New
Zealand is the first country to experience the worldwide consumer launch of
Windows Vista on 30 January, due to its position on the timeline. New Zealanders
get the opportunity to buy Windows Vista in retail stores a few hours before
Australians, 13 hours before the UK and a day ahead of Americans. The 2007
Microsoft Office system is being launched at the same time.
It’s about 1.30am NZ time on 30 January as I write this, so I guess some
extra keen kiwi geeks will be ripping off the shrink-wrapping on their Vista OS
right about now.
As Geekzone
noted, the first purchase in the world of a Microsoft Windows Vista loaded
PC took place in Auckland, New Zealand at one minute past midnight in the early
morning of 30 January 2007. All Black Dan Carter kicked
off the Vista launch by signing a laptop, which was then put up for auction for
charity on
Trademe (NZ’s version of eBay). There are also 15 copies of Windows Vista
(Ultimate) digitally signed by Bill Gates, and other items, being auctioned to
raise funds for New Zealand charity Cure
Kids.
Tomorrow morning I’m part of a local media contingent checking out a
digital home in Wellington, New Zealand. It’s a home outlayed with Microsoft
technology, perhaps a bit like Bill Gates’ home! I’ll wait and see what it’s
like tomorrow morning (if I can drag myself up in time) and will write up a
report later for R/WW.
