Microsoft rolls out Windows 7

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft Corp. began to roll out Windows 7 operating system on Thursday with the hope of shaking off the negative image created by previous Vista version and maintain its dominance on the global market of personal computer (PC) operating systems.

Copies of Microsoft Windows 7 are displayed in Redmond, Washington,  Oct. 22, 2009. Microsoft Corp launched Windows 7 on Thursday in its  most important release for more than a decade, aiming to win back  customers after the disappointing Vista and strengthen its grip on the PC market.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

New Zealand became the first country to kick off the global launch of Windows 7, as hundreds of people attended events in Wellington and Auckland on Thursday morning.

Events are followed around the globe, culminating with a ceremony in New York where Microsoft chief executive officer (CEO)Steve Ballmer formally unveils the new operating system.

"So today Windows 7 is available -- 45,000 stores around the world. It's available on new PCs, the upgrade is available, and it's just out there for all to start, hopefully, to appreciate and enjoy as much as our 8 million beta testers have done," said Ballmer .

"We were trying to make the everyday usage of the PC better in the ways our customers wanted: simpler, faster, more responsive. And so for the billion people who use Windows, for the perhaps as many as 300 million people who may buy a PC during the course of the next 12 months, we want to give a chance for people to have a better and better experience," he added.

Microsoft on Thursday also opened its first retail store in Scottsdale in the U.S. state of Arizona, which offers customers a select line of laptops, netbooks, all-in-one PCs, Xbox consoles, Windows Mobile phones and third-party software.

A second store will be launched Oct. 29 in Mission Viejo in the U.S. state of California, according to Microsoft.

The global availability of Windows 7 is joined by an unprecedented array of new PCs with price points starting under 300 U.S. dollars, the company said in a statement.