Microsoft Part 5
1995After seven years with Microsoft, Mike Maples announces his retirement.
Microsoft Internet Explorer takes full advantage of the advancement in Windows 95 to offer users easy access to the Internet and high performance. MSN(tm), The Microsoft Network online service, is launched. Bill Gates becomes a man of letters by authoring a twice-monthly newspaper column and publishing his first book, The Road Ahead, detailing how new technologies will guide the way we work, play, and live in the future. Microsoft and Intuit abandon their planned merger.
Microsoft Project for Windows 95 9/18/95 Microsoft announces Microsoft Project for Windows 95. This new version, designed exclusively for Windows 95, greatly facilitates project communication throughout an organization, and includes improved workgroup functionality, full ODBC support and integration with Microsoft Office for Windows 95.
Microsoft celebrates its 20th birthday
January 7
Bill Gates announces Microsoft Bob for Windows, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Bob is designed to provide the essential tools for home computing in eight interconnected programs that help users organize, communicate, and play with their computers. Bob, a social interface, includes an entirely new user-interface design and eight programs: Letter Writer, Calendar, Checkbook, Household Manager, Address Book, E-Mail, Financial Guide, and GeoSafari.
March 22
Microsoft and DreamWorks SKG announce that they have signed a joint-venture agreement to form a new software company designed to produce interactive and multimedia entertainment properties. Initially to be called DreamWorks Interactive, the newly formed company was announced jointly by Bill Gates and Patty Stonesifer, and DreamWorks principals Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffin. Microsoft and DreamWorks will each contribute 50 percent of the funding required to build the company. Separately, Microsoft announces that it will be a strategic investor and minority partner in DreamWorks SKG.
May 20
Microsoft and Intuit Inc. announce that they have agreed to terminate their planned merger. Rather than appeal and pursue months of litigation with the Justice Department at the trial and appellate court levels. These litigation delays would have followed the months of delay already caused by the Justice Department's unusually lengthy Hart-Scott-Rodino Act review.
June 16
The U.S. Court of Appeals reinstates a 1994 antitrust settlement between Microsoft and the Justice Department that was rejected by U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin in February 1995. The court's 26-page opinion delivers a harsh rebuke to the judge and grants Microsoft's request to remove him from the case.
August 24 Microsoft announces the availability of Microsoft Windows 95, worldwide. To help celebrate the launch, NBC's "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is a featured guest at an industry event hosted by Bill Gates at the Redmond Corporate Campus, and viewed by Microsoft regional offices via satellite, as well as by PC users via a special Internet World Wide Web site.
August 24
Originally code-named "Chicago", Windows 95 -the latest version of Windows- features a new user interface and a "plug and play" design that makes hardware setup automatic. When a customer upgrades to Windows 95, performance will meet or exceed performance of Windows 3.1. Windows 95 meets this performance goal by implementing new technologies to better optimize the use of memory of low-end system configurations. Although Microsoft had experimented in the early 1980's with consumer products such as Typing Tutor and Olympic Decathlon, and even though Microsoft Flight Simulator found a consumer audience of more than one million people in a decade, until 1991 the company operated primarily in the business market, not the consumer market. But creation of the Consumer Division, coupled with the arrival of a new generation of content-oriented products, such as Art Gallery, Dinosaurs, and Cinemania, put the company firmly into the consumer business.
August 29
More than 1 million copies of Microsoft Windows 95 were obtained by customers at retail stores during the first four days of availability in North America. Sales of Microsoft Plus! have also exceeded expectations. Approximately 20,000 retail stores nationwide took part in the sales launch, which featured a variety of consumer promotions and sales events, that kicked off at 12:01 a.m. on August 24, 1995.
September 15 In honor of the company's 20th anniversary, Microsoft celebrates with a series of activities over the next month, culminating with the Company Meeting in Seattle on October 12, 1995.
Microsoft 20th anniversary watch
September 18
Microsoft Museum opens to Microsoft employees. The museum features video kiosks and exhibits highlighting Microsoft's culture, product development cycle, international presence, contributions to the community, and employee pranks. As they enter, visitors see a timeline marking events throughout history that led to the growth of the software industry and the creation of Microsoft. Following this exhibit is a Microsoft timeline that chronicles major events and landmarks in Microsoft history and a technology timeline that features the major hardware platforms for which Microsoft has developed software.
Microsoft announces Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro for MS-DOS and Windows 95, a digital-optical joystick designed specifically to enhance the way PC gamers play. Digital-optical technology gives SideWinder sensitivity and precise control. As an optical camera tracks the slightest movements, each position change is accurately and immediately rendered on screen. Microsoft will also offer SideWinder packaged with Activision's MechWarrior 2 combat-simulation game.
September 20 The Chinese State Bureau of Technology Supervision (CSBTS) and the Chinese Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI) announce that they have signed an agreement with Microsoft to standardize the Chinese version of Microsoft Windows 95 as the software development standard for The People's Republic of China. The agreement is aimed at speeding the development of Chinese Windows 95 by expanding the scope of cooperation and strengthening the foundation of software development in the PRC.
