Windows 7 to get New York launch

Apparently Microsoft isn't doing everything with Windows 7 differently from how it did Windows Vista.

As was the case with Vista, Windows 7 will get its formal launch in the Big Apple. CEO Steve Ballmer will preside over the October 22 event, with the usual array of hardware partners showing off their latest wares.

Microsoft used a human billboard to help mark the New York launch of Windows Vista.

(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET News)

But that's not the only Gotham event for Microsoft in October. The company is also doing a consumer open house at the Park Avenue Armory, led by Robbie Bach, on October 6. Microsoft plans to highlight everything from the Zune and new phones to hardware products like keyboards and mice.

Microsoft is hoping to turn that event into an annual event.

New York was also the site of Vista's launch, which included a fancy lunch at Cipriani with the press, a human billboard as well as a trip to Best Buy for Steve Ballmer.

Microsoft finalized the code for Windows 7 last month. It will hit retail shelves and start showing up on new PCs on October 22, though some large businesses with volume licenses can already get the code if they wish.

[ppgreat]

Perception being reality? A big launch event for a service pack release?

[darkxeno]

Look at it this way, You cant make money without spending it. <br />Is it me or due both of these post look like total flame bait to you??

[BingItOn]

@ppgreat <br /> <br />you posted under wrong article, it should be under CRAPple snow leopard :) Read article or atleast headline before you post. <br /> <br />Windows 7 (SUN) is Out... <br />Snow is melting.... <br />Time for leopard to hide... <br /> <br />:)

[Mr. Dee]

Gee, and you took the time to pay for an OS that automatically removes GBs of Printer drivers in the default install, something you do yourself in previous versions. Something you could do yourself. A Mac users this brain washed? The reason why Apple decided to release 10.6, they were started running out decimal points for their service releases (that's the word on the street).

[windooor7]

IF i was this guys, i would not compromise. I would ship out 5 million cd,and dvds of window 7, 60 day trial with option to buy right in your mail box like AOL used to do. have them in macdonalds tied to happy meal. have guys that sell "flowers" on every free way exit distributing them.colleges cafereias,malls, evn have cops(always at dougnut shops), when they stop you give you an option with it. A complete take over,it now or neverland (this is it) <br />why not, its the most pouplar os ever made. give it a this is it tour.

[dadsgravy]

"...they were started running out decimal points for their service releases (that's the word on the street)."<br /><br />Wow! The street huh? That sounds like a pretty boring and ignorant street.

[johnwbaxter--2008]

Just guessing, but I suspect that for those who work at Microsoft, referring to New York City as "the Big Apple" may be considered at least mildly uncool.

[gerrrg]

Personally, I don't get why they don't do the big unveiling in the Emerald City.

[captain_numerica]

@gerrrg - because those of us living here will be looking for excuses to get out of the winter gloom. ;)

[Rolker]

It seems that Win 7 is a great OS. I think that this time Microsoft listened to the costumers, and learned from the Vista "experience". I've got the feeling that Microsoft as "come down from the Olympus" and things look bright for the company and the costumers<br />Lets hope Win 7 won't disappoint.

[BogusBasin]

As much as I despise Microsoft, I am starting to get the impression that they got this one right. Although I will never buy it, I look forward to trying it out at work. Did I just say that out loud?<br /><br />Amen

[Sausagebiscuit]

You think they would have learned from Windows ME. <br /><br />It almost seems like a business plan. Release crappy OS, release great OS later, profit on upgrades. Rinse, Repeat.<br /><br />Just a thought, not a insult to any fanboys.

[The_happy_switcher]

"I've got the feeling that Microsoft as "come down from the Olympus" More like from the abyss of Hades.

[BingItOn]

@Sausagebiscuit you just sounded like CRAPple fan boy

[renGek]

If you compare win 7 with vista, its a classic example of not letting the PR department override the IT department so much. PR department wants to market and usability is secondary. IT is the reverse but unfortunately they can't market the product. Win 7 is a much better balance.

[bookshire]

@sausagebiscuit<br /><br />It really does, and you can trace this trend at least back to Win 3.1. it goes something like this:<br /><br />Win3.1 - OK<br />Win95 - bad<br />Win98 - Good<br />WinME - garbage<br />WinXP - Great<br />Vista - stinking cesspool<br />Win7 - Excellent<br /><br />With a trend like this, I'm willing to bet the version after 7 will be a colossal disaster.

[EvanSei]

@Sausagebiscuit<br />sad but true, it's like when Coke was having trouble selling coca-cola and they changed the formula to something awful, they got a bunch of free publicity when people got angry and then they changed the formula back getting people to buy coca-cola again

[mboydmcse]

I live in New York and would love to attend the October 6th event. Where can I find more info on that? I cannot find anything on the Microsoft or Park Avenue Armory web sites. Thank you!

[Mr. Dee]

http://www.microsoft.com/business/thenewefficiency/NewYork/default.aspx

[Sausagebiscuit]

Kind of funny. Microsoft and "Big Apple". Get it? No? :(

[gsmiller88]

It just haunts Ballmer wherever he goes, eh? :-P

[espeed623]

Lol, I actually thought that was kind of funny. Ballmer in the Big Apple. Hmm...

[The_happy_switcher]

Maybe they can hire Aerosmith and we can watch that geezer Steven Tyler fall off the stage again because he needs a friggin' cane to perform.

[shinkukage09]

It goes to show that crapple fanboys have abso-fricking-lutely nothing better to do with their lives then troll people you enjoy Windows. I enjoy Windows AND Linux.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Based on the comments here from the pro-Apple fans, it's clear that only Apple is permitted to have any sort of public/press events. <br /> <br />Why is that?

