– via The Verge
There was never really any doubt that the next version of Windows was going to look at least a little like Windows 7. Even Windows 8.1 was a step back in that direction for Microsoft, bringing back the Start button that so many millions of customers missed. But for all the time Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore spent on stage today explaining the enormity of change in Windows 10 — they skipped a version number to prove the point — there’s no obscuring the blindingly obvious truth.
Windows 10 is Windows 7.
Windows 10 is Windows 7 plus a handful of the things about Windows 8 that worked best: Snap mode, beautiful Modern-style apps, always-updating live tiles, and now (finally) a universal app store that works across all screen sizes from phones to TVs. But it’s still Windows 7. Windows 10 is based primarily on the desktop, not the radical new Start Screen of Windows 8; you’ll find most things by going to the new-old Start Menu. “Everything runs in a window” is billed as an exciting new feature. There are bits and pieces of Windows 8 here, but Windows 10 will be more jarring for Windows 8 users than for users who haven’t updated their computer software since 2006.
“YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO USE IT” DOESN’T MEAN WHAT MICROSOFT THINKS IT MEANS
That is, of course, the whole point. “Familiar” was a favorite word of Myerson’s and Belfiore’s. They described over and over how simple it is to upgrade, how similar Windows 10 will feel to what you’ve already been using. “We want all these Windows 7 users to have the sentiment that yesterday they were driving a first-generation Prius,” Belfiore said. “And now with Windows 10 it’s like a Tesla.” It’s not supposed to feel different, it’s not supposed to be scary.
It’s supposed to be Windows 7.
It’s telling that throughout its entire event, Microsoft seemed to be speaking not to Windows 8 users, but to the customers who took one look at live tiles and decided to stick with Windows 7 or Windows XP.