October 2
Microsoft announces that is offering more than 30 titles of its family of Home software products for under $50 each, estimated street price, beginning October 1, 1995. Price changes affect both Windows- and Macintosh-based versions of products such as: Microsoft Cinemania, Encarta 96 Encyclopedia, Encarta 96 World Atlas, Fury 3, Golf, Scholastic's The Magic School Bus, Music Central 96, and 3D Movie Maker. These are expected to run from $29.99 to $54.95, depending on the product.
October 17 Microsoft reports revenues of $2.02 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 1996 which ended September 30, 1995, a 62 percent increase over the same period of fiscal 1995. Net income was $499 million. Earnings per share were $0.78.
Microsoft announces that it estimates that 7 million units of Microsoft Windows 95 have been purchased worldwide, either as an upgrade or on a new PC, since the product's August 24, 1995 release. Techscan, an independent market-research firm, reports that more than 91 percent of 3,000 people surveyed in North America and Europe said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Windows 95. More that 90 percent reported they would repurchase the software if they were making the decision again.
November 20
Microsoft announces that MSN: The Microsoft Network, has enrolled more than 525,000 members in its first three months of service. With the majority of members using MSN's full Internet access, this makes MSN one of the largest Internet service providers. Microsoft also announces it will not temporarily suspend member enrollment as was previously considered.
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates has authored his first book, "The Road Ahead." It will go on sale in more than twenty languages, with a first printing of more than 1.5 million copies, starting November 24, 1995. "The Road Ahead" looks at how new technologies will guide the way we work, play, and live in the future.
November 27 Microsoft announces the release of the final version of Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 for Windows 95. Internet Explorer 2.0 is widely available for downloading at no charge to licensed users of Windows 95 via the Internet. Internet Explorer 2.0 offers full support for Web standards and for current Internet security standards, including secure transaction technology (STT). In addition, it is the first browser to support advanced multimedia and 3-D graphics capabilities. It will be available in twelve additional languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Pan-European English, Spanish, and Swedish.
December 7
Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's wide-ranging commitment to supporting and enhancing the Internet by integrating the PC platform with the public network. Gates noted that businesses will adopt the Internet for internal business use-"the Intranet"-for communication with employees, suppliers, and customers, and Intranet applications will likely emerge faster than those for the general consumer market. NBC and Microsoft Join Forces
December 14
Microsoft and NBC announce that they have entered into a 50/50 partnership to create two new businesses -- a 24-hour news and information channel and an interactive on-line news service distributed on MSN: The Microsoft Network. MSNBC Cable will debut within six months with 24-hour news programming through NBC's existing America's Talking distribution. The complementary interactive MSNBC Online news offering will be made available globally via the MSN and will incorporate NBC Desktop Video, a computer-based business information service tailored to the needs of financial institutions and corporations.
Stats
Revenues: $5,940,000,000
Employees: 17,801
Net Revenue (US$) $6.08B %Growth 29%
Net Income (US$) $1.45B %Growth 27%
1996
Windows NT and the family of BackOffice products are designed for the most demanding business uses.
The design goals for Windows NT included extensibility, portability, reliability and robustness, compatibility, and performance. Windows NT is the ideal system for use in mission-critical applications -those essential "make or break" programs that are central to a company's business. Examples of where Windows NT is at work in mission-critical applications include:
Bill Gates completely missed the rise of the Internet -- the biggest computing trend of the 1990s. But once Microsoft saw which way the wind was blowing, it simply spent enough money to catch up.
So campaning, its slogan became:
"Microsoft leads the way as the world embarks upon the information highway"
What's your URL? became an often heard line.
And as stated "Microsoft re-invents itself to respond to the fast-growing popularity of the Internet"
MSNBC, the 24-hour news, talk, and information network from NBC News and Microsoft makes its debut on July 15, 1996. MSNBC on the Internet is the companion news and information service designed to deliver in-depth news and information. Slate™, an interactive magazine of politics, culture, and public policy edited by Michael Kinsley, also appears online. MSN™, The Microsoft Network, is re-organized to offer content on the World Wide Web. Microsoft announces the formation of the Executive Committee (replacing the Office of the President) comprised of Jim Allchin, Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold, Jeff Raikes, and Brad Silverberg.
Jill Barad, Mattel USA President, is named to the Microsoft Board of Directors, the first woman to serve since 1988.
Microsoft Acquires Vermeer Technologies, Inc.
1/16/1996 Vermeer's flagship software application, FrontPage, is a tool for easily creating and managing rich Web documents without programming. FrontPage will become a key component of Microsoft's strategy to provide a full range of tools for both Internet and intranet publishing.
