Thanks ShOcKz1104 for posting this in the BPN on the forums.
This from Wininformant: Two interesting but uncorroborated looks at future Windows versions had the rumor mills working overtime this weekend. (Thanks to Eric Annal and Jasdev Dhaliwal for being the first readers to tip me off about these controversies.) The first report is an "official" Microsoft UK magazine that claims the company will release Windows XP Second Edition (SE) in early 2003. The second report is a supposed look at the next major Windows version (code-named Longhorn) and its new Start menu replacement. Are these reports genuine?
The XP SE story appears in "Microsoft Windows XP--The Official Magazine," which the UK"s Future Publishing produces. Dated June 2002, the issue describes XP Service Pack (SP1), a follow-up called XP SE, and the differences between the two releases. "Essentially XP SP1 is a free collection of enhancements and patches for Windows XP," the story reports. "Windows XP SE is a bigger upgrade--including [Internet Explorer] IE 7 and DirectX 9--which you will have to pay for if you want it. When can I get them? Windows XP SP1 is out this summer...Windows XP SE is due [in] early 2003."