difenbaker
02-11-2006, 08:25 AM
What Will Vista Mean to You?
Walaika K. Haskins, newsfactor.com Fri Feb 10, 6:35 PM ET
Listening to the hype surrounding the upcoming release of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista, people could be forgiven for thinking that the new OS will revolutionize the home-computing experience.
During his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show held in January in Las Vegas, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates cast Vista as an integral part of what he called "the decade of digital lifestyles."
"Technology has revolutionized how we listen to music, watch TV, play games, communicate, and manage and share personal information," Gates said. "In years ahead, further exciting innovations will unify the software, hardware, and services in people's lives, offering them even richer, more-engaging, and deeply connected experiences."
But while executives at Microsoft are hopeful that consumers will embrace Vista as just such a unifying innovation, some industry experts said it might take awhile to convince people that the new OS is, indeed, a key to a richer life.
"I've yet to see evidence of either significant performance increases or truly new applications which will make consumers regret not having Vista," said Paul Jackson, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, a consulting and research firm focused on technology.
Microsoft's Challenge
Jackson and Ted Schadler, a vice president at Forrester, wrote a report released in June of last year in which they argued that Microsoft would alienate customers if the company focused too much on security, search, and reliability when touting the features of its new OS, which is due to be released at some point in 2006.
Instead, people need to feel as if Vista was built just for them to handle their "personal scenarios," such as communications, music, photos, home video, TV, games, and life management, Jackson and Schadler wrote in "Microsoft's Longhorn: Making Consumers Care." (Longhorn was the original name given to Vista during its years in development.)
The report outlined the challenges Microsoft faces in marketing its new OS to mainstream consumers, 42 percent of whom feel intimidated by technology, according to Forrester. Many people also lack awareness and understanding of the features available to them in tech products, the report said. For example, in a survey cited by the authors, 57 percent of online households said that they see no reason to have a home network.
"Microsoft, as an engineering firm, has this problem in spades," said the authors, "touting features like 'autocomplete' and 'secure by default' that leave consumers wondering why they should care."
View from Vista
It appears that Microsoft got the message, as Vista contains several enhancements designed to make it more inviting and easier to use than
Windows XP, the current OS.
"Microsoft is targeting more 'lifestyle' activities, and [Vista's user interface] looks considerably nicer than XP, especially on those large plasma displays which early-adopting consumers will increasingly hook their media-center PCs up to," Jackson said.
Vista will feature Aero, which Microsoft is calling its "glass" user interface because it can render open windows translucently, making it easier to see what is happening on the desktop at all times.
Using a feature called Quick Search, people can type in any word, name, or phrase and find all items stored on the computer that relate to it. Another new feature, Search Folder, works as a kind of "always on" search. Typing in search criteria, such as "dogs," for example, and the OS will create a folder into which any new files on dogs will be inserted automatically.
Windows Flip was designed for easier transitioning between applications. The technology will enable users to flip through open windows using the Alt+Tab key combination to view a live thumbnail of each window. Flip 3D moves the applications into a "3D space," through which people can sort through windows using the arrow keys or the scroll wheel on a mouse.
Other enhancements include a new version of the Microsoft Web browser, Internet Explorer 7, with built-in, user-account protection, support for RSS news feeds, and "gadgets" -- mini-applications that offer an array of possible uses, such as weather forecasts, news updates, Internet radio streams, and online photo slideshows.
Other Elements
Microsoft's aim is to integrate computers more deeply into consumers' lives, according to Jim Allchin, Microsoft Group vice president of platforms. The problem has been getting consumers to view their PCs as machines that run as smoothly, consistently, and error-free as other household appliances, such as a television.
In order to provide that kind of responsiveness, Microsoft has made changes in how Vista transitions between power states. Users will be able to switch the computer to sleep or turn it off with just the click of a button, just as with TVs and other electronic devices. With the new fast-off button, the shutdown, sleep, or restart will occur "quickly and gracefully."
Vista also promises a much faster load time for applications and files. A new feature called SuperFetch aims to eliminate the often erratic and sluggish response time when booting up a machine, switching between users, or returning from sleep mode. The technology tracks the applications accessed most frequently by users and preloads them in the system's memory.
In terms of security, Allchin said that with the release of Vista, Microsoft would greatly reduce the security problems associated with its operating systems "by building a top-to-bottom security architecture, checking code quality with tools developed by Microsoft Research, and designing [Vista] to be primarily an Internet-connected -- rather than standalone -- operating system."