February 15
Headed by Patty Stonesifer, the Interactive Media Division will consist of MSN, the Microsoft Network online service; games and kids' titles; and the information businesses formerly residing in the now-dissolved Consumer Division. The new division will focus on creating and marketing worldwide interactive entertainment and information products across a variety of media, including the Internet.
February 20
The Platforms Group will be aligned to more closely coordinate the Microsoft® Windows® family strategy and to concentrate on developing complementary products and technologies for the Internet. The Platforms Group currently comprises four divisions: Business Systems, Consumer Systems, Developer, and Personal Systems. These four will be realigned into three divisions: the Desktop and Business Systems Division, the Internet Platform and Tools Division, and the Consumer Platforms Division.
February 27
Microsoft is segmenting its support offerings into two distinct categories, according to the service level desired by the customer. End users, developers, and organizations requiring Standard and Priority technical support from Microsoft will now be served by the newly named Microsoft AnswerPoint framework, which includes easy access to technical and support information, no charge support, and fee-based, round-the-clock support at various levels. A comprehensive portfolio of direct and partner-supplied enterprise customer services will be offered through the company's new Microsoft Service Advantage and the Global Service Network.
March 12
Microsoft® ActiveX™ Technologies, a set of tools to enable the creation of active content for the Internet and the PC, are announced. Through ActiveX Technologies, Web pages can incorporate active content, including animation, 3-D virtual reality, video, and other multimedia content. ActiveX Technologies include Internet standards and will be delivered on multiple platforms. ActiveX Technologies include various components such as, ActiveX Controls, Active Scripts, ActiveX Documents, ActiveX Server Framework, ActiveX Server Scripting, and ActiveX Server Controls.
April 16
Microsoft® SQL Server™ client-server database management system version 6.5 has released to manufacturing. Key new features include built-in support for Internet applications, improved support for distributed management tools, and a new locking architecture called Dynamic Locking.
May 20
More than 30 million people worldwide use Microsoft®Excel, making it the most popular spreadsheet program of all time. User feedback guides development and shapes priorities for new features and new technologies.
June 6
Microsoft names Mattel USA President and Chief Operating Officer, Jill E. Barad, to its board of directors. Starting as a product manager at Mattel in 1981, she was named executive vice president of marketing and worldwide product development in 1986 and, in 1989, president of the girls and activity toys division. In 1990 she was named president of Mattel USA, which lead to her current position as president and chief operating officer in 1992. Barad is the first woman named to the Microsoft Board of Directors since Portia Isaacson served in 1986 and 1987.
June 13
Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's strategy to deliver a comprehensive set of products and services that seamlessly integrate desktops, LANs, client-server applications, legacy systems, and the public Internet. Besides integrating LANs with the Internet, Microsoft's intranet strategy is to implement new navigation paradigms; simplify applications development, deployment, and administration; and integrate new products and Internet technologies with existing infrastructures.
June 24
Slate ™, an interactive magazine of politics, culture, and public policy edited by Michael Kinsley, debuts online. Slate aims to provide a timely, decisive, and nonpartisan atmosphere for politically and culturally engaged readers through a mix of editorial features, reviews, columns, and interactive forums.
July 15
MSNBC, the 24-hour news, talk, and information network from NBC News and Microsoft, debuts. MSNBC will initially deliver 14 hours of original programming each day. The number of original program hours will continue to increase as the network expands. MSNBC on the Internet is the companion news and information service designed to deliver in-depth news and information.
July 22 Microsoft promotes Jeffrey S. Raikes to Group Vice President, Sales and Marketing. In his new position, Raikes becomes a member of Bill Gates' "Office of the President."
October 29
Patty Stonesifer, Senior Vice President of the Interactive Media Division and the executive credited with building Microsoft's position as the world's leading consumer and interactive media company, resigns. After eight years at Microsoft she leaves to pursue personal interests and a new career as a management consultant.
November 7 Microsoft releases Microsoft® Flight Simulator for Windows 95 marking the first time in its 14-year history that the product is available on the Windows platform.
November 12
Microsoft's Board of Directors approves a 2-for-1 stock split. Shareholders will receive one additional share for every share held on the record date of November 22, 1996.
December 3
Microsoft forms the Executive Committee which will replace the Office of the President as the most senior management team at the company. Senior Vice President Jim Allchin and Senior Vice President Brad Silverberg will join Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold, and Jeff Raikes on the new Executive Committee.
Presidents
The Executive Committee (12/96 -- 7/21/98) replaces the Office of the President in December 1996. Senior Vice Presidents Jim Allchin and Brad Silverberg joined Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold and Jeff Raikes on the new Executive Committee.
Jill Barad, Mattel USA President, is named to the Microsoft Board of Directors, the first woman to serve since 1988.
Stats
Revenues: $8,671,000,000
Employees: 20,561
Net Revenue (US$)$9.05B %Growth 49%
Net Income (US$) $2.20B % Growth 51%
1997
January Microsoft announces the immediate availability of Office 97, the new version of the world's best-selling productivity suite, which integrates the ease of intelligent applications with the power of the Web.
