It's official -- Windows 98<br>hits the highway
On-the-road songs from the likes of the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and Willie Nelson filled the air at San Francisco's Fort Mason, and country star Reba McEntire sang the virtues of the new operating system via a video clip.
Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) boasted that more than 100,000 people were watching the launch at 91 locations and via the Web.
Just like the auto industry?
CEO Bill Gates compared the PC industry to the auto industry in the 1920s, saying, "The auto industry gave people a lot of freedom. The PC industry will do the same thing, but a lot faster."
While the product has often been denigrated as merely an update to Windows 95, Gates called Windows 98 "a milestone."
| 'The auto industry gave people a lot of freedom. The PC industry will do the same thing, but a lot faster.' -- Bill Gates |
Gates also said that in three years, Microsoft would come out with a major new platform, though he added that he didn't know what it would be.
"Over time, the PC won't look anything like it looks today," he predicted, saying it would resemble a tablet-sized screen. Going forward, Gates said PC adoption would be driven by computers that are always-connected, self-repairing and inexpensive.
Gates and Windows 98 marketing director Brad Chase ran down several much-hyped features of Windows 98, including the ability to connect to a host of USB devices such as scanners, DVD support, and speedy connection to the Internet without leaving a hard drive document.
According to the company, 120,000 people placed pre-orders for the platform, which hit shelves Thursday.
More features upcoming
Chase also gave a sneak peek at features due this fall, including Task Center, a feature of Windows Update that lets a user do such things as change the screensaver or background without having to follow a series of complicated commands.
He also previewed the upcoming Chrome, a high-end feature enabling advanced multimedia and three-dimensional graphics.
Gates didn't mention this week's U.S. Appeals Court ruling, which said Microsoft did not have to separate IE from Windows 95 -- a victory for the company. But Microsoft definitely toned down its aggressive image during the presentation.
Before the launch, Gates told PC Week's John Dodge that he's confident Windows 98 will sell far more copies -- and more quickly -- than Windows 95.
'Not there yet ...'
Just like the auto, "the PC and Internet are going to be fundamental. We're not there yet, but it will get there, just like the automobile."
Gates said PC penetration in homes - currently at about 40 percent - will grow to 60 percent within three years, and the rate of computers connected to the Internet will jump to 85 percent from 60 percent.
He said Windows 98, which features the controversial integration of the Internet Explorer browser, would drive that interest in the Internet.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft Corp. launched Windows 98 Thursday by talking almost as much about cars as it did software, in a tortured twist of its "Route 98" theme.
On-the-road songs from the likes of the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and Willie Nelson filled the air at San Francisco's Fort Mason, and country star Reba McEntire sang the virtues of the new operating system via a video clip.
Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) boasted that more than 100,000 people were watching the launch at 91 locations and via the Web.
Just like the auto industry?
CEO Bill Gates compared the PC industry to the auto industry in the 1920s, saying, "The auto industry gave people a lot of freedom. The PC industry will do the same thing, but a lot faster."
While the product has often been denigrated as merely an update to Windows 95, Gates called Windows 98 "a milestone."
| 'The auto industry gave people a lot of freedom. The PC industry will do the same thing, but a lot faster.' -- Bill Gates |
Gates also said that in three years, Microsoft would come out with a major new platform, though he added that he didn't know what it would be.
"Over time, the PC won't look anything like it looks today," he predicted, saying it would resemble a tablet-sized screen. Going forward, Gates said PC adoption would be driven by computers that are always-connected, self-repairing and inexpensive.
Gates and Windows 98 marketing director Brad Chase ran down several much-hyped features of Windows 98, including the ability to connect to a host of USB devices such as scanners, DVD support, and speedy connection to the Internet without leaving a hard drive document.
According to the company, 120,000 people placed pre-orders for the platform, which hit shelves Thursday.
More features upcoming
Chase also gave a sneak peek at features due this fall, including Task Center, a feature of Windows Update that lets a user do such things as change the screensaver or background without having to follow a series of complicated commands.
He also previewed the upcoming Chrome, a high-end feature enabling advanced multimedia and three-dimensional graphics.
Gates didn't mention this week's U.S. Appeals Court ruling, which said Microsoft did not have to separate IE from Windows 95 -- a victory for the company. But Microsoft definitely toned down its aggressive image during the presentation.
Before the launch, Gates told PC Week's John Dodge that he's confident Windows 98 will sell far more copies -- and more quickly -- than Windows 95.
'Not there yet ...'
Just like the auto, "the PC and Internet are going to be fundamental. We're not there yet, but it will get there, just like the automobile."
Gates said PC penetration in homes - currently at about 40 percent - will grow to 60 percent within three years, and the rate of computers connected to the Internet will jump to 85 percent from 60 percent.
He said Windows 98, which features the controversial integration of the Internet Explorer browser, would drive that interest in the Internet.