Great White North Prognostications

Microsoft has come out with there shiny new Windows 7. I have heard nothing but praise for it. That is good but not a huge surprise after the disaster that was Vista. As far as I can see Windows 7 is Vista done properly. No doubt sales will be OK as many hold outs who avoided Vista might very well buy Windows 7. But among my technology buddies very few have jumped to the new version. Those who still use windows are nearly all sticking with XP not out of a fear of Windows 7 but more that they just can’t be bothered making the switch. Also it isn’t cheap and since it holds no perceived value they would rather not waste their money.

So what does this mean for Microsoft. Basically, in my opinion, they have missed the boat again. They aren’t listening to their audience and are putting out more product that serves Microsoft’s needs more than those of the public. There is nothing inspiring me to go back to Windows. Installing Windows 7 should be like opening a present on Christmas day; not a chore that very well could turn into a battle. When I turned on my Mac for the first time I did a little dance. I was lost and it was unfamiliar territory but with the exception of a few bumps it was a fun ride. So Windows 7 is no fun. People need more fun in their lives, not less. So my guess is that Windows 7 sales will pick up a few of the hold outs that are stuck with XP but won’t stop the bleed to Linux and Mac.

But as we all know there is a bit of a cash flow problem out there so MS sales would normally be down around now. Thus Windows 7 will at best probably fill in a hole instead of being a revenue home run.

If you want to see the long term prognoses for Microsoft just find out what your kids want to bring to university this year. A mac or a PC? I suspect that many will go with PCs but wish they had macs. A fair number will go with Netbooks as those are cheap as dirt; yet these kids too will wish for a mac.

Does this bode well for mac? Not really as much as you would think. Most people wish for a German car yet end up buying Japanese. So yes apple will benefit a bit but it is Microsoft who will be the big loser here.

Tags: AAPL, Apple, Mac, Mac OS X, Microsoft, MSFT, Netbook, Windows 7, XP

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 6th, 2009 at 9:50 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.