NEW YORK--Although the official U.S. launch event is still some hours away, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system has hit the market, going on sale in a number of countries across the globe.
Executives from Microsoft have fanned out to celebrate the launch of the company's core product upon which the rest of Redmond's empire has been built. The software giant is counting on favorable reviews and new features to help Windows rebuilt its image in the face of a disappointing response to Windows Vista.
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Microsoft)
Microsoft is touting the value of Windows in the face of a resurgent Apple. As part of the launch, Microsoft is celebrating seven days of deals in a number of key markets, including the United States. Among the specials is a $1,200 package from Hewlett-Packard and Best Buy that includes a Netbook, laptop, desktop, monitor and router as well as in-home installation.
"The Best Buy offer is a home makeover," Microsoft Vice President Tami Reller told CNET News. "For the price of a Mac you have a new notebook, a new Netbook, a new desktop, and a new router to bring it together with the help of the Geek Squad."
In addition to landing on new PCs, Microsoft will also sell stand-alone versions of Windows 7 that can be used to upgrade an existing PC. Although Microsoft still offers a half-dozen different flavors of the operating system in all, Redmond is focusing its energies around two versions--the Home Premium and Professional versions.
It will sell both a full version of the operating system that can be used on any hardware as well as an upgrade version to be used on existing PCs. Although both Windows XP and Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7, only Vista can be done without backing up and reinstalling both programs and data.
A huge marketing blitz will accompany the debut of Windows 7, with Microsoft continuing its "I'm a PC" campaign, by featuring average users who point to various aspects of the new operating system as representing their idea.
Microsoft plans to formalize the launch with an event here with CEO Steve Ballmer (CNET News will cover the 11 a.m. ET event live). The software maker is also opening its first retail store, in Scottsdale, Ariz., as well as a "Windows Cafe" in Paris.
Steven Sinofsky, the divisional president who has spearheaded the development of Windows 7, is presiding over the Japanese launch of the product, while designer Julie Larson-Green is at an event in London.
Microsoft employees in Redmond's Building 37 plan to remotely ring the bell to open Nasdaq trading on Thursday, while Microsoft and its computer maker partners will ring the closing bell.
The product has already gone on sale in Australia, Japan and elsewhere.
These days, getting a PC for $1,200 is no big deal. Even two PCs for that price is pretty run of the mill.
Starting on Thursday, though, Best Buy will offer for that price a "PC Home Makeover" that includes three PCs--a laptop, desktop and Netbook--as well as a monitor and router. Even in-home Geek Squad set-up is included.
It's one of those screaming deals, that Windows Vice President Tami Reller was referring to when she spoke with CNET News last week. The deal is set to be officially announced on Thursday, although details of the offer were noted on Best Buy's Web site.
The package includes an HP Slimline desktop (model s5212y), an 18;.5-inch monitor, HP mini Netbook as well as a "media-savvy" laptop (model G60-535DX) along with a Netgear 802.11-G router and in-home setup of each of the components.
Microsoft's price advantage vis-a-vis Apple is among the things the company is looking to highlight as it launches Windows 7 on Thursday.
Ahead of Windows 7 launch, Apple on Tuesday announced a fall lineup that includes refreshed Mac Mini, MacBook, and iMacs, but keeps Apple in largely its traditional price range.
PC makers meanwhile, are showing off Windows 7 models ranging from inexpensive Netbooks to high-end gaming models that can fetch several thousand dollars. The notebook category, in particular, is broadening with products that are both cheaper and less pricey than traditional notebooks and yet feature bigger screens than a Netbook.
Nearly every PC maker also has at least one touch-screen all-in-one, with many offering touch-screen laptops as well.
CNET News is live in New York and we'll have tons of stuff from here, including live coverage of the festivities Thursday with CEO Steve Ballmer. Plus, if you still have lingering questions, let me know and I'll try to get answers.
Engadget brightened up a slow news day on Friday with a leaked memo from Best Buy that offers a number of Windows 7 details.
Most notable is the fact that the memo puts a date on when people can start buying Vista-based machines and qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7. According to the memo, June 26 is the magic date--and I'm hearing that date is correct.
The memo also says that on June 26, Best Buy will start preselling upgrade versions of Windows 7 Home Premium for $49 and Windows 7 Professional for $99 via its Web site. It's not totally clear whether those are standard or promotional prices, although the memo says the pre-order program will run only for 16 days.
Microsoft Senior Vice President Bill Veghte did say in an interview this week that the software maker was considering requests from Vista owners to have a free or cheaper way to upgrade to Windows 7, so perhaps this pre-order option might be that program.
