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Microsoft and PC Manufacturers Announce Windows 2000 Ready PC Program
Customers Reap Benefits of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Today; Prepare for Windows 2000 Professional
LAS VEGAS - Nov. 16, 1998 - - Today at COMDEX/Fall '98, Microsoft Corp., in conjunction with leading PC manufacturers, announced the widespread availability of Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Ready PCs. The Windows 2000 Ready PC Program enables businesses to take advantage of the performance, reliability, security, and lowest total cost of ownership of the Windows NT® Workstation operating system version 4.0 today while making plans for Windows 2000 Professional in the future. Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are three of the leading PC manufacturers participating in the program, which features PCs preinstalled with Windows NT Workstation 4.0, at least 64 MB of RAM, a 300MHz processor and today's latest Microsoft operating system support for the year 2000 and the euro symbol.
"Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is the best operating system for business desktops today," said Brad Chase, vice president of Windows marketing and developer relations at Microsoft. "Windows 2000 Ready PCs provide customers with the unique opportunity to gain a robust, secure desktop solution now while planning for migration to Windows 2000 Professional in the future."
Windows 2000 Ready PCs are shipping today from leading PC manufacturers, including Acer America Corp., Compaq, Dell, Gateway Inc., Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi America Ltd., IBM Corp., Intergraph Corp., Micron Electronics Inc., Midwest Micro, Packard Bell NEC Inc., Quantex Microsystems Inc. and Toshiba America Inc. Customers interested in obtaining a Windows 2000 Ready PC can visit http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/windows2000ready/default.asp, where they can connect to the various Web sites from one of the many companies offering desktop and notebook computers that meet the requirements of the Windows 2000 Ready Program.
Increasing customer demand for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and the growing need to prepare for Windows 2000 Professional were cited as key factors prompting Microsoft and PC manufacturers to promote these ideal configurations of Windows 2000 Ready PCs. The exact specifications were developed through research performed with various PC manufacturers as well as the performance data of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 at a variety of processor speeds.
Powerful Solutions From Leading PC Manufacturers
"Compaq's shipment of Microsoft Windows 2000 Ready PCs is yet another example of Compaq's continued commitment to ensuring a smooth transition to future technology and protecting customers' technology investment," said Michael Winkler, senior vice president and group general manager of the PC products group at Compaq. "Just like Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows 2000, combined with our leading PC products, will continue to greatly enhance our ability to provide manageable, reliable and stable PC product offerings to our customers."
"Dell has seen increased customer interest for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 from our business customers purchasing OptiPlex desktop, Precision workstation and Latitude mobile computers," said Carl Everett, senior vice president of the personal systems group at Dell. "With our Windows 2000 Ready PCs, our customers not only get a secure, manageable, reliable and high-performance solution today, they also are positioned optimally for migration to the operating system of the future."
"Our customers must have full confidence in the ability to upgrade their business PCs and workstations to Windows 2000 Professional quickly and seamlessly," said Jacques Clay, vice president and general manager of Hewlett-Packard's commercial computer business. "Customers that want to migrate from Windows NT Workstation 4.0 can now do so without sacrificing reliability, performance and security."
Customers Can Prepare for the Future
As businesses replace aging desktop PCs or expand their installed base, the
hardware
and software configuration of the Windows 2000 Ready PC represents
the wisest choice. Windows 2000 Ready PCs offer businesses the greater
reliability, performance and security of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 paired with
the familiarity and ease of the user interface of Windows 9x. This gives
businesses the opportunity to increase overall productivity while lowering the
total cost of ownership. Also, the hardware specifications of the Windows 2000
Ready PCs were designed to enable businesses to maintain their technical edge
into the future.
"We know that Windows 2000 Professional is in our future here at Kodak, and we're constantly looking to prepare for that transition," said John Chiazza, vice president and chief information officer at Eastman Kodak Co. "We are working with Microsoft to develop a clear road map of hardware and software solutions for today with Windows NT Workstation and for tomorrow with Windows 2000 Professional. Our implementation plan will focus on Windows NT Workstation 4.0 as the right operating system choice for new business PCs, both desktops and notebooks, while helping customers understand what to buy today to be able to run Windows 2000 in the future."
