Microsoft launches the new operating system, Windows 7.

Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, is now available to the public as a beta version.

During his keynote speech at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, announced the launch of the first public trial of Windows 7, which has been available for software developers to use since 7 January.

Consumers will be able to test-drive the Windows 7 beta themselves on 9 January.

Microsoft claims that the new Windows 7 will be an improvement on all previous operating systems; it has been designed to be more streamlined, efficient and reliable.

Ballmer said: “I’m thrilled to announce the availability of Windows 7 beta, which is on track to deliver simplicity and reliability.”

In his keynote speech, Ballmer also announced the availability of the latest version of Windows Live, a free suite of personal communications services and applications.

“Windows 7 and Windows Live are part of an incredible pipeline of consumer technology that is making it easier than ever for people to communicate, share and get more done,” said Ballmer.

The minimum requirements for running Windows 7 are a PC with a 1Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16 GB of disk space, 128MB of video memory and support for DX9 graphics.