Beginning a New Era
Millions of people contributed to the making of two new software products.
This week, Microsoft has joined with our partners around the world to deliver Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office system — new products that work together to help people accomplish more throughout the day.
In a way, we have been working toward this moment ever since Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft three decades ago. From Microsoft BASIC to Microsoft DOS, through each version of Microsoft Office and Windows, we and our technology partners have pioneered and popularized many of the technologies that people everywhere have come to rely on to help them thrive in the knowledge economy and stay connected in the digital age.
This week represents another major milestone, one that brings important advancements in security, networking, communications, interface design, accessibility for people with disabilities, and much more. We’re excited. We’re also grateful, because Microsoft could never have made the journey on our own.
Windows Vista and 2007 Office system were designed with help from tens of thousands of customers who allowed us to watch them as they worked at computers in a total of more than 1 billion work sessions. We learned a lot about how people actually use software, and we gleaned great new ideas on how software can help people work more easily and effectively.
As we began checking test versions of the two products, our customers and partners downloaded more than 5 million beta versions. Their insightful suggestions helped us assess the quality of our work and the value of the new features and capabilities we built in.
Especially helpful was the extensive feedback we received from many of the more than 500,000 companies that build their businesses on our software platform—PC manufacturers, independent software developers, consultants and others. They share Microsoft’s interest in ensuring that our software delivers great new benefits to customers. This year, the information technology industry at large will reap more than $18 in revenue from Windows Vista for every dollar Microsoft receives, according to research by the technology consultancy IDC.
To everyone who contributed to the making of Windows Vista and 2007 Office system: Thank you!
Over the course of the next decade, we expect that hundreds of millions of people will use these two products. They will be used by CEOs to plan corporate strategy; by elementary school teachers to help children learn the skills they need to thrive in a fast-changing knowledge economy; by researchers to explore the far reaches of science, and by artists to explore the outer edges of creativity. Product planners at the world's largest consumer enterprises will use them to understand market trends, while craftspeople in remote villages will use them to reach customers on the other side of the world.
The future of personal computing begins today. We look forward to the new ideas, businesses and innovations that will result.
