Windows 7 RC: Reality Check Edition
Yes, I know “RC” designates Windows 7 as a Release Candidate, but a better designation would be Reality Check.
Windows 7 is an improvement over a very bad Vista, OK? Big deal. Let’s not pretend it’s more than that. The signal-to-noise ratio from some quarters is getting ridiculous.
Let’s look at the reality check:
- Did they address that whole sluggish performance thing? Not really.
- Did they address that whole confusing number of editions thing? Not really.
- Did they address that whole XP compatibility thing? Not really.
I installed Win7 beta on my MacBook a few months back, and recently installed the reality check on my iMac. Most of the improvements Microsoft made in either version are fine (especially those that pay homage to Mac OS X), and driver support is better, but this would all have happened to Vista in 2.5 years anyway.
Steve Ballmer said it best: Win7 is just Vista done right. Fine, but the problem is that Vista was never anything more than a replacement for what was at the time a 6-year-old XP. It had long since lost the shine, promise, and propaganda of a Longhorn we never got. And even with the broken promises, Microsoft still couldn’t get it “right” until now.
I did not upgrade to Vista. It was a horrible release that had issues even with new hardware, let alone the 2-year-old PC laptop I owned then. My experience with Vista, like most peoples’ at the time, was a disaster. I went back to XP and never looked back. But at some point one must question the sense in using an OS struggling under the weight of issues and security concerns rooted in decisions made a decade ago.
The biggest thing Windows 7 has going for it, by far, is that while after six years XP was showing it’s age, after nine it’s almost comical. The hardest reality check for Microsoft is that XP had to become so dated to make their “new” OS finally look reasonable by comparison.
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Steve on May 7th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
[Admin Edit: Name calling, flaming, and vulgarity won't be tolerated]
Christian Areas on May 7th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I have to agree with the above person’s sentiments (minus the vulgarity). This story is incredibly biased, and not in touch with reality. Personally, I use a Mac, but that’s not to say that OS X is the end all be all of everything. WIndows has its pros and cons, but so does Mac. This flame war people get into with with OS X versus Windows is lame; just as bad as Left versus Right when it comes to politics.
Thomas Walker on May 7th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Hardcore Win user here. I’ve been using Win7 for the past few days and guess what? It’s frozen up on me as much as and perhaps even more than Vista! The same old ‘Not Responding’ BS. There are several other things Win7 has done that’s really pissed me off, but I’m not going to go into details. I had to do a forced restart once and, uh, nevermind. Let’s just say, I’ll be purchasing a Mac. My first Mac. Just waiting to see the June announcements. Win7 is not an improvement, IMO. I’ve had it with MS. Vista seriously put many new grey hairs on my head.
Ken Jackson on May 7th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
The PCWorld analysis, while probably technically accurate is flawed in spirit. Why? Well on machines as they had them configured Vista would outperform XP. People have tested and shown that Vista outperforms XP on modern new machines, especially with SP1. The real problem with Vista was on older P4 systems with 512MB of RAM that ran XP just fine. There Vista would get hammered, and it’s these systems that Win7 now excels.
I’ve used Vista since it came out and while it did have some issues it is a huge leap over XP. But really it was a foundational release. They fixed their driver model. They fixed their core security issues (notice how security is no longer something people rail against MS on… both Vista and IIS are as solid as the best you can find outside of MS). They’ve laid the foundation for pervasive .NET.
In Win7 they do quite a bit more including:
1) Fix their services model.
2) Fix their wakeup/standby resume issues.
3) Expand their Media Center capability drastically.
4) Fix core perf issues that likely aren’t apparent in tests as no one was using the features that exposed it (such as certain types of transparency effects).
5) Fix footprint issues.
6) Extended the threading model.
Etc…
Bryan on May 7th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Well, I think that Windows 7 is a huge improvment over Vista, Runs 3 to 4 times faster on the same hardware. (I’m using a 32bit Version on 64bit Proc, but I plan on trying the 64bit Soon) – Anyway, I do have to agree that their copying a lot from OSX, which I do use as well on my MBP. So, I love Apple, and I used linux on this PC for a long time, but it’s looking like Microsoft is making some good decisions with this, even if it is trying to copy OSX.
