As expected Apple Inc. announced its brand new operating system - iOS 5, at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on 6th June, 2011. Even though the actual release date of this iOS version is still under wraps, it is scheduled for a grand release in fall 2011. At WWDC 2011, Apple did give a sneak peek of the new operating system for all those people who were getting restless trying to figure out what new features iOS 5 will have. At this event, it also revealed that Apple iOS 5 will be compatible to Apple iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, the 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch as well as the iPad and iPad 2.

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A joint venture between Google and the Open Handset Alliance, Android operating system doesn't need any introduction today. It doesn't really matter whether the popularity of Android OS is attributed to the amazing features that it has to offer or whether it is attributed to the drawbacks of its competitors. At the end of the day, it's popularity that matters, and when it comes to popularity factor Android is the name you need to watch out for. Android has come a long way since the release of Android 1.0 on 23rd September 2008. At Google I/O 2011, the company announced the new Android OS - Ice Cream Sandwich, which will be made available towards the end of this year. While the release date of Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS is not yet in sight, Android 2.2 and 2.3 are two options that smartphone users out there are left with.

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Microsoft has recently launched on the market the new operating system called Windows Vista. This is supposed to replace, in time, Windows XP and, the specialists say that it is improved in every detail. But, what new feature does Windows Vista bring and what do we need to run it?

Well, we had to admit that there are at least three things we like to Windows Vista.

The first one is the Search feature. You no longer need to save your files, or important documents with long file names in order to be able to find them easily; Vista allows you to add specific key-words to your files, tags like "to sell, John", to your photos which could be entitled "Presentation, conference". When you are searching for the word "sell", for instance, all the files that contain that word will be shown as thumbnails, which will make it easier for you to recognize it. So, even if the word "sell" is not in the file’s name, it will still be shown, just because of that tag. Searching for the word "John" you will be presented with the thumbnails of all of the files that contain that word. The module Search does not search only in your files and directories, but also your emails and even the websites you have visited. This brings speed to your work as you can quickly find exactly what you need.

Now we saw which feature brings speed to our work, but we also need, let us all admit it, more security than what Windows XP gave us. While some companies or families bought some extra applications that restrain the access of the employees or of the children in using certain functions of the computer, Microsoft included in its new operating system some similar features. Now, you will be able to restrain the access to certain websites or downloads, to certain programs or games. And, finally something that parents will like is that Vista is able to show you the reports of the visited websites and even of everything a user did on the computer.

Most of all, the most important "new thing" that Vista brought, and the reason why 98% of the consumers installed it is because of its graphics; this is the most visible improvement, and this is the reason why most people like Vista. Microsoft probably knows that when the eyes see something nice, the heart will ask for it. And that’s what they did. The new "Aero" feature improves the look of the Vista operating system and allows you to use Windows Flip 3D, the windows’ translucency and the Live Taskbar Thumbnails. If you place your mouse on a window in the menu bar, you will notice a small pop-up that actually shows you the content of that window in a real-time mode! If you press the "Alt" and "Tab" keys simultaneously you will be presented with a list of all windows, of course in a smaller version. Pressing "Windows button + Tab" it will show you the windows in a 3D format and you can manage them like they would be a stack of cards. And that is really awesome!

Well, Windows Vista brings us a faster search so we can work better, it brings us better security settings, so we can sleep peacefully, and many graphical and visual improvements that will delight our eyes, but there has to be something negative in all this. Actually there is. For many of us, the most important thing that will draw us back from buying Vista in the next few years is the fact that our XP-based computers will not run Vista at the best performances, and it is expansive to upgrade your system. Just think, you need 4-8 times more RAM memory, 10 times more available space on your hard disk and almost 3 times more CPU power compared with Windows XP. Moreover, some computers won’t allow these upgrades. Those ones, and the ones that run previous versions like 98, ME have to be replaced with a new system. Also, Windows Vista license is still very expansive for most of us. If you want more features, you need to pay more.

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Windows Vista is a computer operating system that was released by Microsoft in 2007, and it was widely believed at the time that Vista would overtake Windows XP as the best Windows OS out there. Unfortunately, Vista did not do as well as expected and met a rather cold reception, primarily due to the many issues that plagued it, and the high amount of RAM required to run it smoothly.

Windows 7 was subsequently developed and released by Microsoft in 2009, and it soon became the widely used Windows OS, firmly edging out Vista in the process. Windows Vista had some pretty neat features at the time of its release, and its focus was on increasing the system wide search capabilities of a PC and also improve the security benefits, but one of the most common problems that Vista caused was the slowing down of the machine, thanks to the various processes that needed to be run in the background, and the graphics that were present on the home screen of the PC that ran it.

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Whenever Microsoft introduces a new operating system in the market, people buy it to upgrade their systems. The same happened when Windows Vista, predecessor of Windows 7, was launched in the market. However, after using Vista for some time, most people downgraded their systems to XP (the predecessor of Vista), due to various problems with Windows Vista. Therefore, when Microsoft launched Windows 7, it made computer users skeptical. To clear their doubts, they want to know Windows 7 advantages over XP, before they actually upgrade to the new operating system tiding over the decade old operating system.

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