Ambitious Windows upgrade in 2006
Microsoft Corp. says it will ship the next version of Windows in 2006, but has scaled back plans to include a new system for finding and storing information in its flagship operating system.
This is the first time the world's largest software maker has committed to a launch target for the ambitious upgrade to Windows, code-named Longhorn, since shipping the current version, Windows XP, in October 2001.
Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, is leading the effort to ship the next major upgrade to Windows, which promises to boost the performance of the world's most widely used operating system.
"Getting 'Longhorn' to customers in 2006 will provide important advances in performance, security and reliability, and will help accelerate the creation of exciting new applications by developers across the industry," Gates said in a statement on Friday.
Analysts had been warning that Microsoft's plans for Longhorn were too ambitious and that the company would have to scale back plans. Industry experts had long expected Microsoft to set a 2006 target date for Longhorn's debut.
Delivering the next version of Windows on time has become more of a critical goal for Microsoft after it encouraged large corporate customers two years ago to sign long-term contracts that would give them the right to upgrade to the latest versions of the company's software, rather than pay for each available upgrade.
