Gates and Ballmer Show off Windows 7

Although short on details, an early demonstration of Windows 7 showed multi-touch features that closely resembled the iPhone's.

Microsoft fans have been rumbling about Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 7, almost since Vista first flopped limply onto the scene, but on Tuesday night, Microsoft finally gave them something to talk about by publicly demonstrating the upcoming operating system. The consensus so far: it’s Vista with touch.

Microsoft execs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer demonstrated the OS at The Wall Street Journal’s “D: All Things Digital” conference in Carlsbad, Calif. Calling to mind earlier demonstrations of Microsoft’s Surface Computer, the demos focused on Windows 7’s multi-touch capabilities. A Microsoft representative drew with her fingers, rearranged and scaled photos, and effortlessly manipulated a map. An online video demonstrating most of the same features has appeared on MSN Video.

Although those who eagerly await a time when Vista will shrink into the rearview mirror may have been disappointed with the lack of groundbreaking features shown off for Windows 7, Ballmer promised the crowd it was “just the smallest snippet” of what’s to come.

Chris Flores, a director on Microsoft’s Windows Client Communications team better explained the new low-key approach on the Vista Blog. “We know that when we talk about our plans for the next release of Windows, people take action,” he wrote. “As a result, we can significantly impact our partners and our customers if we broadly share information that later changes.  With Windows 7, we’re trying to more carefully plan how we share information with our customers and partners.”