Aussie Windows 7 Launch: Photos
The event was held at the National Maritime Museum at Sydney's Darling Harbour. ZDNet.com.au had to chuckle when the security guard at the door started to explain to someone what all the fuss was about.
The Windows 7 logo in pastel colours was splashed liberally around the area.
The atrium was filled with maritime technology arguably as cool as Windows 7.
Vendors were dying to show how well their hardware looked with the Windows 7 bling.
Microsoft also had a go at pushing its online products.
Launching is hungry work — so Microsoft baked Windows 7 cupcakes.
The event was heavily tweeted, with questions in the Q&A being posed by Twitter as well as the traditional put up your hand way.
Some didn't seem to be able to wait until it started.
The hall started to fill...
...then it was time to go in and face the (very clearly marked) theatre where the presentations would be held.
Microsoft Australia managing director Tracey Fellows spoke and was followed by general manager of Windows consumer product marketing James Debragga. He said that Windows 7 was the PC simplified. Microsoft had listened to feedback such as "I just want my PC to not let me down".
When Debragga got down, it opened the stage for Microsoft Windows consumer lead Jeff Putt who ran demos of the operating system and introduced the new PC models of Microsoft's hardware partners. Here, Chris Osbourne, product manager for Acer, shows off the Aspire 5738PG.
Asus Australia's managing director got excited about Windows 7. "We love touch," he said as he showed off the Asus unlimited UL Series, which boasts up to 12 hours of battery life.
Dell's Australia and New Zealand retail sales director Matthew Telfer got a lot of attention for his super-thin Dell Adamo. Calls of "Turn it on — it's a prop" came from the audience.
The fun didn't stop with Sony's Jun Yoon, channel marketing manager Vaio. He showed off his carbon fibre Vaio. It's so rugged that even when Putt stood on it, it didn't seem to take any damage. HP VP and general manager Janice Cox also came up to show off the "Envy".
As the last of the hardware vendors, Justin White, product manager for Toshiba, showed off the new Satellite which can run for 16 hours with an eight-cell battery.
After some input from Dick Smith and some words on "I'm a PC" the question and answer session came around. Putt fielded many questions on security, prices and features, but Microsoft Australia MD Tracey Fellows didn't weigh into the discussions, instead looking supremely displeased.