Windows 7 gets personal

Microsoft unveils the successor to its much-criticised Vista operating system, but users will have to wait at least another year for it

Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday October 28 2008 18.35 GMT

Last year Microsoft was promising great advances in the way we use our computers thanks to Vista, a new version of its Windows system. Just 18 months later, however – and after a year of intense criticism – the company today unveiled its successor, Windows 7.

The new system, which is unlikely to go on sale for at least another year, attempts to fix a number of problems with Vista and allow Microsoft to compete with a new generation of internet-based systems that are beginning to challenge its worldwide dominance.

Showing off Windows 7 for the first time at the company's Professional Developers' Conference in Los Angeles, chief software architect Ray Ozzie unveiled a vision of the future that included not only your desktop PC, but also your mobile phone and the online world.

"We are bringing the best of the web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the web," said Ozzie, who took over the company's strategy from co-founder Bill Gates.

"From PC to the web to the phone, we are focused on enabling the creation of the next generation of user experiences that change the way we live, work and play."

At first glance, Windows 7 appears similar to Vista, but Microsoft is promising a number of improvements in performance.

The system will be faster and easier to use, Ozzie said, and is set to include hi-tech additions such as improved user interface, a new taskbar and support for a new generation of multitouch screens.

The company announced new features to help protect privacy and manage your computer's health.

Ozzie also demonstrated a new version of Microsoft Office which uses the internet to store files – allowing users to pick up their documents from any computer that is online.

Developers at PDC 2008 are being offered a pre-beta build of Windows 7, as well as early copies of some of Microsoft's other products being launched at the conference – such as the new cloud computing system, Azure.

The announcement marks the latest attempt by Microsoft to put the disappointing launch of Windows Vista behind it.

"We've done a lot of work around how you manage the windows, how you launch programs and how you manage the windows of the programs you've launched," said Steven Sinofsky, the senior vice-president for Windows. "It's all about personalisation and putting you in control of the PC."