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Big Windows breakthrough: Now you can actually open the box
Here's a bit of good news for anyone who struggled with the cruel puzzle that was the Windows Vista retail packaging. Microsoft today released details and pictures of the upcoming Windows 7 packaging, promising a much more simple and streamlined experience.
"We’ve reduced the number of elements in the package down to three: the plastic case, the paper sleeve, and a simple Getting Started Guide," writes Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc on the Windows 7 team blog. "The plastic case opens easily like a standard DVD case and it will have a single easy-to-remove seal at the top -- and that’s it!"
It might seem trivial, but it actually sounds like a major improvement. In contrast, the Windows Vista boxes require users to go to great lengths to decipher which seams are supposed to open. Fine motor skills are admittedly not my strength, but I remember trying to pry open my retail box of Windows Vista Ultimate for several minutes before realizing that the insides swung down on a hinge from the casing.
Overall, the recyclable Windows 7 packaging is 37 percent lighter than the Windows 7 boxes, the company says.
Microsoft is slated to launch Windows 7 on Oct. 22. It's trying to move beyond Windows Vista's troubled reputation and present Windows 7 as a worthwhile upgrade for people who stuck with Windows XP or moved to Windows Vista, assuming they could open the box.
(Windows Vista box-opening guide link via CNet News.com's Ina Fried.)
About Todd Bishop
Todd Bishop is co-founder and managing editor of TechFlash. He has covered Microsoft and the technology industry for more than five years, most recently as a daily newspaper reporter and blogger based in Seattle.
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