Rethinking System 7

Microsoft is in the midst of rolling out System 7, the newest generation of Windows operating system. The company is betting much on the success of this system, particularly after the lukewarm reception it received to Vista. What’s more, System 7 is seen as the base of future generations for the software — leaner, more secure, more capable and easier to use.

For enterprise-level organizations, System 7 is everything they could ask for — a bridge between the more functional Windows XP and the system corporations want and need.

For the rest of us, System 7 is a nightmare. Not because it is a bad system. Not because it is a resource pig that will need upwards of 16GB of RAM to run well. But because Microsoft’s marketing departments just aren’t doing their job.

The company that built its reputation on savvy marketing and out-maneuvering competitors would rate no more than a C-minus for its efforts. Sure, the company does a great job of promotion, and has its distribution networks in place and functioning. But marketing is a blend of four elements — product, price, promotion and distribution. If the “mix” of these four elements is wrong, it doesn’t matter how good the product is. And Microsoft has the wrong mix.

Here’s what I mean: