From: xinlang net
Microsoft presented some new features of the Next Generation Windows operating system Longhorn at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference on Monday, April 26 Beijing time. At the same time, in order to fill the vacuum period between the official launch of Longhorn next year, Microsoft also released a 64-bit Windows operating system that has been postponed for a year.
Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, promises that Longhorn will be more secure, more graphic interfaces, better information organization and search functions, and better performance. However, Longhorn may not be available until next Christmas Eve, five years after Microsoft launched Windows XP. Gates reiterated at the meeting that Microsoft will launch the beta version of Longhorn this summer.
During the display of Longhorn, Gates demonstrated the new appearance of the Longhorn interface and the new methods for organizing information. Since Longhorn uses a translucent window, you can easily see the objects hidden under the window. To maintain customer satisfaction, Gates said the 64-bit operating system Windows XP Professional x64 Edition will be available from next month. Because it supports 64-bit operations, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition has great advantages in video editing, file searching, and digital computing.
Analysts believe that the 64-bit Windows operating system will attract users to purchase soon, rather than waiting for Longhorn to launch. Michael cherry, an independent analyst, said that before Longhorn was officially launched, Microsoft and even processor vendors, Intel and AMD, were facing a situation where sales growth was weak.
Microsoft estimates that sales in the current fiscal year (as of June this year) will increase by 8% compared with the same period last year, and the annual sales growth since Microsoft's launch in 1986 is never lower than 10%. Microsoft's main revenue source-enterprise customers may postpone several years to purchase new PCs, and individual consumers are even more likely to switch to Apple computer, a long-term competitor. Later this week, Apple will launch the latest Mac OS X tiger, which will support many new features that Microsoft will provide to users in longhorn. In addition, Apple's G5 series Mac computers also support 64-bit operations.