Microsoft, The Ultimate Spin Doctor

The internet is all abuzz with the news that the Windows 7 RTM build has been set, that the RTM build has already been released to the torrent community, and lots of other insignificant factoids. Now, with this amount of noise generated, the Microsoft ad team comes in, stirs the pot, and spins the buzz into a compelling argument for the immediate adoption of Windows 7. The general idea is that all users should get on the bus, or be left behind by thee wave of adoption.

Well, it seems that those crazy guys in sales are claiming that, by year’s end, 177 million copies of Windows 7 will have been shipped.

They might be right.

What is important, however, is the number of installed copies. Copies sitting in warehouses mean nothing; if the copies are not installed and being used, so what.

from TGDaily

What was good enough isn’t good enough any more, says Microsoft’s Bill Veghte, banging the final nail into Windows Vista’s coffin and consigning everyone’s least favourite operating system to history.

Veghte says Win7 is the first release of Windows for two decades where Microsoft has had to turn people who want to try it away.

What a load! If that was the case, why were there so many releases being leaked? I can’t think of a better way to stir interest. Of course, if the company had not done the releases in a surreptitious manner, there would not be nearly as much ’sampling’.

Every Win 7 corporate customer will get a free license enabling them to run Windows XP legacy apps, adds Veghte. Migrating from Vista to Win7 will be extremely smooth, he claims.

“We wanted to make darn certain that we could logo certify over 16,000 partners working on Win7 apps. Within 72 hours of launching Win 7 Release Candidate, we had two certified graphics drivers,” said Veghte who reckons MS will ship 177 million copies of the new OS by the end of 2009.

Some 246 million Vista PCs present a $320 billion upgrade opportunity for partners and 51 million business desktops are already licensed for Windows 7. From September 1, a limited time volume license discount of between 15-35 percent will also be available, together with a doubling of internal usage rights.

Companies with a killer product simply don’t discount. Companies that need to ‘grease the wheels’ do.

Veghte concluded by saying the public awareness of Windows 7 was currently running at 40%, with’ no marketing spend’.

Again, references to the ‘leaks’. Is it not amazing that there has been not one iota of movement from Microsoft in policing the torrents and other file sharing sites? If the leaks had not all been staged, heads would have rolled by now.

But the one fact missing from the presentation was the announcement of Windows 7 being released to manufacture. Still, Steve Ballmer’s up soon…

I can hardly wait…the dance of the sugar plum Monkeyboy.

§

•