by , 2:40 PM EDT, July 29th, 2005

During a demonstration of Windows Vista to Wall Street analysts, Will Poole, Microsoft's executive in charge of desktop operating system products, admitted that "The halo effect enabled [Apple] to go after PC users and sell them Apple products."

A New York Times article detailing the demonstration also noted that "many features [of Windows Vista] shown today are ones already introduced in Apple Computer's OS X Tiger operating system."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised better revenue growth from the company; his plans include premium versions of Windows and the Office productivity suite, although he declined to give details. He also expects Microsoft to continue to acquire other companies, with transactions as high as US$2 billion within his sights.

He complained that Microsoft's stock is currently undervalued, although he admitted that even the executives who report to him aren't buying it right now.