It’s coming. Microsoft’s always-entertaining CEO Steve Ballmer should get his day in court soon so he can share what he knows about Microsoft’s involvement in Vistagate, the class-action lawsuit claiming Microsoft’s Vista Capable program was deceptive.
The Vista Capable marketing effort was designed to encourage buyers of XP-based systems in 2006 and early-2007 of the compatibility of their purchase with the forthcoming (at the time) Windows Vista. Claimants allege Microsoft lowered the required specs required to be “Vista Capable” to allow Intel and other hardware companies to slap the label on soon-to-be obsolete hardware and sell it to a bamboozled public.
That’s quite a claim. It seems even shadier when there’s evidence that Ballmer called Intel’s CEO Paul Otellini on Jan. 30, 2006; the day Microsoft changed the program’s specs. US District Court Judge Marsha Pechman is calling Ballmer to the stand so he can dish on what went down.
Here’s the suggested conversation in simple terms:
Microsoft: OHAI We have Vista coming soon.
Intel and Friends: HONOES If you tell people, nobody will buy our slow hardware.
Microsoft: Pfft. Whatever.
Intel and Friends: Srsly.
Microsoft: …
Microsoft: Hey, lets bump up the start date for the program.
Intel and Friends: WHAT! We’ll lose $600 million in sales.
Microsoft: Oh crap! We’ll drop the graphics specs and still keep the early start date?
Intel and Friends: Rock out!
Microsoft: ^5
Intel and Friends: ^5
Of course, everyone is innocent until proven otherwise and Microsoft has agreed to comply fully with the court, so we just have to wait and see if the deal is as dirty as suggested.
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