Microsoft has introduced a Spanish-language version of its lightweight version of the Windows XP operating system for beginning
PC users in Latin America.
The Spanish Windows XP Starter Edition was launched in Mexico on Tuesday, with plans to eventually make it available in other
Spanish-speaking countries in the region. The software comes preloaded on PCs and offers step-by-step guidance, instructional
videos, and preconfigured settings aimed at easing the way for first time users.
Its debut in Mexico follows the launch of Starter editions for five other developing countries: India, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia,
and Indonesia. Plans have also been announced to release the entry-level software in Russia.
Microsoft began offering the Starter editions under a pilot program introduced in August of last year. It comes as part of
a bid to capture new users and fend off the dual threats of piracy and Linux by offering a cheaper alternative to the fully
loaded Windows XP.
The entry-level software features local language support and customized features aimed at attracting users in each specific
market. The Mexico edition offers wallpaper and screensavers with local landscapes, flags, and traditional designs, for example.
The Starter software offers Wordpad, the Internet Explorer browser, Outlook Express and Windows Media Player, but does not
offer more sophisticated features such as home networking and the ability to create multiple user accounts.
Only 6 percent of homes in Mexico have PCs, so it represents a potentially large growth market, Microsoft said. Among its
partners in the country, the software maker has tapped Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, telephone giant Teléfonos de México,
and Ingram Micro to introduce the new Starter edition.
E-mail
Printer Friendly
Reprints
(InfoWorld) - In the litigious world we live in, deploying a unified communications platform in your enterprise could...
