As we've
learned over the past 72 hours, Microsoft is clearly changing its approach to the Zune. And connected TV. And just about every other entertainment-related aspect of its business. As it seeks to
better connect people via its software and devices (and make "The Social" something worth showing up to), Robbie Bach has explained that the company's new
retail focus actually has a lot to do with it. The bigwig recently sat down in front of 150 students in order to take questions and relive some childhood memories, and given that kids always say the darnedest things, it's not shocking to hear that some of the conversation was awkward, if not comical. Point blank, Bach was asked if
Windows 7 would be better than Vista, and he expectedly shot back with "Windows 7 is a huge step forward." There's far too much dialogue to cover in this space, but if you're looking for a little insight from the top, feel free to wade through the read links below.
[Via
CNET]
Read - High school questions
Read - Retail thoughts
Read - More retail thoughts
posted Feb 14th 2009 1:53PM
Better then iPod definitely.
"than"
"sarcastic remark"
Its "definately", duh
@Tiptup300
Best reply to a spell-correction comment I've seen in a long time.
what's the point of asking if a new OS will be better than the one it's replacing. Is the company going to say, "well, we hope so"? There's only one realistic response to that question.
Nu uh, if it were steve balmer it would have exploded into flames and run around angrily.
Just curious: have you guys ever seen Engadget use a picture of an Apple exec which was half as awkward/terrible looking as their pictures of Microsoft execs?
Of course not mate. They can't just make fun of their upper management!!
Because Apple executives aren't as visible and publicly accessible as Microsoft executives? When was the last time an Apple executive was taking questions from kiddies? Perhaps Apple knows more about PR?
I think it's natural. I remember Engadget using a picture of Steve Jobs on one leg and his arms twisted in a crazy position, but I think that was intended :P
For all you Canadians who know what I'm talking about...doesn't he look like Dalton Humphrey from "The Red Green Show"?
The "Engadget is biased" Apple-hating trolls are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel in their desperate attempt to find any evidence that their bias claim is true.
Now they want us to believe that there is some fundamental difference in how Engadget chooses photos, of Microsoft executives and Apple executives.
Please, give us a f***ing break.
I just finished reading the Q and A, and to be honest, the only one fried here are the people asking these questions; Bach was kind of enjoying answering the easy Qs. Lol
Well the title clearly points out that the schoolers were high.
Give em a break, I'm sure their questions made a lot of sense to themselves.
Very slow news day Part 2
Wow, racist article
What am I missing?
"High school students attending Microsoft's annual Minority Student Day Friday"
LOL it's Microsoft's Negro Day!
also the end of the article: "the event is hosted each year by Blacks at Microsoft."
hahahahaha.
Someone should have asked Bach why they named it Windows 7, when in reality it isn't the seventh version of Windows no matter how you count.
1. Windows 3.1
2. Windows 95
3. Windows 98
4. Windows ME
5. Windows XP
6. Windows Vista
7. Windows 7
Does that work?
Ok, so, completely serious question:
What should htey of named it, if not Windows 7? I counted on all my fingers and 7 is the number I came up with. I'm not flaming you or anything, I just want my brain to know what it missed/forgot...
Keep in mind I counted 3/3.1 ans a single version, not three...
@ joshman
That was my thought process...
joshman: You forgot Windows 2000.
Adam: Good question. But maybe they should have gone with something truthful. :)
Ever seen Seinfeld? Seven is a cool name. Why name it Windows 95, it came out in 94. Why name it XP, that's not even a number. And Vista? Not that great of a view, in reality. The monitor blocks it.
@Eric
That's a good point, but I personally never thought of the NT "inclusion" until XP, I always thought of Windows 2000 as being the "NT version of ME". I realize it's not quite like that, but that's just how my noggin works!
Windows 2000 was not a consumer level operating system and was based off of Windows NT 4.0.
