Computer Makers Bet Big On Windows 7

With Windows 7’s release now official, thoughts in the industry now look toward the hardware world. Manufacturers of the computer components and systems that will run the OS are placing big bets on Windows 7’s
potential impact on the sale of new computer systems.

“I think everybody is ready and waiting,” Margaret Lewis, director of
software solutions at AMD, tells Channel Insider. “We can let the
buying begin. Windows 7 is a good OS. Microsoft has done a good job.”

CHECK OUT: Windows from Start to 7 — a Retrospective

She points out that much of the hardware today is designed to work with
Windows 7 to provide even better capabilities and energy efficiency,
including better graphics capabilities for users including gamers. The
hardware is also optimized for virtualization, something key for
Windows 7 because of the new OS’s Windows XP mode that enables 32-bit
applications to run without the issues that plagued them in Windows
Vista.

And today’s more energy-efficient processors are designed to work more
closely with the new Microsoft operating system to create even greater
power savings which can translate to better battery life – something
that’s important to mobile users.

While the first wave of Windows 7 systems may be aimed at small
businesses and at consumers, PC maker Lenovo is offering a channel
promotion to help kick off the launch of the new operating system.

Lenovo is offering a training and education program on Windows 7 and
Lenovo PCs to U.S. business partners focusing on the benefits of the OS
and how Lenovo PCs are optimized for it. Lenovo says the goal is to
train a significant number of business partners in order to help
accelerate adoption of Win7 on Lenovo PCs.

Partners who pass the test at the end of the course will receive a free
copy of Windows 7 and be entered into a drawing for products, including
the new ThinkPad SL510 laptop for SMB, Microsoft Zune MP3 players and
Office 2007. The program began on Oct. 12 and runs through Dec 31, or
after the first 4,000 participants.

More than 100 reseller partners at D&H’s MidAtlantic Show earlier
this month packed into a standing-room-only auditorium to hear
Microsoft talk about the new operating system and how to sell and
implement it. Partners at the event were already well versed on Windows
XP mode and its benefits.

But overall, while reseller channel partners at the event were
enthusiastic about the operating system, they said they didn’t expect
it to spur significant sales in 2009.