Microsoft’s loyal customers are finally getting the operating system they deserve with Windows 7, and it was well worth the wait.

First, to provide full disclosure (as critics have requested in our previous Windows 7 write-ups) yes, I am indeed a Mac user. But until heading to college, I grew up on a steady diet of Windows. (I made the switch after a system crash that resulted in the loss of an enormous school project.) With that said, Windows 7 thoroughly wowed me, dissolving the grudge I’ve held against Microsoft for many years.

The latest OS from Microsoft delivers a truly next-generation interface that will transform the way we use our computers, while addressing a number of nagging issues that have turned off Windows users in the past. The Windows team deserves a round of applause.

The best decision Microsoft made this time around was listening to its customers. The company crowdsourced feedback and distributed a free Windows 7 beta to Microsoft enthusiasts back in January. The result is an OS designed to beautify PCs both old and new, while retaining many of the features Microsoft fans have adored about Windows and removing many major annoyances.

Read the rest of Wired’s Windows 7 review on the Wired.com Product Reviews site.

$120 • microsoft.comRating: 8 out of 10

See Also:

7 Things You Should Know About Upgrading to Windows 77 Good Reasons to Switch to Windows 77 Reasons to Avoid Windows 7First Look: Windows 7 Shapes Up as Microsoft’s Best OS Yet …