Jannis on May 7th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Hi hate to say it but having been a long time windows user I have last year switched to Mac and love the mac os x side of things.
BUT i have nothing against Windows per-sé. Granted, I wouldn’t want to work on it as it is way too unstable for my taste (win xp included, in comparison to os x) but it does hold its own merit and should be reviewed as such.
and while the vulgarity of the commenter #1 is somewhat counter effective at communicating his point I have to agree with him.
Using win7 on bootcamp mac pro i would say it is faster than vista & xp and relatively stable though in that regard os x is still far more advanced in my opinion.
lastly: My only and major criticism towards Windows 7 is that its UI is so amazingly glossy and big it feels like something i see at the Toys’r'us store with a made by fisher price tag targetting 5 year olds.
If an OS wants to be taken seriously (imo) it should offer some sort of alternate theme that is subdued and does not rely on hiding technical imperfections with cosmetic make up. And this alternate theme should also not be a throw back to win xp or come at a loss of features.
I mean look at OS X. Sure it has the glossy dock but it also has a very minimal ‘task bar’ that looks good yet professional. and with the dock being an app launcher of sorts it is not always visible anyway.
my 2 cents.
Jannis
Shoeb Ahmed on May 7th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
All the above commenters are funny. They are at theAPPLEblog. What do you expect, Microsoft praise?
nate on May 7th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
who let the macboys out of their cage?
Sam on May 7th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I was a windows user since Win 95; I recently purchased the new unibody MacBook Pro and now I can proudly say that I am a fanboi..beach ball or no hour glass..
Alex on May 7th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I read The Apple Blog because of the great tips and mac information.
Whenever this blog veers off subject they post typical, biased and non-objective articles such as these (especially when it comes to Microsoft).
Macs are great and Windows machines–well–their stability varies depending on the drivers. But one thing I think everyone can agree with is that Win 7 is a GIANT improvement over both XP and Vista.
No need for vulgarities, just sensibility. But I do have to agree: maybe Tom should be writing something other than Microsoft-related reviews. Please…
Andrew Bednarz on May 7th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I’ve been running Win7 RC (and earlier betas) in a VM on my MacBookPro (and occasionally in BootCamp). Win7 is by far better than Vista in user experience, and also allows much more productivity than XP. Its getting its praises sung because its so much better than whats coming before it. It may even be the best *windows* ever.
But its still windows, and there in lies the problem. My Boss said to me the other day (we’re a windows Dev vendor) “You keep talking about how much better windows 7 is, are you coming back from the Apple loving?”. I said “No way. OS X is and their idealogy encapsulated within is superior. But I have to use Windows for development, and if I have to use it, Windows7 is the best option”.
Tom Jones on May 7th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Your math is wrong.
“after six years XP was showing it’s age, after nine it’s almost comical.”
Windows XP was first released on 25 October 2001. May 2009 – October 2001 is less than 8 years. Unless you are assuming that Microsoft will not release Windows 7 before October 2010?
Vista was released on January 30, 2007. At that time Windows XP was only 5 years and 3 months old.
When you can’t even get your math correct, the rest of what you say is meaningless.
krye on May 7th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I’ve been a diehard Mac guy for 3 years now. I just got my hands on a 3 year old Dell 1.5GHz laptop for free. I am trying to find an reason to use it for something. I put XP on it today (because I had the disk lying around) and I have to tell you that XP feels to me now what Win 95 felt like when XP came out almost 10 years ago. It is soooo bad. With a fresh install, XP has no idea what my sound card or NIC is. I had to download the drivers on my Mac. I had to thumb-drive the drivers over to it so I could at least get it online. Embarrassing!
Tom B on May 7th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I know Win 7 will still suffer from a crude, unhelpful UI. I suspect the best it can hope for performance-wise is to get back to XP’s level of pokeyness. Some say it feels faster than XP, but let’s see what the benchmarks say. Also, it still isn’t UNIX (unlike every other currently used OS), so it will have Windows’ stability and security issues.
