Vista Starter ready for developing nationsMicrosoft will launch a Starter edition of the Windows Vista operating system, geared toward customers in developing countries.
With the launch of Windows Vista Starter, Microsoft is expanding its initiative to make its products accessible to lower-income families in developing countries. It will be available in 70 languages and also feature an option that allows use of the operating system in different languages--if, for example, a parent wants to use the computer in his native language but the household's children want to use it in English. The stripped-down Vista will also be able to run on a wider variety of processors than its XP predecessor, ranging from Intel's Celerons and older Pentiums to Advanced Micro Devices' Duron. While a 300MHz processor is recommended, the operating system can run on speeds as low as 233MHz. Another feature of XP Starter Edition that has been expanded in Vista is the suite of support tools designed to provide answers to even the most basic questions. "In a developed market, we're used to having a lot of high-end users, a lot of technology enthusiasts; and these are definitely not technology enthusiasts," Wickstrand said. "A lot of these customers had never used a mouse before." With Windows Vista Starter, people will have the option of tutorials in their native languages or of watching a demonstration of the mouse clicking its way through the task in question. Microsoft has high hopes for this edition of its new operating system. "We're pretty enthusiastic about the customer and partner interest in the product overall," Wickstrand said. "When we take a look at XP Starter Edition, it took us a year-and-a-half to sell our first half million (copies), six months to sell the next half million, and just three months to sell the third half million." The company says it is looking forward to similarly "aggressive growth" with Windows Vista Starter.
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