March 3 Microsoft acquired Interse Corp., a maker of software for analyzing user activity on World Wide Web sites. Financial terms were not disclosed.
April Microsoft signs an agreement to acquire WebTV Networks for approximately $425,000,000 in stock and cash. WebTV Networks offers a complete system that provides consumers access to the Internet via television.
The Seattle Sidewalk™ city guide is now available free on the World Wide Web and as a featured offering on MSN™, The Microsoft Network. Other Sidewalk city guides are scheduled to launch in 10-15 key cities by the end of the year.
May Microsoft is hosting The Microsoft® CEO Summit in Seattle on May 8-9, 1997. The summit is a forum for Chief Executive Officers from more than 100 corporations around the world to engage in discussions about technology.
June Microsoft will make an investment of $1 billion in Comcast, the nation's fourth-largest cable television operator and a diversified telecommunications company. The $1 billion cash investment will enhance Comcast's deployment of high-speed data and video services via its cable delivery network.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates, today announced the formation of the Gates library Foundation. Microsoft has pledged to match the Gates' cash grant with software of equal value.
June 10 MS purchased 11.5% of Comcast Corp. for $1 billion.
August Steve Jobs and Bill Gates lay out a broad product and technology development agreement between Apple and Microsoft. The agreement includes the production of future versions of Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and other Microsoft tools for the Macintosh; the bundling of Internet Explorer with the Mac OS; a broad patent cross-licensing agreement for leading-edge Mac technologies; and a $150 million investment in Apple by Microsoft.
Internet Explorer 4.0 The ultimate internet solution. Internet Explorer is designed to take advantage of the latest Internet technologies available.
September Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 is released to critical acclaim and enormous customer demand. Internet Explorer 4.0 combines the premier Internet browser, communication and collaboration tools, innovative Active Channel™ "push" content and true Web integration to offer users an unparalleled Internet client solution.
October The Justice Department filed a motion today in Federal District Court, alleging that Microsoft had violated a 1994 consent decree dealing with certain aspects of licensing the Windows operating system to computer manufacturers. Specifically, the Justice Department asked the court to stop Microsoft from tying the use of its Windows 95 operating system to the use of its Internet browser, a tool to navigate the Internet.
November Pollsters Hart and Teeter found that Microsoft is the most admired company in one of the most admired industries in America. When the public was asked to volunteer, without being prompted, the names of one or two companies they respect and admire, Microsoft was named by 25 percent. IBM and General Motors were next, at 16 percent, followed by AT&T and WalMart at 15 percent.
Stats
Revenues: $11,360,000,000 % Growth 32%
Employees: 22,232
Net Income (US$) $3.45B % Growth 57%
1998
WINDOWS CE--Smarter & Better Devices
With the 1997 introduction of the handheld PC (HP/C), Windows CE products continue to expand with the introduction of new devices and updated OS versions and applications. The Palm-size PC and the Auto PC along with the HP/C professional edition expand the PC companion line.
Launch of India Development Center in Hyderabad, India. The center will become the second largest development center outside the US facillity in Redmond (WA)
January 26 Microsoft's Board of Directors approved a 2 for 1 split of its common shares. Shareholders will receive one additional common share held on the record date of February 6, 1998. As of December 31, 1997, Microsoft had approximately 1.2 billion common shares outstanding. This is the seventh time the common stock has split since the company went public on March 13, 1986.
February 5 Microsoft realigns its product groups to respond to changing consumer and market needs. The reorganization focuses the product groups on investing in Windows with the goal of delivering simplicity and scalability, allowing businesses to maximize their competitive advantage through their digital nervous system, and promoting the Web lifestyle.
March 26 Microsoft delivers on its commitment to build innovative products for the Macintosh by releasing Office 98, Macintosh Edition, which offers Mac users all of the features found in Office 97, plus added functionality.
March 31 For the first time ever, Exchange Server outsold Lotus Notes in the first quarter of calendar year 1998. In its two years on the market, sales of Exchange Server totaled more than 13 million seats, easily making it the fastest-growing server product in PC history.
May 01 Slate becomes the first Internet-based magazine to join the New York Times global news distribution service, which includes content from The Economist and Le Monde.
June 25 Microsoft launches Windows 98 worldwide
Presidents
On July 21, 1998, Steve Ballmer, 42, is appointed president of Microsoft to broaden the leadership of the company and better position the company to take advantage of future growth opportunities. Ballmer's new responsibilities include boosting the business discipline and performance of all Microsoft's existing and emerging businesses as well as improving customer satisfaction.
Bill Gates, 42, will continue as chairman and CEO, and will focus more time on Microsoft's long-term planning and working with the development teams to devise the technologies and products of the future.
