Grading Windows 7 three months later: The Bottom Line
Windows 7 has been out for about 3 months now, and has already gained 10% market share for operating systems. Has it washed out the bad taste of Windows Vista and has it been as successful as we expected? We talk to Chris Spera from JustAnotherMobileMonday and Eric Sandine, contributor here at TechVi about this on today's edition of the Bottom Line.
Guests:
- Eric Sandine , TechVi
- Chris Spera , JustAnotherMobileMonday
Microsoft releases Vista SP2
Microsoft has unveiled its Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista, which should fix unspecified problems with the oft-maligned OS.
Amazon’s Kindle as a textbook, plus Windows 7’s expectations
Our good buddies from CNET's The 404 stop by to wax philosophically about Amazon's new biggie Kindle. Specifically, the crew sees it as a bad fit for regular commuters (along with themselves) but Justin posits that students could see a real appeal, though there are still some operational issues to work out. We also talk Windows 7's RC release, with the trio seeing the new free release as something to almost ignore. Jeff hopes for a return to the "glory days" of Windows 2000 and XP, while Wilson cant find a way to get excited about explaining the difference between Windows 7 and Vista.
[sidenote, you'll notice some technical issues. We were trying something new, so we had some slight problems. Thanks for being understanding!]
Microsoft playing Vista’s future close to vest
Microsoft refuses to announce its plans for Vista following the pending release of Windows 7. PC World reports that the software maker will continue to offer Windows XP on netbooks for an entire year after the launch of the new OS but refuses to commit to Vista in the same manner.
Apple is forced to hike iTunes rates, plus Windows 7 might have an XP downgrade option
After years of blazing the online music download trail with $.99 downloads, Apple has been forced by its record industry partners to push rates up to $1.29. We talk with Jason Hiner of TechRepublic and Richard Baguley of Reviewed.com about whether the 30% increase will lead to a drop in their iTunes usage, not to mention the community at large. (Spoiler: Richard won't keep going with iTunes, Jason might, and Randall didn't like it to begin with.)
Also, we're hearing whispers that Microsoft might offer a downgrade option to Windows 7 even after XP is launched. Does that mean, in all actuality, that the company isn't prepared to go all in on Windows 7? We talk about what the potential downgrade means for regular users, and why it might run the risk of confusing Microsoft's sales message.
Microsoft shows of Windows 7 touch features
Microsoft has released a video flaunting some of the new bells-and-whistles for Windows 7. Obviously, the company is hoping touch computing will be a new killer app, and will give users a reason to upgrade. In our mind, Vista's lack of a killer app and instead focus on improved UI and under-the-hood changes is the main reason why Vista couldn't gain footing. Perhaps, a touch interface will sway consumers this time around.