It might be considered a stretch to call an operating system upgrade a widget. While Windows does include widgets, it is the base upon which all of your other software will run. Well, except for those of you using Linux, Mac or another operating system. Just a few days ago I was discussing the earliest versions of Windows with someone. Things were much different back then as you only ran Windows to run a Windows-specific program. For the most part the tide began turning with Windows 3.1.
The general perception of Windows Vista hasn't been a positive one. Admittedly I'm still happily running Windows XP on all but one machine. While I have the licenses to install Vista on these machines, I can't find any good reason to install Vista on them.
By contrast, I've yet to hear much negative information about Windows 7. The media has had a very favorable view of it and advanced users who have tried the beta versions have reported great success. As I don't have a spare machine to use for testing, I have not yet installed it here in the office. I fully expect to switch my Vista machine over to Windows 7 and I'll be due to get a new computer in the next six months and it will definitely get Windows 7.
Microsoft has said that Windows 7 will become available on October 22, 2009. To make sure that the new operating system gets off to a great start they are making pre-orders of upgrades available at very enticing prices. From what I understand, these prices are only in place until July 11 or until some unspecified number of copies are sold. So if you are going to upgrade, get a pre-order now and save some serious money.
The
Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade has a list price of $119.99 and can be purchased in this early window for only $49.99. In Canada, the list price is $129.95 and the
early purchase can be made for $64.99. Due to legal hurdles Microsoft is facing in Europe, there isn't a pre-sale available there right now.
Users wanting more features can go for the
Windows 7 Professional Upgrade. The list price is $199.99 and the pre-order price is only $99.99. It can also be purchased in Canada where the list price is $249.95 and the
pre-order price is $124.99.
Since many of you are CorelDRAW users, you are probably asking how well CorelDRAW will run on Windows 7. Top CorelDRAW users who have been running the beta releases of Windows 7 have had no problems with CorelDRAW X3 and X4. And you can bet that Corel's developers have been running Windows 7 through its paces and that future versions of CorelDRAW will be developed with Windows 7 in mind.
Are you ready to upgrade right away or will you happily stay with what you have? Post a comment and tell me your opinion.
Labels: unleashed, weekend-widget