Josh Ong
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.
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65 Comments
Hmmmm. Given past performance, I am inclined to say this is hope, not expectation.
Does it involve that stunningly creepy login screen?
"We're gonna kick butt...in the future': This has been Steve Balmer's mantra for the past five or so years.
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 is building computers?