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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PaperChase who wrote (30181)	7/24/1998 12:15:00 AM
From: Kathleen capps	Respond to of 132070

This slant on the analyst meeting isn't on the other news sites. The following is the closest I see to reporting from the analyst meeting, and it doesn't even mention anything about PC sales. Unless the ZD Net story is really from the Day before (wed) and Thurs comments will be reported tomorrow. Thursday July 23 5:29 PM ET Microsoft outlines strategic imperatives By Lisa M. Bowman, ZDNet SEATTLE -- Don't expect software's 800-pound gorilla to slink into captivity anytime soon.. At its annual analysts meeting here, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT) executives are boasting that they've lured customers away from major messaging and database companies. They're promising new products, and touting integration as one of their top priorities. The meeting took place under a backdrop of hearings on competition in the software industry being held across the country in Washington. Where it wants to go today At the analysts meeting, Microsoft highlighted several strategic imperatives: It will continue to release three different versions of Windows - all based on Windows NT - one for consumers, one for businesses, and one for servers; It will ship the newest beta version of Windows NT 5.0 within three weeks; It will make games one of the areas where it invests most heavily, with plans for new products such as Age of Empires II, Motocross Madness, and Flight Simulator 2000; It will focus more resources on a new Office unit designed to produce more intelligent features, an area Chairman Bill Gates said he would like to work on, now that Steve Ballmer has been named company president. Taking stock of Start Microsoft also said it plans to renew its focus on its online offerings. The company confirmed said it would streamline operations under a single MSN-branded hub. "We've actually not had one, but three portal sites and really splintered our investments," said Pete Higgins, group vice president of Microsoft's interactive media group. "This will allow us to focus. We are working very hard technically to move MSN.com forward." Higgins said the previously unveiled "Start" title was actually a code-name for what will now become MSN.com - an umbrella containing sites such as Expedia, Carpoint and HomeAdvisor, all given the "MSN" prefix. The company also said it would add new features, including e-commerce capabilities, new games and tournaments, comics on MSN, and community-based sites. In a few months, it plans to add beefed-up messaging features through its Messenger software. The strategy was not clear to at least one analyst, who asked whether MSN plans to compete with ISPs such as AOL or portals such as Yahoo! Higgins said it planned to be both, focusing on becoming a subscription and transaction-based network. Coming up: Gates, Ballmer Microsoft already has stumbled in the space, over-billing customers and failing to make money. There were even rumors the company was planning to sell the operation. Instead, Microsoft bought free e-mail company Hotmail and increased its investment in the technology - all as more and more companies are trying to become portals, the first place people land when they go online. "We remain very committed and very optimistic about our success in the market," Higgins told analysts. The company said the combined company would have a 30 percent reach, making it the number three site on the Internet. Chairman Bill Gates and newly appointed president Steve Ballmer will speak Thursday afternoon.