Vista Bundles Consumer Tools, Applications

Vista continues a trend, started in previous versions of Windows, of adding new tools and applications for consumers, including a digital photo organizer and parental controls. In combination with Vista’s other advances in areas such as security and mobility, these features serve as valuable consumer marketing tools and make Windows more competitive with Apple’s OS X. However, some of Vista’s new tools compete with existing applications from ISVs, while others could be replaced by online services or new desktop clients that link to those services.

Specifically for Consumers

Most of Vista’s advances are relevant to both businesses and consumers, such as new security tools (e.g., the improved security model in User Account Control and the Defender antispyware tool), the Internet Explorer (IE) 7 Web browser, and tools to ease certain mobile computing tasks (such as synchronizing offline data changes when reconnecting to a network). However, the OS includes some new tools and applications that are specifically designed for consumers.