I’m both elated and confused by the last 24 hours. First, I’m elated because it appears like Microsoft is taking the next step with multi-touch by adding it to Windows 7. I’m confused, however, but I can’t tell where Microsoft is going with all of this. Let me explain.
It started yesterday morning with a CNet interview with Windows 7 head, Steven Sinofsky, who explained why Microsoft was being more mum about Windows 7 than with its prickly predecessor. Sinofsky went on to say that Microsoft had learned from Vista and was going to be more reasoned and measured with its release of information about Windows 7. The reasoning goes that Vista hurt Microsoft’s hardware and software partners because they were unable to keep up with the various changes Microsoft had to make as the Longhorn OS transformed into what we now call Vista. This time around Microsoft would only say what needs to be said, when the time is right. Of course, this all beggs the question: who is going to get the information and when. Are we going to wait for the Windows 7 launch to hear about what it contains? Apple style?
Over on the Vista Team blog, Chris Flores explains the reasoning further and clarifies that we need not be concerned about Microsoft just thrusting things on the marketplace and that it’s already working with hardware and software partners and revealing to them details about Windows 7.
Hold on.
Sinofsky is saying that they have to be careful what they say so partners don’t get led down the wrong path. But Chris is saying that Microsoft is already indeed talking with partners.
Which one is it?
I’m guessing there’s a simple explanation for this: 1) there are partners and then there are partners. or possibly 2) Sinofsky is politely trying to say he doesn’t want to tell us.
And then to add to this paradox, no sooner had Sinofsky set the record straight that Microsoft wasn’t going to say anything public, that later that same day Microsoft revealed the first glimpses of Windows 7 as it demoed multi-touch in 7.
Talk about a turn around.
As a developer, particularly of Tablet technologies, this is beginning to get a bit confusing. So let me now get into the developer aspects of all of this in my next post.
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