Ten reasons Windows 7 could flop

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Jack Wallen

Published: 09 Oct 2009 14:30 BST

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Reviews of Windows 7 have been favourable, but they are no guarantee of success for Microsoft's new operating system, says Jack Wallen.

The big day for the official release of the latest iteration of the Windows operating system is 22 October. Many have heralded Windows 7 as the product that will bring the glory days back to Redmond. Many have said it will erase painful memories of Windows Vista.

But I, and a few others, think Windows 7 will not be the success most pundits are proclaiming. Here are 10 reasons why Windows 7 could easily fail.

1. Too much like Vista
I have yet to run into a PC user who likes Vista. There may be a few who have decided that Aero is the prettiest of all interfaces and that the User Access Control is the be-all-end-all of security.

But the truth of the matter is that Vista is a horrible operating system. And what will surprise the public is that Windows 7 is much like Vista.

Granted, Microsoft has made many changes under the hood. But ordinary users will not know that. They will see the Aero interface and user-account control and turn their noses up at the latest version.

Microsoft should have made a complete break from Vista. Instead of improving on it, Microsoft should have picked up XP, the best of its operating systems, and made it better at recognising hardware and perhaps added a prettier interface. Unfortunately, Windows 7 is going to suffer simply because it looks and acts too much like Vista.

2. It will cost too much
People are going to be put off by the cost of the operating system itself, as well as the cost of the minimum hardware requirements. Yes, if your hardware can run Vista, it can run Windows 7. But most people are still running XP, and that hardware will not cut it with Windows 7.

We are in an economy where people are cutting back. Having to buy an operating system and a new machine is going to be at the bottom of the list for most people. And most businesses are still clinging to XP.

3. XP is still too popular
Picking up where my last point left off, Windows XP is still the king of Microsoft operating systems. According to a survey done in February 2009, more than 71 percent of all business machines are still running it.

A survey by research firm Forrester suggested that Windows Vista would overthrow XP as the business operating system of choice, but that never happened.

And the only way Microsoft will pull XP off of business machines worldwide is when it reaches its end of life for support. But did that stop users from using Windows 2000 altogether? No.

In fact, some people are still clinging to that version of Windows. But overall, XP is still the keeper of the crown for Windows operating systems.

4. The editions are too confusing
Which version of Windows 7 do you want? You thought Professional sounded best, only to find it lacks the features you need. So, perhaps you should choose Ultimate.

Starter may sound as if it would be a good version to begin with — as in 'new to Windows' or 'cheapest version'. But no, Starter is for netbooks. So, you have to look at it like this:

1. Starter is for netbooks
2. Premium is for those who want next to nothing
3. Professional is for those who need to work from home and office
4. Ultimate is what Microsoft should sell and nothing less

I remember when Vista came out. Trying to find the right version for me nearly required the creation of a matrix or spreadsheet — and even using these techniques, many people still bought the wrong version.

5. No upgrades are available for XP
XP users cannot upgrade. Only a clean install will do, which, of course, is smart — but it means you have to pay full price.

6. Poor for netbooks
The Starter version of Windows 7 is a joke. Yes, Microsoft did remove the 'three apps at a time' restriction. But there are other limitations — beyond the hefty hardware requirements — that make it a poor candidate for netbooks:

1. No streaming media
2. No desktop customisations
3. No legacy app support

The first point is the real killer. Because most users do not want to clog up their limited...

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