On Jan. 30 the most significant product launch in Microsoft Corp.’s history culminates in the release to consumers of the Windows Vista™ operating system and Microsoft® Office 2007. Starting tomorrow, these two flagship products will be available in more than 70 countries, in 19 languages (with 99 languages anticipated by the end of the year), and at more than 39,000 retail stores and online. The launch marks the achievement of an unprecedented collaboration between Microsoft and its customers and partners, and ushers in an era in which personal computing is easier, safer and more enjoyable than ever before.

“Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 will transform the way people work and play,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “Personal computers have become a key part of the daily lives of almost a billion people worldwide. Millions of consumers had a hand in helping us design, test and create the most exciting versions of Windows and Office we’ve ever released. Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 squarely address the needs and aspirations of people around the globe.”

Microsoft Corp. today announced record revenue of $12.54 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2006, a 6% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $3.47 billion, $2.63 billion and $0.26, respectively.

These results reflect the deferral of $1.64 billion of revenue and operating income, $1.13 billion of net income and $0.11 of diluted earnings per share from the second to the third fiscal quarter, due primarily to the technology guarantee programs that were announced on October 24, 2006 for Windows Vista™ and the 2007 Microsoft® Office release. Revenue growth over the same period of the prior year would have been 14 percentage points higher before the technology guarantee programs.

Today, Microsoft is announcing the addition of an Extended Support phase for the Windows® XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition operating systems, providing consumers with an additional phase of support.

With the addition of Extended Support, the support life cycle for Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition will include a total of five years of Mainstream Support (until April 2009) and five years of Extended Support, matching the support policy provided for Windows XP Professional.

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy standardizes Microsoft® product support policies for business and developer products as well as for consumer, hardware, multimedia and Microsoft Dynamics™ products.

Microsoft Corp. is using the NBA star to promote next week's consumer release of its new Windows Vista operating system. James will make what a Microsoft spokesman described Tuesday as cameo appearances on national television commercials that will begin airing Jan. 30.

The Windows Home Server, that will power the MediaSmart Server HP, is scheduled to release in the second half of 2007, will centralize all the data from a home network and will offer back-up, security, sharing, streaming, remote access and wireless connection features.

In another first, Microsoft will make Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft ® Office release available for direct download via Windows Marketplace, the largest online destination for buying software that runs on Windows. Starting Jan. 30 and working with retail partners, Windows Marketplace will offer the following upgrade editions of Windows Vista and full versions of the 2007 Microsoft Office release at suggested retail prices:

• Windows Vista Business

• Windows Vista Home Basic

• Windows Vista Home Premium

• Windows Vista Ultimate

• Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

• Microsoft Office Professional 2007

• Microsoft Office Standard 2007

Windows Vista editions offered through Windows Marketplace are available in English only, in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions. Windows Marketplace visitors also can find a wide variety of Windows-compatible hardware and software, including products carrying the Certified for Windows Vista logo, which are tested to ensure superior reliability and quality when running on Windows Vista.

Windows Marketplace makes it fast and easy to download large programs such as Windows Vista through its digital locker technology. Digital locker combines the immediacy of downloaded software with the security features of owning physical media like a DVD — it uses innovative security technology to store purchased software and license keys, efficiently resumes downloads if they are interrupted, and manages the overall installation process. More information can be found on Jan. 30 at http://www.windowsmarketplace.com .

Sources said that Microsoft will announce some time over the next few days that the company will allow Vista Ultimate customers to purchase two additional copies of Vista Home Premium for somewhere between $50 to $99 a piece.

In order to qualify for the so-called "Family Pack" promotion, customers will first need to purchase at retail a copy of Vista Ultimate, which carries an estimated retail price of $399 U.S. The deal will not be offered to those who purchase Ultimate preloaded on a new PC, sources said; it will be for customers buying and/or upgrading via retail channels only.

MICROSOFT IS CURRENTLY TESTING A keyword analytics tool, code-named "Gatineau," to compete with Google's free analytics offering, Google Analytics.

