WINDOWS 7 PROMISES MORE SPEED AND SECURITY

Tackling competition

Bangalore: As the battle in the operating system space heats up, Microsoft believes it has the right ecosystem to tackle competition.
Microsoft's newest OS version Windows 7 (to be launched on October 22) will make user experience faster and simpler, says Microsoft India's Consumer and Online Marketing Officer, Rishi Srivatsava.

A beta (free trial) version has been in the market for less than a year now and the consumer feedback has been positive, says Srivatsava, who believes people will continue to use Windows 7 even after its official worldwide launch on October 22 after which it will no longer be free.

Wide compatibility

'Competition in the operating system has always been there. We have had it with Linux. But today our Windows product touches over a billion people across the world. About 98 per cent of the PC base in India (35 million) runs Windows.'

'Windows has a rich ecosystem that offers the largest compatibility with different devices (over 25,000 devices are already certified with Windows 7) which means that if one plugs in anything on my USB slot, the Windows software recognises it immediately. Also, several applications are built for the Windows platform,' says Srivatsava.

Increase in speed

Microsoft is confident about its ability to deliver what consumers want - speed and easy navigation. From the moment they log in, users can experience significant increase in speed.

The task bar has also been made simpler with features such as preview to enable easy navigation and enrich user experience, says Srivatsava. The security aspect has also been beefed up in Windows 7 to check for malware.
Windows 7 comes within three years after the launch of the earlier version, Windows Vista, in 2007.

Bullish on Bing

Microsoft is also bullish on Bing, the company's re-branded search engine. 'But Bing is not a search engine,' corrects Srivatsava. 'It's a decision-making tool that helps consumers make a decision.'
Srivatsava explains that most search engines offer an information overload but do not provide instant answers to what one wants. But Bing not only provides instant answers but also gives search results that help users decide what they could do with the information obtained, he says.

'Gaining share'

For instance, a query on 'Singapore' not only digs up Web sites with information on the country but also throws up related results on hotels, airlines, visa and maps.
Srivatsava says Bing also offers users a snap preview to 'what's in store' in a particular site. This helps them decide whether the Web site is what they are indeed looking for and if they need to open it at all in the first place. The preview option is available with videos too.

In the US, Bing is 'gaining share' in the search space, which is dominated by Google. 'India too is a key market and a big focus area for Bing,' says Srivatsava.