Steve Ballmer praises Windows 7 sales
Steve Ballmer never misses an opportunity to praise Microsoft and its products from the rooftops. But with Windows 7 he may finally have reason to do just that. Which is exactly what he did during Microsoft’s annual shareholder meeting in Bellevue, Washington this week.
Was the successful launch of Windows 7 ever in doubt, really? Well, yes actually. After witnessing the mess made of Vista, which never quite managed to shake off its disastrous start, I knew Microsoft would do everything in its power not to repeat the same mistakes twice but I still had an inkling of doubt in the back of my mind as to whether it could pull it off.
Thankfully it did. There were a few teething problems, which for some users were serious enough to disable their computer. But these were short-term issues which have now, mostly, been solved.
What we’re left with is a very good, secure operating system that is going to please most people who use it. Unless they’re rabid Apple fanboys who couldn’t praise a Microsoft product even if it cooked their meals and fulfilled all their deepest, darkest sexual fantasies.
Windows 7 hasn’t only garnered very favorable reviews but it’s also sold very well in its first month on general release. And it’s that which seemed to excite Steve Ballmer at the annual shareholders meeting. According to a company press release, Ballmer told the assembled throng:
Windows 7 is the simply best PC operating system we have ever built. It enables people to do more of what they want to do more easily and more quickly, and customers are responding. Since launch, we’ve already sold twice as many units of Windows 7 than any other operating system we’ve ever launched in a comparable time.
It’s certainly been a great launch and “a fantastic start” as Ballmer referred to it. However, the real test is still to come, with sales over the next two years until all attention turns to Windows being more important than ever. Windows 7 has, in its lifetime, got to not only bury the memory of Vista forever but also manage to persuade XP users to make the switch. Not an easy task by anyone’s standards.
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