Software giant Microsoft announced that they would be releasing the much awaited Windows Vista software in November to corporate users and in January to consumers as per schedule, albeit an already revised scedule.
This announcement came after talks with the European Commission and the Korean Fair Trade Commission who are the competition regulators in Europe and Korea respectively.
There had been speculation of a delay in the software release because of litigation problems that Microsoft faced in Europe and due to concerns raised by the Korean body. But Microsoft confirmed that talks with both had been successful and the release would go as planned.
Microsoft had got into trouble with competition laws in Europe when it tried to use its monopoly in desktop software to monopolize servers and media player markets. The European Commission had levied heavy fines to the tune of half a billion euros for this foul play.
The time around the Commission was concerned about Microsoft incorporating Internet search features like Google and PDF fixed format software like Adobe into Vista, which would then discourage users from buying or using these other products. Hence they had pressurized Microsoft into customizing Vista to adhere to competition rules. The Korean body too had made similar demands.
But the air is far from being completely cleared. A case is still being fought in a European court against Microsoft's alleged misuse of business power. Moreover, Vista is said to have enhanced security and other innovative features which could cause a potential stir in the security software market. The inbuilt security features allegedly might impact the markets of companies like McAfee and Symantec.
The European Commission and the EU's antitrust office have long held that it was a company's responsibility to ensure that it adheres to competition laws. But for now the European Commission will play a wait and watch game to see how Vista impacts European markets.
