REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. will unveil a new suite of business applications, new computer server software and new technology for "smart'' wristwatches in the coming year as part of its vision for the future of technology, co-founder and chairman Bill Gates said Tuesday.
Gates addressed about 700 technology professionals and hobbyists who were among those named "Most Valuable Professionals'' by Microsoft. Microsoft is hosting the group -- chosen for sharing technical expertise with others on Microsoft news groups or other forums -- for three days of technical workshops and discussions.
"There's a lot of invention still to be done,'' Gates said. And with advances in microprocessing power and increasing access to high-speed Internet connections, the potential is huge for "software magic'' to make devices come to life, he said. The new version of Microsoft's Office software, due out later this year, will help users more efficiently access, update and share key information.
Similarly, computer server software will include the technology needed to deliver "Web services'' in the future, in which computers will be able to automatically talk with one another, regardless of network, system, device, language or application.
News source: SiliconValley
Gates addressed about 700 technology professionals and hobbyists who were among those named "Most Valuable Professionals'' by Microsoft. Microsoft is hosting the group -- chosen for sharing technical expertise with others on Microsoft news groups or other forums -- for three days of technical workshops and discussions.
"There's a lot of invention still to be done,'' Gates said. And with advances in microprocessing power and increasing access to high-speed Internet connections, the potential is huge for "software magic'' to make devices come to life, he said. The new version of Microsoft's Office software, due out later this year, will help users more efficiently access, update and share key information.
Similarly, computer server software will include the technology needed to deliver "Web services'' in the future, in which computers will be able to automatically talk with one another, regardless of network, system, device, language or application.
News source: SiliconValley
The OS X-native Exchange access solution will be compatible with Exchange Server 2000 and higher versions. Outlook 2001 for Mac will continue to be the Exchange solution for users of Mac OS 9, Microsoft said.
The announcement of an Exchange access solution for OS X reflects Microsoft's continued support of Apple's Macintosh platform. Questions have swirled around the Mac's future with Microsoft products since a five-year software pact between Apple and Microsoft expired last August. Under the 1997 agreement, Microsoft agreed to develop software and tools for the Mac plus invest $150 million in non-voting Apple stock. Microsoft no longer holds that investment in Apple.
Microsoft also named a new general manager for its Macintosh Business Unit, Roz Ho, last December after the 150-employee division's previous leader, Kevin Browne, left to join Microsoft's video game unit.
However, Microsoft has kept rolling out Mac products. In November 2001, the company shipped an OS X-native version of its Office suite, dubbed Office v. X, and over the next year introduced MSN Messenger 3.0 for Mac, Palm handheld synchronization for Entourage X and the Remote Desktop Connection client. In addition, the Mac Business Unit released a stand-alone version of Entourage X last month, and it plans to deliver MSN for Mac OS X in early 2003.
"The single most popular request we've heard since launching Office v. X is that our customers need an Exchange solution for Mac OS X," Tim McDonough, director of marketing and business development for Microsoft's Mac Business Unit, said in a statement. "We recognize that many of our customers use Exchange for their server-side communications and need a solution that's made specifically for Mac OS X. By building the Exchange solution into Entourage X, we're giving users of Mac core Exchange functionality and cross-platform compatibility in an e-mail client designed to meet their needs."
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