Constable Odo on May 7th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
So Windows XP is long in the tooth. It works fine for me and the MacBook Pro I’m using it on with BootCamp. Never saw a BSOD and works great with Windows only sites. I had tried Vista Ultimate when it first came out, but kept the MacBook Pro’s fans constantly running. I didn’t like the noise, so I reinstalled Windows XP Pro. I’m still running SP2 on it but everything else is updated. I hope that Windows 7 will be useful to me, but I’ve no real reason to upgrade. As long as Win XP stays compatible with 95% of the apps, I’m happy.
I don’t want to see Windows 7 fail, but I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t all that great and people started upgrading to Macs and Leopard. As an Apple investor I should always hope for a bit more market share.
Arup on May 7th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Apple fanboy beating drums again, lemme ask, what has Mac OS done for security lately considering the good numbers of alarming reports coming in security circles about Mac being the easiest OS to hack? Apple should stop concentrating on selling toys and hype and get back to work. Put full support for x64 as Win and Lin have done quite a while back, update their security and that won’t be tough as Mac uses Free BSD as base and then we talk. Currently its Win and Lin thats going in the right direction and all Mac does is sit on its butt of past assumed glory.
Before you assume……….I am not a Win fanboy, I am exclusively on Lin for a long while, its that when the devil deserves its due, learn to acknowledge and give it.
Jim on May 8th, 2009 at 12:18 am
This is a totally biased article. Check out this article to educate youselves.
http://anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=3557
At least Microsoft doesn’t restrict you to a hardware vendor!
Bas on May 8th, 2009 at 1:17 am
@ #15 Krye: What do you think? A windows version 9 years old will include the drivers for a device 2.5 years old? Did you try to install OSX on the thing, that will really bring you in driver hell. By the way if you simply cannot bare this laptop you can send the laptop to me ;)
@ #12 Alex, hear hear!
adamjackson on May 8th, 2009 at 1:34 am
So we should not upgrade to Snow Leopard because it’s just “leopard done right”?
I’ve been trying Vista and windows 7 on my macbook pro. windows 7 is great!
MunchE on May 8th, 2009 at 1:41 am
Wow, the apple blog hates Windows 7! There’s a shocker.
I enjoy that the article offers no actual hard information on what it’s looking for, just that Windows 7 isn’t “enough”.
What things are you not getting that were promised?
I’d be happy to read an honest, well written update stating things that you wish were in Win7 that are not there. But this is basically like “LOL I LIKE MACS WINDOWS SUX”
I usually expect more from the GigaOM network, TBH. This reads like a forum troll that knows how to use spellcheck.
MunchE on May 8th, 2009 at 1:43 am
And do add, do you have the same complaints about OS X? After all, it’s been out since 2001 (or 1999 depending on how you count) and you mention how outdated and old XP is several times.
Henk Duivendrecht on May 8th, 2009 at 2:50 am
To me (a windows and os x user) the main difference between the two platforms is exactly the fact that windows just can’t re-invent itself, while OS X continuously tries to do that. Windows still has the cumbersome inheritance of win95 and win98 and this is indeed almost comical. Maybe it’s because of the huge install base that MS doesn’t have the guts to tell customers their new pc’s aren’t going to be compatible with any previous windows software AT ALL, but releasing yet another identical windows with the same problems isn’t going to convince anyone to stop using XP. Vista didn’t do that and win7 won’t do that either.
On the mac side, people are standing in line to upgrade to snow leopard the minute it comes out.
Seong Kim on May 8th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I still think that the release of Vista is just to make Windows 7 look good.
Chris Neal on May 8th, 2009 at 3:42 am
I disagree with some comments above. I’ve used Windows 7 RC1 quite a lot and it has been blisteringly fast. Out performing both Vista and XP, and in some cases OS X. I’m sure some older systems wouldn’t run Leopard as fast as they’d run Panther, so stop bitching. The problem isn’t with Windows 7 if your computers are too crappy to run them. Try upgrading, and then coming back to this argument? I don’t really care if on your systems ‘XP would out perform Vista’, on my 5 year old Powerbook Panther would out perform Leopard, big woop.
Ken on May 8th, 2009 at 6:16 am
I see the following problems:
1. Microsoft is trying to make everything look like it is in a web browser, even when the interface is inappropriate. For example, the Control Panel.
There is a difference between using UI elements consistently and using UI elements inappropriately, and Microsoft doesn’t know the difference.
