With Microsoft's highly-anticipated Windows 7 less than a month away from its much-publicized release, it's not all that surprising that company CEO Steve Ballmer has begun to tout the new operating system as the "best... [they] have ever built."

What is surprising, however, are the decisions by Ford Motor Company and Continental Airlines to make the leap to Win7 almost immediately.

New Standard for Operating Systems

In a note released to the media early yesterday, Microsoft CEO Ballmer bragged that "Windows 7 is the best PC operating system we have ever built." In naming the reasons why, Ballmer pointed out its unmatched security, management options, and energy efficiency abilities.

In fact, according to Ballmer, Windows 7 will usher in an era that will be considered "the new normal" for operating systems -- in other words, Microsoft's top public figure believes Windows 7 will revolutionize operating systems and set a new standard for all those coming afterwards.

Win7 Streamlined, Less Annoying

" I believe the new normal requires a kind of efficiency built on technology innovations that enable businesses and organizations to simultaneously drive cost savings, improve productivity, and speed innovation," Ballmer added. (Source: informationweek.com)

Some of those advances in efficiency could come through what Ballmer characterizes as a more streamlined interface that tosses out many of the annoying security measures that only alerted (and created) critics. For those who never made the switch from XP, we're talking about the annoying UAC (User Account Control) "Are you sure?" security messages in Vista prompted by the execution of just about any program.

Win7 Efficient, Cost Saving

Ballmer promises Windows 7 will makes businesses more money thanks to that upgrade in efficiency, saying "This could return the equivalent of one-half of one percent of the company's current gross annual revenue to the bottom line."

Although it remains to be seen whether this kind of rah-rah cheerleading will convince everyday home consumers, it seems several of the United States' larger corporations are ready to make the leap. Bloomberg recently reported the decision of Ford Motor Co., Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corp., and Continental Airlines Inc. to use Windows 7 on company computers.

1/4 of Companies to Migrate Within 18 Months

To date, 24 per cent of companies asked by Goldman Sachs said they would make the upgrade to Windows 7 within 18 months, while another 67 per cent said they'd make the jump eventually. That's a higher rate than Vista achieved, says Bloomberg. (Source: bloomberg.com)