The Big Windows 7 Problem: XP Holdouts
Microsoft hopes that the release of Windows 7 will solve problems ranging from desktop clutter to what Vista did to Microsoft's public reputation. But the toughest challenge may be to win over the group of people that arguably represent the software giant's biggest obstacle to success: Windows XP users.
The Windows 7 pitch, to date, takes direct aim at Vista's reputation as a bloated resource hog. As developers and members of the general public begin to tinker with the Windows 7 public beta, Microsoft is framing it as a lean and lithe OS, with the flexibility to run on all types of computers, from netbooks to high-end gaming laptops.
The new and streamlined user interface features of Windows 7 are well-documented at this point. A cleaned-up taskbar, the sleek Aero Peek GUI, mouse-hover Jump Lists and multi-touch capability have generated interest from users whose Windows desktops have been cluttered for too long.
Quicker, easier, more organized. Those were the buzzwords about Windows 7 features that Parri Munsell, Microsoft's Director of Consumer Product Management for Windows, used repeatedly in a recent interview from CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
"Our goal was to make the UI in Windows 7 much easier to navigate. We'll let the beta speak for itself but we have a high degree of optimism in it," Munsell says.
As for fastest growing segment of the PC market, netbooks, Munsell says that Microsoft has made it a priority to run Windows 7 on small form-factor notebooks.
"Windows 7 has been optimized and engineered to work with anything: from the smallest netbook to the most loaded laptop or desktop," he says.
A lot is expected of Windows 7, but can it do what at times has seemed impossible-win back the trust of XP users who have shunned Vista?
The software giant has stated outright that Windows 7 will not make significant architectural changes from Vista and will run most if not all the applications that run on Vista.
Yet just 21 percent of Windows users currently run Vista, according to Web metrics company Net Applications. Most Windows users (65 percent) still run XP; they like it and they are wary of the compatibility issues that have plagued Vista.
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I'm an XP SP3 user, tried
I'm an XP SP3 user, tried Vista for a few days, then wiped it off my HDD, with its bloody requirements and poor stability. After I read some first insights on Win 7, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I guess the users sticking to XP won't be a big issue, since already on beta-all (I mean OS itself plus the tailored drivers, all of them beta as of now), Windows 7 beats the sh|t out of Vista, and considerably outperforms XP. You got yourself a deal, Mr Gates =))Windows 7 - Opportunity of Curse?
The majority of Windows XP users are families, using their computers - dare I say it - to play massive multi-user games such as "World of Warcraft" (WoW) or to run any of the thousands of other graphics-intensive software titels that are available.Always in the past, stability of graphics drivers and top of the range graphics hardware has been a major issue. Unless Mictrosoft can address the graphics intensive games market and guarantee compatibility of graphics and sound device drivers, they are onto a loser with Windows 7.
So, please can Microsoft publish compatibility tables for Windows 7 Beta running WoW and Doom on the latest graphics and sound hardware?
Until the compatibility tables for legacy software titles are published by Microsoft, then home users won't go there.
Why Bother?
XP works, it does a good job of what I use it for. Why would I spend all that money for something I don't need? Microsoft just tells me I need a new OS and I'll just hand them my money? I don't think so...I was very dissapointed when they didn't release DX10 for XP, only showed me how little they think of their customers.