1. You are viewing our forum as a guest. For full access please Register. WindowsBBS.com is completely free, paid for by advertisers and donations.

Windows Vista: First Three Months

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Arie, 2007/04/28.

  1. 2007/04/28
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2001/12/27
    Messages:
    15,174
    Likes Received:
    412
    Windows Vista has been available for consumers for three months now, how is Microsoft's new flagship OS doing?


    If you look at the (financial) numbers, it seems that Vista is doing just fine. Microsoft just released record braking profits for its first quarter (ending March 31st). The Windows Client division brought in $5.27 billion, up 67 percent from a year ago. According to Microsoft, roughly 85 percent of its client sales where Windows Vista, the remaining 15 percent Windows XP.


    The financial data seem to contradict the reception Vista has received in the press, and the often lack-luster reception from computer users. There seem to be a few factors that contribute to this. First, Windows Vista doesn't have a 'must have' feature. When Windows XP was released, the Internet was 'booming ' and digital media started to take off. Windows XP made great improvements in working with digital media. It also greatly improved on networking, specially wireless networking, which also started to become more popular around the time XP was released.


    Another reason for Vista's reception by end users is the fact that Windows XP (SP2) seems to be doing the job just fine, so users don't see the need to change. Windows XP can run all the current hard- and software so again there's no need to change. This will most likely change in the near future, and gaming will be at the forefront, but again, gamers using Windows as their gaming platform are only a small group.


    Yet another reason for Vista's reception has to be blamed on a group of people Microsoft doesn't (seem to) have much influence on: hardware manufacturers. They have had liberally years to build new drivers for Vista, but have chosen (with maybe a few exceptions) not to do so. You'll be hard-pressed to find drivers for any hardware that's not popular or fairly recent. And don't even think about 64-bit drivers!


    Lastly: when was the last time you've seen a Windows Vista commercial? I've been in the US for the past two months, and the only OS ads I've seen are those annoying Macintosh ads.


    It looks like users that are currently running Windows XP are quite happy with it, and the majority doesn't intend to upgrade their PC's OS to Vista. In our Windows Vista poll, nearly 49% of respondents indicated they intend to run Windows XP for as long as possible.


    Does this all matter? Nope. Windows Vista will become a success. Sooner or later Vista will be on nearly all PC's that users have. Even though Dell has decided to start offering Windows XP again as an option on some consumer PC's/Laptops citing consumer demand, after January 31th 2008 OEM licenses will no longer be available for Windows XP, a year later followed by the retirement of system builder licenses. From that point on only Vista will be available to be installed on new systems.


    Uptake in the corporate world is quite low right now. Most corporate PC's don't have the hardware to run the majority of Vista's features, and the lack of driver support for older and less popular hardware is also hindering Vista's uptake. Corporate IT departments will probably starting to evaluate Vista after Service Pack 1 is released, which we can probably expect around October/November this year (according to Intel's CEO Paul Otellini).


    What's your take on Windows Vista?
     
    Arie,
    #1
  2. 2007/04/28
    James

    James Inactive

    Joined:
    2004/07/14
    Messages:
    1,004
    Likes Received:
    0
    I fully agree. Look... my wife's son works for Microsoft. He's one of the exec's there and we pretty much receive anything new when my wife asks. He was one of the developers of the registry for Windows, switched over when the X-box came into being and following X-box 360 switched over to Zune until it was completed. Now he is back with X-box. My wife is perfectly content with her XP operating system as am I. We're wirelessly connected in our computer room and things are just fine. Why switch? I think we more or less are typical of the general population. When it's time to get new computers (in a couple of years), naturally we'll be getting Vista. Until then? Who needs it. We're happy without it.
     

  3. to hide this advert.

  4. 2007/04/29
    onclejean Lifetime Subscription

    onclejean Inactive

    Joined:
    2003/01/17
    Messages:
    29
    Likes Received:
    1
    Vista is Microsoft's biggest mistake

    In my view Microsoft should have continued to improve XP and not boost already grossly inflated profits by introducing a new - hm,hm - version. When Microsoft stop marketing XP someone in Europe will pickup the thread and in the USA some birght lawter will launch a class action against Micorosoft which will be followed by an anti-trust action by Congress. About time too!
     
  5. 2007/04/29
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

    Joined:
    2002/01/18
    Messages:
    9,068
    Likes Received:
    396
    The numbers ARE an indicator of success or failure. There's a number (stat) oft overlooked by those that report them, i.e. media, market research, etc. What they fail to adequately report are the reasons for Vista success. I believe the reason are thus:

    • new pcs are shipping w/ Vista preinstalled, users don't have a choice of operating system. (there are exceptions)
    • the vast majority of new computer purchases are not made by power users, they are made by folks who know little about computers to begin with, or they know just enough to get done what they need to get done: browsing & email.
    • the Internet is still growing exponentially. As is the quantity of first time computer buyers. This IS the reason for Vista success.

    First time computer buyers have no past experience with which to compare Vista to another operating system. Thus they cannot evaluate the differences between operating systems. Their decision to buy is largely based upon what they see in ads and upon what they are told by others. This group of consumers is THE largest group that purchases ANY retail product, e.g. computers, automobiles, televisions, clothing, etc. The purchases they make are actually decided for them by marketing & promotion, even though they believe they arrive at their "smart" purchasing decisions on their own. This largest group of consumers are for the most part "hypnotized" and unaware of what they purchase, they lack understanding of what they purchase.

