Microsoft doesn't want Santa to ignore Vista

Although the next version of Windows won't be ready for consumers this holiday season, Microsoft wants shoppers to know that there will be plenty of hardware and software out there that will work just fine with Vista.

The software maker is launching two programs aimed at making finding such products easier. The company said that more than 250 hardware and software products will sport either the "Certified for Windows Vista" or "Works with Windows Vista" logo. The former indicates products that have gone through independent testing and meet certain performance standards, while the latter are products that must merely be Vista-compatible.

"This certification ensures our customers will have a great experience with these products now, and an even better one when they are using them with Windows Vista," Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows client marketing, said in a statement before his opening keynote speech Thursday at the DigitalLife trade show in New York.

The software maker had hoped to have the operating system ready in time to be inside new PCs this holiday season, but said in March that it would miss that goal.

The company hopes to give people a small taste of Vista later this month as it makes available for download Windows XP versions of Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 7. Both products have been in testing. The final version of IE 7 is expected in the next two weeks, while Microsoft said that Windows Media Player 11 will be available as a free download Oct. 24.

Microsoft last week issued Release Candidate 2 of Vista in what the company hopes will be the last public test version of the operating system before it is finalized later this year.

The company is still aiming to have Vista in the hands of large businesses by November and on new PCs and in stores by January. Microsoft has said there will be six separate versions of Vista.

[Penguinisto]

ROTFLMAO! Yes! Do that!

Heh - pay money for a new high-end box, then pay more money (three figures!) to put Vista on it later...

I can't wait to see the public's reaction to [i]that[/i] realization:

SalesSchmuck: "Yes, it's all Vista-Ready!"

JoeBuyer: "So it doesn't come with Vista?"

SS: "Not yet, but when it comes out you can come back and get a real nice deal for Vista that you can install - only $(insert multi-hundred-dollar pricetag here)"

JB: "***!?"

...

Of course, you can just buy the family a Mac and have it all right now, all ready to go on Christmas morning. As a bonus, you won't have to purchase (or worry about the inter-company struggles of) any Symantec/McAfee crap or any anti-spyware stuff to boot.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Ballmer!

(chuckle...)

/P

[rmiecznik]

yep

Yep, Mac is the way to go, bought mine 9 months ago, PC collecting dust, I turn it on once to play some games that I bought for the PC.

That's about it.

Otherwise I find windows useless.

Everything else server related I do in Linux and Solaris, including database as well.

[Gronar Snaggletooth]

No

These new systems will be sold with a free Vista upgrade coupon, at least from Dell.

[csturdivant]

And here is today's Mac Kook award goes to...

"Of course, you can just buy the family a Mac and have it all right now, all ready to go on Christmas morning. As a bonus, you won't have to purchase (or worry about the inter-company struggles of) any Symantec/McAfee crap or any anti-spyware stuff to boot."

Why do Mac people feel the need to flame Windows PCs whenever they can. I love it. You have the Kook Mac User Of The Day award.

[paulsecic]

Bloatware

I'm sick of viruses, worms, Gates & company. I'm buying mac/

[Ryo Hazuki]

Don't worry, they will!

Either that or just wait a couple of months and buy a 100% compatible PC with Windows Vista pre-installed and "all ready-to-go". Of course, as you said, you can just spend twice as much money buying the family a Mac and have less than half of the software you can run on a Windows machine right now, all ready to go on Christmas morning. As a bonus, and as you said too, you won't have to purchase any Symantec/McAfee so-called "crap" because even their software doesn't run in Macs so you will have fun every month installing patches for something Apple said 1 month before there were no problems about. Merry Christmas, Mac fanboys!

[cnutsucks]

Santa won't make his rounds cause he got a BSOD

Santa won't be able to make his rounds this year
http://www.teckmagazine.com/content/view/422/43/
because he lost all of his travel information thanks to a Vista beta BSOD. LOLOLOLOL!

[PolarUpgrade]

Same said of Win95

In the case of Windows 95 it was claimed there were lots of apps on tap--many more than for Vista it would seem, but in the real marketpace Win95 apps were scarce for quite a while.

The actual stated numbers for Vista don't translate to a lot of choice when divided across function, and may suggest a less than huge software maker enthusiasm.

[ubnyan]

Pay now, enjoy later?

Now, serioulsy, why would I want to buy hardware of software for something I don't have yet.
I have a couple of friends who will wait after the holidays to get a new Vista PC, and I am sure many people will wait because it makes no sense buying a new PC right now and then spending more money and hassles to upgrade later?
I personally think MACs are better and lucky for me their new MAS OS X Leopard will be available for the Holidays.... Time for me to buy a new MAC :)

[fred dunn]

Oh Yeah, I can hardly wait...NOT!

