It was an operating system launch with a marketing campaign that reportedly cost Microsoft an estimated US$100mil to US$200mil.
In 1995, Microsoft was gearing up for the release of Windows 95, a landmark operating system that would help usher mainstream PC users from 16-bit code era to the 32-bit computing era.
Windows 95 marked a major shift from Windows 3.1. Its 32-bit design could theoretically address up to 4GB of memory – vastly more than most home computers of the time had – giving PCs more room to run several programs at once and handle increasingly sophisticated software.
Windows 95 also introduced the now-familiar Start button and taskbar, giving users a simpler way to navigate and launch programs.
It also had built-in features like Microsoft Exchange – for managing emails, messages and faxes through a ‘universal inbox’ – as well as Plug and Play, then considered a revolutionary system to automatically detect and configure hardware such as sound cards, printers, and more.
At the Aug 24 global launch at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington – which The Star’s In.Tech reported from in person – then-chairman Bill Gates said: “We’re moving into the next era of computing with broader communication via email and the online world, dazzling multimedia and games and richer educational software.”
The event also showcased Windows 95 games, such as Command: Aces Of The Deep from Sierra, which features voice commands, and Windows 95 versions of Doom II.
The Rolling Stones’ song Start Me Up was chosen as the soundtrack to Windows 95’s promotional blitz, with the company paying an estimated US$3mil for the rights to use the track as Gates wanted the song as a clever nod to the Start button.
The tech giant also released a Windows 95 videotape guide showing Friends sitcom stars Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry navigating features like multitasking and Microsoft Network, its online service for accessing the Internet. More than five million copies of the tapes were reportedly shipped, retailing at US$19.90.
In Malaysia, the company distributed interactive demos featuring footage of Windows 95 from July 24 until Aug 15, giving users a free preview of its new features before the operating system’s launch. At the time, the demos were available in limited quantities on both 3.5in diskettes and CD-ROMs.
In August 1995, computer makers announced that PCs sold in Malaysia would come prepackaged with Windows 95, reaffirming their support for the upcoming operating system.
Despite the enormous hype surrounding Windows 95, its early reviews were not universally glowing. An Aug 1, 1995 New York Times review described the system as “an edifice built of baling wire, chewing gum and prayer”, pointing to its reliance on the older MS-DOS architecture beneath its new interface. Still, the review conceded that most users would probably “end up living there”, reflecting the expectation that Windows 95 would become the dominant PC operating system even with its technical shortcomings.
In a review by Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service columnist Lou Dolinar – published in The Star on Aug 22, 1995 – he argued that Win95 was not as revolutionary as Microsoft claimed, saying the operating system was playing catch-up with Apple’s Macintosh and IBM’s OS/2 operating system. He also described Microsoft Network as “much-maligned”, noting that its content was underwhelming despite what he considered to be a solid technical foundation.
Dolinar also pointed out that Windows 95’s promise of putting information “at your fingertips” was hardly new, noting that such a vision was only being realised 15 years after the personal computer was introduced, adding that it was a delay that “speaks volumes about the shortcomings of the PC standard”.
Interestingly, Apple took out an ad in the Wall Street Journal to say "C:ONGRTLNS.W95" to Microsoft for the launch. It pointed out that its new features, like using more than eight characters to name files and the Recycle Bin, are features that had already been available in Apple’s Macintosh computers. The headline “Apple ad with tart flavour” was used for the article in The Star.
Local launch
In Malaysia, Windows 95 was launched on Aug 29.
The Star published on Sept 5 a report on how some computer dealers in the Klang Valley held midnight sales to give consumers an early chance to get their hands on the latest operating system. However, the turnout was described as “disappointing”, with dealers blaming a lack of planning and publicity. One dealer said he received Microsoft’s approval for a midnight sale only at the last minute, leaving him little time to publicise the event.
Still, there were some enthusiastic customers, such as one IT consultant who bought five copies of Windows 95 and immediately headed back to the office at 1am to install it so that he could surprise his colleagues.
In conjunction with its release, Microsoft also held a Windows 95 Expo at Putra World Trade Centre in KL. The event featured exhibitors from 35 companies and a two-day tech conference. A Sept 5 report noted that the event reported better sales, with some exhibitors claiming they sold 999 copies of the Microsoft Plus! add-on on the first day. Better known as the Plus Pack, it offered additional features for Windows 95 users such as extra desktop themes, an Internet Setup Wizard and 3D Pinball game.
In 1996, Microsoft celebrated the one-year anniversary of Windows 95 by announcing that it had shipped 40 million units worldwide.
