Celebrities such as South African olympic gold medalist swimmer Chad Le Clos took to the stage in Johannesburg last night to show off Microsoft's latest operating system as part of the Windows 8 global launch.
But the glitz and glamour of the star-studded event is unlikely to prompt Africans to buy the product in large numbers, says one analyst.
Microsoft's latest offering presents a slicker, more minimalist look and feel as compared to previous Windows versions. Features of the operating system include 'live tiles' that can display up-to-the-second social media updates and integration with a cloud computing offering dubbed 'SkyDrive'.
The Redmond-based tech-powerhouse also unveiled its Windows Store, filled with applications such as South African Financial firm Standard Bank's online banking tool, the Yellow Pages and a DStv guide app.
And today, corporates and consumers across the globe can head online or to retail stores to either upgrade their existing Microsoft operating software or to buy the new versions, which come in the form of Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.
Through to the end of January, users running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 can download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $40.
More than 40 Windows 8 devices are also expected to be immediately available from all major retail outlets in the likes of South Africa as of today.
"With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft is unveiling a reimagined Windows to the world," said Microsoft SA managing director Mteto Nyati.
However, senior analyst for Informa Telecoms & Media in South Africa, Sadiq Malik, is less upbeat about the prospect of particularly Africans taking to Microsoft's 'reimagined' Windows 8 offering.
Malik said that while the software could be welcomed by enterprise IT managers in South Africa looking to leverage its cloud technologies and an easy-to-use operating system, he expects take up to be slow among most corporates and consumers.
Concerns of data security with the cloud and social network integration "will raise red flags to corporate IT departments" about migrating to the software, says Malik. Moreover, he adds that old habits among both corporates and consumers die hard.
"Consumers and IT departments who have been clinging to XP far past its prime will be doing the same with Windows 7, and are unlikely to jump onto the Windows 8 train easily," he told ITWeb Africa.
Malik added that Microsoft may have to be worried about the rest of Africa shunning the product as well.
"The rest of Africa is adopting web based cloud services, such as Google's Gmail and Docs.
"Even budget hardware from years ago is still more than adequate to run most cloud applications," said Malik.
He added that by failing to upgrade or purchase Windows 8, African customers subsequently bypass the need to cough up cash for licensing costs.
Nevertheless, Microsoft is pinning its hopes on Windows 8 being a successful product, as the company's status as the world's most powerful technology company has been eclipsed in the last decade by rival Apple and search engine Google.
According to Yahoo finance measurements, Apple is the most valuable technology company in the world with a market capitalisation of $618 billion, followed by Google at $249 billion and Microsoft at $247 billion.
Much of Microsoft's hopes for success moving forward is also going to rest on the popularity of Windows 8 for smartphones, which is capable of synchronising with desktop and tablet devices equipped with the company's latest operating system.
An array of Windows 8 devices from mobile firms such as Nokia is planned to hit stores across the globe before the end of this year.
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