Just a few days after announcing that Symantec’s lawsuit would not affect the launch of Vista, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer indicated yesterday, May 24, that the next version of the operating system may be delayed again.
On Monday, in response to reporters’ questions, Ballmer asserted that the launch of Windows Vista could not be delayed again simply due to the lawsuit with Symantec, which claims that Microsoft infringed on its application storage technology copyrights in this version of the operating system.
However, yesterday, Chairman Ballmer suggested that Microsoft was not fully committed to launching Windows Vista early next year.
“We assure you that when Windows Vista reaches users, it will be a product of the highest quality. Microsoft is currently ready to receive any feedback from users regarding the recently released beta version of Windows Vista,” Ballmer stated.
Nonetheless, the Microsoft CEO declined to confirm whether Windows Vista would be launched in January next year or if it would face additional delays. Ballmer emphasized that since Windows Vista missed its expected business season launch in the fourth quarter of this year, it is best to wait until the business cycle returns.
“We are discussing with hardware partners about when they would like Windows Vista to launch – early January, late January, or February,” Ballmer noted. “But we are still striving to launch Vista early next year.”
A research expert from Gartner warned that users should not expect Windows Vista to be released early next year, and it may be necessary to wait until the second quarter of 2007.
However, the information regarding the launch of Windows Vista from Microsoft has been quite varied. It seems chaotic and could be part of the company’s marketing strategy, as Jim Alchin, co-chairman of Microsoft responsible for the platform development team that brings operating systems to market, affirmed that Vista will be launched in January next year.
Hoàng Dũng
