It’s been an interesting few weeks for Japan’s tech watchers. First there was the CEATEC show, Twitter Japan launch and Engadget meet-up, and now the battle for operating system supremacy rages throughout Tokyo.
Windows 7 was rolled out last week, but had at least two PR blunders on national news. At the same time, hard-core geeks circulated a picture of Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux operating system, in front of a Windows 7 promotional booth, the joke being Torvalds’ smile in the face of rival, Microsoft’s (alleged) attempt to mute coverage of a Linux conference happening that same day.
Google has done its own share of promotion lately. The push-pin idea from this summer was clever, but the billboard in Shinagawa Station is the right place for the web giant to reach their present target: businesses.
Out of all the recent campaigns, the most bizarre may end up being the most successful. Microsoft teamed up with Burger King to release a burger with seven meat patties in honor of Windows 7’s release. Most of the web chatter seemed only to relay shock or disgust, but it’s undeniable the the message got out far and wide, and likely reached people who wouldn’t usually take notice. The ever-clever Jon Yongfook Cockle may have said it best on his Twitter feed: “No one is supposed to eat [the 7-patty whopper], you’re supposed to forward links about it to all your friends. It’s genius.”
And filling, it seems.
Phil, over at our sister site, sinks his teeth into the mega-whopper phenomenon as well.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
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