Geoff Spick10 June 2009, 12:40 PM
After the Windows Vista "dear partners - everyone will rush out and buy your new PCs" debacle. Microsoft is taking a more reserved stance on the impact Windows 7 will have.
There are two reasons for this, first Microsoft doesn't want to upset its remaining "dear partners" again. The second is that the vast majority of users who have tried the Windows 7 Release Candidate will have noticed that it runs rather well on their existing PCs. From netbooks to creaking desktops, Windows 7 skips along quite happily, negating the need for an expensive upgrade.
Even if users do choose to upgrade, in the current tightly-zipped wallets climate, most buyers will aim for the plethora of low cost laptops or desktops rather than splashing out for high-end systems packed with unwanted bells and whistles. Those lucky enough to be able to afford such systems are also more likely to look for raw performance systems rather than extra features like touch-screens and home media extras.
To this end, Microsoft is trying to dampen the enthusiasm with some well chosen words. Microsoft senior vice president for Windows Business, Bill Veghte said at a recent technology conference,"History would tell us that generally as you ship a Windows release into the market...the bump is very modest. You will see a little bit, but it is modest. It will get drowned by the macroeconomic environment."
Even worse, with Apple being particularly aggressive with its remarkably cheap
Snow Leopard OS X pricing, if Microsoft is forced into a price-cutting reaction, Windows 7 will be cheap enough for users to consider it a casual purchase rather than thinking they may just as well buy a new system and get Windows 7 bundled with it.