Microsoft’s press release verbatim:
Microsoft Executives to Make Significant Company Announcement
Details of the announcement will be provided during a press teleconference.
REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 21, 2008
Who:
• Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp.;
• Ray Ozzie, chief software architect;
• Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business; and
• Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel for Legal and Corporate Affairs.
Note: This announcement is not about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Yahoo! Inc. It will not be discussed during this call.
When:
• 8:30 a.m. PST (17:30 CET) to 9:15 a.m. PST (18:15 CET), Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008
Full press release here.
MacDailyNews Take: Medium Ass Table? Public apology to Apple and the world for copying various Mac OSes so poorly for all these years? Whatever it is, pray that Ballmer remains CEO!
MacDailyNews Note: Mark Cotton reports for Thomson Financial News that “Microsoft will most likely announce it has agreed to a settlement with the European Union over complaints that it has restricted interoperability between personal computers running its operating system and central computers running non-Microsoft server software, according to Cowen & Co analysts. The broker said it bases its view on the fact that Bob Muglia, who is responsible for SVP, server and tools, will be present at the press conference.”
“‘Some meaningful monetary settlement is already embedded in the consensus view as the news on this front has been bad for the last 12 months,’ the broker said, pointing to a lost second to final appeal by Microsoft last summer,” Cotton reports.
Full article here.
[UPDATE: 11:42am EST: Microsoft’s big news: promises to expand interoperability, increase openness of key products – February 21, 2008]
They are dismantling the MacBU.
Sell the company and give the $$ back to the shareholders?….
I can’t WAIT!
Oh. Right. I can, actually.
What a “new” swivel phone to kill iPhone? (/sarcasm)
They’ve abducted Jonathan Ive and aren’t gonna give him back till he makes the Zune look good…
…I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again
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Microsoft will liquidate and return investment to the shareholders.
Following the lead of Toshiba– aka throw in the towel.
The next approved Vista upgrade will be to a generic x86 version of 10.2
it’s a confessional. they all use macs and have yahoo mail.
Ballmer is coming out with a new line of anti-perspirant spray called “Mista Vista”
Actually, I’m taping an interview with Bill Gates today. I’ll ask him what gives. He’ll prolly give it up…
Release & projections to release Windows 7, because Vista is just that bad…
Ballmer coming out of the closet?
Balmer has finaly figured out who shot J.R.!
correction; DATE Windows 7 will replace VistaME
Brad Smith will be there to whisper “shaddup” when they start talking too much.
Xbox switching from HD to BR
ZunePhone!!!
Steve Ballmers quitting or something to do with HDDVD and the 360?
It’s going to be a stock split – half for Billy and half for his wife.
Maybe they will announce a “dropleaf” to their touchscreen bigA table to make it even more useful. You can choose…”even bigger” or drop the leaf and make it “more mobile”
ChairToss ver2.0
“…okay, we admit it: Vista sucks. We’re going back to XP.”
New multi-touch user interface reads input from
Middle fingers…
Chairs…
Tongues…
The Zune is dead. Long live the Zune…
Your frustration, Our fault
Ballmer will anounce that last nights eclipse was due to a new brand of sunscreen applied to his shiny reflective bald head. Code name: Zune Dune
It’s a curious collection of people!
It would appear to be server-related, it would also appear to impact on the future technical direction of MSFT and there might be some legal considerations.
Could it be possible that MSFT is purchasing a commercial Linux distro or something that might act as a base for future versions of Windows?
Ballmer has developed and wants to show off new steps to his monkey dance.
I bet they will split the company in two. One OS focused, one productivity software focused. That way, when Windows spins totally out of control, they can kill off the OS company and the other company isn’t tarnished.
Microsoft will create a hardware company called: Microhard
With the attorney present I vote for the Euro settlement speculation
Microsoft will have a hardware division called: Microhard. Very hard to believe, indeed…
@MCCFR
If MS ever does go with some flavor of Unix for their future OS, you can bet all your Apple stock that it will never ever EVER become a certified Unix.
The significant announcement:
“Bill Gates will share his fortune with you if you forward this press release!”
If it isn’t something along the lines of exiting the consumer business and spinning off xBox/Zune as a totally separate corporate entity, I don’t care.
a press teleconference.
Hear, hear, we are using the new MS. B(ell)Z(une)P(hone) and you can call us for a Q and ….. hello…..hello….hello!!??? ….. (Ball)…… I KILL THAT FU***** BELL
it’s probably the new xbox
This is the news… from CNBC:
“Microsoft will publish and make available the protocols for several of its more popular software products in an attempt to work more closely with open and non-Microsoft software developers.”
Ballmer has just finished a three year, intensive toilet training course. There will be a live streaming feed today as he demonstrates his newly acquired talents. His secret? Breathe in. Grunt, “INNOVATION”. Release.
The news is:
New deck chairs are on order for the Titanic.
MS will open up parts of its software blueprint to outside developers….
Consoles are usually on about a 5 year cycle. XBox 360 isn’t 5 years old yet. Therefore, I wouldn’t expect to see a more powerful one for a few more years. An XBox Lite or one with HDDVD standard, perhaps, but not the XBox 720.
Rosie O’Donnell will be made the official spokesperson for Microsoft Surface since they have two important traits in common. A big ass and neither one works.
I don’t know what they’ll announce, but I WANT ONE NOW. Oh, wait. Wrong cast of characters.
If its about the settlement, then MS got away again. That is not punishment and they are allowed to continue their monopoly. If true, thats just stupid.
“Medium Ass Table.”
ROTFLMFAO! You guys owe me a new keyboard – I just sprayed my Brawndo all over it!
who did they buy, and how are they repackaging it as “Microsoft Innovation”?
MDN: “figure,” as in “i figure that’s what the announcement will sum up to.”
MS is going into the hardware server and micro business to compete with Sun, HP, IBM and Dell since this is where the money is and will make their transition to IBM circa 1960 complete.
Steve Ballmer is changing his name to Stephen P. Duties, and replacing his wardrobe with dungarees and black mock-turtlenecks. The announcement is just a reason to wear it in public.
They found Jimmy Hoffa and he was buried in Steve Ballmer’s ass crack.
Just my $0.02
They announced Gears of War 2 for the X360 today. *yawn*
They are going to pull Vista.
Read this Microsoft blog of the recent update disasters…
Here: http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/02/19/update-on-windows-vista-sp1-prerequisite-kb937287.aspx
And this was funny:
They’ve abducted Jonathan Ive and aren’t gonna give him back till he makes the Zune look good…
@ Ampar : You made spill coffe tru the nose and on my mbp !!
Zune-fone ?
To DVD Jon aka. Leeech:
They are going to officially recall Vista… and give the the free option of going XP SP3 with a vista theme… or a Beta version of Longhorn…
THANKS MS!!
Dead On ORrival, Medium Ass Table, aka DOORMAT.