Marketing Win 7

After months of build-up and promotion, Microsoft launches Windows 7 tomorrow. Searching for "Windows 7" on Google a few minutes ago, I found that most of the results on the first page are from Microsoft (good optimization!). The top result was for news, including links to more than 1,000 articles and reviews from publications as diverse as PC Magazine and the Houston Chronicle.

Amazon is selling tons of Windows 7. In the UK, the Daily Mail quotes an Amazon exec as saying: "The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone's expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows as the biggest-grossing pre-order product of all time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong."

The BBC says of Windows 7: Its success or failure will determine the future of the world's biggest software company.

OK, that's a rather dramatic statement. Other news outlets are asking whether Win 7 will prompt corporations and individuals worldwide to buy new PCs so they can run the new operating system. Another question: Will Win 7 be worth the wait after Vista? Many of us (me included) still run Win XP and live in hope of future system stability.

Taking my cue from Amazon, here's an idea for a forthcoming bestseller: Harry Potter Bests the Blue Screen of Death.