Windows 7 unveiled, has iPhone-, Mac OS-like features

updated 01:35 am EDT, Wed May 28, 2008

Windows 7 unveiled

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer on Tuesday unveiled a small preview of the company's next operating system – tentatively referred to as Windows 7 – at the All Things Digital executive conference. The preview demonstrated the integration of multi-touch directly into all application layers, allowing users to use multiple fingers in Paint, resize and rotate photographs, and performing many actions similar to that of the iPhone.

The demonstration also showed Microsoft Virtual Earth, which can be navigated by touch in both "road" and "aerial" views. Users can search for a location, such as Starbucks, and touch the push-pin representing the desired location, and information about the café will appear.

In the photo management application, users are able to toss around and organize photos as though they were on a surface. Photos can be rotated, drawn on, zoomed, organized into a 3D slideshow, viewed in a grid mode, or scattered across the virtual surface.

Interactive, on-screen musical instruments, as well as several other possibilities were also shown. Gates hinted briefly that this would just be the beginning, that Microsoft would explore speech, gesture, vision, ink, and other near-future technologies.

In terms of interface elements, Windows 7 will allegedly bear even stronger resemblances to Mac OS X, with the presence of a Dock. Microsoft did not extrapolate on how the "dock" functions, but will most likely be revealed in the near future.

Windows 7 is supposedly about 18 months away from seeing store shelves.

[via Gizmodo]

Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7

By Electronista Staff

(48)

TAGS :

multi-touch, industry, software, Microsoft, Windows 7

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Guest

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 1999

05/28, 01:51am | report spam | close reply

Fingerprints?

With all these glossy screens currently so popular for flat panels and in particular laptops, I was wondering whether this is really such a good idea. It will make reading the screen even more complicated. Also I wonder how it will take until there is a sufficient support by software. It is certainly worthwhile to try something new. Hopefully this doesn't mean I then must upgrade to a 64 bit system with at least 8 GB more, quad-core, high-end graphics just to run the OS (think Vista!)
Cheers, Manfred.

rytc

Senior User

Joined: Jan 2001

05/28, 01:51am | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

dock

Now they're taking the dock!?! Suggestion MS, license OS X as the default OS, called it Window to Mac OS X, and supply Parallels with Windows XP for your legacy customers. This would allow you to copy all the features of OS X in one go.

loudpedal

Forum Regular

Joined: Oct 1999

05/28, 05:32am | report spam | close reply

Weak

I'm sure some would note that it's a preview but the whole operation looks very Windows-like. Blowing up a photo completely obscures the photos underneath, the jerky response of the map software (trading smoothness for speed). 18 months? Yah, right.

Peter Bonte

Joined: Aug 2001

05/28, 05:41am | report spam | close reply

Flash

The interface seems made off Flash or more likely Silverlight, its a demo. No way they put this into Windows' core in a 18 months.

MiMiC

Joined: Jun 2007

05/28, 06:35am | report spam | close reply

Once Before Apple

I think this demo was to be the first out before Apple. We all know Apple is working towards this as they used touch in a controlled environment, and then will move to more open ground. Again, first with their apps, then 3 party.

This seems to be M$ saying we were first at something.

NO they should not license the OS. Remember DOS?

Anyway, i can't wait until Mac gets touch AND voice. Yes, but i mean real voice that actually understands me like adults do and not like adolescents do LOL

I think it would be cool working with Aperture with touch, but even cooler, doing basic functions including searches (online and on my Mac) with Voice. Have voice tied into AppleScript so we can program our own voice actions would be really cool.

ok, enough dreaming.

jimothy

Joined: Sep 2000

05/28, 07:11am | report spam | close reply

not gonna happen

Microsoft won't pull this off because, unlike Apple, they don't control both the hardware and the software. They'll get a few hardware vendors to offer this on a few models, and a few independent software vendors will add showy multi-touch features to their applications, but it's never going to be more than a gimmick. c.f., tablet computing.

Frankly, I don't think it'll take off with Apple, either, because while it looks spiffy in a demo, it's more gimmick than practical. But, Apple is better positioned to make this happen than Microsoft, and they may surprise me. Look how well it's worked for iPhone.

05/28, 07:37am | report spam | close reply

Just wait...

I'm sure there's more to come, especially as Apple announces any new functionality. MS doesn't even seem to know (or it's fan base doesn't realize) how pathetic it is.

They are great at offering a managed corporate platform and doing the end-to-end thing with windows clients to MS servers. As a standalone client though, they just don't get it despite all their hopeful claims. Still, there are plenty of those who just don't know any better who have their technology opinion managed by MS's marketing department.

I'll stay with the innovator. Apple has to make great products to succeed. MS doesn't do that, and doesn't have to.

Comment buried. Show

testudo

-16

05/28, 07:47am | report spam | (3 replies) close | reply

Re: just wait

Of course, Apple can make great products because they're not overly burdened by users who demand that their software/hardware work with their new 'innovations'.

Oh, and Apple doesn't have to make great products. They've shown that people will flock to OK products that look good.