2. Some windows open unnecessarily too small for their contents (the Control Panel) while others go unnecessarily full-screen by default (Microsoft Office).
Since Windows operates by default like a program switcher by default, (such as Carousel of DOS days), why don’t they innovate by making a new UI metaphor instead of innovating by aping Apple?
3. Help files and messages are too wordy. They want to teach me computer science. I want to edit a document or develop a web site.
4. There are too many unnecessary messages. I know I plugged in a USB device, and I even know what it is, I should hope Windows is looking for drivers, I expect it to install them automatically, and I know the device is working, because I’m using it before the self-congratulatory message pops up. Why is any of this necessary? I’m busy, I don’t need all this reading material.
5. What is the root? Is it the root directory of the drive, is the desktop, or is it the Control Panel? It keeps changing and you can’t go back.
6. The crickets in my garage are less click-intensive than Windows.
7. The default view in Windows Explorer is tiles, which means I can’t lasso a group of them.
Microsoft needs to learn that sometimes people use their computer for the second time, and that it is more important to design the UI for actual users than to design it for demonstrations to ten-thumbed executives. I have suspected for many years the default options for settings are for demos, not actual use.
I have installed Windows XP and Vista on over 100 machines. The more I work with Windows, the less sense it makes.
HazardousPaste on May 8th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Yet another reason not to read TheAppleBlog. The op-eds seriously need to be avoided.
phpmaven on May 8th, 2009 at 8:45 am
[quote]My experience with Vista, like most peoples’ at the time, was a disaster.[/quote]
I don’t doubt that you had problems, but most people have been just fine with it. I know many people who are just fine with it. I myself have become fed up with Vista and have since moved onto Mac, so I understand your frustration, but to characterize Vista as a disaster for “most people”, is just not accurate.
Gazoobee on May 8th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Wow. the Windows bleaters are out in force today. :-)
Congratulations Tom on a great unbiased article. I missed the profanity of the first post, but I get the gist from the rest.
To those arguing that this is an awful/biased/etc. article … WTF are you talking about? I spent ten minutes reading every post here and read the article again and I don’t get what you think is wrong. No one bitching in the comments has actually pointed to any mistakes or errors in the article or made any arguments themselves other than saying “oh yeah?” or “sez who?” and stuff like that.
The way I read it, it’s a short overview that simply points to three other articles that refute the overzealous claims made by those pushing Windows 7. He even says widows 7 is (sorta) good.
Is it not okay to say anything about Windows 7 unless you say it’s fantastic? “Good” isn’t good enough?
I use Win XP in vmware and it’s a POS. Windows 7 seems a little bit better to me, but nothing to write home about. Window 7 runs a little faster on the same memory and processors, but so what? The GUI is still a POS, the OS still bugs you every five minutes to do something, it still needs constant updates to everything, you still can’t actually even manage your own files on your own damn HD.
Windows has always been an annoying designed-by-committee junk fest and always will be until Microsoft changes their approach to software in general. I have over 20 years in the tech business working on and fixing computers daily and have used everything out there including every single version of Windows, and was a Windows user by preference right up until OS-X Tiger came out.
Bill Clark on May 8th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Wow, this post is absolutely terrible. It sounds like it’s written by someone who has absolutely no clue about the workings of an operating system beyond what they see (the UI). To say that Microsoft has changed nothing in the OS beyond making a slightly better Vista is to truly show you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Just because you can’t see a change doesn’t mean nothing’s changed. Look at the last 6 updates to Mac OS X. The UI hasn’t changed much at all. Does that mean Apple’s been resting on their laurels, doing nothing at all?
Way to come off sounding like a completely clueless fanatic Apple fanboy, and way to give the rest of us in the Mac community a bad name.
EC on May 8th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Wow, just because this is an Apple blog doesn’t mean you have run the site like an advertisement for all things Mac. You can be critical of Apple too when necessary.
This post reads like blind fanboyism and turns people off. My MBP is great, but it’s not the second coming or something.
DON on May 8th, 2009 at 10:16 am
New speed tests actually show that Windows 7 RC is barely faster than Vista! InfoWorld said that most users, in most instance,s wouldn’t be able to tell the difference!
