Microsoft already working on next two IE versions

The Microsoft chairman said, in essence, the development world has changed with the advent of new web technologies that give people any time, any place access to their data - a far cry from the PC-centric world of the past. "Everything we do now, we have to be user-centric, not device-centric," he said.

Gates also pledged to bolster the company's development efforts on Internet Explorer, which he said has lagged in recent years.

Gates said: "In a sense we're doing a mea culpa, saying we waited too long for a browser release. I expect us to move very very rapidly there because we see great opportunities."