Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicks off Worldwide Partner Conference;
Microsoft Office Division announces 1 billion Office users and new
investments in Office 365 partners.
TORONTO, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Microsoft CEO Steve
Ballmer opened Microsoft Corp.'s annual Worldwide Partner
Conference (WPC) by highlighting key product milestones and
opportunities for partners contributing to the beginning of a new
era for the company. The four-day event celebrates the
accomplishments of the company's more than 640,000 global partners
and gives a preview of what will be the most exciting product
releases for Microsoft in the coming year.
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"This will be the biggest product and services launch year in our
company's history, creating massive opportunities for our partners
to grow their businesses," Ballmer said. "With Windows -- Windows
8, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Azure -- and
Office 365, there's never been a better time to be a Microsoft
partner. The opportunities for us to do amazing things for our
joint customers have never been greater."
Speaking before nearly 16,000 attendees from around the globe, Kurt
DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office Division, announced that
1 billion people worldwide now use Microsoft Office. Fueling that
growth has been Office 2010, the most popular version of Office
ever. Worldwide, someone buys a copy of Office 2010 every
second.
DelBene also announced two new investments in Office 365
partners:
"The Office Division has never been stronger, and our amazing
partners are critical to this success. Office is now used by more
than a billion people, and Office 365 is on track to be one of the
fastest-growing offers in our history," DelBene said. "The
investments announced today will fuel even more robust growth
ahead."
Other news from today's keynote speeches included the
following:
Partners to Hear From Other Executives
Throughout the week, senior executives will offer an inside look at
the road ahead for Microsoft and its partners:
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader
in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
realize their full potential.