As for OS X influencing Windows Vista and Windows 7, the proof is everywhere – from the OS X inspired new TaskBare, to OS X’s old Classic mode (Windows 7 XP mode), to transparency, parental controls, gadgets and many others features too numerous to list here.
Windows 7 is a better Vista to be sure, but it’s nothing like the press is making it out to be. Personally, based on what I’ve been reading, I think that Windows 7, as I stated on my little blog, is going to become Microsoft’s Turtle to Apple’s Rabbit as far as speed is concerned, but time will tell?
Bill Clark on May 8th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Don, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the Rabbit get cocky and end up losing in the end. Yeah. That’s right. :)
esturismo.eu on May 8th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I can’t understand why they need 16GB of free hard space for install them!
The only new thing i look in W7 is the wallpapers and all the people speak about them, also they are all happy because have virtual WinXP!!! WOW! Mac have Virtual MS-DOS Win3.11, WinXP, WinVista, Win7, Linux, Salaries………………
esturismo.eu on May 8th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I can’t understand why they need 16GB of free hard space for install them!
The only new thing i look in W7 is the wallpapers and all the people speak about them, also they are all happy because have virtual WinXP!!! WOW! Mac have Virtual MS-DOS Win3.11, WinXP, WinVista, Win7, Linux………………
Gazoobee on May 8th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
This is the funniest thread of article comments I’ve read for ages. :-)
I keep coming back here when I’m bored at work and every new comment is (mystifyingly), negative. I’ve read the whole article each time, because I just can’t believe that people are seeing all these negative things that I can’t see, but every time I read it, it reads as the same reasonable level-headed article I originally thought it was.
Tom is arguing that Windows 7 is okay but not spectacular, and a bit late to the game. He’s also saying that it copies quite a lot from OS-X and that it falls short on three of it’s major goals. None of this is remotely contentious, and it’s all backed up by linked references to articles in major technology publications.
Yet we get people saying stuff like:
“… blind fanboyism … turns people off … this post is absolutely terrible … written by someone who has absolutely no clue … a completely clueless fanatic Apple fanboy … incredibly biased … not in touch with reality”
What the heck are you all smoking? I think I know which side is “out of touch with reality.” :)
R3w3s on May 8th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
You should give credit where it belongs. MS has done a great job with Windows 7, which is turning out to be a super OS. It is evident that it isn’t MS who needs the reality check after all.
MunchE on May 8th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I think I’ve figured it out. Mac fanboys have been spoiled by having Vista’s bad rep to compete against for a few years now, so it’s scaring them to see people excited about a new Windows release. Then suddenly it’s apparent that Apple has been resting on its laurels putting out incremental upgrades for 10 years now.
So theappleblog posts a “move along, nothing to see here, win7 sucks!!!”
Doesn’t do much for making this site seem credible, but it does sooth the fanbóys
I stand by my statement that this reads like a forum troll post. Wish I could remove just this site from the gigaom rss.
Steve on May 8th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Okay, so much mud-slinging back and forth here. Macs have been my strong personal preference for a few years now, but just recently I bought a cheap Lenovo notebook ($500 got me a 15″ LED screen and 2Ghz Core Duo) and installed Windows 7 RC1. The best compliment that I personally can give it right now is that it provides a pretty good experience compared Leopard. Much of the complaints against Vista is not application performance within Vista, but how slow Vista itself was to use, the resources it consumed, etc. Windows 7 is very snappy, apps open fast and run fast on this very mid to budget level notebook, and the new Taskbar is very good. And even sleep mode (one of my favorite Mac features) actually works really well (finally!!!) Who copied who is irrelevant, the bottom line is the final product and experience each delivers.
If I had 2x or 3x the budget, yes then I would surely choose a unibody MB or MBP. But I don’t, and Apple lack of sub-$1000 options forced me over the Microsoft (the crappy white MB screen gives me a headache after 5 minutes.) And for the first time in many years, I don’t feel like I’ve had to massively compromise my computing experience. On the whole, I really like what Microsoft has done here with Windows 7, and look forward to using it free for the next 8 or 10 months. (I still think Aero glass is still just as gaudy and over-gratuitous ‘look at me!’ interface as before, but I turned it off anyway.)
MunchE on May 8th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
To directly reply to the article:
I find performance to be very quick and responsive on both my netbook and my desktop. Boot times are low, OS comes to desktop fast, goes in and out of sleep mode quickly.
