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Tarsus, HP confirm free Vista upgrades for customers buying before February 2007


Johannesburg, 12 Dec 2006

Following Microsoft's announcement that the long-awaited Windows Vista operating system would be made available to businesses with enterprise licence agreements at the end of November, the greater public can expect to get their hands on the product by the end of February 2007.

With these dates confirmed, many buyers have decided to hold back on their hardware upgrades in order to ensure their new computers come preloaded with Windows Vista.

For the most part, buying a computer before the release date of Vista could mean that buyers get Windows XP preloaded as their operating system and would have to incur additional costs for the upgrade to Windows Vista.

"The good news is that this is not necessarily the case with all vendors," says Jamie Scott, director at Tarsus Technologies.

"Certain vendors have negotiated special OEM agreements with Microsoft, to ensure customers buying Vista-capable computers in the weeks leading up to the public release of the operating system qualify for free software upgrades.

"HP is one of those vendors," Scott says, "and the local HP team has confirmed that all purchases of Vista-capable computers (indicated by the presence of the 'Vista-capable' bezel) made after the beginning of November will automatically qualify for an upgrade to Vista."

Scott adds that while buyers will qualify for the upgrade, they will, however, still need to use Microsoft's online toolset to register for the offer.

"Once Vista is readily available in the market, qualifying customers will have to visit Microsoft's Web site and fill out an application, providing information about the computer they have purchased.

"In return, customers will receive an automatically generated voucher which entitles them to a new set of installation media (the location for the collection of the media has yet to be confirmed) and a licence key which enables them to legally use Vista," he adds.

Scott says the fact that HP has gone to great lengths to secure this benefit for customers should be viewed as a massive value-add.

"This announcement makes life so much easier for customers. For the first time since the announcement of the operating systems near availability, customers will be able to rest easy in the knowledge that their hardware is not only designed to function perfectly with Vista, but also that no additional costs will have to be incurred to make use of it," he says.

While it's unclear exactly how the upgrade process will work, Scott says Tarsus will work closely with resellers and customers, to ensure that it's a smooth process.

"Changing operating systems can be a dramatic experience, so we will be close on hand to help customers and resellers through this process. Should they have any questions leading up to the release of Vista, they are welcome to contact anyone in the HP team for assistance," he concludes.

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Tarsus Technologies

With 21 years of experience in the ICT industry, Tarsus is the leading value-added distributor in South Africa, specialising in the supply of the world's foremost PC and peripheral hardware brands to the local reseller channel.

Tarsus strives to meet the channel's needs for credit funding, stock availability and efficient logistics, ensuring that resellers are able to deliver the highest quality service to their customers, focus on support and compiling the best overall solutions for their end-user customer base at the lowest possible cost.

The company prides itself on its flexibility, adaptability, knowledge, skills and successful track record combined with an industry-leading ability to manage large roll-outs. These are the reasons Tarsus has consistently been rated as the top distributor in the country by international vendors, resellers and the IT media alike.

With its strong commitment to the South African channel, Tarsus is able to not only make the reseller channel more efficient, but more importantly, it plays a vital role in dramatically reducing the costs of doing business in the local ICT market.

Brands represented by the Tarsus stable include industry leaders like Acer, Cisco, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Oki, Samsung, TallyGenicom, Targus and Wyse Technology.

More information about Tarsus is available at http://www.tarsus.co.za.

Editorial contacts

Deborah O'Connell
eCommunications
(083) 732 0634
tarsus@ecomms.co.za
Emma Scott
Tarsus Technology Group
(011) 531 1000
escott@tarsus.co.za