USA: Bill Gates launches Windows Vista in New York City, but some experts say the new software may have some disadvantages.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates introduces the launch of the Windows Vista Operating System with a news conference and some gravity-defying publicity. But, despite all the hype, one expert warns that consumers may encounter early problems with the software, like hackers and viruses. Microsoft Corporation, the world's largest software maker, will debut the long-awaited upgrade to its Windows operating system for consumers on Tuesday (January 30). In preparation for the launch, on Monday (January 29) Microsoft founder Bill Gates hosted a conference in New York City to officially introduce the Windows Vista Operating System. "Everything's becoming digital and the platform that allows people to be creative and build new applications and show off new hardware advances, that's a central element that allows it all to thrive. So Windows 95 was key to its era, and Windows Vista is key to the era we have today," said Gates. Windows Vista is the first major upgrade to the computer operating system since Microsoft first released Windows XP in October 2001. It will launch alongside new versions of its Office software suite and Exchange e-mail server software. "It's a definitely a platform for innovation. We've opened it up, and already we've seen partners doing great things," said Gates. In celebration of the launch, Microsoft arranged an extensive marketing campaign on Monday (January 29), including a group of performance artists who created a live billboard on the side of a New York city building. Research Director for the Envisioneering Group, Richard Doherty said that despite all the hype, new users of Vista may be confronted with some problems, like hackers and viruses. Said Doherty, "This is a six year interval, from 2001 to 2007, so while it's a big bang launch around the world, there's so much coming out at once and only so much that all the test families and corporate testers can do, that you may have some surprises and the hackers are just lined up around the world to attack it. So the early adopters may also be some of the early victims of Vista doing everything they're hoping it would do." But Microsoft says Vista is its most secure operating system ever, and the most significant since it released Windows 95 more than 11 years ago. The company has invested $6 billion and written over 50 million lines of code for the new software. New features of Vista include an "aero" glass interface, easier searches, gadget sidebars, and increased security. Windows vista will be available in six versions, but Microsoft expects Windows Vista Home Premium to be the mainstream consumer product. It will sell out of the box at $239 (USD) and can be upgraded from Windows XP for $159 (USD). But for those with older computers, the cost might not be the only price to pay for Vista; speed may also me sacrificed. Doherty explained, "The graphical user interface is really snazzy. But that comes at a price. If you've got a brand new PC, it's probably going to look great. If you're trying to put this on a PC made two or more years ago, your PC may slow down incredibly, so finding things may be offset by how come my typing is going slower, and how come everything else is slower. So there are some really great things if you are at the cutting edge and have a fairly new system, or buying a new system, and there are some things you have to watch out for if you have an older system and you want it to look as good and find things as easily as Vista does." More than 95 percent of the world's computers run some sort of Windows operating system, and in 2007, 72.5 percent of new computers purchased by consumers will come preloaded with a version of Windows Vista.

ITN Source | January 30, 2007

Tags:. .consumer. .surprises. .suite. .fairly. .probably