XP Mode? I don’t know what I would use that for, since every bit of software I can think of works, except a lyrics viewing plugin for Winamp.
Number of editions? They are going to be selling Pro and Home to end users. There are other versions for enterprise. There are other versions for emerging markets. Perhaps you find 2 versions confusing, but really?
If these are the strongest arguments against the OS, I will have to say that it looks like MS is in great shape when it comes out.
I think what sums it up perfectly is a statement that my coworker, who installed 7 on has macbook back in feb made:
“Oh man, I have a huge WoW patch to download in OS X because I haven’t booted into it in so long”
Rob Oakes on May 8th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I agree with the previous entries. It appears that Windows 7 has struck a pretty solid nerve in much of the fanboi community. Unfortunately, this also seems to include a fairly large swathe of the Apple marketing people as well. The latest Mac ads have been major disappointments and it’s probably time that Apple retire the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC campaign.” Reestman is just following the same sentiments (although much more rabidly) as Apple.
I’ve been using the Windows 7 release from the beta and it is a very nice OS. Things are integrated together nicely, the new navigation features (Windows Peak) are wonderful, and Microsoft even introduces a number of new features that make it compelling competition. (Internet streaming of your entire audio/video collection is extremely cool and iTunes can’t do it.) Frankly, I don’t have anything to complain about. And the fact that I (very much a Mac person) am largely content to use a Microsoft product greatly scares Apple and the fanbois who derive their identities from opposition to M$.
The simple truth is that Microsoft has built a very nice OS and they should be given their dues. It’s time for Apple to be innovative again. I look forward to it, because there are several very large itches I would like to see Apple scratch. Proper notes and task sync with Exchange (which is included in that activesync protocol they licensed) would be a nice start.
Partners in Grime on May 9th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Have to agree with the Fisher Price sentiment.
Just my 2¢.
G.L. on May 10th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Well, having read the so called “article” (if you can call it that) i cannot help but find myself amused with the inability of the author, and several commentators to have an open mind.
OS X is itself nearly 10 years old, which actually makes windows XP newer, and yet there are people who have a closed mind and are unwilling to acknowledge the truth that Apple’s products are not the only “latest and greatest” thing out there.
I work in an independant arts centre, which at the moment uses nothing but macs running panther. I was given the chance to present a summary of Windows 7 RC to the company director running commonly used applications here, and after just 5 minutes i already have the funding in place to replace all of our hardware with custom built PCs with win7 as soon as it is released.
Windows 7 is extremely responsive, fast to boot (my laptop is booting 7 RC faster than a brand new MBP we have here) and is running photoshop at insane speeds.
Some of you die-hard mac people need to reliase that OS X cannot be on top for ever, and at some point you will have no doubt in your minds that both Windows and Linux have far surpassed it. That time may not be now for some of you, but i gurantee that it will arrive, and soon. Windows 7 is a vast improvement over Vista and even more so over XP. Usability, performance, security, and hardware support are second to none. I have used Mac’s for years, since the Mac 2 exclusively, and after a a long time decided to experiemtn with wondows again. So i purchased this modest laptop.
MY experiences with Win 7 so far after 4 months and several builds:
No crashes whatsoever
No virus invections (using antivir free)
No spyware (using windows defender)
Performance stays constant with use
And once you alter the pagefile size to something more sensible and turn off hibernation if you dont use it, the entire footprint of the OS and all my apps is only 8.41Gb.
That is totally dofferent compared to my mac experience, which has some lovely features:
endless beachball on IMAP mail collection
timeouts on FTP transfers
crappy iTunes
random applications “poof’s”
just my 2c
mxs on May 11th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Interesting, how many Windows advocates have the need to find their way to Apple related blog.
Please, we really believe you, no need to feel insecure about your preferred OS … LOL
mxs on May 11th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
On another note, what really is annoying is the fact that posting a comment through Firefox 3.0 on XP makes it missing …. thus forcing me to use IE … way to go theappleblog.com ….. LOL
MunchE on May 11th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Unfortunately if you subscribe to the GigaOM network for good sites (like GigaOM and JKontherun) you get this site too.
mxs on May 11th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Fair enough, but that doesn’t mean you have to post a comment (or attempt to read the article) trying to advocate your beloved OS. It’s like I’d be posting in an article “Reality check for OS X ..” on thewindowsblog.com.
