Faster, simpler user experience with Windows 7

Swetha Kannan, Bangalore
The Hindu Business Line
As the battle in the operating system space heats up, Microsoft believes it has the right ecosystem to tackle competition.

Microsoft’s newest OS version Windows 7 (to be launched on October 22) will make user experience faster and simpler, says Microsoft India’s Consumer and Online Marketing Officer, Rishi Srivatsava.

A beta (free trial) version has been in the market for less than a year now and the consumer feedback has been positive, says Srivatsava, who believes people will continue to use Windows 7 even after its official worldwide launch on October 22 after which it will no longer be free.

“Competition in the operating system has always been there. We have had it with Linux. But today our Windows product touches over a billion people across the world. About 98 percent of the PC base in India (35 million) runs Windows.”

“Windows has a rich ecosystem that offers the largest compatibility with different devices (over 25,000 devices are already certified with Windows 7) which means that if one plugs in anything on my USB slot, the Windows software recognises it immediately. Also, several applications are built for the Windows platform,” says Srivatsava.

Microsoft is confident about its ability to deliver what consumers want — speed and easy navigation. >From the moment they log in, users can experience significant increase in speed. The task bar has also been made simpler with features such as preview to enable easy navigation and enrich user experience, says Srivatsava. The security aspect has also been beefed up in Windows 7 to check for malware.

Windows 7 comes within three years after the launch of the earlier version, Windows Vista, in 2007.

Microsoft is also bullish on Bing, the company’s re-branded search engine. “But Bing is not a search engine,” corrects Srivatsava. “It’s a decision-making tool that helps consumers make a decision.”