Not too long ago, Microsoft took a bullet for Intel and was slammed for it. In return, Intel CEO Paul Otellini threw Microsoft under the bus by declaring that Windows 8 isn't ready to ship.
You know how risky friend-of-a-friend sources for rumors are? Well, I’m going out on a limb by believing this one.
Bloomberg reports that Intel CEO Paul Otellini told employees in a closed-door meeting in Taiwan that Windows 8 isn’t fully ready to be shipped, but that he still thinks Microsoft is doing the right thing by shipping it in late October.
RELATED: Intel chief’s candor about Windows 8 could sabotage tablet event
Maybe with help from Google and Adobe, Microsoft can kill Windows XP
An Intel employee who asked not to be named told Bloomberg that PSO (as Intel staffers call him, those are his initials) said that improvements are needed, but that it’s OK. Since it’s software, Microsoft will be able to improve it after shipping.
My reaction?
With so many challenges for Windows 8 – ranging from public reticence to the learning curve of just getting the hang of it to the economy and to the still slow rollout of Windows 7 – the last thing Microsoft should do is ship a product that isn’t ready. In order to make a strong impression it needs to be bulletproof out the door.
With the RTM code out there, some people are giving it a good looking over. Paul Thurrott, who covers Microsoft as heavily as anyone, said flat out that Metro is not complete.
Now clearly Otellini said this in a private meeting, but he of all people should know that when it comes to news, Taiwan is leakier than a colander. Rumors and leaks are DigiTimes’ stock in trade.
Intel has refused to comment to other outlets, and I’m waiting for my personalized no-comment, but, either way, this is out there now. Bloggers are going to run wild with it, and it won’t help Windows 8 perceptions. Microsoft must be fit to be tied right now.
As Preston Gralla points out over at Computerworld, this is some loyalty on Intel’s part, because Microsoft took a bullet for Intel in the Vista days. Vista required a certain level of graphics performance for Aero to run properly, and PCs with Intel’s 915 chipset didn’t meet that standard, but they were labeled “Vista capable.”
Microsoft gave Intel what it wanted and in return was murdered in the public’s eye. Vista was a disaster, and Microsoft got hit with a class-action suit, Gralla noted. And this is how Intel thanks it.
Paul, seriously, haven’t you learned your lesson about Taiwan yet?
