Microsoft emphasized locked-in release dates for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and indicated that those consumers purchasing a system with Windows Vista will have the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 7 as part of the original deal. Microsoft is betting that Windows 7 will be the substantial hit it needs to reverse its fortunes in a slumping economy.
Microsoft announced June 3 that customers purchasing a
system with its Windows Vista operating system will have the ability to upgrade
to Windows 7 when the latter is released on Oct. 22. In addition, Microsoft also announced that Windows Server 2008
R2 will be widely available at the same time as
Windows
7.
"There will be a Windows upgrade program available," Steve
Guggenheimer, Microsoft's OEM division corporate vice president, said during a keynote address at Computex 2009 in
Taipei. "Consumers can buy that new PCand know theyll get Windows 7 as part of
the deal."
Guggenheimer also indicated that Microsoft is confident of
the release dates for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, stating, "We
announce each milestone once were confident of where we are in the development
cycle, and that it is ready to be shared with customers and
partners."
Microsoft is suggesting that Windows Server 2008 R2 will
support a typical networks ever-increasing ecosystem of devices and virtual
machines.
Resource Library:
"With the release of Windows Server 2008 R2, companies of all
sizes will get big improvements in virtualization, Web and management,"
Guggenheimer said. "These areas, along with several features that improve
scalability and reliability, help deliver a strong value proposition on the
server side to complement Windows 7."
Roughly a third of Microsofts revenue in 2008, or around $20
billion, came from sales of its Windows operating system. However, Microsoft
currently finds itself challenged on two fronts, both by a global recession that
forced it into its first-ever quarterly revenue decline, and by arch-rivals
Apple and Google introducing alternatives into the competitive space.
Rumors have abounded that Microsoft plans on adapting Windows
7 for mini-notebooks, also known as "netbooks," a potentially important
strategic move considering that the percentage of Windows-equipped netbooks has
jumped from under 10 percent of the market in the first half of 2008 to 96
percent in February 2009.
Microsoft also finds itself competing in the netbook space
against the increased threat of Google and its Android mobile operating system, which
is being ported onto the devices by Acer and possibly other manufacturers
later in 2009. While Acer will continue to provide Microsoft Windows as an
OS option on its machines, analysts expect that Android will gain strength in
the netbook arena into 2010.