I took some time to watch the Windows Vista and Office Product Launches on webcast.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0701

It runs just over an hour but I stopped watching after 45 minuets.

Why?

Well the annoying pseudo punk band (angels and airwaves) certainly didn’t help. This alone helped to define the un-coolness of it all.

Bill Gates did a speech (badly) he looked at the autocue when listing every security feature.

They rolled out the executives from Dell, Intel, AMD, Toshiba and Sony and each executive got a first pressing of Windows Vista and a photo op with Bill Gates.

Then a Microsofty came on and did an on-screen demo and saw his life flash before his eyes when something didn’t work quite as quickly as it should. You can see the panic on his face.

A typical American family were rolled out. This family had been part of the consultative period during the development of Windows Vista. This is when Microsoft asks real people what they wanted. Apparently you have to thank the Mother of this family for the “Burn” Icon on Photo Gallery, because she asked for it.

Then that annoying punk band came back and I clicked off feeling sorry for all the internal Microsoft Developers who sadly and secretly wished someone with passion (who lived on the same planet as the rest of us) was launching the most important work of their lives.

Don’t get me wrong Vista is a cool product, but getting your Dad to tell you its Cool just doesn’t work anymore.

At this point Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are doing more harm that good in the public arena.

The first wave of Windows Vista publicity also does not seem to be working.

This poll from BBC news site suggests a less than stellar initial reaction.

Think back to the launch of Windows 95, it had people at Retail stores at midnight to get a copy.

I had a rant at Dell Technical Support last August for keeping me waiting for nearly an hour and not answering my call.

This was during the battery recall period, and I guess they could not cope.

Yesterday I had to get a faulty Laptop power brick replaced, The whole call took 13 mins and this is how its supposed to work.

Well done, good service deserves to be highlighted just as much as bad.

Link: http://www.dell.co.uk

Windows Vista hits retail on Jan 30th but today is the Launch Event with that Bill Gates chap. The webcast is on late afternoon UK time.
I am not of fan of the tag line “The wow starts now” but I suppose its better than Windows 95 “Start me up”.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/

Dell will start taking orders for Windows Vista as early as the 27th Jan 2007.

For most consumers this is they way will experience Windows Vista (on a new PC/Laptop’s)

Link: http://www.eweek.com/article2/

As a consultant you are judged by the quality of the advice you give.

The 50 million dollar question is: Is business ready for the change?

Commercially Windows Vista and Office 2007 are going to be slow burn products.

They will trickle into the mainstream via new computer installs as opposed to people actually upgrading from Windows XP or Office 2000, XP or Office 2003.

To be honest as both Windows Vista and Office only hit the retail shelves from next week. No one really knows to what extent Joe Public will either love or hate the new direction.

My gut says people will like Windows Vista (more or less because it’s pretty) and people like me extol its new security features. Windows Vista on new fast hardware is a nice experience.

Microsoft Office 2007 is a harder choice; I like it, but the true extent of training and familiarisation a typical user will require is still an unknown.

So over the next few months all the early adopters will help figure some of this out.

I also plan to write about my own experience using Windows Vista and Office 2007.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/