I just don’t see the point ….
MunchE on May 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
That argument is about as weak as this article. “Let us be blind fanboys in peace! Dont come here posting reality!”
If thewindowsblog.com posted “hay i used an apple the other day and it sucked lols” i’d mock them for being stupid too.
Chang on May 11th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Well, for me, Windows 7 runs even faster than xp. I have RC1 installed on both my desktop and my old IBM t60 with 512mb of RAM….. This article is seriously biased IMO.
Staff Comment Tom Reestman, TheAppleBlog on May 12th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
To be honest, the comments on this post took me by surprise. At the risk of putting my head in the lion’s mouth I wanted to provide a response.
It wasn’t a Windows 7 review, though some read it that way (I agree that as a review it would suck). I didn’t say Windows 7 was bad, nor did I say I hated it (quite the opposite, I said it was fine). It wasn’t a Mac vs. Windows comparison (the single Mac reference was parenthetical in mentioning Vista/7’s improved features). Instead, I compared 7 to Vista and XP, both of which it exceeds.
I started on Windows with 2.x, use it exclusively at work (no Macs), and am familiar with releases (including server) since then. Until 18 months ago I’d had at least one PC at home since ‘92, and even now have two “PCs” via VMware on my Macs, each of which run XP Pro and Windows 7. My point is I know Windows quite well, thanks, and am capable of forming a valid opinion about where Windows 7 falls on the release scale. It’s a decent OS, but being decent against a backdrop of Vista and an outdated XP isn’t particularly impressive or special. That’s the reality check.
You don’t have to agree, but, wow…
Michael on May 14th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I’m certainly not a Mac fanboy, and the fact that I ended up at this website was almost completely by chance, but I really don’t see the fanboyism in this article that so many posts are claiming.
I’ve used primarily Linux for a while now, but I still use Mac quite a bit at school and exclusively XP at work. I find it silly that people so often get into fights over this sort of thing, as each is usable in its own way. Part of me wants to see Windows 7 succeed because Windows is lagging behind Linux and Mac quite a bit at this point, but I still have to use it. Another part of me wants to see W7 fail because a more even spread of market share in the OS world would definitely be good things.
Either way, I see no reason to fight, and I really thought this article was relatively balanced and insightful. I too am shocked by all of the negative feedback.
Elric on May 24th, 2009 at 6:05 am
@ VShoeb Ahmed….”They are at theAPPLEblog. What do you expect, Microsoft praise?”
Maybe it’s a little payback for all the Mac fanboys who love to spam just about very PC blog and forum!!
To be honest, this “article” shows the typical ignorance of the fanboy community. You make the comment that Vista and Windows 7 show average performance on your Macbook – it’s well proven that EITHER OS runs better on a PC/Notebook than on Apple’s much more expensive hardware… anyone just a little curious about that. Have you stopped to think that really isn’t in Apple best interest to allow MS platforms to out perform OS X on Apple’s very own hardware (even though it’s been proven that the patched version of OS X (look around for info on OS x86).
Now to be honest I’m a little tired of hearing complaints about Vista’s heavy performance. You forget that Vista saw the introduction of a number of key OS inovations, including being the first OS to hand host of the GUI handling over GPU hardware and the introduction of ReadyBoost. In many ways it became first-gen software product… and first-gen software is NEVER perfect! On top of that, pressure to back-peddle many of its ideas so as not the offend many poor darlings not wanting to have to upgrade their software from XP (a consideration Apple never gives I might add) and delays from the rabid EU, and you get my point.
Windows 7 sees MS take many of the ideas initiated in Vista and produce a far more refined and user-centric product. New Libraries and Live Preview functionality, as well as a massive performance upgrade (the x64 version outperforms XP x64!!) is an absolute treat to use, even using non-specific hardware drivers. Even on my notebook, I had wireless connectivity and Bluetooth out ot the box… almost unheard of run a non-OEM platform on a laptop/notebook. Even SUSE couldn’t do that! I absolutely can’t wait to use the final product with all upgraded hardware support.
