5 Things That Should Be In Windows 7 RTM

I use Windows 7 for everything. In fact I use it so much, I sometimes forget that it is not even released yet. I have been using it as my main OS since January, when the Windows 7 Build 7000 beta was released. I love it, but there are a few things that need to be added or changed before it is released in my opinion. This is not a list of complaints, but rather a list of suggestions for Microsoft.

1. RAW support for photographers.

This one should have been corrected in Vista. Why was it not? I have no idea. But being a wedding photographer, who only shoots in RAW (as should anyone who is serious about photography!), all I want is a thumbnail generated and the ability to preview my images. Right now I have to open them using Adobe Bridge then import them into Lightroom or Photoshop. Which is like having to perform an extra step. I really would love for this to built in to the RTM. Mac users get it built in, why can’t we exactly?

2. Blu-ray support.

I know Microsoft lost the battle between Blu-Ray and HDDVD. But, they should bite the bullet on this one and make Windows 7 support Blu-Ray. It is not like the format is going somewhere and it is only going to grow in popularity. It is just another reason for people to say that Windows Media Player is crap.

3. Gaming Mode

This one I thought twice about including. But, since I like to T-bag people on Call of Duty 4, just as much as the next guy, here is what it should be. Somewhere in the Control Panel you click “Gaming Mode.”, and it shuts down every unnecessary process that does not need to be on.  Shut down Windows Search, Superfetch, Windows Media Sharing Service, to name a few. I understand that most of our computers can handle gaming and everything else turned on. I have a quad-core and it can handle whatever I throw at it. But what about people with older computers who want to game? It would be  a nice feature for them especially.

4. Dreamscenes

Yes, you read that correct. I said dreamscenes! It was the one killer thing I loved about Vista. So far it has not been included in any of the Windows 7 releases. I understand that they want people to try the “desktop slide show” feature. But to leave it out completely? Come on Microsoft! WTF! I had to use a hack to get it work on Windows 7. I am in love with the ability to play 720p Planet Earth’s as my desktop. Include it or I will write about it some more!

5. PDF Support or .RAR support, etc.etc.

I’m not gonna waste your or my time explaining why these should be built in; it is a no-brainer.

So there you have it. A small list of suggestions for Microsoft to improve Windows 7.  Will they listen? Probably not. It is to close to the RTM for them to change much of anything. I really would like a good explanation as to why there is no RAW support though, If anyone at Microsoft is listening.

If you have any suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comments. I am waiting on your feedback. Did I leave something important out? Did you not like my suggestions? I would like to know! Thanks.

No Windows 7 ‘Upgrade’ Edition for EU

Microsoft have announced that ‘upgrade’ editions of Windows 7 will not be available in the EU in a move to comply with competition regulations.

“We will not be able to offer an upgrade product within Europe,” said John Curran, Windows business lead at Microsoft UK

In the US and elsewhere in the world, people buying a new PC this summer may be eligible for a free or reduced price copy of Windows 7 by redeeming a voucher.  Microsoft have said that they will still make the upgrade offer to EU buyers, but will instead ship full versions of Windows 7 instead of the upgrade editions.

At the moment, an upgrade version of Windows Vista Home Premium will retail for £79.99 in the UK and a full version is £149.99.  Whether this will mean that EU consumers will pay more than people outside the EU when buying a copy of Windows 7 retail, or whether Microsoft will reduce the price of Windows 7 for EU consumers is unclear at this point.

Microsoft Announces Windows 7 Pricing

Apparently we were correct on our estimate of Windows 7’s Home Premium prices in which we used a memo that stated the pricing for Windows 7 Home Premium would ante up the cost for netbooks by $200. Microsoft has officially announced the initial pricing for Windows 7, and Home Premium will indeed be $200, or $40 less than the initial and today’s pricing of Windows Vista. Unfortunately, this is more than what some of us hoped it would be considering the state of today’s economy and Snow Leopard’s upgrade pricing of $30 and the full price of $170.

Although the initial pricing of Windows Vista and Windows 7 have some significant differences, the current pricings are almost identical. The change in cost of Home Premium is the only change in today’s pricing between Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Windows XP users need to understand that regardless of which edition they currently have installed, they will have to perform a clean install on the same partition when installing Windows 7, whether it be the upgrade (XP users will be able to install with just the upgrade if they so wish) or the full version. A clean install will not backup anything, although Windows Easy Transfer should make the transition easier on some users. Clean installs are also mandatory for those attempting to switch between architectures (x86 and x64).

Unfortunately for European users, as previously stated by Mike, the Windows 7 E editions will not allow an upgrade, nor will upgrade versions be sold. The reason is that upgrades have never been tested without Internet Explorer (remember that all official XP and Vista distributions contain Internet Explorer), and Microsoft did not want to have to delay the release of Windows 7 in order to ensure a successful upgrade for European users running XP or Vista. However, the full versions of Windows 7 in Europe will be available at the upgrade pricing.

Thankfully, those in certain countries will be able to save quite a bit of money by pre-ordering Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional (limitation of three copies). You can pre-order Windows 7 now from selected stores on June 26th; however, remember that the offers are only until supplies last and end on July 11th. Be sure to check Windows7News’ pre-ordering section later for updates and more information.

Canadian and Japanese customers can first pre-order Windows 7 on the same date as United States users, although those countries’ offers will also end on the same time as the US (except for Japan, in which the offers will end on July 5th). The UK, France, and Germany will get the opportunity from July 15th through August 14th (while supplies last).

For prices for each country, refer to the table below:

For those who buy a PC with Windows Vista later than June 26th (the date matches with the leaked Best Buy memo), will receive the equivalent edition of Windows 7 upon release. The offer will only be available from certain retailers and OEMs, and the program will be offered until January 31, 2010, although it can be cut short by the OEMs. OEMs also have the power to charge for the upgrade and choose which computers are eligible for the upgrade (it can be safely assumed that netbooks and low-end PCs will be excluded from this offer).

Thankfully the pre-order offers are so cheap because I quickly despaired when I learned of the $200 pricing for Home Premium (which I, as a college student, could not afford on top of textbooks and classes). I assumed that I would have to use the last leaked build for a while until I could afford the full version, and just upgrade my MacBook, which I considered a real shame because I much prefer my Windows box. The competitive pricing on the pre-orders is excellent, and will enable many users to be able to afford Windows 7 who would not be able to normally, and I will definitely be marching to my local Best Buy tomorrow.

Windows 7 Pre-Orders Starting Tomorrow

This is just a short summary of the last two posts (Microsoft Announces Windows 7 Pricing and No Windows 7 Upgrade Edition for EU) that have been published here at Windows 7 News: Probably the most exciting news in those articles is the announcement that users will be able to pre-order Windows 7 tomorrow for a very good price. Users from the United States can pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium for $50 instead of $200 and Windows 7 Professional for $100 instead of $300. That’s a quarter or a third of the retail price. The same is true for Canada and Japan were Windows 7 pre-orders will be available at the same time. Users from Germany, France and Great Britain will have to wait until July 15 for the pre-orders to start in their countries.

We have updated the poll on our site which is now asking if you will pre-order the operating system or buy Windows 7 when it is released officially.