T

he new version of Windows, which was made available to consumers on Friday, appears to be a strategy for Microsoft to keep its operating system domination amid a decline in the personal computer (PC) market throughout the world.

The company said that its latest product went through radical changes in the way its users can use technology for work and play, offering a “no-compromise computing experience”.

Windows 8 can run on laptops, tablets and desktops, allowing users to both buy and create content using only one device.  

“A computer is no longer synonymous with office productivity. Now computers are so much more important for all of us. It is something that we use in our daily lives,” the president of Microsoft Asia Pacific, Tracey Fellows, told a group of Indonesian journalists on the sidelines of the launch of Windows 8 at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore on Thursday afternoon.

People use computers to shop, browse the web, make social networking and run businesses. Sometimes they use more than one device.

With Windows 8, consumers no longer have to choose, as they can work and play using only one device, Fellows said.

“You can use screen touch, the keyboard or a mouse. We can do things very quickly, depending on what you want to do. And you can use it for work and for fun. With Windows 8, you can choose how you use it, and it works how you want it to work,” she said.

Among the Windows 8 highlights touted was the ease with which users could personalize their devices.

“We can personalize it. It’s not only about my computer but also my settings,” Christian Sugiono, Microsoft Indonesia’s Windows 8 brand ambassador, said.

The actor said that he had fallen in love with the Windows 8 after he had used it for only a couple of weeks on a touchscreen device. “Once I log in to any device, it will download my settings and the device becomes mine, exactly the way I like to have it. It’s now the way I do everything in my daily activities,” Christian said.

Currently, around 1.3 billion people aorund the world are using Windows. In Indonesia, Windows comprises 97 percent of total PC market. “Between 40 to 45 percent consumers in the country, however, still use Windows XP which will expire in April 2014,” Andreas Diantoro, Microsoft Indonesia’s president director, said.

“It’s time for you to upgrade your Windows to newer versions, as it [Windows XP] will not be supported anymore,” he added.

Consumers using old versions such as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 can upgrade their operating system to Windows 8 Pro for special price by going to www.windowsupgradeoffer.com. If the PC runs a version of Windows dated from before June 2012, a user has to pay US$39.99 to upgrade to Windows 8. If the user has a newer version of Windows, he or she has to pay a $14.99 license fee. Other Windows 8 Pro licenses start at $69.9. The offer is valid until Jan. 31, 2013.  

The Windows 8 Pro is one of three new versions of Windows that Microsoft has launched. The others are Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Unlike the Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, Windows RT is specially designed with apps already installed so consumers don’t have to be confused anymore on whether the software they are installing is compatible or not.

PCs with Windows RT preinstalled have been specifically designed for “fun, life on the go and getting things done”. The devices, powered by ARM processors, will soon come to consumers in Indonesia for an estimated retail price of Rp 5.2 million ($539) each.

“There will be a range of devices with a range of prices that will be interesting. We believe we will have very nice choices, so people will be able to look at what they want, pick up and choose,” Bernard Saisse, Microsoft Indonesia’s director of marketing and operations, said.