Apple is launching a pre-emptive strike against Windows 7, claiming the new operating system "is still just windows". Windows 7 is due to be officially launched on 22 October, and a groundswell of strong reviews of the new OS has given rise to speculation that it could reverse Apple's steadily increasingly market share. Apple, however, claims that Vista's successor will actually increase its sales. "New Mac users continually tell us that they are tired of all the headaches with Windows, and they want the ease of use, stability and security of a Mac," claims Apple spokesman Bill Evans. "At the end of the day Windows 7 is still just Windows."
Apple claims the inconvenience of having to perform a clean install from Windows XP is one of the reasons why people might seek an alternative. "We think a lot of folks will look at that as the straw that broke the camels back," Apple's vice president of Mac OS X marketing tells CNet.com. "People are tired of the headaches with Windows and this is another great excuse for people to check out the Mac."
That view is, perhaps unsurprisingly, not shared by Michael Dell, who has lavished praise on the new Microsoft OS. "I’ve been using Windows 7 for a long time now," he said earlier this week, "and if you get the latest processor technology and Office 2010 with it, you will love your PC again. It’s a dramatic improvement."
Analysts, on the other hand, argue that the release of Windows could be good for both Microsoft and Apple. "It could very well be a tide that lifts all boats," claims Rob Enderle, principle analyst at the Enderle Group. "Windows 7, with a lot of marketing dollars, is going to drive a lot of people into stores. The extra traffic could actually help Apple."
However, he cautions that Apple won't benefit from the same user backlash it did with Vista. "Windows 7 is good. It doesn't have the problems Vista did, so gaining share gets a lot tougher."