Stats
Revenues: $14.48 billion Growth 30%
Net Revenue (US$) $15.26B %Growth 28%
Employees: 27,055
Microsoft Internet Explorer takes full advantage of the advancement in Windows 95 to offer users easy access to the Internet and high performance. MSN(tm), The Microsoft Network online service, is launched. Bill Gates becomes a man of letters by authoring a twice-monthly newspaper column and publishing his first book, The Road Ahead, detailing how new technologies will guide the way we work, play, and live in the future. Microsoft and Intuit abandon their planned merger.
Microsoft Project for Windows 95 9/18/95 Microsoft announces Microsoft Project for Windows 95. This new version, designed exclusively for Windows 95, greatly facilitates project communication throughout an organization, and includes improved workgroup functionality, full ODBC support and integration with Microsoft Office for Windows 95.
Microsoft celebrates its 20th birthday
January 7
Bill Gates announces Microsoft Bob for Windows, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Bob is designed to provide the essential tools for home computing in eight interconnected programs that help users organize, communicate, and play with their computers. Bob, a social interface, includes an entirely new user-interface design and eight programs: Letter Writer, Calendar, Checkbook, Household Manager, Address Book, E-Mail, Financial Guide, and GeoSafari.
March 22
Microsoft and DreamWorks SKG announce that they have signed a joint-venture agreement to form a new software company designed to produce interactive and multimedia entertainment properties. Initially to be called DreamWorks Interactive, the newly formed company was announced jointly by Bill Gates and Patty Stonesifer, and DreamWorks principals Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffin. Microsoft and DreamWorks will each contribute 50 percent of the funding required to build the company. Separately, Microsoft announces that it will be a strategic investor and minority partner in DreamWorks SKG.
May 20
Microsoft and Intuit Inc. announce that they have agreed to terminate their planned merger. Rather than appeal and pursue months of litigation with the Justice Department at the trial and appellate court levels. These litigation delays would have followed the months of delay already caused by the Justice Department's unusually lengthy Hart-Scott-Rodino Act review.
June 16
The U.S. Court of Appeals reinstates a 1994 antitrust settlement between Microsoft and the Justice Department that was rejected by U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin in February 1995. The court's 26-page opinion delivers a harsh rebuke to the judge and grants Microsoft's request to remove him from the case.
August 24 Microsoft announces the availability of Microsoft Windows 95, worldwide. To help celebrate the launch, NBC's "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is a featured guest at an industry event hosted by Bill Gates at the Redmond Corporate Campus, and viewed by Microsoft regional offices via satellite, as well as by PC users via a special Internet World Wide Web site.
August 24
Originally code-named "Chicago", Windows 95 -the latest version of Windows- features a new user interface and a "plug and play" design that makes hardware setup automatic. When a customer upgrades to Windows 95, performance will meet or exceed performance of Windows 3.1. Windows 95 meets this performance goal by implementing new technologies to better optimize the use of memory of low-end system configurations. Although Microsoft had experimented in the early 1980's with consumer products such as Typing Tutor and Olympic Decathlon, and even though Microsoft Flight Simulator found a consumer audience of more than one million people in a decade, until 1991 the company operated primarily in the business market, not the consumer market. But creation of the Consumer Division, coupled with the arrival of a new generation of content-oriented products, such as Art Gallery, Dinosaurs, and Cinemania, put the company firmly into the consumer business.
August 29
More than 1 million copies of Microsoft Windows 95 were obtained by customers at retail stores during the first four days of availability in North America. Sales of Microsoft Plus! have also exceeded expectations. Approximately 20,000 retail stores nationwide took part in the sales launch, which featured a variety of consumer promotions and sales events, that kicked off at 12:01 a.m. on August 24, 1995.
September 15 In honor of the company's 20th anniversary, Microsoft celebrates with a series of activities over the next month, culminating with the Company Meeting in Seattle on October 12, 1995.
Microsoft 20th anniversary watch
September 18
Microsoft Museum opens to Microsoft employees. The museum features video kiosks and exhibits highlighting Microsoft's culture, product development cycle, international presence, contributions to the community, and employee pranks. As they enter, visitors see a timeline marking events throughout history that led to the growth of the software industry and the creation of Microsoft. Following this exhibit is a Microsoft timeline that chronicles major events and landmarks in Microsoft history and a technology timeline that features the major hardware platforms for which Microsoft has developed software.
Microsoft announces Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro for MS-DOS and Windows 95, a digital-optical joystick designed specifically to enhance the way PC gamers play. Digital-optical technology gives SideWinder sensitivity and precise control. As an optical camera tracks the slightest movements, each position change is accurately and immediately rendered on screen. Microsoft will also offer SideWinder packaged with Activision's MechWarrior 2 combat-simulation game.
September 20 The Chinese State Bureau of Technology Supervision (CSBTS) and the Chinese Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI) announce that they have signed an agreement with Microsoft to standardize the Chinese version of Microsoft Windows 95 as the software development standard for The People's Republic of China. The agreement is aimed at speeding the development of Chinese Windows 95 by expanding the scope of cooperation and strengthening the foundation of software development in the PRC.
