Windows 95 Logs In Snug On Indian Market

What is common to 'Jurassic Park', 'Batman', 'Snow White' and Windows 95? All are 40 million sellers. And Windows 95, a Microsoft product launched last year on August 24, has done it in a year.

What's more, over 400 personal computer manufacturers world-wide have license and have been shipping Windows 95.

It is estimated that around 1,10,000 units of Windows 95 had been sold during the first year in India and Microsoft expects to sell between 3,50,000 and 4,00,000 units in the country during the next year.

It is all the culmination of a long-term planning, Microsoft Corporation (India)'s managing director, Rajiv Nair said while speaking about the first anniversary of Windows 95 and the company's future plans in India.

 

Moreover, with India promising to be one of the most 'exciting markets' in Asia, Microsoft is concentrating on developing an exclusive market for the SAARC countries through its regional headquarters in Bangalore. As part of its plan, the company will focus on independent software vendors and application developers here.

Without a strong domestic market, exports from India cannot grow and that is why Microsoft has decided to lay more emphasis on India, Nair said.

According to him, with the rise in the number of PCs in India to nine million by 1998, the software market too, will grow and arrest the exodus of Indian computer software experts to greener pastures abroad. Liberalisation and the recent budgetary concessions will give the Indian IT industry the necessary fillip, Nair added.

Microsoft India's share in the infotech industry here is almost 58% in finished goods category and 85% in the office applications category.

And with the boom in PC market witnessed in this country - despite assertions to the contrary by the likes of Arthur D Little - Microsoft plans to at least double its revenue in 1996-97 from its last year's earnings of approximately Rs 100 crore.

That India offers Microsoft lot of scope for development of business can also be gauged by the fact that Bill Gates is scheduled to visit India early next year.