WinInfo Short Takes: Week of November 15: Microsoft Reportedly to Release Three Xbox Next Devices

WinInfo Short Takes: Week of November 15: Microsoft Reportedly to Release Three Xbox Next Devices: "According to a report in 'The Inquirer,' a questionable Web technology tabloid, Microsoft will ship three versions of its next Xbox video game system, which is currently (and logically) code-named Xbox Next. The British online publication, which inexplicably refers to Microsoft as 'the Vole' (no, I don't get it, either), says that Xbox Next will ship in three versions: Xbox Next, a basic console with no hard disk; Xbox Next HD, which will include a hard disk; and Xbox Next PC, which will be a fully functional PC with Media Center and Xbox gaming capabilities. The first two models will ship in 2005, the site says, and the Xbox Next PC will ship in 2006, possibly alongside Longhorn. Is the report true? I have no idea, but it sounds cool at the very least. Microsoft is expected to announce its plans for Xbox Next at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2005, so we'll know soon."