Microsoft News Tracker

I would have thought that last year’s beta of Commerce Server would have been beta 1, but not according to the press release, Microsoft Unveils Next-Generation Commerce Server Technology, which is subtitled “Commerce Server 2006 Beta 1 is available for download…” In any case:

Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to deliver the beta version of Microsoft® Commerce Server 2006, the leading Microsoft .NET-based solution for e-commerce sites designed to radically simplify the creation of full-featured Web sites. In beta release today, the product is scheduled to be released in July 2006.

With the release of Commerce Server 2006, customers will be able to link their e-commerce solutions to their existing line-of-business applications and trading partners through integration with Microsoft BizTalk® Server 2006 and its broad portfolio of adapters, such as those from SAP AG and Oracle Corp. In addition, Commerce Server 2006 will jump-start e-commerce deployments via a new production-ready starter site and help customers build e-commerce solutions based on Web services and service-oriented architectures through tight integration with the latest Web development technologies such as ASP.NET 2.0.

Hit the link for the new features list and you can sign up for the beta at http://www.microsoft.com/commerceserver/evaluation/2006/beta.mspx.

Update 2/21: Mary Jo Foley explains the nomenclature oddity. This was a “reannouncement” of the December beta.

Jeremy Kirk at Computerworld:

A computer services and hardware retailer has filed a federal civil suit accusing Microsoft Corp. of continuing to violate antitrust laws.

Tangent Computer Inc. of Burlingame, Calif., alleged in a Feb. 14 court filing that Microsoft employs practices “to prevent and destroy competition” while raising prices of its software to “supra-competitive levels.” The tactics amount to a violation of section 2 of the Sherman Act, the U.S. federal law that prohibits monopolies and unfair competition, Tangent said.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court of Northern California, asks for damages to be determined by a jury trial.

Tangent’s web site prominently features the Microsoft Certified Partner logo. Looking at their offerings, I think OEM and computer services provider is a better categorization of their business.

AP:

Sony shares dropped sharply Monday in Tokyo after an analyst report rekindled concerns the company may delay the sales of its new video game console, although the company denied any change in plans.

The worries stemmed from a Merrill Lynch report late last week highlighting market rumors about a delay in the sales start for the PlayStation 3 video game console, which the Japanese entertainment and electronics manufacturer has promised for this spring.

Masami Nakamura, spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony’s game unit, denied changes in that target timeframe, although the company is not giving a specific launch date.

Yukari Iwatani Kane has more at Reuters:

“We’re aiming for spring, but we haven’t announced specific regions,” a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment said, adding that it was waiting for the final specifications on some of the technology it is using in the PS3, such as that related to the Blu-ray DVD drive and to input and output video and sound.

The specifications are decided by industry consortiums.

“We’re waiting for them until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they’re not decided soon,” the spokeswoman said. If the PS3 is not ready in time, the company will choose the next best timing for the launch, she said.

If you are waiting for an industry consortium to decide a specification, you’re standing still. That’s not even a good scapegoat. As for the Merrill Lynch report:

Sony has indicated a Spring launch for its console in Japan and the industry is not expecting a North American launch until November. But Hitoshi Kuriyama of Merrill Lynch in Japan says there are reports that the PS3 could be delayed by between six and 12 months, meaning an autumn launch in Japan and a late 2006 or early 2007 launch in the US.

Thereby handing the Xbox 360 a big lead.

Also, Merrill Lynch analysts in San Francisco have estimated that the initial bill of materials for PS3 could approach $900, falling to $320 by three years after launch.

All consoles are subsidized, but $900 would indicate a significantly higher price or a significantly higher subsidy than the Xbox 360.

Even more disconcerting was Sony’s performance at last week’s Taipei Games Show where they only displayed PS3 mockups behind glass. Doesn’t look like a spring launch to me. Spring 2006, anyway.

Some other recent PS3 assessments that were disquieting as well are This PlayStation May Play Too Much and Could the Playstation 3 Kill Sony? No wonder the shareholders are nervous.

Update 2/23: Michael Kanellos at CNET has a detailed treatment of the PS3 cost estimates. The Blu-ray drive and Blu-ray support accounts for $200-300 of the cost compared to $20 for a conventional DVD in the Xbox 360. The PS3 processor is more expensive as well.