Ballmer: Microsoft moves to quash Windows 8 comments
by Steven Mostyn - May 26 2011, 07:31
Not so fast, Stevie! Image: Microsoft.
It would seem reporting tech news seemingly plucked directly ‘from the horse’s mouth’ no longer provides media outlets with a solid platform to stand on.
In this particular case, the horse’s mouth belongs to Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer and the news—as widely reported yesterday—concerns the apparent 2012 release of Windows 8.
Moreover, although Ballmer indicated during a developers conference in Tokyo that Windows 8 would likely launch next year, the Redmond-based software titan has today quickly moved to backtrack on those comments.
“It appears there was a misstatement,” said a company spokesperson in an email to the L.A. Times.
“We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year,” it added. “To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows.”
So, while Ballmer may be top dog in Redmond, he’s not exactly clued-up where product development is concerned—not least because he’s seemingly out of step on both timing and branding.
“As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8,” Ballmer teased in Tokyo. “Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”
Oops.
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