Microsoft has acquired Israeli startup Secured Dimensions. Terms of the deal were not released, but the price is believed to be several million dollars.

Founded in 2005, Secured Dimensions has developed a technology for the protection of applications based on Microsoft’s .NET technology. The startup raised $600,000 in seed financing a year ago and was in the process of seeking additional funding.

Microsoft has hired Don Ferguson, a prominent IBM software technologist and former chief architect of IBM's Software Group, to work in the office of the CTO.

According to Ferguson's bio at Microsoft—published on Jan. 8—he is now a Microsoft technical fellow in Platforms and Strategy, in the office of the chief technology officer.

MSN today announced the availability of new entertainment content including a new MSN® Originals series, “The Big Debate,” produced by Reveille LLC. This content is resulting from the relationship MSN has with Reveille, a leading independent Hollywood production studio and distribution company that has produced groundbreaking critical and ratings hits including NBC’s “The Office” and “The Biggest Loser,” ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” FX Network’s “30 Days,” and MTV’s “Parental Control.”

MSN Original: The Big Debate

The debut of a new MSN Originals series, “The Big Debate,” premiering at http://originals.msn.com/thebigdebate, is a comedic and interactive daily original program in which two pop culture experts debate the right and wrong of today’s hottest topics and vie for viewers’ votes on why their respective arguments are correct. The audience explores the debate through innovative video design and interactivity, posting their own comments and in turn creating new debates. The first series episode, premiering today, will launch with a debate surrounding the Golden Globe Awards nominees.

From 16-24 January, I and a few Windows community influencers will hop on a custom-wrapped Windows Vista bus and visit major cities on the East coast of the United States:

Nashville
Lexington
Cincinnati
Columbus
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Washington, DC
Charlotte
Savannah
Jacksonville
Orlando
Gainesville
Atlanta
... and points in between

We'll then return to Nashville to wrap up the tour on the 24th.

Sources said that Microsoft will announce some time over the next few days that the company will allow Vista Ultimate customers to purchase two additional copies of Vista Home Premium for somewhere between $50 to $99 a piece.

In order to qualify for the so-called "Family Pack" promotion, customers will first need to purchase at retail a copy of Vista Ultimate, which carries an estimated retail price of $399 U.S. The deal will not be offered to those who purchase Ultimate preloaded on a new PC, sources said; ...

Sales of Windows Vista to businesses were stronger than expected during the operating system's debut month, according to a report from NPD Group.

The sales outpaced the first month's tally for Windows 2000 and only slightly trailed that for Windows XP, the market researcher said Thursday. Commercial revenue from Vista in December was 62.5 percent above that racked up by Windows 2000 in March 2000, its first month after launch. But Vista's total is 3.7 percent below what Microsoft got in the commercial channel for Windows XP in November 2001, its first month on the market.

Microsoft Corp. today announced plans for its first-annual Business Intelligence (BI) Conference. The event will take place May 9–11, 2007, in Seattle at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.

Microsoft expects approximately 2,000 conference attendees including CEOs, CFOs, IT professionals, partners and financial analysts. Microsoft established the BI Conference to communicate its vision of truly pervasive business intelligence and to discuss Microsoft’s role within the evolving BI market.

The conference will feature technical tracks and sessions, customer and partner presentations, executive keynotes, presentations by industry analysts, customer awards presentation, and an exhibit hall showcasing Microsoft partners. Combined with evening receptions and other networking opportunities, attendees will learn about customer and partner BI implementations, best practices and successes.

DirectX won an Emmy for Pioneering Work in Near and Real-Time Fully Programmable Shading Via Modern Graphics Processors. Microsoft Windows also won for Streaming Media Architectures and Components. ...

"We are picking up lots and lots of new members of the Mac family, and we couldn't be happier. As a matter of fact, here's one that might be coming on soon," Jobs said during his address Tuesday, with Allchin's photo and the quote on the big screen. "Jim Allchin of Microsoft was quoted recently as saying if he didn't work for Microsoft, he would buy a Mac, and he's retiring soon, so I've alerted our Seattle stores to keep an eye out for him and give him really good service."