Chicago (IL) – As we are patiently waiting to take Windows 7 for a test drive later this month, Microsoft is cautious about promising too much and is making sure that expectations remain low. According to CEO Steve Ballmer, Windows 7 will essentially be Vista, but “a lot better”.
In fact, when the executive said that Windows 7 would be a Windows Vista with a cleaner interface and performance interface, it may sound like Windows 7 is much more a service pack than a major operating system release Ballmer claims Windows 7 will be. But then, Ballmer also said that “Vista is good” and if he ran another company, he would not wait for Windows 7, but deploy Windows Vista right away. We are officially confused. Windows 7 is what appears to be an extensive Windows Vista service pack and its new features may not be worth the wait. But it is a major operating system release? Apparently, Ballmer made those remarks during a question and answer session with Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald, who asked the Microsoft executive how Microsoft would position Windows 7 as a new product, without offering too much or too little in terms of new features.Microsoft is providing clues that Windows 7 indeed will be a fix for Windows Vista, but the company avoids to tie the new software to the old. The name “Windows 7” is not consistent with any Microsoft product branding strategy over the past 15 years, but was chosen for reasons of simplicity and, according to Microsoft, this new operating system will be the seventh generation of Windows (which has been questioned by some as Windows 7 could be considered the eighth or even ninth generation of Windows). For now, it is safe to say that we are underwhelmed, but we are looking forward to see Windows 7 later this month and see how much better it is in comparison to Vista.
In fact, when the executive said that Windows 7 would be a Windows Vista with a cleaner interface and performance interface, it may sound like Windows 7 is much more a service pack than a major operating system release Ballmer claims Windows 7 will be. But then, Ballmer also said that “Vista is good” and if he ran another company, he would not wait for Windows 7, but deploy Windows Vista right away. We are officially confused. Windows 7 is what appears to be an extensive Windows Vista service pack and its new features may not be worth the wait. But it is a major operating system release? Apparently, Ballmer made those remarks during a question and answer session with Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald, who asked the Microsoft executive how Microsoft would position Windows 7 as a new product, without offering too much or too little in terms of new features.Microsoft is providing clues that Windows 7 indeed will be a fix for Windows Vista, but the company avoids to tie the new software to the old. The name “Windows 7” is not consistent with any Microsoft product branding strategy over the past 15 years, but was chosen for reasons of simplicity and, according to Microsoft, this new operating system will be the seventh generation of Windows (which has been questioned by some as Windows 7 could be considered the eighth or even ninth generation of Windows). For now, it is safe to say that we are underwhelmed, but we are looking forward to see Windows 7 later this month and see how much better it is in comparison to Vista.
