Microsoft Corp. plans to add between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs in its 2004 financial year and increase spending on research and development to about $6.9 billion, an increase of about 8 percent compared to last year, the company said.

About 3,000 to 3,500 new jobs will be in the U.S. Microsoft intends to go beyond what the software can do currently. "We have really just scratched the surface in terms of the scenarios that software can enable," Microsoft's Gates said. "The things we want to do require substantial investments, things that could not be done by companies with just a few hundred developers."

Hardware advances pushes the software to come up with improved interface including wireless networking, improved displays and the advent of broadband, Gate said.

Gates sees several areas for Microsoft to provide breakthrough technology in the next six years. He listed those on a slide: Internet with Web services; dynamic data center and desktop management software; monitoring and feedback tools; unlocking business information; Trustworthy Computing; and better e-mail, with sharing.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved