Windows 7 will be the SINGLE GREATEST COMPETITOR / THREAT to Macs since Windows XP.
Windows 7 will have sucky bits but people will use it a lot, just like they continue to use Office 2003/ 2007 a lot. A lot of people want to jump up from XP particularly to Windows 7 64bit (since 4GB of RAM is really becoming quite standard in the mid-to-mid-upper range now).
Vista is bad. Windows 7 so far is fast and snappy. Not perfect, but the RC1 was fairly decent at most things and is getting overall decent reviews.
Windows 7 will be something like what Vista was actually supposed to be.
Unless Microsoft somehow royally screws up, Windows 7 will be a definite ongoing threat to Snow Leopard and Macs.
But then again, do we want Macs to have 20% market share? I leave it to you all to decide.
I agree that Windows 7 is likely be much better accepted that the Vista was. It might have impact on Mac adoption/market share gain but your point of view is really narrow IMO. The Vista failure helped the Mac but it was not the only force attracting to the Mac. I think it looks more like this:
Windows Vista/Windows 7 main competitor is Windows XP. Windows Vista failed to attract XP users en masse. Most of the Vista users will upgrade to 7 as soon as it ships, the major reason being that large number of those are Widows enthusiast. Some portion of those who purchased new computers with Vista pre-installed may upgrade e.g. to fix some problems, and some XP users may decide to finally make the jump. How many of those is hard to predict now, and it depends on the pricing as well.
Before the Vista, the average users were under the impression that Windows is the only way to go and everything else is a dead end: no apps, no support, you look like an idiot, Mac is for kids and dummies, ... , you name it. Mac started to gain share (let me say again - not only because of Vista only) and people start to understand that the switch is not the end of the world. It does not matter how good the next and future Windows is going to be, this change of the public perception regarding switching can not be reverted.
iPhone and iPod touch are a HUGE success. Most of the iPhone/iPod touch users are not Mac users (the number of mobile users already exceeds the number of desktop users). This huge installed base helps Apple a lot (the so called Halo effect). Now that we know that the Pre is not The iPhone Killer (TM) and we need to wait for the next one to come around, and more importantly, it is clear that Windows Mobile looks like the big looser in the mobile war, Apple is perceived as attractive option.
Microsoft used to be the media favorite. It was widely believed that whatever Microsoft announces will become a reality. The long list of Longhorn scrapped features and the huge Vista delay signaled significant problems in this department. It was the last nail in the coffin of the illusion that Microsoft is an all-mighty giant and can do whatever it wants.
Many media outlets still have MS bias, but the media focus on Apple and the associated free advertising is nowhere close to what Microsoft can get.
A number of developments like The Zune failure, the Blue Ray win against Microsoft-backed HD DVD, failure to kill the Adobe PDF with it's own standard, loosing market share and playing catch-up for standard compliance in the browser area (that is, burring the idea that Microsoft can take over with it's own proprietary web technologies and kill the competition out of the gate) showed that Microsoft is no longer the mafia guy that can force out of the business everybody who steps on it's way.
The quality of the products aside, Microsoft feels an enormous pressure against it's business model. The "hunters" adds may turn many from switching to the Mac, but it may also make turn same those users away from Windows 7. Squeezed between Linux and Mac OS Snow Leopard $29 upgrade price, Microsoft will need to make hard choices: either to face slow adoption rate or reduced revenue.
Everything MS puts out these days is a complete failure: Vista, MS Office, etc.
Is Windows 7 going to be really any different? Is it going to require 10000 updates to work?
It works now, quite well actually. If there's a failure, its fro the 800,000 different SKUs. Just over ultimate fro everyone at home's price and be done with it.
friend of mine is running Windows 7 RC and has had a 10 fps improvement in World of Warcraft, so he's happy. His Vista install barfed and refused to reinstall.
There should be an option that says "definitely not". Anyways, there is no chance of a failure for Windows 7. It has already succeeded in convincing the masses with the good PR coming out of the free RC giveaways. It is difficult to do worse than Vista.
Windows 7 will be a definite ongoing threat to Snow Leopard and Macs.
Been trying out Win7 for well over a month now, and it can't hold a candle to Leopard's elegance, power, and efficacy. Let alone to Snow Leopard's.
Win7's claim to fame is it's supposedly state-of-the-art security management. Well: it failed! A couple days ago Avast found a W32 Trojan on my Win7 system. A Trojan that Win7 had obviously 'overlooked' and let in without a peep!
Been trying out Win7 for well over a month now, and it can't hold a candle to Leopard's elegance, power, and efficacy. Let alone to Snow Leopard's.
Win7's claim to fame is it's supposedly state-of-the-art security management. Well: it failed! A couple days ago Avast found a W32 Trojan on my Win7 system. A Trojan that Win7 had obviously 'overlooked' and let in without a peep!
Win7 has already failed before it even started!
I disagree here and have yet to have a single security problem.
Windows 7 is a better overall OS than Leopard. Haven't tried Snow Leopard. And my version of Win7 is actually genuinely 64 bit, not pseudo 64 bit like Leopard. Snow Leopard is different, but Apple is behind the eight ball in 64 bit support even for themselves. They screwed the pooch by shifting away from Carbon 64 and hurt themselves and their developers by deceiving themselves that it could work.
And as for those loving the $29 upgrade, less than 50% of Apple users qualify for that price. Those that never upgraded to Leopard have to pay $169 and those with PowerPC's are stuck.
The price issue is also hurting Apple. It's the reason why I replaced my iMac with a Quad-core AMD Phenom, 8GB of RAM, and a 24" Viewsonic 1080P that I built for $1000. I don't care how "elegant" OS X is, there is not a machine built by Apple that can compete with mine at the same price point.
And Windows 7 is what caused me to return to MS. I left back in 2002 and loved OS X when I got Jaguar. I still like OS X, but Windows 7 gives me everything I need. I've had ZERO crashes in a month. And the FREE MS Security Essentials works quite well for the average user. Independent tests have shown it does a great job and it takes about 6MB of resident memory. So I find Win7 to be very secure, very fast, and able to run my fully 64 bit version of Photoshop that doesn't exist on the Mac at this time.
The new taskbar rocks the dock and Aero Peek is so good that Apple tried to copy it into Expose, but MS took the whole Expose idea and made it better than Apple's. Just as they did with Dashboard. Apple came up with the ideas - MS made them better.
And I used to hate MS, but I have to give credit where it is due. They've done a great job with Windows 7 and Security Essentials. I can't remember ever being thrilled by a MS system until Windows 7.
The danger to Apple is if it is very well received and seen as a huge leap forward for MS. Why pay Apple's exorbitant prices if Miscrosoft's OS is just as stable (moreso in my estimation compared to my Leopard experience), just as secure (maybe moreso with the Safari issues - and I see big trouble ahead in the department because Apple and Mac users are overconfident about the OS' security. Eventually that will bite both in the butt), just as gorgeous (if not moreso), and really fast.
It also keeps the registry very clean. Very impressed with it. The Beta and RC are rock solid. Months with nary a crash. More stable than my iMac with Leopard which has crashed on multiple occasions and suffered from major slowdowns every now and again for now apparent reason, though it seems like the kernel ends up getting clogged for some reason.
I disagree here and have yet to have a single security problem.
Windows 7 is a better overall OS than Leopard. Haven't tried Snow Leopard. And my version of Win7 is actually genuinely 64 bit, not pseudo 64 bit like Leopard. Snow Leopard is different, but Apple is behind the eight ball in 64 bit support even for themselves. They screwed the pooch by shifting away from Carbon 64 and hurt themselves and their developers by deceiving themselves that it could work.
And as for those loving the $29 upgrade, less than 50% of Apple users qualify for that price. Those that never upgraded to Leopard have to pay $169 and those with PowerPC's are stuck.
The price issue is also hurting Apple. It's the reason why I replaced my iMac with a Quad-core AMD Phenom, 8GB of RAM, and a 24" Viewsonic 1080P that I built for $1000. I don't care how "elegant" OS X is, there is not a machine built by Apple that can compete with mine at the same price point.
And Windows 7 is what caused me to return to MS. I left back in 2002 and loved OS X when I got Jaguar. I still like OS X, but Windows 7 gives me everything I need. I've had ZERO crashes in a month. And the FREE MS Security Essentials works quite well for the average user. Independent tests have shown it does a great job and it takes about 6MB of resident memory. So I find Win7 to be very secure, very fast, and able to run my fully 64 bit version of Photoshop that doesn't exist on the Mac at this time.
The new taskbar rocks the dock and Aero Peek is so good that Apple tried to copy it into Expose, but MS took the whole Expose idea and made it better than Apple's. Just as they did with Dashboard. Apple came up with the ideas - MS made them better.
And I used to hate MS, but I have to give credit where it is due. They've done a great job with Windows 7 and Security Essentials. I can't remember ever being thrilled by a MS system until Windows 7.
The danger to Apple is if it is very well received and seen as a huge leap forward for MS. Why pay Apple's exorbitant prices if Miscrosoft's OS is just as stable (moreso in my estimation compared to my Leopard experience), just as secure (maybe moreso with the Safari issues - and I see big trouble ahead in the department because Apple and Mac users are overconfident about the OS' security. Eventually that will bite both in the butt), just as gorgeous (if not moreso), and really fast.
It also keeps the registry very clean. Very impressed with it. The Beta and RC are rock solid. Months with nary a crash. More stable than my iMac with Leopard which has crashed on multiple occasions and suffered from major slowdowns every now and again for now apparent reason, though it seems like the kernel ends up getting clogged for some reason.
A month you say? I haven't had a crash in 1 year with my 2 macs. Good luck trying to keep the billions of spyware and virus at bay while you defragment your HD every week and update the 100 third party crapware every day. Also while you are at it you may want to save for the the Windows 7 downpayment and installment plan you will need to purchase it. And say good bye to streamlined multicore processing or GPU assistance.
Win7's claim to fame is it's supposedly state-of-the-art security management. Well: it failed! A couple days ago Avast found a W32 Trojan on my Win7 system. A Trojan that Win7 had obviously 'overlooked' and let in without a peep!
Win7 has already failed before it even started!
Did you download a leaked beta or rc that was not downloaded directly from MS servers? There were many torrents with trojan included into the downloads. Viruses and trojans don't just magically appear, at least not with Vista and Windows 7. Chances are, you chose to install something that had a virus/trojan included. In that case, what OS can protect you? Likewise, false positive have been known to happen.
Remember those people who downloaded iWork with trojan hidden? Yeah, OS X didn't make a peep!
Comments
Everything MS puts out these days is a complete failure: Vista, MS Office, etc.
Is Windows 7 going to be really any different? Is it going to require 10000 updates to work?
What's the point of posting a poll if you're going to skew it so blatantly? Where're the "most likely not" and "no" options?
the transition expense for IT and corps is very high and tedious
mac runs both OSX and XP
why not just get a mac
50+% IT directors seriously looking at snow leopard
$29 upgrade price is cold blast in face of typical MS IT dept
corps are looking to lean expenses and mac may be the ticket
MS can win but they have to lower substantially the cost to enter
W-7, new computer purchases delayed for this reason.
MS has some major problems to overcome
BUT can apple capitalize on this window of opportunity
some say apple didn't hit vista and PC, MS hard enough since vista launch
we'll see
What's the point of posting a poll if you're going to skew it so blatantly? Where're the "most likely not" and "no" options?
See the reply by strange lulz above this one.
Windows 7 will have sucky bits but people will use it a lot, just like they continue to use Office 2003/ 2007 a lot. A lot of people want to jump up from XP particularly to Windows 7 64bit (since 4GB of RAM is really becoming quite standard in the mid-to-mid-upper range now).
Vista is bad. Windows 7 so far is fast and snappy. Not perfect, but the RC1 was fairly decent at most things and is getting overall decent reviews.
Windows 7 will be something like what Vista was actually supposed to be.
Unless Microsoft somehow royally screws up, Windows 7 will be a definite ongoing threat to Snow Leopard and Macs.
But then again, do we want Macs to have 20% market share? I leave it to you all to decide.
I wanted to slit my wrists using Vista but 7 was solid
Everything MS puts out these days is a complete failure: Vista, MS Office, etc.
Is Windows 7 going to be really any different? Is it going to require 10000 updates to work?
It works now, quite well actually. If there's a failure, its fro the 800,000 different SKUs. Just over ultimate fro everyone at home's price and be done with it.
If there's a failure, its fro the 800,000 different SKUs.
In America you can choose between:
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- Windows 7 Professional
- Windows 7 Ultimate
In stores you will probably only see Home Premium.
Unless Microsoft somehow royally screws up...
I have faith in them. They will.
Windows 7 will be a definite ongoing threat to Snow Leopard and Macs.
Been trying out Win7 for well over a month now, and it can't hold a candle to Leopard's elegance, power, and efficacy. Let alone to Snow Leopard's.
Win7's claim to fame is it's supposedly state-of-the-art security management. Well: it failed! A couple days ago Avast found a W32 Trojan on my Win7 system. A Trojan that Win7 had obviously 'overlooked' and let in without a peep!
Win7 has already failed before it even started!
I have faith in them. They will.
Been trying out Win7 for well over a month now, and it can't hold a candle to Leopard's elegance, power, and efficacy. Let alone to Snow Leopard's.
Win7's claim to fame is it's supposedly state-of-the-art security management. Well: it failed! A couple days ago Avast found a W32 Trojan on my Win7 system. A Trojan that Win7 had obviously 'overlooked' and let in without a peep!
Win7 has already failed before it even started!
I disagree here and have yet to have a single security problem.
Windows 7 is a better overall OS than Leopard. Haven't tried Snow Leopard. And my version of Win7 is actually genuinely 64 bit, not pseudo 64 bit like Leopard. Snow Leopard is different, but Apple is behind the eight ball in 64 bit support even for themselves. They screwed the pooch by shifting away from Carbon 64 and hurt themselves and their developers by deceiving themselves that it could work.
And as for those loving the $29 upgrade, less than 50% of Apple users qualify for that price. Those that never upgraded to Leopard have to pay $169 and those with PowerPC's are stuck.
The price issue is also hurting Apple. It's the reason why I replaced my iMac with a Quad-core AMD Phenom, 8GB of RAM, and a 24" Viewsonic 1080P that I built for $1000. I don't care how "elegant" OS X is, there is not a machine built by Apple that can compete with mine at the same price point.
And Windows 7 is what caused me to return to MS. I left back in 2002 and loved OS X when I got Jaguar. I still like OS X, but Windows 7 gives me everything I need. I've had ZERO crashes in a month. And the FREE MS Security Essentials works quite well for the average user. Independent tests have shown it does a great job and it takes about 6MB of resident memory. So I find Win7 to be very secure, very fast, and able to run my fully 64 bit version of Photoshop that doesn't exist on the Mac at this time.
The new taskbar rocks the dock and Aero Peek is so good that Apple tried to copy it into Expose, but MS took the whole Expose idea and made it better than Apple's. Just as they did with Dashboard. Apple came up with the ideas - MS made them better.
And I used to hate MS, but I have to give credit where it is due. They've done a great job with Windows 7 and Security Essentials. I can't remember ever being thrilled by a MS system until Windows 7.
The danger to Apple is if it is very well received and seen as a huge leap forward for MS. Why pay Apple's exorbitant prices if Miscrosoft's OS is just as stable (moreso in my estimation compared to my Leopard experience), just as secure (maybe moreso with the Safari issues - and I see big trouble ahead in the department because Apple and Mac users are overconfident about the OS' security. Eventually that will bite both in the butt), just as gorgeous (if not moreso), and really fast.
It also keeps the registry very clean. Very impressed with it. The Beta and RC are rock solid. Months with nary a crash. More stable than my iMac with Leopard which has crashed on multiple occasions and suffered from major slowdowns every now and again for now apparent reason, though it seems like the kernel ends up getting clogged for some reason.
I disagree here and have yet to have a single security problem.
Windows 7 is a better overall OS than Leopard. Haven't tried Snow Leopard. And my version of Win7 is actually genuinely 64 bit, not pseudo 64 bit like Leopard. Snow Leopard is different, but Apple is behind the eight ball in 64 bit support even for themselves. They screwed the pooch by shifting away from Carbon 64 and hurt themselves and their developers by deceiving themselves that it could work.
And as for those loving the $29 upgrade, less than 50% of Apple users qualify for that price. Those that never upgraded to Leopard have to pay $169 and those with PowerPC's are stuck.
The price issue is also hurting Apple. It's the reason why I replaced my iMac with a Quad-core AMD Phenom, 8GB of RAM, and a 24" Viewsonic 1080P that I built for $1000. I don't care how "elegant" OS X is, there is not a machine built by Apple that can compete with mine at the same price point.
And Windows 7 is what caused me to return to MS. I left back in 2002 and loved OS X when I got Jaguar. I still like OS X, but Windows 7 gives me everything I need. I've had ZERO crashes in a month. And the FREE MS Security Essentials works quite well for the average user. Independent tests have shown it does a great job and it takes about 6MB of resident memory. So I find Win7 to be very secure, very fast, and able to run my fully 64 bit version of Photoshop that doesn't exist on the Mac at this time.
The new taskbar rocks the dock and Aero Peek is so good that Apple tried to copy it into Expose, but MS took the whole Expose idea and made it better than Apple's. Just as they did with Dashboard. Apple came up with the ideas - MS made them better.
And I used to hate MS, but I have to give credit where it is due. They've done a great job with Windows 7 and Security Essentials. I can't remember ever being thrilled by a MS system until Windows 7.
The danger to Apple is if it is very well received and seen as a huge leap forward for MS. Why pay Apple's exorbitant prices if Miscrosoft's OS is just as stable (moreso in my estimation compared to my Leopard experience), just as secure (maybe moreso with the Safari issues - and I see big trouble ahead in the department because Apple and Mac users are overconfident about the OS' security. Eventually that will bite both in the butt), just as gorgeous (if not moreso), and really fast.
It also keeps the registry very clean. Very impressed with it. The Beta and RC are rock solid. Months with nary a crash. More stable than my iMac with Leopard which has crashed on multiple occasions and suffered from major slowdowns every now and again for now apparent reason, though it seems like the kernel ends up getting clogged for some reason.
A month you say? I haven't had a crash in 1 year with my 2 macs. Good luck trying to keep the billions of spyware and virus at bay while you defragment your HD every week and update the 100 third party crapware every day. Also while you are at it you may want to save for the the Windows 7 downpayment and installment plan you will need to purchase it. And say good bye to streamlined multicore processing or GPU assistance.
Win7's claim to fame is it's supposedly state-of-the-art security management. Well: it failed! A couple days ago Avast found a W32 Trojan on my Win7 system. A Trojan that Win7 had obviously 'overlooked' and let in without a peep!
Win7 has already failed before it even started!
Did you download a leaked beta or rc that was not downloaded directly from MS servers? There were many torrents with trojan included into the downloads. Viruses and trojans don't just magically appear, at least not with Vista and Windows 7. Chances are, you chose to install something that had a virus/trojan included. In that case, what OS can protect you? Likewise, false positive have been known to happen.
Remember those people who downloaded iWork with trojan hidden? Yeah, OS X didn't make a peep!