"We are looking forward to Windows 2000 Professional," said Gerald Reid, director of information systems at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. "We are pleased to see the Windows 2000 Ready PC program in place. This provides us with a clear road map of hardware and software solutions that will guide our future migration from Windows NT Workstation 4.0 to Windows 2000."
About Windows NT Workstation 4.0
With over 20 million licenses sold, Windows NT Workstation 4.0 has become the mainstream business desktop for companies of all sizes. Windows NT Workstation 4.0 provides the best performance of any member of the Windows desktop family on today's business PCs, providing a 30 percent performance gain in running business applications. Users of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 are nearly three times less likely than users of Windows 95 to experience their computer "freezing" or other serious system stoppages, saving customers almost $500 per user per year for the life of the product. Finally, when used in a managed environment, Windows NT Workstation 4.0 lowers costs by up to 35 percent, compared to running Windows 95 in the same environment.
Availability
Windows 2000 Ready PCs are shipping from leading PC manufacturers in the United States and will be available worldwide in January 1999. For more information on the Windows 2000 Ready PC Program, and the initial participants, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/windows2000ready/default.asp.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their
respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information pages.
Addendum
Acer America Corp.
"As our customers prepare for the next millennium, we are proud to be able to provide them with Windows 2000 Ready PCs," said Mike Culver, vice president and general manager, Acer America Corp. "With Windows NT Workstation 4.0, these PCs form a secure, manageable, reliable solution and provide the smoothest road to Windows 2000 Professional."
Gateway
"The year 2000 is quickly approaching, and IT managers still face a range of choices when it comes to desktop solutions," said Jim Collas, senior vice president of global products at Gateway. "However, with our line of GP & E-Series business desktop solutions that are Windows 2000-ready, we can provide customers with the best hardware and software solutions for today and through the beginning of the new millennium."
Hitachi
"Hitachi is committed to working with partners like Microsoft to deliver the best business solutions for our customers," said Lynn King, vice president of products, Hitachi PC Corp. "We believe that Windows 2000 Professional will offer our corporate customers a compelling solution to lower overall costs, improve reliability and deliver on Hitachi commitment to excellence. Many of our customers are planning to migrate to the Windows 2000 operating system; incorporating the Windows 2000-ready criteria in our PCs, fueled by Windows NT Workstation 4.0, helps us deliver products that will meet our customers needs now and in the next millennium."
IBM
"IBM believes it is important for some customers to plan for migration to Windows 2000," said Phil Hester, chief technology officer for personal systems group at IBM. "IBM will be a leader in offering both desktop and notebook PCs that meet the technical requirements specified by Microsoft for the Windows 2000 Ready PC Program."
Micron Electronics
"Microsoft Windows 2000 is widely regarded as the most significant advance in the history of personal computer operating systems," said Mark Gonzales, vice president of worldwide marketing at Micron Electronics. "Micron will continue to lead the industry in the shift to Windows 2000 from Windows NT by providing our customers a smooth transition to Windows 2000 with the introduction of Windows 2000-ready systems."
NEC
"By offering Windows 2000 Ready desktop and notebook computers, NEC CSD is meeting our corporate customers' demands for systems that meet today's computing requirements and also provide investment protection for the future by ensuring smooth migration to Windows 2000 Professional," said George Skaff, vice president of marketing for NEC CSD. "Some customers demand Windows NT 4.0 for their corporate systems for the performance, reliability and security it provides, as well as the technological edge it will allow them to maintain in the future."
Quantex
"We are excited about working with Microsoft to offer an optimal hardware and software solution for today and tomorrow," said Herman Chan, business product manager at Quantex. "Investing in our Windows 2000-ready systems installed with Windows NT Workstation 4.0 today protects users' technology investment by providing the optimal upgrade path to the Windows 2000 operating system and future hardware advances."
Toshiba
"As an enterprise solutions provider, Toshiba utilizes the industry-supported Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on our entire desktop and notebook lines," said Jeffrey Friederichs, vice president, marketing for Toshiba's computer systems division. "The strength of Windows, combined with Toshiba's flexible hardware design, allows us to deliver a high return on our customers' technology investment. We are committed to working with Microsoft to provide our customers with a complete family of Windows 2000 Ready PCs for enhancing security, reliability and performance now and in the future."
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