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Next Version of Windows Will Be Riskiest Product

by - source: Tom's Hardware US

Windows? Risky?

Is Windows a risky product for Microsoft? One could say no, as each new version of Windows is bundled with new PCs, making it an instantly huge seller.

But then you could get something like Windows Vista, which made huge strides in security and other subsystems over Windows XP, but still wasn't the new Windows that everyone wanted to use. Microsoft got it mostly right with Windows 7, and it's paying off now with 240 million licenses in its year on the market.

The big thing that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was excited about was putting computing into the cloud. Microsoft's focusing on cloud products, like the release of Office 365, but that aside, the interviewers wanted to know if the software company was taking any other risks.

Steve Ballmer was asked at an analyst conference what is Microsoft's riskiest product bet. The answer was "the next release of Windows."

To be fair, Ballmer did not clarify to say that it was Windows 8. It could have been Windows 7 SP1, though we doubt that the Service Pack that Microsoft itself has characterized as minor would be something risky for the company.

Last week, Microsoft Netherlands mentioned in a blog post, which has since been removed, that it will take about two years before Windows 8 hits the market.

Steve Ballmer Answers Questions at Gartner

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eklipz330 10/26/2010 12:46 PM
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god damn... i was reading the article and then... WHY THE HELL DOES HE SWEAT SO MUCH?

bustapr 10/26/2010 12:50 PM
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Thats a hilarious pic...

phexac 10/26/2010 12:51 PM
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MAGPC 10/26/2010 12:55 PM
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I think it will be a good move.
Microsoft, just take care of your next step. Try to satisfy us The customers.

mrhappy50 10/26/2010 1:01 AM
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It's kinda nice that they are one of the only major companies with a REALLY energetic CEO.

Darkerson 10/26/2010 1:08 AM
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Yeah, they cant afford to make another mistake like Vista. Well I guess they can, but it will only give more leeway to the competition. Im just wondering if Windows 8 is truly is gonna be the departure from previous versions of Windows, as its been hinted at, or just further refinements like Windows 7 is.

Diverse 10/26/2010 1:17 AM
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I always hated Microsoft...but I always root for them, and I always want their products to succeed. Why the hell is that?

stevo777 10/26/2010 1:24 AM
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I think 7 is decent. They will have to do quite a bit for 8, or I don't think people will want to migrate--just as many have not wanted to migrate from XP.

gmarsack 10/26/2010 1:27 AM
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Cloud, Phone 7, Kinect. Looking forward to how things unfold. Will be an interesting year a head.

Dkz 10/26/2010 1:28 AM
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longliverock1974 10/26/2010 1:47 AM
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afrobacon 10/26/2010 1:49 AM
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I really hope they try something new with Windows 8. If that is the case it would make sense that the product is "risky." On the other-hand, a slightly more refined Windows 7 would be a bigger risk since it will be harder to get people to want to buy it.

Could it be that W8 will have a huge focus on cloud computing? -- That would be a product I would look forward to.

jtt283 10/26/2010 3:00 AM
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Being forced into cloud computing will turn me away from Windows. I build Personal Computers...full control [over the data] rests with the user. Blizzard wants you online the whole time to play their new games; does MS expect the same to use your entire computer??? Whose interests does that serve, advertisers'? It certainly doesn't serve mine. Thankfully, CPUs are so powerful now that if I have to use an emulator like WINE to run Windows programs offline, I will. So yeah, if that's their plan, Windows 8 could be a huge risk.

jsc 10/26/2010 3:24 AM
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I'd like to see a more secure OS. There should be a way to increase security without affecting usability too much.

loomis86 10/26/2010 3:24 AM
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gmarsack :
Cloud, Phone 7, Kinect. Looking forward to how things unfold. Will be an interesting year a head.



I'd like to see an xbox emulator built into windows...and wireless kinect-ish camera pods located all around the room(s).

nforce4max 10/26/2010 3:46 AM
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I can care less, all I want is something that works and doesn't suck up the entire machine before I try to use any apps. I hate the fact that one has to spend heaps of cash only to keep the os from making a lag fest of any game out there.

twu 10/26/2010 3:49 AM
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Sweat is good for him, it helps his liver. :)
We don't sweat much but we do like to use high performance SAS/SATA controller to offload CPU workl0ads

cronik93 10/26/2010 3:54 AM
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Huh? Windows 7 is GREAT. Please dedicate fully to it MS!!!!

mrmez 10/26/2010 4:01 AM
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eklipz330 :
god damn... i was reading the article and then... WHY THE HELL DOES HE SWEAT SO MUCH?



Want to vom.
That pic is enough to put anyone off Windows for life.

stevelord 10/26/2010 5:11 AM
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jtt283 :
Blizzard wants you online the whole time to play their new games



um....hello? Ubisoft has been doing this for years with their games. But at least Blizzard doesn't release utter crap.

Flameout 10/26/2010 5:22 AM
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the problem with microsoft is that they have no creativity. with halo they employ bungie, with kinect they bought from an israel company, and vista was them doing their own thing and it failed spectacularly. they either buy or steal ideas. windows 7 was your idea, not microsofts

togenshi 10/26/2010 5:29 AM
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Do we get minwin already?

edilee 10/26/2010 5:44 AM
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eklipz330 :
god damn... i was reading the article and then... WHY THE HELL DOES HE SWEAT SO MUCH?


It's the stage lights...they will burn your a$$ up.

Anonymous 10/26/2010 5:44 AM
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cloud based OS..... why do i picture boot from internet when someone says that..... subscription based licensing is just down the road..... think im going invest some money into google

ta152h 10/26/2010 5:57 AM
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Diverse :
I always hated Microsoft...but I always root for them, and I always want their products to succeed. Why the hell is that?



Have you ruled out stupidity?

mastadisasta_31 10/26/2010 6:09 AM
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Diverse :
I always hated Microsoft...but I always root for them, and I always want their products to succeed. Why the hell is that?



Yeah, I'm with you on that. I find myself doing the same thing.

TA152H :
Have you ruled out stupidity?



Say hello to Humanity

Anonymous 10/26/2010 6:45 AM
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you think that cloud is the future?
What if you have infected servers doing infected calculations?
Could your computer stay virus/worm free like that?

WarraWarra 10/26/2010 6:57 AM
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Can not be SP1 as the SP1beta actually gets win7 to be close to xp sp1~sp2 stability so not 90% win xp sp3 yet and nothing radical in SP1beta.

The cloud stupidity who in their right mind would hope to have more than 4mbps cable / adsl internet by 2012 ?
Hello this is the USA, get real, not Mexico or Africa where you have real internet.
Maybe mobile phones might get to hsdpa 3G 7.2mbps until more than 100 subscribers has contracts then back down to bursted rates of 4.8mbps if that lucky.

So how do they expect you to spend 2 hours uploading a basic document onto the internet to open and then find it is a old / wrong version of a needed document ??

If only MS would put their Crack pipes away for 10 seconds.

WarraWarra 10/26/2010 6:59 AM
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mrhappy50 :
It's kinda nice that they are one of the only major companies with a REALLY energetic CEO.



Plus he has eaten in the last year not looking like "doctor death Steve Jobs" skeleton with a skin dressed over it.

ira176 10/26/2010 8:24 AM
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...somebody on that video forgot their metamucil....

dEAne 10/26/2010 9:47 AM
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there are risk in cloud computing indeed.


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