1. The Ribbon
Microsoft pioneered this menu-less “ribbon” (i.e. the regular dropdown menu e.g. File, Edit Menu etc). UI in its latest version of Office,
and people remain torn on whether it’s an improvement or not. You might not be sold on the ribbon, but it’s coming to MS Paint (and possibly other bundled apps) anyway.
2. Tiny Taskbar Targets
If you’ve grown used to the nice, wide, boxes delineating each window on XP or Vista’s taskbar, you may not like Win 7’s one-icon-per-app approach. On the other hand, if you’re a fan of OS X, the look may seem quite similar – the new taskbar icons are very similar to Apple’s Dock. I’m a fan of the OS X approach, but bet we’ll see lots of complaining from Windows users used to much wider targets.
3. Flip 3D
Vista’s alternative method of task switching – hitting Windows-Tab to flip through a 3D scrolling representation of all your open windows – has always seemed a poor response to Apple’s innovative Expose feature. Apple’s version smoothly shrinks each window down to a thumbnail so you can see everything you’ve got open and click the window you want to bring to the foreground. Microsoft’s alternative is just a 3D-enhanced Alt-Tab. And unless something new arrives before Windows 7 is really released, it’s going to stay that way.
4. Lack of Innovation
Unfortunately, the coolest features in Windows 7 – the true bits of innovation – can’t really be tested yet. Win 7’s much-hyped touch controls will mostly require new hardware.
Dive deep into some of Windows 7’s customization options, and things start to look frighteningly familiar. Remember this old control panel? Let’s try a little experiment… Find the oldest machine you have around. Right-click the desktop and choose “Properties” go to the appearance tab and click “Advanced.” Hey, isn’t that the same menu? In Windows 98?
5. It’s Just a Polished Vista
Despite all the tweaks Microsoft’s built into Windows 7, it’s tough to get too excited about an OS that’s essentially what we should have gotten from Vista a few years ago. This new version will likely be received much more fondly, but think about everything that’s happened since Vista. Hardware vendors have had years to build compatible drivers. Systems have grown faster. Integrated graphic chips have gotten better.