October 2
Microsoft announces that is offering more than 30 titles of its family of Home software products for under $50 each, estimated street price, beginning October 1, 1995. Price changes affect both Windows- and Macintosh-based versions of products such as: Microsoft Cinemania, Encarta 96 Encyclopedia, Encarta 96 World Atlas, Fury 3, Golf, Scholastic's The Magic School Bus, Music Central 96, and 3D Movie Maker. These are expected to run from $29.99 to $54.95, depending on the product.
October 17 Microsoft reports revenues of $2.02 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 1996 which ended September 30, 1995, a 62 percent increase over the same period of fiscal 1995. Net income was $499 million. Earnings per share were $0.78.
Microsoft announces that it estimates that 7 million units of Microsoft Windows 95 have been purchased worldwide, either as an upgrade or on a new PC, since the product's August 24, 1995 release. Techscan, an independent market-research firm, reports that more than 91 percent of 3,000 people surveyed in North America and Europe said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Windows 95. More that 90 percent reported they would repurchase the software if they were making the decision again.
November 20
Microsoft announces that MSN: The Microsoft Network, has enrolled more than 525,000 members in its first three months of service. With the majority of members using MSN's full Internet access, this makes MSN one of the largest Internet service providers. Microsoft also announces it will not temporarily suspend member enrollment as was previously considered.
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates has authored his first book, "The Road Ahead." It will go on sale in more than twenty languages, with a first printing of more than 1.5 million copies, starting November 24, 1995. "The Road Ahead" looks at how new technologies will guide the way we work, play, and live in the future.
November 27 Microsoft announces the release of the final version of Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 for Windows 95. Internet Explorer 2.0 is widely available for downloading at no charge to licensed users of Windows 95 via the Internet. Internet Explorer 2.0 offers full support for Web standards and for current Internet security standards, including secure transaction technology (STT). In addition, it is the first browser to support advanced multimedia and 3-D graphics capabilities. It will be available in twelve additional languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Pan-European English, Spanish, and Swedish.
December 7
Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's wide-ranging commitment to supporting and enhancing the Internet by integrating the PC platform with the public network. Gates noted that businesses will adopt the Internet for internal business use-"the Intranet"-for communication with employees, suppliers, and customers, and Intranet applications will likely emerge faster than those for the general consumer market. NBC and Microsoft Join Forces
December 14
Microsoft and NBC announce that they have entered into a 50/50 partnership to create two new businesses -- a 24-hour news and information channel and an interactive on-line news service distributed on MSN: The Microsoft Network. MSNBC Cable will debut within six months with 24-hour news programming through NBC's existing America's Talking distribution. The complementary interactive MSNBC Online news offering will be made available globally via the MSN and will incorporate NBC Desktop Video, a computer-based business information service tailored to the needs of financial institutions and corporations.
Stats
Revenues: $5,940,000,000
Employees: 17,801
Net Revenue (US$) $6.08B %Growth 29%
Net Income (US$) $1.45B %Growth 27%
1996
Windows NT and the family of BackOffice products are designed for the most demanding business uses.
The design goals for Windows NT included extensibility, portability, reliability and robustness, compatibility, and performance. Windows NT is the ideal system for use in mission-critical applications -those essential "make or break" programs that are central to a company's business. Examples of where Windows NT is at work in mission-critical applications include:
Bill Gates completely missed the rise of the Internet -- the biggest computing trend of the 1990s. But once Microsoft saw which way the wind was blowing, it simply spent enough money to catch up.
So campaning, its slogan became:
"Microsoft leads the way as the world embarks upon the information highway"
What's your URL? became an often heard line.
And as stated "Microsoft re-invents itself to respond to the fast-growing popularity of the Internet"
MSNBC, the 24-hour news, talk, and information network from NBC News and Microsoft makes its debut on July 15, 1996. MSNBC on the Internet is the companion news and information service designed to deliver in-depth news and information. Slate™, an interactive magazine of politics, culture, and public policy edited by Michael Kinsley, also appears online. MSN™, The Microsoft Network, is re-organized to offer content on the World Wide Web. Microsoft announces the formation of the Executive Committee (replacing the Office of the President) comprised of Jim Allchin, Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold, Jeff Raikes, and Brad Silverberg.
Jill Barad, Mattel USA President, is named to the Microsoft Board of Directors, the first woman to serve since 1988.
Microsoft Acquires Vermeer Technologies, Inc.
1/16/1996 Vermeer's flagship software application, FrontPage, is a tool for easily creating and managing rich Web documents without programming. FrontPage will become a key component of Microsoft's strategy to provide a full range of tools for both Internet and intranet publishing.
