Windows 7 is raising the White Flag
October 15, 2008 by Milo Riano
Filed under Computers
Last week I asked readers here in Windows Vista Weblog what name they want for the next version of Windows — What Name do You want for Windows 7?
Mike Nash posted the news over at Windows Vista Blog that Microsoft has finally decided that the official name of the next version of Windows is “Windows 7″. His main argument was about simplicity.
My main argument is that Microsoft is raising the “White Flag”. Microsoft has spent hundreds of millions of dollars marketing Windows Vista as the “WOW” operating system and they failed out of the gate. I was hoping that Microsoft was going to come up with a bolder name and topping “Vista”; but apparently, Microsoft grew tired and wanted to take a simpler approach.
The three main points I see on choosing a simpler name are:
1. Lowering expectations with consumers
2. Vista doesn’t get alienated because of a snappier and bolder expectation of Windows 7
3. Less is more
Is Microsoft raising the white flag? This is the first time they have done the “simple” approach as they are known for coming up with bold and exciting names and the white flag may only mean that “less is more”; at least for this one.
Or maybe it’s the fact that so many people already know it as Windows 7. Why change the name on it now, when Windows 7 is pretty straightforward. Obviously, when Vista was called Longhorn, you had to give it a better name, but with the 7, I say just keep it.