Windows Defender, the resulting security software, will sport a simplified and redesigned interface to make scanning for and removal of malware easier. Engineers also have included new technologies such as a warning system that will deliver alert escalations on the basis of the severity of the incoming threat.
Parental controls will enable people to limit when and for how long their children can use the computer. Parents also will be able to restrict access to games on the basis of title, content, or ESRB rating. And just to make certain they are in step with their children's computer use, parents will have the option to run a detailed report on each child's computer comings and goings.
Watershed or Treading Water?
Jackson said that, even with all of these new, consumer-friendly features, the key to adoption will be the price of the software and the ease of the upgrade. "In general, consumers tend not to upgrade their PC OS," Jackson said, "mainly because they think this software is free when they get their new PC and are shocked that an upgrade costs $95."
Microsoft has other questions to answer, Jackson said. How many versions of Vista will be available to consumers? Will there be media and professional editions? How well will the new translucency and 3D desktop effects work on PCs that are less than top-of-the-line?
Both Jackson and Nitin Gupta, an analyst at the research firm Yankee Group, said they did not expect Vista to be the catalyst that alters the way PCs are used in the home -- yet. Both agreed, rather, that Vista is better seen as a step forward in the PC's evolution to a living-room appliance akin to a television or stereo.
"Does [Vista] signal the point in time when we will look back and say, 'Yes, that's when the PC became living-room friendly'?" Jackson said. "Not really -- at least not on its own. It's the back-room 'glue,' after all. It will be the final piece of the puzzle in creating a holistic PC-based entertainment hub."
Any shift likely will occur only when people become more comfortable with adopting the PC as a media center, and, most important, Gupta said, as more and more movie and television content becomes available to download to new entertainment devices.
"Vista will provide content owners with a more secure platform to deliver their premium content. However, it will take more than an operating system to turn the PC into a media hub," said Gupta. "Creating innovative consumer experiences around premium content will help expand the market for content delivery via the PC. Vista is not the key component."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060210/tc_nf/41505;_ylt=A0SOwmWG8O1DNQ0B0hcjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5a HJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
cheers!
Walaika K. Haskins, newsfactor.com Fri Feb 10, 6:35 PM ET
Listening to the hype surrounding the upcoming release of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista, people could be forgiven for thinking that the new OS will revolutionize the home-computing experience.
During his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show held in January in Las Vegas, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates cast Vista as an integral part of what he called "the decade of digital lifestyles."
"Technology has revolutionized how we listen to music, watch TV, play games, communicate, and manage and share personal information," Gates said. "In years ahead, further exciting innovations will unify the software, hardware, and services in people's lives, offering them even richer, more-engaging, and deeply connected experiences."
But while executives at Microsoft are hopeful that consumers will embrace Vista as just such a unifying innovation, some industry experts said it might take awhile to convince people that the new OS is, indeed, a key to a richer life.
"I've yet to see evidence of either significant performance increases or truly new applications which will make consumers regret not having Vista," said Paul Jackson, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, a consulting and research firm focused on technology.
Microsoft's Challenge
Jackson and Ted Schadler, a vice president at Forrester, wrote a report released in June of last year in which they argued that Microsoft would alienate customers if the company focused too much on security, search, and reliability when touting the features of its new OS, which is due to be released at some point in 2006.
Instead, people need to feel as if Vista was built just for them to handle their "personal scenarios," such as communications, music, photos, home video, TV, games, and life management, Jackson and Schadler wrote in "Microsoft's Longhorn: Making Consumers Care." (Longhorn was the original name given to Vista during its years in development.)
The report outlined the challenges Microsoft faces in marketing its new OS to mainstream consumers, 42 percent of whom feel intimidated by technology, according to Forrester. Many people also lack awareness and understanding of the features available to them in tech products, the report said. For example, in a survey cited by the authors, 57 percent of online households said that they see no reason to have a home network.
"Microsoft, as an engineering firm, has this problem in spades," said the authors, "touting features like 'autocomplete' and 'secure by default' that leave consumers wondering why they should care."
View from Vista
It appears that Microsoft got the message, as Vista contains several enhancements designed to make it more inviting and easier to use than
Windows XP, the current OS.
