Windows Vista it is!

Microsoft just announced the next version of Windows that practically the whole world (except for the Mac users perhaps?) is eagerly awaiting will be called Windows Vista. The first beta will ship early next month. The actual product will ship in second half of 2006.

The name - Vista - has left many people confused. My thought as of this moment is - how uninspiring!! Nevertheless, throw enough marketing dollars at anything and it starts making sense.

Why not just Windows Longhorn? Or perhaps Windows 2006 Professional? Or Windows 10? (Not sure what version number it actually is, perhaps more like 6.. but 10 just sounds cooler.)

It took Microsoft 8 months to decide on this name. Let's see how it succeeds (or not) at making Vista a popular and valuable brand.