REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 2, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that over 3.4 million people worldwide have downloaded the new all-in-one Windows Media™ Player 7 in the first 10 days of its availability, at a rate of nearly four downloads every second. This strong customer demand for the player has driven the number of licensed copies of Microsoft® Windows Media Player to more than 200 million licensed copies worldwide. By comparison, this unprecedented popularity for Windows Media Player 7 eclipses ‘N Sync’s March 2000 record-breaking album release in which they sold 2.4 million albums in the first week and more than doubles the previous record of 1.4 million albums by the Backstreet Boys. This widespread demand also more than triples the download rate of the nearest jukebox competitor in its first 10 days of public availability.
“Windows Media Player 7 is winning industry reviews for its innovative and easy all-in- one experience,”
said Dave Fester, general manager of marketing for the Digital Media Division at Microsoft.
“The unprecedented consumer demand for Windows Media Player 7 is the true measure of how we’ve met the needs of mainstream consumers.”
Windows Media Player 7, released on July 18 for download at http://WindowsMedia.com/ and http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/ , was also a top-five download on CNET’s download.com for the week of July 23, exceeding downloads of all other digital media jukeboxes, including RealPlayer, RealJukebox, MusicMatch and WinAmp.
Windows Media Player 7 is the only software that delivers a complete, all-in-one experience, including digital audio and video playback, a jukebox, an Internet radio tuner, an integrated media guide, audio CD creation, and one-click transfer of digital music to portable devices. Windows Media Player 7 ends user confusion and the need to use several products to perform the most common digital media activities.
Availability
Windows Media Player 7 is available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/ and http://WindowsMedia.com/ . Windows Media Player 7 is also available on the Windows Update Web site at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ . Versions are available for the Microsoft Windows® 98 and Windows 2000 operating systems. Windows Media Player 7 is also a feature of the upcoming Windows Millennium Edition.
About Windows Media
Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, providing unmatched audio and video quality to consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations. Windows Media offers the industry’s only integrated rights-management solution and the most scalable and reliable streaming technology tested by independent labs. Windows Media Technologies includes Windows Media Player for consumers, Windows Media Services for servers, Windows Media Tools for content creation, and the Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK) for software developers. Windows Media Player, available in 24 languages, is the fastest-growing media player. More information about Windows Media can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/ .
About Microsoft
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.
Microsoft, Windows Media and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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