Microsoft Finally Reveals Plans for Upgrades to Vista - ' Building Customer Confidence ' (
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"Machines that are designated as Premium Ready can deliver the core Windows Vista experiences, plus features such as the Windows Aero user experience, and Media Center," Kutz said, noting that those customers who had bought new hardware before this program should go to the Microsoft Web site and search under Windows Upgrade Advisor for more information about how well their hardware will work with Vista.
Analyst firm Gartner has said Vista will run on just about any PC available today, but it will only show its true colors on about half of them. Click here to read more.
Microsoft also wanted to ensure that customers could be confident in the program and had solicited a lot of input from consumers, businesses, customers and partners into these programs, and had also ensured that a seamless upgrade path had been built into Vista.
He declined to comment on what Microsofts sales projections were for the holiday season or early next year.
Tiffany Smith, the public relations manager for HPs personal systems group, told eWEEK that North American consumers who buy a new HP Pavilion or Compaq Presario desktop or notebook PC, or HP Digital Entertainment Center, with a qualifying Windows XP operating system that is designated "Windows Vista Capable" between October 26, 2006 and March 15, 2007 will be eligible for a free upgrade to the Windows Vista operating system when it becomes available in early 2007.
Click here to read more about how HP overtook Dell as the worlds top PC vendor in the third quarter.
Shipping and handling costs may also apply, depending on individual retailer requirements, she said, adding that the free, qualifying, equivalent upgrade paths in North America include Windows XP Home to Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 to Windows Vista Home Premium, and Windows XP Professional to Windows Vista Business.
"In North America, approximately 98 percent of HP consumer PCs are Microsoft Windows Vista Capable—direct customers can still custom configure a with 256MB of memory, so thats why we say 98 percent—and more than 85 percent are Windows Vista Premium Ready," Smith said.
Customers will also have to visit HPs Web site to request their upgrade and for complete instructions on how to take advantage of this upgrade offer by no later than March 31, 2007. Proof of purchase will be required.
What is the real compatibility picture for Windows Vista? Click here to read more.
There will also be ordering instructions in the box of new Windows Vista Capable consumer PCs shipped from HP to its partners and customers, beginning October 26, 2006, Smith said.
"HP also plans to have Windows Vista-compatible and/or pre-loaded PCs, printers, scanners and digital cameras, as well as services, for both consumers and business users, all available when Vista launches," she said, adding that HP will also offer Windows Vista-compatible drivers for specific models of HP PCs, printers, scanners and digital cameras in time for the Windows Vista general availability launch.
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