MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES SPECIAL WINDOWS 95 PRICE FOR EDUCATION -- $19.95 - TO
CONTINUE WINDOWS MOMENTUM IN K-12 SCHOOLS

$1 MILLION OF WINDOWS 95 SOFTWARE AND MATERIALS DONATED TO TRAIN TEACHERS

Jostens and IBM K-12 Education Announce Support for Windows 95

REDMOND, WASH. - APRIL 29, 1996 - With market research predicting that the
Microsoft Windows operating system will be the leading operating system in
schools by the end of this school year, Microsoft Corporation today
announced an exceptional offer for educators designed to continue fueling
this shift - - Windows 95 for $19.95. Beginning May 1 through Oct. 31,
1996, any K-12 school and higher education institution in the U.S. can
take advantage of this special price.

The special offer is accompanied by a $1 million donation of Windows 95
software and instructional materials to teacher training programs
nationwide. Educators have identified training as the key to effectively
integrating technology into schools.

"This special pricing and training donation will help ensure that more
students and teachers have access to powerful, leading edge software tools
and the knowledge to use them to enhance education," said Jonathan
Lazarus, vice president, strategic relations.

Acknowledging the growing importance of the Windows platform in education,
leading educational software developers including Jostens Learning
Corporation and IBM K-12 Education have announced a commitment to develop
products for Windows 95. They join the more than 100 other top educational
software companies that have developed more than 1,100 Windows-based
education applications for K-12.

SPECIAL PRICE FOR EDUCATION

For the next six months, qualified educational institutions can buy the
Windows 95 upgrade or the full version of Windows&nbsp;95 for new users at
the special price of $19.95, plus shipping and handling. The minimum order
is five copies.

To provide the lowest possible price to educators, technical support is not
included, but is available as an optional purchase. Educators can use
Microsoft's free electronic support services or purchase technical phone
support with an 800 number set up for educators. To facilitate technical
training, each K-12 institution that orders Windows 95 through this
program will receive a free copy of "In & Out of the Classroom With
Windows 95," a practical resource that offers teachers guided, self-paced
lessons and hands-on activities demonstrating the features and
capabilities that make a Windows 95-based PC easier and friendlier to
use.

For more information, educational institutions can call 1-800-633-2114 or
visit the Microsoft web sites at HTTP://WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/K-12/WIN95/ or
HTTP://WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/HED/WIN95/. Product is available directly from
Microsoft and there is a minimum order of five copies per qualified
institution.

THE SHIFT TO WINDOWS-BASED PCS IN SCHOOLS

Adoption of Windows 95 and Windows NT Server operating systems in schools
builds on the momentum of the Windows platform in K-12 education. In a
recently published report, CCA Consulting Inc., Wellesley, Mass.,
documents the shift to Windows-based PCs in schools. According to the
report, by the end of the school year, Intel-based PCs are projected to be
51% of the installed base, and Windows will be running on nearly three out
of every four of them. Recent purchases underscore this trend.
Windows-based PCs are projected to be 72% of new purchases in K-12 by the
end of the 1995-96 school year.

"We didn't want to be locked into a corner for the future," said Anne W.
Carver, co-director of educational technology, Beaufort County School
District, South Carolina. "Adopting Windows 95 has positioned us and our
students to make the best use of technology in the learning process for
the future." Beaufort County has installed more than 600 PCs running
Windows throughout its 19 schools, a trend that is being replicated in
thousands of schools across the country.

Using Windows at school is not only preferred by school technology decision
makers, but also by parents of school-age children. A January 1996 survey
by PC Watch a service of TechScan, Inc., King of Prussia, PA , reported
that parents prefer their children use a Windows-based PC in schools by 3
to 1.

EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE $1 MILLION IN SOFTWARE AND TRAINING
MATERIALS

To help facilitate this shift, copies of Windows 95 and the "In & Out of
the Classroom With Windows 95" training guide will be donated to teacher
training programs through the state departments of education and
community-based special needs technology assistance centers affiliated
with the Alliance for Technology Access, San Rafael, Calif.

Through the donation to state department of education technology training
programs, nearly 150,000 teachers a year will learn to use the latest
technology in the classroom. Working with the Alliance for Technology
Access, Microsoft will provide Windows 95 to 45 community-based technology
resource centers nationwide that will use the software's accessibility
features for technology training of special education teachers and
individuals with disabilities. The community technology centers have
training contracts with over 1,400 schools districts and train more than
35,000 educators.

"Technology can bring the world to the classroom," Illinois State
Superintendent of Education Joseph Spagnolo said. "Training teachers to
use technology to help students experience unlimited educational
opportunities will foster academic excellence. Businesses like Microsoft
are helping to support this empowerment process in many ways."

DEVELOPERS CHOOSE WINDOWS

SIMBA Information, Inc. reports that 95% of the leading education software
publishers are currently developing software applications for Windows 95.
"These publishers are sending a message that they whole-heartedly endorse
Windows 95 in education - which is astonishing considering that Windows 95
was only released seven months ago," said Brian Kelly, editor of SIMBA's
Electronic Education Report, announcing the survey results. More than 80
education applications designed for Windows 95 already are available
today.

Microsoft is pleased to announce that Jostens Learning Corporation, the
nation's largest K-12 educational software company, will take advantage of
the capabilities of its Windows 95 and Windows NT desktop and network
operating systems to provide its current and future curriculum and
curriculum management products to schools. "Developing curriculum to
provide a quality learning environment for all students is our top
priority," said Michael Brannick, vice president of strategy and planning
for Jostens Learning, whose products are used by nearly 7 million students
in over 12,000 schools nationwide. "We're bringing together our expertise
in curriculum development with Microsoft's experience in building leading
edge operating systems. Windows 95 and Windows NT are important enabling
technologies to providing effective curriculum products that meet the
needs of educators and students."

IBM K-12 Education recently announced a number of new products that will
work in the Windows 95 environment, including SchoolVista 2.0 - - a new
instructional management program that is the first product of its kind in
the market place. "We're committed to working hand-in-hand with schools to
pioneer and support the evolution and implementation of classroom
technology," said Jim Schnitz, director of product strategy for IBM K-12
Education. "As schools expand the platforms in which they operate, we're
actively moving with them to provide simple to use technology that
improves the teaching and learning experience."

"Educators have told us that they need outstanding management,
productivity, and interactive media software to effectively use technology
in every facet of education," said Jonathan Lazarus, vice president,
strategic relations for Microsoft. "Microsoft is thrilled that leading
educational software developers, such as Jostens and IBM, are responding
to this demand for a wide variety of outstanding Windows-based educational
software and instructional management systems."

For more information on Windows-based educational applications, educators
can call toll-free 1-800-555-4K12 or visit Microsoft's award-winning
education web site, "Focus on K-12," HTTP://WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/K-12/.

The Windows 95 special purchase offer and donation program are part of
Microsoft's continuing efforts to help create a global "Connected Learning
Community" in which all students and educators have access to technology
and the tools and skills to use information effectively today and for a
lifetime. Microsoft is committed to providing educators and students with
the high-quality software and services needed to help them make the best
use of technology.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
 
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