Windows 7 Yahoo and Microsoft If at first you don

Reports are flying but once more that Microsoft and Yahoo are close to finalizing a search/advertising partnership.Sure, this really is at least the 50th time we;ve heard this more than the past yr. Sure, execs from Microsoft allegedly are jetting to Yahoo headquarters for (non) hush-hush meetings. And indeed, each firms aren't speaking publicly about what may or may possibly not take place.(Supposedly,Microsoft Office Standard 2010, Yahoo could possibly outsource its lookup company to Microsoft and Microsoft could possibly let Yahoo deal with component of its advertising. Or some thing like that….)The timing couldn;t be better for Microsoft if such a offer comes through. On July 23, Microsoft reports its fiscal 2009 fourth-quarter earnings. With no Windows 7 available but, Microsoft;s Windows client business will likely be flailing a bit. It;s also Microsoft;s annual sales conference next week. Can you imagine CEO Steve Ballmer galloping around the stage,Windows 7 Home Basic Key, with the Microsoft sales and online marketing corps cheering his hoarse cries of “Bing,Office 2010 Home And Student Key! Bing! Bing!”?By the way, in spite of all the Bing hype and studies claiming exponential growth from week to week, Comscore said that Microsoft;s lookup share actually grew .4 percent in June,Genuine Windows 7, the first month Microsoft;s revamped lookup engine was widely available. So now Microsoft;s search share is 8.4 percent, Yahoo (which lost share in June) is at 19.6 percent and Google is holding steady with 65 percent of the search market.At Microsoft;s Worldwide Partner Conference this week,Office 2010 Home And Student Key, neither Ballmer nor Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner let the word “Yahoo” pass their lips. Ballmer mentioned Bing, but a great deal more in the context of proof that Microsoft can get endless abuse but still be tenacious. (And to tell Microsoft partners they should make their search default Bing and not Google.)Is a multi-billion-dollar Microsoft-Yahoo offer finally going to take place? I have no idea. But if it is, next week would be a great time for Microsoft to announce it.