Gates cites customer, industry support in making Windows 3.0 ``phenomenon'' in first year

Business Wire

May 20, 1991

ATLANTA -- One year after Microsoft Corp. began shipping version 3.0 of the Microsoft Windows graphical environment, Chairman Bill Gates said it had become a ``phenomenon'' that is offering, as promised, ``ease of use, better graphics, and new and powerful functions that are making personal computing more fun.''

In remarks prepared for his keynote address this afternoon at the first-ever Windows World trade show and convention, Gates said: ``It's been this incredible phenomenon, offering super productivity to individual users, the corporate world and developers. Windows systems are becoming the foundation on which the personal computing industry is beginning to build future desktop solutions.

``Small- and medium-sized businesses believe that the Windows environment will make their computers more useful. Big businesses see power, connectivity, and compatibility that can change the way their people work together. The Windows environment is a first step into a new era of personal computing that is focused on the needs of the user. Graphical computing now means that the PC user can count on intuitive, easy-to-use applications for any task.''

Windows World is being held this week in Atlanta in conjunction with the COMDEX computer show. Focused on Windows computing solutions, Windows World has more than 250 companies exhibiting products and services for the Windows environment. The combined COMDEX and Windows World events at the Georgia World Congress Center are expected to draw more than 60,000 attendees from 250 countries.

Citing the momentum that is building for Windows solutions on the desktop, Gates noted the following facts about customer demand and industry support for the Windows environment:

• Nearly four million units of Windows 3.0 have been shipped in 12 months -- nearly 11,000 units a day.
• Analysts project that three to eight million units will be shipped in the coming year.
• A total of 730 independent software vendors (ISVs), primarily focused on the business market, are shipping more than 1,200 Windows-based applications.
• Revenues for Windows applications are greater than for any other graphical environment, based on SPA data on monthly sales in 1990.
• The Windows environment is a top development priority for Lotus Corp., Microsoft, WordPerfect Corp., Software Publishing Corp. and other major software companies. Virtually every major software tools vendor has announced Windows-based products.
• Microsoft has licensed more than 50,000 Microsoft Windows Software Development Kits to both corporate and commercial developers.
• More than 1,200 multimedia development kits have been delivered to ISVs who plan to base their multimedia applications on the Microsoft Windows graphical environment.
• To date 21 companies have committed to deliver systems based on Windows extensions for pen-based computing.

``But being a phenomenon is not enough,'' Gates said in his speech. ``The Windows product is central to Microsoft's vision of connecting information and people: Information at your fingertips. It is a concept designed to make computers more personal, much more useful, and the logical source for virtually any information need.

``The goal of Information at your fingertips is to improve in fundamental ways how users manipulate, integrate, store, retrieve and share all kinds of information, both individually and as part of a working group. Windows-based applications are the building blocks for automating the work and business procedures for individuals, groups and ultimately whole enterprises. A graphical environment allows people to work easily with more than one application at a time, cut-and-paste information between programs easily, or share information in a workgroup.''

Gates also described plans for short-term improvements to the Windows environment, as well as extensions for pen-based computing and multimedia computing, which Microsoft has already begun to deliver to developers. He also laid out Microsoft's long-term plans for a 32-bit version of the Windows environment that would run on both the DOS (see footnote a) and OS/2 environments, providing significant new computing capabilities to users.

``Corporate users are declaring that the Windows environment makes the most sense for them because it allows them to retain their investment in DOS applications and acquire a wealth of exciting new applications, while providing a path to advanced hardware and software systems in the future,'' Gates said. ``On its first birthday, the Windows graphical environment version 3.0 is a major success, but it is only a stepping-stone to an even more powerful Windows environment, which will make computers so easy to use that people automatically reach for them when they need information -- ranging from personal records and corporate data to news and reference material.''

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) develops, markets and supports a wide range of software for business and professional use, including operating systems, languages and applications, as well as books, hardware and CD-ROM products for the microcomputer marketplace.

NOTE:

-- Microsoft, the Microsoft logo and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Information at your fingertips and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

-- OS/2 is a registered trademark licensed to Microsoft Corp.

(a) As used herein, DOS refers to MS-DOS and PC-DOS operating systems.

CONTACT: Microsoft Corp., Redmond Liz Sidnam, 206/882-8080 General Sales and Product Information, 800/426-9400 or Waggener Edstrom, Portland Marianne Allison, 503/245-0905

Copyright (c) 1991, Business Wire