Windows 7 Public Beta Available Today

During a keynote delivered at the CES 2009, Steve Balmer announced the availability of windows 7 public beta today. It seems that Microsoft is rushing to make current problems with Vista history, and expects to release a new version, aka Windows 7, as soon as possible. The final version of windows 7 is expected for 2010. Steve Ballmer promised that windows 7 will be different than Vista, and that Microsoft is listening to customers in order to make it better than the current OS:
- To accommodate with the success of netbooks, usually shipping with Linux as a light OS, windows 7 will be faster and more battery energy aware than vista.
- The GUI will be simplified, even though it will remain “a la Vista”. A new task bar will be added, with thumbnails-based presentation and refreshed/enhanced widgets.
- Support for multipoint touchscreens
- Windows should be less intrusive than Vista, especially with less alert message
However, despite announcement, and forced by a projected release date in 2010, windows 7 will massively use Vista architecture. Microsoft is even recommending to corporate to first move from XP to Vista, then to Windows 7. Regarding the minimal configuration to run Windows 7, it should be identical to the one recommended for Vista.
If you want to test windows 7, the version is most likely working on our Mac, and we will provide you with our first feedback over the week-end.