10 Things Microsoft Did to Make Windows 7 a Success (
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Microsoft Windows is one of those topics that split audiences. On one side,
Microsoft supporters insist that their favorite operating system gets a bad rap
and it's really far more secure than critics say.
They claim that Windows is simply misunderstood and the real proof of its
value can be seen in the corporate world, where it easily dominates the
competition. Microsoft detractors say Windows is a major security risk. They
say Microsoft can't be trusted with an operating system. And they point to
either Linux or Mac OS X as the viable operating system choice.
As heated as that debate may be, it seems Microsoft's performance over the past
few months might be the deciding factor. According to the company, Windows
7 is the "fastest-selling" operating system Microsoft has ever offered.
Currently, over 90 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold worldwide. Windows
7's success is a far cry from the difficulties Microsoft had with Windows
Vista. Some even believed that Microsoft couldn't overcome the damage Vista
had done. But it did. And today, Windows 7 is a success.
Let's take a look at how Microsoft made it happen.
1. Distance from Windows Vista
When Vista started going south on Microsoft and the company knew it had a
much better operating system waiting in the wings, it distanced itself from
Vista. In interviews, Microsoft executives would support it to some extent, but
they would always shift their attention to Windows 7. Even Microsoft CEO
Steve Ballmer used his platform to promote the future of Windows, rather than
the past. It was a smart move. Vista was a major
mistake. And Microsoft knew it.
2. It examined Vista's troubles
As troublesome as Vista was from a marketing and
public relations perspective, Microsoft used it to its advantage. The company
examined the problems folks had with the operating system and devised
improvements for Windows 7 that would address those problems. For example,
compatibility and resource-intensiveness proved to be huge issues for Vista.
Neither
of those problems affect Windows 7.
3. The netbook market helped
The netbook market was arguably one of the main reasons why Microsoft was
able to maintain a somewhat amicable rapport with consumers and the enterprise.
As netbooks grew in popularity, Microsoft made Windows XP, rather than Vista,
the centerpiece of its netbook strategy. Doing so, it was able to ease
customers back into the Windows world and make them enjoy the experience of
using a Microsoft operating system again. Without netbooks
to distract customers from Vista on the desktop, Microsoft might have been
in more trouble.
4. It communicated with the enterprise
When Microsoft was preparing for Windows 7's release, the company did something
it didn't do with Vista: It played nice with the
enterprise. Realizing that the corporate world had some doubts, Microsoft
offered the Enterprise edition of
its operating system to companies to try it out before they engaged in a
full-scale deployment. It worked. The enterprise came around, saw the value of
Windows 7 and, as current sales figures have shown, are starting to adopt
Microsoft's latest OS.
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