Microsoft's Windows 7 went on sale today in its most important release for more than a decade, aiming to win back customers after the disappointing Vista and strengthen its grip on the PC market.
The world's largest software company, which powers more than 90 per cent of personal computers, has received good reviews for the new operating system, which it hopes will grab back the impetus in new technology from rivals Apple and Google .
The new operating system -- which is faster, less cluttered and has new touch-screen features -- comes almost three years after the launch of Vista, whose complexity frustrated many home users and turned off business customers.
The success of Windows -- which accounts for more than half of Microsoft's profit -- is crucial for chief executive Steve Ballmer to revive the company's image as the world's most important software firm.
"I have to say I'm chomping at the bit," Ballmer told an audience of Microsoft customers and partners in Toronto yesterday, adding that he is ready to make sales calls himself on Windows 7.
Sales won't immediately impact the bottom line of Microsoft, which is expected to post a lower quarterly profit tomorrow.
The US holiday season will soon reveal whether consumer PC sales get a kick from Windows 7, but success with corporations -- the key to Microsoft's financial power -- won't be clear until next year, analysts say.
Good reviews, and a surge in technology stocks across the board, have lifted Microsoft shares about 80 percent since March. They hit their highest level in just over a year yesterday, closing at $26.58 on Nasdaq.
A range of new PCs incorporating the software in all shapes and sizes from Hewlett-Packard, Dell and others are set to be unveiled today, in the hope of reigniting consumer spending before the holiday shopping season.
Global PC sales rose 2.3 per cent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, according to research firm IDC, after two quarters of declines.
Reuters