05/28, 08:08am | report spam | close reply

Windoze 7

As always Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer once again prove that MS is just another 2 bit follower and not really an innovator. Innovation by MS means 2 year old technology badly implemented so that users get extras like unlimited virus, frequent crashes, etc. A true computing experience. How wonderful.

howiethemacguy

Joined: Sep 2007

05/28, 08:35am | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

OK...

Apple should sue. Can't these b******* come up with anything of their own?

charanischiu

Joined: May 2008

05/28, 08:41am | report spam | close reply

microsoft touch screen

Certainly, we do not want touching the screen display of a computer because it create finger print all over the clean display area which we mostly keep.

The touch screen function appear on the touch pad design by Apple is what we need, not the computer display.

simdude

Joined: Jun 2004

05/28, 09:04am | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

lame

Microsoft needs some fresh blood. Apple consistently comes up with great products and new innovations. Even anti-Apple people like testudo can't stay away from Apple sites. Come on MS. You have the resources. Come up with some cool stuff.

luckyday

Joined: Apr 2008

-2

05/28, 09:22am | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

Mac OS like features?

Come on. Microsoft Surface has been in development since 2001.

Funny that the only articles that ever get comments on this forum are about Windows. p**** envy guys?

-9

05/28, 09:25am | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

Apple sites?

Btw, I'm not sure about testudo but I am on this forum because of electronista.com. Not Macnn. Not an apple devoted blog. Also I would hardly call testudo anti-apple. Perhaps a voice of reason amongst fanboys.

And we all know if apple can sue, they will sue. Let's see how this all pans out, girls.

nat

Junior Member

Joined: Mar 2002

05/28, 09:33am | report spam | close reply

ah, yet another

testudo, or is luckyday just another name he's chosen? either way, coming here and attacking posters won't win friends or influence people. have a comment on the article? great, post it. or are you going to go the testudo route and just bash other posters? p**** envy? girls? my my. yet another "voice of reason". you can't use that however as testudo has claimed that title for himself. just ask him.

kellrandy

05/28, 10:05am | report spam | close reply

Stealing Yet Again...

Leave it to MS to steal yet again. They never have anything of their own, they always have to steal from somebody, not always Apple, but they do steal from almost everyone it seams. They [MS] don't have any idea what innovation is. Hey, MS, do something original for a change and maybe you would stop losing your market share to Apple.

PBG4 User

Joined: Feb 2001

05/28, 10:07am | report spam | close reply

Demo

That demo looks like what was demonstrated in NY two years ago. You know, the demo that Apple saw and licensed some of the tech for use in the iPhone? Both the iPhone and Surface seem to spring from the same basic tech, but Apple only grabbed what would be the most useful for the iPhone while MS tried to shrink a chalkboard sized multi-touch display into a coffee table sized display and now laptops.

Either way, it could be a great way to get away from mouse & keyboard input technologies. Now as mentioned above, someone needs to develop anti-finger oil tech or we'll all be constantly wiping laptop screens like I currently do after using my iPhone.

JimBbBenge

05/28, 10:18am | report spam | close reply

Nitwits

Just what we need, a bunch of windows nitwits dragging their greasy fingers all over the screen. Oh, yeah. I use a Mac. No need for finger painting since there are real tools like Wacom drawing tablets.

Rezzz

Joined: Jan 2006

05/28, 10:23am | report spam | close reply

surface?

surface since 2001? funny.. i haven't seen that. my pc at work doesn't have it. nor my laptop.. in fact, nobody i know has a surface enabled pc.

i had a hitachi tablet once that used a stylus .. but it wasn't touch, nor pan, nor zoom, nor rotate or anything like the iphone/touchad interface Apple has created for that matter.

so if by surface you mean VAPOR then, yes, it has been around for pcs since 2001. in fact, monople$oft has been making vapor for a long time now.

truth be told, Surface was concieved in 2001. no prtotypes were made until 2003. it didn't become an actual development group until 2004. NO PRODUCTS WERE RELEASED UNTIL 2007. And what did they release? A big table with a touchscreen. lol. truly ground breaking.

yeah, surface has been around since 2001. that's a good one. thanks for the laugh.

-4

05/28, 01:07pm | report spam | close reply

Over your head?

I think they were working on the technology. Not the actual table itself, hot shot. Attempting to refute claims that MS is copying apple. By demonstrating that they have been working on touchscreen technology in some form since 2001, and had a working prototype since 2004, it seems pretty clear that they aren't copying Apple's technology.

Does that make sense to you?

-3

05/28, 01:10pm | report spam | close reply

Fingers?

Let me get this straight, when apple came out with the iphone, fingers on your screen was acceptable. Now it's not? Make up your minds. And god forbid out of the dozens of mac posters there is one for the other side.

05/28, 01:11pm | report spam | close reply

Nat

I thought we were done with our chat. Sometimes when you are amongst people that can't see another perspective, you need to say things to get noticed.

manleycreative

Joined: Sep 2005

05/28, 01:34pm | report spam | close reply

VIstatized

Just like MS. Pour chocolate on it and it makes everything better. Meh...

How about MS gets it's operating system to do the basic things properly first THEN add the candy.

