Microsoft Corp yesterday announced the release of its new Windows 7 operating system and said it would offer system upgrades to users of Vista.
The Redmond, Washington-based firm outlined its Windows 7 upgrade guidelines in a press release yesterday.
After the Windows Vista operating system met with harsh criticism and PC users flocked back to the older XP operating system in droves, Microsoft hopes its new platform will attract corporate customers and private users alike and help it recover the losses incurred by the launch of Vista and to rebuild its image.
Microsoft’s product manager in Taipei, Ann Teng (鄧安安), told the Taipei Times by phone that compatibility issues between Vista and Windows 7 have been resolved and that the transition from Vista to Windows 7 would be a “natural one.”
“While we hope participating companies will offer our Windows 7 upgrade for free, some are doing so, while others are not. At this point, consumers need to go on each company’s Web site to find out exactly how much they need to pay for their Windows 7 upgrade,” Teng said.
Microsoft’s Windows 7 upgrade pricing will be determined and paid to personal computer brand makers and contract makers directly, rather than to the software giant, she added.
Windows 7 RC (the trial version) has been widely acclaimed. The software company’s introduction of Touch Pack for Windows 7, a set of games and applications optimized for multi-touch computing, has also generated interest from touch-screen liquid-crystal-display (LCD) panel makers and LCD component suppliers, and the company hopes to hit a home run with the new system.
Previously, the software company announced that the standard pricing for Windows 7 upgrades in the US would be US$120 for Home Premium, US$200 for Professional and US$220 for Ultimate.
At this point, the precise retail prices for Windows 7 in Taiwan are yet to be determined. The first wave of Windows 7 releases is scheduled for Oct. 22, with 14 language versions that include traditional Chinese and English.
Shiina Ito has had fewer Chinese customers at her Tokyo jewelry shop since Beijing issued a travel warning in the wake of a diplomatic spat, but she said she was not concerned. A souring of Tokyo-Beijing relations this month, following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan, has fueled concerns about the impact on the ritzy boutiques, noodle joints and hotels where holidaymakers spend their cash. However, businesses in Tokyo largely shrugged off any anxiety. “Since there are fewer Chinese customers, it’s become a bit easier for Japanese shoppers to visit, so our sales haven’t really dropped,” Ito
The number of Taiwanese working in the US rose to a record high of 137,000 last year, driven largely by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) rapid overseas expansion, according to government data released yesterday. A total of 666,000 Taiwanese nationals were employed abroad last year, an increase of 45,000 from 2023 and the highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed. Overseas employment had steadily increased between 2009 and 2019, peaking at 739,000, before plunging to 319,000 in 2021 amid US-China trade tensions, global supply chain shifts, reshoring by Taiwanese companies and
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) and the company’s former chairman, Mark Liu (劉德音), both received the Robert N. Noyce Award -- the semiconductor industry’s highest honor -- in San Jose, California, on Thursday (local time). Speaking at the award event, Liu, who retired last year, expressed gratitude to his wife, his dissertation advisor at the University of California, Berkeley, his supervisors at AT&T Bell Laboratories -- where he worked on optical fiber communication systems before joining TSMC, TSMC partners, and industry colleagues. Liu said that working alongside TSMC
TECHNOLOGY DAY: The Taiwanese firm is also setting up a joint venture with Alphabet Inc on robots and plans to establish a firm in Japan to produce Model A EVs Manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday announced a collaboration with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to build next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and strengthen its local supply chain in the US to accelerate the deployment of advanced AI systems. Building such an infrastructure in the US is crucial for strengthening local supply chains and supporting the US in maintaining its leading position in the AI domain, Hon Hai said in a statement. Through the collaboration, OpenAI would share its insights into emerging hardware needs in the AI industry with Hon Hai to support the company’s design and development work, as well
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