    We power users and we educated users can read the pros and cons of moving to Vista, and make some sound decisions. But the average user cannot evaluate this and his lack of understanding equates to poorer judgement. He makes the move to Vista with skepticism, he may roll back to XP or he may "hump it out ".

    Either way, the result is beneficial to Microsoft, for people always talk about their latest endeavors to their friends and family. In the marketing world, there is no such thing as "bad press ". Any press gets the word out and the only word that counts is the word "Vista ". The negative talk about Vista and the positive talk about Vista both cause Vista sales to increase because the more the name grows in familiarity, the more sales will result.

    For me, Vista offers no "must have" feature, thus I will not move to it as my production desktop until at least Vista SP1, or when driver-software support backward compatability is included/available.
     
  6. 2007/04/29
    Progressive

    Progressive Inactive

    Joined:
    2007/04/29
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Response to Thread - Windows Vista: First 3 Months

    TonyT’s comments are very well taken and speak far better to the truth underlying the matter. As he said, to Microsoft, the only word in the OS department that counts is Vista. And uiltimately, yes, it will likely be on most PC-based computers, and even Macs.

    At the same time, recall that (like any "good ", self-serving company), Microsoft's financial numbers are likely "massaged" to "put their best foot forward ". I personally do not trust their numbers regarding Vista. User acceptance is lukewarm at best, the reported "success" is largely because it comes pre-installed on new machines and there are plenty more first- and second-time buyers, and there are no compelling features to warrant upgrading. Does anyone recall the reception of Windows ME? Even though it was touted as the bridge between "plain" windows and the NT platform, it got scuttled quickly. Many of my clients were (shall we say) quite upset that Microsoft had foisted such a "well-engineered" OS on unsuspecting consumers. Not that Vista is anywhere near what ME was (or more accurately wasn’t), but at the same time, as OncleJean suggested, Microsoft could better spend its time enhancing a well-functioning, stable product (XP) and plugging its security holes.

    I too find no compelling reason to "burn any rubber" to go buy Vista until at least after SP-1 is released.

    Further, Arie’s comments about "annoying" Macintosh ads are short-sighted. Perhaps he would prefer a world where Microsoft rules and there is little competition. Though the vast majority of my clients are "Win-Tel" based, more and more have begun a migration to Macintosh because it is UNIX-based, can run three OS’s natively (MacOS, Windows and Linux), and there is growing interest publicly. A larger portion of my revenue now comes from both platforms as well as same-office, cross-platform usage from previously strictly WinTel users. That alone is significant. Apple's numbers released just this week show a great increase in sales and, even allowing for more "massaging" of the kind that shrewd accountants and their CEO's can do, that is still significant enough to note. While it is doubtful that Apple will ever match the installed base of Windows (not even close!), once cannot ignore the trend and potential benefits.

    Finally, possibly the most significant trend is that Dell has decided to start offering Windows XP again as an option. That alone speaks volumes.
     
  7. 2007/04/29
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2001/12/27
    Messages:
    15,174
    Likes Received:
    412
    Have you seen the ads? There's no content, and they're even plain wrong.

    No, I have NO interest in "a world where Microsoft rules and there is little competition "... that's already a fact on the desktop.

    I'm running Linux servers myself... all our Web sites run on Linux servers.
     
    Arie,
    #6
  8. 2007/04/30
    Qonquer

    Qonquer Inactive

    Joined:
    2007/04/23
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    We started to sell Vista based machines when the OS was released. There was a short burst of customers wanting it, then it stopped. Nearly all our customers want XP now, and those that enquire about Vista I usually try to talk out of it so that we don't have to deal with the support requests (We are an OEM).

    I've had more experience than most so far with Vista on all sorts of platforms and environments. My own opinion of it has changed from when it was released until now. I liked it at first, but after I experienced more facets of it, I realised it's simply unstable, unpredictable and SLOW. When I say slow I don't mean generally, most things run fine, just like they do on XP, but when you start messing with stuff, like disabling hardware or messing with networking settings, or anything like that low-level. It simply takes an AGE to do anything, often just sitting there with that pathetic rotating circle for ages. If we need to do a call-out on Vista systems, we usually double the estimated time we would quote for a like problem on XP. We even supplied a local community center with 25 Vista Business pre-installed systems, the Admin there insisted on Vista, so that was what we supplied. 4 weeks later we were on-site there re-installing them all with XP Pro.

    As for the Mac ads, they are irritating beyond belief. I agree that Mac OSX is better than Windows. The ads compare Macs and PCs but what they are actually comparing are Windows and OSX. In terms of hardware, there is no real difference between a new Mac and a PC now, (except for a chip that allows OSX to run) If I were Apple, I'd ditch the hardware side completely and de-dongle OSX so that it will run on any SSE2/3 hardware and concentrate purely on software sales. OSX would be a serious competitor to Windows in my opinion. I'D BUY IT!!!!
     
  9. 2007/04/30
    Progressive

    Progressive Inactive

    Joined:
    2007/04/29
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hey Arie, spoke before seeing the Mac ads, they are BAD! I like open-mindedness, but these ads really don't go much anywhere.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.