Best Buy also offers its marketing pitch for Windows 7 in the memo. "This new operating system isn't just a 'Vista that works' program - it's a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality and creativity that uses less computer resources."
A Best Buy representative was not immediately available to comment on the memo's authenticity.
When it announced October 22 as the official ship date for Windows 7 earlier this week, Microsoft also confirmed that it planned to have such a tech guarantee program, however the company did not say when it would start. A Microsoft representative said on Friday that the company had nothing more to add about the timing of the program.
Update 11:05 a.m. PT: No word back from Best Buy, but I did get independent confirmation of the memo, which was released on June 1. I've included a copy below.
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LAS VEGAS--Asked about the state of the U.S. economy, Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson said on Tuesday that it is clearly a concern.
"People that are getting their first (home heating) oil bills at $3 a gallon," he said, even as the U.S. mortgage crisis continues to hang over the economy. "The share of mind that the 'r word' is getting in the media has us concerned," he said, alluding to but not uttering, the word recession.
But Anderson said it was the transition to digital television that posed the biggest threat to his industry, warning of the dangers if consumers find themselves having TVs that don't work once the broadcasters end their analog signals in February of 2009.
"We're very nervous about the potential risk," Anderson said. "I think the industry will be damaged if we as an industry don't handle this well."
At the Consumer Electroncis Show on Tuesday, CEA Chief Gary Shapiro asks retail executives, including the heads of Best Buy and Circuit City, for their views on the U.S. economy, the digital TV transition, and other issues.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News.com)His comments came as part of a panel discussion of several retail executives at the Consumer Electronics Show here.
Circuit City CEO Philip J. Schoonover, meanwhile, was most concerned with his own company's performance, which has lagged the industry.
"I'm not smiling," Schoonover said, after Anderson and other retail executives beamed at their own growth last year.
"We're trying to fix the plan while flying the plane," he said. "It proved to be more challenging than I think any of us estimated."
My partner and I decided to brave the Black Friday crowds and got up at 6 a.m. to do some bargain hunting.
We planned to head to Circuit City first, given that its day-after-Thanksgiving sale had the most things we wanted. When we arrived at the suburban Los Angeles store--nearly two hours after the store had opened--there was a long line of people just waiting to get in the store.
Customers, including AJ, wait in line at Circuit City in Van Nuys.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET Networks)Figuring that the most-sought-after items were likely gone anyway and that the line might be shorter in a few hours, we headed to the nearby Best Buy in Sherman Oaks. The parking lot was certainly well filled and the store busy, but neither was overflowing. I'm sure there were plenty of people in line at 3 a.m. for the cheap flat-panel TVs and other doorbusters. But when we got there, some of the smaller items were still available and we walked out with $40 worth of stuff, including one season of the Office, the movie Borat and a Wii game that AJ wanted.
We moved on to Target, which didn't even seem busy for a weekend day. I picked up another season of the office and a couple of shirts and we made one other stop, before heading back to Circuit City. This time, we made it in without a line. Nearly the whole store, though, was filled with people waiting in line. After a quick assessment, AJ grabbed a spot in line while I picked up a few items from our list, including a 2GB flash drive for $7.99 and some West Wing and NYPD Blue seasons for around $15 apiece.
After half an hour, AJ had hardly moved forward in line. I left to get him a cup of coffee and returned 20 minutes later and he had still only inched forward in line. We tried to investigate the source of the holdup.
Whereas Best Buy had specific lines for the types of products people were buying, Circuit City had the lone checker for each line, head throughout the store to pickup big ticket items, such as a PlayStation 3 that someone ahead of us wanted. That move, along with what seemed to be the most outdated computer system I'd seen at a electronics retailer in some time, slowed things to a crawl.
The sign on the floor at Circuit City read 'wait,' and wait we did.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News.com)I took the time to interview a few of my comrades in line. Matt Kaplan of Sherman Oaks had just a few DVDs, but told a friend on his cell phone that at that point it had become "a matter of principle," though he told me he was probably not saving enough to justify such a long wait.
A few spots further in the line, Nestor Gomez of Van Nuys said he didn't mind such a long wait, saying the price for two Acer laptops justified the standstill.
We were finally nearing the register, so I put my notepad away. But as we were only a couple of people away from finally checking out, I noticed that some people were breezing through a nearby register. What had been assumed to be a "cash only" line was actually an available checkout spot, though the place had no means to handle a queue and was thus not advertising its services.
Checking out our dozen items took him some time, but still saved us probably another 15 minutes over the line in which we had been standing. Who knows how much more time might have been saved for all concerned with a bit more organization. What were your Black Friday experiences like?
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