Testify in Vista Capable Case

The software giant is currently embroiled in a class-action lawsuit that accuses Microsoft of allowing "Vista Capable" labels on PCs that were not actually able to adequately run Vista Premium. The case was brought against Microsoft by two consumers in a Washington state court earlier this year. Microsoft claims that Ballmer was not directly involved with operational decisions regarding the Vista Capable initiative.

Microsoft set up a good/better/best Vista product rollout plan, which would let PC makers use the older Intel chips so they could still participate in the Vista rollout. The move irked Hewlett-Packard, however, since HP had invested heavily in leading-edge Intel chipsets. The inclusion of the "Vista Capable" designation also worried Sony, and even frustrated some of Microsoft's marketing and technical executives, according to the e-mails.