Windows 7 was released to manufacturers about a week ago, and Microsoft also made it available to MSDN and TechNet users as of today. The platform will be released on the market on October 22, and a wide range of computers, including desktops, laptops and the likes, are expected to hit the shelves right on or after that date, running under the new operating system.

According to Microsoft, one of the most important features of Windows 7 deals with the experience its customers will have when using the devices and peripherals they need every day with the platform. In order for users to be satisfied, a great integration of the OS with all these devices is required, and rigorous compatibility and reliability tests are performed to determine which products work best with Windows 7.

Those that manage to provide the best experience with the new flavor of the platform will earn a “Compatible with Windows 7” logo, Gary Schare says on the Windows Team Blog. Microsoft is already known to work closely with its hardware partners in their attempt to prepare their products for the Windows 7 Logo, and it seems that things are starting to shape up.

“All these efforts have paid off, and Windows 7 Logo momentum is very strong. We now have printers, scanners, networking cards, storage devices, video capture cards, and ultra mobile systems that have already earned the “Compatible with Windows 7” Logo, and many more on the way. Represented in this group of devices are some of the biggest names in the industry,” Gary Schare states, also listing a series of examples to illustrate its statement.

Competition seems to be tightening up for Microsoft, not only on the operating system side, where it admitted recently that solutions like Ubuntu or Red Hat might pose a threat to its client, but also when it comes to other products it offered, such as the Internet Explorer Web browser. The experience Windows 7 will deliver to users will be an important selling point for the platform, and Microsoft is making sure its client will provide the best one in all areas, including networking, devices, or graphics.

As regards that last one, DirectX 11, which comes with Windows 7, seems to be great news for gaming enthusiasts, especially since AMD already unveiled the first compatible product: “The development of Windows 7 has been a tremendously collaborative effort, with the Microsoft and AMD teams working together to help ensure that today's customer-centric platforms can take full advantage of Windows 7, as well as preparing Windows 7 for the rapidly evolving future of computer hardware,” Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice president, Software Engineering, AMD, said.