This is all kinds of awesome.
Yes, I’m being snarky. A little.
So the Windows 7 House Party Kit arrived. Now, I signed up through an email blast I received, well before that lame ”Hosting Your Party” video hit the street. Since I host our Friday Night Follies LAN party most weeks, I thought that having some weird theme like this to one of them might be mildly amusing.
So I signed up without really reading the fine print. I didn’t realize Microsoft would actually, you know, send stuff. That is, until I received the notice that my House Party Kit was in the mail (well, on a UPS truck, actually.)
So the box arrived today.
Oooohhhh. Shiny!
What was in the box was a mix of mildly useful, actually useful, pretty cool and pretty lame. Let’s start with the lame.
In the box were various items, including this item, which is supposedly a “table top centerpiece.” Now, if I were putting this together, I’d have something visually striking for a center piece… maybe an action figure of Steve Ballmer drop kicking an iMac or maybe a foot tall MacOS logo inside a red circle with a slash through it. Instead, you get two visually bland pieces of cardboard cut so that you can make them stand up.
A center piece that cries out to be replaced.
Lame.
Also lame is this.
It's all Greek to Me...
In the box are a set of thank you cards that, I suppose, you’re supposed to hand out to people who come to your party. On the cards is web address for additional offers.
That’s not the lame part. The lame part is that the page that’s up is only a placeholder. Now, I realize that the official party and Windows 7 launch date is a couple of weeks off, so having a placeholder page might be needed. But actually having greeked text? Come on, have some kind of cool countdown animation or something.
Lame.
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11 comments
Alejandro Hernandez says:
October 7, 2009 at 6:11 pm (UTC -7 )
Ok… now we will see lots of copies of that x64 Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition on torrents.
tlmck says:
October 7, 2009 at 8:00 pm (UTC -7 )
And MS is wondering what happened to all of their profits. In any case, I do not think lame or cool would be the correct term here. Moronic would seem to be more apt.
Still, if it were free, I would keep the x64 disc and regift all the other stuff.
Markeyse says:
October 8, 2009 at 3:05 am (UTC -7 )
I should of got that party kit lol.
Alejandro Hernandez says:
October 8, 2009 at 10:24 am (UTC -7 )
I would too but I bet is expensier than the Windows 7 disk alone… ergo not worthy. If they send you all that party crap and were cheaper than the disk (license) alone (I mean for the trubbles of making the lame party) ok, then maybe.
eBob says:
October 8, 2009 at 8:26 pm (UTC -7 )
Why do you need WinDVD Pro for Blu-Ray playback? The Nero 9 bundle comes with ShowTime, which supposedly plays Blu-Ray.
Jonathon says:
October 9, 2009 at 9:18 am (UTC -7 )
Is that actually a full copy of windows? The bit that says “includes Windows Anytime Upgrade” makes it sounds like an upgrade-only version.
Loyd Case says:
October 9, 2009 at 9:59 am (UTC -7 )
Yes, it’s a full version. The “Includes Anytime Upgrade” is printed an all Windows versions, but actually makes no sense with Ultimate, since there’s nothing beyond ultimate.
Loyd Case says:
October 9, 2009 at 9:59 am (UTC -7 )
I suppose it depends on what you need. If you’re not requiring what Nero offers, then maybe WinDVD is good enough?
Eric says:
October 11, 2009 at 8:12 am (UTC -7 )
Plenty of lame in there, indeed. Would it have been so hard to get software from ISVs that actually showed the benefits of W7? Like a game or a cool app for broad-based usage? It’s not like M$ doesn’t have the cash to do that.
For all the positive changes in product and philosophy that have come out M$ recently, their marketing still leaves a lot to be desired.
Max Heim says:
October 13, 2009 at 5:39 pm (UTC -7 )
Well, now I’m expecting a tote bag, so you are busted on that one…
leo kowal says:
October 15, 2009 at 7:52 am (UTC -7 )
Hey Loyd……….i got my “party pack” last week……..i was surprized.
Something free from MS…….thanks MS.