Windows 7 a do or die effort for Microsoft

Stan Beer
Monday, 02 February 2009 16:19

IT Industry - Market

So the big question is can Microsoft do it again? Can it "turn on a dime" like it did when Netscape and the Internet threatened to spoil its party?

Microsoft certainly hopes so and there's no doubting that the company feels a sense of urgency over this issue. In stark contrast to Vista, which suffered from considerable slippage, Microsoft has pushed forward the release of Windows 7 to late 2009. Some are now tipping the third quarter.

Now, as if to let the world know that Redmond means business this time, Microsoft has let it be known that there will be no more beta versions - just release candidates. Microsoft is desperate to let the world know that Windows 7 is coming.

The idea of having a less than 90% market share in the personal computing space is anathema to Microsoft. Yet the company knows that consumers now have choices. Macs are now Intel-based and gaining market share. Cheap Linux netbooks are available in sufficient quantities on store shelves to give Redmond haters hope.

For a growing number of users the advent of cloud computing and web services has made the operating system largely inconsequential. If you use Gmail or Firefox it doesn't matter which operating system you use.

The chief things that Microsoft has in its favour are the large amount of legacy capital that users have built up in Windows-based applications over the years and its huge user base. Developers still do their best to make things work well on Windows first and users still feel more comfortable using the operating system they grew up with.

With all these things in mind, Windows 7 may well be the last throw of the dice for Microsoft. If the new operating system catches on, Redmond will be re-invigorated. If Windows 7 turns out to be a flop, Microsoft is likely to be viewed as an ageing juggernaut on the wane. For Microsoft, Windows 7 may well be a do or die effort.