Ballmer Promises Windows 8 to be Released in 2012
Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, has promised that Windows 8 will release in 2012.
Steve Ballmer, while speaking at Microsoft’s Developer Forum in Japan on Monday, promised Windows 8 to be released not only to computers but across PCs, tablets and slates next year. “As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8,” said Ballmer. “Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”
Ballmer’s statement about Windows 8 is a stark contrast to that of his colleagues. Microsoft execs have avoided any references to the timing or naming of the next version of Windows. They avoided calling the next version of Windows, “Windows 8” publicly, preferring instead to call it “Windows Next.” Steven Sinofsky and the Windows team typically refers to Windows 8 as the “next-generation” of Windows, avoiding the 8 branding.
Here’s what Ballmer said in Tokyo about Windows 8, according to Microsoft’s own transcript:
“We’re obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We’ve done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We’ve added touch, and ink, and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, 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.”
Mary Jo Foley reports that a Microsoft spokesperson referred to Ballmer’s words as a “misstatement.” Here’s what the Microsoft spokesperson later spoke:
“It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows.”
Steven Sinofsky, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January, introduced a technology preview of Microsoft’s Windows ARM support. Microsoft is partnering with ARM-based manufactures NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments to produce new Tablet devices. Rumors suggest that Microsoft will create a dual-UI for Windows 8. A tile-based user interface codenamed “Mosh” will reportedly be included.
What are your thoughts about Windows 8? Is the next-generation Windows release nothing but Windows 7 with new paint? Windows 8 or Windows Next, what will be the final name for the next version of Windows? Share your thoughts below.
