Windows 7 New Zealand manager Ben Green is planning a short lie-in this morning as Microsoft launches its new operating system globally.
But with two young children and the general excitement of the new system being publicly available, Mr Green was realistic about his chances of a lie-in happening today.
For about a year Mr Green has travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand, talking up, talking about and demonstrating Windows 7.
He has blogged, emailed and been interviewed countless times. He has run product evenings for tech devotees and retailers.
But today, the wait is over.
Mr Green said in an interview from Auckland the new system had been research-driven and customer-driven.
"I am confident the product will deliver on the promises we are making."
The latest software was developed following intensive user studies and feedback and took into consideration how people used their PCs, he said.
While some of the new features would not appeal to some, there was something that would appeal to everyone.
Windows 7 introduced a touch feature to interact with the computer. With the multi-touch feature, people could use their fingers to scroll, move items and resize windows.
Start-up and shut-down times had been markedly shortened in response to customer feed-back, he said.
"All of these features will give retailers something to say when customers walk in and people will be thinking about what they need on a new computer.
"This is not a regular occurrence. It is a once-in-three-years event, sometimes longer," Mr Green said.
About 50,000 users in New Zealand had tested the new system, a replacement to the much-maligned Vista system.
Worldwide, more than eight million people took part in the pre-launch testing programme.
The result was an operating system that was more reliable, more responsive and more intuitive, he said.
Many of the world's leading PC manufacturers released sleek new product ranges today.
Hewlett-Packard New Zealand marketing manager Warwick Grey said HP had designed a range of products to take advantage of the features of Windows 7.
Mr Green said his next task was talking to businesses to tell them why it made sense to switch to Windows 7.
"Businesses don't change desktops without a reason. They are there to make money. We have to show them it is worth it."
The benefits could include increased productivity, cost savings, better use of hardware and ease of use.
A review yesterday on CNET.com said the bottom-line was Windows 7 was more than what Vista should have been and it was where Microsoft needed to go.
Users might take a while to get used to the new task bar and Aero Peek, but they were a pleasure to use, the review said.
"How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now."
The CNET editors gave Windows 7 Professional 4.5 stars out of five and called it "outstanding". The average user rating was four stars.
• Dene Mackenzie will be installing Windows 7 ultimate on his PC and reviewing it for Mack-line.
