Microsoft's Windows 7 'Whopper' Campaign: The Worst Promotion Ever?

Microsoft is celebrating the release of Windows 7 in Japan with a Burger King promotion for the Windows 7 Whopper: Seven patties stacked on top of one another in one sandwich. Given that Microsoft has been criticized for releasing top-heavy, bloated operating systems, this could be one of its worst promotional ideas ever.

The Windows 7 Whopper weighs in with about 1,000 calories, and likely packs enough cholesterol to require immediate surgery for anyone foolhardy enough to try eating one. It's a full five inches thick, and costs the equivalent of $8.50.

Microsoft has made much of the fact that Windows 7 is svelter than Windows Vista, requires less RAM, and can run even on netbooks. So why promote it with such a massive heart-killer?

Worse, still, is that Microsoft's worst critics have accused it of lying. Given that's the case, why promote Windows 7 with a whopper, which is slang for a big lie?

This story, "Microsoft's Windows 7 'Whopper' Campaign: The Worst Promotion Ever?" was originally published by Computerworld.