News

Gates Promises 'Wows' Over Vista

• By The Associated Press
• January 29, 2007

"This 'Wow' thing is a great way of describing what we've got here," Microsoft's chairman told The Associated Press on Monday as the software maker scheduled a slate of splashy events in New York. "There are chances for wows all over the product."

More than five years in the making, Vista was released for business customers Nov. 30, but the new Windows operating system's unveiling for consumer buyers was scheduled for Tuesday around the world.

In Tokyo, about 80 people lined up at the Bic Camera Department Store to become among the world's first consumers to own Vista. Celebrities and executives were on hand as a large-screen television set displayed a countdown to the midnight launch (10 a.m. EST).

The second person on line, Fumihiko Koyama, 33, waited three hours and was hoping the new operating system will make his work in Web design easier.

"My expectations are very high for Vista," he said. "I want to try it out because it's new."

He said he felt compelled to be among the first Vista owners because of the parties Bic and other major retailers were holding.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker contends that Vista is such a huge improvement over previous computing platforms that users inevitably say "Wow" when they see it --and so the word plays a big role in the company's marketing campaign.

When users boot up Vista for the first time, they'll be wowed by the slick 3-D graphical user interface and document icons that give at-a-glance previews, Gates said. The next wow comes when they start using a system-wide search program that Microsoft's engineers built into both the operating system and new versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and other Office 2007 elements, which also hit store shelves at midnight.

Then, Gates said, there are layers of wows for all the different types of PC users: the gamers, the students, the business users, the moms.

But will this talk of "wow" translate into crowds at the CompUSA and Best Buy stores that are staying open until past midnight to sell the very first Vista machines?

"When I look at Windows Vista, I see a technology that is interesting, that is relevant, but to some extent is evolutionary," said Al Gillen, an analyst at the technology research group IDC. "I do not believe it will create a lot of motivation for people to rush out and get a new operating system."

Gates said Microsoft actually wasn't pushing midnight sales events --after all, the software will be available as a download over the Web for the first time.

And while the software is prettier and more secure, "the biggest impact is always what partners do with it," Gates said in an interview.

Still, Gates didn't play down Vista's importance. He argued that as the PC has morphed from a souped-up typewriter to a networked entertainment center, personal media library and gateway to the Internet, the operating system itself has earned a higher profile.

"When people think about their PC, they think about Windows even more than who the manufacturer is. That determines how it looks, how you navigate, what the applications are that are available," Gates said. And in this case, Vista has folded in programs that users once bought separately --including automated back-up systems and some spyware protections.

Microsoft shares dropped 13 cents to $30.47 in late morning trading Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.