The various flavors of Windows 7

 Tech  No Responses »
Feb 042009
 

So, just like they did with Vista, Microsoft is planning to release multiple versions of Windows 7. In an interesting post on TechCrunch, Devin Coldewey clinically takes apart this strategy. The section I loved the most was:

Can you imagine a Microsoft hot dog stand where they use the same wiener and bun in every hot dog, but if you want relish, or Sriracha sauce, you have to call it something completely different, and the menu has every configuration of hot dog included, with price? They could just have “Hot dog, $2″ on the menu, and then “relish, 40¢ extra” and “Sriracha, 50¢ extra” on there. Yes, there’s a reason every hot dog stand does it like that. Because if they set it up like Microsoft does, people would get confused and go get something simple, like an apple (which could represent the obvious).

 Posted by Vijay Narayanan at 2:07 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Windows 7: Lipstick on a pig?

 Tech  1 Response »
Jan 072009
 

Steve Ballmer announced today that “techies” could download and test the beta version of Windows 7, the latest OS from Microsoft, starting Friday. I don’t have a spare computer to try that. But even if I did, I won’t have the guts to do so. Having endured Vista over the past couple of years, I am not going to trust Microsoft any more. I don’t think I must waste my time pleading with you not to; yes, I know that would be superfluous.

While on the topic, you might want to check out some “cool” videos the Windows 7 folks have made. The videos focus on how the new OS delivers a fabulous user experience. Cool new features include dragging your favorite icon onto the taskbar!

But we must not forget that it has been stated publicly (by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer) that Windows 7 is only an incremental upgrade. To what? Shitty Windows Vista? (It does seem though to be a bit better than putting lipstick on a pig. ZDNet, in comparing a leaked version of the OS, reported that it is better than both XP and Vista in terms of performance.)

What better it may be, I don’t see corporate consumers, the guys with the big bucks (or formerly), queuing up to upgrade their OS. Not in this kind of an economy, and not after having burnt money on Vista. And if Microsoft follows the same pricing strategy as they did for Vista, I don’t see why cheapskates like me would want to switch.

 Posted by Vijay Narayanan at 11:49 pm  Tagged with: , ,
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