NEWS Microsoft claims it is still on track to deliver the Longhorn next generation of the Windows operating system during the second quarter of 2006 despite knock-on delays from XP Service Pack 2, and has dismissed Apple's claims of the iPod "halo effect" denting the PC market.
While Microsoft execs have declared the OS is due out before mid 2006, the catalogue of delays that held up XP SP2's release have provoked a degree of scepticism about the roadmap among users.
But Cynthia Crossley, head of Windows client at Microsoft UK, said the Redmond behemoth's hardware partners are cracking the whip to keep the company on the straight and narrow timeline, with the box-shifters demanding the OS be ready for the consumer spending that accompanies the September start of term and Christmas.
The first beta will be available in summer 2005, with a second beta scheduled to be released in autumn. The final complete release should be in out in the second quarter of 2006.
However, the development process was already delayed when security developers were pulled off working on Longhorn to contribute to XP SP2.
"It's the internal culture - anything to do with security, we get it out the door as soon as possible. The more pain the customer feels, the worse it is for us," Crossley told silicon.com. It's a rationale that Microsoft has already put into effect when it recently announced the news that IE7 will debut before Longhorn.
While Microsoft is keeping quiet on what’s in the box, Crossley said the three of the main pillars of the next-gen OS will be mobility, application compatibility and security.
With Apple's own next gen OS, Tiger, widely expected to debut this month - almost a year before Longhorn's scheduled release - Apple execs have hinted they expect to be copycatted by Redmond rival.
Crossley said she expected technological crossovers but denied they would be deliberate.
"We do a load of research into what people want and funnily enough so does Apple - it's not hard to work it out... Will I be surprised if there are similarities? No."
And despite reports to the contrary, Crossley said Redmond has seen no halo effect from iPod users shunning PCs in favour of Macs.
"We haven't seen it yet," she said.
"We're not happy about losing any market share," Crossley said. "We worry less about 'losing share' and more about what else we can get into... we want to do it all."
As well as fighting the advents of other OSes, Microsoft has had a number of run-ins with antitrust authorities around the world, including the EU competition commission and the US Department of Justice.
Crossley said the ongoing battles wouldn't affect Longhorn's development. "For the last X number of years, we've been really internally reticent with the DoJ stuff, even before there were any questions with the EU. What we're saying now, there's a difference between being respectful and being kind of wimpy. We should hold our heads up high about what we do."
Comments
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1. TJ Skywasher
Longhorn? More like Longwait!
Apple's OS will be out a full year before Microsoft's shoddy offering. And you can bet every last penny that when it is released it won't be any better compatibility wise than previous versions of it's OS. Newer versions of Internet Explorer, Media Player, etc loaded into a newly designed user interface = newer better OS? I don't think so!
The future of the OS lies with Apple with new innovative features that users will actually use and have requested from Apple. No compatibility issues and a simple to use, well designed user interface. What more could you ask for?
2. anonymous
Let's hope the Longhorn delays are the final nail in MSFT's coffin; the straw that breaks the camel's back. That company has been foisting crudware on the unsuspecting public for WAY to long. It's--what--2005 and they still haven't discovered UNIX? RISC? Security? Ease-of -use? Pretty pathetic.
3. anonymous
She said "We worry less about 'losing share' and more about what else we can get into... we want to do it all." OMG! This is why this company needs to be broken into pieces.
4. anonymous
"We're not happy about losing any market share," Crossley said. "We worry less about 'losing share' and more about what else we can get into... we want to do it all."
That's what worries us.
5. Jeffrey McPheeters
As a two-decades-plus long client of Microsoft, and a decade and a half client of Apple, I am pretty sure Microsoft's chief detractor is NOT Apple; it's Microsoft. They have become their own worst enemy; very sad, but true. I hope they fix their penchant for turning out powerfully insecure operating systems soon. Apple may eat into the market share; indeed, I expect that there is a growing 'overlap' in usage with more and more users in both camps using both platforms, thus skewing the statistical results somewhat; but unless MS fixes the security issues, we'll see a loss in market NOT so much to Apple as to appliances that ARE safer and less prone to sabatoge. I expect they will be running new, proprietary OSs built on some type of *nix.