@Michael “Part of me wants to see Windows 7 succeed because Windows is lagging behind Linux and Mac quite a bit at this point…”
It’s been a while since I’ve dabbled with *Nix, but I honestly can’t fathom your comparison with Macs. You put a PC and a Mac – both with equivelent hardware – and almost all applications will see the PC completely outpace the Mac – and with very good reason. Mac’s hard-coded prevention of more than 90% system resource usage, combined with lack of common or core file-sharing, equatates to lower performance specs – I use alot of 2D and 3D imaging software as a high-school Digital Arts teacher in a school which utilises both Mac and PC systems, so I regularly get to make the comparison.
Tom. You make references to MS still being held back by the “the weight of issues and security concerns rooted in decisions made a decade ago.” Apple has STILL failed to address two of the BIGGEST OS-security flaws of ANY OS, both relating to the way it handles system and app updates.
1 – By requiring a root-password to install critical updates, Apple has effectively insured many Mac-based network are seriously running under-secure, as many network opperators simply don’t have the time to roll out the updates in the more cumbersome manner Apple has dictated.
2 – unlike on an MS OS, Apple provides NO UPDATE VERIFICATION OR INFORMAION for the general user… it’s a take-it-all-or leave-it approach, which leaves OS X and its users EXTREMELY vtulnerable. How difficult do you really think it would be for the smart little hacker to trigger an update-event, causing OS X to download and install prettmuch anything he chose? The Mac user, having had no way to verify the update, and oblivious to danger the way most Mac users are, would be left with NO way to protect himself. And you say MS has been out of touch?
* Did they address that whole sluggish performance thing? ABSOLUTELY
* Did they address that whole confusing number of editions thing? Admitidly NO… I still believe 3 would be the golden number Home, Business (with an Enteprise licencing option) and Ultimate.
* Did they address that whole XP compatibility thing? Not really?? Linux rarely caters for “legacy” software. Apple CERTAINLY has NO issue with breaking eveyone’s software on a regular basis!!
XP is now nine years old. All the back-peddling involved with Vista to cater for out-moded software was its biggest bane. By introducing a virtual XP environment, they have both freed up their architecture development to allow Windows 7 to be all that it can be, as well as proving one last chance for IT support and software developers to get their arses into gear… all to generous if you ask me. If the IT staff are reluctant to upgrade their software, or look for a better alternative after all this time, they deserve to be fired and replaced. If the software developer can’t develop their software to move beyond XP, then they deserve nothing more than to be run out of the market – PERIOD!!
The MS tyrancy of the past seems to have been completely outshine by the Apple Corp arrogance, with their take-it-as-it-comes approach to OS X. By deliberately locking away any option of tweaking system performance; breaking ANY software that has any success in changing the sterile GUI; by handing gimped versions of its own bundled software, forcing the user to shell out even more to make it even half decent (and then asking for yet more when they release a new version!!), rather than bundling and supporting ALL OS bundled applications for free as they bloody well aught; their por track record of patching OS vulnerabilities (the worst of ANY OS developer); by locking down their hardware in a way that PREVENTS both competition (which would reduce the rediculous asking price for a Mac) and hampers any real inovation – Apple has taken the old MS throne and gold plated it!!
Now yes, Vista had its flaws – doesn’t every OS?? As I’ve stated, Vista’s biggest issue was over-catering for antiquated software applications. It hampered over-all performance and was the cause for many of the original ideas being pulled out. Now that that error has been done away with, Windows can really show what it’s mde of :)
gomobo75 on May 25th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
@51 Elric: nice post, better than the original article ;)
AlexC on May 28th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
@51 Elric: thumbs up for a great repsonse dude!
jackW^^ on June 9th, 2009 at 7:29 am
okay im going to finish this argument! MAC OS X = amazing
WINDOWS 7 = Not finished probly going to be amazing!
i dont know what all you lot have been doing to your windows 7 installs but i only run mine on a 1.8GHz duel core processor with 2GB of ram and i have actully NEVER had a problem with it!
please remember that windows havent actully reliced this operation system yet so therefore this argument is completely pointless untill it is reliced and even then its still pointless because MAC and Windows are two different things!
pankaj on August 9th, 2009 at 11:07 am
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