February 15
Headed by Patty Stonesifer, the Interactive Media Division will consist of MSN, the Microsoft Network online service; games and kids' titles; and the information businesses formerly residing in the now-dissolved Consumer Division. The new division will focus on creating and marketing worldwide interactive entertainment and information products across a variety of media, including the Internet.
February 20
The Platforms Group will be aligned to more closely coordinate the Microsoft® Windows® family strategy and to concentrate on developing complementary products and technologies for the Internet. The Platforms Group currently comprises four divisions: Business Systems, Consumer Systems, Developer, and Personal Systems. These four will be realigned into three divisions: the Desktop and Business Systems Division, the Internet Platform and Tools Division, and the Consumer Platforms Division.
February 27
Microsoft is segmenting its support offerings into two distinct categories, according to the service level desired by the customer. End users, developers, and organizations requiring Standard and Priority technical support from Microsoft will now be served by the newly named Microsoft AnswerPoint framework, which includes easy access to technical and support information, no charge support, and fee-based, round-the-clock support at various levels. A comprehensive portfolio of direct and partner-supplied enterprise customer services will be offered through the company's new Microsoft Service Advantage and the Global Service Network.
March 12
Microsoft® ActiveX™ Technologies, a set of tools to enable the creation of active content for the Internet and the PC, are announced. Through ActiveX Technologies, Web pages can incorporate active content, including animation, 3-D virtual reality, video, and other multimedia content. ActiveX Technologies include Internet standards and will be delivered on multiple platforms. ActiveX Technologies include various components such as, ActiveX Controls, Active Scripts, ActiveX Documents, ActiveX Server Framework, ActiveX Server Scripting, and ActiveX Server Controls.
April 16
Microsoft® SQL Server™ client-server database management system version 6.5 has released to manufacturing. Key new features include built-in support for Internet applications, improved support for distributed management tools, and a new locking architecture called Dynamic Locking.
May 20
More than 30 million people worldwide use Microsoft®Excel, making it the most popular spreadsheet program of all time. User feedback guides development and shapes priorities for new features and new technologies.
June 6
Microsoft names Mattel USA President and Chief Operating Officer, Jill E. Barad, to its board of directors. Starting as a product manager at Mattel in 1981, she was named executive vice president of marketing and worldwide product development in 1986 and, in 1989, president of the girls and activity toys division. In 1990 she was named president of Mattel USA, which lead to her current position as president and chief operating officer in 1992. Barad is the first woman named to the Microsoft Board of Directors since Portia Isaacson served in 1986 and 1987.
June 13
Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's strategy to deliver a comprehensive set of products and services that seamlessly integrate desktops, LANs, client-server applications, legacy systems, and the public Internet. Besides integrating LANs with the Internet, Microsoft's intranet strategy is to implement new navigation paradigms; simplify applications development, deployment, and administration; and integrate new products and Internet technologies with existing infrastructures.
June 24
Slate ™, an interactive magazine of politics, culture, and public policy edited by Michael Kinsley, debuts online. Slate aims to provide a timely, decisive, and nonpartisan atmosphere for politically and culturally engaged readers through a mix of editorial features, reviews, columns, and interactive forums.
July 15
MSNBC, the 24-hour news, talk, and information network from NBC News and Microsoft, debuts. MSNBC will initially deliver 14 hours of original programming each day. The number of original program hours will continue to increase as the network expands. MSNBC on the Internet is the companion news and information service designed to deliver in-depth news and information.
July 22 Microsoft promotes Jeffrey S. Raikes to Group Vice President, Sales and Marketing. In his new position, Raikes becomes a member of Bill Gates' "Office of the President."
October 29
Patty Stonesifer, Senior Vice President of the Interactive Media Division and the executive credited with building Microsoft's position as the world's leading consumer and interactive media company, resigns. After eight years at Microsoft she leaves to pursue personal interests and a new career as a management consultant.
November 7 Microsoft releases Microsoft® Flight Simulator for Windows 95 marking the first time in its 14-year history that the product is available on the Windows platform.
November 12
Microsoft's Board of Directors approves a 2-for-1 stock split. Shareholders will receive one additional share for every share held on the record date of November 22, 1996.
December 3
Microsoft forms the Executive Committee which will replace the Office of the President as the most senior management team at the company. Senior Vice President Jim Allchin and Senior Vice President Brad Silverberg will join Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold, and Jeff Raikes on the new Executive Committee.
Presidents
The Executive Committee (12/96 -- 7/21/98) replaces the Office of the President in December 1996. Senior Vice Presidents Jim Allchin and Brad Silverberg joined Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul Maritz, Nathan Myhrvold and Jeff Raikes on the new Executive Committee.
Jill Barad, Mattel USA President, is named to the Microsoft Board of Directors, the first woman to serve since 1988.
Stats
Revenues: $8,671,000,000
Employees: 20,561
Net Revenue (US$)$9.05B %Growth 49%
Net Income (US$) $2.20B % Growth 51%
1997
January Microsoft announces the immediate availability of Office 97, the new version of the world's best-selling productivity suite, which integrates the ease of intelligent applications with the power of the Web.
