Does Windows 7 Live up to The Hype
By: Dan Morrill
Windows 7, if it truly lives up to its hype, faster, sleeker, ect as shown off at PDC this week could end up being one of those must have upgrades for everyone who owns and hates their vista computer. Microsoft needs a win here, not so much to make money, they do that well, but to reverse an increasingly negative image of who they are and what they do. Microsoft is seen as a lumbering Hippo happy in its pond, when many just want to see things that work as advertised.
Windows 7 is due to hit beta and release in 2009, and odds are likely that if the pundits, all of us on the blogosphere and other places like PC World, Cnet, and others all agree that this works the way a computer was supposed to work will help drive sales. What is also interesting is that Microsoft is really pushing to get this puppy out. Along with the bloat are gone the five years of development.
Windows 7 might be based on Vista, but with Vista basically doing whatever it wants to do, when it wants to do it, we hope that Windows 7 will be better behaved. When we say we want to shut down the box, we really mean it, not go for a 20 minute walk while the computer thinks about shutting down. The other bigger issue is going to be smaller computers, notebooks and laptops. They have to work flawlessly, with all the things intact.
The major reason for me defecting to apple was to do all the Audio and Video that I want to do, right out of the box. It is annoying to spend 3000 dollars on a Vista computer only to have the inbuilt camera not work, or the audio not work (causes BSOD when plugging in a head set). When I can spend 1000 dollars on an Apple and be up and running in about 30 minutes doing the things I need to do.
The sad part is that we will probably rush out to purchase the upgrade or the entire version just to see if we can get our HP laptop to work right, without being possessed when I want it to do something. Right now, this is the last best hope for Microsoft and its customer base. If Windows 7 turns out to be a bust, it will be a long slow decline, with a lost market, and the fortunes of Dell and other PC Manufacturers hanging in the balance. On the other hand, Apple will win this round, and continue to show strength after strength if Windows 7 does not get good press and work as advertised.