The Windows 7 Opportunity

So I’m at an electronics superstore yesterday checking out new laptops because finally Windows 7 (hail the Oct. 22 launch) is now included in the bundle. That, plus the Intel dual core processor and 4 gigs of ram is what I’m after. Simple stuff by today’s standard. After I made up my mind, the model I choose, of course, is sold out!

It seems as though plenty of other people were playing the same waiting game I was. Another gentleman shut down from pulling the trigger on the same computer said: “I’ve been using 7 in beta and it’s pretty solid. I decided to bypass Vista altogether but it’s safe to get back on the horse now.”

I expect that a healthy margin of consumers feel the same way after the Vista fiasco and the wave of enthusiasm for Windows 7 continues to build. That's great news for Microsoft.

A worldwide survey of 1,500 businesses shows that 30 percent will deploy Windows 7 in the first six months and a further 20 percent before next October. The research from Information Technology Intelligence Corp. and Sunbelt Software - with no prodding from Microsoft incidentally - also shows that 80 percent of those surveyed rank Windows 7 compatibility as excellent or very good.

A deal with Twitter this week to integrate search results on Bing was also well-received as was today's earnings report that beat Wall Street's expectations. But a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan? Seven stacked beef patties? That's just wrong. But even the upset stomach tweets forthcoming won't stop the Windows 7 opportunity from going belly up.