Beverage company, Campari chooses HP Windows 8 tablets over Apple's iPad

Microsoft has revealed that the Australian branch of beverage company Campari has received and deployed numerous Windows 8 tablets from HP. The company also plans to integrate Windows 8 into the business's range of desktop and laptops.

So which tablet are we talking about? The HP ElitePad 900 running windows 8, which has been supplied to each member of the sales and marketing teams at Campari. The company's Asia-Pacific IT Manager, Loic Herbin explained in an interview:

"On top of this our systems are running on Windows Server 2008, we use SharePoint 2010 and Microsoft Lync. Windows 8 integrates seamlessly in our infrastructure. You could say Microsoft is a crucial component of Campari’s IT platform and strategy."

Herbin continues by stating how upgrading the teams to Windows 8 tablets was "pure convenience," thanks to the intuitive and interactive experience offered by Microsoft's latest OS. Looking at Apple's iPad, the company concluded the product simply couldn't achieve the same level of functionality as it could with a Windows 8 tablet. Office was also a major factor.

The roll-out at the company included training a team member from each state who was subsequently responsible for educating their state teams. With Microsoft's help and advice on tap, Campari has been able to achieve a rapid uptake, taking around a week for users to get familiar with the new OS.

Campari isn't halting at the borders, though. The company is also looking at a global strategy. Herbin explains, "China recently went live with Windows 8 running across a collection of Acer devices. For our sales and marketing teams in particular, they often need to access company information on the go and we’re looking to incorporate these abilities into the devices supplied. We’re also looking to integrate Microsoft Lync so that users can quickly and efficiently communicate with one another on the move."

To wrap up, the IT manager stated they're "looking forward to the return of the start button to the main menu." Another success story for Microsoft and its windows 8 platform.

Source: MSDN, via: Delimiter; Thanks, rye88, for the heads up!

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.