Microsoft launches Windows 8 for Asia-Pacific region

Alvaro Celis, Microsoft vice president for the region, was on hand to show 50 of the 1,000 personal-computer models embedded with new system that will be available in Asia and the Pacific. Of these models, 32 are already being sold in Thailand.

Celis said the new software could also be bought at 2,500 retail outlets in the region.

This system and its applications were developed with the help of some 400,000 developers across the world, 30,000 of whom are based in the Asia-Pacific region. "The applications on the Windows 8 platform are being offered on a free, ‘freemium’ or paid basis," Celis said. Freemium is business jargon for providing a product or service free of charge, but charging a premium for optional extras.

Microsoft is getting about 16 million users across the world to download Windows 8 for testing, and in Thailand it has joined up with major retailers such as IT City and Com Seven to distribute the system. It is also offering the software and its applications online.

"There are a few applications already available but we expect to increase the number soon," he said.

Celis added that Microsoft had partnered with 54,000 system integrators, developers and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) companies, and in Thailand alone it was working with 983 firms, of which 65 are start-ups. "Windows 8 offers the power of computing across all devices without compromising on experience," Celis said.

Currently, Windows is one of the largest computing platforms with some 1.4 billion users across the world, of which 600 million use the Windows 7 operating system.