Microsoft ships Windows 7

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Microsoft has announced that the finished version of Windows 7, its new computer operating system, has shipped to suppliers, prior to a full release on October 22. The new operating system will go on sale in three versions, Home Premium (£80), Professional (£190) and Ultimate (£200). UK users who place advance orders before August 9 can claim a discount of almost 50 per cent on these prices. Windows 7 replaces the previous operating system Windows Vista with all its problems, and the more stable but still older Windows XP.


Times Online
Windows’ dominant market share has fallen from above 90 per cent in the face of increasingly stiff competition from less costly rivals. Apple Inc, whose iPod touch and iPhones have helped propel the company to an unprecedented 10 per cent OS market share, will release Snow Leopard, the latest version of its OS X operating system in September. The new system, designed to run only on Apple machines, promises speed enhancements and refinements; its lack of dazzling new features is reflected in the planned upgrade price of £29.

The internet search giant Google, meanwhile, recently announced that it will enter the operating system market with Chrome OS, a freely distributed system designed primarily for use on netbooks. John Curran, the Director, UK Windows Business Group is adamant that Windows 7 will restore Microsoft’s position as top dog: “When netbooks started out, we had a zero per cent share of the market. We have in the last 18 months responded with Windows XP Home, which delivers a better experience on netbooks than Vista. We are now at 90 per cent, and Windows 7 can run across the entire range of netbook hardware.”