March 3 Microsoft acquired Interse Corp., a maker of software for analyzing user activity on World Wide Web sites. Financial terms were not disclosed.
April Microsoft signs an agreement to acquire WebTV Networks for approximately $425,000,000 in stock and cash. WebTV Networks offers a complete system that provides consumers access to the Internet via television.
The Seattle Sidewalk™ city guide is now available free on the World Wide Web and as a featured offering on MSN™, The Microsoft Network. Other Sidewalk city guides are scheduled to launch in 10-15 key cities by the end of the year.
May Microsoft is hosting The Microsoft® CEO Summit in Seattle on May 8-9, 1997. The summit is a forum for Chief Executive Officers from more than 100 corporations around the world to engage in discussions about technology.
June Microsoft will make an investment of $1 billion in Comcast, the nation's fourth-largest cable television operator and a diversified telecommunications company. The $1 billion cash investment will enhance Comcast's deployment of high-speed data and video services via its cable delivery network.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates, today announced the formation of the Gates library Foundation. Microsoft has pledged to match the Gates' cash grant with software of equal value.
June 10 MS purchased 11.5% of Comcast Corp. for $1 billion.
August Steve Jobs and Bill Gates lay out a broad product and technology development agreement between Apple and Microsoft. The agreement includes the production of future versions of Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and other Microsoft tools for the Macintosh; the bundling of Internet Explorer with the Mac OS; a broad patent cross-licensing agreement for leading-edge Mac technologies; and a $150 million investment in Apple by Microsoft.
Internet Explorer 4.0 The ultimate internet solution. Internet Explorer is designed to take advantage of the latest Internet technologies available.
September Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 is released to critical acclaim and enormous customer demand. Internet Explorer 4.0 combines the premier Internet browser, communication and collaboration tools, innovative Active Channel™ "push" content and true Web integration to offer users an unparalleled Internet client solution.
October The Justice Department filed a motion today in Federal District Court, alleging that Microsoft had violated a 1994 consent decree dealing with certain aspects of licensing the Windows operating system to computer manufacturers. Specifically, the Justice Department asked the court to stop Microsoft from tying the use of its Windows 95 operating system to the use of its Internet browser, a tool to navigate the Internet.
November Pollsters Hart and Teeter found that Microsoft is the most admired company in one of the most admired industries in America. When the public was asked to volunteer, without being prompted, the names of one or two companies they respect and admire, Microsoft was named by 25 percent. IBM and General Motors were next, at 16 percent, followed by AT&T and WalMart at 15 percent.
Stats
Revenues: $11,360,000,000 % Growth 32%
Employees: 22,232
Net Income (US$) $3.45B % Growth 57%
1998
WINDOWS CE--Smarter & Better Devices
With the 1997 introduction of the handheld PC (HP/C), Windows CE products continue to expand with the introduction of new devices and updated OS versions and applications. The Palm-size PC and the Auto PC along with the HP/C professional edition expand the PC companion line.
Launch of India Development Center in Hyderabad, India. The center will become the second largest development center outside the US facillity in Redmond (WA)
January 26 Microsoft's Board of Directors approved a 2 for 1 split of its common shares. Shareholders will receive one additional common share held on the record date of February 6, 1998. As of December 31, 1997, Microsoft had approximately 1.2 billion common shares outstanding. This is the seventh time the common stock has split since the company went public on March 13, 1986.
February 5 Microsoft realigns its product groups to respond to changing consumer and market needs. The reorganization focuses the product groups on investing in Windows with the goal of delivering simplicity and scalability, allowing businesses to maximize their competitive advantage through their digital nervous system, and promoting the Web lifestyle.
March 26 Microsoft delivers on its commitment to build innovative products for the Macintosh by releasing Office 98, Macintosh Edition, which offers Mac users all of the features found in Office 97, plus added functionality.
March 31 For the first time ever, Exchange Server outsold Lotus Notes in the first quarter of calendar year 1998. In its two years on the market, sales of Exchange Server totaled more than 13 million seats, easily making it the fastest-growing server product in PC history.
May 01 Slate becomes the first Internet-based magazine to join the New York Times global news distribution service, which includes content from The Economist and Le Monde.
June 25 Microsoft launches Windows 98 worldwide
Presidents
On July 21, 1998, Steve Ballmer, 42, is appointed president of Microsoft to broaden the leadership of the company and better position the company to take advantage of future growth opportunities. Ballmer's new responsibilities include boosting the business discipline and performance of all Microsoft's existing and emerging businesses as well as improving customer satisfaction.
Bill Gates, 42, will continue as chairman and CEO, and will focus more time on Microsoft's long-term planning and working with the development teams to devise the technologies and products of the future.
Stats
Revenues: $14.48 billion Growth 30%
Net Revenue (US$) $15.26B %Growth 28%
Employees: 27,055
