By Martin Vedris

SYDNEY, NSW: In case you haven’t seen the newspapers, TV, the countless online stories, blogs, streams and Tweets, or you weren’t one of 8 million involved in beta testing it or one of the other billion somehow already aware, Microsoft launched Windows 7 today, in Australia.

Mind you, if after all of the talk, the reports and the build up, you still didn’t know that Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, was coming then you’re probably not too interested or affected by it anyway, but nevertheless, Windows 7 is here.

Australia is the official launch market for Windows 7, and Microsoft Corporation flew out its general manager, James DeBragga, to join his Australian colleagues in launching the product to the Sydney media this morning.

The claim of the new operating system, also a new Windows slogan, is ‘Simplifying the PC’.

“It is really the PC simplified,” said Tracey Fellows, Microsoft Australia managing director.

“And for us Windows 7 has been about listening to what the consumers out there have told us, the millions of people who have tested and given us feedback on the product and in fact that’s been an amazing experience, eight million people around the world have tried Windows 7 in beta testing, we listened to what they said and you’re going to see a lot of that incorporated into the product…”

In fact, Australians were highly represented in the millions on the Windows 7 beta testing program and perhaps that was part of the reason why Microsoft chose to launch it first here.

“In Australia alone we had a great uptake on the beta program and on the day it was released we too shared the unprecedented internet usage of people downloading Windows 7,” said Fellows.

“Some of you might remember the headline, ‘[Aussie] Windows 7 [traffic] bigger than Obama’ … I’m not quite sure how that sits, but it does show the immense interest in the product and I want to personally thank the Australians who participated in our beta program … their feedback and their thought on features is part of what you’re going to see in the product…”

In fact the upcoming TV advertisements for Australia feature Australians who participated in the beta program talking about the ideas and features they wanted in the product or liked about it.

The affable James DeBragga said he was pleased to be in Australia for the official launch and seemed genuine in telling us what we all like to hear as Australians: he’s dreamed about coming here.

“Yes I am American, yes this is my first time ever to Australia — it’s been a dream of mine to come here — my [Australian] colleagues have been joking around with me … I told one of them I was hungry yesterday and they turned around and asked if I wanted a bowl of corn syrup — I wasn’t sure how to take that.

“But all joking aside, I’m really excited to be here in Australia because this is where it all starts. This is one of the first geographies on the planet that will launch Windows 7 to market — it all starts here.”