Vista's 'wow starts now'

"It is a privilege to be here for the biggest launch in software history," Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said at the culmination of a show which saw acrobats dangling from buildings to unfurl flags promoting the launch, and neon billboards across the famous intersection flash the Vista tagline "the wow starts now".

"With the digital lifestyle, people have very high expectations," Microsoft founder and chairperson Bill Gates told an audience in an adjacent theatre. "Windows, and now Vista, is the central element that allows the digital lifestyle to thrive."

And while "wow" has not tended to be a big part of Bill Gates' vocabulary, you would never know it if you hear him speak about the long-awaited Vista operating system.

"This 'Wow' thing is a great way of describing what we've got here," Gates told The Associated Press as the software maker began a slate of splashy events in New York.

"There are chances for wows all over the product."

The massive program (it reportedly contains 50 million lines of code) went on sale at midnight on Tuesday in 100 launch events around the world, with one of the earliest launches coming in Tokyo where customers were reported to have lined up outside stores to get their hands on the new system.

Following the New York event Gates flew to Europe to attend launch events there.

Speaking to journalists earlier, Ballmer said he expected Vista to be the most successful launch in the company's history, selling twice as many copies in its first three months as Windows XP and five times as many units as Windows 95.

Noting the changes since Microsoft first launched Windows 95 and Office 95 12 years ago, Ballmer said: "Today the PC is the centre of how people control their digital lifestyle."

Vista includes improved graphics, tighter security and integrated computer searches. "We have focused on making the products safer with security, parental controls, and anti-phishing," Ballmer said.

But some analysts question whether Vista offers enough improvements to prompt users to upgrade their computers. The program is being launched in conjunction with a new productivity suite called Office 2007. Together the two programs have accounted for some 90% of Microsoft revenues.

Though the official launch was midnight Tuesday some online retailers had been offering the item for sale since Sunday.

Reports said they all experienced a sharp increase in purchases. - Sapa-dpa

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