14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 7 is still far from General Availability and RTM, although closing in on the Release Candidate stage, but despite this the operating system, now in pre-RC, is getting a lot more love compared to its precursor. According to a survey performed by ChangeWave, no less than 44% out of 68 Windows 7 Beta testers indicated that they were very satisfied with the platform. Vista is the undisputed loser in the customer satisfaction measuring contest, with just 10% of users revealing that they were very satisfied with the operating system back in February 2007.
Among the reasons for the high level of Windows 7 satisfaction, testers indicated the performance of the next iteration of the Windows client, along with hardware compatibility/driver support, faster boot times, and reduced resource consumption. In addition, users have also fallen head over heals with the new Windows 7 user interface and customization options. “The anticipation surrounding Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system seems to be swelling in direct proportion to the frustration of current Vista users,” revealed ChangeWave's Andy Golub and Mike Wrobel. “But can the new software live up to its hype, or will it prove another Microsoft letdown?”
And while Windows 7 gets all the love, Windows Vista gets skipped. No less than 53% out of 2,000 corporate IT revealed absolutely no plans to migrate to Vista. In fact, only 15% will continue with Vista roll-out plans, with a similar percentage, 14%, indicating that they will wait for Windows 7. “The Windows 7 beta has so far received a much warmer reception than Vista,” Golub and Wrobel added. “Of course, beta testers tend to be hard-core techies and the ultimate test is how satisfaction holds up when mainstream users get their hands on the new software.”
