," said Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Early builds of Windows 8 hint at a scalable cross-platform solution that could make its way into tablets and phones. Microsoft has struggled in the mobile market, partly due to Intel's unsuccessful efforts to meet low power requirements with its line of Atom chips.
One thing's for sure, MS isn't copying Apple's architectural finesse: Apple has been doing OS X for its desktop/laptop systems for ten years, improving at every release, and sometimes drawing a line in the sand stating "OS X 10.x and upward will no longer support y" (y being PPC, etc). MS in its infinite wisdom, and mostly because MS doesn't manufacture hardware boxes and is somewhat beholden to the h/w guys, has an OS that has become spaghetti code that still supports VGA, 5.25" floppies, serial & parallel ports, SCSI ports, etc.
Then along came Apple with its iPhone, then the iPod Touch, and now the iPad. An OS designed to power these small designs with intentionally limited use. An OS designed to be a power miser and that cuts the mouse cord. And following in its pattern of monolithic software bases, MS has tried for years to shoehorn Windows into PDAs and other stuff under the banner of WinCE, and now it announces that it plans to port (i.e. shoehorn) Windows 8 into tablets and phones.
MS seems to be doing things bass-ackwards and not learning that you simply can't take a desktop mouse-based OS and shoehorn it into smaller quarters, with probably 70% of the code atrophied and uselessly standing by.
"As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors" he said.
Not just slates, not just tablets, but slates and tablets.
Does it involve that stunningly creepy login screen?
What exactly is creepy about it? I'm at a loss. It's not great, but creepy? Interesting choice of words. lol
One thing's for sure, MS isn't copying Apple's architectural finesse: Apple has been doing OS X for its desktop/laptop systems for ten years, improving at every release, and sometimes drawing a line in the sand stating "OS X 10.x and upward will no longer support y" (y being PPC, etc). MS in its infinite wisdom, and mostly because MS doesn't manufacture hardware boxes and is somewhat beholden to the h/w guys, has an OS that has become spaghetti code that still supports VGA, 5.25" floppies, serial & parallel ports, SCSI ports, etc.
Then along came Apple with its iPhone, then the iPod Touch, and now the iPad. An OS designed to power these small designs with intentionally limited use. An OS designed to be a power miser and that cuts the mouse cord. And following in its pattern of monolithic software bases, MS has tried for years to shoehorn Windows into PDAs and other stuff under the banner of WinCE, and now it announces that it plans to port (i.e. shoehorn) Windows 8 into tablets and phones.
MS seems to be doing things bass-ackwards and not learning that you simply can't take a desktop mouse-based OS and shoehorn it into smaller quarters, with probably 70% of the code atrophied and uselessly standing by.
Isn't MS doing the thing that Apple did with iOS? Apple derived iOS from OS X (Darwin & XNU kernel). Now, Microsoft is doing the same thing and deriving the NT subsystems for ARM. Anything that's not suitable for tablet touchscreen are removed. The UI is rewritten from scratch for touchscreen usage, like iOS. The ARM version of Windows 8 doesn't run any of the legacy Windows apps, but it'll use the new app model (called appx) that's portable for ARM and x86.