<IT WORLD> Microsoft partners get Vista successor
By Martin J Young
Industry sources have confirmed the shipment to "key partners" of an early
version of Windows 7, the successor to Windows Vista. The new Microsoft
operating system was previously code named Blackcomb Vienna and is likely to be
introduced in the second half of 2009. The version will be a "Milestone 1" (M1)
edition for validation purposes only; two more Milestone builds are expected
before the public Beta release. Microsoft's roadmap for release had slated 2010
for the debut; that has now been moved up a few months to second-half 2009.
The new Windows is likely to offer advanced touch screen capabilities, taking
advantage of multiple graphics card setups now offered by hardware vendors. A
new integrated Media Center
is also included supporting full home media and entertainment platforms.
Another key feature is a reduced kernel size that takes up only 40MB of memory;
the leaner operating core is called MinWin.
It will become clearer when Windows 7 will be going into production when
Microsoft announces its Windows Logo Program Changes for the software; at
present there is little information available on Vista's replacement. A
Microsoft spokesman said: "We're continuing to work with our customers and
partners on the development of Windows 7, the next version of the client
operating system. We're not sharing additional information at this time;
instead, we're focused on helping customers today get the most value from their
PCs using Windows Vista, and we're encouraged by the response and adoption so
far."
Still
with Windows, we are asking ourselves if Microsoft can right the wrongs and
increase the adoption of Vista with the release of Service Pack 1 (SP1). The
Beta version of SP1 was made available to the public for testing earlier this
month and there have been mixed reports about it. Improvements have been
indicated in reliability, performance and security, with the update boasting
faster file transfer and booting speeds.
Microsoft claims the service pack reduces the time it takes to copy files from
a remote non-Windows Vista system to a SP1 system by 45% and a 50% gain is seen
when copying files from a remote SP1 system over a LAN to a local SP1 system.
However, the biggest problems still lie in the fact that Vista performs so
poorly on lower spec PCs that don't have the hardware to get the most out of
it. This doesn't seem to have been addressed in the Beta SP1, and neither have
the annoying authentication issues. We'll wait for the final release, which has
been rumored for release on February 15 and a number of other dates, but we
won't be holding our breath.
Internet
Hackers managed to bypass security measures and target the website of the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last weekend. The attacks
included a database overload which slowed the server down and the deletion of
portions of the site leaving it in a blank state. High-profile lawsuits issued
by RIAA against online file sharers, many of whom are children and low income
earners, have made it a prime target for hackers. During the past five years
the site has reportedly been defaced a number of times and has undergone
several denial-of-service attacks.
Job
cuts are rumored to be on the cards for Yahoo! employees as the company
prepares to announce its fourth-quarter results. With a steady drop in share
prices and increased competition from Google and Microsoft the Internet giant
is facing tough times.
The layoffs were partially confirmed in an email statement to media outlets by
Yahoo spokesperson Diana Wong, who said, "Yahoo has embarked on a multi-year
transformation that includes making tough decisions about the business to help
the company grow ... Yahoo plans to invest in some areas, reduce emphasis in
others, and eliminate some areas of the business that don't support the
company's priorities." Yahoo's total workforce is estimated at around 14,000.
It was not disclosed how many jobs will be cut.
Last
week, the Chinese government reported the country's Internet population has
reached 210 million, putting it on track to exceed the US online community and
make it the world's largest. A report by the China Internet Network Information
Center stated that the online population grew 53% from 137 million at the same
time last year. Many of the new users, almost 30 million, are in rural areas.
Unlike the US, many Internet users in China still rely on Internet cafes as
they are unable to afford a home computer. However, this could be changing as
according to a recent International Data Corporation report almost 37 million
PCs were shipped to China last year, up from the 29 million units in 2006.
Shipments were expected to increase to 69 million units by 2011 with a compound
annual growth rate of 17.2%. Lenovo remains the largest vendor in China with a
28.8% market share.
Reports also show that the number of broadband Internet users in China has
reached 163 million as the technology spreads across the country and more
people are able to get online. Although the government promotes Internet use
for education and business it still remains heavily censored behind the great
firewall of China.
Hardware
AMD has finally announced some good news following the trend of recent upsets
by competitors Intel, which has maintained the lead in the processor race. The
bug in AMD's Barcelona core has been ironed out and the production of 45
nanometer CPU's is likely to commence later this year. President Dirk Meyer
said that the higher speed Phenoms will have to wait and AMD will roll out
triple-core Phenoms and 65-watt (low power) quad-core CPUs during the first
quarter. "Higher speeds will follow in Q2," he said. The 45 nm cores are likely
to appear late this year meaning that Intel will still have a full year's lead
in the production process.
Apple
made a record number of iPod sales in the last quarter of 2007, with numbers
reaching 22 million in the period. The company also sold 2.3 million Mac
computers, helping to drive up profit for the quarter to US$1.58 billion. An
estimated 47% of Apple's revenue comes from Mac systems and $170 million was
made from sales of the new operating system Leopard. The iPod however remains
the foundation of Apple's business and the iPhone supplemented figures with 2.3
million sales during the quarter. Not all was rosy for Apple, as investors
unloaded tech stocks last week resulting in an 18% loss, or $27.64, to $128.00
on Wednesday.
Also setting revenue records was Microsoft, with $16.3 billion for the second
quarter of its fiscal year. The increase over the earnings of $14 billion in
the same period a year earlier was attributed by the tech giant to the adoption
of Windows Vista, more international customers and a total sales figure of 17.7
million units for the Xbox 360.
Martin J Young is an Asia Times Online correspondent based in Thailand.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
Still
with Windows, we are asking ourselves if Microsoft can right the wrongs and
increase the adoption of Vista with the release of Service Pack 1 (SP1). The
Beta version of SP1 was made available to the public for testing earlier this
month and there have been mixed reports about it. Improvements have been
indicated in reliability, performance and security, with the update boasting
faster file transfer and booting speeds.
