The Windows 7 honeymoon is over

Thanks to the power of hindsight, it's now quite apparent that Windows Vista was hated by a large proportion of the people who came into contact with the beleaguered OS. In contrast, Windows 7 has been receiving almost endless praise (even before anyone outside of Microsoft was even running the OS). But lately I've noticed the tide turning, and the shine is beginning to tarnish on Windows 7's previously immaculate halo?

Over the past few weeks, Windows 7 has been hit by several problems, which while being high profile, may or may not only exist in the minds of the users. There's been the battery issue, where users claim that Windows 7 is causing battery deterioration, and on top of that claims that a reliability patch released by Microsoft is actually causing problems. According to Microsoft, the battery issue is a non-issue and Windows 7 is working normally, and the company is investigating claims that the reliability patch is causing BSoDs and startup/shutdown issues.

Windows 7 has been good for Microsoft, driving not only strong sales and profits, but also giving the Redmond giant a much needed customer satisfaction boost. This was to be expected given that the OS had a flawless launch and all-round positive press. But now that the Windows 7 parties are over and the buzz of using a new OS has worn off, users seem to be focusing on (and maybe even making up) things they're not happy with.

This shift in attitude towards the OS is easily noticeable. A few weeks ago, positive Windows 7 comments outnumbered negative ones some 20 to one. Now, the ratio is close to one to one.

I don't think that any of this is a threat to Windows 7, because I think that there's enough pent-up demand for the OS. It is interesting though to watch how even the shine wears off even the best things. People really are driven by "the next new thing".