Windows 7 Not Afraid of Netbooks or Macs

By Marcus Yam
published

Microsoft thinks that Windows 7 will be enough to fend off all challengers.

Despite increasing competition from all sides, Microsoft seems to be holding the "What, me worry?" kind of attitude when it comes to staying on top.

Microsoft executive general manager Charles Songhurst said that netbooks, despite being a growing segment that presents many opportunities for competition, isn't one that should shake Windows 7's success.

The Google Chrome OS and Intel's Moblin provide free and lightweight operating system software for netbooks is geared towards casual surfing and emailing. According to CNet, Songhurst believes that even Google's strength behind Chrome and its free price tag isn't enough to hurt Microsoft's hold on the OS market if the competitors' products aren't demonstrably better.

With Windows 7 being engineered to perform better on netbooks than Windows Vista did, the familiarity of the OS for many users will be reason enough to stick with Microsoft.

Even with Apple's surging success as of late, Microsoft still feels that it the hold on enterprises. "If they are not compelling to the CIO, they are not going to make inroads in the enterprise," Songhurst said, referring to Macs.

Everyone will be watching how Windows 7 performs for both consumers and corporations when it launches next month.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
82 Comments Comment from the forums
  • tayb
    Microsoft isn't going to be effected by Netbook markets. If push comes to shove, Microsoft will offer a free version of Windows 7 for netbooks that will effectively kill competitors from Google and Intel. The only way anyone can compete is making their software free and if they become enough of a threat Microsoft will do the same and the only real advantage is gone.

    And to the idiot that said "Snow Leopard can suck my dick." - Get a life.
    Reply
  • Yoder54
    amabhyI'm sure Windows 7 will kick Apple ass. The RTM was awesome, and everybody's pumped for this release.Snow Leopard can suck my dick.
    You are an idiot...little man.

    Snow Leopard was one of the easiest installs ever. I put it on three different Mac's and not one problem. From what I have read in the media Win7 will be a beast when you go to upgrade any hardware. MS is more concerned with piracy than with paying consumers. They would do well if the learned from the music industry.

    If MS has no concerns, then why do they continue to inundate us with those lame "I am a PC" ads?
    Reply
  • rebel conquest
    Same reason apple runs adds?....
    Reply
  • justin_honour
    lol I'm sure you didn't really mean to have snow leopard to suck your dick... presumably you still want to use it don't ya :P
    Reply
  • dainsane1
    I've been using win7 rc for about a month since my Ubuntu drive failed.
    it was a week perhaps two before once again i was back to cursing Microsoft. the honeymoon has passed and i miss Linux.

    win7 is nice but does not beat out ubuntu with compiz installed.

    rant said; win7 will still do well because the humans of the world still see and think of a computer as windows or mac. people seem to only understand branded systems and become rather confused when things look a but different.

    I am so tired of the blank stare when i say Linux and yet I do not see that changing anytime soon; even with google pushing a distro.
    Reply
  • Ehsan w
    Snow Leopard can suck my dick.
    thumbs up because of that XD
    Reply
  • sstym
    Microsoft still enjoys an 88% market share on OSes. I view the current trend of rising OSX shares as positive on several accounts:
    1- This forced Microsoft to focus on quality and Windows 7 is a direct result of this market pressure. Vista was a product of over engineering and complacency.
    2- As Apple gains more market shares, the hackers are going to start noticing. Steve Jobs will have to rewrite history Big Brother Style and pretend the infamous "Macs don't get viruses" Hodgman/Long commercial never aired.
    3- Microsoft is known for a complete lack of vision that is only matched by their ability to turn around and recover from their mistakes in a split second. This means they will come up with elegant solutions should their market shares get actually threatened.
    Reply
  • thackstonns
    Yoder54You are an idiot...little man.Snow Leopard was one of the easiest installs ever. I put it on three different Mac's and not one problem. From what I have read in the media Win7 will be a beast when you go to upgrade any hardware. MS is more concerned with piracy than with paying consumers. They would do well if the learned from the music industry.If MS has no concerns, then why do they continue to inundate us with those lame "I am a PC" ads?
    Man thats wonderful about snow leapord. You installed an operating system on three macs. wow bet all three macs were similar hardware wise, because you know they are all pretty much the same hardware wise. Also I seem to think apple is just as concerned about piracy, you know with all thier closed systems. Ipod, Itunes, apple tv, Iphone, OSX, app store, Dont jailbreak, limited chosen hardware.
    Reply
  • sstym
    Yoder54 ..Snow Leopard was one of the easiest installs ever. I put it on three different Mac's and not one problem.
    Do you mean it is easy to install Apple software on Apple hardware?
    That's a shocker.

    Now build a Mac from scratch and install any kind of upgrades (Graphics, RAID, you name it) on it.

    oh wait. You can't.
    Reply
  • Yoder54
    rebel conquestSame reason apple runs adds?....
    MS is the one claiming the "comfort zone." If no worries, then why waste money on the ads? MS will keep the business sector for years...decades...to come. But, the home sector is another story as evidenced by the recent numbers posted by Apple.

    Also, it is "ads." To "add" is to perform a arithmetic operation.
    Reply