The new taskbar, also known as the Superbar, is the first user experience change you notice in Windows 7. For me, it has increased the speed at which I can context switch from one application to another. And jumping to a specific open window in an application; closing windows quickly. With Windows 7’s application launch speed the concept of already running applications verses. already launched is negligible.
And it’s the small things:
The above “green†area progresses from left to right over the application icon to indicate the completion of a download task.
Similarly, Explorer shows the progress of a copy to/from Windows.
When multiple windows/instances of the same application is running, there is this subtle “stack†behind the icon.
As you hold the mouse cursor over one of these stacked icons, the preview appears. Just click on one, and that window appears.
Is the new Superbar better than the MacOS X dock, which inherits both from the single old Windows Taskbar (circa Windows 95) and the MacOS 9 Control Strip and NeXT dock? More feedback from Gizmodo: Giz Explains- Why the Windows 7 Taskbar Beats Mac OS X’s Dock
The beauty of the software industry is the intense competition to improve user experience. I am ultra-happy that Microsoft has re-entered the competiton.