I don’t know what’s going on in our house, but two of our computers have called it quits in the past 4 months. First the kitchen computer died and then the desktop I use as a standby in my office (actually, I usually just listen to the Seattle NPR station on it) decided to call it a day. It could be the advanced age of both of these machines or maybe my house has some mystical electronic field around it, but regardless, we need at least one replacement.
As a result, my husband and I have been casually shopping around for a new computer, but recently decided to wait until we can get one with Windows 7. Well, if you’re like us and are waiting until Windows 7 is available to purchase your new PC, you can go out and do your part to jump-start the economy starting tomorrow, June 26th, because Microsoft has announced the Windows 7 Upgrade Program. From the Windows 7 Team blog:
“But, you don’t have to wait until GA to get a new Windows PC. In fact, we know many people need that new PC sooner – for back to school specifically. And we have the answer for people who need a new PC now but still want to get Windows 7 and that’s the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program, which kicks off tomorrow, June 26th! Anyone who buys a PC from a participating OEM or retailer with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate on it will all receive an upgrade to the corresponding version of Windows 7 at little or no cost to customers. The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program will be available until January 31st, 2010 – and is global! For more information on taking advantage of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program, visit www.windows.com/upgradeoffer.”
One thing I want to point out is that when the folks over at Windows 7 say something is global like the Upgrade Option Program, they mean it. General Availability (GA) for Windows 7 is October 22nd and normally, that would mean English language version and maybe a couple of other languages thrown in. Well, the days of waiting months for all languages to be available are over.
“On October 22nd, Windows 7 will be available in the following 14 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Chinese (Hong Kong).
Then on October 31st, the remaining 21 languages will become available: Turkish, Czech, Portuguese, Hungarian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Ukrainian, Romanian, Arabic, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Slovenian, Hebrew, Thai, Croatian, Serbian Latin, and Latvian.”
Localization into this many languages in this timeframe is a huge challenge. Congratulations to the Windows 7 team. Time to start shopping for my new PC!