I’ve had Windows 7 installed on my Macbook for a couple of days and my first impression has been very positive. This is an extremely stable OS and on Boot Camp it’s actually running better than the Vista installation I had on before it.
Before I touch on the OS I’m going to make a quick note on installing it. If you own a Mac avoid Parallels. I have a fully upgraded copy which identified Windows 7 and was a breeze to setup. On logging in for the first time however things did not look right. After a quick Live Search I discovered that Parallels does not support Aero and seems to have an outdated video driver. To appreciate Win7 fully you really need to have Aero active. Install it onto Boot Camp and enjoy a great OS.
The first thing you really notice is the new taskbar. Whatever anyone else says this is a fantastic addition. It’s easy to tell the difference between running applications and shortcuts. A quick mouse over a running application and you get a set of thumbnails, not a big deal you might think but mouse over a thumbnail and you get a preview of the window. I don’t want to go back to XP and Vista already. It’s also great to have the System Tray hidden from view.
What about applications since this is a beta? Well so far so good. I’ve the Windows live Essentials suite up and running and will shortly be installing Office 2007. iTunes is possibly one of the biggest surprises. It installs and actually seems to work.
I’ll continue to use Windows 7 and will keep updating you all on it but as far as I’m concerned this really is the OS Vista should’ve been. Great job Microsoft, keep it up.
