More Than 30 Million Users Make Microsoft Excel The World’s Most Popular Spreadsheet Program

REDMOND, Wash., May 20, 1996 — More than 30 million people worldwide now use Microsoft®
Excel, making it the most popular spreadsheet of all time. This figure averages more than five new users of Microsoft Excel per minute since the product’s introduction in September 1985. To recognize the contribution customers of Microsoft Excel have made to the success of the product, Microsoft Corp. today announced a set of no-charge product add-in enhancements that extend Microsoft Excel functionality to the Internet and simplify complex tasks. Users can download the new add-ins immediately from the Microsoft Excel World Wide Web site, located at http://microsoft.com/excel/default.asp .

More than 30 million users worldwide rely on the robust functionality and intuitive design of Microsoft Excel to help them analyze and understand data. According to Allan Frank, chief technology officer of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP,


Microsoft Excel is now the spreadsheet of choice for our business. It is an analytical engine that is both powerful and easy to use, and it has become a vital tool for us in productive client service delivery.

Microsoft attributes the spreadsheet’s success to its customers. User feedback, drawn from Microsoft’s ongoing usability testing and research, guides development and shapes priorities for new features and new technologies.


Our best product consultants are our customers,


said Jon Reingold, general manager of the Microsoft Excel business unit.


We’re very excited to have 30 million people who can help us make Microsoft Excel an even better spreadsheet.

Responding to customer requests, Microsoft developed a number of no-charge product


add-ins to enhance the functionality of Microsoft Excel, including the following:

  • Microsoft Excel Viewer (available for Microsoft Excel for the Windows
    ®

    95 operating system only) for viewing spreadsheets over the Internet

  • File Conversion Wizard (not compatible with Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Macintosh®
    ) for batch conversion of multiple competitive files

  • Lookup Wizard for quick access to data on large worksheets

  • Internet Assistant for Microsoft Excel that easily converts Microsoft Excel files into HTML

Users can download these add-ins immediately from the Free Software area of the Microsoft Excel home page, located at http://microsoft.com/msexcel/.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

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