REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 26, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. met with more than 600 industry partners at its Partner Marketing Day in Las Vegas to develop the launch plans for Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and help ensure that customers will have the widest choice of products, solutions and services supporting Windows 2000 on the launch date. At the event, Microsoft announced that the Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server operating systems are on schedule to release to manufacturing (RTM) in calendar year 1999. While the final release depends on continued positive feedback from early-adopter customers regarding quality and on meeting shipment criteria, Microsoft plans to have general retail, channel and OEM availability of Windows 2000 on Feb. 17, 2000.
“Microsoft is committed to delivering the best business operating system for the next generation of PC computing and we are thrilled that customers and partners can build their plans around the general availability of Windows 2000,”
said Deborah Willingham, vice president of the Business Enterprise Division at Microsoft.
“While we are working closely with the industry to prepare solutions for retail availability in mid-February, we stand firm on our commitment to release Windows 2000 only when our early-adopter customers agree it’s ready.”
Windows 2000 Partner Marketing Day
Hundreds of OEMs, ISVs, IHVs, global systems integrators and channel partners assembled in Las Vegas for Partner Marketing Day to discuss industry support plans for Windows 2000. Microsoft is working with industry partners to provide customers with reliable, manageable solutions, as well as the hardware, software and services that will enable migration to Windows 2000.
“Compaq wants to make sure its customers have a clear path to the future,”
said Mike Winkler, senior vice president and general manager, Commercial PC Group, Compaq Computer Corp.
“Our goal is to make the transition to new technologies as easy and cost-effective as possible for our customers. To achieve this goal, Compaq has been working with Microsoft for more than two years to ensure all Compaq PCs and servers are fully tested and compatible with Windows 2000. As the world’s largest Microsoft-certified services organization, Compaq has been able to give its enterprise customers the help they need in planning and deploying Windows 2000 in their environment.”
“As the next millennium approaches, Windows 2000 becomes the platform on which future technology advances will be based,”
said Carl Everett, senior vice president, Personal Systems Group at Dell Computer Corp.
“Individual customers will ultimately choose the speed at which they migrate to this next-generation operating system. Dell is committed to the direct approach of providing all customers the right tools and education to help them make informed decisions on where, when and how to deploy Windows 2000.”
“HP continues to work very closely with Microsoft on the development of Windows 2000, including working in the Joint Development Lab Program and being the first manufacturer to offer Windows 2000 Ready PCs to customers,”
said Web McKinney, senior vice president and general manager of the Business PC Organization at Hewlett-Packard Co.
“We believe that the combined strength of HP PCs and Microsoft Windows 2000 provides a comprehensive business solution to our customers worldwide.”
“Windows 2000 is key to Toshiba’s long-term product strategy,”
said Jeffrey Friederichs, vice president and general manager of marketing, Toshiba Computer Systems Group.
“The Toshiba Windows 2000 Partner Program helps business customers develop and deploy cutting-edge solutions that maximize their computing investments. We are looking forward to shipping Windows 2000 on our computers because of its superior reliability, performance and the features it offers to our mobile business clients.”
About the Windows 2000 Family
Windows 2000 will enable the next generation of PC computing by providing customers with the easy way to Internet-enable their business using the integrated Web application services, increased scalability and industry-standard security. Windows 2000 will provide a more reliable platform designed for increased system uptime and a more manageable operating system to lower desktop management costs, and will offer more centralized management for servers. In addition, Windows 2000 will enable knowledge workers to take advantage of new devices.
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