Can Microsoft make Windows 7 'party?'
Microsoft rolls out Windows 7 tomorrow after years of development and testing. And after struggling so much with Vista, it could use some powerful PR. But its string of "launch party" ads may be hurting more than helping. John Moe reports.
A computer store employee stacks copies of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, ahead of its official launch in London (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
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TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal: It's all earnings all the time this week. Microsoft joins the party Friday with its quarterly profit report. Bound to make news. But tomorrow could be a bigger deal. Windows 7, Microsoft's new operating system, hits the shelves and millions of PCs after years of development and testing. And after some contrite and questionable public relations work. John Moe reports.
LAUNCH PARTY VIDEO: Hey, welcome to the party. The four of us along with host worldwide and you are launching Windows 7 ultimate software. So you know what? Let's take a minute or so to tell you about how great it is to host a launch party.
Have you seen this video online? It's already a YouTube classic because the unintentional comedy value is off the charts. Bad actors tell you how fun it is to host a launch party for Windows 7. Yep, Microsoft wants you to host a party for a computer operating system.
LAUNCH PARTY VIDEO: Can you believe that Microsoft put the launch of Windows 7 in our hands? Are they nuts or what?
Not nuts, bad actor, just a little shaken up. See, Microsoft used to have swagger. It put out a new operating system and pretty much everyone would buy it. That is, until Vista. Vista was slow and overloaded with security prompts. It didn't work with some hardware. It was a mess. Microsoft's whole marketing campaign for Windows 7 is built around apologizing for Vista.
George Beirn manages Chipheads, a computer repair shop in St. Paul. He's been wrestling with Vista since it was released in January of 07.
GEORGE BEIRN: We get a lot of people who come in and say they don't like Vista or they don't want it on a new machine. You know, they tell their friends and say, "Vista's horrible, I have so many problems with it."
In fact, only about 20 percent of PCs ever ended up running Vista. That lack of adoption is critical, according to Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities.
BRENDAN BARNICLE: Vista represented the first time that people didn't make that move from the prior release to the current release and if that were to become a practice, that would be very damaging to the Microsoft model long term.
Even the short-term damage was pretty rough. Microsoft's third-quarter earnings fell 17 percent from 2008. The economy didn't help but neither did Vista. Rivals capitalized.
MAC AD: Hello, I'm a Mac. My fellow Americans, I'm a PC. Why so official? Well some people are giving up on Vista, Mac, because it doesn't work the way they want it to.
Once again, analyst Brendan Barnicle.
BARNICLE: I don't think it's a coincidence that Apple's market share increased at exactly the time Vista came out. I think their product was getting better, but I think more importantly Vista was so weak that it opened the option for an alternative.
Microsoft still dominates the market with a 93 share. And again 80 percent of PCs have not upgraded since Windows XP, it came out eight years ago. Global PC sales are expected to improve with the economy and Windows 7 is getting good reviews. Add in that Microsoft's Bing search engine seems to be catching on, and things in Redmond may be looking up.
BARNICLE: The success that they are likely to have with 7 and coincidentally the success we've seen with Bing has really renewed the confidence of the rank-and-file developers at Microsoft to demonstrate that they really can build industry leading products again.
So those launch parties might be a little more fun.
LAUNCH PARTY VIDEO: Make the thing you're demonstrating personal to someone at the party like the way I made Chip's files get transferred by Windows Easy Transfer. Or the way I showed my guests Web Slices by talking about Frank's online auction shopping.
OK, only a little more fun.
In St. Paul, I'm John Moe for Marketplace.
Comments
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10/22/2009
Windows 3.1 Launch Party!!! HAHAH, i just saw it on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvcHNKUA6So
From Hoover, AL, 10/22/2009
Don't knock it till you tried it! i have been using it for 6 months and love windows 7 and I am one of the party givers and don't knock the fact that Microsoft gave me a limited Ultimate version "for free" but as a IT I can tell you that this is the real deal and it will be a thumb's up for Microsoft in the end after everyone gets to see what it really offers in easy install, great performance, awesome graphics, and easy networking.
10/22/2009
Why not have a Windows 7 torrenting party, instead! http://www.funnyordie.co.uk/videos/ef83afc272/hosting-your-windows-7-torrenting-party
From Phoenix, AZ, 10/21/2009
I was one of the unfortunate few who got stuck with "Windows Me" for my college years. It really was hideous, and I can say from experience that Vista was not the first Microsoft operating system that performed poorly and was received poorly.
From Minneapolis, MN, 10/21/2009
As an employee of Chipheads who was present during George Beirn's interview I'm disappointed with the amount of editing that was used to make it sound like George was just backing up the thesis of this article. The comments that actually made it in to the article are taken completely out of context and would lead anyone hearing/reading this to a conclusion that is very at odds with what was actually said. People may not like Vista, but it isn't because of any faults they can name, it is usually just because of word of mouth. Also, comparatively Vista had a much higher adoption rate than Windows XP, which also was much maligned upon its release. Thorough reporting involves telling more than just one side of a story, and it helps if facts are placed in context rather than just listed off. I expect better from NPR. I don't expect this comment to be posted, but I hope somebody there reads it and that in the future when you come to an expert for their opinions you will actually listen to what they say.
From Arlington Heights, IL, 10/21/2009
You need to check your facts. Before Vista, Microsoft released many other operating systems that bombed. Remember Windows 98me (Millenium Edition)? DOA. Windows 2000 was generally considered unusable until SP1 was released. Windows NT died in the market, not because of quality, but because it was (get this) TOO SECURE--few Windows 3.x apps would run on it! In fact, the only versions of Windows that were successes right out of the box were (in reverse order) XP, 98, NT4, 95, and 3.0. (Versions of Windows before 3.0 were unusably slow, but did show the promise of what was to come.)
From District of Columbia, DC, 10/21/2009
The word Vista really only meant 1 thing to me: my brother's first Schwinn bike in Stillwater, MN circa 1975. Then I received a Toshiba laptop last week. Then I heard your story today, oh mama mia!! Not seeing the XP logo anywhere, generous gift giver apologizes like she had just given me a life-time voucher for free root canals, before I even sliced into the packing tape. She hadn't realized it came with Vista. She felt so bad, I couldn't console her. Convinced I would need consoling, I was horrified she insisted we could "downgrade" it to XP. Then I heard your story. I could't believe it. I hear the word Vista on WAMU. I had no idea the deep blunderous precedent it clearly established. If this laptop is one of the less than 20 percent of PCs (if laptops even included in that?)with Vista, could it be that I got maybe the one "good" lemon? I'm telling you, its behavior--after ordering 3 net books (2 hps and 1 Toshiba all with Windows XP) that all had no less than 6 problems, from no ability to even connect to internet, activate software or have a mouse that was "in place", all returned--has been impeccable, like a new house guest wanting to make a good impression, because they are staying for good and maybe the horror is yet to come? I don't know!!! But I loved your story, and thought you would love this response to it! Lisa Buono, Washington DC
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