Microsoft Mac Business Unit Head to Transfer Out

to another position at M$ according to this AP article. Kevin Browne has led the MacBU at M$ for the past 3 years. At the end of the month he will begin working on M$'s Xbox game machine product.

It doesn't sound like a promotion so perhaps the fall out from Browne's recent quip about Apple not selling enough Mac OS X copies finally caught up with him. He blamed OS X sales on M$ failing to sell it's forecast 700,000 Office v.X copies.

Phil Schiller, Apple's VP for Worldwide Product Marketing, responded that OS X was selling faster than expected for a new OS and that M$ should examine Office v.X's hefty $499 price as a possible reason for slower than expected sales. We agree with Schiller, especially since Office 98 and Office 2001 work very well under Classic and Office v.X may offer too few new features that people actually need and use in return for the relatively heftier $299 upgrade price. The Apple and M$ "Office party." promo is now offering Office v.X for $199 with each new Mac. [Dana Baggett]