So completely forgetting the first version of windows that was 3.0 and Windows Homer Server (which was a consumer product)?
2000's technical version is 5, where XP is 5.1 and Vista is 6. That makes 7 the next logical step. Some say that 7 really should be 6.1, but Microsoft is doing a full version increase anyway to try to separate it from Vista. Windows 95-Me all fall under version 4, each release is an incremental upgrade, similar to the way OS X releases are treated. This will give you a rundown: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
@ Myself.
Clearly i forgot 1.0, 2.0 and 2.1...
Well, given that Vista's kernel was NT6, this version would have been NT7. However they made it NT6.1 so that programs and drivers wouldn't freak out at the version number change. Similar to XP's kernel being NT5.1 to 2000's NT5. Windows 6.1 doesn't quite roll off the tongue as nicely, and they probably want to dissociate 7 with Vista completely in the public eye.
Actually, Eric, Windows 7 refers to the version number of windows. It also is the announced official name of this operating system:
Windows 1.0
Windows 2.0
Windows 3.1 -> Version 3
Windows 95 -> Version 4
Windows ME -> Version 4.5
Windows 2000 -> Version 5
Windows XP -> Version 6
Windows 7 -> Version 7
Of course, there were inbetween version numbers, such as service packs.
All the info can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
@Sam - Windows Home Server is Windows Server 2003 with some fancy apps added in. It is still a 5.x release.
Dolph,
You messed up on a few and missed a few...
Windows 98 -> Version 4.10
Windows ME -> Version 4.90
Windows 2000 -> Version 5
Windows XP -> Version 5.1
Windows 2003 -> Version 5.2
Windows Vista -> Version 6
Windows 7 -> Version 7
Because, they did all the hard work of making the operating system so, they're free to name it whatever they want?
Why'd your parents name you Eric? You're definitely not an Eric, more of a Nancy (See: Negative Nancy).
WIndows 7 = Windows 6.1
Windows 7 is just a name, just like Windows XP or Vista are just names.
Windows XP is not a name, its a way of life.
Wow, I'm sure you guys put as much thought into this as the exec's did!
at marty
no, if you're looking at the build numbers... the execs chose to keep windows 7 at build 6.1
so no, 7 is not the next logical step after 5.x and 6.0
Actually its versions of Windows NT:
1) Windows NT 3.0
2) Windows NT 3.5
3) Windows NT 4.0
4) Windows 2000 (NT 5.0)
5) Windows XP (NT 5.1)
6) Windows Vista (NT 6.0)
7) Windows 7 (NT 6.1)
Windows NT uses a total different kernel then the old line of Windows 1.0,2.0,3.0,3.1,95,98,ME that ran essentially over DOS.
Given that the build numbers for Vista are 60xx and the builds for Windows 7 have been 7000, and 7022 I'd say it's following a pattern that apparently reaches back at least a few gens. Even if you/anyone doesn't agree with which OS sould have gotten, two, four, or three, or whatever, it does seem that 7 is what we are up to...
So windows now starts with 3.1? wtf happened to 1.0, 2.0, 2.03, The whole fucking NT line before your listed XP? This isn't the 7th windows in any universe.
Windows NT started with 3.1 yes, they named it to match the consumer version. NT and the standard consumer windows went their separate ways until XP, when the two lines were merged and started using the same kernel.
It is the seventh client release of NT.
1. NT 3.1
2. NT 3.5
3. NT 4.0
4. 2000
5. XP
6. Vista
7. 7
Because 7 is a lucky number. http://www.luckymojo.com/number7.html.
Yeah.
No, 3 7s are lucky. Also, 3's & 7's by QotSA
"No, 3 7s are lucky."
Wow shut the fuck up.
"Bricenel Lindsey, a 20-year-old super-senior at Challenger High School in Spanaway, asked Bach why so many Xbox 360s had technical problems."
Laughed at that for a while.
LOL A SUPER SENIOR.
Super remedial.