Microsoft introduces Windows 7, upbeat on sales

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 10/23/2009 12:10 PM  |  Headlines

"It's fast, much faster than Windows Vista," said IT writer Zatni Arbi when asked to comment on Microsoft's latest operating system that was launched on Thursday, Windows 7.

Zatni said Vista's successor is very memory-efficient, resulting in faster booting and shut-down times as well as faster operations in other application processes.

Lukman Susetio, PT Microsoft Indonesia's Windows client product manager, shared Zatni's experience. "Own an old PC? Try Windows 7 in it, you will notice it's faster than Windows XP," he challenged the audience at the Windows 7 launching ceremony in Jakarta on Thursday.

Other benefits offered by Windows 7 is that it can tell its PC or laptop carriers to use less power, Lukman said. "Good news for laptop users, because with Windows 7, they can lengthen the life of their laptop batteries, through adaptive display brightness and idle management," he said.

Windows 7 also provides Windows Live Essentials, which is able to create email, provide instant messaging as well as facilities for editing and sharing photos and videos.

The launch of Windows 7 is seen as an attempt to snatch back the public's attention from major rival Apple after Windows Vista failed to impress customers due to its complexity, which frustrated many home and business users.

The Jakarta launch was a part of Microsoft Corporation's worldwide announcement of the availability of the Windows 7 operating system from Oct. 22, about three years after the release of Windows Vista.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been slated to headline the red carpet Windows 7 launching event in New York on the same date, Reuters reported.

With the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft is expected to reverse three quarters of declining Windows sales and fend off Apple's gains in personal computers.

Windows 7 is Microsoft's best shot to undercut Apple, which has grabbed its biggest share of the home computer market since the 1990s, Roger Kay, an American IT analyst told Bloomberg.

For the Indonesian market, Windows 7 Home Basic edition is priced at Rp 900,000 (US$90) at the cheapest for end-user consumers.

Local online store bhinneka.com sells the Home Premium edition for $145, which is much cheaper than in the US where the same version is priced at $199.99.

Amid massive software piracy in Indonesia, Microsoft has high hopes for Windows 7 to increase their sales. To win over consumers, Microsoft Indonesia has cooperated with small computer retailers, Internet cafes, as well as schools and universities.

"In addition, we have collaborated with prominent hardware vendors like Acer, HP and Intel. For the Windows Phone series, we have worked with Samsung, LG and Sony Ericcsson," Lukman said.

Microsoft's sales in Indonesia during the July-September period hit almost 10 percent growth on top of the previous three months, Lukman said.

"We aim to experience 20 percent growth next year, in line with the forecast of computer sales growth," he said.

Lukman said Indonesia was among the Asian countries that would experience big computer sales growth. The massive distribution of pirated software, however, might still be the biggest challenge for Microsoft. The software piracy rate in Indonesia is 87 percent, Lukman said. (bbs)

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