6. Roger Ash
"It's a rationale that Microsoft has already put into effect when it recently announced the news that IE7 will debut before Longhorn."
Looking at MS's history, I think it's likely that the debut of IE7 has more to do with the success of Firefox
7. Richard the first
It would go quicker with those monkeys doing the work...
Maybe it is time to let the monkeys you mentioned on Friday do the coding on Longhorn. Given an infinite number of apes and machines I am sure they could get it done in a jiffy.
...Eh, what's that?
What d'you mean they already use monkies to code Windows...? Is that why the furry fellows at University of Utah preferred XP - cos they did the coding? That explains lots.
I suppose the ones using Macs were just doing research. And that is why Microsoft is regularly accused of aping the Apple OS....
8. Dom
Apple expect to be copycatted by Redmond rival.
Of course ! what else do you expect from M$. Not that they even ever do a good job of it.
9. anonymous
"appliances that ARE safer and less prone to sabatoge. I expect they will be running new, proprietary OSs built on some type of *nix."
Have you guys got such short memories? What the world doesn't need is a plethora of proprietary OSs! For it's many faults, Miicrosoft has been a major force in uniting the software industry around a "standard" operating system, increasing choice and interoperability of 3rd party application for the thousands of computer users out there who just want a computing appliance. It's not that long ago when your choice was limited by the platform your hardware manufacturer gave you - AND then you had to make sure your choice of peripheral would work with that platform.
PLEASE give Microsoft some credit...
10. Wilfred Hildonen
... and now we do have the choice between Ford95, Ford98, Ford ME, Ford 2000, Ford XP Home and Ford XP Pro. Soon we will also be able to choose among various flavours of Ford Longhorn, which all requires Ford Petrol and Ford Oil and can only be driven on Ford Motorways.
Why is it that it is only within this technology, monopoly equals standard? That is beyond me...
11. JH
Anon, that is utter cr@p!
While standardisation is all well and good, standardising around one proprietary platform is the death of innovation, especially if that platform is the sole property of a particularly uninventive, letigious company, who's one goal is making money, even if it's at the expense of its users, the industry, and the quality of its own products.
Microsoft deserve no 'credit' for copying others, stealing their ideas, then forcing them out of business. They certainly deserve no 'credit' for their contribution to the existence of spyware/malware/script kiddies, and all other things that couldn't exist without the gaping holes Microsoft charged us (extortionately) to buy. With the vast mark-up, and huge volumes of products sold, how easy would it have been for them to spend some money on making their software secure? The whole 'Back Orafice' debacle showed that they're only willing to fix holes that they KNOW exist when they're forced to - Look at the situation now; they're losing market share over lack of security, and WOW, suddenly it's their number one concern. Their software has been allowing people to be easily hacked/infected for years, but they never lost sleep over it before.
Credit?
I support multiple platforms, and I have no problems with interoperability (I only have problems when one of my users wants to do something on XP).
MS don't own USB, HTTP, IP, MPEG, WAV, H.263, RTF or countless other standards that actually make things work. 90% of the proprietary standards they've come up with have been designed to stop people using open standards, in order to lock users into their own products.
At the end of the day, it's easier to code a product to be open, than it is for it to be proprietary.
12. Craig
I moved on from this little rant when Microsoft was branded as a "letigious company who's one goal is to make money". If you pull your head out of your daily kernel upgrades you'll see that a lot of innovation has actually been started in Microsoft's camps. Many good features of Tiger were announced by Longhorn first, but Apple finds it easier to implement things faster because it governs the hardware and does not have to support a coterie of international customers running in hundreds of millions. Heck, even the JSP or PHP concept of doing websites was pioneered by Microsoft's ASP - which Sun blatantly copied but no one blinked an eye.
13. Peter McCann
Assuming Microsoft gets Longhorn out in 2007, will they stop supporting it in 2012? That gives a very small window (hum hum) of opportunity for as near to stable and secure use that this codswallop offers. ROI on W2K has been poor.