crazylegs
Member Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2004
- Messages
- 5,743
- Reaction score
- 64
Just a little something i read for all you amd athlon64 buffs out there............
Microsoft: 64-bit XP sales in the "millions" within first year
By Wolfgang Gruener, Senior Editor
February 18, 2005 - 13:18 EST
Chicago (IL) - Microsoft is quickly approaching the release date of the 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional. Following the release of RC2, the final version is expected within the first half of this year. Many unknown factors about the 64-bit desktop market still surround the introduction, but Microsoft believes that "millions" of users will make the switch to the new desktop OS within the first year after release. The computer industry now is well into the era of 64-bit computing with AMD's 64-bit processors on the market for about two years and Intel's desktop processors now catching up. What is still missing is a 64-bit Windows operating system for desktop mass market.
However, Microsoft says it is on track to meet its goal for a delivery of the final version of Windows XP Professional x64 during the first half of this year. "We are just out with the second release candidate and we plan this to be last one," said Brian Marr, senior product manager for Windows. However the release pf RC2 was characteristic for the whole development process of the first desktop version of a 64-bit Windows.
The download of the release candidate was delayed for several days, due to a "website hiccup", as we were told. Windows XP 64-bit was demonstrated the first time in a technical preview back in May of 2001 with indicated delivery dates of 2003 and 2004. According to Marr, delays were not just caused by the different 64-bit strategies of AMD and Intel, but also by the "complexity" of the Windows product family. "At times we had to shift developer over to higher priority products such as the Windows Media Center Edition, the Service Pack 2, and then shift them back onto x64."
Looking back into the 64-bit history, it is however quite obvious, that Microsoft had to deal with some missteps, especially of Intel. Intel believed in a radical shift towards 64-bit with its Itanium processors for workstations and servers and convinced Microsoft to offer a Windows XP version for the IA-64 platform. As it turned out, demand was weak to non-existent for Itaniums on workstations and Microsoft ceased production of the IA-64 Windows XP Pro in September 2004, according to Marr. "The Itanium wasn't the right processor for workstations. There were too many sacrifices in terms of performance. The Xeon offers a much smoother transition for workstations."
And performance is what the 64-bit version of XP is all about: Microsoft promises "considerable performance improvements on 64-bit applications." Even if also the earliest 64-bit Athlons will be able to run the new software "well", the company expects that only higher-end users will switch to the new platform. "We see two types of customers who will benefit from 64-bit. On the one side, it will be professionals and workstation users that run into limits with 32-bit today. On the other side there are enthusiasts who want to run the latest software." Marr could not say how many users Microsoft expects to switch within one year, but said "it will be definitely in the millions." He estimated the total intial market for the software at "about six to nine million users".
Despite a series of hiccups, Marr said that Windows XP Professional x64 is on track and the installed base is at "about where we expected it to be at this time" to justify a big introduction of the software. He described the operating as "extremely important" to Microsoft's 64-bit strategy and confirmed that the company would treat the operating system release just as serious as any other tier-1 software introduction. However, it appears that Microsoft is unsure, how well 64-bit computing will be adopted initially. According to Marr, it was "too early" to discuss if Longhorn, the next-generation Windows, would be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit components. The introduction of 64-bit would be much more "evolutionary" rather than a revolutionary shift such as the move from 16- to 32-bit more than ten a decade ago.
Microsoft: 64-bit XP sales in the "millions" within first year
By Wolfgang Gruener, Senior Editor
February 18, 2005 - 13:18 EST
Chicago (IL) - Microsoft is quickly approaching the release date of the 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional. Following the release of RC2, the final version is expected within the first half of this year. Many unknown factors about the 64-bit desktop market still surround the introduction, but Microsoft believes that "millions" of users will make the switch to the new desktop OS within the first year after release. The computer industry now is well into the era of 64-bit computing with AMD's 64-bit processors on the market for about two years and Intel's desktop processors now catching up. What is still missing is a 64-bit Windows operating system for desktop mass market.
However, Microsoft says it is on track to meet its goal for a delivery of the final version of Windows XP Professional x64 during the first half of this year. "We are just out with the second release candidate and we plan this to be last one," said Brian Marr, senior product manager for Windows. However the release pf RC2 was characteristic for the whole development process of the first desktop version of a 64-bit Windows.
The download of the release candidate was delayed for several days, due to a "website hiccup", as we were told. Windows XP 64-bit was demonstrated the first time in a technical preview back in May of 2001 with indicated delivery dates of 2003 and 2004. According to Marr, delays were not just caused by the different 64-bit strategies of AMD and Intel, but also by the "complexity" of the Windows product family. "At times we had to shift developer over to higher priority products such as the Windows Media Center Edition, the Service Pack 2, and then shift them back onto x64."
Looking back into the 64-bit history, it is however quite obvious, that Microsoft had to deal with some missteps, especially of Intel. Intel believed in a radical shift towards 64-bit with its Itanium processors for workstations and servers and convinced Microsoft to offer a Windows XP version for the IA-64 platform. As it turned out, demand was weak to non-existent for Itaniums on workstations and Microsoft ceased production of the IA-64 Windows XP Pro in September 2004, according to Marr. "The Itanium wasn't the right processor for workstations. There were too many sacrifices in terms of performance. The Xeon offers a much smoother transition for workstations."
And performance is what the 64-bit version of XP is all about: Microsoft promises "considerable performance improvements on 64-bit applications." Even if also the earliest 64-bit Athlons will be able to run the new software "well", the company expects that only higher-end users will switch to the new platform. "We see two types of customers who will benefit from 64-bit. On the one side, it will be professionals and workstation users that run into limits with 32-bit today. On the other side there are enthusiasts who want to run the latest software." Marr could not say how many users Microsoft expects to switch within one year, but said "it will be definitely in the millions." He estimated the total intial market for the software at "about six to nine million users".
Despite a series of hiccups, Marr said that Windows XP Professional x64 is on track and the installed base is at "about where we expected it to be at this time" to justify a big introduction of the software. He described the operating as "extremely important" to Microsoft's 64-bit strategy and confirmed that the company would treat the operating system release just as serious as any other tier-1 software introduction. However, it appears that Microsoft is unsure, how well 64-bit computing will be adopted initially. According to Marr, it was "too early" to discuss if Longhorn, the next-generation Windows, would be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit components. The introduction of 64-bit would be much more "evolutionary" rather than a revolutionary shift such as the move from 16- to 32-bit more than ten a decade ago.
