Live blog: Windows 7 debuts in New York
As Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer prepares to launch Windows 7 in New York on Thursday, the stage is lit up with screens and changing colors.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Microsoft is rolling out Windows 7 around the globe Thursday, and we're bringing you live updates from New York, as CEO Steve Ballmer introduces Microsoft's newest operating system at a special event.
The product is now on sale online and at stores worldwide. Microsoft itself has started sales of Windows 7 and has expanded its online store to sell PCs from Sony, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, and Hewlett-Packard.
The one place where you won't find Windows 7 on store shelves is India because of a customs dispute there, though it is shipping on new PCs.
"It will be available in retail shortly," a Microsoft representative said on Thursday.
The following is a play-by-play of the launch event, which has concluded. You can check out all of CNET's Windows 7 coverage here.
10:30 a.m. EDT: Folks have been allowed into the Skylight Studios, where the launch is taking place. We're not in the keynote room, but they are serving mimosas. There's lots of modern art in the walls and artsy people running around in blue shirts. Each shirt has a single-word reference to Windows 7 features, such as "Snap" and "Peek."
10:35 a.m. EDT: They've let folks inside the keynote room, which looks like the inside of a comedy club with table seating in front and standing room in the rear. On stage are lots of flat-panel displays on the screen.
10:48 a.m. EDT: The two largest screens are now playing commercials with Kylie and other kids talking about Windows and Windows Live features.
10:50 a.m. EDT: It's not exactly Windows 7 news, but Microsoft is expanding testing for the online Office Web Apps--the browser-based versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
11 a.m. EDT: Event is kicking off. In the house, CEO Steve Ballmer and Kylie, the oh-so-cute kid from the Windows commercials. Speaking first, Microsoft Windows Vice President Tami Reller.
Windows' top saleswoman, Tami Reller, introduces the new operating system.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Windows 7 had 8 million beta testers, Reller noted.
11:02 a.m. EDT: For those who have an XP Netbook and have been wondering how to update it to Windows 7, CNET has an exclusive on Microsoft's plan.
11:05 a.m. EDT: Kylie speaking with really important announcement--she's now 5 and a half.
She's also there to do the intro of the main speaker.
"I'm a PC, and here's Steve Ballmer," Kylie said.
Ballmer is discussing his meeting with Kylie. "You were late," she interrupted. But Ballmer has a present: a small pink PC.
CEO Steve Ballmer greets Kylie, the young star of a Windows 7 ad campaign.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Now he's into his sales pitch.
"I'm Steve Ballmer, and I'm a Windows 7 PC, effective immediately," Ballmer said.
11:08 a.m. EDT: Ballmer said the secret sauce for Windows 7 was the testers, partners, and feedback.
One of the things the development team did was put up a "wishing wall" bulletin board, which collected various customer feedback from the technical to the emotional to the visual on how Windows could improve.
On to its features, Ballmer notes that Windows 7 works the way you want, simplifies everyday tasks. and makes new things possible, such as multitouch.
Ballmer notes that there isn't one killer feature, but rather things that appeal to different people.
"A road warrior like me--I like the new wireless features," Ballmer said. "Everybody finds the things that delight them."
Steve Ballmer is "fired up."
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
11:14 a.m. EDT: Ballmer brings on Brad Brooks, Windows' vice president of marketing. "Who wants to see a little bit of Windows 7?" Brooks asked.
He's showing how it's easier to import photos using Device Stage, a feature that hardware makers can use to put up custom options whenever their product is plugged into a Windows 7 PC. He takes the photos off the camera and makes a movie with Windows Live Movie Maker.
Brad Brooks, vice president of Microsoft marketing, takes over for Ballmer to provide a Windows 7 walk-through.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Now he's showing Media Center on an HP TouchSmart all-in-one PC. A deal with CBS means that all of its shows will be available over the Internet in Media Center. (Disclosure: CNET News is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.)
11:22 a.m. EDT: Brooks shows a new touch-capable Kindle application from Amazon.com. It will be available in beta test form next month, Brooks said.
11:25 a.m. EDT: Now he's on to HomeGroup, a feature that makes for simple home networking (the downside is that all the PCs have to be Windows 7 machines.)
Brooks demonstrates how HomeGroup can be set up in real time.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Brooks uses Windows Live to play a recorded episode of the "Family Guy" from his home machine in Redmond, Wash.
Brooks uses Windows Live to play a recorded episode of the "Family Guy" from his home machine in Redmond, Wash. The Fox show's creators have partnered with Microsoft to sell the operating system.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)The last feature Brooks is showing is called Play To, which lets you control media from a Windows 7 PC and play it on other devices, such as a sound system, digital photo frame, or TV. He uses a single Dell laptop to stream media to about seven different screens.
The Play To feature wrangles various devices throughout the home, or "man cave."
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)11:35 a.m. EDT: With that, Ballmer is back.
"I hope it's pretty clear why we love Windows 7," Ballmer said. He notes that 300 million PCs will be sold this year.
He said the range and diversity of software is "unsurpassed, and that's at the core of the success of the PC."
"There's simply more you can do with these systems," Ballmer said. "Ninety-five out of 100 times, when people choose a device, they are choosing a Windows PC."
11:37 a.m. EDT: When Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft, they talked about a computer on every desk and in every home, Ballmer said. Today, he said, there's a PC "for every room, for every scenario, and for every person in every facet of their lives."
Ballmer says the range and diversity of software is "unsurpassed, and that's at the core of the success of the PC."
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)11:45 a.m. EDT: Now Windows General Manager Mike Angiulo is showing off some of the new PCs that are debuting with Windows 7, including an Acer desktop that can boot up in 15 seconds.
