Microsoft has a long history of commencing marketing well before a product is ready. How long was the run-up to Windows Cairo? (Ki-Rho; XP) That can be a very

Microsoft has a long history of commencing marketing well before a product is ready. How long was the run-up to Windows Cairo? (Ki-Rho; XP) That can be a very effective way to reduce or eliminate competition, and it's a technique that's helped Microsoft acquire dominance in a number of markets. With the current fondness for years of lead time for some Microsoft products and the occasional failure to release, Microsoft's competitors can target Microsoft's products well prior to release, and the inevitable critical reviews can gain visibility in the market. The actual Microsoft product releases - when the products are available to consumers, and the profits commence and the reviews and the competitors have all adapted and retargeted - have become anti-climactic.