100 million PCs will enter the multimedia era with Vista

If the Windows 95 version opens the era of Internet connectivity, Microsoft's newly launched operating system marks the stage in which computers turn into entertainment and multimedia media.

On the night of January 29, in a speech about marketing strategy for Windows Vista at Microsoft "headquarters" in Redmond (USA), Bill Gates, chairman of this giant software company, emphasized that the new operating system will 'molting' the PC from a high-end typewriter into an entertainment center, a warehouse that looks up a variety of data and is a gateway to Internet space. The key to this media campaign is the word 'Wow' that expresses amazement.

' Every computer user will' wow 'differently. But anyone can find interesting new things with Vista, from gamers, students, entrepreneurs or a retired grandmother , "said Microsoft president.

Multimedia convergence was highlighted by Microsoft during Vista's launch. ' When Windows 95 was released, the PC was too lonely. The first Internet Explorer browser was integrated with the operating system when it was a strange feature , 'Bill Gates repeated.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer continued: '12 years later, the PC has everything to communicate, from digital photos, audio files, videos and other multimedia activities. Many technology products can 'meet' each other on Vista. It was a dream when Windows 95 was released . '

In the US, the price of each upgrade disc to Vista Home Basic is $ 100, while the Ultimate edition costs $ 249. The cost of the new operating system in the UK is almost double in the US, US $ 195 (£ 100) for Vista Basic and US $ 487 (£ 249) for Vista Ultimate. Not as loud as Sony's PS3 release, but there were also a few crowds waiting for Vista to 'G hour' at retail outlets.

The world's largest e-commerce site, Amazon.com, sets up a website dedicated to 'upgrading to Vista', advising on which buyers to choose, finding self-study books or buying foreign devices. other micro. Best Buy sent 11,000 Geek Squad technical support staff to study about Vista. ' We think they will be busy, very busy, ' said Jeff Dudash, a spokesman for the company. CompUSA 'guest questions' with 'safe' moves. Accordingly, its engineers will charge for installing Vista for each computer for $ 50 at the store and $ 150 at home. If the customer is not satisfied with the new operating system, the company will remove and restore the old operating system status without any extra charge.

Market analyst Ovum (USA) predicts that by the end of 2007, 15% of current Windows XP computers (about 100 million) will switch to using the new operating system. ' Vista has had a long development time and consumers have almost no significant upgrades over the past five years ,' said David Mitchell, Ovum's software analyst.

Hung Hai