3. Improved Performance

Windows Vista is designed to take the most out of the latest hardware to improve system performance. Technologies like Windows ReadyBoost increase performance without the need for you to add RAM. Windows Vista also takes advantage of Windows ReadyDrive technology to improve reliability, battery life, and performance. Also, state-of-the-art self-tuning and diagnostics make it much easier for users and IT administrators to manage performance effectively.

The ReadyBoost is a truly revolutionary approach that will easily improve the way a PC performs. Like we all know, the RAM memmory is the key to the smooth operation of a system. But the RAM is expensive and you have to install it if you have free RAM slots available on your Mother Board. With ReadyBoost you can connect a USB Flash chip with the latest of them having 4GB of space and Windows Vista will use it as RAM. The USB device serves as additional memory cache—memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive.

4. Reliability

The improvements in terms of reliability allows users of Vista to work with greater confidence and productivity. With this new OS, you will be less often disrupted by crashes, hangs, and restarts. Windows Vista was engineered with reliability in mind. Hangs and crashes have been tracked since the earliest Windows Vista beta release, and reliability problems have been treated as bugs that need to be repaired.

We all know that with previous versions of Windows, a reboot was required each time you install a new application or uninstall an existing one. Well that's no longer the case here, because of the new technology. In the past, the reboots were due to the fact that when an installer needed to replace a file in use by a running process, a reboot was required to complete the installation. Now, the applications can install the new version of a file on the disk even if the old one is in use, through the use of side-by-side compliant dynamic link libraries (DLLs). The next time you start the application, the newer version of the file will be loaded.

5. Enhanced Accessibility

The Vista's built-in accessibility settings and applications make it easier for users to see, hear and use their PC. They are particularly helpful to people with visual difficulties, full or partial hearing loss, pain in their hands or arms, dexterity issues, or reasoning and cognitive issues.

You can interact with your computer by voice, without using the mouse or the keyboard, while preserving your level of productivity. With the speech recognition, you can dictate documents and emails in mainstream applications, use voice commands to manage applications and the operating system, and even fill out forms on the Web. It was built using the very latest speech technologies from Microsoft and provides an unparalleled recognition accuracy that improves with each use as it adapts to your speaking style and vocabulary.

Another new feature is the Windows Resource Protection that protects critical system settings, files, and folders from changes by any source except a trusted installer.

6. The New User Interface, better organization and ease of use

The interface of Windows Vista is remarkable, both visually exciting and intuitive to use. There are several new capabilities that really stand out here - users are able to  see the content of each file (text, picture, movie) without having to open them, users can also find applications in a much quicker manner, navigate efficiently among open windows, and traverse wizards and dialog boxes with more confidence and certainty. The whole user experience is more stable as a whole and you won't see any dialog boxes being drawn in front of you, flicker free, no hesitation or latency.

With all these new features, it is interesting to know where exactly does Microsoft's product stand when compared to Mac OS X Tiger. Some say that there are lots of similarities between MAC OS X and Windows Vista. Like the Control Panel in Microsoft's product, which provides access to critical system settings, so too does the Macintosh's System Preferences applet. Apple also has a built-in glass interface and the minimized icons on the taskbar show a live preview. Only difference being that the MAC came one year earlier. But still, that does not mean that Microsoft's programmers are playing catch up here. The whole controversy about who copied from whom is pointless, since it's normal for companies to look at each others products, because this increases the product quality.