The Acer AspireRevo, shown off at the Windows 7 launch event, is now on sale in the United States.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)He also shows a Dell machine that charges and docks wirelessly, as well as several touch-screen laptops and, finally, Dell's 9.9-millimeter-thin Adamo laptop.
Mike Angiulo of Microsoft shows Ballmer some of the Windows 7 hardware on display.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)11:50 a.m. EDT: Ballmer wraps up. I'd like to thank CNET's Rich Brown, who helped make sure that Sarah Tew's photos got to you almost as quickly as she was taking them. Stay tuned for more coverage of the Windows 7 launch Thursday and, if you have questions, send them along.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
<a href="http://ketiva.com/Computers_and_Internet/my_experience_with_windows_7_using_the_beta_version1.html">http://ketiva.com/Computers_and_Internet/my_experience_with_windows_7_using_the_beta_version1.html</a>
It is still too early to determine what kind of problems might rise from Windows 7, but overall I think it will be a great operating system.
watch live video there
Both companies prepared for a wide scale release and didn't have any suppy issues.
Shoulda gotten it through Amazon. They're DELIVERING on launch day.
If you do install Windows, please don't use IE. Download Firefox (there is an OS X version too of course) if you don't like Safari. Despite the improvements made in IE 8, it is still a buggy browser. As a professional web developer I am tired of fighting IE bugs when Safari, Firefox and Chrome all work MUCH more consistently.
Just stay off that Guest account. :P
I can't imagine the explosion of vitriol (and lawsuits) if that had been an MS bug.
i'm not surprised a brand new OS can connect better than a 9 year old one.
I gave a presenation yesterday and was asked the question: which browser is fastest?
With Vista or Windows 7 i found whatever browser you use frequently, you will see as the fastest (as its prechached). Alternative browsers seem slow in comparison, until you use them more.
Of course Chrome is fast, but also lacking any useful features.
I agree with @CCCNetttt: Firefox seems to have lost the plot with all these addins and updates.
I still use IE for corporate sites for the multiple securty zones and integrated login support (why don't the other browsers include this?)....and i only ever need one plugin: IEPro. It rocks.
If you are not seeing compatibility problems, that is because programmers are spending the extra time it takes to make their site display properly with IE. MS is driving up the cost of doing business on the web because IE is a buggy browsers that is not compliant with standards. Last week I spent about 8 hours tweaking a couple of web pages that were running fine under FF, Safari & Chrome to make them display correctly under IE.
I used the Beta of 7, and the RC, and I never had any problems as a regular user. If you're an IT guy (which I am not) trying to interface it into a Linux or Unix system you might have some trouble, I guess?
"our instead of are, small mistake."
Now I can also tell you from experience, almost any version of Linux, no matter how many people say one is better than the other, is like picking your ice cream from Baskin Robbins 31 flavors, its easy enough to do but the choices are overwhelming. Once you get your flavor, its like filling out insurance papers, so many decisions that affect the use of the OS.
Also as if the installation wasn't bad enough, there's always all the extracting, combining, packs, etc that you have to do a lot of the time to get your program to work.
Yes the security is a little better DEPENDING ON HOW IT IS ADOPTED. Otherwise as a base security technique, if you look into NTFS, it is probably one of the most secure file formats out there with the most user friendly options.
And that's what you have to remember, USER FRIENDLY. If its like taking a Pitbull for a walk down Chiwawa lane when you first open it up, think twice. Then when you actually want to install the OS or a program its like trying to figure out what the Guardian at the Gate wants, its like pulling teeth just to configure it the right way.
So maybe you should take just a little deeper look at your operating system you taught, because in the end it comes down to first impressions and overall usability, not what is technically better and not as easy to understand.
Also, one last thing, every OS has it's downfalls and will always be scrutinized. So what most people should do is look into all their options before investing, you might find that Linux or Apple or Windows no matter what flavor or price might be better for you. Trust me you'll be happier in the long run if you do your homework on a matter of operating systems, and it will give you the framework to really research other things down the road.
To All Computer Consumers and Computer Junkies out there...
Enjoy the NEW Flavor!!
Microsoft, too, still has room for improvement, PC makers said. Acer's Morbello noted that Microsoft is trying to transform itself from a nearly "obsolete" engineering-driven approach that adds features simply because they are possible to one that focuses on what customers actually want."
That says it all... for the umpteenth time.... Windows will always be tagging along, letting others do the innovation and then trying to make it work for themselves. In the process, they can't seem to make nice with the hardware companies that buy their product, and nobody really knows in the end which PCs Windows will work best on, or worst. Given their past "successes", I can't hardly wait to see what they do next.
Riiiiight. You just keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile instead of whining and complaining, I'd rather just use the product. I'll leave the groaning and moaning to you.
We all know you love Apple, hate Microsoft and any/or all users who choose to disagree with your choice of operating systems. We know that you don't have an open mind when it comes to this, and even though Apple itself promotes the concept to 'think different', you perceive this to mean, "Only if I agree with it."
Get over it. The rest of the world simply doesn't care what you think.
End of line.
End of the line.?
ROFL.... now you think you're driving the bus too!
See, snarky comments aren't just an Apple exclusive.
it won't make any difference if you just do your regular basic tasks. But it will make myself easier with its networking functions.
The answers why, makes Windows looking like the tool for the technology challenged.
According to some of them, Windows is just eye-candy, no security, and to top it all off: a DRM laden performance hog!
Go figure!
- by Brent212 October 22, 2009 4:28 PM PDT
- Were the mimosas bottomless?
- Like this Reply to this comment
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