“It’s a given that Windows 7, scheduled for release in two weeks, is an improvement over Vista,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune. “But how does it stack up against Apple’s Snow Leopard?”
Elmer-DeWitt reports, “The definitive word comes in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal and All Things Digital from Walt Mossberg, the diminutive dean of tech journalists and a man who takes his software reviews seriously. After testing Windows 7 for nine months on 11 different machines, he has pronounced it ‘the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced.'”
“Anybody who is seriously interested in using Microsoft’s latest operating system should read the whole review,” Elmer-DeWitt reports. “But if you want to know what’s wrong with Windows 7, we’ve excerpted the juicy bits from Mossberg’s review.”
Here are a few of Walt’s own words to whet your appetite:
• On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista.
• On a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn’t work properly.
• Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated.
• It’s tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7
• The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place. Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won’t be able to do that.
Many more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s marketing department needs to pound that last bullet point into the ground and then pound it some more. Also, the more help Apple can give to Windows PC users looking to make the upgrade to Mac OS X, the better.
@Big Als MBP
“”So, if you’re buying a new net book get a Windows 7 net book.””
Can netbooks even run W7?
@Nathan
Great Idea! That would make a great commercial for sure!
@ Scott in Japan,
“Can netbooks even run W7?”
You run Windows 7 Starter edition on net books. Of course, if you want it to shut down you have to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium edition.
@Hee, hee.
Mossberg also believed that Vista was the best Windows to date, and gradually all Windows computers would transition to it. Do you really think his Win7 review is credible?
Man I hope you’re kidding.
Well lets see….my last Windoz computer is dated circa 1999 and it’s the last box that hasn’t gone up in smoke (1 of 4 ain’t so bad eh!)! It came with Windoz 98 and now has XP Pro on it that is hanging by the threads.
Do you think I should wait till the next computer comes with a fire extinguisher? I want a netbook with Win7 but from what I see from Mossberg’s comments it may be the “Win7 – functions” package.
I am still looking for a Palm TX replacement for the throne despite what SJ says the next new kid on the block won’t be like! If we call it icrapper then if the synergy between the software and hardware die then I can just flush the thing down the toilet and go back to…well…what?
I just installed Windows 7 as an upgrade from Vista on a Quad Xeon HP workstation at work and I am not impressed at all. The GUI is worse than Vista. I liked Vista ( as much as anyone can like Vista), but the new GUI on Windows 7 is fugly. Its a step back from Vista. I run Snow leopard on my iMac and it is a great UI compared to the crap that is Windows 7! How any computer tech writer can endorse this POS is beyond me. Ya, maybe it doesn’t crash as much and runs smoother than XP… but can you really sit in front of this UI all day and not feel like putting a bullet in your head?
My iMac Core 2, 2.8 Extreme with 4 gb ram is still faster than this HP workstation with a Quad Core Xeon and 6gb ram. The UI is a POS and a step back from Vista. What these pundits like about it is beyond me… and I have to sit in front of it all day programming!!! I dont think I will upgrade my HP laptop that came with Vista to Windows 7. I like the look of Vista much better than Windows 7!! My Mac is my primary system and it will stay that way… I only keep the laptop around for work… and in my opinion… windows 7 will be a flop… people will see that ugly UI and the crappy performance and word will get out that will kill windows 7. The little girl in the commercials is cute.. unfortunately Windows 7 is not as cute as she is !!! Microsoft is in its last years. Entrenched Developers and Enterprise clients with millions in investment are the only thing keeping that companies doors open. Its game over for Msoft… short the stock!!!