Day 2 of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2009 offered up some interesting tidbits. Here are the highlights from the show.
Microsoft CEO: Google Chrome OS? LOL!
Taking the stage Tuesday at the annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer served up a furious, determined, and sometimes hilarious helping of Microsoft promotion, highlighting the fact that the company would continue its aggressive stance despite the economic downturn. Ballmer hit on all of Microsoft's big upcoming products--Windows 7, Office 2010, Windows Azure, and so on--but his most interesting comments regarded Google's still-vaporware Chrome OS, which was announced last week.
"Who knows what this thing is?" he asked. "To me, the Chrome OS thing is highly interesting ... It won't happen for a year and a half and they already announced an operating system [Android]. I don't know if they can't make up their mind or what the problem is over there, but the last time I checked, you don't need two client operating systems. It's good to have one."
Forgetting for a moment that Microsoft also sells two comparable client operating systems, Windows and Windows Mobile, and that each comes in a variety of flavors, what Ballmer is really arguing here is that Google is new to the OS game. As a result, the company will make a number of missteps before it finds its way and becomes a serious contender.
And Google may never get there. It's worth noting that its Android OS hasn't exactly set the world on fire, for example. But Microsoft would be wise to take the Google threat seriously, as I'm sure it is. There is a lot of dissatisfaction around the PC, and while Windows 7 will certainly offset some of that, it's only a single step in the right direction.
[ Learn about Google Chrome OS in my recent commentary. ]
Microsoft Announces Cloud Computing Prices
Microsoft on Tuesday finally announced its pricing structure for Windows Azure, the company's upcoming cloud computing platform. In addition, Microsoft said that those interested in using the various Azure services can do so for free until the official launch in November.
"With the Windows Azure platform, we're focused on delivering the best services platform to create compelling web applications and services, which enables our customers and partners to quickly develop and deploy compelling solutions," Microsoft president Bob Muglia said. "What's unique about the Windows Azure platform is that Microsoft manages the complexity, which allows partners to focus on what matters most for their business, building innovative services solutions and driving new revenue."
Microsoft will offer Azure services in three different ways, including a consumption (pay as you go) model, a subscription model for resellers, and via volume licensing to enterprises. The so-called consumption model appears to be priced comparably with the current leader in this market, Amazon.com, which offers a variety of online services, including hosted Windows and Linux services.
On the consumption plan, Microsoft will charge 12 cents per hour for compute infrastructure services, 15 cents per gigabyte for storage, and 10 cents per 10,000 storage transactions. Users of Microsoft's SQL Azure cloud-based database will incur monthly charges of $9.99 for the Web Edition, which supports up to 1 GB databases, and $99.99 for the Business Edition, which allows up to 10 gigabyte databases. The web developer-oriented .NET Services will cost 15 cents per 100,000 message operations. There are additional bandwidth charges across the three services as well; 10 cents per gigabyte for incoming data and 15 cents per gigabyte for outgoing data.
[ Find out more in my Windows Azure Preview. ]
Microsoft Preps Windows Mobile Marketplace for Launch
Microsoft on Tuesday announced that it would open up Windows Marketplace for Mobile to submissions from developers on July 27 in advance of its public launch. On this date, developers from 29 supported countries will be able to submit their applications to Microsoft for possible placement in the online store, which will launch alongside Windows Mobile 6.5 in the third quarter of 2009.
"We're working hard to create a new experience for mobile users and developers alike; where users can easily discover and confidently purchase and download applications for work, life or play and developers feel good about the submission process and are able to reach a new market for their mobile applications," Microsoft senior director Todd Brix wrote in a blog post announcing the submission date.
In addition, Brix revealed that the Windows Marketplace for Mobile would also be made available to Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1 users by the end of 2009. This will open the online store to an audience of over 30 million Windows Mobile-based devices. The store will also feature a Business Center for hosting line of business apps that will be of interest to one of the Windows Mobile core markets.
[ Get my take on Microsoft's mobile moves in the article, Windows Phones 2009. ]
Edited versions of this article appeared in the July 15, 2009 issue of WinInfo Daily UPDATE. --Paul