The History of Microsoft (1991)

February 1, 1991

The redesign of product packaging to include the new Windows Flag logo begins in February 1991. This is NOT the 4-colored flag, but the first "Windows --compatible" mark.

March 6, 1991

Microsoft reports an agreement to acquire the assets of Consumers Software, Inc. (CSI). Assets are: The Network Courier product line for PC local area networks, including server software and client software for the MS-DOS, Macintosh, OS/2 Presentation Manager.

March 11, 1991

Microsoft announces the BallPoint Mouse, designed especially for use with laptop computers.

March 18, 1991

Microsoft announces the Microsoft Bookshelf for Windows on CD-ROM, a core set of reference materials for the home, office or school that is run on a personal computer. It includes an encyclopedia, a speaking dictionary, a thesaurus, two references for quotes, an atlas, and an almanac.

March 18, 1991

Microsoft announces that, along with 11 other companies, it plans to use a special MPC trademark to indicate to customers that hardware products and systems software bearing the mark are compatible with the previously announced Multimedia PC (MPC) specification. The trademark will be transferred from its current owner, Microsoft, to an appropriate industry organization before general availability of products bearing the MPC mark.

March 25, 1991

Sales of software applications written for Windows 3.0 skyrocket. Newly released Software Publishers Association (SPA) data for the year-end of 1990 shows a 157 percent increase in sales of Windows applications in the U.S. and Canada.

May 10, 1991

There's a new slogan for an aggressive anti-piracy campaign being launched this summer: "Work With The Original." Logos, artwork and posters, marketing materials and brochures, and marketing programs and events will all emphasize the advantages of working with legitimate software both domestically and internationally.

May 20, 1991

Microsoft announces Visual BASIC for Windows at Windows World 1991 in Atlanta, Georgia

June 11, 1991

Microsoft announces the immediate availability of Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0.

June 14, 1991

Microsoft is connected to the nationwide TCP/IP-based Internet. The Internet is a wide-area network that connects computers at a large number of universities, research institutions, and commercial concerns around the world.

July 8, 1991

A Product Support Services site is planned to be opened in Dallas, Texas in October 1991. The new Dallas site will be headed by Glenn Young, Central Region Manager, who will report to Patty Stonesifer.

August 5, 1991

Microsoft® Wizards will allow Microsoft applications to anticipate what a user will want to do next or suggest a better way to accomplish the task. The technology would enable the program to follow a user's movements as she or he works and draw conclusions as to what the user is apt to do next. They are expected to be included in Microsoft Publisher for Windows.

August 9, 1991

More than 1,800 software developers will convene in Seattle, August 11, 1991 for a Microsoft Windows Software Developers Conference. This number exceeds projections by 300 percent, the conference is at capacity, and hotels in the heart of Seattle are full.

August 26, 1991

Excel 3.0 for Windows is generating significant gains in market share and a groundswell of support from software developers and corporate customers. Microsoft ships 1.5 million units of Excel worldwide and 40 percent of the increased market share of Excel comes from users who are switching competitive spreadsheet packages.

September 16, 1991

Microsoft releases the Solution Series, a collection of stand-alone, task-oriented applications designed for the personal and small-business computer user. The applications, Works for Windows, Money, and Publisher, run under Windows 3.0 and are designed for people who are new to personal computing and those who don't want to spend a lot of extra time playing around with their computers.

November 1, 1991

The new Microsoft® Windows® logo, a colorful window with trailing rectangular tails in the shape of a fluttering flag, is announced at Fall/COMDEX '91. It is intended to be displayed on products that are compatible with versions 3.0 and 3.1 of Windows.

November 8, 1991

For the first time, employees contribute more than $1 million to the United Way campaign. With Microsoft's dollar-for-dollar corporate match, the 1991 donation comes to more than $2 million.

1991 Revenue/Headcount

The 1991 fiscal year-end sales total $1,843,432,000.

The 1991 fiscal Year employee headcount totals 8,226 people.