Microsoft retracts Steve Ballmer’s Windows 8 claims

Apparently Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer let slip more than he was supposed to at the Microsoft Developer Forum in Japan yesterday. Steve Ballmer announced that the next version of Windows would be named Windows 8 and it will be launching next year but was that all wishful thinking or a leak of secret corporate information?

Yesterday, Computerworld reported a quote that Microsoft spokesperson said in response to Steve Ballmer’s statement:

“It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows.”

Judging from the statement, it’s pretty vague what they are trying to say – it’s either the next version of Windows won’t be called Windows 8, or the next version of Windows won’t be released next year. Or both.

Microsoft has been known to be tight-lipped about its product names, i.e. they only revealed Windows 7′s name a few weeks before it was launched. Though an analyst speculates that Windows 8 won’t be released anytime soon, predicting a late 2012 or early 2013 release date.

What do you guys think?

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