I've installed it on my MBP 2.2 via Virtual Box. Nice that the two-finger right-click seems to work normally... but, sorry to say, I'm really not excited about Win7. On one hand, it still feels very Windows-esque, only it's visually much more slick. Yet, again like when I first tried XP after some time on Win2k, things are just not where you'd expect them - it doesn't feel intuitive to me, and I see lots of things that just seem like Johnnie-come-lately copies of long-term existing OS X ideas. I would have liked to have seen some actual new ideas, but the whole thing still seems tied to the old legacy Windows 'style' down to the slightly jittery cursor arrow. Still feels like an old Cadillac with all the electric options and pretty sheet metal covering up old wiring and yesterday's technology. It's just an impression. The whole thing still feels dated and old, with a new coat of paint. Other than cheaper hardware in some cases, I still think I'd have to recommend Mac to my friends... the Mac interface is just more 'connected' and feels more natural. It's a hard thing to really explain, but once you've been on it for awhile, and all the little things you don't really think about become part of the way you work, it makes Windows, even Win7 feel frustrating to use.
It's just my $0.02. It's nice to know it's an improvement, but it's nowhere near any kind of reason to switch from Mac back to Windows in my book.
I'll keep trying it out with some legacy Windows software I've got and see how it settles in.
BTW: I don't get what all the fuss over wallpaper is. I certainly tend to use my own digital shots a lot, but lordy, there's a lot of stuff out there on the web for the asking, or the taking. Who limits themselves to the wallpaper/jpgs that come stock with an OS anyway? They're cool for the first week or so... but they're the first thing I usually get rid of...
Do you really think it's fair to speak to responsiveness and user interface issues running in VirtualBox?
I read your impressions and my feeling on this is that you went into this with your opinions already formed. That's okay if that's your thing, but then let's not pretend that you're really giving another OS a fair shake.
What aspects do you feel are cheaper imitations? Some people get this sense because they don't understand that even though windowing interfaces can be similiar in appearance, their underlying interaction and manipulation paradigm can be extremely different. If you understand the way the OS handles objects and the reasoning behind the way it was designed, you can adapt yourself to be more efficient in your interactions with it. This isn't to say that there aren't inconsistencies in any interface. Just that this is the first reaction of anyone who spends time only in one OS.
Long time Windows users will often say the same things you said. I'm willing to be your first reaction to the people who tell you things are unintuitive is that they're probably not making much of an effort. Are you making that an effort? Or are you being lazy and dismissive?
The fuss about the default wallpaper is that it's the default wallpaper.