Vista is a NOS (non operating system) that is it is simply blingware or bloatware but I wouldn't call it an Operating System.
Microsoft totally missed the boat on this one and it took them almost 6 years to get to this sorry state.
Vista will be remembered as a "skip version" since Microsoft already went on record as saying they were going to be "more nimble" and releases of new OS's would be typically 2-3 years so just skip it and get the next version.
If MS pulls another Vista (definition: wasted millions of man hours and dollars) then they will be Microgone.

[Hardrada]

and yet...

... ppl will buy comps with Vista. why ? coz it's a *little* more secure and looks better compare to winxp
+ mac is expensive
+ normal users don't want to switch to linux.

damn it!!! vista is going to succeed.

[Ryo Hazuki]

Wow, so much experience

Could you tell where you bought Vista, please?

[jbelkin]

The Sticker Class Action Lawsuit

Only MS could screw up a sticker - how is a consumer supposed to understand the lawyer legalese ... AND when consumers DO NOT understand the sticker, they just WALK AWAY.

There are only three scenarios and both will end badly for MS. People will either ask if Vista is free when it comes out and how do they mail in the sticker to get Vista?

OR - they will hold onto the sticker and when Vista comes out, they will go to the store and ask for heir free Vista.

OR - when Vista comes out, either Vista won't load or will just wipe out people' HDD's - MS will be at the business end of a dozen class action lawsuits.

By the end of 2007, it will be clear that MS is done as a consumer company.

[snavely77]

are you serious?

Done as a consumer company? You are joking, right? Go look at the money MS has just sitting around. Take that enormous amount and add a few more million from the XBox. Then take a look at choices for consumers. Mac or PC...that's it. And Mac's aren't seen in stores like PC's, plus Mac's are expensive (the only reason I don't have one). As much as I don't like MS because of their product offering, service, and business practices, I still don't think anybody can say with a straight face that MS is going down in one year.

[Ryo Hazuki]

The Dream

...and then you wake up and you find out Microsoft still has 85%+ of the market.

[Jon N.]

Well, isn't this Special!

Let's see here...we've got a 95% marketshare of the computing world frothing at the mouth at Microsoft because of XP, the worlds worst built OpSys, Apple is becoming more competative as well as staying technologically innovative, and Linux is emerging as a viable alternative to Windows. On top of that, there are over 40 zero day attacks waiting in the wings for Vista on opening day! Microsoft will have missed the Holiday Season profit boat, and the PC nightmare for PC users will then begin. There are alternatives right now! You can keep your ol' box and put either Simply MEPIS or Ubuntu Linux on it(both are very easy to set up & use). If your UNIX savy, then buy Sun Solaris 10, or, if you're really progressive...get a MAC! Unless Microsoft can guarantee adequate protection and ease of use for their constituency this time around, Vista could just be Microsoft's iceburg, that will slowly sink their ship. I say, "Everyone to the Linux/OS X lifeboats, now!"

[Jon N.]

oops, my bad...

Sun Solaris 10 is a free download, and the company's support is bought for a price. I should have said "get" Sun, not "buy". Mia Culpa.

[Ryo Hazuki]

Dream 2

...then you too wake up and find out it's all just a beautiful dream.
Before than happens, those companies you mentioned have to manage to make all that huge software that runs on a Windows PC to runs in their OS. And if one day that happens, people will say about those OS the same they say now about Windows, because it will be the favourite target for hackers.

[3cpmoore]

Incomplete Story

Wouldn't it have been journalistically correct to have included a list (or at least key examples) of those hardware/software items in discussion?

[Yellowseashell]

Not Me, I don't want it.

It's not so much the price tag as it is the restrictions that they have built in to Vista. Oh I am sure hackers will disable or find workarounds for these restrictions and maybe then I will use it but untill there is a reason I see no explination to why I would spend days rebuilding my hard drive with a new operating system. Restrictions combined with high price is enough to keep me a bay.

[Llib Setag]

Santa : Satan...Satan : Santa

To have a headline with MS & Santa in the same sentence is just
evil C|NOT...

Vista : Payback time to Uncle Bill & BaldyBot.

[Lalaikin]

Tamagochi game

That's amazing, many people love Windows because it's like a tamagochi game. You need to constantly care of it. Treat it, feed it, cure it to keep it alive. Just like a real pet. And every new release of tamagochi is more advanced and harder to win. From this point of view Vista may be a GREAT christmas gift! Unfortunately not yet...

[matt_parker]

Buy Lots Of Memory and Processing Power...

because you will need it to run this pig! Apparently, it will require a GB of RAM to run properly. You better get your maxed our system put together and ready to go before loading Vista because their licensing will only allow one "machine" transfer!