[ Thanks to George
Mitchell for this link. ]
“As antitrust officials met at the White House to discuss a
plan to divide the company, Gates told attendees here at the
Windows Hardware Engineering Conference that Microsoft will not
cede ground to legal or technological obstacles. “Our vision is
very broad here,” he said. “This is the second phase of the
Internet.”
“The annual event, known as WinHEC, is intended to give
Microsoft hardware partners, including chipmaker Intel and PC
makers, a map of the company’s operating system plans. Gates
emphasized the importance of the Windows PC as a complement to
newly popular Internet devices. “It’s a wide range of products that
make this all come together,” he said.”
“Microsoft is covering all of its bases. While Gates defended
the PC’s relevance, his company is busy devising new Web-based
services not necessarily tied to PC hardware. Under development
now, Next Generation Windows Services is its plan for linking
wireless devices, such as cell phones and personal digital
assistants, to the ever-expanding universe of Windows versions.
Microsoft is expected to lay out its plan for the services next
month at its Redmond, Wash., headquarters. Last week, Microsoft
unveiled an operating system for handheld devices dubbed Pocket
PC.”