Microsoft has decided to skip its long-delayed Microsoft CRM 2.0 release and jump right to Version 3.0, the company announced Tuesday. The much-awaited version is scheduled to be released to manufacturing in the fourth quarter with general availability in the first quarter of next year.
Partners will get access to the new version in August, with a customer beta due to ship in September, company officials in Redmond, Wash., said. Microsoft CRM 2.0 was originally planned for the first quarter of 2004. An alpha version of the product became available in the fourth quarter of last year.