Retailers Nationwide Experience Strong Demand for Windows 98 With Coming Soon! Programs
REDMOND, Wash., May 20, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that, in anticipation of the June 25 release of the Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating system, leading retailers are joining with Microsoft to launch the Windows 98 Coming Soon! programs. For the first time, leading retailers nationwide, including Computer City, CompUSA Inc. and OfficeMax Inc., are allowing customers to prepurchase licenses of Windows 98. Many of these top retailers also are offering their customers an array of unique prizes and special incentives in conjunction with the preorder offer.
“Windows 98 is an exciting upgrade for consumers because it runs today’s applications faster and more reliably than its predecessor, while unlocking a new generation of easy-to-use hardware devices and entertainment capabilities,”
said Yusuf Mehdi, director of Windows marketing at Microsoft.
“We are excited to see retailers across the country pulling out the stops to gear up for the availability of the newest Windows operating system that works better and plays better.”
Retailers Launch Special Windows 98 Offers
In addition to accepting advance orders for Windows 98, retailers are including special offers for those customers interested in preordering Windows 98. These promotions range from the chance to win $98,000 to free T-shirts and travel discounts for airline travel, Hertz Car Rental and Marriott Hotels.
“The customer demand for Windows 98 has already been great,”
said Nathan Morton, CEO and co-chairman of Computer City.
“In just two weeks, our presell of Windows 98 licenses has vastly exceeded our projections.”
To generate excitement for the preorder opportunity, Computer City is offering a bonus CD software pack valued at more than $200 for customers who preorder a copy of Windows 98. In addition, Computer City customers can register to win one of four trips for two to the official Windows 98 launch event June 25.
Gilbert Fiorentino, CEO of TigerDirect, a leading manufacturer and direct reseller of PCs and accessories, said,
“Windows 98 is a terrific upgrade, and every user of Windows will benefit from the features found in this new version of the operating system. Since we began our Windows 98 Coming Soon! program, we have received thousands of preorders via our Web site and catalog. Any way we look at it, this product will be a success.”
Customers who preorder Windows 98 from TigerDirect will receive 10 entries for a sweepstakes to win $98,000. In addition, TigerDirect is offering many discounts on companion products of Windows 98 when acquired with the operating system upgrade, such as an additional 16 MB of PNY memory for $10 and a $98 rebate on the ATI All-in-Wonder Pro television tuner/graphics card.
CompUSA is also promoting Windows 98 through the Windows 98 Coming Soon! programs and expects increased sales of Windows 98-compatible products.
“We’re expecting that Windows 98-compatible products, such as USB devices and DVD, in addition to Windows 98, will be driving a significant amount of traffic to our stores nationwide,”
said Hal Compton, president of CompUSA stores and COO of CompUSA.
“Our customers are going to be so excited about the new performance and hardware capabilities that Windows 98 delivers.”
For a list of resellers participating in the Windows 98 Coming Soon! programs, please refer to the addendum at the end of this release.
Pricing and Availability of Windows 98
Estimated retail pricing for the upgrade version for users of Windows 95 and
Windows 3.1 is $109 (U.S.). For estimated retail pricing in local currency around the world, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary.
Windows 98 will be localized into 29 additional languages: Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Chinese (PRC), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese AT, Japanese NEC, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Ib), Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai and Turkish.
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.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
Addendum
The following is a list of computer software resellers participating in the Windows 98 Coming Soon! programs:
Frys
Multiple Zones International Inc.
Staples Inc. ©1998 Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.Legal Notices
