Customer Purchases of Windows 98 Upgrade Licenses Exceed 1 Million Units

Redmond, Wash., July 16, 1998 — Microsoft estimates that more than 1 million upgrade licenses of Windows 98, Microsoft’s new consumer operating system that works better and plays better, have been obtained at retail by customers in North America since the product’s June 25 release.

Microsoft also reported high customer satisfaction with Windows 98, with 9 out of 10 Windows 98 home users stating they are satisfied with the product, as measured by Telecommunications Research Group (TRG), an independent market research firm. “It’s nice to see Windows 98 off to such a great start,” said Brad Chase, vice president of Windows Marketing and Developer Relations for Microsoft Corp. “Delivering a high quality product that provides customers with the best possible upgrade experience is our top priority, and we are happy to report that calls to technical support are approximately half of what we experienced with Windows 95.”

“When the product launched three weeks ago, we were thrilled with the enthusiastic response from our customers,: said Larry Mondry, executive vice president of merchandizing for CompUSA. “Three weeks later, sales continue to exceed our expectations, and our customers report being very satisfied with Windows 98 .”

Customers Report High Satisfaction with Windows 98

Extensive testing and a focus on quality in the development of Windows 98 have led to a high level of satisfaction among customers, as measured by a telephone survey conducted by TRG conducted with a random sample of 285 Windows 98 consumer users in the United States. (The survey has an accuracy of plus or minus 4.9 percent at the 90 percent confidence level.)

TRG reported that 90 percent of survey respondents said they were “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Windows 98, and more than one in two have already recommended Windows 98 to someone else. In addition 72 percent of respondents said Windows 98 was easier to set up and install than windows 95, while 75 percent believed Windows 98 was a good investment for the future.

Number of Support Calls for Windows 98 Lower Than for Windows 95

The quality of Windows 98 is also reflected in the number and type of calls taken by Microsoft Technical Services. Windows 98 is currently generating approximately one half the volume of calls compared to Windows 95. Ensuring that customers have a positive upgrade experience was a top priority for Windows 98 and part of the reduction in call volume is due to Windows 98 being easier to install.

Microsoft is actively monitoring customer feedback, however, and is committed to ensuring that customers have the best PC experience possible. In an effort to ensure that customers receive the support they need, Microsoft Technical Support (MTS) is continually updating Support Online (http://www.microsoft.com/support/) to provide users with the latest support information and service via the web. As it has for the previous three weeks, Microsoft will be extending support hours into the weekend, with no-charge support available on Saturday, July 18th, from 7a.m.-3 p.m. PDT.

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