They're still tussling with basic functionality Apple solved 20 years ago.

05/28, 03:08pm | report spam | close reply

oh dear

yeap, it's testudo, same old c*** - name calling, incredibly childish and lame arguments... blah blah blah.

you come here, luckyboy, to do nothing but lambast apple folks, as though there's no lambasting going on over at the ms sites. sigh. going to change the world are you? going to make us see the light of day by getting noticed with simple name calling?
my dear boy, if you have a stance there are many here among us that will gladly debate points of interest but if you choose to use the last resort of the lost debate, the personal attack, then don't expect a sympathetic ear.
if you don't want to be reprimanded then confine your posts to the articles.

bearerbond

Joined: Mar 2007

05/28, 03:21pm | report spam | close reply

Newest of The New

And it will work as well as... um...Windows ME or Windows Vista! Whee!

ZinkDifferent

Joined: Jan 2005

05/28, 03:24pm | report spam | close reply

MacDan2004

He's got the likely outcome and I wish they would get it over with, as it will be a pleasure to see MS try to spin that failure....

05/28, 04:05pm | report spam | close reply

K..

Haha. I'm definitely not testudo.

Reprimanded? You sound like my grandmother.

For the last time, I am not on an apple site!!! I am on electronista.com! Go check it out.

Nobody here likes to debate anything. You like to criticize without any retort or confrontation. Its irritating. Pick a topic. We will debate it. Please do.

05/28, 04:16pm | report spam | close reply

tsk tsk

the site doesn't seem to stop you from bashing the apple supporters. you can disagree with them all you want, just keep a civil tongue.
you bring YOUR reality and YOUR needs and YOUR likes and YOUR dislikes and a bunch of name calling. i don't see you making an argument without them, as though somebody here cares about your personal view. nobody is going to engage in a debate with that. i certainly won't.

JohnnyFive

Joined: Feb 2003

05/28, 04:59pm | report spam | close reply

re: testudo

"Oh, and Apple doesn't have to make great products. They've shown that people will flock to OK products that look good."

that's because nothing apple does or will do is ever good enough for you.

i must say, your imaginary g5, is that an "OK" product too? seems stupid to me to spend so much money on a machine because it's only "OK". hypocrite.

05/28, 06:56pm | report spam | close reply

an opinion

""Oh, and Apple doesn't have to make great products. They've shown that people will flock to OK products that look good."

stated as a fact when it's YOUR opinion. unless.. have some stats to back that up? some report somewhere?

Bogartte

Joined: Jun 2000

05/28, 07:58pm | report spam | close reply

multi-touch

Here you go, the real thing, and regardless of who invented it, I suspect it will be the next big thing:

http://www.perceptivepixel.com/

-1

05/29, 03:10pm | report spam | close reply

whole blog is opinions

Oh nat. You are no better than me, my friend! And I am not calling you names, because I am losing the argument, rather, I am attempting to show you the intellectual limitations on any argument that we can have. Sorry!

05/29, 03:14pm | report spam | close reply

Can you show me one comment in this entire thread that is not a personal view or opinion. Please. It is a challenge. Aside from the one I gave about microsoft being in touchscreen development since 2001, which is a fact not opinion. So lets hear it!

05/29, 03:18pm | report spam | close reply

More for Nat

Hahahahahahaha. Im dying. Honestly. I just clicked on your name and saw all your previous thread messages. More than half of them are about getting help for problems with your new apple computer! That's great. Really. Super reliable computer, eh? :)

05/30, 05:10am | report spam | close reply

"intellectual limitations" eh? now that i'm aware that you are handicapped i'll take that into consideration when dealing with you. i'm a nice guy.

ah! such a clever boy to have realized that there are opinions here, however they are about products, companies, etc. you, dear boy, make them about people because you don't like their opinions about products, companies, etc. can you see the difference? take your time...

problems with my computer? a configuration issue perhaps here and there but problems? as a former NT network administrator for 4 years and in pc support for 9 years i know about problems. these aren't it. but hey, no matter. oh my! i'm touched, really, that you have taken such an interest in me! it's all very flattering! you'll always be number 1 in my book.

05/30, 01:20pm | report spam | close reply

haha

You mean you are not a grandmother? Haha.

Go back and check your history. They are not configuration issues! Keyboard problems. Noises coming from the screen. Software problems. OS problems. You've dealt with it all! Maybe you should switch to PC? Never had a problem I couldn't fix myself.

06/02, 09:40am | report spam | close reply

PLEASE STOP!

my dear dear boy, i don't know what you're reading but over 15 years in windows support and i can tell you there is simply no comparison. none whatsoever. and you can fix it yourself? well, bully for you! now, how about grandma down the road? can she fix it as well?

and on a personal note...
i'm not ashamed to admit that i'm getting a bit misty about all this personal attention. it's so touching. really. yours is a big heart, one of gold i'm sure. i'll send you my birthday so you can follow up this unexpected show of devotion with a nice gift. as i said, no. 1 in my book!

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Windows 7 unveiled, has iPhone-, Mac OS-like features

updated 01:35 am EDT, Wed May 28, 2008