Not all of Microsoft's integration efforts are waiting for Longhorn, though. For example, the company on Thursday previewed Outlook Connector, a piece of software that allows customers to simultaneously work with email and calendars stored on an Exchange server as well as personal information stored on MSN's servers. The project links Microsoft's Office team with its MSN unit. Microsoft executives also offered details on more near-term efforts. Group vice president Jim Allchin said a second service pack for Windows XP is due to launch in the coming financial year, as are updates to its Tablet PC and Media Centre editions. The service pack for the main Windows XP operating system will not include many new features, Allchin said. The company also wants to make it easier for corporate customers to update their software. Currently, new components of Microsoft software are located on at least seven different places on the company's Web site. "It's a key objective of ours to simplify that," Eric Rudder of Microsoft's server and tools unit said. Microsoft also delivered an update on sales of its current server OS, Windows Server 2003, which launched in April. As previously reported, sales figures for that software during its first 90 days have reached three times those produced by its predecessor in the same time frame.
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Talkback
'Roundup' ha ha. Great headline.