The DOJ Investigates - IE4 In September - The End of Cinemania?

The Continuing Crisis

•The US Department of Justice is investigating Microsoft's purchases of video streaming companies, including the purchase of VXtreme and a 10 percent stake in Progressive Networks. That on top of Ms already owning a large percentage of VDOnet. The DOJ has reportedly subpoenaed VXtreme and Progressive, both of which stated they will cooperate. Microsoft's legal department has also agreed to help, but Bill Neukom, head Ms lawyer, said "We are confident that the Justice Department will conclude that competition is robust once it reviews the facts." Yeah, competition between different Microsoft companies' standards. I wonder how much it'll take to buy the DOJ off THIS time..

•Microsoft has finally set September 30th as the release date for Internet Exploder 4. This is the second date we've been given, so if it really ships on Sept. 30th Ms will break its previous record of missing only three preannouced ship dates with a product.

•Microsoft denied a report in the Variety entertainment magazine that it would be shutting down its Cinemania web site this fall. Apparently twenty workers have been laid off from working on the movie-related web site, but Microsoft officials say that is normal procedure and that the worker's jobs were simply no longer needed.

•Ms announced that My Personal Tutor, a four-CD product aimed at children aged 3 to 7, will go on sale in mid-September. The $50 package is designed to help elementary and preschool students improve their math and reading skills. The included TutorAssist technology sees when a student needs help and then starts one of 100 multimedia tutorials led by the animated character Professor P.T. Presto. Professor Presto is genetically related to Microsoft's most irritating software feature, the dancing paperclip. This new software is mainly intended to get computer users hooked on Microsoft at an earlier age than was previously thought.

MSBC MarketWatch

MSFT Stock Price^*140 1/4

Bill Gates' Worth$39.6 Billion

*As Of Closing, 08/09/97
Thanks to Bill Gates Personal Wealth Clock.

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