Posted: Oct 30, 2009 9:02 AM
Excuse my French, but Windows Vista sucked. There's just no way around it. It was every inch a disaster, so much so that many users switched back to Windows XP, an operating system introduced in 2001. This was a PR nightmare right up there with the New Coke debacle.
It was clear from the moment of the launch of Windows Vista in 2007 that the product was a dud. It was awash in security features that confused users. I remember calling it the "Nanny OS" back then because it wouldn't stop bothering you with questions like "are you sure you want to do that?" I once counted an experience I had where I was asked variations of this question five times before I could get to the program I wanted. Further, PCs came absolutely bloated with tons of software users didn't want, software that slowed the system to a crawl. It was clear that Microsoft and its vendors were not working terribly closely.
Now comes the launch of Windows 7, and it is absolutely essential that Microsoft gets this right. It is the Era of the Mac, which continues to eat away at the PC market. Apple is wasting no time with its attack, launching a Windows 7-themed series of its popular "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" ads. (The one called "Broken Promises" is pretty withering.)
The early reviews are in, and they say that Windows 7 has finally done right by its customers:
Wired Magazine: The latest OS from Microsoft delivers a truly next-generation interface that will transform the way we use our computers, while addressing a number of nagging issues that have turned off Windows users in the past. The Windows team deserves a round of applause.
PC Magazine: Is this the best Windows ever? It's too soon to tell, but it is good enough to make you forget all the bad things Vista did to you.
Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal: After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft (MSFT) has produced. It’s a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers… In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple’s Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That’s no longer true. (emphasis added)
Pretty good early reviews, eh? Keep in mind -- Mossberg has seemingly never met a Mac product he didn't love. And remember -- these raves come from a crowd that smelled blood. You can bet that they were ready to pounce on Windows 7 if it had not lived up to expectations. I'm a Mac guy, and I can tell you even I think Macs get too easy a pass in the review world.
How did Microsoft seemingly get it right this time? One big answer: it listened. And this is the big takeaway for us. Previous installments of Windows operating systems were developed, essentially, in the dark. Microsoft would introduce the system and then companies using the OS would scramble to update their stuff to make it compatible. This time, the process was far more open. Microsoft worked with vendors and customers to find out what they wanted. We can learn from that. When was the last time we surveyed our audience to find out what their expectations are from our work?
I'll be test-driving Windows 7 this week and will report on my own experiences. For now, it does appear that 7 is Microsoft's lucky number.
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