[BogusBasin]

I'm as big an Apple fan as they get. Here is my comment from above: <br /> <br />"As much as I despise Microsoft, I am starting to get the impression that they got this one right. Although I will never buy it, I look forward to trying it out at work. Did I just say that out loud?" <br /> <br />Amen

[The_happy_switcher]

May have to install WIn7 at work. Ugh. Time for an apoplectic fit. lol

[Vegaman_Dan]

@The_Happy_Switcher: <br /> <br />DEMAND that either you are allowed to use only Apple products or they terminate you immediately. <br /> <br />Show your Apple loyalty! Stand tall! If you really care as much about these things as you let on, then you can take no less action. And I'm sure your employer will appreciate your honesty and reward you accordingly.

[Random_Walk]

...only in "The Big Apple". Anywhere else? Cool. <br /><br />Otherwise, it just gets Microsoft laughed at. :/

[AppleSuxLeo]

MSFT needs to go all out with the launch , as the reviews have been fantastic , even from many Mac users such as Leo Laporte. <br />Me and millions more have been putting off a notebook purchase waiting for "7" to be pre-loaded.

[EvanSei]

you can tell windows 7 is going to be a great OS and it really has people excited even the die hard "apple fanboys" are saying they would like to try out windows 7 and a few have even stated microsoft did something right! looks as though the voice of reason is being herd as I have said before being devoted to one product keeps you from having the best user experience.

[Dan7637]

win7 = re do for vista

[BingItOn]

CRAPple snow leopard = another piece of CRAP

[Vegaman_Dan]

If it's a 're do for vista', is that a bad thing if it works?

[Mr. Dee]

Apple calls Snow Leopard, Leopard refined, what does that say? That Leopard was crap to begin with and you are paying to get it fixed.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

@mr.Dee<br /><br />what was so crap about it.

[BingItOn]

@Gold_Storm_Mac <br /> <br />Tell me what is not CRAP about Leopard?

[jtjt145]

Windows 7 ... yet another closed-source software cesspool. Maybe good enough for the technically challenged <br />:-)

[Vegaman_Dan]

Sounds like someone is jealous.

[Mr. Dee]

Sorry, your OS X is the cesspool, it smells so bad, only 3% of total PC market can stand using it.

[fgwgner]

Ge last time I looked OS 10 was closed source on top of that its closed platform for hardware think before you post

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

mac os x has an open source core based on unix as well as opengl and opencl

[superswiss]

Correct. They had to steal an open source core, because they couldn't write a decent operating system from scratch on their own. The final product is closed source. If you don't agree, please post a link to where we can all download the entire source code of OS X.

[cjs-8]

http://www.opensource.apple.com/<br />There's plenty of source code for you to download there.

[cjs-8]

And the time you spent writing your comment could have been used to easily find that Apple provides links to download the source code, by law (because you can't close what is open source). They also have some of their own open source code. Basically the entire OS you can download (which is called Darwin). Its the applications on top of the OS they don't give source code for. And its the combination of Darwin and applications that they call Mac OS X.<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_%28operating_system%29<br />And they contribute regularly to open source projects that can be found on GNU/Linux too.<br />How about that, with open source, you can get competition and mutual support at the same time! Its the end users that benefit.

[oby3000]

how can ppl still be comparing it to a service pack . really u have seen the vista service packs they don't do nearly as much of a change as this new release and they are supposed to come out with a new os every 2 years roughly. so try it before u judge it as a mere service pack.

[espeed623]

To call EITHER Snow Leopard or Windows 7 a service pack would automatically deem you as an uninformed person. I've used Windows 7, and it's a GREAT improvement over Vista, and I also use OS X Leopard. I use Mac because I do a lot of garageband stuff. I use Windows when I need to. I see no difference in what either can do. You ******** and Wintards and your flamewars. Your seemingly endless arguments somehow signify that 99.99% of your lives are spent flaming your "rivals". It's a good thing that Many people such as myself lead no such life.

Thank you for your voice of reason. In my time (since Commodore Vic 20) I've used many a computer(s) and many an operating system(s). The rule of thumb for me is, does it get the job I need done, done? <br /> <br />For music and video production, sorry Mac wins. For office/grunt biz work, the PC takes the cake. The PC is catching up to the Mac in mostly all realms it currently rules. I can do great video and music on the PC (Acid, Vegas, SoundForge, MixMeister) but the products on the Mac are still superior. <br /> <br />My producer, Kamillion World Sound (produces for our MGZC Media and MGZC Radio entities) is now using a Mac only because his awesome DJ mixing software (MixMeister) now is available for it. He still has and is keeping his PC (which duals boots in Ubuntu). <br /> <br />Yes, I've tried Win 7 (RTM) on a PC and laptop. For the most part, I like what I see, but ............ <br /> <br />WinXP to Win7 ... good luck ... driver issues are still there. Find Vista/Win7 drivers for audio, video, CD/DVD, wireless, etc., before proceeding. <br /> <br />Vista to Win7 ... a breeze ... Upgrade keeps all your apps and settings intact. <br /> <br />To Mac vs Win/Win vs Mac crowd: <br /> <br />Remember, get the job done and go outside once in while. There is something free out there you make like. I believe it is called air.

[shellcodes_coder]

Windows 7 will RULE!!

[MaggieRed]

You all realize how imbecilic you appear arguing with each other about who's is bigger?<br /><br />Just cracks me up reading some of this dribble.

[ebaez12]

I'm trying the windows 7 beta 7600 and this windows is aweome. You dont need all the hardware that vista needed. There are alot of improvements in win 7. I'm running it on a dell xps and its super fast. It also frees up all the desktop space. Its gonna be awesome!