Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Vista, Office 12 to Come in Premium Versions

      By
      Peter Galli
      -
      August 8, 2005
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        Microsoft Corp. is working on new versions of Windows and Office, including an enterprise version of the upcoming Windows Vista and a premium version of Office 12.

        Microsoft officials remain tight-lipped about details, but they said both products are still in development. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told analysts at a meeting here last week that these new versions will cost more than standard Windows and Office offerings and will help drive growth.

        A Premium CAL (Client Access License) for both Windows and Office will debut with the new versions, and Ballmer said Microsoft has work to do to convince customers that the extra cost is justified.

        “This is premium value at a premium price,” he said. “We have to continue to enhance and upgrade that value to drive upgrades.”

        Bill Gates, Microsofts chairman and chief software architect, said substantial innovation went into the base version of Windows Vista to ensure that Windows keeps its high market share. Microsoft now believes it has enough extra features to create an expanded product, much the way Windows XP Professional was created, according to Gates.

        Microsoft may be fighting an uphill battle, as many customers are already questioning the value of yet another Windows upgrade. “From what I have seen and heard so far, there is nothing compelling enough to convince me to upgrade to Windows Vista Professional, never mind an even-more-expensive version. Im far from convinced about that strategy,” said one enterprise IT manager.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifDavid Coursey thinks that Microsoft has yet to convince us that Longhorn is something users really need or want. Click here to read more.

        In addition, Microsoft is looking to bolster its Office product line, particularly the lines SharePoint and Exchange components. The company hopes that the workflow rights management and document life-cycle capabilities in SharePoint “eventually will become common sense so that businesses will build their business applications and all their information—visualization and sharing activities—around that,” Gates said.

        Al Gillen, an analyst for IDC, in Framingham, Mass., said it is unclear what Microsoft will include in the Premium CAL. But whatever it comes up with will have to be more favorably priced than if users were to buy an individual CAL for each server product.

        “Microsoft clearly is hoping that Office applications on the server will become pervasive in the enterprise space and that those users will be willing to pay a CAL for each of their desktop users to access them,” Gillen said.

        In addition to the premium versions, Microsoft is at work on a number of other server offerings. The company is rumored to be working on several new Office 12 components, including Excel and InfoPath servers, but officials have so far declined to confirm this.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.

        Peter Galli
        Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
        Get the Free Newsletter!
        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
        This email address is invalid.
        Get the Free Newsletter!
        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
        This email address is invalid.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Applications

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        IT Management

        Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

        James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
        Read more
        Applications

        Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

        James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
        Read more
        Cloud

        IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

        James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
        I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×