"Microsoft is targeting more 'lifestyle' activities, and [Vista's user interface] looks considerably nicer than XP, especially on those large plasma displays which early-adopting consumers will increasingly hook their media-center PCs up to," Jackson said.
Vista will feature Aero, which Microsoft is calling its "glass" user interface because it can render open windows translucently, making it easier to see what is happening on the desktop at all times.
Using a feature called Quick Search, people can type in any word, name, or phrase and find all items stored on the computer that relate to it. Another new feature, Search Folder, works as a kind of "always on" search. Typing in search criteria, such as "dogs," for example, and the OS will create a folder into which any new files on dogs will be inserted automatically.
Windows Flip was designed for easier transitioning between applications. The technology will enable users to flip through open windows using the Alt+Tab key combination to view a live thumbnail of each window. Flip 3D moves the applications into a "3D space," through which people can sort through windows using the arrow keys or the scroll wheel on a mouse.
Other enhancements include a new version of the Microsoft Web browser, Internet Explorer 7, with built-in, user-account protection, support for RSS news feeds, and "gadgets" -- mini-applications that offer an array of possible uses, such as weather forecasts, news updates, Internet radio streams, and online photo slideshows.
Other Elements
Microsoft's aim is to integrate computers more deeply into consumers' lives, according to Jim Allchin, Microsoft Group vice president of platforms. The problem has been getting consumers to view their PCs as machines that run as smoothly, consistently, and error-free as other household appliances, such as a television.
In order to provide that kind of responsiveness, Microsoft has made changes in how Vista transitions between power states. Users will be able to switch the computer to sleep or turn it off with just the click of a button, just as with TVs and other electronic devices. With the new fast-off button, the shutdown, sleep, or restart will occur "quickly and gracefully."
Vista also promises a much faster load time for applications and files. A new feature called SuperFetch aims to eliminate the often erratic and sluggish response time when booting up a machine, switching between users, or returning from sleep mode. The technology tracks the applications accessed most frequently by users and preloads them in the system's memory.
In terms of security, Allchin said that with the release of Vista, Microsoft would greatly reduce the security problems associated with its operating systems "by building a top-to-bottom security architecture, checking code quality with tools developed by Microsoft Research, and designing [Vista] to be primarily an Internet-connected -- rather than standalone -- operating system."
Windows Defender, the resulting security software, will sport a simplified and redesigned interface to make scanning for and removal of malware easier. Engineers also have included new technologies such as a warning system that will deliver alert escalations on the basis of the severity of the incoming threat.
Parental controls will enable people to limit when and for how long their children can use the computer. Parents also will be able to restrict access to games on the basis of title, content, or ESRB rating. And just to make certain they are in step with their children's computer use, parents will have the option to run a detailed report on each child's computer comings and goings.
Watershed or Treading Water?
Jackson said that, even with all of these new, consumer-friendly features, the key to adoption will be the price of the software and the ease of the upgrade. "In general, consumers tend not to upgrade their PC OS," Jackson said, "mainly because they think this software is free when they get their new PC and are shocked that an upgrade costs $95."
Microsoft has other questions to answer, Jackson said. How many versions of Vista will be available to consumers? Will there be media and professional editions? How well will the new translucency and 3D desktop effects work on PCs that are less than top-of-the-line?
Both Jackson and Nitin Gupta, an analyst at the research firm Yankee Group, said they did not expect Vista to be the catalyst that alters the way PCs are used in the home -- yet. Both agreed, rather, that Vista is better seen as a step forward in the PC's evolution to a living-room appliance akin to a television or stereo.
"Does [Vista] signal the point in time when we will look back and say, 'Yes, that's when the PC became living-room friendly'?" Jackson said. "Not really -- at least not on its own. It's the back-room 'glue,' after all. It will be the final piece of the puzzle in creating a holistic PC-based entertainment hub."
Any shift likely will occur only when people become more comfortable with adopting the PC as a media center, and, most important, Gupta said, as more and more movie and television content becomes available to download to new entertainment devices.
"Vista will provide content owners with a more secure platform to deliver their premium content. However, it will take more than an operating system to turn the PC into a media hub," said Gupta. "Creating innovative consumer experiences around premium content will help expand the market for content delivery via the PC. Vista is not the key component."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060210/tc_nf/41505;_ylt=A0SOwmWG8O1DNQ0B0hcjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5a HJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
cheers!