Personal opinion based on reading articles plus my general 'sense' of reading between lines:

Vista was a compromise. The original Longhorn, which would have been similar to Windows 7 was basically aborted or split up removing the most advanced portions including a new file system and touch technology.

What became Vista was very much a part of Longhorn but due to time constraints it was extracted and sold as a complete OS lacking what Windows 7 will have to offer.

I don't know about expense. You will need a brand new computer or at least a new monitor to use touch technology. This is hardware just as much as software. Your current PC is not going to turn into a touch screen just via software.

At the same time Windows 7 is apparently geared towards the vein of many portable devices and not necessarily PC's as we know them. The touch technology for phones and notebooks is more in line with the concept. Then using that with 'Master Stations' such as the Tabletop:

http://www.d-a-l.com/help/chat-room/...table-top.html

It is the hardware that will raise the price but hardware always drops drastically after an initial debut.

The overall trend of the past decade and into current R&D is to remove the interface.

Before long PC's will be obsolete.

You can scratch your head and browse your files.

As stated initially: personal opinion.

Have you seen the commercials where the Desktop is the coffee table top? Microsoft calls it "surface computing" and from what I understand, Win7 will support it.

Watch Surface Computing - you may have to hit pause until it loads, then play for jitter-free viewing.

Midori musings: Thoughts on a "post-Windows" OS

It seems that the Windows 7 public beta will be announced/released tomorrow at the 2009 CES event during Steve Ballmer’s keynote. Previous predictions had put the beta release before/on the Jan. 5th, but since it has been quiet it’s only logical that it will be announced at the CES event tomorrow.

Windows 7 Public Beta to be released tomorrow? | Programming Designs


Links to reviews and potential downloads are listed in the above link.

The final version is now generally anticipated by the end of this year.

Nice Beta fish on the default desktop!

Broni has been running Windows 7 Beta for a little while now.

Windows 7 - first look - Computer Help Forum

Asus debuts S121 netbook with Windows 7 and 512GB SSD

Pretty expensive, but then with a 512GB SSD, I can see why.

Is SSD really all they claim it to be? Super-fast and super-reliable? I've heard (hearsay only of course) that sometimes it can be pretty unstable as well. I was advised to stay away from SSD for now...

"They" now say the Public Beta will be available Friday.

Public betas of Windows 7 client and server could hit this week | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Also the above indicates that computers sold beyond July '09 will be Vista with a free upgrade to the final release of Windows 7.

Some blogs argue that all versions of Vista should get a free upgrade but I don't see that happening. The argument is that 7 is basically a finished version of Vista.


.......

As to SSD I haven't looked into it much so have no idea. I will start reading about it.

Solid-state drive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Kaistar

Is SSD really all they claim it to be? Super-fast and super-reliable? I've heard (hearsay only of course) that sometimes it can be pretty unstable as well. I was advised to stay away from SSD for now...

Well, the technology is not cutting edge any more so I think they have the bugs worked out. Yes they are super fast because there are no motors to spin up or heads to move into position. And they are very reliable because there are no moving parts. They also use less power and generate less heat than other drives. Their only drawback is they still cost a lot.