New AOL by year's end
The latest software upgrade from America Online, dubbed Casablanca, will be released gradually by the end of the year, the company says.
Casablanca, as AOL 4.0 has been dubbed by the company, will be released slowly by the end of the year, according to a company spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, AOL has quietly redesigned its home page on the Web, ostensibly in anticipation of the release. AOL also is releasing Web-based products such as its popular Instant Messenger software, which allows people on the Web to send instant messages to other users.
Casablanca has been in internal beta for a few weeks, and AOL is getting ready to release a broader beta test in the next few weeks.
But it is going to take its time to release the final upgrade, and will do so in parts, to make sure that it works and that it doesn't overburden AOL's system.
And that's a good idea, say analysts who cover AOL.
Seen from one vantage point, it appears AOL is lagging behind its competitor, the Microsoft Network, in releasing new system software. But MSN and AOL are in completely different positions. MSN had to release new software to gain new members and keep its old ones because its old system software was so faulty. The new system software dramatically improves the basics, such as email.
But the software isn't going to make or break AOL, at least in the short term.
For AOL, which is finally getting out from underneath its problems with busy signals and system slowdowns, keeping the system running smoothly is a lot more important than releasing software early, said Kate Delhagen, an analyst with Forrester Research.