Windows 7 is the latest Microsoft Operating System, superceding Vista – the disastrous OS foisted on the public less than 3 years ago.
Cynics have dubbed Windows 7 “Vista that works” and that pretty much rings true, though having used Windows 7 for 6 months or more now in its various development phases it certainly does work.
Unlike Vista, which I avoided using, I’m happily using Windows 7 on a daily basis – it is faster, better designed and just feels much better than Vista, and there have been virtually no teething problems.
Windows 7 will be released on October 22nd, ahead of the original expected release date, due to the general acclaim it has received.
So, why should you buy it?
Well, if you are running Vista, it is simply a much better product, I wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade as soon as possible.
If you are running XP, the situation is less cut-and-dried – although I’ve got used to using W7 as my default OS now, I wouldn’t necessarily be running out to get W7 immediately.
In time as you replace your PC or laptop, it will be a natural replacement – this is especially true for businesses with lots of computers – if they are happily running XP there is no necessity to spend a lot of money on upgrading their OS as soon as W7 is out – XP will still get security updates from Microsoft until 2014, by which time we’ll probably be on Windows 9 or 10!

How much will it cost?

Prices haven’t been announced yet – although it is likely that if you buy a new computer running Vista from July onwards you will be entitled to a free upgrade, that there will be a discounted price for those people already running Vista, and that if you live in Europe or the UK you will pay a lot more than if you live in the U.S.A.