Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 01 April 2009 06:47
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
In an exclusive, long sought after interview with Microsoft’s CEO and
Lord of the Dance, Steve Ballmer, a startling revelation on the future
of Windows has emerged, set to shock, surprise, delight and dismay.
Which emotion will you feel today?
With the buzz around Windows 7 getting ever louder and more positive, the date towards the Release candidate getting ever closer, and with Microsoft working hard to erase the negatives of the Vista debacle, a new revelation is sure to set tongues wagging worldwide.
Over the past few months, Windows 7 builds have steadily leaked out to the Internet, and each version has delivered faster speeds, smoother performance and startlingly good hardware driver compatibility.
Already the 7068 build is being installed by curious types worldwide, and the buzz around the 7070 build, following leaked screenshots, is becoming ever more intense.
During this time, I have been trying to pin down Microsoft’s CEO, Steven F. Ballmer, for an interview in iTWire, and yesterday, my wish was finally granted – so here we go!
Alex: Steve, thank you for taking the time for this interview, and answering my questions. I know you’ve been busy on Windows 7 – can you confirm an exact date for the release candidate, especially now that TechNet seems to have “accidentally” released a May 2009 date?
Steve: Alex, it’s a pleasure to be with you and your readers. Now – down to business. Sadly, I can’t yet confirm the exact date for the Windows 7 release candidate, but I have some news which you’ll be surprised to hear, and which is an exclusive for you: We’re going to release Windows 7 free of charge.
Alex: What?! Why? What’s the catch? All versions? When will you officially announce this via a Microsoft press release/conference?
Steve: Ah, glad you asked. Yes, I’ll say it again: Microsoft is releasing Windows 7 free of charge. Now, there is a catch – the specific version we’re releasing free to consumers is the Windows 7 Home Premium version.
We’ve decided to abolish the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic versions completely, and adopt 7 Home Premium as our baseline model, complete with Media Center and all of the other features you’d expect from a Premium Windows version.
Continuing research has uncovered that people really hate the idea of a “Starter” version that can only run three programs at a time, while the Basic version came up with very low acceptance figures too.
In the new economic reality of the world, circa 2009, we’ve decided we want more people in the tent than out of it, getting updates and staying protected, and by making Windows 7 Home Premium free to consumers, we foresee a massive stimulus of the Windows “economy” not only for ourselves, but our OEM, hardware and software partners – which will ultimately mean more Windows PCs being sold, ever more software developed for Windows, and the continuing dominance of the Windows platform.
Alex: So, why else is Microsoft doing this?
Please read on to page 2 for the rest of the interview with Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer.
