Microsoft 2003 Annual Report Download - page 8

• Continue to advance the development of an end-to-end technology platform that seamlessly integrates hardware and software from
the enterprise to the desktop to wireless mobile devices;
• Address security, manageability, and reliability;
• Provide high-value and easy-to-use technologies that support customer scenarios “right out of the box”—with little or no
customization;
• Continue to support and grow a worldwide ecosystem of complementary hardware, software, and services partners;
• Achieve strong integration between our products and services, and applications on other systems, through standards
of interoperability and XML Web services; and
• Ensure that we protect and derive value from the intellectual property we create.
A great example of the kind of value we see in integrated innovation is Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Released last fall, it
combines all the power of Windows XP with true mobility and advanced ink and speech tools for a more dynamic and flexible
computing experience. Today, there are 40 computer makers that offer versions of the Tablet PC, and independent software vendors
have created exciting applications for it.
Another great example is Windows Server 2003, the flagship of our integrated platform for business, which helps organizations be
more agile, productive, and secure. It incorporates important new security and reliability features, and advances in management,
applications platform and information worker support, not to mention a #1 ranking in scalability.
Exchange Server 2003, released June 30, offers new levels of integration in server and client capabilities, enabling organizations to
easily create and manage business communications both in the office and on the road. Microsoft Office 2003, to be released this fall
along with new applications in the Office System, will fundamentally change how people communicate, collaborate, and manage
their information.
As we look to the future, Longhorn, the next generation of Windows, is our big investment in driving a new wave in computing,
including a new applications platform, new end-user functionality and services, and major advances in deployment, upgrading,
management, reliability, security, and performance.
We are excited about opportunities to innovate for customers with a consistent approach in other areas—in new products, services, and
solutions, and in innovations to Windows and Office. An example is our new Microsoft Business Solutions CRM, which provides mid-
sized businesses with powerful tools to build profitable customer relationships, improve sales, and deliver efficient service.
We see opportunities to transform how people use technology at home and on the move, with software for telephones, all the electronic
devices in the living room, and personal wear, as well as games and educational software for consumers. Last year we launched many
important new consumer products, including Windows Powered Smart Displays, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows
Powered Smartphones, MSN 8, and Xbox Live.
Responsiveness to customers
Providing value to customers means not only building great products, but also listening carefully to customers, responding quickly, and
being more transparent and accountable.
We responded to business customers’ concerns about our licensing programs with a new Software Assurance program, recently
enhanced, that provides more assistance, more support and training options, more predictability, and more value
than ever before.
We listened to customers’ concerns about product quality, and responded with a companywide drive for Trustworthy Computing, aimed at
constant improvement in reliability, security, privacy, and business integrity. We have made significant progress, and this important work
will continue long into the future.