CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking at a Software Plus Services event in London, said the product would be unveiled within a month, but would probably be introduced under a different name.
“We need a new operating system designed for the cloud and we will introduce one in about four weeks, we’ll even have a name to give you by then. But let’s just call it for the purposes of today ‘Windows Cloud’,” said Ballmer.
“Just like Windows Server looked a lot like Windows but with new properties, new characteristics and new features, so will Windows Cloud look a lot like Windows Server.”
He declined to give more details but stressed Microsoft doesn’t envisage products such as its Office productivity suite moving entirely off desktop PCs and onto the Internet.
But he said Microsoft is also working on a service that would let people do “light editing” of Office documents at places such as a public Internet kiosk.
The WinCloud announcement is expected at Microsoft’s Professional Developers’ Conference in Los Angeles at the end of this month.
