REDMOND, WASH. SEPT. 6, 2001 — Industry retailers and major computer makers are responding to the growing excitement for the Microsoft® Windows®
XP operating system by accepting advance orders for the software and by making Windows XP Ready PCs available for purchase today. Windows XP was released to manufacturing Aug. 24 and is scheduled to be available worldwide Oct. 25.
“Consumers are eager to get a copy of Windows XP and don’t want to wait until Oct. 25,” said John Frederiksen, general manager for Windows marketing at Microsoft Corp. “Consumers can preorder a copy of Windows XP today from one of several retailers or buy a Windows XP Ready PC from a computer manufacturer.”
Customers can preorder Windows XP online at Amazon.com, Best Buy and Costco.com or through their local software retailers, including CompUSA. Through this program, customers can be assured they will receive their copy of Windows XP around Oct. 25.
“Windows XP is sure to be a hit with Amazon.com’s 20 million active customers by making it easier for them to get the most, such as digital photography and music, out of their PCs,” said Carl Gish, vice president of Amazon.com’s Electronics and Software businesses. “And at Amazon.com they can preorder Windows XP today to guarantee they have it when it ships on Oct. 25.”
“Costco members can’t wait to dive into the incredible experiences that Windows XP will offer,” said Richard A. Galanti, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Costco. “They can preorder Windows XP today on Costco’s Web site, so that they’re ready for the new world of computing on Oct. 25.”
Today, a consumer can purchase a Windows XP Ready PC from several PC makers, including Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Gateway Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM Corp. and Sony Electronics Inc. The Windows XP Ready PC meets the system requirements for Windows XP. More than 30 PC manufacturers are providing programs for consumers to easily upgrade to Windows XP when it becomes broadly available on Oct 25. This will allow parents to buy PCs today for their children heading back to school, and receive the latest and best operating system in October.
“We believe the combination of Windows XP and Compaq’s PCs is going to transform our customers’ computing experience, whether they are at home, at work or on the road,” said Mike Larson, senior vice president and general manager for the Access Business Group at Compaq. “We are anticipating a great holiday sales season as we deliver the highest-quality Windows XP computing experience for PC users.”
“Our customers are thrilled about the benefits that Windows XP will provide, and they want it all: great Windows computing today, plus all the power of Windows XP as soon as it’s available,” said Karen K. Fuller, vice president of Dellware at Dell. “We’re excited to offer customers the opportunity to preorder both the Windows XP software package and Windows XP Ready computers.”
Windows XP, the new Windows with a new look, builds on the momentum of the Internet and digital media with improvements that increase productivity and provide both business and home users with an easy-to-use and exciting PC experience. Windows XP extends the personal computing experience by uniting PCs, devices and services, and brings the solid foundation of Windows 2000 to home PC users, enhancing reliability, security and performance.
To further assist users in evaluating the readiness of their system for Windows XP, Microsoft will release the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor, which provides users with an easy-to-use tool to check their system and help guide their upgrade to Windows XP. Upgrade Advisor is dynamic and takes advantage of Windows Update so users will always receive the most up-to-date information. Upgrade Advisor will be broadly available via download within the next couple of weeks.
Windows XP Home Edition will be available in an upgrade version for $99 (estimated retail price) and in a standard version for $199. Windows XP Professional will be available in an upgrade version for $199 and in a standard version for $299. (All prices are U.S. dollars.)
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
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