Windows 7 needs to ship sooner than later

Yesterday there was chatter about a “leaked” list of feature requests for Windows 7. To me the list was ho-hum, except for maybe the IE suggestions. I think those were spot on. The browser has become such a critical app that it needs to be kept up to date in terms of how people want to use it and how well it works. A couple huge suggestions I have for the browser team: improve “native” editing and get “ink”/vectors into the core of the renderer. There are many more features I’d add to the IE list too–working better on smaller displays is one. It’s definitely a work in progress in  my book.

There’s one tidbit in all this conversation that has me concerned though. Evidently Microsoft is thinking of shipping the next version of Windows in 2010. I’m floored by this. No way. At this point I don’t see Vista holding up very well in terms of the hardware trends over the next couple years. Something needs to give here.

To me, Vista hit the market at the wrong time. 1999 would have been a much better year. Point is, that just as Vista came out, hardware started trending down in “performance”–not up, which has been the usual trend. The difference? The mobile movement. As processor speeds have stalled, notebooks and other mobile devices have grown in market share–and are on the cusp of exploding even more. They care about power consumption. Common sense instant on. Always on connectivity. Always on communication. And it better just work out of the box.

(Where Vista did go right, however, is on the graphics side. It’s also a better OS overall–assuming you discount all the driver issues. It’s just that its mobility face is terribly lacking–just look at its bulk.)

I’m almost coming to the conclusion that the desktop-minded Vista is a deadend in terms of where to foster the next growth. I’m beginning to think that the next big OS is going to come not from migrating down–but from growing up. More specifically I’m beginning to think the next big OS may come from the phone world. Why? Because it has by its nature most of the fundamentals that mobility needs at the core. It may be better to build from there and move up rather than take the last 15 years of desktop legacy and shoehorn it into a 7×9 device or was that a 3×5 display or a 2″ display or….you get the point. Not that I’m predicting this at all–but just think if Google grows its Android into a full PC? Think of what this would mean.

Just as the number of phones may very well reach the “next billion” mark before PCs do, I’m thinking that collectively other small, trim, low-cost, mobile “computing” devices very well may too. I’m including devices like the XO here and the Eee PC as well as MIDs, connected music players, and on and on–and increasingly phones, such as the iPhone.

Aren’t all of these devices best kept in the embedded OS space? This was once true, but I see a convergence going on here. I see a convergence of user expectations in terms of how the devices work, how they communicate, how they share data and experiences. That’s what’s new. The next great OS will make these devices and features flourish.

I’d sum it up this way: Microsoft needs a mobile-minded OS solution sooner than later. One that can fit comfortably on a reasonably priced SSD. It has to. Today. The OS needs to keep me connected as I move around or as services fade in and out. Period. Today. The OS needs to run well on battery savvy hardware–that means hardware that’s minimalist–not much memory, not much processor umph, not much battery capacity. Today. The OS experience needs to be optimized and sensible for a variety of small displays. Today.

These are the kind of features I’d like to see in Windows 7’s to-do list. And yes, there are tons more. I’m sure Microsoft has its own must do list too. Whatever Microsoft decides though, I hope for its own sake it realizes that it needs to get its feet moving fast in terms of improving the mobile experience.

I realize time flies fast, but I just don’t see how waiting until 2010 to resolve some of these issues is going to work in the competitive world.

Maybe I just need a vacation. Hmm. Does a couple years here or there really matter? Nah, probably not. I need to charge my iPhone and take a trip. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Please, ignore this post.