By Claire Reilly
Harvey Norman will begin selling Windows 8 tomorrow night, with the retailer launching a competition to promote the new Microsoft operating system.
Harveys is promoting its launch night activities, which will be held at its Harvey Norman @ Domayne store in Alexandria, with the opportunity to “be the first person in Australia to buy Windows 8 from Gerry Harvey”.
In a synergy of old and new retailing, Harveys is advising guests to pre-order the software through its website and collect it at the store on the launch night. Those who pre-order and also attend the launch event to pay in full will be eligible to one of eight prizes on offer. The first prize winner drawn will also be the first to buy their copy of Windows from Gerry Harvey himself.
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Speaking to the Australian Financial Review yesterday, Harvey Norman’s general manager said that Gerry Harvey was sticking to a tradition that was more than a decade old.
“Mr Harvey will be there selling the very first copy as he’s done with every Windows release since Windows 95,” said McIntosh. “Other Sydney and Melbourne metro shops will be open depending on trading laws.”
He also said that Windows 8 should be “very good in injecting excitement” into the Australian retail market.
The prize draw will take place in Alexandria tomorrow night from 11.45pm with the first copy of the software to be sold after midnight.
The prizes on offer (as provided by Harvey Norman) include:
1 x Toshiba Touch-Screen Ultrabook PSUL1A00S001 valued at $1,676
1 x Hewlett Packard Envy Sleek-Book C885SPA valued at $1,387
1 x Hewlett Packard Envy Touch- Smart H3W0BAA valued at $1,386
1 x Toshiba Satellite Notebook PSKGEA-003001 valued at $1,276
1 of 4 Nokia Windows Phone Lumia 900 Valued at $399
Gerry himself will be on hand to help celebrate the launch of Windows 8 at Harvey Norman.