Microsoft SA has launched a range of products, including new mice, keyboards and games, that should be on retailers` shelves in time for the Christmas shopping season.
The first of the launches took place in Cape Town yesterday, when Microsoft displayed its range of hardware devices with fingerprint recognition technology. These are a wireless mouse, desktop keyboard and mouse set, or a standalone reader.
Microsoft says the fingerprint technology is designed to reduce the frustration associated with using multiple passwords.
Cindy White, manager of Microsoft SA`s Home and Entertainment Division, says the offerings will "make for an enjoyable computing experience while catering for consumer needs".
Speaking about Microsoft`s new ergonomically designed Wireless Optical Desktop - a wireless keyboard and desktop mouse, White says: "One of our goals was to design hardware that will help customers get more out of their software. Among a host of new features added to the hardware technology is the zoom slider, to help users quickly and easily access photos and documents."
Software products include a premium offering of Microsoft Encarta and Microsoft Encyclopaedia Standard 2005; Microsoft Money 2005, which has been rebuilt to incorporate online banking; Microsoft Picture It, which includes tools for digital photography; and Microsoft Work Suite 2005, which incorporates a number of programs into one package.
Games to be released during the next two months include the Age of Mythology Gold Edition, which includes the original game and the expansion pack, and Rise of Nations Gold Edition, an epic, real-time strategy that spans 6 000 years of history.
No Xmas Xbox
However, Microsoft will not launch its Xbox gaming console in SA in the foreseeable future. The console, which rivals the Sony PlayStation 2 in popularity overseas, does not have a workable business model in this country yet.
White says Microsoft makes little profit on the Xbox console, with the real profit coming from players buying on average 10 games per year.
"Right now the games are just too expensive for South Africans to buy that many per year," she says.
White hopes that with the Xbox being a major sponsor of FIFA, the world soccer federation, and with SA due to host the 2010 World Soccer Cup, the situation may change.
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