Windows 7

For the first time in almost 2 years, Windows Vista lost some market share for the month of September. According to Stat counter , Windows Vista was at its peak in August holding 23.36% of the market share. But last month ( September ) it dropped to 22.54% . Windows 7 on the other hand climbed from 1.69% to reach a record high of 1.79%.

While these aren’t exactly huge changes is either OS’s market share, It is the first time Windows Vista has lost market share in almost 2 years. It’s also Windows 7’s biggest jump since it was first made available to the public in January 2009 and it shows that Vista users are already keen on switching to Windows 7.

Continue reading »

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it plans to open a “Windows Cafe” in Paris where people will be able to try out the latest from Redmond while drinking a cup of coffee. The cafe will open on Oct. 22–the day that Windows 7 launches, Microsoft said.

“This initiative expresses our intention to meet with the general public and show the new Windows experiences on PC, mobile and on the Internet,” a Microsoft representative said in a statement to CNET News. “People will be able to discover Windows 7, the Windows phones and the Windows Live services.”

Microsoft’s statement comes after photos of the cafe appeared on a French technology Web site.

In the United States, Microsoft has announced plans to open a network of retail stores–with the first two opening this fall. More are slated to open next year.

For now, the Paris location is the only cafe planned, Microsoft said.

Others chimed in on Wednesday with some interesting tidbits. TechCrunch observes that, ahead of the opening, the cafe is already offering free Wi-Fi to those on the sidewalk, while Silicon Alley Insider notes that the location was previously home to an eatery called Wet Willie’s.

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is an anti-malware product that works via the cloud, a successor to OneCare, and contains quite a bit of promise. The beta versions had a strong ability to detect and remove malware, and as the product grows, its strength will only increase as more and more users automatically submit telemetry to the cloud. Even so, MSE already has a strong base, with 400,000 testers during the beta release.

MSE will also be completely free (assuming that your operating system passing the WGA test), matching the company’s belief in anti-virus software. The program is mainly being marketed as a lightweight, effective solution especially meant for those who do not currently have existing protection (estimated at 50-60% of users) or consumers whose anti-virus suite has expired, leaving them open to attacks by malware. Continue reading »

Not only is Microsoft taking some cues from Apple for its retail stores, but it’s also trying to poach store managers, with the promise of higher pay (according to The Loop). Microsoft is even offering to pay for the moving expenses if required, and the software giant also wants top sales agents, informing “moved” managers that they are also interested in those employees as well, and that they will have the same bonuses.

It’s not a bad move (just interesting) considering the success of the Apple Stores (let’s face it, we all know that Microsoft is just trying to imitate the Apple Store). Whether it will be a failure or a complete success remains to be seen, although the latter is probably the safer option considering that Microsoft is building off of an already successful base (who said that you can’t learn from your enemies?). Continue reading »

It’s hard enough keeping track of every Netbook manufacturer nowadays, but that’s not stopping Hercules from getting in the game. The relatively obscure maker of Webcams and DJ rigs has made some low-profile Netbooks in Europe previously, but has decided that now’s the time to release a U.S. Netbook of its very own–with Windows 7, no less.

Preloaded with Windows 7 Starter (the hobbled, less desirable version of 7), the somewhat chunky eCafe EC-1000W Netbook is slightly notable for two reasons: it has a 250GB hard drive, as opposed to the 160GB Netbook standard, and it prominently offers 50GB of free online storage to customers of the eCafe EC-1000W. Continue reading »

With his first Windows release under his belt, Microsoft Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky is trying his hand as an author.

The Windows unit president is co-authoring a management book with Harvard’s Marco Iansiti. Continue reading »

lthough the conventional wisdom is that the rise of the Netbook is hurting the Windows business, a Microsoft executive said Tuesday that lower-cost laptops can actually be a good thing.Speaking at an investor conference, general manager Charles Songhurst said that overall, most people buying Netbooks are either multiple PC owners in developed markets or first-time PC buyers in emerging markets.

“From what we see they are incremental,” Songhurst said. “They are new scenarios.” Continue reading »

Microsoft plans to offer a substantial discount for college students who want to pick up a copy of Windows 7.

Starting October 1–and for a limited time–those in the U.K. will be able to preorder Windows 7 for 30 British pounds, according to a Microsoft Web site. In a Twitter posting, Microsoft said that U.S. college students will be able to get the software for $30, but the Web site it linked to does not yet have details on the offer.

“This offer is specifically designed for those students who are not planning to purchase a new PC this year but would still like to take advantage of what Windows 7 offers,” a Microsoft representative said. Those who order the software will be able to download it when Windows 7 ships on October 22. Students interested in the deal need a valid college e-mail address. Continue reading »

Microsoft’s marketing team considers ridiculously skewed comparison charts to be a killer weapon in the war on competitors. It’s only natural, then, that the Redmond giant would provide retail store employees with a surreal juxtaposition between Windows 7 and Linux to “explain” for the Linux-curious. Continue reading »

Windows 7 drivers for Dell products are often sought after and finally, there’s an answer. Dell has started posting their first set of certified Windows 7 Drivers for its commercial desktop and laptop products. The Dell Community blog states that they still have additional drivers to release and to check back if a certain Windows 7 driver is not listed.

Driver support from third-party vendors is critical to the success of Windows 7 as we have learned from the Vista catastrophe. As Dell pushes their drivers for release, hopefully other parties will be making their hardware and utilities officially compatible with Windows 7. I’m talking to you, Punkbuster.