Microsoft CEO hopes companies warm to Windows 7

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) Chief Executive Steve Ballmer hopes that home users who like Windows 7 will help spark corporate adoption of the new operating system.

Ballmer, who unveiled the latest version of Microsoft's flagship software at a crowded event in New York on Thursday, needs corporations to adopt Windows 7 after the failure of its predecessor Vista to win over the lucrative business market.

"Employees are going to come in saying, 'I want Windows 7 -- I've got it at home,'" Ballmer told Reuters Television in an interview at the launch on Thursday.

"The combination of those factors and the productivity it gives people at work will definitely be a propeller."

Many companies are running old computers with the aging Windows XP operating system, after skipping Vista, which had early problems meshing with other programs and devices.

Windows 7, which has been greeted with largely positive reviews, could be a catalyst to get people and businesses to upgrade and buy new computers, said Ballmer, depending on the course of the economy.

It's "tough to predict because of the economy," he said. "But certainly it's the chance to encourage corporations to update their computers, to get families to upgrade or put in a second or third computer. I am optimistic, but we have the economy."

Ballmer touted new PCs running Windows 7 as the economical choice over generally more costly Apple Inc (AAPL.O) machines.

"It's particularly affordable in this economy and certainly as we look at our No. 1 competitor, affordability is a real advantage for the Windows 7 PC versus alternatives based on Macintosh."

(Reporting by Bobbi Rebell; Writing by Bill Rigby; Editing by Gary Hill)